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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 28 November 2012
Home Department
Entry Clearances
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that applications for visa extensions are processed in a timely manner. [127049]
Mr Harper: Since April 2012 the UK Border Agency has experienced a higher than forecast intake of visa extension applications.
The UK Border Agency is deploying additional resource and increasing casework productivity to tackle this intake and it aims to be processing visa extensions within agreed service standards by April 2013.
UK Border Agency
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much compensation the UK Border Agency has paid out in compensation for lost documents in each year since 2009. [130070]
Mr Harper: The information is not held in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Transport
Bus Services: Information and Communications Technology
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the compliance cost of legislating to require all new buses to be fitted with on board audio-visual systems; and if he will make a statement. [130314]
Norman Baker: As part of the Government's Olympic and Paralympic legacy, we are currently looking at a number of ways of improving the accessibility of public transport. This will include looking into the costs of installing audio-visual systems on new buses. Current estimates for the cost of installing audio visual systems on new buses range from £2,050 - £3,500 per bus, depending on the type of system. There are also annual running and maintenance costs associated with some systems of approximately £930 per bus.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Barry Gardiner:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the oral contribution of the right hon. Member for Putney of 10 January 2012, Official Report, column 41, on High Speed 2, what
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progress his Department has made on developing plans for wildlife corridors and biodiversity offsets in the area surrounding the route of High Speed 2. [130217]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government are determined to ensure that HS2 is an environmentally responsible project. Both I and HS2 Ltd meet regularly with environmental groups to discuss the environmental opportunities that HS2 could offer, including the concept of a "green corridor" and biodiversity offsetting.
HS2 Ltd is also carrying out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the route. The data collected, together with feedback from community and environmental groups, will allow us to firmly identify suitable environmental opportunities. Options include new tree planting, wildlife habitat creation and landscaping that would help to protect the natural beauty of our countryside.
We will consult on the initial findings from the EIA as well as the latest refinements to the construction of the route in spring 2013.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the decision to re-run the bid process on the West Coast Main Line franchise will affect his Department's analysis of the business case for High Speed 2. [130542]
Mr Simon Burns: The issues which have led to the cancellation of the Intercity West Coast franchise competition are unrelated to any work done on High Speed 2. The HS2 business case has undergone an extensive quality assurance process and we are confident that it is accurate. Work continues to bring forward legislation on HS2 next year as planned.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has received to connect High Speed 2 to the proposed western connection at Heathrow. [130544]
Mr Simon Burns: In March 2012 HS2 Ltd provided advice on route options for Phase 2 of High Speed 2, which included options for serving Heathrow. We are currently considering that advice.
Railways: Compensation
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the amount of money paid by Network Rail to train operating companies in compensation for delays; and if he will make a statement. [130551]
Norman Baker: Compensation paid to train operators for delays for which Network Rail is responsible (including those arising from external events such as cable theft) is a matter for Network Rail. The compensation regime is a contractual and commercially confidential element within the Track Access Agreement between Network Rail and each operator, and is overseen by the Office for Rail Regulation.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) level and (b) availability of compensation offered to rail passengers who are subject to delay; and if he will make a statement. [130552]
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Norman Baker: All Train Operating Companies (TOCs) are required under their franchise agreement to have in place a Passenger's Charter which contains details of the level of compensation and its availability (how to claim). In their Passenger's Charters, TOCs will operate one of two compensation regimes: Delay Repay or Traditional Charter. Delay/Repay is the name used to describe the improved system of compensation for all passengers (including all season ticket holders) based on delays to individual journeys which is being introduced as franchises are replaced.
For TOCs which have Delay/Repay in their Passenger's Charter, passengers are entitled to claim compensation for each delay of more than 30 minutes which they experience. The entitlement (which is more generous than that which applied under the Traditional Charter regime) includes 50% compensation of the single fare for delays of 30 to 59 minutes and 100% of the single fare for delays of more than 60 minutes.
For TOCs which operate Traditional Charter in their Passenger's Charter, separate arrangements apply for holders of season tickets valid between 1 month and 1 year based on poor performance discounts, and for passengers with single, return and weekly season tickets based on delays to individual journeys. There is no entitlement to compensation for delays outside the control of the rail industry.
Further details of individual TOCs compensation regimes are available on their websites.
Roads: Animals
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to implement wildlife crossings in particularly hazardous areas. [130413]
Stephen Hammond: The Highways Agency has plans for a range of wildlife crossings as part of the construction, improvement and operation of the Strategic Road Network (SRN). Where appropriate, these measures are designed to reduce the potential risk of incidental mortality to animals gaining access to the network and/or to avoid/reduce the potential fragmentation effects of roads. In all of these activities our primary concern is the safety of road users and animal welfare.
Mitigation measures that have previously been constructed along the SRN include tunnels or ledges for combined (multi-species) use, amphibians, badgers and otters; and bridges for badgers, bats, deer and dormice. These are often also combined with delivering wider benefits such as farm access tracks, and Public Rights of Way.
The Agency also undertakes research to better understand the effectiveness of such mitigation measures, in order to minimise the number of animal fatalities on the SRN and therefore reduce their impact. Further advice is published in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges available online at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/dmrb/index.htm
Roads: Snow and Ice
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that the road system is ready for severe weather conditions in winter 2012-13. [130392]
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Norman Baker: I wrote to all hon. Members on 23 November 2012 setting out the steps that the Department for Transport and the wider transport sector have taken in advance of any possible severe winter weather. I have arranged for a copy of this letter to be placed in both Libraries of the House.
Work and Pensions
Epilepsy
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department last issued guidance on epilepsy to medical services. [130081]
Mr Hoban: Atos Healthcare issued an evidence based protocol on epilepsy to all their healthcare professionals in January 2012.
Farms: Fatalities
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many deaths have occurred on farms in England and Wales in each of the last three years; and what the causes were of such deaths. [129897]
Mr Hoban: The Health and Safety Executive holds details of fatal injuries to workers and members of the public on farms reported to it under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR).
Details of the number of deaths involving workers and members of the public in agriculture (which includes crop and animal production, hunting and related service activities) in England and Wales in each of the last three years and the primary causes of those deaths are set out as follows:
| Reported fatal injuries in agriculture in England and Wales 2009-10 to 2011-12 | ||||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12(2) | Total | |
| (1) The category ‘Worker’ includes employees and the self employed (2) The data for 2011-12 is treated as provisional until April 2013. | ||||
| Causes of reported fatal injuries in agriculture in England and Wales 2009-10 to 2011-12 | ||||
| Cause | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12(1) | Grand total |
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| (1) Provisional | ||||
Grants
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what grant-giving programmes are operated by (a) his Department and (b) the bodies for which he is responsible; and which such programmes award grants in Scotland. [129144]
Mr Hoban: The grant-giving programmes currently operated by the Department for Work and Pensions are:
New Enterprise Allowance scheme where DWP has awarded grant funding to the organisations that provide the mentoring element of this scheme;
Work Clubs and Enterprise Clubs, part of Get Britain Working, which receive grant funding to cover their initial start up costs;
The Social Fund, where the following grants are available: Community care grants, Sure Start maternity grants, funeral payments, cold weather payments and winter fuel payments;
Access to work grants which are available to people who are employed, self employed or unemployed and about to start a job or work scheme and who have a disability or health condition;
Jobcentre Plus has also awarded grants under the Flexible Support Fund to assist claimant's progress towards and secure sustainable employment.
All of the above operate in Scotland.
The European Social Fund (ESF) is a grant based programme in part. The Department for Work and Pensions has responsibility for the operation of the ESF programme in England and Gibraltar.
The Independent Living Fund provides direct payments to users who can then use it to cover costs for a defined list of qualifying support services. These payments are available to people across the UK.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the eligibility rules are to be a postal claimant of jobseeker's allowance. [130082]
Mr Hoban: JSA Claimants are offered postal status if they
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have caring responsibilities for a child and are unable to make arrangements for short-term childcare to cover their attendance, for example, during school holidays; or
live more than one hour, door to door, in either direction, from the nearest jobcentre by using public transport or
attendance would result in an absence from home in excess of four hours; or
have a mental or physical disability, which restricts their mobility.
If no public transport is available, postal status is determined by whether or not the claimant can reasonably be expected to walk from home to the Jobcentre in one hour. Claimants must not be asked to walk more than three miles. This will depend on things like their age, health and the locality.
Social Security Benefits
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cash value was for recipients of each passported benefit in each of the last three years; what estimate he has made of the total projected spend on each passported benefit over the next 10 years; and how many people received each passported benefit in the latest year for which figures are available. [130580]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not available.
Universal Credit
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2012, Official Report, column 535W, on universal credit, what estimate he has made of the number of people who will require transitional protection after the introduction of universal credit; and for how long such protection will continue. [130141]
Mr Hoban: The overall number of households receiving transitional protection is subject to the build-up of universal credit caseload and the final policy design. The detailed approach to managing the build-up of universal credit case loads is under development.
Further details on the circumstances which will affect transitional protection were published by the Department on 4 July.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the calculation of universal credit of the recent announcement by HM Revenue and Customs of the relaxation of the on or before requirement for PAYE real time information submissions. [130379]
Mr Hoban: HMRC has made these changes in response to feedback from employers and to avoid imposing a disproportionate administrative burden on those who for business reasons pay their employees at times when an immediate report of earnings data would be very difficult. HMRC expects the relaxation to apply to only a small number of employers. DWP therefore expects the number of universal credit claimants affected to be small and will put in place processes to manage them.
Stephen Timms:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the feasibility of calculating monthly universal credit payments on the basis of PAYE data submitted by
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employers on the nineteenth day of each month, instead of on or before every payment as in the proposed PAYE Real Time Information system; and if he will make a statement. [130534]
Mr Hoban: We have considered a range of options for setting the assessment period for universal credit claimants, including the needs of in and out of work claimants and the reporting requirements of employers.
Universal credit is intended to make work pay and reflect the income available to the claimant. In order to provide effective support, information about earnings needs to be submitted by the employer at the time of the payment.
Aligning all assessment periods with the nineteenth day of each month would mean delays for many claimants in receiving their first full month's payment.
Work Programme: Scotland
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department has held with the Scottish Government in the last two months on the training needs of people participating in the Work programme. [130342]
Mr Hoban: There have been no discussions with the Scottish Government in the last two months on the training needs of people participating in the Work programme.
Officials from the Department continue to work with officials from the Scottish Government on ways to reduce unemployment.
Communities and Local Government
Empty Property: East of England
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty properties there have been in each local authority area in (a) Suffolk, (b) Norfolk and (c) Cambridgeshire in each of the last three years. [130106]
Mr Prisk: Data on empty homes can be found in live table 615 at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
Land: Auctions
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether it is his policy that local authorities which are planning authorities should be able to undertake both the land disposal and the land acquisition elements of community land auctions; and if he will make a statement. [130528]
Nick Boles: The Government are committed to piloting and considering the wider use of Land Auctions. In order for land auctions to work, a local authority would need to be able to both acquire, or take an option on, land and also dispose of that land or option. The purpose of the pilot is to gain an understanding of how the land disposal elements of the model would work in practice.
Local authorities already have powers to acquire land for planning purposes and dispose of it.
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Land: Public Sector
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the sites owned by the public sector and identified by Government Departments in their local land disposal plans have been sold to date; what the sale value was in each such case; and to whom such sales were made. [130091]
Mr Prisk: To free up more surplus land for new housing, the Government are committed to releasing formerly used land, owned by central Government, capable of delivering up to 100,000 homes by April 2015. We have identified surplus land for 100,000 homes and, to date, we have already sold land to support the building of an estimated 33,000 new homes.
Details on the sale price and buyers of individual sites are held by the respective public bodies which previously owned the land.
The Homes and Communities Agency is working with Departments to accelerate disposal of surplus public land. This work includes making the land ready for market, developing proposals for a single ‘shop window’ to help with marketing, and encouraging the use of the innovative ‘Build Now, Pay Later’ model.
The Government are committed to ensuring the swift release of public sector land to allow for the building of new homes. A programme of work is under way and the Government will provide an update on progress at the autumn statement.
Planning Permission: Appeals
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which planning authorities in England in each of the last five years have had (a) fewer than 5%, (b) 5 to 10%, (c) 11 to 15% and (d) 16 to 20 % of major decisions overturned on appeal as a proportion of all major decisions made; and if he will give the specific percentage in each case. [130500]
Nick Boles: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 996W.
My Department's consultation paper, ‘Planning performance and the planning Guarantee’ (page 12) proposes that my Department will seek to publish quarterly statistics on the extent to which decisions on applications for major development are overturned at appeal.
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which planning authorities in England over the last two years for which information is available have had (a) more than 20% of major decisions overturned on appeal as a proportion of all major decisions made and (b) less than 30% of major applications decided within 13 weeks as a proportion of all major decisions. [130501]
Nick Boles: Information on which local authorities have had more than 20% of major decisions overturned on appeal is not centrally available—I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 25 October 2012, Official Report, column 996W.
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My Department's consultation paper, ‘Planning performance and the planning guarantee’ (page 12) proposes that my Department will seek to publish quarterly statistics on the extent to which decisions on applications for major development are overturned at appeal.
The authorities who have made less than 30% of major decisions in 13 weeks in the last two years (2010-11 and 2011-12) are shown in the following table(1).
(1) Excludes 'county matters' and national park authorities.
| Authority | Percentage major decisions in 13 weeks |
As we state in the 'planning performance and the planning guarantee' consultation paper, we believe it is right to designate where there is clear evidence that particular planning authorities are performing very poorly, as consistent, unreasonable delays are against the interests of applicants and local residents. Planning is a quasi-judicial process: justice delayed is justice denied.
As I indicated during the Public Bill Committee considering Clause 1 of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, we expect to have to use this power to designate planning authorities very sparingly, and this table illustrates that. The Government remains committed to decentralising power and responsibility wherever possible, and this measure will not affect the great majority of authorities that already provide an effective planning service, other than to act as a reminder of the importance of timely and well considered decisions.
Government Funding: Barnsley
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of Town Team Partnership funding on Barnsley Central constituency. [130529]
Mr Prisk: Funding was paid on 1 November 2012 as a grant under section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003. The local authority is the accountable body for the funding which is un-ringfenced grant. The funding is part of a much wider package of support that is designed to help Town Teams strengthen their leadership on the ground and enable them to try new ideas. It is entirely for the Town Team to determine how funding is spent; Government have no plans to micro-manage how local people make those decisions, although we will be looking to learn from their experiences.
Energy and Climate Change
Energy: Prices
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to assist people with their energy bills over the winter. [130212]
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Gregory Barker: DECC is already taking a number of steps to help consumers, particularly the vulnerable, with their energy bills. Programmes such as the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, Community Energy Saving Programme, Warm Front, Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation have been established to make homes more energy efficient. In addition, the Warm Home Discount provides £1.1 billion of support up to 2015 to help 2 million low income and vulnerable households annually.
DECC has also taken steps to help consumers switch to better deals this winter, having negotiated a voluntary agreement with suppliers to fund the recently held Big Energy Saving Week campaign and to provide information to their customers on how to find and get their supplier's best tariff.
DECC has also recently announced a consultation on proposed legislation to help consumers get the lowest tariff for them.
Energy: Research
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funds the Government spent on research and development in energy in each of the last five years; and what funds have been allocated for research and development in energy for each year to 2015. [130555]
Mr Hayes: The Department of Energy and Climate Change's expenditure on research and development, specifically on energy and as reported to the Office for National Statistics, is as follows:
| £000 | |
| (1) Previous years figures for R&D expenditure at this level are not held by the Department | |
Figures for the year 2012-13 will be available later in 2013.
For spending in 2013-15, DECC is in the process of developing detailed business plans and figures are not yet available.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis) on 15 October 2012, Official Report, columns 141-42W.
Gas Market
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department (a) carried out and (b) was involved in any examination between 2004 and 2006 of allegations of misconduct in the UK gas market; and if he will publish details of any such examination. [129426]
Mr Hayes: I am not aware of any examinations that the Department has been involved in, concerning allegations of misconduct in the UK gas market between 2004 and 2006.
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Warm Home Discount Scheme
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people in (a) the UK and (b) Brighton, Kemptown constituency have received support from the Warm Home initiative in the last three years. [130213]
Gregory Barker: Around 2 million low income and vulnerable households will benefit each year as a result of the Warm Home Discount scheme, which started in April 2011. This included over 700,000 of the poorest pensioners who received an automatic £120 discount on their electricity bills in winter 2011-12. This year, over 1 million of the poorest pensioners are expected to receive an increased discount of £130.
Regional or constituency breakdowns for this data are not available.
Wind Power
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many wind turbines there are in the UK with a generating capacity of between 450kW and 500kW. [130449]
Mr Hayes: DECC's Renewable Energy Planning Database showed that in October 2012 there were 160 turbines in the UK rated between 450 kw and 500 kw.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the wind turbine industry on carbon emissions. [130466]
Mr Hayes: In 2011, DECC estimated that wind generation of electricity contributed to the equivalent of burning 1,332,500 tonnes of oil to the UK energy network (891,800 tonnes from onshore wind, 440,700 tonnes from offshore wind).
Wind power has one of the lowest carbon footprints, with the manufacturing and construction phases accounting for 98% of the total life cycle CO2 emissions. For onshore wind, the carbon footprint ranges between 8-20gCO2eq/kWh, taking into account not only emissions from generation of electricity but those incurred during the manufacture, construction and decommissioning phases. For offshore wind, two peer-reviewed studies give, footprints of between 9 and 13gCO2eq/kWh. By comparison, the average emissions from fossil fuelled power generation in the UK is around 850gCO2eq/kWh for coal, 590gCO2eq/kWh for oil and 370gCO2eq/kWh for gas.
Education
Children: Day Care
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 423W, on children: day care, what other evidence-gathering and consultation activities have been undertaken by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department for the Childcare Commission. [128777]
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Elizabeth Truss: The Childcare Commission is led jointly by the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions. Evidence-gathering and consultation, activities have been a shared exercise.
In addition to the open call for evidence, Ministers and officials from both Departments have held meetings with a range of stakeholders including academics, voluntary and community sector organisations, think tanks, child care voucher providers, welfare-to-work providers, child care and early years representative bodies, schools and Academy trusts, wraparound care providers, employer representatives and welfare rights groups. Ministers and officials have visited leading countries such as France and Germany, and held meetings with representatives from the Netherlands. The Department of Education also commissioned evidence gathering from a range of other sources.
A number of other organisations undertook activities to support and inform the work of the commission, including the National Day Nurseries Association, The Daycare Trust, 4Children, and the National Children's Bureau.
Children's Rights
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to ensure the adequate and systematic training in relation to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child of (a) law enforcement officials, (b) immigration officials, (c) the media, (d) health personnel, (e) social workers, (f) child care workers and (g) officials in Government Departments; and how many people in each of those categories have received such training. [129971]
Mr Timpson: It is for the employers or professional bodies of staff working in categories (a) to (f) to determine their training arrangements in line with relevant national requirements, including in relation to the UNCRC.
Immigration officials are, for example, expected to understand the implications for their work of the children's duty in section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009; the Professional Capabilities Framework for social workers sets standards for skills and knowledge which include the advancement of human rights and promotion of social justice and economic well-being; and Early Years Professionals are required to demonstrate that they promote equality of opportunity through championing children's rights.
The Department for Education has embarked on a programme of awareness raising and training on the UNCRC for relevant officials in other Government departments, Information on the UNCRC has been provided to Bill teams across government and more detailed training sessions have been run for staff in the Home Office and Department of Health. A further session is due to take place for staff in the Department for Work and Pensions next month. This process is set to continue.
Information on the number of people undertaking such training is not available.
Misuse of Drugs Ministerial Group
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many times Ministers of his Department have attended the inter-ministerial group on drugs since May 2010. [128375]
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Mr Timpson [holding answer 13 November 2012]: Ministers from the Department for Education have attended the inter-ministerial group on drugs four times since May 2010.
Defence
Aircraft Carriers
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies have been awarded sub-contracts for construction of HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales; at which sites he expects work under each such contract to be carried out; and what the monetary value is of each such contract. [129725]
Mr Dunne [holding answer 26 November 2012]:I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff) on 13 July 2010, Official Report, column 605W. An updated list of sub-contracts has been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 806W, on aircraft carriers, what the expected running costs will be of a second Queen Elizabeth Class carrier. [130047]
Mr Dunne [holding answer 27 November 2012]: I have nothing to add to the answer I gave my hon. Friend on 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 806W.
Atomic Weapons Establishment
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representatives of the (a) French, (b) Russian and (c) Chinese Governments visited the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Berkshire, in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011. [129462]
Mr Dunne: There were no visits to the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) by Russian or Chinese Government representatives in 2010 or 2011.
Two individuals from the French Ministry of Defence visited in 2010. There is one French individual currently on secondment at AWE from the ‘Commissariat à l'énergie atomique’ (CEA), which is a French Government-funded technological research organisation.
There are also numerous visits each year by appropriately security-cleared French nationals, who are predominantly CEA employees or contractors. The number of these visits is not routinely collated.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made with the French Government on French experimental involvement in the Orion laser facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment. [129521]
Mr Dunne: No arrangements have been made with the French Government on French experimental involvement in the Orion laser facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
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Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse was of the Atomic Weapons Establishment's Technical Outreach programme in each of the last three years. [129543]
Mr Dunne: The following table shows the payments made by the Atomic Weapons Establishment under its Technical Outreach programme. The figures cover the last three calendar years up to July 2012 which are the most recent figures available.
| Payment (£) | |
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2012, Official Report, column 44W, on AWE: research, which universities undertake research commissioned by the AWE which is security classified. [129587]
Mr Dunne: None of the Atomic Weapons Establishment commissioned research work undertaken by universities is security classified.
Sir Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps he has taken to assess and upgrade lightning protection standards at the Atomic Weapons Establishment. [129711]
Mr Dunne: Lightning standards at the Atomic Weapons Establishment are regularly assessed to ensure they are compliant with the appropriate protection requirements and are routinely tested to ensure correct operation.
BAE Systems
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on how many occasions BAE Systems has written to his Department to notify it of a (a) key industrial capability trigger event and (b) key industrial capability notice under the terms of the 2009 Terms of Business Agreement since 24 May 2012; [129680]
(2) if he will estimate the (a) number of payments and (b) cost to the public purse of key industrial capability notices issued to BAE Systems under the terms of the 2009 Terms of Business Agreement. [129681]
Mr Dunne: BAE Systems Maritime—Naval Ships (BAES MNS) has not notified the Ministry of Defence (MOD) of any new key industrial capability trigger (KIC) event since 24 May 2012. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff) on 24 May 2012, Official Report, column 828W, in which he reported that there was one occasion when BAES MNS has served the MOD with a KIC trigger event notice. This event related to a shortfall in ship support work load.
The payment notice resulting from this KIC trigger event remains the subject of ongoing discussions between the company and the MOD. No payment has been made in respect of this notice.
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Devonport Dockyard
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) details and (b) breakdown is of his Department's £162 million infrastructure investment at HM Naval Base Devonport from May 2010 to the end of September 2012. [129187]
Mr Dunne: A detailed breakdown of investment by the Ministry of Defence in Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport is shown in the following table:
HMS Defender
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Defender will be declared operational. [129162]
Mr Dunne: On current plans, HMS Defender is expected to enter service in mid-2013, after which further trials, training and equipment preparations will be required prior to operational deployment.
Military Aircraft
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the relative cost and benefits of having a maritime surveillance capability which consists of embarked aircraft compared with land-based aircraft. [129499]
Mr Dunne: To inform our future capabilities the Ministry of Defence has begun an investigation into airborne intelligence, surveillance, targeting, acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capabilities. This investigation will be complete before the strategic defence and security review in 2015.
Military Exercises
Sir Nick Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the names, dates and locations were of any nuclear weapons emergency exercises organised by
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his Department in 2011 and 2012; and what the names, dates and locations will be of any such exercises in 2013. [129451]
Mr Dunne: The names, dates and locations of nuclear weapons emergency response exercises which took place in 2011 and 2012 and provisional dates for exercises scheduled for 2013 are shown in the following tables:
| Date | Location | |
| Date (provisional) | Location | |
Nimrod Aircraft
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects of the cancellation of Nimrod on the UK's ability to conduct military tasks; and what progress his Department has made on addressing those consequences. [129662]
Mr Robathan: Following the removal of Nimrod MR2 from service in March 2010 and the cancellation of the MRA4 programme, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has conducted a number of studies into the resulting capability implications, but no decision has been made on whether a long-term manned or unmanned replacement for the Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) is required.
Since the previous Government withdrew the MPA a range of complementary assets have been used to mitigate the capability gap including T23 Frigates, Merlin helicopters,
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attack submarines, and Hercules C130 and E-3 Sentry aircraft, and to seek assistance, where appropriate, from allies and partners.
Trident
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2012 to the hon. Member for Islington North, Official Report, column 412W, what the titles are of all projects currently underway at the Atomic Weapons Establishment to inform the decision on whether to refurbish or replace the existing UK Trident warhead. [129581]
Mr Dunne: The Nuclear Weapons Capability Sustainment Programme has been under way since 2005. It is a programme at the Atomic Weapons Establishment to maintain and where necessary to develop science and technology capability to develop infrastructure facilities, and staff capabilities to ensure that the UK has the ability to underpin any decision on a future UK nuclear warhead.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff are employed on the Trident replacement design programme at (a) BAE Systems, (b) Babcock Marine, (c) Rolls-Royce and (d) elsewhere. [130021]
Mr Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 November 2012, Official Report, column 239W, in which I stated that there are approximately 1,100 BAE Systems and 100 Babcock Marine personnel employed on the Successor submarine programme. Work on the Successor programme is also sustaining around 600 jobs at Rolls-Royce.
Information on personnel employed elsewhere is not held in the format requested and I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 November 2012, Official Report, column 235W, in which I stated that there are approximately 130 Ministry of Defence personnel employed solely on the Successor submarine programme.
Trident Missiles
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the life expectancy is of rocket motors for the Trident D5 missile; and what studies have been conducted into the implications of ageing of the motors. [129582]
Mr Dunne: The life expectancy of a Trident D5 rocket motor is 30 years. The US continues to study the life expectancy of the Trident D5 missiles and the UK is kept informed on the progress of this work.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the last seven-year design review of the Trident Re-entry System took place; and when the next such review will take place. [129583]
Mr Dunne: The last seven-year design review of the Trident Re-entry System was conducted in 2006 and reported in 2007.
The next review is currently planned to be in 2013 and to report in 2014.
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Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of adjustments to the D5 Missile extension programme consequent on the proposed reduction in the number of missiles. [129841]
Mr Dunne: No adjustments to the D5 Missile extension programme are required as a consequence of the reduction in the number of operational missiles that are carried onboard the Vanguard Class submarines as announced in the 2010 strategic defence and security review. There is, therefore, no change in the cost to the public purse.
Type 45 Destroyers
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the unit production cost of Type 45 destroyers. [129666]
Mr Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 November 2012, Official Report, column 498W, to my right hon. Friend the Member for Mid Sussex (Nicholas Soames).
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 812W, on unmanned air vehicles, when a decision about the Royal Navy ISTAR UOR will be made; and what the expected in-service date is. [130046]
Mr Dunne: The Urgent Operational Requirement to provide Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capability for the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships is expected to reach its main investment decision point in the first quarter of 2013. The in-service date will be confirmed at that point.
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to arm Watchkeeper WK450; and if he will make a statement. [130050]
Mr Dunne: [holding answer 27 November 2012]: The Ministry of Defence currently has no plans to arm the Watchkeeper unmanned air system (UAS) or the Hermes 450 UAS which is supporting operations in Afghanistan as an Urgent Operational Requirement.
USA
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many experiments the Atomic Weapons Establishment has participated in using the Z Pulsed Power Facility at Sandia National Laboratories in each year since 2007; [129172]
(2) what the (a) names and (b) dates were of subcritical nuclear weapon tests at the Nevada Test Site which the UK participated in since 1991; [129173]
(3) in how many experiments the Atomic Weapons Establishment has participated using the dual axis radiographic hydro-test facility at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in each year since that facility opened; [129400]
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(4) in how many experiments the Atomic Weapons Establishment has participated using the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in each year since the facility opened. [129401]
Mr Dunne: Officials from the Ministry of Defence and personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishment work closely with their US counterparts on a range of nuclear matters under the auspices of the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement. This includes participation in experiments at the Nevada Test Site, and at the Los Alamos, Sandia and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories.
I am withholding further details of this work in the interests of safeguarding national security.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 13 December 2010, Official Report, column 458W, on nuclear weapons, which US establishments were visited by personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishment in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and how many staff visited each such establishment. [129259]
Mr Dunne: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which UK establishments were visited by US personnel under the terms of the US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and how many staff visited each such establishment. [129382]
Mr Dunne: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Scotland
Hospitals: Parking
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information his Department holds on the cost of introducing free parking at NHS trusts in Scotland; and what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on what effect that introduction has had. [130351]
David Mundell: No such information is held by Scotland Office. The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are in regular contact with the Scottish Ministers on a range of issues.
Sovereignty
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions have taken place between Ministers in his Department and the Scottish Government on independence. [130438]
David Mundell:
The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I have discussed the referendum with the Scottish Government on a number
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of occasions, most recently on 15 October when Scotland's two Governments reached agreement on the process to ensure that there is a legal, fair and decisive referendum.
Work Programme
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions his Department has held with the Scottish Government in the last two months on the training needs of people participating in the Work programme. [130343]
David Mundell: Scotland Office officials are in regular contact with officials from the Scottish Government to discuss a range of issues. From 2013, the Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), will co-chair the Scottish Employability Forum alongside the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. The forum will provide a focus for employability issues across Scotland.
Written Questions
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the (a) shortest and (b) longest time taken by his Department to answer a written parliamentary question was in (i) 2012 to date, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2010. [130061]
David Mundell: This information is not available in the form requested. To facilitate a manual search of PQ records would incur disproportionate cost.
The Government have 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 performance for the 2010-12 parliamentary Session are available on the Parliament website as follows:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_ Monitoring_PQs.pdf
Attorney-General
Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation
Pauline Latham: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Serious Fraud Office is investigating the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation either formally or informally. [130194]
The Solicitor-General: As and when matters are brought to the attention of the SFO they are considered for investigation. It is not always possible to comment on individual cases or prospective cases.
Wales
Boundary Commission for Wales
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has had meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister to discuss the work of the Welsh Boundary Commission; and when any such meetings were held. [130096]
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Mr David Jones: The four UK Boundary Commissions, including the Boundary Commission for Wales, are currently working on revised proposals for new parliamentary constituency boundaries and must publish final proposals before October 2013.
Given that this work is ongoing, I have not discussed it with the Deputy Prime Minister.
Devolution
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how often he meets Ministers in the Welsh Government. [130102]
Mr David Jones: I regularly meet with Ministers from the Welsh Government.
Housing Benefit
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he plans to meet the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to discuss the effect on Wales of the Government's proposed changes to housing benefit. [130097]
Mr David Jones: I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), about a range of matters relevant to Wales, including the impact of welfare reform in Wales.
Non-domestic Rates
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Welsh Ministers on the implications of the proposed postponement of the next business rates revaluation from 2015 to 2017 in England on levels of funding in Wales. [130180]
Mr David Jones: There is no necessary link between the non-domestic rates revaluation and the levels of funding in Wales. Any decision to delay the revaluation of business rates in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.
The Commission on Devolution in Wales, which reported on 19 November 2012, recommended that business rates in Wales be fully devolved. The Government will respond to the Commission's report in due course.
Severn River Crossings: Tolls
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss tolls on the two Severn crossings. [130098]
Mr David Jones: I already have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), on transport issues which affect Wales, including the Severn bridge crossings.
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet the First Minister of Wales to discuss tolls on the two Severn crossings. [130099]
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Mr David Jones: I have regular meetings with the First Minister of Wales to discuss a range of issues which affect Wales, including the Severn bridge crossings.
Welsh Grand Committee
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) when the Government will next convene a meeting of the Welsh Grand Committee; [130100]
(2) if he will meet the Leader of the House to discuss a programme of meetings of the Welsh Grand Committee. [130101]
Mr David Jones: I intend that the Welsh Grand Committee convenes as soon as possible to debate the recommendations of the Commission on Devolution in Wales, published on 19 November 2012.
I believe the Grand Committee is best used on a flexible basis to debate matters of importance to Wales. I am not minded therefore to put in place a formal programme of meetings.
Northern Ireland
Bill of Rights
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) whether she plans to convene a meeting of Northern Ireland political parties to discuss a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights; [129986]
(2) what progress has been made in talks to establish a Northern Ireland Bill of Rights. [129987]
Mike Penning: The Government would like to see this issue resolved. However, it remains clear that there is currently no consensus among the political parties in Northern Ireland around prospects for a Bill of Rights. The previous Administration in which the right hon. Member served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland also sought to make progress on this issue but was unable to resolve it over a period of 12 years following the Belfast Agreement.
We are happy to discuss the issue further with the political parties if they wish to do so. I very much hope that they will work together to identify a mutually acceptable way forward.
Devolution
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent meetings she has had with Ministers in the Irish Government. [129985]
Mrs Villiers: Since being appointed I have had regular meetings with Ministers in the Irish Government.
Pay
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 583W, on pay, whether the number given for employees of her Department earning in excess of £80,000 per year is inclusive or exclusive of the number earning in excess of £100,000 per year. [130557]
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Mike Penning: Further to my answer of 22 November 2012, Official Report, column 583W, the number of staff earning over £80,000 is exclusive of those earning in excess of £100,000 per year.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Belarus
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with the Home Secretary the establishment of a review of current (a) visa entry requirements, (b) restrictions and (c) costs levied on Belarusian nationals wishing to travel to the UK for the purpose of work or tourism. [130094]
Mr Lidington: The Government have current plans to change visa entry requirements for Belarusian nationals wishing to travel to the UK for the purpose of work or tourism. Visa fees are the same for all nationalities. They are subject to annual review.
Latin America
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the growth in UK exports to (a) Argentina, (b) Brazil, (c) Colombia, (d) Chile, (e) Paraguay and (f) Latin America has been in each of the last three years. [130177]
Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
UK exports since 2008 and annual growth are shown in the following tables. Figures for Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Chile are based on Pink Book 2012 published by the Office for National Statistics and cover both goods and services exports. Figures for Paraguay and Latin America are not available in Pink Book 2012, so have been taken from HM Revenue and Customs Overseas Trade Statistics which covers goods only.
| Argentina | |||
| UK exports of goods and service (£ million) | Annual growth (£ million) | Annual growth (percentage) | |
| Source: ONS Pink Book 2012 | |||
| Brazil | |||
| UK exports of goods and services(£ million) | Annual growth (£ million) | Annual growth (percentage) | |
| Source: ONS Pink Book 2012 | |||
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| Colombia | |||
| UK exports of goods and services (£ million) | Annual growth (£ million) | Annual growth (percentage) | |
| Source: ONS Pink Book 2012 | |||
| Chile | |||
| UK exports of goods and services(£ million) | Annual growth (£ million) | Annual growth (percentage) | |
| Source: ONS Pink Book 2012 | |||
| Paraguay | |||
| UK exports of goods (£ million) | Annual growth (£ million) | Annual growth (percentage) | |
| Source: HMRC OTS www.uktradeinfo.com | |||
| Latin America | |||
| UK exports of goods (£ million) | Annual growth (£ million) | Annual growth (percentage) | |
| Note: Latin America is defined as: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela. Source: HMRC OTS www.uktradeinfo.com | |||
Middle East
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance he has (a) given and (b) plans to give to the Government of Israel to help fight terrorism; what recent meetings he has had with the Government of Israel on fighting terrorism; and if he will make a statement. [R] [129832]
Alistair Burt: We have a regular dialogue with Israel on the issue of terrorism. This issue was recently discussed at the Israel-UK Strategic Dialogue on 1 November.
We have also discussed this issue with Israel in the context of the recent violence in Gaza and southern Israel. We have been clear that we condemn indiscriminate rocket fire into southern Israel, as we do all acts of terrorism.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), issued a statement on 21 November expressing UK concern at reports of a bomb attack on
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a bus in Tel Aviv, which seriously injured a number of people. The Foreign Secretary made clear that terrorists must not be allowed to set the agenda.
Mr Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote compliance with international law in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [129890]
Alistair Burt: We urge all parties to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.
It is important that Israel fulfils its obligations under international law. We have consistently condemned Israel's announcements to accelerate settlement building in Israel to reverse these.
We have also repeatedly made clear to the Israelis our serious concern at the 40% increase last year, as recorded by the UN, in demolitions of Palestinian properties in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv raised this issue with the Israeli Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 9 October. We view such demolitions and evictions as causing unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; as harmful to the peace process; and, in all but the most limited circumstances, as contrary to international humanitarian law.
More generally, we continue to have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories which we raise regularly with the Israeli authorities. More details can be found at:
http://fcohrdreport.readandcomment.com/human-rights-n-countries-of-concern/israel-and-the-opts/
Mr Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart about further annexations in the west bank. [130331]
Alistair Burt: We regularly raise our concerns over settlements with the Israel Government, including at the highest levels, most recently with the Prime Minister's office on 24 October and in the course of the UK's strategic dialogue with Israel in London on 1 November.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the Israel-Gaza conflict and the ceasefire. [130431]
Alistair Burt: The British Government are gravely concerned by the recent violence in Gaza and southern Israel and deeply regrets the loss of civilian life. We consistently called on those involved to avoid any action which risked civilian casualties.
We welcome the agreement reached on 21 November to end hostilities. We have urged all sides to uphold their commitments, and paid tribute to President Mursi and the Egyptian Government for their intensive efforts and the leadership they have shown, as well as to Secretary of State Clinton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for the role they have played.
This ceasefire is an important step towards a lasting peace. The priority now must be to build on the ceasefire and to address the underlying causes of the conflict,
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including more open access to and from Gaza for trade as well as humanitarian assistance, and an end to the smuggling of weapons. Above all, the loss of life over the past week has shown the urgent need for a return to negotiations on a two state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The UK will work urgently with the United States, the EU, our other international partners and with Israel and the Palestinian Authority, calling for a new initiative to restart the peace process before the window for a two state solution closes.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has received reports of the use of drones by the Israeli armed forces; and whether he has made an assessment of their accuracy and effect on the civilian population. [130508]
Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports of the use of drones by the Israeli authorities but have not made an assessment of their use. We have consistently urged Israel to meet its obligations under international humanitarian law.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has considered imposing trade sanctions with Israel following the recent conflict. [130509]
Alistair Burt: We welcome the agreement reached on 21 November to end hostilities. We have urged all sides to uphold their commitments, and paid tribute to President Mursi and the Egyptian Government for their intensive efforts and the leadership they have shown, as well as to Secretary of State Clinton and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the role they have played.
This ceasefire is an important step towards a lasting peace. The priority now must be to build on the ceasefire and to address the underlying causes of the conflict, including more open access to and from Gaza for trade as well as humanitarian assistance, and an end to the smuggling of weapons. Above all, the loss of life over the past week has shown the urgent need for a return to negotiations on a two state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The UK will work urgently with the United States, the European Union, our other international partners and with Israel and the Palestinian Authority, calling for a new initiative to restart the peace process before the window for a two state solution closes.
The British Government have made our position on boycotts and sanctions clear. We do not believe that imposing sanctions on Israel or supporting anti-Israeli boycotts would be productive. However, we will continue to make our views on the full range of issues absolutely clear to Israel. This included stressing the need to de-escalate following recent events in Gaza.
Sri Lanka
Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will visit Sri Lanka to discuss the ongoing political process in that country. [129991]
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Alistair Burt: There are no current plans for the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to visit Sri Lanka.
I hope to visit the country within the next few months.
UK Trade and Investment
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many businesses from Worcestershire have accessed help and support from UK Trade and Investment in the last year; and how many different markets that support relates to. [130016]
Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
In the past year UKTI significantly supported 176 individual Worcestershire companies via a range of schemes supporting both experienced exporters growing into new markets as well as companies new to exporting. We have supported companies with specific advice on individual markets entry into 43 countries, with the most accessed markets being Germany, Canada, China, Mexico, Belgium and Romania.
Western Sahara
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise with the UN Security Council political persecution in the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara under Moroccan occupation. [129667]
Alistair Burt: Western Sahara is discussed regularly by the UN Security Council. The UK plays a full part in those discussions, including emphasising the importance of improving the human rights situation in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations in the UN Security Council on reports of the lack of freedom of expression and freedom of association in the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara. [129815]
Alistair Burt: Western Sahara is discussed regularly by the UN Security Council. The UK plays a full part in those discussions, including emphasising the importance of improving the human rights situation in Western Sahara and the Tindouf refugee camps.
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2012, Official Report, column 151W, on Western Sahara, whether the Moroccan National Human Rights Council will report to the UN Security Council on (a) the reports of human rights abuses which have been made, (b) which of the reports have been investigated, (c) the findings of the investigations and (d) what actions have been taken. [130184]
Alistair Burt:
The Moroccan National Human Rights Council (CNDH) is not obliged to report directly to the UN Security Council. However, it has made several of
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its reports public, and therefore available to the Security Council. These can be accessed at:
www.ccdh.org.ma
Cabinet Office
Big Lottery Fund: Scotland
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications for Big Lottery funding were received from (i) Scotland and (ii) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in each of the last five years. [130150]
Mr Hurd: This information is owned by the Big Lottery Fund. The following tables provide the number of awards made and the number of unsuccessful applications received from Scotland and the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in each of the last five years. The figures refer only to full applications and include those that were withdrawn by the applicant.
| Scotland | ||
| Financial year | Number of awards | Number of unsuccessful applications |
| Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency | ||
| Financial year | Number of awards | Number of unsuccessful applications |
Departmental Records
Mr Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2012, Official Report, column 214W, on Sir Edward Heath, if he will publish a description of the contents of the first 10 files from the PREM 15 series that have been retained by the Cabinet Office. [129363]
Mr Maude [holding answer 26 November 2012]: As many as possible of the descriptions of the files in the PREM 15 series (Prime Minister's office; correspondence and papers, 1970-74) will be reviewed and published in the catalogue available on The National Archives website:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/default.asp?i=1
The first 10 descriptions will be available on the catalogue shortly. These are:
| Description | |
|
Intelligence Collection: Prime Minister's request for information | |
|
UK—US understanding on use of nuclear weapons: USS Poseidon in Holy Loch | |
28 Nov 2012 : Column 365W
Government Departments: Land
Chris Huhne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much land owned by central Government Departments was (a) held, (b) sold and (c) purchased in each of the last five years. [130262]
Miss Chloe Smith: In May 2010, the Government introduced a moratorium on the acquisition of new properties or the extension of existing leases. Between May 2010 and September 2012 we have reduced the annual cost of the estate by £350 million and, over the 20 months since May 2010, over £640 million has been raised in capital receipts by selling over 250 surplus buildings.
Information on ownership of central Government land in the form requested is not currently held centrally although planned improvements to the scope and quality of data captured by the central database of Government land and buildings are already in place.
Training
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on training courses run by Common Purpose in each of the last five years. [129322]
Mr Maude [holding answer 22 November 2012]: The Cabinet Office has spent the following on training courses run by Common Purpose in each of the last five years:
| Financial year | Spend (£) |
Visits Abroad
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what overseas trips have been undertaken by Ministers in his Department since 12 May 2010; what the purpose was of each trip; what the total cost was of each trip; how many Ministers and officials attended each trip; and what meetings were held and with whom. [129564]
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Mr Maude [holding answer 26 November 2012]: Details of Cabinet Office Ministers' overseas travel are published online on a quarterly basis at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/ministers-transparency-publications
Written Questions
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) shortest and (b) longest time taken by his Department to answer a written parliamentary question was in (i) 2012 to date, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2010. [130060]
Mr Maude: Cabinet Office systems do not record the information in the format requested.
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 performance for the 2009-10 and 2010-12 parliamentary Sessions are available on the Parliament website:
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P85-GovtMemotoProcCttee-09-10statsFinal170211.pdf
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/procedure/P35_Memorandum_Leader_of_the_House_Monitoring_PQs.pdf
Prime Minister
Taxation: Multinational Companies
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with G20 leaders on tackling base erosion and profit-shifting. [130119]
Greg Clark [holding answer 27 November 2012]: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.
At the G20 Leaders summit in Los Cabos on 18-19 June 2012, the Leaders of the G20 reiterated the need to prevent base erosion and profit shifting and declared that they will follow with attention the ongoing work of the OECD in this area.
Following this, at the G20 meeting of Finance Ministers on 4-5 November 2012 in Mexico City, the Finance Ministers also stated that they welcome the work that the OECD is undertaking into the problem of base erosion and profit shifting and look forward to a report about progress of the work at the next meeting.
Health
Attendance Allowance
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department permits local authorities to include attendance allowance in means test calculations when assessing eligibility for care support. [130264]
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Norman Lamb: Local authorities make the assessment of a person's needs separately to the financial assessment for charges. The assessment of need only considers what care and support the individual may require and whether this meets the local authority's eligibility threshold.
Local authorities must charge when they provide residential care. Where a person is a temporary resident any attendance allowance they receive must be disregarded. For permanent residents it is taken into account in the financial assessment for charging. However, people in local authority supported residential care lose their attendance allowance after 28 days.
Local authorities have discretionary powers to charge for non-residential care. They design their own charging policies. The Department has issued statutory guidance to local authorities on how to design these policies. Disability-related benefits like attendance allowance may be taken into account when assessing how much a person can contribute towards the cost of their care—although it is open to local authorities to disregard it. If the local authority does take these benefits into account, the statutory guidance says charges should not reduce the user's net income below basic levels of income support, plus 25%, and should not result in the user being left without the means to pay for any other necessary care or support or for other costs arising from their disability.