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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 7 January 2013
Deputy Prime Minister
Electoral Register
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will give consideration to amending the electoral register to require individual registration; and if he will make a statement. [135829]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Coalition programme for government set out our commitment to 'speeding up the implementation of Individual Electoral Registration' in Great Britain. This is exactly what the Government are doing with the Electoral Registration and Administration Bill, which is currently before the House of Lords. Electoral registers in Northern Ireland are compiled under a system of continuous registration whereby electors are individually registered.
The Government have also published an implementation plan for the transition to Individual Electoral Registration, which is available on the Cabinet Office website:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/transition-individual-electoral-registration
This document sets out the stages of implementation up to and beyond the December 2015 electoral register, which will be the first register entirely made up of individually registered electors, with the exception of some service voters.
Ministers: Codes of Practice
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on compliance with the Ministerial Code. [135820]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I have regular meetings with the Prime Minister on a wide range of issues in the course of government business.
Transport
A338
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress he has made on further improvements to the A338 Bournemouth spur road. [134848]
Norman Baker:
Following the 2010 spending review, the Government announced in February 2011 that the A338 Bournemouth spur road scheme had not been selected for funding within this spending review period as Dorset county council’s bid was not competitive in terms of the local financial contribution offered. It will be for Dorset county council, as the responsible highway
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authority, to consider whether to progress this scheme using available funding, such as the devolved funding for local authority major schemes which the Government will make available from 2015, or to bid for local authority pinch point funding recently announced in the autumn statement on 5 December 2012,
Official Report,
columns 871-82.
Blue Badge Scheme
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on the reissuing of a Blue Badge to a young person with autism who is not eligible for the higher level of mobility allowance but has behaviour patterns which have previously been accepted as meeting the criteria for a Blue Badge; and if he will make a statement. [135821]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport receives various items of correspondence from people with cognitive and mental impairments concerning Blue Badge eligibility. Members of the National Autism Society also responded to the Department's consultation on Personal Independence Payments and Blue Badges.
The underlying eligibility rules of the Blue Badge scheme have not changed. Eligibility is not condition specific. Any person who does not receive the higher rate of mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance, or meet any of the other automatic qualifying criteria for a badge, may apply to their local authority to have their eligibility assessed. The governing Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000 provide that a badge may be issued to someone who has
“a permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking”.
It is for the relevant local authority to decide if an applicant meets the eligibility criteria. A badge should not be issued to someone who does not meet the eligibility criteria, irrespective of whether the applicant previously held a badge.
Bus Services: Disability
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to make disabled bus passes valid 24 hours a day and seven days a week in England. [134960]
Norman Baker: There are no plans to make bus passes for eligible disabled people valid at all times. The statutory England-wide bus travel concession gives eligible older and disabled people free local bus travel between 9.30am and 11.00pm on weekdays and all day at weekends and on bank holidays. Extending the statutory period could create localised capacity issues at peak travel times and would have significant cost implications for local authorities. This does not prevent disabled passholders from travelling by bus at peak times, for example, to get to work, although they will have to pay the fare.
Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs) in England may offer additional discretionary travel concessions to their older and disabled residents, including free bus travel at all times, if they choose to do so. Such enhancements are not part of the statutory minimum and must be funded from an authority's own resources.
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The Department carried out a survey earlier this year which reported that at least 71 of the 89 TCAs outside London offered some form of extension to the available times for concessionary travel. In London the Freedom Pass gives a more generous concession regarding the available times and includes rail modes of transport. The latest statistics are published in ‘Concessionary Travel: England 2011/12 and 2012/13’ on the web site:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/11840/concessionary-travel-statistics-2011-12-and-2012-13.pdf
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has considered providing a companion bus pass for those who accompany people with a disability bus pass. [134961]
Norman Baker: There are no plans to provide a statutory concessionary travel entitlement to companions of eligible disabled people. The categories of people entitled to the statutory England-wide bus travel concession are defined in legislation, but it does not specify a particular category of person who might be regarded as a travel companion.
Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs) in England may offer additional discretionary travel concessions to their older and disabled residents, including free or reduced price bus travel for companions accompanying an eligible disabled person, if they choose to do so. Such enhancements are not part of the statutory minimum and must be funded from an authority's own resources.
The Department carried out a survey earlier this year which reported that at least 57 of the 89 TCAs outside London offered free or reduced price travel to companions of their eligible disabled residents. The latest statistics are published in ‘Concessionary Travel: England 2011/12 and 2012/13’ on the web site:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/11840/concessionary-travel-statistics-2011-12-and-2012-13.pdf
Bus Services: Greater London
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much bus service operators grant was paid for bus services in London in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [135383]
Norman Baker: The information requested is not available in this form or for the whole period requested. However, the following links provide information on payments made to individual operators for claims covering the periods up to (i) 31 March 2010 and (ii) 31 March 2011. These show the local authority area in which individual bus operators are registered, but this does not mean that the bus services to which these payments relate necessarily took place within the borders of that local authority:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110504135837/http:/www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/buses/busgrants/bsog/661224
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3258/bsog-grants-paid-2011.pdf
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Conditions of Employment
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of staff in his Department have requested (a) part-time, (b) job-share or (c) other flexible working arrangements in each of the last five years; and how many such requests were granted. [135009]
Norman Baker: Part-time, job-share and other flexible working arrangements are agreed at local level by managers—we do not keep central records of how many requests are received and granted. However, the Department is committed to flexible working. We encourage our employees to consider alternative working patterns as we recognise both the individual and business benefits of this in terms of work/life balance and more flexible use of resources.
Driving: Licences
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving licences have been renewed subject to an annual eye test in the last year for which information is available. [135386]
Stephen Hammond: In the financial year 2011-12, 1,206 driving licences were renewed following an annual eye test. These figures are for drivers who suffer from a visual condition only. It is not possible to identify drivers separately with multiple medical conditions that include a visual disorder.
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average time taken to process an application for the re-instatement of a driving licence consequent upon restoration of eye sight. [135387]
Stephen Hammond: During the financial year 2011-12, the average time taken to issue a driving licence in the circumstances described was 22 days following the receipt of an appropriate examination report.
East Coast Railway Line
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the conclusion of the British Chambers of Commerce transport priorities map published on 26 November 2012, what steps he is taking to address the time taken on the enhancement of the East Coast Main Line. [135758]
Mr Simon Burns: The upgrading and enhancement of the East Coast Main Line is a key priority for the Government. A total of £428 million (in 2012-13 prices) is currently being invested in a series of schemes designed to improve capacity and performance on this critical route. These include capacity enhancements being delivered by Network Rail at Doncaster North, Peterborough, Hitchin, and between Alexandra Palace and Finsbury Park in London. In addition, significant works are underway to develop the capability of the GN/GE line from Peterborough to Doncaster designed to improve capacity and performance on the main line.
The High Level Output Specification (HLOS) statement for the period from 2014 to 2019 contains a further £240 million of funding to Network Rail in order to
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continue this programme of capacity enhancement and further investment in power supplies to support the introduction of new Intercity Express trains and an enhanced timetable.
Heathrow Airport
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the case for the introduction of a congestion premium at Heathrow airport. [135091]
Mr Simon Burns: Any decisions on matters concerning taxation are taken by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Treasury. As such, the Department for Transport has made no assessment of the case for introducing a congestion premium at Heathrow.
Last October, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published a research report, drawing on analysis commissioned from the Department for Transport, which includes analysis of a theoretical price increase to passengers using Heathrow airport. The research report is intended to provide evidence and improve understanding, not to make policy recommendations or assess the case for any particular options.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of flights arriving and departing London Heathrow airport had London as their origin or destination in the latest period for which figures are available. [135881]
Mr Simon Burns: In 2011, there were 476,000 air transport movements (arrivals and departures) at Heathrow. Information on the proportion of these that were transit flights is not held centrally.
London Midland
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conversations he or staff of his Department have had with officials from London Midland on levels of service and cancellations in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [135082]
Norman Baker: I discussed levels of service and cancellations with London Midland's managing director on 23 October 2012. Departmental officials have been in daily contact with London Midland's management team, discussing service levels and cancellations, among other issues.
The hon. Member may also wish to note the Written Ministerial Statement on this subject that was laid before the House by the Secretary of State for Transport, on 20 December, Official Report, columns 127-30WS.
Motorways: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has commissioned or evaluated on the effect on the number of motorway accidents of the placing of white chevrons on the road to encourage spacing of cars. [134849]
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Stephen Hammond: Keep-apart chevrons (vehicle separation markings) are in use across the motorway network in England. They have been shown to be useful at maintaining safe distances between vehicles where traffic is consistently travelling at, or about, 70 mph. They have not been shown to be particularly effective where traffic changes their speed, either through lane changing near junctions or by congestion. This means that only a limited number of motorway have these markings.
Research was completed in 2007 on the effect of vehicle separation markings and included an assessment of the changes in injury accidents at eight sites. The findings are set out as follows:
“On average, a small reduction in accident rates and accident frequencies in comparison with a control section, has been found to occur at the chevron sites.
Extensive variability between sites has been found with, in some cases, an active disbenefit being demonstrated.
In many cases, however, these findings on accidents are not statistically significant at the 5% level (due to the paucity of data available) and there is a heavy dependence on the exact criteria used to define the accidents involved in the analysis.
There is some indication that chevrons may be used to target specific types of incidents and that this benefit may be more pronounced at low heavy goods vehicle rates, and for sites with less hour to hour flow variation during the course of the day”.
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what process is used to decide which motorways are painted with white chevrons to encourage the spacing of cars. [134850]
Stephen Hammond: The Highways Agency is responsible for ensuring the strategic road network remains safe and serviceable. If there are concerns about a high volume of accidents caused by close following traffic, the installation of vehicle separation markings is an option that might be pursued. Vehicle separation markings (white chevrons) are prescribed for use on motorways only by the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002, together with their associated traffic signs.
The value for money of a scheme of this type would need to be assessed against other competing safety improvement proposals.
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many miles of motorway were painted with white chevrons to encourage the spacing of cars in each of the last five years; [134851]
(2) how much funding was allocated to painting white chevrons on motorways to encourage the spacing of cars in each of the last five years. [134852]
Stephen Hammond: Since 1 January 2008 approximately 8.3 miles of motorway have been painted with white chevrons to remind drivers to keep a safe distance apart:
2010—M5 between junctions 4a and 5 southbound (3 miles)
2010—M6 between junctions 14 and 15 southbound (2 miles)
2011-12—M2 between junctions 5 and 6 coastbound (3.3 miles).
These are in addition to the 13 other sections of motorway that were painted with white chevrons prior to 2008.
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There is not a specific budget allocated for the painting of white chevrons for vehicle spacing. Information about the costs of specific sites is not held centrally. The cost would normally be included as part of a wider carriageway renewal scheme to provide value for money.
The 13 other sections of motorway that have been painted with white chevrons, prior to 2008, are:
M1 southbound between junctions 13 and 12
M1 southbound between junctions 16 and 17
M11 southbound between junctions 9 and 8
M11 northbound between junctions 10 and 11
M4 between junctions 16 and 17 in both directions
M4 between junctions 18 and 19 in both directions
M5 between junctions 11a and 12 in both directions
M5 between junctions 22 (from the Services) and 21 in both directions
M56 between junctions 12 and 14 in both directions— 0.12 miles were renewed in 2012(1)
M6 between junctions 1 and 2 northbound
M6 southbound between junctions 18 and 19—1.25 miles were renewed in 2011(1)
M6 southbound between junctions 32 and 33
M62 westbound between junctions 23 and 22.
(1) Renewal costs are not available as they are met from supplier lump sum duties.
Railways: Bridges
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the efficacy of Network Rail in ensuring that railway bridges are repainted to avoid rusting. [135046]
Mr Simon Burns: Network Rail is a private sector company limited by guarantee. The repainting of its railway bridges is an operational matter for the company, in which Ministers have no powers to intervene. The independent Office of Rail Regulation oversees and monitors Network Rail's activities, and has an ongoing remit to investigate the effectiveness of the company's inspection and maintenance regime in relation to the structural condition of its bridge stock.
Railways: Harrow
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the highest load factor on trains from Harrow and Wealdstone to London Euston was on the nearest Monday to 31 March in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and if he will make a statement. [135806]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department for Transport does not hold the information requested.
Roads: Accidents
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents were responded to by police in (a) the Lancashire police force area and (b) England in each of the last five years; and how many such accidents involved a fatality. [135105]
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Stephen Hammond: The Department only collects information relating to personal injury accidents, and therefore does not include in its statistics damage-only accidents, or cases where a police officer attended an accident but did not report it.
In each of the last five years, the number of reported personal injury accidents and the number of those accidents involving a fatality, where a police officer attended the scene and obtained report details, in (a) the Lancashire police force area, and (b) England, were as follows:
| Reported number of personal injury accidents in the Lancashire police force area, and England, where a police officer attended the scene and obtained report details, 2007 to 2011 | ||||||
| Number of accidents | ||||||
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | ||
Rolling Stock
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether all contracts for the delivery of new trains by 2015 will be delivered on time. [135317]
Mr Simon Burns: The latest information held by the Department for Transport suggests that the delivery of new trains for London Midland, Transpennine Express and Southern is on, or ahead, of schedule. We are on target for the first delivery of new Thameslink rolling stock in 2015.
Transport for London
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2012, Official Report, column 195W, on Transport for London, how much funding his Department allocated for Transport for London (a) in total and (b) for capital investment in 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [134878]
Stephen Hammond: Pursuant to the answer provided on 11 December 2012, Official Report, column 195W, the amount of funding the Department allocated to the Greater London Authority Transport Grant for 2010-11 was as follows:
| 2010-11 | |
| £ million | |
| Note: Unlike funding from 2011-12 onwards the 2007 Spending Review Settlement did not distinguish between a General and Investment Grant. This figure does not include funding for Crossrail, payments made under the Bus Service Operators' Grant or funding for the East London Line. | |
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Treasury
Banks: Loans
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the effects of the Funding for Lending programme on levels of net bank lending to (a) small and medium-sized businesses and (b) individuals in each month since its introduction. [122979]
Greg Clark: The Bank of England is publishing, for each institution participating in the FLS, the net quarterly flows of lending to UK households and firms. On 3 December, the Bank of England published data that showed that net lending by participating banks increased by £0.5 billion in the third quarter of 2012. This data will be updated on a quarterly basis. The Bank of England also publishes data on lending to individuals and small and medium-sized businesses in its “Trends in Lending” publication.
Business: East Yorkshire
Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency and (b) East Yorkshire have received funding from the Funding for Lending scheme; and how much funding each such business will receive over the next year. [134721]
Greg Clark [holding answer 20 December 2012]: The Funding for Lending scheme is aimed at boosting bank lending in aggregate across the UK. The Bank of England is publishing net lending data to UK households and businesses for each institution that has signed up to the scheme. Between July and September this year banks participating in the Funding for Lending scheme have increased their net lending by £0.5 billion.
Child Benefit
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers will receive correspondence from HM Revenue and Customs in respect of the changes from January 2013 to child benefit entitlement. [133473]
Mr Gauke: Approximately 780,000 letters were sent to taxpayers affected by the high income child benefit charge.
An individual’s entitlement to child benefit is not affected by the introduction of the high income child benefit charge. Underlying entitlement to child benefit will remain if an individual decides to stop receiving child benefit as a result of the charge.
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of letters were sent by his Department to taxpayers regarding changes to child benefit by the beginning of each week in November and December 2012. [133475]
Mr Gauke: The high income child benefit charge letters which were sent is shown in the following table.
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| Week commencing | Number | Percentage |
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many taxpayers have been notified of their suspected liability for the high income child benefit charge in each parliamentary constituency. [134484]
Mr Gauke: An estimate of the number of letters received by taxpayers by the end of November by constituency was published in response to parliamentary question number 131585 on 4 December 2012:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121204/text/121204w0001.htm
Devolution: Wales
Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when he expects (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department to have assessed the effect on the Exchequer of implementing the recommendations of the first report of the Commission on Devolution in Wales; [134967]
(2) how many officials in his Department have been tasked with assessing the effect on the Exchequer of implementing the recommendations of the first report of the Commission on Devolution in Wales; [134968]
(3) what (a) discussions, (b) meetings and (c) correspondence Ministers and officials in his Department have had on implementation of the recommendations of the first report of the Commission on Devolution in Wales in the last two months. [134970]
Danny Alexander: The Government announced in the autumn statement of 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-882, that it plans to issue an initial response to the Silk Commission in spring 2013.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of authorities as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
There are no figures available for the number of HMT staff tasked with assessing the effect on the Exchequer of implementing the recommendations of the first report of the Commission on Devolution in Wales. This is because officials are deployed across a number of areas.
Employee Ownership
Mr Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assumptions he has made with respect to (a) take-up rates and (b) the average value of shares under employee owner status in each financial year to 2017-18; [133649]
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(2) following his Department's consultation on employee owner status, what estimate he has made of the (a) proportion and (b) total number of employees making use of the scheme who are expected to make a capital gain over and above the annual exempt amount. [134054]
Mr Gauke: In autumn statement 2012, the Government published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) and a supplementary document, ‘Policy Costing’, detailing the assumptions and the uncertainties in estimating the Exchequer impact of employee shareholder status. Links are provided as follows:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tiin/2012/tiin1008.htm
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/as2012_policy_costings.pdf
As it is entirely new, predicting the take up of the new employment status is highly uncertain. It is broadly expected that 20,000 to 40,000 individuals a year may eventually benefit from the capital gains tax (CGT) exemption on disposal of the shares. This is fewer than the total take up because that will also include those whose expected capital gains are likely to be below the CGT Annual Exempt Amount (AEA). For those benefiting from the CGT exemption, the average value of shares is assumed to be above the midpoint of the £2,000 to £50,000 limits specified for the awards. No estimates of the proportion of employees benefiting from the CGT exemption are available.
Excise Duties: Beer
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the actual revenue generated by the beer duty escalator against predicted revenue; and if he will make a statement; [135129]
(2) when he plans to make a decision on the future of the beer duty escalator. [135370]
Sajid Javid: Decisions on alcohol duty rates are made at Budget. A wide variety of factors are considered when the Government decides alcohol duty rates, including the public finances, the impact on business, receipts from alcohol duty, the likely impact on the illicit trade and the broader social impacts of taxation.
Budget 2012 made no further changes to alcohol duties, beyond the increases designed and pre-announced by the previous Government.
Information on actual and expected tax revenues is publically available. Forecasts for alcohol duty revenues are published twice-yearly by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR's most recent Economic and fiscal outlook, published alongside the autumn statement of 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-882, can be found online at:
http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/December-2012-Economic-and-fiscal-outlook23423423.pdf
Alcohol duty receipts are published online by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and are updated monthly. These can be found online on the HMRC website at:
https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutyBulletins.aspx
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Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the pub and brewery sector on the future of the beer duty escalator. [135130]
Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm
Financial Services
Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he has undertaken any analysis of the net present value of interest rate swap contracts involving small and medium-sized enterprises on the balance sheets of UK banks; [134514]
(2) if he will take steps with banks and credit ratings agencies to ensure that businesses that have suffered financially as a result of mis-sold interest rate swap agreements are not unfairly burdened with poor credit records as a result. [134515]
Greg Clark [holding answer 19 December 2012]: Treasury Ministers and officials carry out a wide range of analysis as part of their ongoing work on financial services. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such analysis.
The Government would expect banks and credit reference agencies to ensure that businesses' credit records fairly reflect their credit history. This includes taking into account the impact on credit ratings of the mis-sale of an interest rate hedging product.
Health and Social Services: Finance
Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what models his Department uses to make projections of (a) health and (b) social care spending; how those models are independently verified; what steps his Department has taken to ensure that it can model the whole health and social care system effects and interdependencies of different spending decisions in health and social care; and if he will make a statement. [135834]
Danny Alexander:
The Treasury draws on a range of sources for modelling and analysis of health and social care spending, including the Department of Health and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility. The Government are of course committed to considering the full range of impacts of all spending decisions, including the implications for other public services. In recognition of the interdependences between the health and social care systems, in the 2010 spending review (Cm 7942, 2010) it was announced that the NHS would set aside funding rising to £1 billion by 2014-15 to help break down the long-standing barriers between health and social care. In ‘Caring for our future: reforming care
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and support’ (Cm 8378, 2012) it was announced that these funds would be increased by £100 million in 2013-14 and £200 million in 2014-15.
Income Tax
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the autumn statement, if he will review the target for raising the personal allowance limit from £10,000 per annum to £12,000 per annum. [134410]
Mr Gauke [holding answer 19 December 2012]: The Government believe the income tax system should give more support to those on low to middle incomes, rewarding the efforts of those who choose to work. This is why the coalition Government have committed to increasing the personal allowance to £10,000.
Together, the personal allowance increases announced by the Government in this Parliament will benefit 25 million individuals, and take 2.2 million working age people on low incomes out of income tax by April 2013.
Income Tax: Young People
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds living in the UK pay income tax at the (a) standard rate, (b) higher rate and (c) additional rate. [132844]
Mr Gauke: The information requested is shown in the following table for 2012-13.
| Thousand | |
| (1) These projections are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) data projected in line with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s December 2012 economic and fiscal outlook. (2) Sample size too small to provide reliable estimates. (3) Office for National Statistics, 2010 mid year based population projections, adjusted to financial year estimates for individuals aged between 16 and 18 years of age. | |
Office for National Statistics population estimates are at mid-year, whereas taxpayer estimates represent number of individuals with tax liabilities arising during the financial year.
Military Bases
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what effect the autumn statement will have on his Department's ongoing Basing Review; and if he will make a statement. [134259]
Mr Philip Hammond: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
In the light of the new form of private finance and reductions in resource spending that were announced by the Chancellor in the autumn statement on 5 December 2012, I decided to postpone the announcement on future military basing until the new year to allow further funding options and opportunities to be explored.
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National Insurance Contributions: New Businesses
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 73W, on national insurance contributions: new businesses, when he expects claims for the 2011-12 tax year to have been processed. [135507]
Mr Gauke: The Government intend to publish a factsheet for the national insurance contributions (NICs) holiday scheme in the first quarter of 2013. The factsheet will show registrations up to the end of 2012 and provide additional information for the 2011-12 tax year.
Northern Rock
Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 562W, on Northern Rock, on which date (a) he and (b) officials in his Department were made aware of the probable remediation of interest charges for Northern Rock customers before the formal notification by UK Asset Resolution of its proposal. [134855]
Sajid Javid: As specified in the answer to the parliamentary question on 17 December 2012, the decision to remediate interest charges for Northern Rock Asset Management customers with Consumer Credit Act (CCA) regulated loans where the loan documentation is not compliant with CCA requirements was taken by the UKAR board on 5 December. Ministers were made aware of the proposal on the same day. The UKAR proposal was agreed by UK Financial Investments in a letter to UKAR on 10 December. UKFI sought and was granted Treasury approval on 10 December.
PAYE
Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employers were invited to join the PAYE Real Time Information pilot from November. [133957]
Mr Gauke: 46,228 employers were invited to join the Real Time Information pilot from November 2012.
Staff
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the overall change in departmental staffing levels as a result of the Government's planned changes in departmental spending in 2013-14 and 2014-15. [134950]
Danny Alexander: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published projections for general Government employment to 2017-18 as part of the December 2012 ‘Economic and Fiscal Outlook’. This can be found at:
http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/December-2012-Economic-and-fiscal-outlook23423423.pdf
However, the OBR does not provide a breakdown of the impact of individual policies on general Government employment, or of work force changes by Department.
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It is for individual employers to decide what would be the most cost-effective work force to enable them to deliver public services and live within their spending review settlements.
Stocks and Shares: Tax Allowances
Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give consideration to allowing tax relief on share purchases in the context of management buy- outs. [134883]
Mr Gauke: There are currently no plans to introduce tax reliefs on share purchases in the context of management buy-outs. The Government do, however, keep all areas of the tax system under review at all times.
Tax Avoidance
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps his Department has taken to enable better detection of tax avoiders. [132266]
Mr Gauke: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) detects avoidance schemes through a variety of means including formal disclosure under the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes (DOTAS) regime. Users of disclosed schemes are identified by a combination of a reference number system and ‘client lists’ provided by the promoter of the scheme.
The Government have announced on 3 December that measures enhancing the information DOTAS provides about avoidance schemes and users, including improvements to the client list system, will be implemented in 2013.
Wales
Local Government Byelaws (Wales) Bill
Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he plans to publish the costs of his legal challenge to the Welsh Government over the Local Government Byelaws (Wales) Bill. [135065]
Mr David Jones: The total costs are in the process of being finalised. I will write to the hon. Gentleman with these details when they are available.
Attorney-General
Crown Prosecution Service
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Crown Prosecution Service. [135831]
The Solicitor-General: The Law Officers meet regularly with the Director of Public Prosecutions and the chief executive of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to review the effectiveness of the CPS, and information is also received from Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.
During the last year, performance has improved overall against five performance measures, has been maintained in four, and declined in only one. In its two most recent reports, HMCPSI reported positively on the performance in CPS East of England, and to improvements made in CPS Nottinghamshire.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 16W
Olympic Games 2012
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Attorney-General which events at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics were attended by each Minister in the Law Officers' Departments using tickets or passes for which they did not pay personally; and what the cost was of attending each such event for members of the public who used comparable seats or had comparable access. [135644]
The Solicitor-General: The Government pledged to publish these details following the Olympic and Paralympic games and will do so shortly.
Prosecutions
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were brought against (a) UK nationals and (b) foreign nationals in (i) Northamptonshire and (ii) London in the last year for which figures are available. [135824]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service maintains no central records of proceedings in respect of the nationality of defendants prosecuted. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally without incurring a disproportionate cost.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Communications Data Bill: Draft
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has produced an impact assessment of the draft Communications Data Bill for businesses based in the UK and for investment in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [135369]
Jo Swinson: The Home Office is the lead Department for the draft Communications Data Bill. Producing any impact assessment for the draft Bill is therefore a matter for them.
Credit: Interest Rates
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will direct the Office of Fair Trading to update its 2010 assessment of the profitability of payday lending; and if he will make a statement. [134880]
Jo Swinson: The Government will not make such direction at this time. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is currently conducting a review of the payday lending sector, investigating the extent to which lenders comply with the law and relevant guidance. The interim progress report published on 20 November 2012 uncovered non-compliance and poor practice. The OFT has therefore opened formal investigations into several payday lenders and is expecting to issue warnings to the majority of the 50 firms inspected that they risk enforcement action if they do not improve. They have also written to payday lenders and the relevant trade associations highlighting their emerging concerns.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 17W
OFT will publish the final compliance review shortly, which will include some wider analysis of the sector. In this report, they expect to set out their view of what further improvements may be required by lenders to ensure full compliance. They will also consider whether other action may be necessary, including whether to make recommendations to the future Financial Conduct Authority, to Government or to industry code sponsors. In doing so, they will consider whether the problems identified are systemic in nature, affecting the market as a whole, rather than essentially ones relating to compliance by a proportion of individual firms.
Debts: Advisory Services
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to ensure individuals who are seeking support with their debt problems are able to distinguish between (a) commercial and (b) charitable providers offering (i) responsible and high-quality services and (ii) irresponsible and lower-quality services. [134498]
Jo Swinson: I refer the hon. Member for Huddersfield to the answer that I gave on 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 812W.
Employment Agencies
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total spending on recruitment agencies by his Department was in each month from July to December 2012. [135210]
Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spent the following sums on staff supplied by recruitment agencies:
| 2012 | £ |
In addition to salary costs and agency fees for the hire of temporary agency staff from recruitment agencies, these sums also include the cost of hiring of interim managers and may include recruitment fees where external recruitment has been conducted by an agency.
Employment Tribunals Service
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to prevent employers making trivial justifications for any potential breach of employment rights in employment tribunals. [135793]
Jo Swinson:
While the Department is not able to prevent parties at an employment tribunal from making trivial justifications, there are measures it is taking as
7 Jan 2013 : Column 18W
part of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill to improve the ability of the tribunal to take actions against parties that make claims or responses that have little or no reasonable prospect of success.
Current legislation allows tribunals to make a deposit order as a condition of pursuing a whole claim or response. The Government are taking forward the Underhill review of employment tribunal rules recommendation that tribunals should be able to apply a deposit award to individual parts of a claim or response. This is one of a wider package of measures which will help improve case management and deter both parties from pursuing weak elements of a claim or response. It will provide both parties with a clear sense of where they should focus their efforts and encourage a more realistic approach to settlement.
Export Credit Guarantees: Indonesia
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of Indonesia's sovereign debt currently owed to UK Export Finance was accrued through defence exports; and what defence exports are the source of such debt. [134858]
Michael Fallon: The debt was rescheduled into a number of agreements which also includes non-military debt. It is not possible to disaggregate the debt between military and non-military exports.
Higher Education: Scholarships
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the use of participation of local area quintiles in determining eligibility for the National Scholarship Programme. [134853]
Mr Willetts: The National Scholarship Programme (NSP) is designed to help students of all ages whose family income is no greater than £25,000 per annum. The minimum level for an award is set at £3,000 for each eligible full-time student. Institutions offer a range of support from a menu which includes tuition fee waivers or discounts, subsidised accommodation and other institutional support, and a cash bursary of up to £1,000.
Higher education institutions set their own criteria for determining entitlement to an award from amongst the broad group of people whose family incomes are no greater than £25,000 per annum. Information from the independent evaluation shows that institutions are using a range of eligibility criteria for determining eligibility for an award. These include academic achievement, postcode of residence, attendance at a partner school, receipt of free school meals and/or whether the student belongs to a specific target group such as care leavers, first generation students or students with a disability.
We have committed to review the NSP in light of feedback and the available evidence. To advise on the review we have reconvened the expert group who helped with the initial programme design.
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Minimum Wage: Greater London
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Low Pay Commission has examined the case for a higher level of minimum wage in London; and if he will make a statement. [135833]
Jo Swinson: The Low Pay Commission has not examined the case for a higher level of minimum wage in London.
The Government’s aim is to have a national minimum wage rate that helps as many low-paid workers as possible, while making sure that we do not damage their employment prospects by setting it too high.
In addition to the minimum wage, the Government are doing everything they can to help all working people on low pay with the cost of living. That is why we are taking 2.2 million people out of tax altogether and cutting income tax for those on low incomes. The personal allowance changes we are making mean that from April 2013, a person on the minimum wage working 29 hours a week will no longer pay income tax and someone working full time on the minimum wage will see their income tax bill cut in half.
Procurement
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value was of contracts awarded by his Department to (a) management consultancies and (b) IT companies in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [135153]
Jo Swinson: This information is not held centrally within the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Redundancy
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consultation has taken place on reducing the redundancy notice period to 45 days; and if he will publish the consultation responses and evidence considered in informing that decision. [134997]
Jo Swinson: The Government conducted a Call for Evidence on the current collective redundancy consultation regime from November 2011 to January 2012. The Call for Evidence document set out fully the Government's understanding of the evidence base.
Following this, the Government published a consultation document which set out the issues identified by the responses to the Call for Evidence and proposed a package of reforms. This was accompanied by an impact assessment which evaluated each of the proposed reforms. The consultation ran from June to September 2012.
The Government Response, which set out a summary of the responses received to each consultation question, and a revised impact assessment, were published on 18 December 2012. The Government Response is clear about what was said by consultees on the question of 45 days.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 20W
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consultation he undertook on his plans to reduce the period of notice for redundancy; and if he will make a statement. [135508]
Jo Swinson: I believe this question refers to the recent Government announcement to reduce from 90 to 45 days the minimum period before which large scale redundancies of more than 100 can take place. It is important to be clear, however, that this is not the same as the individual notice period for redundancy. Individual notice periods will remain unaffected by this change. Individual notice periods start once redundancy notices have been issued, something which can only happen once the consultation on the redundancies is genuinely complete.
The Government conducted a Call for Evidence on the current collective redundancy consultation regime from November 2011 to January 2012. Following this, the Government consulted on a package of reforms from June to September 2012. I announced the Government's Response in a written ministerial statement, on 18 December 2012, Official Report, column 80WS.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, what criteria were applied when proposing reductions in the consultation period for collective redundancies. [135790]
Jo Swinson: The reforms to the collective redundancy rules are not part of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, but fall within the umbrella of the Government's ongoing Employment Law Review. As part of that, the Government concluded a Call for Evidence on the current collective redundancy regime in early 2012. Following a consideration of the responses to the Call for Evidence, the Government decided to pursue reform with three stated objectives:
to improve consultation quality;
to improve the ability of employers to respond to changing market conditions; and
to balance the interests of the employees who are made redundant with those who remain.
These objectives and the package of proposed reforms were set out in the consultation document published on 21 June 2012 and are the subject of the Government Response of 18 December 2012.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consult further with trade unions and industry bodies on the proposals to reduce the consultation period for collective redundancies from 90 days to 45 or 30 days. [135791]
Jo Swinson: I have no plans for further consultation on this as the Government carried out a Call for Evidence from November 2011 to January 2012 and a consultation from June to September 2012. The Government Response of 18 December 2012 sets out the final decision.
However, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) will be consulting trade unions and industry bodies as it prepares the new guidance on carrying out effective consultation on collective redundancies.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 21W
Redundancy Pay
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total amount of redundancy pay paid to civil servants in his Department was in each month from July to December 2012. [135208]
Jo Swinson: The total amount of redundancy pay paid to civil servants in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills between July and December 2012 was £238,491.
The following table shows the amounts paid broken down by month:
| 2012 | |
| Month | Total redundancy payments (£) |
Shops: Books
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of competition in the UK book retail industry; what advice he has taken from the Competition Commission on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [135020]
Jo Swinson: I have made no such assessment. As the UK’s independent competition authority, it is for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to assess competition issues.
Last year, the OFT closed an investigation into whether arrangements that certain publishers had put in place with some retailers for the sale of e-books breached competition rules, as the European Commission was working to resolve the issue as a matter of priority. The Commission’s investigation has recently led to commitments from Apple and a number of publishers, available at:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-1367_en.htm
The OFT has also considered the market for book retailing on a number of occasions in reviewing mergers in the market. The most recent such merger reviewed by the OFT was the acquisition of the Book Depository International Inc. by Amazon.com Inc. in 2011.
Speech Therapy
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new speech and language therapists qualified in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12. [134643]
Dr Poulter: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
The Department does not collect figures on the number of students qualifying in speech and language therapy. However, we do collect information on the number of training places commissioned each year.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 22W
Strategic health authorities are responsible for commissioning speech and language therapy training places. The actual number of training places commissioned in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 is shown in the following table.
| Speech and language therapy training commissions, 2009-10 to 2011-12 | |||
| Commissions | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| Source: Multi professional education and training quarterly monitoring returns. | |||
2012-13 commissions will not be available until May 2013.
Students: Finance
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time students accessing student support from alternative providers received such support from each alternative provider in each of the last five academic years; and how much was paid to each such provider for such support. [134728]
Mr Willetts: I have placed a list in the Libraries of the House showing the number of full-time students studying at alternative providers and accessing tuition fee support in each of the last five academic years. The list also shows how much tuition fee loan was paid to providers in respect of those students.
Students: Loans
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the announcement by the Skills Funding Agency on 19 December 2012 that the 24+ Advanced Learning Loans Development Fund has received an additional £6.5 million of funding, how he intends this money to be spent; and if he will make a statement. [135545]
Matthew Hancock: The £6.5 million is part of the departmental 2012-13 financial year budget to support the set up of the 24+ Advanced Learning Loans system.
The availability of the Development Fund was communicated to colleges and training organisations who received final loan facilities from the Skills Funding Agency on 19 December 2012. The fund will help those colleges and training organisations to implement their organisational plans to ensure they are prepared for the introduction of loans. We expect this to include their communications with learners and employers, to make sure they have the information that they need to prepare for loan applications from April 2013.
Temporary Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what amount his Department spent on interim staff as defined by the National Audit Office in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [135154]
7 Jan 2013 : Column 23W
Jo Swinson: I refer the hon. Member to the transparency data containing this information which the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills publishes quarterly and which can be found on the Department's website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=&publication_filter_option=transparency- data&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=department-for- business-innovation-skills&direction=before&date=2012-04-01
Further information can also be found on the Office for National Statistics website:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/index.html
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many temporary staff were recruited by his Department in each month from July to December 2012. [135209]
Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has employed the following number of temporary staff each month between July and December 2012.
| Month in 2012 | Number of temporary staff employed |
Cabinet Office
Charities
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to work with charities to (a) improve fundraising and (b) enhance their impact. [134704]
Mr Hurd: Charities are being supported though initiatives such as the £30 million Transforming Local Infrastructure Fund that helps local infrastructure services improve and support frontline civil society organisations more efficiently. This includes supporting organisations with fundraising and enhancing impact.
We continue to support the Funding Central website:
www.fundingcentral.org
offering charities a free service to source funding streams and have funded a number of projects that support giving through our ‘Innovation in Giving' fund. We are also working hard to encourage and support social investment as a new source of income for charities, including the creation of Big Society Capital, the first institution of its kind anywhere in the world. To benefit charities, improvements are being made to the Gift Aid framework and a consultation on Payroll Giving will be launched shortly.
The Government also support the charity sector's work to improve fundraising standards and practice through self-regulation by the Fundraising Standards Board.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 24W
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many charities were based in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in (i) December 2011 and (ii) December 2012; and what estimate he has made of the likely number of such charities in December 2013. [135076]
Mr Hurd: Data from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator show there were 23,393 charities in Scotland in December 2011, and 23,605 in November 2012 (latest data available). Data is not available at constituency or area level.
Figures from the Charity Commission show there were 161,649 charities in England and Wales in December 2011, and 162,624 in September 2012 (latest data available).
Data are not available to enable the Department to forecast future numbers of charities in Scotland or the UK.
Charities Act 2006
Mr Marcus Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will review the workings of the Charities Act 2006 and bring forward specific proposals to define the issue of public benefit and religious organisations. [134181]
Mr Hurd: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 89W, to the hon. Member for South Antrim (Dr McCrea).
Childbirth
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many live births there were in the UK in (a) 2002 and (b) 2011, by local authority. [134599]
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 question on how many live births there were in the UK in (a) 2002 and (b) 2011, by local authority. [134599]
Figures for live births have been compiled from birth registration data. The table links below show the number of live births by local authority for 2002 and 2011.
For 2002 data see table 4-1a at:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/kpvs/key-population-and-vital-statistics/no--29--2002-edition/key-population-and-vital-statistics-data-for-2002.zip
For 2011 data see table 1a at:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/births-by-area-of-usual-residence-of-mother--england-and-wales/2011/rt-area-2011.xls
The 2011 figures for Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom are provisional. Figures for England, Wales and Scotland are final.
Figures for 2002 and 2011 are not directly comparable for some areas due to the changes in local authority boundaries over the period. Data are produced on boundaries in place during the reference year.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 25W
Cybercrime
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent discussions he has held with the Ministry of Defence on attracting new civilian recruits to the Cyber Reserve. [134947]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office has had a number of discussions with the Ministry of Defence on this issue.
As the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), announced in his written ministerial statement on the Cyber Security Strategy on 3 December 2012, Official Report, column 41WS, the Ministry of Defence is taking forward the development of a Cyber Reserve. The composition of this new element of the armed forces is currently in development and a detailed announcement will follow next year.
Dover House
Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer from the Secretary of State for Scotland of 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 774W, on Dover House, what the (a) costs incurred have been and (b) estimated cost is of building and associated work at Dover House to accommodate the office of the Deputy Prime Minister. [135835]
Mr Maude: No. 70 Whitehall is undergoing a comprehensive modernisation programme, under plans agreed in 2007, and as a result parts of the building are not able to be used. The schedule now requires the 1st floor, where the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office is located, to be vacated. Costs of the work to refurbish Dover House will be published in the Cabinet Office's accounts in the usual way.
ICT
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to improve access to computers and the internet for (a) pensioners and (b) people from low-income backgrounds. [134495]
Mr Hurd: The Government are working with Go-ON:UK to build on and take forward the work started by Race Online 2012. Both the Government Digital Service (GDS) and Go-ON:UK are linked to the work of Martha Lane Fox, the UK Digital Champion, and her vision of making the UK a digital nation.
Immigration
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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. [134297]
Mr Hurd: In the past there was no full estimate of the cost of delivering Government's services, let alone of the additional cost from the net migration since 1997.
As such we do not have the specific estimates requested but we have published details of each of the Government's transactional services including the volume per annum. We are now working to estimate end-to-end transactional costs of the most widely-used services.
7 Jan 2013 : Column 26W
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) percentage reduction and (b) population decline was in (i) overall net migration to the UK and (ii) applications for student visas to study in UK further and higher education institutions from overseas applicants in the last year for which figures are available. [135484]
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 (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your question to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) percentage reduction and (b) population decline was in (i) overall net migration to the UK and (ii) applications for student visas to study in UK further and higher education institutions from overseas applicants in the last year for which figures are available (135484).
ONS estimates of overall net migration to the UK are for long term international migrants and adhere to the UN definition stating that a long-term migrant is a person who changes his or her country of usual residence for a period of at least a year. Net migration is calculated by subtracting emigration flows from immigration flows.
Latest available data show that the percentage reduction in overall net migration to the UK between the year ending March 2011 and the year ending March 2012 was 24.6 per cent. The decline in overall net migration to the UK in this period was 60,000; from +242,000 in the year ending March 2011 to +183,000 in the year ending March 2012. These long-term international migration (LTIM) estimates are provisional for the year ending March 2012 and final for the year ending March 2011. The published tables of provisional LTIM estimates for the year ending March 2012 can be found here:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-280887
The Home Office advise that to apply for a student visa, individuals must use a confirmation of acceptance for studies from a sponsoring educational institution.
The data available by education sector relates to use of certificates of acceptance for study in entry clearance visa applications under Tier 4, referred to below as sponsored visa applications.
In the year ending September 2012, there were 211,001 sponsored visa applications (main applicants), a fall of 29% compared with the previous 12 months. This included an increase of 1% for the university sector (UK-based Higher Education Institutions, to 155,821), and a fall of 67%, in the further education sector (Tertiary, further education or other colleges to 32,900).
The data are provided in the table in the accompanying spreadsheet.
The data on sponsored visa applications by education sector is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics (tables cs.07 and cs.07.q), a copy of which is available from the library of the House of Commons or from the Home Office's website at:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
| Number of visa applicants for study (Tier 4) using sponsor acceptances, by education sector | ||||
| Year ending September: | ||||
| Education sector | 2011 | 2012 | Change | Percentage change |
7 Jan 2013 : Column 27W
| Note: For definitions see notes in published table. Source: Immigration Statistics July-September 2012, Home Office, table cs.07.q | ||||
Life Expectancy: Merseyside
Alison McGovern: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what life expectancy at birth was in (a) Wirral South constituency, (b) Wirral and (c) Merseyside in each of the last five years. [135287]
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 question asking what the average life expectancy was in (a) Wirral South constituency, (b) Wirral and (c) Merseyside in each of the last five years (135287).
Life expectancy figures for parliamentary constituencies are not readily available. However, figures are available for Wirral local authority and Merseyside metropolitan county.
Life expectancy figures are calculated as three year rolling averages. The table below provides the period life expectancy at birth for males and females in Wirral local authority and Merseyside metropolitan county from the period 2000-2002 to 2008-2010 (the latest figures available).
Period life expectancies at birth for males and females for all local authority districts, unitary authorities and counties in England and Wales, for rolling three-year periods from 1991-1993 to 2008-2010, are published on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/life-expec-at-birth-age-65/2004-06-to-2008-10/index.html
| Life expectancy at birth for males and females in Wirral local authority and Merseyside metropolitan county, 2004-06 to 2008-10(1, 2, 3) | ||
| Years of life | ||
| Area/period | Male | Female |
7 Jan 2013 : Column 28W
| (1 )Period life expectancy at birth is an estimate of the average number of years a newborn baby would survive if he or she experienced the area's age-specific mortality rates for that time period throughout his or her life. The figure reflects mortality among those living in the area in each time period, rather than mortality among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a baby born in the area in each time period could actually expect to live, both because the death rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those born in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives. (2 )Using boundaries as of October 2010 for all the years shown. (3 )Three year rolling averages, based on deaths registered in each year and mid-year population estimates. Source: Office for National Statistics | ||
Civil Service: Pay
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants are employed by his Department with salaries (a) lower than the living wage outside London and (b) lower than the London living wage inside London. [135198]
Pay
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average annual salary for a (a) male and (b) female who works full-time is in (i) Barnsley Central constituency, (ii) South Yorkshire and (iii) England. [135395]
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 what the average annual salary for a (a) male and (b) female who works full-time is in (i) Barnsley Central constituency, (ii) South Yorkshire and (iii) England. 135395
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Annual levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, who have been in the same job for more than a year.
The following table shows the median gross annual earnings for employee jobs in (i) Barnsley Central constituency, (ii) South Yorkshire and (iii) England for full-time males and full-time females, for the tax year ending 5 April 2012.
| Median gross annual earnings for full-time males and full-time females(1) in (i) Barnsley Central constituency, (ii) South Yorkshire and (iii) England, for the tax year ending 5 April 2012 | |||
| £ | |||
| Barnsley Central constituency(2) | South Yorkshire(3) | England | |
7 Jan 2013 : Column 29W
| (1) Employees on adult rates who have been in the same job for more than one year. (2) Parliamentary constituency. (3) Metropolitan county. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, 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 average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: CV<=5% * CV >5% and <= 10% ** CV >10% and <=20% X unreliable. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics. | |||
Civil Service: Pay
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many civil servants in his Department will receive a salary of more than £100,000 in 2012-13. [135802]
Mr Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 December 2012, Official Report, column 847W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Esher and Walton (Mr Raab).
Information on staff costs and staff numbers are also published in the annual report and accounts at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts
As part of the transparency agenda, the Department also publishes an organogram and structure charts that include information on senior staff and their salaries at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/structure-charts-cabinet-office
www.data.gov.uk
The Cabinet Office recently published details of senior staff who earned a salary of £150,000 or more on 31 March 2012 at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/senior-civil-servants-high-earners-salaries
www.data.gov.uk
Procurement
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the monetary value was of contracts awarded by his Department to (a) management consultancies and (b) IT companies in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [135155]
Mr Maude: In 2011-12 alone, through the work of the Efficiency and Reform Group, Government Departments reduced their spend on consultancy by 85%, saving £1.035 billion compared to 2009-10. This is in addition to £870 million saved on consultancy in 2010-11.
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Cabinet Office's spend on consultants is available on the Department's website:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts
We do not hold information in the form requested but do publish details of contracts with a value of £10,000 or more on Contracts Finder. In addition we publish spend of over £25,000 on:
http://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/financial-transactions-data-co
Public Bodies: Thames Gateway
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) Government agencies and (b) quangos have relocated out of central London to the Thames Gateway regeneration area in the last 20 years. [134179]
Mr Hurd: Information for executive agencies is available in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities at:
www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/government-ministers-and-responsibilities
and some earlier information is available at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
Location information for non-departmental public bodies is available in the recently published Public Bodies 2012 at:
www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/ndpb
Teenage Pregnancy
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many teenage pregnancies there have been in each ward in the last three years. [135338]
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 question.
Teenage conception data for the wards in England and Wales cannot be provided within the current ONS policy on protecting confidentiality for birth and death statistics, available at:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/best-practice/disclosure-control-policy-for-birth-and-death-statistics/index.html
Information on conceptions is routinely published for local authorities and strategic health authorities, and is available at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/conception-statistics--england-and-wales/index.html
Figures for teenage conceptions by wards are released under licence (authorised access to data that is not available to the public due to confidentiality) to Local Authorities in England to enable them to target early intervention services. Alternatively researchers may apply to ONS to become an approved researcher in order to access the data.
ONS are currently working with the Department of Health to identify an appropriate statistical production method to allow the publication of teenage conception statistics at a more granular level than the current local authority-level statistics. We are aware there is an identified user need for such statistics.
Andrew Griffiths:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2012, Official Report, column 159W, on teenage pregnancy, if he will list the 10 wards that had the highest (a) number and (b) rate of teenage pregnancy in the latest
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year for which figures are available without specifying those numbers or rates. [135433]
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 question.
The latest available figures for teenage pregnancies {or conceptions) by ward are for the period 2008 to 2010. The following tables provide the ten wards where teenage pregnancy was highest for both (a) numbers and (b) rates.
ONS do not publish the number and rate of teenage pregnancy by wards in order to protect the privacy of individuals. Two tables containing the 10 wards with the highest number, and rate, of teenage pregnancy is provided here since this does not pose a risk to confidentiality.
| Table 1. Number of teenage conceptions(1) in England and Wales,(2) 2008-10; ten highest ranked wards | |
| Rank | Ward |
| (1) The number of conceptions of females aged 15 to 17 years. (2) Figures are based on boundaries as of 2011. | |
| Table 2. Teenage conception rate(1) in England and Wales,(2) 2008-10; ten highest ranked wards | |
| Rank | Ward |
| (1) Rates are calculated as the number of conceptions per 1,000 women of childbearing age. (2) Figures are based on boundaries as of 2011. | |
Vocational Guidance: Internet
Ms Buck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what funding his Department has provided for the Plotr careers website; whether a tendering process was used to allocate the funding; and what the relationship is between the website and the National Careers Service website. [135053]
Mr Hurd:
The Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have each provided a grant of £350,000 to Plotr. This has been matched by industry donations. The Cabinet Office grants are made under the statutory authority provided by Section 70 of the Charities Act 2006. The grant from BIS was provided using Section 14 of the Education Act 2002. A tendering
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process was not used. Plotr will draw on specialist resources from a wide range of organisations and services, including the National Careers Service, from which it will draw information and data about occupations, skills and the labour market. Plotr has a broad aim—it is about inspiring young people and connecting them to all the opportunities available to them to make the most of their lives. The National Careers Service provides professional, independent advice on careers and learning.
Voluntary Work: Older People
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to encourage older people to volunteer in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK. [134491]
Mr Hurd: The devolved Administrations have responsibility for volunteering.
In general, the Cabinet Office recognises the wide range of skills and experience that older people can offer as volunteers. Several of the projects funded by the Department specifically aim to increase volunteering among older people. For example, the Social Action Fund supports Community Service Volunteers to run “The Professionals”, a network of newly retired professionals giving time in their local communities.
Defence
Afghanistan
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK armed forces personnel will remain in Afghanistan after 2014; and what tasks and roles they will perform. [134698]
Dr Murrison: The UK and the international community are committed to Afghanistan for the long term. At May's NATO Summit at Chicago, ISAF nations confirmed that a new NATO-led mission will be established in Afghanistan after transition is completed at the end of 2014. This mission will be based on the principles of train, advise and assist and will not involve international troops deployed in a combat role.
NATO is currently working to develop its post-2014 mission, which the UK as a NATO member, will support. Until that planning has matured, it remains premature to speculate what residual military presence the UK will have in Afghanistan after 2014 beyond our firm commitment as lead coalition partner at the new Afghan National Army Officer Academy.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the preferred length is of the harmonisation period between tours of Afghanistan; [134711]
(2) how many service personnel have had less than the 18 month harmonisation period between tours of Afghanistan in each of the last three years. [134712]
Mr Francois
[holding answer 20 December 2012]: The 'Harmony Guidelines' are used by the Army in particular to strike a balance between deployment, training and time with families. Current policy directs that where
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possible, an individual service person should not be away from home for more than 415 days in a rolling 30-month period. The 415-day period includes both training for a deployment and undertaking the deployment itself. Furthermore, it is policy for personnel to undertake only one six-month tour in each 24-month period. This principle is also used by the Naval Service and the RAF, but at slight variance to the Army. The Naval Service uses the metric of 660 days away in a rolling 36-month cycle and the RAF uses 280 days in a rolling 24-month period.
Although not common practice there are occasions when personnel can deploy shortly after returning from one six-month deployment so long as they are not in breach of these guidelines. This practice generally only happens when an individual moves to a new unit which is due to deploy or has volunteered to undertake another tour. While this may occur in the Naval Service and Army, the RAF do not permit it. The information on such redeployments in each of the last three years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.