Food Banks
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many food banks were in operation in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement; [136261]
(2) how many people have used food banks in each (a) nation of the UK and (b) region of England in each of the last 10 years. [136262]
Mr Hoban: DWP do not collate or hold numbers of how many food banks are in operation or how many people use them.
Housing Benefit
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of tenants living in the social rented sector and in receipt of housing benefit who will be affected by the new rules on under-occupation. [136657]
Steve Webb: Estimated numbers of housing benefit claimants affected by the new rules on under-occupation in the social rented sector can be found in the Impact Assessment:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the rates of local housing allowance in areas exempted from the 1% cap on uprating will be uprated (a) in line with the consumer prices index, (b) in line with the 30th percentile of rents in the area and (c) in another way; and if he will make a statement. [137464]
Steve Webb: The Government have set aside £140 million over two years to help people most affected by the 1% cap on local housing allowance uprating in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Our intention is that this funding will be used to increase the local housing allowance rates in areas where rent increases are causing a shortage of affordable accommodation.
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We are currently considering the detailed policy design and will make further information available in due course.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in determining which areas should be exempted from his policy of capping increases in local housing allowance rates at 1%, whether whole local authorities or parts of local authorities will be exempted; over what period the rent increases will be measured; who will undertake the assessments; and if he will make a statement. [137470]
Steve Webb: The Government have set aside £140 million over two years to help people most affected by the 1% cap on local housing allowance uprating in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Our intention is that this funding will be used to increase the local housing allowance rates in areas where rent increases are causing a shortage of affordable accommodation.
Local housing allowance rates are set in each of the 192 broad rental market areas across Great Britain.
This funding will be available from 2014-15 and we will of course consider the available evidence, including evidence collected by the rent officer to decide how it is targeted.
We are currently considering the detailed policy design and will make further information available in due course.
Housing Benefit: Tower Hamlets
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency and (b) Tower Hamlets in receipt of housing benefits which exceed £500 per week in total. [136699]
Steve Webb: There are 10 households in Tower Hamlets local authority receiving housing benefit in excess of £500 per week at August 2012.
The same information by parliamentary constituency is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Such information by parliamentary constituency that is available is on a new visualisation tool Stat-Xplore published at
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
Independent Living Fund
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what monitoring of eligibility for access to the Independent Living Fund by each local administration is undertaken by his Department. [136924]
Esther McVey: Regular reassessment of the needs of ILF users is essential to ensure that ILF recipients continue to receive the support they require. Reassessment can be used to establish whether new needs have emerged, whether any former needs have receded or whether newly available support opportunities could better meet users' needs than their current support plan.
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The Independent Living Fund (ILF) regularly monitors award recipients to ensure that they are receiving the appropriate support and that they continue to remain within the eligibility criteria as laid out in the Independent Living Fund's Trust Deed and Conditions of Grant Agreement available at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/ilf/publications/policies-and-governance/index.shtml
For the majority of ILF users one component of eligibility of an ILF award is receipt of the highest rate care component of DLA, highest rate of attendance allowance or at least financially equivalent rate of constant attendance allowance. These are similarly regularly assessed to ensure that recipients continue to be eligible for support and are receiving support at the appropriate level.
Independent Living Fund: Greater London
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by the Independent Living Fund in each London borough in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 to date; and what safeguards he plans to put in place to protect such spending following transfer of the Fund to local authority control. [136923]
Esther McVey: The information is in the following table:
| £ | |||
| Social services | 2012-13 to December 2012 | 2011-12 | 2010-11 |
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Local authorities and users told us that it was crucial that funding was allocated to the devolved administrations in a way that reflected the current expenditure patterns.
We believe that there is a strong case for this approach as it will help ensure a smooth integration of users into the mainstream care and support system and prevent any local authority or country being disproportionately affected by the closure of this fund. The Government will bring forward proposals on this basis for the devolution of funding to local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, in due course.
As stated in the Government's response to the consultation on the future of the Independent Living Fund this spending will not be ringfenced as local authorities need to be allowed to meet their statutory responsibilities in a flexible way; the ringfencing of funding prevents this and creates an unnecessary administrative burden.
ILF users have a diverse range of needs and the funding balance between ILF funding and LA funding varies significantly. The Government believes that individual local authorities are best placed to ensure these needs are met in a consistent way alongside the needs of the other disabled people.
I am pleased to reassure ILF users that the Government remains fully committed to maintaining current ILF users' care packages up to April 2015. During this period we will continue to work closely with local authorities and the Devolved Administrations during the development and implementation of new local support arrangements to ensure that they are adequately funded. This will mean that the needs of current ILF users will continue to be met according to local authority assessments of eligibility in an equitable and consistent way and that anyone who is assessed as needing care will continue to receive it.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Greater London
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants who have been receiving benefit for 12 months or more in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, (b) Tower Hamlets and (c) London. [136700]
Mr Hoban: Statistics on the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants who have been receiving benefit for 12 months or more in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, (b) Tower Hamlets and (c) London can be found at:
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp
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Members: Correspondence
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Minister for Disabled People plans to reply to the letters of (a) 30 June, (b) 25 September, (c) 9 November and (d) 7 December 2012 from the hon. Member for North Cornwall regarding Mr David Fuller. [137488]
Esther McVey: I replied to the hon. Member on 14 January 2013.
Social Security Benefits: Uprating
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department considered the potential effects of the loss of education maintenance allowance on families who will be affected by the provisions of the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill. [137076]
Steve Webb: The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill means that the majority of working age benefits, statutory payments, and tax credits will be up-rated by 1% in 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Government have protected pensioners who are on fixed incomes, and the additional needs benefits of disabled people whose added costs are linked to price inflation. An assessment of impacts has been published and is available in the House of Commons Library.
Around 45% of young people in further education received EMA payments. However, research commissioned by the previous Government shows that only around 10% of those who received it relied on EMA to participate. EMA was poorly targeted and cost around £560 million a year so it was not possible to justify continuing with it.
EMA was replaced by the £180 million Bursary Fund from September 2011. This targets support more effectively towards the most financially disadvantaged 16-19 year olds who most need help with the costs of staying on in education.
In this difficult economic climate, it has been necessary to take some hard decisions, but in doing so we have sought to ensure that support continues to go to those who need it most.
Work Programme
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many successful job outcomes from the Work programme there have been in each parliamentary constituency in the last 12 months; what proportion of the total number of successful outcomes are in each parliamentary constituency; and what proportion of total referrals to the programme have resulted in job outcomes. [136212]
Mr Hoban: Statistics on how many successful job outcomes from the Work programme there have been in each parliamentary constituency in the last 12 months; what proportion of the total number of successful outcomes are in each parliamentary constituency; and what proportion of total referrals to the programme have resulted in job outcomes can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
Guidance for users can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
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Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of long-term unemployed persons in each (a) region, (b) constituency and (c) local authority area have been placed in employment through the Work programme since its inception. [136267]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not available.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2013, Official Report, column 199W, on long-term unemployed people: mental health, how many and what percentage of the 837,000 participants were given help by the mental health and wellbeing partnership manager in the areas covered by the private sector providers that run the Work programme. [136904]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of people who have found work through the Work programme had been unemployed for (a) over three years, (b) between two and three years and (c) between one and two years and (i) had drug, alcohol or mental health issues or (ii) were functionally illiterate in each of the areas covered by the private sector companies that run the Work Programme. [137167]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not available.
Work Programme: Clwyd
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of referrals to the Work programme in Vale of Clwyd constituency have resulted in a successful job outcome in each month since June 2011. [136211]
Mr Hoban: Statistics on what proportion of referrals to the Work programme in Vale of Clwyd constituency have resulted in a successful job outcome in each month since June 2011 can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
Guidance for users can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) job referrals and (b) job outcomes there have been in Vale of Clwyd constituency in each month since the start of the Work programme. [136213]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is as follows:
(a) Statistics on how many job referrals there have been in Vale of Clwyd constituency in each month since the start of the Work programme are not available.
(b) Statistics on how many job outcomes there have been in Vale of Clwyd constituency in each month since the start of the Work programme can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
Guidance for users can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
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Work Programme: Wirral
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Wirral have (a) enrolled on and (b) completed the Work programme. [136271]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is as follows:
(a) Statistics on how many people in Wirral have enrolled on the Work programme can be found at:
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
Guidance for users is available at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
(b) Statistics on how many people in Wirral have completed the Work programme are not readily available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Working Age Benefits: Halifax
Mrs Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Halifax constituency are currently in receipt of working-age benefits. [136906]
Mr Hoban: Statistics on the number of people receiving working age benefits in the Halifax parliamentary constituency can be found at:
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?oaae=tabtool
Guidance for users is available at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
Written Questions: Government Responses
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will respond to parliamentary question 132699 from the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd tabled on 5 December 2012 for answer on 10 December 2012. [136214]
Mr Hoban: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 8 January 2013, Official Report, column 200W.
International Development
Bangladesh
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to support the work of non-government organisations working to promote the rights of ready-made garment industry workers in Bangladesh. [136621]
Mr Duncan: Through its Rights and Governance Challenge Fund, DFID supports three Bangladeshi non-governmental organisations working on workers' rights in the ready-made garments industry. Between 2008 and 2013, UK support will enable 180,000 workers in the garments industry to be paid on time and have improved working conditions, through a greater awareness of their rights and better organisation.
DFID also supports the global Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector (RAGS) Challenge Fund, which funds five projects in Bangladesh to improve the
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condition of vulnerable workers in the ready-made garment sector. Two of these projects have facilitated management-worker participation committees and built awareness of the rights of RMG workers to organise.
DFID also funds the Ethical Trading Initiative, an alliance of companies, trade unions and voluntary organisations working to improve the working lives of poor and vulnerable people who make or produce consumer goods.
Commonwealth
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much and what proportion of her Department's bilateral expenditure was allocated to Commonwealth countries in (a) 2000, (b) 2005, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012; and how much and what proportion of her Department's bilateral expenditure is planned to be spent in Commonwealth countries in (i) 2013, (ii) 2015 and (iii) 2020. [136526]
Mr Duncan: Since 2011, we have refocused the aid programme in fewer countries so that we can target our support where it will make the biggest difference and where the need is greatest.
DFID does not have data by calendar year. Using data for the financial years beginning in each year requested, the historical figures for cash funding received and percentage of bilateral expenditure are:
| £ million | Percentage | |
Planned expenditure for 2012-13 and 2013-14, on a resource basis, including only country programme budgets, indicates the following figures:
| £ million | Percentage | |
These figures are not directly comparable with historical expenditure, and those for 2013-14 are indicative, as we are currently reviewing Operational Plans for 2013-14 and 2014-15. 2015 and 2020 are beyond the current spending review period, so projections are not available.
For many countries in the Commonwealth there is no separate bilateral programme, but these countries may benefit from some of our regional programmes. In particular, the figures exclude expenditure in the Caribbean. They also exclude the Overseas Territories as they are not independent members of the Commonwealth.
The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation Development—Development Assistance Committee publishes statistics by calendar year:
http://www.oecd.org/dac/aidstatistics/Final2011ODA.htm
Consultants
Mr Ivan Lewis:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 819W, on
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consultants, what assessment she has made of the extent to which her Department's capacity to achieve value for money from suppliers increased between 2010 and the commissioning of her Department's report on the use of private consultants. [137469]
Justine Greening: The coalition Government introduced a focus on results and value for money. In November I met with DFID's largest suppliers to start a process of working with them individually and collectively to get better value for money. That work is ongoing. Under the previous Government, no strategic value for money review of suppliers had taken place.
I will continue to prioritise value for money to ensure we maximise the impact of taxpayers' money on poverty.
Data Protection
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions each Minister in her Department carried classified documents on public transport in the last 12 months for which information is available. [137115]
Mr Duncan: This information is not held. Ministers handle official information in accordance with Government guidance.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Rural Areas: Schools
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if he has made an assessment of the number of small schools in rural areas which may close as a result of funding changes by the Department for Education planned for April 2013; [136453]
(2) what representations he has received on the effect on rural schools of funding changes by the Department for Education due in April for small schools. [136774]
Mr Laws: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Education.
The Department has received a number of representations about the effect of funding changes on small schools and I have also met with Members, local authority representatives and school leaders to discuss the implications for individual schools and local areas.
We remain firmly committed to supporting good local schools, including in rural areas, and I would not expect any of these schools to close as a result of funding changes from April 2013. Schools are protected from significant changes to their budgets by a minimum funding guarantee, which ensures that no school can lose more than 1.5% of its per-pupil funding from one year to the next, for the remainder of this spending period. Furthermore, we have committed to putting in place a new minimum funding guarantee—at a level to be determined—from 2015-16 onwards.
Analysis conducted by the Department estimates the average fixed costs of a small primary school to be approximately £95,000. So that local authorities would have the flexibility to support smaller schools of all types, the Department confirmed, in June 2012, that local authorities could allocate a lump sum of up to
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£200,000 to all the schools in their area for 2013-14. This lump sum ensures the sustainability of small schools that are operating efficiently. As part of a wider review of 2013-14 school funding arrangements, we will review both the amount and use of the lump sum before announcing funding arrangements for 2014-15.
As well as supporting small rural schools through our funding arrangements, we are continuing with our policy of a presumption against the closure of rural schools as set out in section 15 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
It is not yet possible to establish exact funding levels for small schools from April 2013 as local authorities are still in the process of finalising their budgets for the next financial year.
None of the funding reforms being implemented by the Department for Education in April 2013 will affect schools in Wales.
Cabinet Office
Crown Immunity
Andrew George: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2012, Official Report, column 521W, on Crown Immunity, (1) if he will publish a bibliography setting out where all of the subject specific guidance on the application of Crown Immunity can be found in the public domain; [137132]
(2) if he will collate all the available guidance on the application of Crown Immunity in respect of (a) Parliament and (b) Government legislation and make it public in a single document. [137133]
Miss Chloe Smith: There is no generic guidance produced by the Government covering when and where the principle of Crown Immunity should apply. However the subject of Crown Immunity is touched upon in a variety of largely subject specific guidance available in the public domain including:
The application of Crown Immunity to the export of controlled military or dual-use items owned by the Crown. This is published on the gov.uk website
https://www.gov.uk/crown-immunity-of-controlled-military-and-dual-use-items
The application of Crown Immunity as regards the enforcement of Health and Safety at Work legislation against Crown bodies (known as ‘Crown censure’). This is produced by the Health and Safety Executive and is published on their website:
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/removal-of-crown-immunity-and-historic-estate/removalofcrownimmunityandhistoricestate20091007123106.pdf
Guidance for Crown bodies on the removal of Crown Immunity and their historic estate following the application of the planning acts to the Crown as a result of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. This guidance is produced by English Heritage and is published on their website:
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/removal-of-crown-immunity-and-historic-estate/removalofcrownimmunityandhistoricestate20091007123106.pdf
The Office of the Parliamentary Counsel has also recently published guidance on Crown application:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/Crown_Application_Pamphlet_281112.pdf
The Government believes this guidance is most suitably categorised by subject rather than legal application.
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Electoral Register
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to ensure the transition to individual voter registration does not lead to people being unaware that they may be removed from the electoral register. [137170]
Miss Chloe Smith: During the transition to individual electoral registration, existing electors will receive numerous communications from registration officers, and there will be national and local publicity campaigns. The implementation plan published on the Cabinet Office website:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/Implementation-Plan_0.pdf
in July 2012 sets out the messaging that electors will receive.
Based on pilots carried out in 2011 and 2012, we expect that around 70% of existing electors will be confirmed on the register through data-matching in 2014. Electoral registration officers will write to any non-confirmed electors encouraging them to apply and explaining that will have to make a successful new application before December 2015, otherwise their name will be taken off the register. This message will be repeated following the general election in 2015.
There will also be a public information campaign that will aim to provide the public with information, guidance and support about the new system, and what is required of them, at the right time. This will be led by the Electoral Commission, in close consultation with the Cabinet Office and other delivery partners.
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Employment: East of England
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of people in (a) Witham constituency, (b) Essex and (c) the East of England were employed by small and medium-sized enterprises in each year since 1997; and what the equivalent figures were nationally in each such year. [137417]
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 January 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many and what proportion of people in (a) Witham constituency, (b) Essex and (c) the East of England were employed by small and medium-sized enterprises in each year since 1997-and what the equivalent figures were nationally in each year. [137417]
The analysis estimates the number and proportion of people in Essex, the East of England and the UK employed by small and medium sized enterprises. The employment data are taken from estimates held on the Inter Departmental Business Register which are derived from a range of different administrative sources and surveys.
The equivalent data for the Witham constituency cannot be released due to the small number of large businesses in the constituency. It would be possible to calculate by deduction the number of people employed by these large businesses and hence this information is disclosive. Due to the size of the table, it will be stored in the House of Commons Library.
Data are available back to 2003. Data are not available before this date due to software changes that mean that the data cannot be produced on our current operational systems.
| Tables show the sum of employment(1) and the proportion of people employed by small and medium sized businesses in Essex, the East of England and the UK, 2003-12 | ||||||||||
| Essex | ||||||||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| East of England | ||||||||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
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16 Jan 2013 : Column 798W
| UK | ||||||||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| (1) The employment data are taken from estimates held on the Inter Departmental Business Register which are derived from a range of different administrative sources and surveys. (2) Small sized businesses have been defined as those with an employment between 0 and 49. (3) Medium sized businesses have been defined as those with an employment between 50 and 249. Source: Office for National Statistics | ||||||||||
Defence
Afghanistan
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average period is between a serviceman completing a tour of Afghanistan and commencing pre-deployment training ahead of another tour. [134665]
Mr Francois [holding answer 20 December 2012]: The average period between tour completion and the start of the next pre-deployment training is 18 months. This is based on a policy of having 24 months between six-month tours, for which pre-deployment training starts six months previously. This remains unchanged from the policy in place prior to May 2010.
Armed Forces: Weapons
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent guidance has been issued to armed forces personnel in relation to the transportation of serviceable weapons from theatres of operation back to the UK; and if he will make a statement. [136157]
Mr Dunne: The policy for transporting serviceable weapons from Theatres of Operations back to the UK is contained in Joint Services Publication 440 (The MOD Security Handbook). This defines the standards of physical security to be applied to the storage and movement of arms, ammunition and explosives held by, or under the control of, the UK MOD.
An internal Defence Instruction and Notice sets out the policy governing the retention of captured enemy equipment as operational memorabilia by the Ministry of Defence, and situations where an individual believes they have a valid reason to import a firearm or weapon from an operational theatre, including those obtained by gifting from another nation's forces or, in the case of antique weapons, purchased in theatre.
Both of these documents are circulated widely and are available to armed forces personnel
Cyprus
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on his Department's plans to reinstate two P 2000 class coastal training craft, Dasher and Pursuer, at the Sovereign base areas on Cyprus. [136820]
Mr Robathan: We have no such plans.
Katrice Lee
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of the Secretary of State for Defence of 20 December 2012, Official Report, columns 904-5W, on Katrice Lee, if he will publish the briefing to him and his officials from the Royal Military Police to allow him to reply to letters from (a) hon. Members and (b) the Lee family in respect of the disappearance of Katrice Lee; if he will re-examine the case in the light of the Royal Military Police's acknowledgements that the previous investigations were flawed; if he will discuss with the German Chancellor securing assistance from the appropriate authorities in Germany regarding that case; and if he will meet with the Lee family to discuss future steps to be taken by the Government in relation to the case. [136243]
Mr Francois: The Royal Military Police are currently re-investigating the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Katrice Lee. It is this work that has highlighted shortcomings in the initial investigation. On 13 December 2012, I met with members of the Lee family, along with the Provost Marshal (Army), his investigation team, and my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Caroline Dinenage) to discuss this and other issues linked to the current live police investigation. I am content that it is the most appropriate way of progressing this matter and, hopefully, revealing what happened to Katrice. The Royal Military Police have been in regular contact with the German authorities and received their full co-operation.
While it is not our practice to publish briefing information on individual personal cases, I can confirm that the Lee family are being kept up to date with all significant developments in the investigation.
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Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to answer the letter sent to him by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on 13 September 2012 with regard to Mr Luke Storey. [125949]
Mr Francois: 1 responded to the right hon. Member on 14 January.
Publications
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how often his Department produces a staff magazine. [137312]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence staff magazine aimed at the entire military and civilian audience is “Defence Focus”. The magazine is produced 11 times a year in both online and printed formats with 20,000 print copies of each issue distributed to Defence sites throughout the world.
World War II: Military Decorations
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister of 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 841, on Arctic convoys, if he will provide an update on the criteria and eligibility of Arctic convoy veterans for the Arctic Convoy medal. [137478]
Mr Francois: The details, including the eligibility criteria, application process, design and manufacture of the new medal are being worked on by the Ministry of Defence. We are mindful of the age of the remaining veterans and are progressing these matters as quickly as possible.
Education
Children: Disability
Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with colleagues on ensuring that the Children and Families Bill offers support to carers of disabled children along the lines of the support offered for adults in the draft Care and Support Bill; and if he will make a statement. [136776]
Mr Timpson: Department for Education officials are in regular discussion with colleagues at the Department of Health about the Care and Support Bill, to ensure coherence.
The draft Care and Support Bill proposals include significant improvements to simplify carers' assessments and, for the first time, to place a duty on local authorities to meet carers' eligible needs for support, putting them on the same footing as the people they care for. There is
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no parallel duty in the draft Children and Families Bill as, where appropriate, support for parents and carers is already an integral part of the social care assessment for disabled children under section 17 of the Children Act. Section 17 assessments will consider and agree services and support for parents and carers where these will help to deliver better outcomes for the child. Provision of short breaks services to disabled children is a statutory duty for local authorities, providing support for parents and carers of disabled children, as well as opportunities for learning and leisure for children and young people themselves.
The Children and Families Bill will support parents and carers of disabled children further by introducing a local offer which will set out clearly what children, young people and families can expect from mainstream services across education, health and social care; how to access more specialist support; how decisions are made and how to complain or appeal.
The Children and Families Bill introduces a more streamlined single assessment process, leading to an integrated Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) for children and young people with more complex needs. Parents and carers of disabled children with special educational needs will be involved throughout in drawing up the plan, which will bring together all their child's support needs and aspirations in a single place.
Twenty pathfinders are testing how best to develop EHCPs, putting parents and carers at the centre of the process. Pathfinder learning is informing the Children and Families Bill, the development of regulations, a new SEN code of practice and in future, will inform local implementation of the reforms.
Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Children Review
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education who within Government has primary responsibility for policy on the sexualisation and commercialisation of children. [137389]
Mr Timpson: Tackling the excessive commercialisation and premature sexualisation of childhood is a priority across Government. As Minister for Children and Families, I lead and co-ordinate the necessary action. I will shortly publish a report setting out the progress which has been made in implementing the recommendations of the independent Bailey review. The Prime Minister has recently appointed my hon. Friend the Member for Devizes (Claire Perry) to advise him on all aspects of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood.
Education: East Midlands
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on each school pupil in each local authority area in the East Midlands in each of the last five years. [136935]
Mr Laws: The available information on how much has been spent on each school pupil in each local education authority in the East of England for the last five years is shown in the following table. The information for 2011-12 will be available at the end of January 2013 when it will be published as Official Statistics.
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| 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
Education: Nottinghamshire
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on education in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire in each financial year since 2009-10. [136934]
Mr Laws: Figures are not available for the parliamentary constituency of Ashfield as data are collected at a local authority level. The available information on how much has been spent on education in Nottinghamshire local authority is shown as follows.
| Rounded (£000) | |
Families
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to measure family breakdown by local authority area; and if he will make a statement. [137243]
Mr Timpson: The Department for Education has no plans to measure family breakdown by local authority area. The Department for Work and Pensions will be measuring the proportion of children who have a stable family free from breakdown at a national level as outlined in the Social Justice Outcomes Framework published in October 2012. There are no plans as part of this work to look at family breakdown by local authority.
Financial Services: Education
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether Ofsted holds any evidence on the effect of financial education in schools; [136445]
(2) what evidence Ofsted holds on how financially capable young people are. [136446]
Mr Laws: These questions are a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 9 January 2013:
Your recent Parliamentary questions have been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
Ofsted carries out school inspections under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, and more recently the Education Act 2011. There is no specific judgement in routine inspections about the quality of financial education in schools, or separate assessment of how financially capable young people are. However, financial education has been reported on as part of Ofsted's programme of subject survey reports.
The most recent report that included evidence about the provision for financial education was Ofsted's survey report ‘Economics, business and enterprise education’, published in June 2011. In 2008, evidence from a more focused survey of good practice in relation to financial education was published in ‘Developing financially capable young people’. Financial education was also reported on in Ofsted's 2010 survey of personal, social, health and economic education (PSHEE). All of these reports are available at:
www.ofsted.gov.uk
and Ofsted will be publishing another report on PSHEE later this year.
Ofsted has found that, in primary schools where provision for financial education was judged to be good, the promotion of financial capability was integrated well throughout the curriculum and pupils gained a good understanding, relative to their age, about—for instance—earning, spending and saving, and the distinction between wants and needs. In primary schools where provision was weak, too little attention was given to handling money and making decisions about spending and saving pocket money.
Ofsted has found that, in secondary schools where provision was good, students were developing a good understanding of personal finance, and were able to use financial terms correctly and apply their knowledge to making financial decisions. The 2011 survey found that in most secondary schools, students' personal financial capability remained underdeveloped, unless they were studying formally assessed qualifications in this area.
School Leaving
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what plans he has to monitor compliance with the raising of the participation age by age cohort; [136724]
(2) what assessment he has made of the equality impact of the introduction of the raised participation age in respect of (a) gender, (b) race and (c) disability; [136725]
(3) what guidance has been issued to local authorities in relation to their duties to young people aged 16 to 18 not in employment, education or training following the introduction of the raised participation age; [136728]
(4) what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing the raised participation age in each local authority area. [136723]
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Mr Laws: Local authorities have existing duties to secure sufficient education provision for young people and to support young people to participate. In order to achieve this, local authorities are expected to have a detailed understanding of the numbers and needs of young people in their area. Local authorities record information about young peoples' participation in education and training on their local Client Caseload Information System. Aggregate information from these local databases is used to produce local statistics on the proportion of young people participating in education and training and the percentage who are NEET. These are already made public on the Department for Education website(1) and will continue to be used to monitor local participation rates as we raise the participation age.
These data will also include equality information—age, gender, ethnicity and disability. An equality impact assessment was carried out during the passage of the Education and Skills Act (ESA) 2008(2). This made clear that raising the participation age
“will have a significant positive impact on removing current inequalities in education and training”
related to gender, race and disability.
We intend to publish brief statutory guidance for local authorities with regard to their duties under part 1 of ESA 2008 early in 2013. Our intention is that this will reaffirm the policy and legislative position set out in our response to the consultation on RPA regulations published in July 2012(3). We expect all local authorities to already be engaged in planning for how they will deliver RPA locally, building on their existing duties in this area.
The ESA 2008 contains two new duties on local authorities —to monitor young people's participation and to promote participation in all of their functions. These clearly build upon local authorities' existing statutory duties and are already being carried out effectively where local authorities are fulfilling those existing duties. We have made clear that we will not commence the enforcement process against young people set out in the original legislation in 2013. The Education Funding Agency provides funding for education and training places. The Youth Contract for 16 to 17-year-olds is also providing additional support for the most disaffected young people to support their participation in education, training or work with training and we expect local authorities to refer eligible young people to the Youth Contract where appropriate.
(1)http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/youngpeople/participation/neet/a0064101/16--to-18-year-olds-not-in-education-employment-or-training
(2)http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/youngpeople/participation/rpa/a00210946/consultation-response
(3)http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/youngpeople/participation/rpa/a00210946/consultation-response
Schools: Finance
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what representations he has received on the effect of funding changes on small schools from April 2013; [136358]
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(2) what assessment he has made of the likely effects of funding changes on small schools from April 2013; [136359]
(3) what the (a) minimum, (b) maximum, (c) mean, (d) modal and (e) median payment to small schools will be after funding changes planned for April 2013; [136454]
(4) what recent assessment he has made of the number of small schools in rural areas which may close as a result of funding changes planned for April 2013. [136455]
Mr Laws: The Department has received a number of representations about the effect of funding changes on small schools and I have also met with Members, local authority representatives and school leaders to discuss the implications for individual schools and local areas.
We remain firmly committed to supporting good local schools including in rural areas, and I would not expect any of these schools to close as a result of funding changes from April 2013. Schools are protected from significant changes to their budgets by a minimum funding guarantee, which ensures that no school can lose more than 1.5% of its per-pupil funding from one year to the next, for the remainder of this spending period. Furthermore, we have committed to putting in place a new minimum funding guarantee—at a level to be determined—from 2015-16 onwards.
Analysis conducted by the Department estimates the average fixed costs of a small primary school to be approximately £95,000. So that local authorities would have the flexibility to support smaller schools of all types, the Department confirmed, in June 2012, that local authorities could allocate a lump sum of up to £200,000 to all the schools in their area for 2013-14. This lump sum ensures the sustainability of small schools that are operating efficiently. As part of a wider review of 2013-14 school funding arrangements, we will review both the amount and use of the lump sum before announcing funding arrangements for 2014-15.
As well as supporting small rural schools through our funding arrangements, we are continuing with our policy of a presumption against the closure of rural schools as set out in section 15 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
It is not yet possible to establish exact funding levels for small schools from April 2013 as local authorities are still in the process of finalising their budgets for the next financial year.
None of the funding reforms being implemented by the Department for Education in April 2013 will affect schools in Wales.
Schools: Sports
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects Ofsted to publish its report on current levels of sports participation in schools. [137385]
Mr Laws [holding answer 15 January 2013]:This question is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
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Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 14 January 2013:
Your recent Parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
I expect that Ofsted's report, “Physical education in schools 2008-12”, will be published in February 2013. It will focus on the quality of physical education in schools, rather than current levels of pupils' participation in sport.
A copy of this reply has been sent to David Laws MP, Minister of State for Schools, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he proposes to assess the effect of the London 2012 Olympic legacy on school sport. [137386]
Mr Timpson: We are currently working with other Government Departments to explore options to build on the legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to ensure that all young people get the best possible range of opportunities to enjoy physical activity and to play competitive sport in and outside of school.
An announcement will be made shortly.
We will ensure that appropriate assessment mechanisms are included within our plans.
Sixth Form Education: Ashfield
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many 16 to 18 year-olds who are entitled to free school meals are studying in a general further education or sixth form college in Ashfield constituency. [136943]
Mr Laws: There are no FE or sixth form colleges in Ashfield. In the table we estimate how many 16 to 18-year-olds living in Nottinghamshire local authority were studying in FE colleges and sixth form colleges and were eligible for free school meals (FSM) when they were in year 11.
We have used Free School Meals status in year 11 because it is not possible to determine whether young people in colleges would meet the current Free School Meals criteria.
| 16 to 18-year-olds resident in Nottinghamshire and studying in further education colleges and sixth form colleges in 2010/11 by FSM status at age 15 | ||
| Full time/Part time status in post-16 study | Number studying in FE or sixth form college | |
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Special Educational Needs: Nottinghamshire
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on special educational needs in the Nottinghamshire local authority area in financial years (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13. [136936]
Mr Laws: The information for 2011-12 will be available at the end of January 2013 when it will be published as Official Statistics. The 2012-13 information will be collected in August 2013 and I will write to the hon. Member when the data are published in January 2014.
University Technical Colleges
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to increase the number of university technical colleges. [136635]
Mr Laws: In addition to the five UTCs that are already open, the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has already approved a further 26 which are now preparing to open in either September 2013 or 2014. Since November 2012, the Department has been assessing new applications for UTCs and expects to announce the next wave of projects before the end of March this year.
Justice
Applied Language Solutions
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much ALS/Capita has been paid (a) in total and (b) in each month since taking over the contract for the delivery of language services to his Department. [136551]
Mrs Grant: Spend per month on the Capita language services contract with the Ministry of Justice is set out in the following table. The figures for October and November 2012 are combined because Capita missed the October deadline for submitting its invoice.
| Month in 2012 | Spend (£) |
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Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what financial penalties ALS/Capita has paid (a) in total and (b) in each month for missing agreed service delivery standards since taking over the contract for the delivery of language services to his Department. [136552]
Mrs Grant: Capita only gets paid for completed bookings, so if it cannot supply an interpreter, it does not get paid. The Ministry of Justice manages poor service delivery and performance through a number of methods and remedies open to it under the contract. The Ministry is continually working with the supplier to improve performance delivery standards.
Service credits can be imposed on Capita in line with the terms of the contract when performance falls below the contractual level of 98% success rate. Ministry of Justice Procurement took the commercial decision not to impose service credits February to April due to the investment of £3.5 million by Capita to improve service performance. This is a normal decision at the beginning of a new contract. Service credits have been applied by the Department from June 2012 covering May onwards, as set out in the following table. The low amounts are due to increasing improvement in service to 95.3% performance by August 2012. The service credit amounts for the final months of 2012 will be available in February.
| Month in 2012 | Service credit imposed (£) |
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Service credits are not penalties, they are one of the remedies under the contract. As part of the competitive dialogue process we asked the bidders to provide us with their approach to service credits against a set of key performance indicators. The service credits presented by Applied Language Solutions were equal if not greater than those presented by other bidders.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the break clause is in his Department's contract with ALS/Capita for the delivery of language services. [136553]
Mrs Grant: The Ministry of Justice signed the framework agreement for the justice sector in August 2011 for four years with Applied Language Solutions, now owned by Capita. The Department signed its own contract under the framework agreement in October 2011 for five years.
The framework agreement does not prevent the Ministry of Justice from contracting with other providers. Break clauses for material breach are also included in the contract.
The National Audit Office recommended that the Ministry of Justice fully implement the contract, and we are discussing this with interpreters, Capita and other partners to the framework agreement.
Children in Care
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children in care in each year from 1997 to 2012 were of (a) white British, (b) black Caribbean, (c) black African, (d) Pakistani, (e) Indian, (f) Bangladeshi and (g) other ethnic group origin. [136492]
Mr Timpson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Education.
Information on the ethnic group of children looked after by local authorities was collected for the first time in 2001. Information for the years prior to this is therefore not available. The information requested is shown in the following table.
| All children looked after at 31 March by ethnic origin(1, 2) | ||||||||||||
| Years ending: 31 March 2001 to 2012 | ||||||||||||
| Coverage: England | ||||||||||||
| Number | ||||||||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
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| n/a =not applicable. (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (3) Ethnic origin classification collected for the first time in 2009. Source: SSDA 903 | ||||||||||||