Young Offender Institutions
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to close any secure youth establishments within the next 12 months. [134915]
Jeremy Wright:
We are taking steps to remove surplus capacity in the youth estate. On 10 January the Lord
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Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), announced plans to negotiate a change to the function of HMYOI Ashfield and re-role it to a prison to hold adult male prisoners.
The youth secure estate must meet the needs of demand and provide best value for money for the taxpayer. We are carrying out a review of youth custody with the intention of bringing down costs and developing a much stronger focus on education.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Badgers
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (a) what recent estimate he has made of and (b) whether he has commissioned any research on the number of badgers in the UK. [137182]
Mr Heath: Based on national population surveys of badger social groups carried out in the 1980s and 1990s, there were estimated to be between 250,000 and 300,000 badgers in Great Britain. We have commissioned a national survey of the badger population in England and Wales. This is being carried out by the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera), over two years, having started in autumn 2011. A more detailed description of the current survey is available online at:
http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu &Module=More&Location=None&ProjectID=18014
Beef: Horse Meat
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review the role of (a) the Food Standards Agency, (b) meat processing companies and (c) supermarkets and other retailers. [138977]
Mr Heath: Food businesses must operate within the law and to the highest standards of food safety and consumer protection.
The role of the Food Standards Agency was considered at the beginning of this Parliament and set out in the Prime Minister's statement of 20 July 2010, Official Report, column 12WS, as part of the Government's review of arm’s length bodies. The agency is responsible for food safety and food hygiene across the UK. It also has the statutory objective of protecting consumers, including through effective food enforcement and monitoring. The FSA is a non-Ministerial Government Department and does not have any role in the promotion or support of any food businesses.
Floods: Woking
Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) homes and (b) businesses were at risk of flooding in Woking constituency in each of the last five years. [138754]
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Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency's National Flood Risk Assessment indicates that over the last five years, 3,741 properties in the Woking parliamentary constituency have been at risk of flooding from rivers, 3,153 residential and 588 non-residential.
Of these, 158 residential and 73 non-residential properties are in the significant risk category, where the chance of a flood is greater than 1.3% or 1 in 75 in any given year.
The Hoe Valley Flood Alleviation Scheme, completed in 2012, has reduced the risk of flooding for 198 of these properties from a 1 in 25 probability of flooding in any year for over 80 of them, to less than 1 in 100. The Environment Agency will update the published information about flood risk that they make available to the public later in the year. The scheme was part of a wider regeneration partnership project with Woking borough council, which also removed the contaminated Westfield Tip from the floodplain and now provides a platform for new housing and growth. I am looking forward to visiting this area in the spring to see the benefits this has brought.
Food: Labelling
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the value of restoring food labelling and provenance policy to the Food Standards Agency; [139699]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the operation of food labelling and provenance policy; and if he will make a statement. [139700]
Mr Heath: On 20 July 2010 the Prime Minister stated:
‘The Government recognises the important role of the Food Standards Agency in England, which will continue to be responsible for food safety. The Food Standards Agency will remain a non ministerial Department reporting to Parliament through health Ministers.
In England, nutrition policy will become a responsibility of the Secretary of State for Health. Food labelling and food composition policy, where not related to food safety, will become a responsibility of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.’
This position remains the case.
DEFRA and FSA officials are working closely together on the investigation into the findings of horse and pig DNA in beef products to see what has happened and to develop a study of food authenticity in a range of processed meat products. The FSA is also working closely with the authorities in Ireland.
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Minister for Agriculture in the Republic of Ireland on food labelling and provenance policy issues. [139914]
Mr Heath: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), met the Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine on 29 January 2013 in Dublin where they spoke about horsemeat.
Officials from both the Food Standards Agency and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland have been in close contact with one another during the discussions in
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Brussels to update food labelling legislation. More recently they have met together to discuss areas of mutual interest regarding labelling.
As follow-up to the publication of research on horsemeat DNA in burgers, there has also been a four-way information exchange between the two agricultural Departments and the two food agencies in the UK and Ireland.
Ivory
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had at the United Nations on the enforcement of international treaties banning the trade in ivory and ivory poaching. [138996]
Richard Benyon: The UK has not had recent discussions at the United Nations on international trade in ivory and ivory poaching. In our statement during the UN General Assembly's Second Committee debate on sustainable development in November 2012, the UK did support the need for enforcement action to tackle illegal wildlife trafficking. We also expressed concern over the illegal poaching of rhino horn.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has made to his counterparts from countries in Africa and Asia on pressures on elephant populations in both continents and the continued enforcement of UN conventions on the trade in ivory. [139008]
Richard Benyon: The UK is concerned about the conservation of elephant populations in both Africa and Asia. We are actively working with the international community to maintain and enforce the current ban on the international trade in ivory. Elephant issues will be on the agenda of the 16th meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, taking place in March in Bangkok. The Department has undertaken outreach activities in preparation for this meeting. We have made representations through UK embassies and high commissions to a number of countries in Africa and Asia about proposals of particular interest to the UK, including those concerning elephants and trade in ivory.
LionAid
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers of his Department and (c) officials of his Department have had regarding funding for UK charity LionAid. [139873]
Richard Benyon: I am aware that LionAid presented proposals to the Department for funding particular projects to support the aim of lion conservation towards the end of last year. Officials have considered these proposals. However, given the many other demands on the public purse in these constrained financial times and that the vast majority of funding for this financial year was already committed, it has not been possible to support these projects in this financial year.
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Livestock: Transport
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his contribution of 13 December 2012, Official Report, column 529, on live animal exports, under what conditions Article 10 enables him to withdraw the authorisation of a live animal transporter to operate in the UK. [139177]
Mr Heath: Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005, Article 10 relates to the requirements for transporter authorisation. Before a transporter can become authorised as a transporter of animals in Great Britain, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) will check that the applicant or their representatives have no record of serious infringements of Community and/or national legislation on the protection of animals, in the preceding three years. This provision does not apply where the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction of AHVLA that they have taken all necessary measures to avoid further infringements. Where a transporter applies for an authorisation in another member state, it is the responsibility of the Competent Authority in that member state to carry out the necessary checks on the history of the transporter as part of their authorisation process. AHVLA has no power to withdraw an authorisation issued in another member state under Article 10.
Organic Farming: Cereals
Sir James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will allow organic farmers to purchase cereals for seed from other organic farmers provided that the grain is cleaned by a contractor under the plant royalties legislation and all royalties are paid. [139557]
Mr Heath: It is a legal requirement that marketed seed is certified under the process, to assure the quality of seed bought by farmers. This prevents direct sale of uncertified seed between farmers. If there is a shortage of certified seed, for example because of poor harvest conditions leading to difficulties with germination, it is possible to ask the European Commission and other member states for a derogation from the usual requirements to increase availability.
DEFRA has not been approached by farmers or seed suppliers about this issue and has not asked for a derogation. We will need good evidence to convince the Commission and member states that a derogation is needed and that alternative seed is not available elsewhere in the EU. We are reliant on the UK industry to provide much of this information.
Press: Subscriptions
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on newspapers and periodicals in 2011-12. [137282]
Richard Benyon: This information is not held centrally. However, most newspapers and publications are ordered through the core DEFRA library service, Press Office and Private Offices. The total spend by these groups on newspapers and periodicals in the financial year 2011-12 was £74,985.91.
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Schmallenberg Virus
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to his recent estimate that the Schmallenberg virus had caused losses in the region of two to five per cent in affected herds, whether he plans to update his general assessment of the virus. [139202]
Mr Heath: Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is not a notifiable disease and as such reporting of cases is voluntary. Through enhanced surveillance and DEFRA-funded testing we have determined that SBV is now present in all rural counties of England. DEFRA officials are in regular liaison with industry, especially at the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) investigation centres and through their scanning surveillance Species Expert Groups. As the new season of lambing gets under way we continue to share information on SBV with vets and farmers on the impact it is having. Final results from a voluntary online SBV survey for sheep farmers carried out after lambing in 2012 will be available shortly. In addition AHVLA are working with industry, including the National Sheep Association and the NFU, to support information gathering on SBV that will continue to improve our understanding of the impact without being unduly onerous on individual farmers.
Trees: Disease Control
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to safeguard native tree species from the threat of disease. [138719]
Mr Heath: Last October the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs introduced a ban on the movement of ash trees, and as recently as last week he introduced tighter controls which require notification by importers of consignments of oaks, sweet chestnuts and plane trees, allowing plant health inspectors to target inspections better.
The Secretary of State instructed Professor Ian Boyd to convene the independent taskforce on tree and plant health, chaired by Professor Chris Gilligan. We welcome its interim recommendations, which presented radical ideas to safeguard Britain's trees from disease, and keenly await its final report, which will be published in the spring along with the updated Chalara control plan.
Wildlife: Smuggling
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to prevent the illegal wildlife trade. [139872]
Richard Benyon: Primary responsibility for enforcing wildlife trade legislation rests with the police service and the UK Border Agency. DEFRA actively supports their activities through the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime.
DEFRA, together with the Home Office, is the main source of funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Both Departments have recently confirmed that they will each provide funding of £136,000 to
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support the Unit for a further year. The NWCU spearheads national action to reduce wildlife crime and is the UK's focal point for international wildlife crime inquiries.
The UK has selected wildlife crime priorities for urgent action, one of which is the illegal trade in species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Endangered species listed on Annex A to CITES require licences in order to be traded within the UK. The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency operates a panel of wildlife inspectors who carry out inspections to ensure that the legislation is complied with. It also has an enforcement team which provides information from its records in support of prosecutions.
Internationally, we play an active role in CITES to strengthen the advice, assistance and tools provided to help range states enforce CITES controls and combat illegal wildlife trade. We support a wide range of actions to tackle illegal wildlife trade, including: financial contributions to Interpol-led projects which build enforcement capacity in range states to conserve tigers, elephants and rhino; funding a post in the CITES Secretariat to help combat wildlife crime; and chairing the CITES Rhino Working Group tasked with investigating the drivers behind, and possible solutions to, the dramatic rise in rhino poaching.
The UK Government is also a member of, and has previously chaired, the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking. This is an international organisation that aims to focus public and political attention and resources on ending the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products.
Communities and Local Government
Fire Services: Vehicles
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department gives to fire authorities on the (a) fitting and (b) use of covert lights for fire authority senior management vehicles; whether he requires each fire authority to inform his Department of the (i) fitting, (ii) cost and (iii) use of any such covert lights; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the use of such covert lights is (A) operationally appropriate and (B) value-for-money. [139697]
Brandon Lewis: My Department has not issued any advice on the fitting and use of covert lights for fire authority senior management, neither does it seek information on these issues from fire and rescue authorities. It is for each individual fire and rescue authority to ensure that the use of covert lights is operationally appropriate, provides value for money, and meets the requirements of relevant legislation. The use of blue lights on an emergency service vehicle are regulated under the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989.
Housing: Construction
John Mann:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the highest tax is which he estimates will be levied by local authorities for a single family-sized development of three or less
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bedrooms under the
(a)
community infrastructure levy and
(b)
affordable housing levy. [138657]
Nick Boles: We have not made such estimates.
The Community Infrastructure Levy was introduced by the last Administration.
This Government has introduced a series of practical reforms, including preventing developers being double charged and making clear in guidance that councils can set a zero rate if they wish. The levy is locally determined and any rate must be based on evidence of economic viability and infrastructure need.
We are currently reviewing what further steps can be taken to ensure that self-build and genuine small-scale development is not adversely affected by the introduction of the levy.
In relation to Section 106 agreements, we have introduced reforms to help renegotiate economically unrealistic deals, and so deliver more housing and more affordable housing than would otherwise be the case.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has received any recent representations on the effect of newly introduced (a) national and (b) local taxes on the development of new single dwelling houses. [138735]
Nick Boles: It is still early days for the Community Infrastructure Levy, which was introduced by the previous Government through the Planning Act 2008. The Government continues to listen to issues raised by those charging and paying the levy and has already reformed the levy to improve how it operates. We are currently reviewing what further steps can be taken to ensure that self-build and genuine small-scale development is not adversely affected by the introduction of the levy.
Local Government Finance
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the inflationary pressures specific to local government in each of the next five years. [140194]
Brandon Lewis: There are no inflation figures specifically for the local government sector. However, the right hon. Member may wish to refer to the measures of inflation published in the Office for Budget Responsibility December 2012 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (retail prices index, consumer prices index and gross domestic product deflator). These can be found on the Office for Budget Responsibility website via the following links:
http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/December-2012-Economic-and-fiscal-outlook23423423.pdf
http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/wordpress/docs/Copy-of-December-2012-EFO-economy-supplementary-tables2343.xls
Non-domestic Rates
Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities (a) have introduced and (b) plan to introduce 12-monthly business rate collections. [139863]
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Brandon Lewis: We do not hold figures on this matter. Local authorities and ratepayers can agree the manner in which bills will be paid, including agreements to pay in 12 instalments.
Right to Buy Scheme
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on promoting the right to buy policy in each financial year of the present Parliament to date; and what it plans to spend on such promotion in each remaining financial year of the present Parliament. [140006]
Mr Prisk: The Department spent nothing on promoting the right to buy policy in 2010-11. In the financial year 2011-12 a total of £17,728 was committed on right to buy products, mainly comprising new leaflets, summarising the reinvigorated scheme from 1 April 2012, for local authorities and other social landlords to distribute to potentially eligible tenants, posters for landlords to display and reprinted application forms. To date DCLG has spent £1.14 million on promoting the right to buy policy in 2012-13, using direct mail as the primary channel. We are committed to ensuring that tenants are aware of the increased discount levels and their rights, and to help them come to well informed decisions about home ownership for them. Tenants cannot exercise their new enhanced rights if they do not know about them.
Plans for further expenditure are not sufficiently firm to publish at this time and depend on results to date from the marketing activities.
To place this spending on marketing and advertising in context, DCLG has cut spending on marketing and advertising from £9.9 million in 2009-10, to £898,000 in 2010-11 and £980,000 in 2011-12.
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a geographical analysis of Government spending on promoting the right to buy policy, setting out (a) total spending and (b) purchase of advertising space by (i) local authority area and (ii) any other geographical area for which data are available. [140007]
Mr Prisk: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of today, PQ 140006, for total spending to date on promoting the Right to Buy policy. Advertising space was purchased in local newspapers and on poster sites in London and the West Midlands during July 2012. In addition, advertising space was purchased in social housing newsletters across the country. This initial targeting reflected high levels of council housing stock and the willingness of councils to work with us. The total costs for space (excluding printing and design costs) were: £334,796 for posters, £70,136 for newspaper advertising and £37,516 for space in social housing newsletters.
The posters and newspaper advertising appeared in the following local authority areas: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Birmingham, Brent, Bromsgrove and Redditch, Camden, Cannock Chase, Croydon, Dudley, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hackney, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham,
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North Warwickshire, Redbridge, Rugby, Sandwell, Shropshire, Southwark, Stoke on Trent, Solihull, Sutton, Tamworth, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Warwick, Welwyn and Hatfield, Westminster and Wolverhampton. Some advertising, such as online, was at a national level.
Shops: Government Assistance
Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Pop-Up Britain (a) has received or (b) is to receive any financial support or benefits in kind from public funds. [139862]
Mr Prisk: StartUp Britain, which is responsible for the PopUp Britain campaign, has not received any direct financial support from DCLG. The Department has allowed StartUp Britain to re-use a meeting room in its Eland House headquarters to host a PopUp shop, which will offer affordable retail space to over 150 small start-up businesses over the coming year.
StartUp Britain also received £10,800 of funding from the StartUp Loans Company in 2012. Determining whether StartUp Britain has received income or benefits in kind from the wider public sector could be done only at disproportionate cost.
I would be delighted to invite the hon. Member to join me for a tour of the PopUp Shop later this year.
Work and Pensions
Council Tax Benefits: Veterans
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of ex-service personnel that would benefit if all local authorities disregarded income from war pensions and armed forces compensation scheme guaranteed income payments when calculating entitlement to council tax benefit. [140361]
Steve Webb: No estimate has been made.
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to the Exchequer that would be incurred if all local authorities disregarded income from war pensions and armed forces compensation scheme guaranteed income payments when calculating entitlement to council tax benefit. [140362]
Steve Webb: No estimate has been made.
In Great Britain, the first £10 per week of war pensions for bereavement and disablement is disregarded as income for the purposes of determining entitlement to council tax benefit and housing benefit.
Councils have the flexibility to operate local schemes whereby up to 100% of war pension and armed forces compensation scheme payments are disregarded. 375 local authorities report disregarding additional income under such a scheme.
In 2011-12, the Department supported these schemes with additional funding in excess of £19.7 million.
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Employment and Support Allowance
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of cancer patients in (a) the support group and (b) the work related activity group of employment and support allowance (ESA) who will see their income fall as a result of the Government's decision to uprate components of ESA by one per cent rather than by the level of the consumer price index; [140356]
(2) what plans he has to review the ability of cancer patients to cope with the increases in the cost of living in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; and if he will make a statement. [140358]
Steve Webb: There are no data available which would allow us to identify the impact of the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill on particular health condition groups in receipt of ESA.
The Department produces National Statistics on the employment and support allowance (ESA) caseload, including breakdown by health condition group and phase of ESA claim. This can be found at:
http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
In making difficult decisions about benefit uprating, we have sought to protect the most vulnerable, including continuing to uprate the Support Group component of ESA with reference to prices. The Employment and Support Allowance (Amendment) Regulations 2012 that came into force on 28 January make it easier for people with cancer to get the support they require and mean that hundreds more people who are awaiting, receiving, or recovering from any form of chemotherapy or radiotherapy for cancer will be placed in the Support Group for employment and support allowance where they will get the help they need while unable to work.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received Youth Contract wage subsidies in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England since the inception of the scheme; and what the average number is in each parliamentary constituency in England. [140375]
Mr Hoban: The Youth Contract, including wage incentives, went live on April 2012 and in most cases wage incentives are paid after a young person has been in work continuously for 26 weeks. Following the collection and quality assurance of these data, I expect the first set of Official Statistics on the wage incentive to be available in the early part of 2013. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.
Future Jobs Fund
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the effect of the two-year gap between the ending of the Future Jobs Fund and the start of the Youth Contract on levels of long-term youth unemployment. [140101]
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Mr Hoban: No such assessment is possible as the period over which the Future Jobs Fund was run down coincided with the introduction of new provision to help young people into employment such as work experience, sector-based work academies and the Work programme. Excluding students, youth ILO unemployment is down by 30,000 since the 2010 election and the number of young people claiming jobseeker's allowance has fallen by 9,000. Over the three years from April 2012 the Youth Contract is expected to provide nearly half a million new opportunities for young people.
Housing Benefit
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many of the housing benefit claimants who will be affected by the restrictions on under-occupied social housing are in work in (a) the UK and (b) Wales. [140426]
Steve Webb: We estimate that from April 2013 140,000 housing benefit claimants in the UK will be affected by the under-occupancy change in the social rented sector, where either the claimant or their partner are in work.
We also estimate that in Wales around 40,000 working age housing benefit claimants will be affected. Data as to how many of these are in work are not available.
Pension, Disability and Carers Service: Telephone Services
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the ease of use of the Pension Service's telephone system for pensioners contacting the agency. [140221]
Mr Hoban: The Department's telephony system was introduced partly in response to the Government's desire to offer modernised service through increased customer choice, and partly to respond to customer frustrations in customer satisfaction surveys that more services could not be handled by phone.
The Department uses 0845 numbers because they are readily recognised and understood by our customers. In the past, DWP was criticised for the large number of geographic 01 and 02 numbers it used. Consequently, DWP rationalised its published telephone numbers and introduced national 08 numbers for its services. These changes have enabled DWP to undertake more effective and targeted marketing of these services at a national and local level, using a small number of national numbers rather than the wide range of geographic numbers that were previously used.
The messaging and options menu on the Department's 0845 and 0800 service lines (known as the Interactive Voice Service) is designed to clearly and concisely inform callers of the service line they have contacted and the options available to them. This system enables the caller to be put through to an appropriately skilled telephony agent to handle their call.
If a customer raises a concern over the length of a call and requests it, our agents will end the call and ring them back.
Callers who may have communication difficulties may permit a representative, such as a family member or friend, to speak on their behalf when they call. The
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use of representatives and appointees not only helps claimants to access our services, but also helps the Department obtain accurate information to make a claim or answer a query.
Poverty
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the potential effect of the provisions of the Welfare Benefit Uprating Bill on levels of in-work poverty. [140442]
Steve Webb: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer of 15 January 2013, Official Report, column 715W. Of this total, we estimate around 50% will be in families with at least one person in employment.
Poverty: Children
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the potential effect of the provisions of the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill on the number of children in (a) working households, (b) workless households and (c) all households experiencing both relative and absolute poverty in (i) 2014-15, (ii) 2015-16 and (iii) 2020-21. [140441]
Steve Webb: This question cannot be answered without incurring disproportionate cost.
Recruitment
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on advertising job vacancies since May 2010. [139985]
Mr Hoban: Most DWP vacancies are advertised through overall resourcing packages and costs for advertising job vacancies are not separately itemised.
Very infrequently, the Department advertises for senior civil service (SCS) vacancies using specialist online sites. DWP has spent £6,898.00 on advertising of senior civil service (SCS) job vacancies since May 2010. This amount relates to small sums of less than £1,000 for online advertisements for specific professional posts.
Social Rented Housing
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people affected by the under-occupancy changes in the social rented sector from April 2013 who will be in work. [140068]
Steve Webb: DWP estimate the number of housing benefit claimants affected by the under-occupancy changes in the social rented sector from April 2013 is about 140,000 where either the claimant or their partner will be in work.
Note:
Estimate is rounded to the nearest 20,000.
Source:
Policy Simulation Model (PSM) output based on family Resources Survey (FRS) data from 2009-10.
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Social Security Benefits: Greater London
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding he will make available to local authorities in the east of England who agree to rehouse those families previously resident in Greater London affected by the benefit cap; and if he will make a statement. [138839]
Steve Webb: The Government has significantly increased the budget for discretionary housing payments in Great Britain as a whole by £100 million over the spending review period to enable local authorities to help workless families who may have to move if their benefit is capped.
We continue to work with all local authorities on the impacts of welfare reform to ensure we fully understand the implications for local authorities and their staff.
Homeless households solely reliant on benefits should not expect to be housed in properties that are unaffordable to working families. However, in the vast majority of cases, this will not mean local authorities have to move homeless households far away from their communities.
We have put in place strengthened legislation so authorities must, if they regard it as essential to move a family, carefully consider the impact a change in location would have, including possible disruption to employment, education and caring responsibilities of the claimant and their family.
Unemployment
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason figures for the number of unemployed people per vacancy will no longer be available by parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement. [140359]
Mr Hoban: Headline figures on the number of unfilled vacancies at a point in time are published by the Office for National Statistics, based on a regular survey of employers. The sample size of the survey is too small to allow information to be published below national level, so comparisons of the number of unemployed people per vacancy by parliamentary constituency have never been available from this source. Some users have previously attempted to fill this gap using administrative data on the number of unfilled vacancies held locally by Jobcentre Plus.
It is important to note that local level comparisons of the number of people unemployed and the number of unfilled vacancies need to be interpreted carefully. Using a snapshot of vacancies at a point in time misses the dynamism of the labour market and the regular turnover of new vacancies being notified as existing opportunities are filled. Such snapshots also typically miss the jobs that people can access in the wider labour market: for example, those outside the local constituency and those notified through other recruitment channels or filled by direct approaches to employers or word of mouth.
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The replacement of the Jobcentre Plus system of vacancy-taking with the new Universal Jobmatch service inevitably meant that existing comparisons would no longer be available, since the series for unfilled Jobcentre Plus vacancies ceased to exist. Universal Jobmatch is a major reform that brings significant benefits to jobseekers and employers alike. Headline statistics—which are already available via the Directgov website:
https://jobsearch.direct.gov.uk/Reports/Reports.aspx
show that nationally over 10,000 new vacancies a day are reported to Universal Jobmatch. Despite the limitations, the Department recognises that, in the absence of statistics from the ONS vacancy survey, there remains a demand for local level administrative data on unfilled vacancies. The intention has been and remains that broadly similar information to that available under the previous system—including the number of unfilled vacancies by parliamentary constituency area—will be introduced over time as resources allow.
Unemployment Benefit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of reducing the real-terms value of out-of-work benefits through the provisions of the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill on the well-being of parents and children in workless households. [140439]
Steve Webb: The impact assessment published alongside the up-rating Bill sets out the estimated child and adult poverty effects of the decision to increase most benefits by 1% in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
For those of working age, work remains the best and most immediate way out of poverty and we have continued to prioritise providing the best possible work incentives through Welfare Reform. Previous approaches to tackling poverty have focused on increases in income to bring people above the poverty line. Income matters, and must remain a key indicator in defining what it means to be in poverty. But it is now widely understood that the current relative income measure by itself is not an accurate picture of child poverty.
This Government's strategy goes much wider, exploring how we can tackle the root causes of problems to promote real and sustained changes in people's lives. The Government is currently consulting on better measures of child poverty to inform its approach to eradicate child poverty.
Unemployment Benefit: Woking
Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Woking constituency, (b) Surrey and (c) the UK in receipt of out-of-work benefits for (i) one year, (ii) two years and (iii) three years. [139682]
Mr Hoban: The following provides the requested data:
| Out of work benefit claimants by statistical group and duration of oldest claim for Great Britain, Surrey and Woking parliamentary constituency: February 2012 | |||||
| All | Up to 1 year | 1 to 2 years | 2 to 3 years | 3 years and over | |
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| Notes: "*" = Denotes nil or negligible. 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Statistical Group is a hierarchical variable. A person who fits into more than one category will only appear in the top-most one for which they are eligible. 3. Out of work benefits which are included in this analysis are: Jobseeker’s Allowance Employment and Support Allowance Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance Income Support 4. Incapacity Benefit was replaced by Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) for new claims from October 2008. 5. Durations shown are the longest claim duration of the benefits of interest. 6. The figures for Surrey are a total of the following local authorities: Elmbridge, Epsom and Ewell, Guildford, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Surrey Heath, Tandridge, Waverley and Woking. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study | |||||
Universal Credit
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the IT system supporting universal credit is capable of identifying multiple claims made from a single address; and what representations he has received from local authorities on this matter in the last two years. [139237]
Mr Hoban: The IT system will check for duplicate claims at a household level, checking the individuals to ensure they do not appear on another claim. However, the system will not check solely by address, as it is possible for multiple households to reside at the same address legitimately.
The Department has anti-fraud measures in place to detect suspicious patterns which include assessing multiple claims at the same address.
DWP, DCLG and local authorities (including the Local Government Association, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Welsh Local Government Association) and the devolved Administrations are working closely together to successfully deliver universal credit.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions under his proposals for universal credit, what changes of circumstances will trigger a loss of transitional protection. [140444]
Mr Hoban: We believe it is correct to cushion claimants who are affected by a change that the DWP is making when the claimant has had no changes in circumstance. However, it is appropriate to end this protection when the circumstances underlying an award are no longer recognisable as those on which the legacy calculation was made. Therefore transitional protection will end altogether if a claimant's circumstances change significantly. The following occurrences are defined as a significant change of circumstances:
a partner leaving or joining the household;
a sustained (three-month) earnings drop beneath the level of work that is expected according to their claimant commitment;
the universal credit award ending; and/or
one (or both) members of the household stopping work.
Once transitional protection has ended it will not be applied to any future awards.
Winter Fuel Payments: High Peak
Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in High Peak constituency are eligible for winter fuel payments. [139685]
Steve Webb: Over 95% of winter fuel payments are made automatically, without the need to claim, based on information held in DWP records. A small number of people whose circumstances we do not know need to make a claim. It is not possible to give the exact number of eligible people, but we have no reason to estimate that eligibility is materially different from the number of payments made.
Information on the number of winter fuel payments paid is provided in the documents “Winter Fuel Payment recipients 2011-12 by Parliamentary Constituencies and Gender (All)”. These are available on the internet at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wfp
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Work Capability Assessment: Appeals
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work capability assessments were successfully appealed in (a) Bolton South East constituency, (b) Bolton, (c) Greater Manchester and (d) the UK as a proportion of the total number of assessments carried out in 2011-12. [139658]
Mr Hoban: The following table shows the number of initial employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessments (WCAs) carried out between April 2011 and March 2012 in (i) Bolton, (ii) Greater Manchester and (iii) Great Britain. The table further shows the number of appeals heard and overturned on initial fit for work (FFW) decisions made in 2011-12. The numbers for overturned appeals shown in the table are likely to change once all ongoing appeals against FFW decisions taken in 2011-12 have been heard. Information on appeals against other decisions is not available; therefore totals are provided instead of proportions. Constituency level information on WCA outcomes is not available.
| Initial ESA WCAs carried out between April 2011 and March 2012 and appeals heard and overturned on initial FFW decisions taken over this period | ||
| Number of initial WCAs carried out in 2011-12 | Appeals heard and overturned on initial FFW decisions in 2011-12 | |
| Note: All volumes are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and HMCTS's appeals case load data. | ||
Work Capability Assessment: Montgomeryshire
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work capability assessments were carried out in Montgomeryshire constituency in the last year for which figures are available; how many such assessments resulted in a fit for work decision; how many of these decisions were subsequently appealed; and how many of these appeals resulted in the over-turning of the original decision. [138920]
Mr Hoban: The information requested is not available.
Work Programme
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support his Department plans to provide to jobseekers who remain unemployed in June 2013 after two years on the Work programme. [140443]
Mr Hoban: Following a small-scale trial to understand how best to support very long-term Jobseeker's allowance claimants reaching the end of the Work programme, an evaluation was published on 6 December 2012:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/report_abstracts/rr_abstracts/rra_824.asp
These results will help inform decisions on the development of a national programme of support for Work programme leavers from the summer of 2013.
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Work Programme: Surrey
Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what reduction in long-term unemployment there has been since the start of the Work programme in (a) Woking constituency and (b) Surrey. [139677]
Mr Hoban: Since June 2011 the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than a year has risen from 140 to 170 in Woking and from 1,605 to 2,310 in Surrey. Comparisons over this period are distorted by changes in the way people on government programmes are treated in the statistics. Under previous programmes the number of long-term JSA claimants was held down by requiring those reaching certain durations to move into a temporary job or take up support funded by a training allowance. This caused a break in the JSA claim and those who later returned to benefit were treated as a new claim with zero starting duration. People joining the Work programme do not have their claim broken artificially in this way, continuing to receive JSA until they move into a regular job. This has led to a rise in the number of JSA claims with a continuous duration of more than a year, but means the figures now give a more accurate reflection of the true level of long-term benefit receipt.
Cabinet Office
Cybercrime
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2012, Official Report, column 111W, on cyber crime, what discussions he has held with (a) the Attorney-General and (b) the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the collection of statistics on internet-related or cyber crime. [140379]
Miss Chloe Smith: In line with the practice of previous Administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department are working on cyber security. [140385]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance (OCSIA) in the Cabinet Office co-ordinates cross-government work on cyber security and information assurance and manages the £650 million transformative National Cyber Security programme and the delivery of the Cyber Security strategy. OCSIA currently has 34 full-time equivalent staff.
There are other staff across the Cabinet Office whose roles also contribute to the delivery of elements of the programme and strategy.
Emergency Services: Telecommunications
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what provision he has made for telecommunications support to emergency and bluelight services. [140445]
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Mr Maude: Effective communication within and between emergency responders is necessary for managing day-to-day operations as well as coordinating the response to major incidents. The nature of the telecommunications services to achieve this is determined by the senior officers of the emergency services who use them.
The Cabinet Office provides additional resilient telecoms capability to support emergency services and other key organisations.
Plants
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much No 10 Downing Street has spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees since the appointment of the Prime Minister. [140025]
Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
As was the case under the previous Administration, this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Training
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many away days (a) his Department and (b) No. 10 Downing Street has held since 2010; and what the cost was of each such event. [140026]
Mr Maude: No. 10 is an integral part of my Department.
For details of events held since 2010 to February 2012, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 February 2012, Official Report, column 600W, to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Luciana Berger). Between March and December 2012 three away days were held outside of the Cabinet Office Estate. These cost a total of £2,483.
It is worth noting that although complete data for the Cabinet Office prior to 2010 are not available, this Department’s spend on away days was at least £37,675 in 2007-08, £19,479 in 2008-09 and £227,680 in 2009-10.
UK Membership of EU
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what contingency plans his Department (a) has made, (b) is making and (c) intends to make for British withdrawal from the European Union; whether those contingency plans will be published; and what assessment he has made of the cost of implementing those contingency plans. [140447]
Mr Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 694W.
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many organisations have (a) applied for and (b) been granted funding from the Catalyst Arts Fund to date. [139551]
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Mr Vaizey [holding answer 25 January 2013]: The Catalyst programme is a joint venture between Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. There have been (a) 384 applications from organisations and (b) 191 grants awarded from the Catalyst Fund to date.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the role of arts and culture in local regeneration; and what the outcome was of such discussions. [139552]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 25 January 2013]: Ministers within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly meet colleagues from the Department for Communities and Local Government to discuss a range of matters.
Broadband
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions her Department has had with BT about their contracts with Broadband UK to deliver superfast broadband across the UK. [138918]
Mr Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has regular discussions with BT about all aspects of the local broadband projects including, where relevant, issues relating to the contracts.
Clothing and Textiles Industry
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received on an annual round table discussion between the Government and the fashion and textile industry. [139191]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 24 January 2013]:Government support for the creative industries is primarily channelled through the Creative Industries Council (CIC), which includes representations from the British Fashion Council. The CIC was established as a joint forum between the creative industries and government to address areas where there are barriers facing the sector and to help the growth of creative businesses of all sizes. Jointly chaired by the Secretaries of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Nicola Mendelsohn, chair of the IPA, the council focuses on finding practical solutions to issues across the sector including skills and access to finance. Sub-groups of the council produced reports into both these areas this year, which were welcomed by the council and work is continuing to be taken forward.
Conditions of Employment
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people are employed on zero-hour contracts in her Department. [139710]
Hugh Robertson: The Department has no employees with a zero hours contract.
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Culture: Local Enterprise Partnerships
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which local enterprise partnerships include a cultural provision as part of their growth and jobs strategy; and what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on increasing any such provision. [139550]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 25 January 2013]: Details about the jobs and growth strategies of Local Enterprise Partnerships can be accessed via the LEP Network at:
www.lepnetwork.org.uk
DCMS Ministers have regular discussions with BIS Ministers on how we can support the creative and cultural sectors.
Intellectual Property and Growth Review
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what analysis her Department has conducted of the Hargreaves review, Digital Opportunity: A Review of Intellectual Property and Growth; and which elements of that review she plans to take forward. [140196]
Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Hargreaves review set out much of its analysis in its report and accompanying documents
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ipreview.htm
The Government's intentions concerning the Hargreaves review were set out in its response to the review which was published in August 2011. The initial response and subsequent publications on the review, such as the copyright consultation and Government responses to consultation—along with their accompanying impact assessments set out the Government's analysis of the Hargreaves review and provide more detail on how the Government intends to implement the review's findings in the light of consultation. All documents related to the Hargreaves review, subsequent Government responses and publications on implementation have been placed in the Library of the House.
Internet: North Yorkshire
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in (a) Middlesbrough and (b) Redcar and Cleveland boroughs do not have access to the internet. [140097]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 29 January 2013]:Ofcom's Communication Infrastructure Report 2012 stated that current generation broadband is available in close to 100% of premises in the UK. Ofcom estimated that 1.3% of UK premises were in potential broadband notspots, but noted that where broadband is not available via fixed access networks, customers may have access via other technologies such as satellite and mobile services or local community schemes.
Sports: North West
Andrew Stephenson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the announcement on 10 January 2013 by Sport England,
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how much of the £45 million Improvement Fund for medium-sized facilities will be spent in
(a)
Pendle constituency,
(b)
Lancashire and
(c)
the North West. [140570]
Hugh Robertson: Sport England is currently in the process of considering a number of applications to the Improvement Fund. As a result, we do not hold these data as the funding decisions are yet to be made. We will be making the funding decisions in March 2013 and will publish a full breakdown following this.
Telecommunications
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether it is her intention that secondary legislation under clause 8 of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill will be limited to specific forms of communications infrastructure. [139448]
Mr Vaizey: I can confirm that it is our intention to use clause 8 to consult on amending the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003 to change planning requirements for broadband cabinets and poles in protected areas, excluding Sites of Special Scientific Interest—as outlined in the Government's 7 September broadband support package announcement.
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to publish her Department's response to its consultation on relaxing the restrictions on deployment of overhead telecommunications lines; and when she plans to bring forward changes to regulations outlined in that consultation. [139521]
Mr Vaizey: The Department will publish a consultation before the end of January proposing changes to siting requirements to allow, for a time-limited period, the installation of broadband cabinets and new poles under permitted development rights in any location other than a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The consultation will summarise the main findings of the Government's earlier consultation published in November 2011, which proposed a change to existing requirements for the deployment of overhead telecommunications lines. It will also explain the basis for needing to take the original proposals further in order to help deliver the package of measures I announced on 7 September last year and to meet the Government's overarching broadband ambitions.
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what primary and secondary legislation is relevant to the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure in protected landscapes. [139522]
Mr Vaizey:
The Electronic Communications Code (“the Code”), as set out in schedule 2 to the Telecommunications Act 1984, as amended by the Communications Act 2003, gives communications network operators special rights to assist with the installation of their networks. It enables them to construct infrastructure on public land (streets), and to take rights over private
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land. Operators with rights under the Code also benefit from certain Permitted Development Rights under Town and Country Planning legislation.
The relevant secondary legislation related to the Code is the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003. Complementary to this is Part 24 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, covering the Permitted Development Rights of operators with rights under the Code.
A wide range of other primary and secondary legislation will also apply to the deployment of communications infrastructure but it is the Code which provides the underpinning statutory regime under which most operators deploy their network infrastructure.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings her Ministerial colleagues and officials have had with (a) Everything Everywhere, (b) O2, (c) Three and (d) Vodafone in the last 12 months. [139553]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 25 January 2013]: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), Ministers and departmental officials have met all of the named companies frequently over the past 12 months to discuss a range of issues both in direct meetings and in the margins of other meetings. The Department does not hold centrally a list of all meetings held by officials and to collate this information for the period requested would incur disproportionate cost. The Department publishes details of all ministerial meetings with external organisations, since May 2010, on its transparency website at the following link:
http://www.transparency.culture.gov.uk/category/other/meetings/
Theatre
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to promote access to theatre. [138312]
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Mr Vaizey: Consistent with the Government's funding arrangements for the arts, improving access to theatre and the arts is supported by strategic projects run by Arts Council England: for example, a £45 million strategic “Touring” programme, launched last year to help get high quality work to those parts of the country which depend on touring; and the £37 million “Creative People and Places” fund set up to get more people taking part in the arts in parts of the country where participation is well below the national average.
In addition, a number of national portfolio organisations receive funding to help connect children and young people and schools and communities with art and culture through a range of measures including relationship building between schools, community groups and arts organisations; and promoting opportunities for them to experience theatre and the arts. Many theatres funded by Arts Council England also run their own schemes to attract new audiences.
World Heritage Sites
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make an assessment of the economic contribution of heritage sites in each region of the UK. [139549]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 24 January 2013]:DCMS has no immediate plans to carry out an assessment of the economic contribution of heritage sites in each region of the UK. However, the Annual Business Survey estimates that historic sites contributed £162 million to economy in GVA terms in 2011; but this does not take account of the wider impacts that heritage has on the economy. For example, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Visit Britain have estimated that UK heritage tourism directly accounts for £4.3 billion of GDP and creates employment for 113,000 people. While these estimates are not broken down on a regional level, English Heritage publish yearly regional “Heritage Counts” reports which include, amongst other data, asset data, funding information, employment numbers and visitor figures. The reports are available at
http://hc.english-heritage.org.uk