Chronic Illnesses
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the population suffer persistent or chronic pain; and what treatments are available for persistent or chronic pain. [134330]
Norman Lamb: The best available information on the prevalence of chronic pain in England comes from the 2011 Health Survey of England, which estimates that 31% of adult men and 37% of adult women suffer from pain of more than three months duration. This would imply a total of around 14.7 million adults living with chronic pain. Available treatments include medication, spinal manipulation, physiotherapy and (for certain causes of pain) surgery. In addition, many people with chronic pain are helped to manage their pain through psychological interventions or other pain management programmes. Commissioners should therefore ensure that patients with chronic pain have access to multi-disciplinary pain management services including at a minimum a consultant in pain management, a physiotherapist and a clinical psychologist.
| HSE 2011: Chronic pain prevalence estimates | |||
| Estimated prevalence | |||
| Age band | Population estimate (mid year 2011) (thousand) | Percentage | Number (thousand) |
| (1) Unadjusted ONS estimates. Remaining figures from HSE 2011. | |||
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Diabetes: Children
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) accident and emergency attendances and (b) emergency admissions for diabetes treatment for children under 18 years old there were in each hospital trust in each of the last two years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [134633]
Anna Soubry: The numbers of finished admission episodes with an emergency admission of diabetes, from the ages of 0 to 17 years, by hospital provider, have been placed in the Library.
The total count of finished admission episodes for 2010-11, was 7,164 and 2011-12 was 6,871, this is not a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion.
The standard of diagnosis coding in accident and emergency Hospital Episode Statistics data means that we are unable to provide a count of accident and emergency attendances for diabetes.
Health Services
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department records proposed reconfigurations of local health services. [134743]
Anna Soubry: Decisions concerning the provision and reconfiguration of NHS services are a matter for the local national health service. To that end, we have outlined strengthened criteria that decisions on local NHS services changes are expected to meet. Those strengthened criteria are:
(i) support for proposals for change from general practitioner commissioners
(ii) strengthened public and patient engagement
(iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base
(iv) consistency with current and prospective patient choice
Hospitals: Norovirus
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department is providing any funding to the NHS to counter the outbreak of norovirus in hospitals. [133987]
Anna Soubry: Funding for NHS services is currently allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs). Once allocated it is for PCTs to commission the services they need to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of national and local priorities.
The national health service is well prepared for the increase in winter related health problems which are typical at this time of year. Preparations are made across the NHS annually and these are now in place in every area of England.
Sickness Absence
Chris Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2012, Official Report, column 361W, on sick leave, if he will place
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anonymised results of the most recent assessment by his Department of difference in attendance rates in the Library. [134647]
Dr Poulter: This previous reply confirmed that the Department has made no formal assessment of the difference in attendance rates. It is therefore not possible to place such information in the Library.
Smoking
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he gave to including indicators in the (a) Public Health Outcomes Framework and (b) NHS Outcomes Framework related to reducing the prevalence of smoking. [134332]
Anna Soubry: Reducing smoking prevalence and greater tobacco control is an important part of Government's public health policy. The Government consulted on 62 public health indicators for inclusion within the Public Health Outcomes Framework, including one on smoking prevalence, between December 2010 and March 2011. The consultation responses demonstrated overwhelming support for the inclusion of indicators on smoking prevalence. Following further engagement with expert bodies and other stakeholders, the final Outcomes Framework included three indicators relating to smoking prevalence, namely: smoking at time of delivery; smoking at age 15; and adult (over-18s) smoking prevalence.
As responsibility for tackling smoking prevalence is a public health priority, relevant indicators were included within the Public Health Outcomes Framework. However, the Public Health and the NHS Outcomes Frameworks both include indicators on premature mortality rates, which are affected by a number of factors, including smoking prevalence.
Smoking: Health Education
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to repeat the Stoptober campaign in 2013 and subsequent years. [134253]
Anna Soubry: It was always envisaged that if Stoptober 2012 was successful, it would be run as an annual event. Early results are encouraging. Subject to results from the full campaign evaluation, budgetary allocation and approvals from the Efficiency and Reform Group, it is our intention to run Stoptober again in 2013.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he has taken to ensure that NHS Stop Smoking Services continue to be commissioned by local authorities following the transfer of commissioning responsibilities from primary care trusts; [134254]
(2) what guidance his Department will issue to clinical commissioning groups on collaboration with local authorities in providing integrated smoking cessation interventions. [134331]
Anna Soubry:
The Department has no plans to issue guidance to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) on collaboration with local authorities in providing integrated
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smoking cessation interventions. However, the Department would expect that local authorities and CCGs would collaborate with the local Stop Smoking Service teams and commissioners to deliver integrated smoking cessation interventions based on best practice.
Local authorities will receive a ring-fenced public health grant. It is the responsibility of each local authority to ensure that it improves its performance against the smoking prevalence indictors in the Public Health Outcomes Framework and to deliver the best cessation opportunities within its area to support progress against the indicators.
The Department published an updated version of its Stop Smoking Service Monitoring and Guidance in September 2012, “Local Stop Smoking Services; key updates to the 2011-12 service delivery and monitoring guidance for 2012-13”, which is designed to support the commissioning of high quality and effective stop smoking services.
The guidance has been placed in the Library.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published public health guidance to support smoking cessation in the following areas: brief interventions and referral for smoking cessation (PHI); workplace interventions to promote smoking cessation (PH5); smoking cessation services (PH10); and quitting smoking in pregnancy and following childbirth (PH26).
The guidelines are available at:
www.nice.org.uk
Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time staff are employed in local NHS stop smoking services (a) in England and (b) by each primary care trust; and if he will estimate how many such staff will be employed (i) in England and (ii) by each local authority in 2013-14. [134438]
Anna Soubry: The Department does not hold data on the numbers of persons working in stop smoking services in each primary care trust area or in England as a whole.
Education
Child Protection
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what recommendations from the Carlile Report into the Edlington case he plans to institute and when; [134802]
(2) what consultation he proposes as a result of the Carlile Report; [134803]
(3) when he proposes to publish findings from the pilots into alternative forms of serious case reviews and how these will be carried forward in the light of the Carlile Report into the Edlington case. [134804]
Mr Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education, asked Lord Carlile to conduct an independent review into the case of the 'J' brothers in Edlington following publication of an unsatisfactory Serious Case Review overview report on the case.
On the day of publication of Lord Carlile's report, the Secretary of State said:
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‘I asked Lord Carlile to look at the situation in Doncaster because there were problems specific to the town which required expert external analysis. But in asking him to take on this work I was keen not just that we should learn lessons specific to Doncaster—but also that he should make recommendations about wider changes we needed to make to improve child protection.
Reading his report, I have found his overall argument compelling. There are a series of specific recommendations, many of which I am instinctively drawn to and all of which deserve careful consideration. The Government will respond formally to all the recommendations in due course.
But I want there to be a time for debate before the time of decision. Because one of the reasons why I like Lord Carlile's approach so much is that he issues tough challenges—as I hope to today—and if we speak plainly then in fairness we need to hear how others respond before acting’.
The Government are now considering each of Lord Carlile's recommendations carefully and will be consulting relevant organisations who have an interest and we will respond in due course.
The Government have been dissatisfied for some time with the way in which Serious Case Reviews are conducted. We have consulted on revised statutory guidance which will put the emphasis on conducting reviews which get to the heart of what happened in a serious incident, and why, and highlight the importance of making the findings available to the public.
Three Local Safeguarding Children Boards have been piloting a new approach to Serious Case Reviews which follows the systems methodology recommended by Professor Eileen Munro. The Department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the pilots which will, along with Lord Carlile's report, inform the final revised statutory guidance on Serious Case Reviews. The report of the independent evaluation will also be published in due course.
Part-time Employment
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of trends in the number of young people studying at school or college with Saturday jobs or other part-time work. [132664]
Mr Laws: The Department does not collect information on the number of young people with Saturday jobs, but some data on participation of young people in education and employment are available and published in a Department for Education (DFE) Statistical First Release (SFR) entitled "Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England".
The first table shows the numbers of 16 to 18-year-olds (academic age) in both full-time education and employment in England between 2001 and 2011; the second table expresses that number as a proportion of all 16 to 18-year-olds in England:
| Aged 16 | Aged 17 | Aged 18 | Aged 16-18 | |
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| Percentage | ||||
| Aged 16 | Aged 17 | Aged 18 | Aged 16-18 | |
Note that the tables above exclude young people who were doing work-based learning (largely apprenticeships) and also those in employer-funded training; both of these groups are in employment by definition. Also excluded are those in 'other education and training' which is a combination of part-time education and education with a private training provider. Numbers and proportions for these groups are available via the link above.
Special Educational Needs
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve the process of obtaining a statement of special educational needs for people with (a) muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions and (b) other rare and complex conditions. [119085]
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve the process of obtaining a statement of special educational needs for people with (a) muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions and (b) other rare and complex conditions. [118577]
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve the process of obtaining a statement of special educational needs for people with (a) muscular dystrophy and related neuromuscular conditions and (b) other rare and complex conditions. [119445]
Mr Timpson:
We set out our plans for improving services and outcomes for all disabled children and young people, including those with muscular dystrophy, related neuromuscular conditions and other rare and complex conditions, in the 2011 Green Paper “Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability” and the subsequent “Progress and Next Steps” document, published in May 2012. The
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draft provisions recently published are intended to be the next step towards achieving the Green Paper vision of a system where services work together more effectively to support families and young people and families themselves are part of decision-making rather than having to fight to secure the support that they need.
We intend to replace the current statement and Learning Difficulty Assessment with a holistic and outcomes-focused Education, Health and Care Plan which will be built on a stronger and more integrated process of assessment and planning. We are also introducing a requirement for local authorities and clinical commissioning groups to commission services jointly for children and young people with special educational needs (this includes those who have a disability which restricts them from accessing normally available educational provision). This is a significant change and will require services to work together to jointly agree what support is needed and for whom—cutting across some of the traditional gaps experienced by families between education, health and social care services.
20 pathfinders, involving 31 local authorities and their health partners, have been appointed to test the proposals in the Green Paper and will inform the changes we make to legislation through the planned Children and Families Bill. The pathfinders are focusing on involving parents and young people more fully in decisions about the education, health and care of their children, including trialling personal budgets for those who want them, and developing a clear offer of the support that is available locally.
Teenage Pregnancy
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time officials in his Department will be working directly on the teenage pregnancy strategy from January 2013. [128314]
Mr Timpson [holding answer 13 November 2012]: The standalone Teenage Pregnancy Strategy ended in 2010 but the Department for Education continues to hold responsibility for teenage pregnancy policy. At present, one member of staff works part time on teenage pregnancy policy and support for teenage parents; two other officials also have responsibility for teenage pregnancy policy as part of their wider roles.
The latest year for which final annual conceptions data are available is 2010. Between 2000 and 2010, the teenage pregnancy rate (women aged under 18) in England fell by 19% from 43.6 conceptions per thousand women aged 15-17 in 2000 to 35.4 in 2010.
International Development
Developing Countries: Trade
Mr Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the removal of trade barriers facing exports from the poorest countries to the markets of developed countries will be included in the agenda for the G8 in 2013. [134713]
Mr Duncan:
The UK will use its G8 presidency to make the case for further trade liberalisation across the world. We will continue to play a leading role in helping
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the poorest countries integrate into the global economy. The UK will continue to urge both developed and emerging economies to provide the poorest countries full access to their markets, as the EU already does.
Defence
Annington Homes
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether the discount rate given to his Department on rent levels in those former homes of his Department purchased by Annington Homes will continue if Annington Homes is sold; [129709]
(2) whether officials in his Department have had any communication with Terra Firma on their interest in buying Annington Homes. [129710]
Mr Francois: The purchase of Annington Homes Ltd (AHL) by Terra Firma is a matter for the companies concerned and does not affect the terms of the agreement with the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
To the best of my knowledge there has been no communication between MOD officials and Terra Firma regarding their interest in buying AHL.
Armed Forces: Coeliac Disease
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people with coeliac disease have been discharged from the (a) Royal Air Force, (b) Army and (c) Royal Navy in each year since 2010. [134203]
Mr Francois [holding answer 18 December 2012]: Between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2012 (the latest date for which data are available) there were less than five UK Regular Army personnel and less than five UK Regular Naval Service personnel medically discharged with a principal or contributory cause of coeliac disease. No UK Regular RAF personnel were medically discharged with a principal or contributory cause of coeliac disease.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) internal discussions have taken place in and (b) representations have been received by his Department on rules applying to deployment of serving personnel who are diagnosed with coeliac disease while in service. [134205]
Mr Francois [holding answer 18 December 2012]:MOD policy regarding service personnel presented with coeliac disease has recently been reviewed by the Joint Service Publication 950 Medical Employment Standards Working Group, and has been staffed and accepted, and is now awaiting publication. Internal consultations have taken place between, among others: Headquarters Surgeon General, the Medical Employment Standards (MES) Working Group (including Consultant Occupational Physicians from each of the single Services, Defence Consultant Advisors in Medicine and Surgery) and the Surgeon General's Medical Policy Steering Group.
When developing policy, the MES Working Group does not seek specific input from special interest groups, as this would be impracticable. However, policy is developed
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in light of current medical evidence including guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and with specialist input from the appropriate Defence Consultant Advisers and/or Civilian Consultant Advisers. If specific issues are raised by external bodies including special interest groups, these are staffed appropriately, and may be discussed at the MES Working Group.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's rules are for deployment of serving personnel who are diagnosed with coeliac disease while in service. [134206]
Mr Francois [holding answer 18 December 2012]:Service personnel who present significant conditions of the alimentary system such as coeliac, which either degrades the functional capacity and performance, and/or fails to respond satisfactorily to treatment, may require to be downgraded non-deployable, or recommended for medical discharge. Each case is considered on its individual merit.
Service supply chains cannot guarantee access to a gluten free diet for service personnel in all circumstances, especially on operations. It is not possible to guarantee an individual's ability to self police an exclusion diet through labelling or identification of trigger constituents. This poses an unacceptable risk to the individual, and to their colleagues on operations.
Armed Forces: Health Services
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has contributed to assist injured service personnel with care and rehabilitation in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 to date. [133989]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence provides a broad range of medical care, treatment and rehabilitation services delivered through a combination of military and contracted (with the NHS and private sectors) medical capabilities. The aim is to provide entitled armed forces personnel who have been injured (e.g. on operations, exercises/training etc) with world class treatment and rehabilitation that best meets the medical needs of the service person and the occupational needs of their service.
The Department spend by financial years for the care and rehabilitation of injured service personnel is shown in the following table:
| Financial year | £ million |
The figures above cover the following elements of care provision and are based on audited costs for FY 2010-11 and FY 2011-12 and estimated costs for FY 2012-13:
Acute medical care at The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine
Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court—including complex trauma rehabilitation and neurological rehabilitation
Regional rehabilitation units.
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Other facilities also treat and rehabilitate injured personnel, but it is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to break down the costs for treating injured personnel with other episodes of care that do not relate to injuries.
Armed Forces: Rape
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of rape have been reported to the Ministry of Defence Police in each year since 2000. [126671]
Mr Francois: Allegations of rape may have been reported to the service police or to civil police. Allegations reported to the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) are shown in the following table:
| Rape | |
| (1) In accordance with the Home Office National Crime Recording Standard, the MDP (and other forces) are mandated to record crime reported to them. Since 2009, any allegations of rape in England and Wales received by the MDP have been referred to either the service police or to the local civil police for investigation. Similar arrangements also exist in Scotland and Northern Ireland. | |
Clyde Shipyards
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid from the public purse to shipyards on the River Clyde in (a) 1997, (b) 2005, (c) 2010 and (d) 2012 to date. [133930]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) no longer holds records of the amount paid to BAE Systems Maritime—Naval Ships (BAES MNS) Govan and Scotstoun shipyards on the River Clyde in 1997. In financial year (FY) 2005-06 the MOD paid £337 million, in FY 2010-11 the amount was £513 million and for the current financial year (beginning April 2012), the amount to November 2012 is £287 million. These figures cover expenditure on the Type 45 Destroyer and Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier programmes.
A contract valued at £127 million was awarded to BAES MNS for the Assessment Phase of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme in 2010. Work under this contract is being carried out at a number of sites, including the Govan shipyard, but it is not possible separately to identify the payments by location.
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Defence Equipment
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 14 May 2012, Official Report, columns 261-4, on defence budget and transformation, whether any of the contingency funding for defence equipment and support has been allocated. [132898]
Mr Dunne: During the course of Planning Round 12 a small proportion of the overall contingency provision was allocated. I am withholding details of the amount and the projects concerned as their release would be prejudicial to the Department's commercial interests.
During the course of Annual Business Cycle 13, the Department is reviewing the level of contingency in the light of our current understanding of the risk position in our major procurement projects. This will inform a decision on the levels of contingency we will require in the future.
Defence: Expenditure
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on Urgent Operational Requirements by (a) theatre and (b) equipment type in each of the last 10 years; and which such funding was provided from a Treasury budget. [132830]
Mr Dunne: The required information is not held in the format requested prior to financial year 2008-09. The amount spent on Urgent Operational Requirements (UOR) and claimed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) against the HM Treasury Reserve, since financial year 2008-09 is presented in the following table.
| £ million | ||||
| Theatre | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
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|
ISTAR—Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance | |||||
|
Protection (C-IED/military working dogs, soldier protection (ECM)) | |||||
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| Notes: 1. All figures rounded to nearest £ million. 2. The negative figures presented against Iraq in financial year 2010-11 relate to the final reconciliation of project accounts. | |||||
Defence: Procurement
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence equipment contracts his Department has sought to renegotiate since May 2010. [134405]
Mr Dunne [holding answer 18 December 2012]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Alison Seabeck) on 8 October 2012, Official Report, column 665W.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the total cost is of his Single Integrated Priority List; [134406]
(2) what platforms are on the Single Integrated Priority List. [134407]
Mr Dunne [holding answer 18 December 2012]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), on 3 September 2012, Official Report, column 46W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson).
Devonport Dockyard
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected cost is of the Future Nuclear Facilities programme for refurbishing the submarine refit complex at Devonport Dockyard. [133923]
Mr Dunne: The total estimated cost of the Future Nuclear Facilities programme for refurbishing the submarine refit complex at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport is £243 million, which provides the capability to defuel the Swiftsure and Trafalgar class nuclear-powered attack submarines, and enables the ongoing deep maintenance of the Trafalgar class and, in time, the Astute class nuclear-powered attack submarines.
Guided Weapons
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost to his Department is of the (a) light and (b) heavy future air-to-surface guided weapons. [134607]
Mr Dunne: To protect our commercial position, the Department does not normally publish cost estimates in advance of main investment decision points, which are planned for both Future Anti Surface Guided Weapon Light and Heavy missiles in 2013.
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ICT: Theft
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [132195]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence takes any theft of, loss of, attacks on, or misuse of, its information, networks and associated media storage devices very seriously and has robust procedures in place to mitigate against and investigate such occurrences. Furthermore, new processes, instructions and technological aids are continually being implemented to mitigate human errors and raise the awareness of every individual in the Department.
The following table shows the number of reported lost or stolen computers, mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and other pieces of IT equipment centrally reported within the Department in financial year (FY) 2010-11 and FY 2011-12 as of 6 December 2012.
| Items | FY 2010-11 | FY 2011-12 |
Following thorough investigations, the Joint Security Co-ordination Centre has not received any evidence that demonstrates that the information has been compromised. A significant number of the incidents involve information that had been encrypted to Government standards and, while the data was lost, the chance of compromise of encrypted information is deemed to be minimal.
Immigration
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the additional cost of the delivery of those public services for which his Department is responsible arising from inward migration since 1997. [134306]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence provides services to the nation as a whole, rather than to individuals per se. It would therefore be impossible to quantify any extra costs arising from inward migration since 1997, if such costs existed.
Katrice Lee
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outcome was of the meeting on 13 November 2012 on Royal Military Police premises between the Minister for the Armed Forces, representatives of the Royal Military Police, the hon. Member for Gosport and the mother and sister of Katrice Lee regarding the disappearance of Katrice Lee in November 1981; what action points arose from the meeting; what admissions were made by the Royal Military Police in respect of the initial investigation into Katrice Lee's disappearance; and if he will make a statement. [134746]
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Mr Francois: I wrote to my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Caroline Dinenage) on 20 December 2012 about this meeting and I will write to the hon. Member shortly as well.
However, the Royal Military Police have now acknowledged that the previous investigations were flawed, and have sincerely apologised to Katrice's family for these failings. The Royal Military Police have also undertaken, at an appropriate point, to ask an independent civilian police force to review their findings.
Merlin Helicopters
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what date the transfer of RAF Merlin MK3s to the Fleet Air Arm will be complete. [134608]
Mr Dunne: It is currently planned that responsibility for the Merlin Mk 3/3a will transfer from the Royal Air Force to the Royal Navy Commando Helicopter Force in financial year 2014-15.
Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in Ministry of Defence police numbers on Scotland; [133064]
(2) how many Ministry of Defence police officers there were in Scotland in each of the last five years. [133065]
Mr Francois: The number of MDP officers in Scotland were as follows:
| Ministry of Defence police strength in Scotland | |
The reduction in strength is due to a force-wide recruitment freeze that was introduced in August 2009 and a MOD Voluntary Early Release Scheme which began on 1 April 2010 and is ongoing until 31 March 2014.
The MOD continues to maintain effective security at its defence establishments in Scotland and, in particular, its nuclear bases in the Clyde and Coulport.
Pensions
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) permanent and (b) casual members of staff in his Department do not receive contributions for their pensions. [132625]
Mr Francois
[holding answer 12 December 2012]:All permanent and casual members of staff have the option to be in one of the Civil Service Pension Schemes. 123 members of the Department's staff have opted out of
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these schemes and no employer's contributions are made to their pensions. 82 of these are permanent employees and 38 are casual members of staff with a further three on fixed term appointments exceeding two years.
Public Expenditure
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects of the changes announced in the autumn statement on the affordability of his Department's (a) equipment programme and (b) science and technology budget; and if he will make a statement. [133363]
Mr Dunne: The autumn statement had no effect on the core equipment programme.
The Department has committed to maintain science and technology spending at 1.2% of the overall Defence budget. That commitment is also unchanged by the autumn statement.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total size was of the unallocated provisions in his Department's budget in 2011-12. [134404]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 18 December 2012]: Nil; we started making unallocated provision from 2012-13.
Radioactive Materials
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on the purchase of special nuclear materials in each of the last 10 years. [133921]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has not purchased any special nuclear materials in the last 10 years.
Staff
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months. [125734]
Mr Francois: External recruitment to the Ministry of Defence for grades below the senior civil service is carried out by Defence Business Services (DBS). Where external recruitment for senior civil service level posts is required, recruitment agencies may be asked to carry out an initial search for suitable candidates. In financial year (FY) 2011-12 the Ministry of Defence spent £81,380 on recruitment agency fees in connection with SCS level recruitment.
Support to staff who are leaving the Ministry of Defence on redundancy or voluntary release includes access to the outplacement service (MODOPS). MODOPS is a contractor-operated service which helps staff to find work outside the civil service, giving guidance on subjects including job-searching, CV writing, interview preparation and financial planning. Expenditure under MODOPS for FY 2011 -12 was £251,900.
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The Defence Academy is the primary provider of training and education to civilian personnel, both through courses run on-site, and through the provision of e-learning, including the running of the Defence e-learning centres. Specialist and functional training is also procured from a range of external suppliers. Some training is delivered locally, usually by civilian or military staff for whom training is not a full-time responsibility, but the costs of locally delivered training are not separately identified and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost. Details of expenditure on staff training in FY 2011-12 are not available. However, the Defence Academy outturn for FY 2011-12 was £115 million, compared with £118.6 million in FY 2010-11 and £124.4 million in FY 2009-10.
Staff Surveys
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of his Department's most recent staff survey; which organisation carried out the survey; and what the cost of the survey was. [132099]
Mr Francois: The results of the October 2012 Ministry of Defence staff survey will be placed in the Library of the House on 31 January 2013 when the results are published on our website.
The cost of the survey for the Ministry of Defence and participating agencies will be approximately £120,000. The exact cost will be known in the spring. The MOD has participated in the Civil Service People Survey carried out across the entire civil service since 2009. The survey is carried out by ORC International Ltd. This approach, which is managed by the Cabinet Office, delivers strong efficiencies through economies of scale by eliminating previously duplicated effort and project management and realises strong value for money.
The cost of the 2012 survey across the civil service is expected to be 63% lower than what was spent separately by Departments and agencies in 2008-09 on their own staff surveys.
Trident
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many employees of (a) BAE Systems, (b) Babcock Marine and (c) Rolls-Royce have been seconded to his Department to work on the Trident replacement design programme. [133492]
Mr Dunne: No BAE Systems employees have been seconded to the Ministry of Defence to work on the Successor Submarine Programme.
One Babcock Marine full-time and two part-time employees and one Rolls- Royce employee have been seconded to work on the programme.
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of operation of a continuous at-sea deterrent replacement system over the likely lifespan of such a system. [133833]
Mr Dunne
[holding answer 18 December 2012]: As stated in the White Paper, The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994) published in December 2006, we expect that once the new successor
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nuclear deterrent submarine comes into service the in-service costs of the UK's nuclear deterrent, which will include Atomic Weapons Establishment's costs, will be similar to today (around 5% to 6% of the defence budget).
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is for the cost of design and build for a replacement continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent system. [133834]
Mr Dunne [holding answer 18 December 2012]: Current forecast costs, including planned Submarine Enterprise Performance Programme efficiency measures, indicate that we remain within the 2006 White Paper estimates of £11 billion to £14 billion (at 2006-07 prices) for the Successor platform costs (assuming a four boat fleet).
Trident Missiles
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2012, Official Report, column 238W, on Trident missiles, what the cost was of the (a) recent refit and (b) post refit Demonstration and Shakedown Operation for HMS Vigilant; and what the cost is of an individual Trident D5 missile to the UK. [133920]
Mr Dunne: The cost of HMS Vigilant's recent long overhaul period (refuelling) (LOP(R)) and the demonstration and shakedown operation (DASO) are still being finalised. However, the LOP(R) is expected to be around £345 million. The cost of the DASO for HMS Vigilant is expected to be approximately £15.6 million. The current net book value of a Trident D5 missile is £8.86 million.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of the programme management and engineering services contract between the Royal Navy and Lockheed Martin for support to the Trident D5 missile system in each of the last three years. [133922]
Mr Dunne: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2012, Official Report, column 616W, on unmanned air vehicles, what consideration his Department has given in the development of Maritime Unmanned Aerial Systems Strategy to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to tackle illegal piracy and fishing in areas beyond national jurisdiction. [133525]
Mr Dunne: The maritime unmanned air systems strategy paper will consider potential future capability needs for unmanned air systems, but it will not consider in detail their use in particular scenarios.
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Vetting
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 December 2012, Official Report, column 40W, on vetting, what (a) safeguards, (b) processes and (c) checks his Department and its agencies put in place prior to the introduction of the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 and subsequently by its suppliers to prevent blacklisting of employees on construction projects. [134068]
Mr Francois: It has been the long-standing policy of the Ministry of Defence to include provisions in its contracts requiring suppliers to abide by the law, to adhere to principles of equality and to ensure that these requirements are included in any sub-contracts.
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 December 2012, Official Report, column 40W, on vetting, what representations on blacklisting his Department received prior to the introduction of the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010. [134069]
Mr Francois: To the best of my knowledge there have been no representations made on blacklisting prior to the introduction of the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010.
World War I: Anniversaries
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps he is taking to encourage greater archive accessibility at military museums in the lead-up to the centenary of the First World War; [131991]
(2) what steps he is taking to encourage co-operation between national and local military museums in the lead-up to the centenary of the First World War. [131992]
Dr Murrison: The information requested will take time to collate. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.
Transport
Airports: Israel
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what agreements the Civil Aviation Authority has with the Israeli government regarding the presence of Israeli security agents at UK airports. [134733]
Mr Simon Burns: The Civil Aviation Authority has no such agreements.
Bus Services: North East
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many route change submissions Stagecoach has made to the North Eastern Traffic Commissioner since 1 January 2012. [134099]
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Stephen Hammond: There are six operator licences held by entities trading as Stagecoach. Since 1 January 2012 they have submitted four applications to cancel a local bus service registration, eight registrations for new local bus services, and 26 applications to vary an existing local bus service registration to the North Eastern Traffic Commissioner.
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many route change submissions (a) Go North East, (b) Stagecoach and (c) Arriva have made to the North Eastern Traffic Commissioner each year between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2011. [134100]
Stephen Hammond: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency holds electronic records on behalf of the Traffic Commissioners who are responsible for issuing and regulating licences. To obtain records for 2001 would invoke disproportionate cost. However, the subsequent years are in the following table:
| Cancellations | New applications | Vary an existing application | Grand total | |
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Fuels
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of (a) the relative calorific values of (i) E10 fuel and (ii) petrol and (b) the potential effect of introduction of E10 fuel on the retail price of petrol. [133986]
Norman Baker: E10 is a petrol-ethanol blend of up to 10% ethanol and is not yet available in the UK. Most petrol sold in the UK contains up to 5% ethanol. Ethanol's energy content is lower than that of petrol (petrol's energy content is 32MJ per litre while ethanol's energy content is 21MJ per litre). This means that E10 has a lower energy density than E5 (about 2% less energy per litre of fuel). Vehicles will be able to travel slightly further with a tank full of E5 than a tank full of E10.
It is for fuel retailers to determine the price of the different products that they sell. However, it seems unlikely that E10 would be priced higher than E5, as there is no requirement on suppliers to change the product they sell.
Gospel Oak-Barking Railway Line
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent (a) information, (b) advice and (c) reports he has received on the case for electrification of the Barking to Gospel Oak section of the North London Line; and if he will make a statement. [134793]
Mr Simon Burns: Although there is no new funding available, the Department is working with Transport for London and Network Rail to review the case for electrification. A detailed breakdown of the £90 million cost of electrification has been provided by Network Rail. Transport for London has provided its business case for using longer electric passenger trains and has offered £25 million towards the cost of electrification.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2012, Official Report, column 684W, on High Speed 2 railway line, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) gross and (b) net expenditure on (i) the safeguarding zone and (ii) the voluntary purchase zone as part of the proposed compensation scheme for High Speed 2 if no change were to be made to the proposals currently out for consultation. [134994]
Mr Simon Burns: Further to the answer of 4 December 2012, Official Report, column 684W, on High Speed 2 Railway Line, the costs would depend entirely on the extent to which householders and others take up the options open to them.
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Large Goods Vehicles: Licensing
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to extend the range of statutory consultees on the grant of operator licences by Traffic Commissioners to include parish councils; and if he will make a statement. [134944]
Stephen Hammond: There are no plans to extend the range of statutory consultees to include parish councils. At this time I am satisfied that in the majority of cases the systems work well and therefore have no plans to change the legislation.
Rescue Services
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will undertake an independent assessment of steps required to reduce any risk to the safety of remaining regular coastguards, those working in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency headquarters and volunteers. [134496]
Stephen Hammond: An independent assessment is not required. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency keeps risks to the safety of its staff and volunteers under constant review, and takes remedial and mitigating actions as necessary.
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish details of staffing at the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (a) between 2006 and 2011, (b) in 2012 and (c) between 2013 and 2018. [134433]
Stephen Hammond: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency publishes its staff numbers in its Annual Report. Staff numbers between 2013 and 2018 have yet to be agreed. Staffing numbers from 2006-12 are as follows:
| As at 31 March: | Number |
Cabinet Office
Construction
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed in the construction sector in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England. [134678]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
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As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many people are employed in the construction sector in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England. [134678]
Annual statistics on the number of employees are available from the ONS release Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES) at:
www.ons.gov.uk
The following table contains the latest figures available, which show the number of employees in the construction industry for Barnsley Central constituency, the former metropolitan county of South Yorkshire and England for 2011.
| Employees in 2011 | |
Job Creation
Pat Glass: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many jobs created in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) County Durham and (d) North West Durham constituency have been either (i) part-time or (ii) on temporary contracts since May 2010. [134615]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many jobs created in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) County Durham and (d) North West Durham constituency have been either (i) part-time or (ii) on temporary contracts since May 2010 (134615)
ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions for areas smaller than the UK from the Annual Population Survey (APS).
Information regarding jobs created is not available. As an alternative we have provided estimates of the number of people who were employed part-time or employed in jobs that were not permanent according to survey responses during the 12 month periods ending June 2010, the survey period closest to May 2010, and June 2012, along with the net change between these two periods. This net change provides a reasonable approximation of the number of jobs created since May 2010.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1: Number of people employed part-time(1) | |||
| Thousand | |||
| Level | |||
| 12 months ending | |||
| June 2010 | June 2012(2) | Change between 12 month periods ending June 2010 and June 2012 | |
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| (1) Part-time in main job. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV = 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Note: All estimates are independently rounded. Source: Annual Population Survey | |||
Mental Health
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the level of happiness in each constituent part of the UK. [134649]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2012:
As Director-General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the level of happiness in each constituent part of the UK. 134649
In April 2011 ONS introduced four subjective well-being questions onto the ONS Annual Population Survey (APS). The four questions are as follows:
Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?
Overall, to what extent do you feel that the things you do in your life are worthwhile?
Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?
Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?
All were answered on a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 is ‘not at all’ and 10 is ‘completely’.
The table shows results to the four subjective well-being questions by the four constituent countries of the UK and by English region.
In July 2012, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published a report entitled ‘First ONS Annual Experimental Subjective Well-being Results’. This report is available from the following web link:
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http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-subjective-wellbeing-in-the-uk/first-annual-ons-experimental-subjective-well-being-results/first-ons-annual-experimental-subjective-well-being-results.html
| Life satisfaction, worthwhile, happy yesterday and anxious yesterday thresholds(1): by constituent UK countries and English regions, April 2011 to March 2012(2,3) | ||||||||
| Percentage | ||||||||
| Life satisfaction | Worthwhile | Happy yesterday | Anxious yesterday | |||||
| 0-6 | 7-10 | 0-6 | 7-10 | 0-6 | 7-10 | 0-3 | 4-1 | |
| (1 )Thresholds: Proportions of respondents reporting low (0-6) and high (7-10) ratings for life satisfaction, worthwhile and happy yesterday questions and low (0-3) and high (4-10) ratings for the anxious yesterday question. (2 )All data weighted. (3) Non-respondents not included. Source: April 2011 to March 2012, Annual Population Survey Subjective Well-being Experimental dataset, ONS | ||||||||