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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 1 February 2013
Attorney-General
Crown Prosecution Service
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many complaints about the Crown Prosecution Service have concerned its handling of cases of (a) rape, (b) sexual offences other than rape, (c) burglary, (d) offences against the person, (e) other violent crime and (f) fraud and other economic crimes in each of the last three years. [140396]
The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the number of complaints received by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) concerning its handling of the offences outlined above, which were completed in each financial year since 1 April 2010. The financial year 2012-13 includes those complaints completed up to 28 January 2013.
| Offence | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13(1) | Total |
| (1 )To 28 January 2013 | ||||
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of complaints made against the Crown Prosecution Service have concerned a decision not to charge; and how many such complaints have been upheld in each of the last three years. [140397]
The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the proportion of complaints made against the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) where the type of complaint related to legal decision making or mixed (legal and non legal) decision making, and where the complaint was upheld or partly upheld. It is not possible to ascertain what proportion of these complaints concerned a decision not to charge without examining individual complaint records which would incur a disproportionate costs.
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13(1) | Total | |
| (1 )Up to 28 January 2013 | ||||
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Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General by what date the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) intends to accept the recent recommendation of HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspector that it should cease omitting to classify as complaints letters received by its Parliamentary Correspondence Unit from hon. Members writing on behalf of constituents with complaints about the CPS. [140398]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) follows the Cabinet Office rules governing the handling of Members' correspondence on behalf of their constituents. “Handling Correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords. MEPs and Members of Devolved Assemblies: Guidance for Departments” was published in July 2005. To abide by these guidelines, the CPS has processes in place which monitor the timeliness and nature of the questions raised by Members and their constituents.
The recommendations made in the Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) latest report will be considered alongside the ongoing work taking place following the recent CPS Refocusing agenda.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Crown Prosecution Service has spent to date on addressing the concerns about its complaints handling identified by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspector in 2009. [140399]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has spent approximately an estimated spend of (exclusive of VAT) £376,704 on addressing the concerns raised about complaints handling by Her Majesty's Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) in their 2009 report. This estimated cost includes spending on a new complaints IT system, modifications to the IT system since April 2010 to date, staff training, publications and any other additional costs of bought in services and direct cost products. This estimated cost does not include staff costs.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Basic Skills
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the implementation of the literacy and numeracy proposals made in his 2011 New Challenges, New Chances report. [139935]
Matthew Hancock: In the last spending review the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) secured continued funding of English and maths courses for adults who lack these basic skills. Provisional data for the full 2011/12 academic year show that there were 788,600 learners (aged 19+) taking an English qualification and 778,500 taking a Maths qualification, and we are now funding GCSE English and maths qualifications for adults from the 2012/13 academic year.
New freedoms and flexibilities have been put in place whereby FE colleges and providers have a single Adult Skills Budget which enables them to respond to learner and employer needs locally.
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New unit-based English and maths qualifications that are tailored to the differential needs and learning patterns of adults are now available. These qualifications provide the necessary rigour and flexibility to support progression from lower levels towards a GCSE or other training.
New pilots are under way which are seeking to determine how providers can be funded on the basis of the skills gained by their learners, to incentivise providers to maximise skills acquisition.
As set out in ‘New Challenges, New Chances’, BIS is raising demand for maths improvement working through stakeholders rather than using a top-down approach as has been the case with previous campaigns.
In addition, BIS is undertaking a new programme of research and evaluation.
UK Equity Markets: Business Review
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the responses of the investment management industry to Recommendation 8 of the Kay review in relation to the full disclosure of all costs on investment funds; and if he will make a statement. [140874]
Jo Swinson: The Government believe there should be transparency of all costs and charges in the investment chain.
The Government welcome recent initiatives on cost transparency developed by investment industry bodies, including the Investment Management Association (IMA), the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The Government are seeking to address with the industry what further steps are necessary, including in the context of developments in EU regulation, to bring about a disclosure regime which provides clear, comprehensive information on costs and charges to all savers.
A progress report will be published by the Government in summer 2014, setting out whether Kay's recommendations have been achieved, assessing the progress made by the investment industry to this recommendation and what further action may be necessary.
Exports: Greater London
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) total value and (b) level of growth was for exports from businesses based in London in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [140868]
Michael Fallon: Regional data on trade in goods are published by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in its quarterly Regional Trade Statistics publication.
These figures show that businesses based in London exported £35.2 billion worth of goods in 2011, a 24.0% increase from the £28.4 billion exported in 2010.
It should be noted that London data are subject to ‘head office' distortions.
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) produces annually estimates of regional exports of services. However, these cover only 30% of total services and the latest year for which information is
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available is 2010. The latest data (available from Table F4 at the following link) show that London-based businesses exported around £27 billion worth of services in 2010.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/16337/12-259-regional-economic-performance-indicators-2012-tables.xls
Insolvency
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has had any recent discussions with (a) other Ministers in his Department, (b) officials and (c) consumer groups about bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Insolvency Act 1986 to give preferential creditor status to those consumers who have purchased gift vouchers from companies in the UK. [140983]
Jo Swinson: There are no plans to bring forward such legislative proposals on gift vouchers. Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills continue to discuss consumer protection issues in insolvency situations with relevant parties.
Technology and Innovation Centres
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what investment the Technology Strategy Board has made in cell therapy technology innovation centres. [141109]
Mr Willetts: The Cell Therapy Catapult technology and innovation centre receives grant funding from the Technology Strategy Board and the total grant funding paid to date is £1.74 million. The five-year business plan for the Cell Therapy Catapult, including future funding, is currently waiting approval.
Whisky: Scotland
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the financial contribution of the Scotch whisky industry to the UK economy in the next 12 months. [140742]
Michael Fallon: The Scotch whisky industry is a UK success story, with exports worth £3.5 billion in 2011 and an estimated Gross Value Added of £3 billion. The industry employs over 10,000 people with a further 25,000 people employed indirectly in supply chains. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not made an assessment of the UK Scotch whisky industry's likely performance in the next 12 months.
Cabinet Office
Broadband
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the cost to central Government of broadband not being universally available. [141115]
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Mr Hurd: In line with the practice of previous Administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Business: Birmingham
Jack Dromey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses in (i) Birmingham, Erdington constituency and (ii) Birmingham in each of the last five years. [140907]
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:
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As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question.
Annual statistics on the number of businesses {enterprises) are available from the ONS release—UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/uk-business/index.html
Data on the number of enterprises broken down by parliamentary constituency within region and country by employment size band can be found in table B6.2 of the publication and details of districts, counties and unitary authorities within region and country by employment size band can be found in table B1.2.
The following table contains the count of small and medium sized businesses that were in the Birmingham, Erdington constituency and Birmingham from 2008 to 2012, Small businesses have been defined as those with an employment between 0 and 49 and medium-sized businesses as those with an employment between 50 and 249.
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | ||||||
| Small | Medium | Small | Medium | Small | Medium | Small | Medium | Small | Medium | |
| Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded. 2. These numbers do not include very small businesses, typically those below the threshold for VAT and PAYE. | ||||||||||
Charities: Schools
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what recent representations he has received about the loss of charitable status by some schools in Scotland; [140970]
(2) what assessment he has made of the tax implications if charitable status were to be removed from any school in Scotland; [140971]
(3) what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government regarding the implications of the removal of charitable status by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator from any school in Scotland. [140972]
Mr Hurd: Charity law and regulation are devolved matters in Scotland. Decisions about the charitable status of organisations in Scotland are for the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator acting under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.
I have received no recent representations about the loss of charitable status by some schools in Scotland, had no discussions with the Scottish Government on this subject and made no assessment of the tax implications. Tax is a reserved matter, and the availability of charitable tax reliefs throughout the United Kingdom is a matter for Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
Conditions of Employment
Julie Elliott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed on zero-hour contracts in No. 10 Downing Street. [141544]
Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 28 January 2013, Official Report, column 676W.
Government Departments: Internet
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what estimate he has made of the costs to Government Departments of non-online transactions due to the internet not being universally available; [141114]
(2) what methodology his Department used to calculate transaction costs in his Department's transaction explorer. [141116]
Mr Hurd: We recognise that digital services are not suitable for all: our policy is digital-by-default; it is not digital by compulsion. We estimate that moving services from offline to digital channels will save between £1.7 and £1.8 billion a year.
When calculating the total cost of providing a service, Departments used the guidance issued by Her Majesty's Treasury, which is published in ‘Managing Public Money’.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the total number of appointments was to non-departmental public bodies where the preferred candidate was not appointed by the Prime Minister in each year since 2002; [140432]
(2) what was the (a) name of the proposed appointee, (b) name of the non-departmental body and (c) relevant Government Department for each proposed appointment to a non-departmental public body where the preferred candidate was not appointed by the Prime Minister since May 2010. [140435]
Mr Maude: The information is not held centrally.
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Voluntary Work
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average amount of time spent volunteering was by people in each 10 year age band in each of the last 30 years. [140845]
Mr Hurd: Between 2001 and 2011 the Government used the Citizenship Survey to assess levels of volunteering in the UK. The results are in the public domain and can be accessed here:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120919132719/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/2056233.pdf
The Cabinet Office does not hold comparable data for the period before 2000.
Additionally the Cabinet Office will shortly be publishing figures on participation in volunteering from the 2012 Community Life Survey.
Communities and Local Government
Child: Protection
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of local authorities' ability to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need; and what assessment he has made of the effects of reductions in spending on this service. [140642]
Brandon Lewis [holding answer 31 January 2013]:We have proposed a fair settlement for 2013-14 and 2014-15. The settlement allows local authorities to keep nearly £11 billion of business rates, and to keep the growth on that share of business rates providing a direct financial incentive to councils delivering growth. We estimate that this could deliver around an extra £10 billion to the wider economy by 2020.
It is for individual local authorities to determine their budgets, however, we have been clear that councils should be making sensible savings, to protect frontline services and keep council tax down.
Ofsted and the Department for Education operate effective mechanisms to ensure local authorities are meeting their statutory duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Housing: Construction
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much Government-owned land has been released (a) in total and (b) by each Government department for housing use in each of the last two years. [R] [140091]
Mr Prisk: The Government's programme to accelerate the release of its surplus land with capacity for housing in this spending review period has identified land with capacity for over 100,000 homes. This includes land held by Ministry of Defence, Department of Health and the Departments for Transport and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who for the first time published land disposal strategies in October 2011.
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The Department collects data on sites sold every six months. The total estimated housing capacity of land released by November 2012 is shown in the following table.
| Total to date(1) | |
| (1) Figures rounded to nearest 10 (2) This includes small landholding departments such as MOJ, HO, and DCMS. | |
Local Government Finance
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have requested a review of alternative notional amount figures for their authority to date. [140678]
Brandon Lewis: Alternative notional amounts for 2012-13 were first proposed on 20 December 2012. 10 local authorities asked for their amounts to be revised before the deadline for representations of 15 January 2013. These calculations were subsequently revised in respect of all local authorities and my officials wrote on 24 January proposing revised amounts and setting out the reasons for the revisions. I am placing a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.
Local authorities have had until 31 January to respond to these and we are considering their representations before finalising alternative notional amounts for each authority. Final amounts will be included in a report for the approval of the House of Commons in parallel with the report on the Local Government Finance Settlement.
Markets
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much income district and unitary councils in England obtained from market stalls in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; [141089]
(2) what funding and support his Department has made available to councils and their market stall holders to increase income from the stalls. [141090]
Mr Prisk:
Information on income from market stalls from district and unitary councils is not collected centrally. Decisions on the day to day running of markets are for local councils to make. My Department runs the Working Group on Retail Markets which works with the markets industry representatives, the Local Government Association and interested departments, to ensure that the markets industry has a voice at national level too. On 31 January my Department announced a grant to the National Association of British Market Authorities to support them in the running of the “Love Your Local Market” campaign in May this year. The same campaign last year saw over 400 market events taking place throughout England, with local councils and other market providers
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offering incentivised stalls and support to new traders. Many places reported increased footfall during these events.
Planning Permission: Christchurch
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to decide whether to call in for his own determination the planning application for development at Bailey Drive, Christchurch, which was referred to him on 5 November 2012 pursuant to the Town and Country Planning (Consultation) England Direction 2009. [140969]
Nick Boles: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is aware of the considerable level of public interest from within my hon. Friend’s constituency in relation to this matter and expects to issue a decision in the next two weeks.
Social Rented Housing: Greater London
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new social housing starts there were in London in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [140867]
Mr Prisk: Information about house building starts by tenure in each local authority area are published in the Department's live table 253, at the following link. Taken together, the Housing Association and local authority tenures comprise the social housing starts.
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
Culture, Media and Sport
Employment Agencies
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total spending on recruitment agencies by her Department was in each month from July to December 2012. [135240]
Hugh Robertson: The following table sets out the total spending on recruitment agencies in each month from July to December 2012. These figures include fees paid to the staff recruited via the agency for roles within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. During the period all fees to agencies were for placements of temporary staff and interim managers. All temporary recruitment during this period was in order to provide specialist skills needed by the Department for specific projects.
| Amount spent on recruitment agencies (£) | |
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Football
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Football Association on its stewardship of football clubs where the owners appear to be acting in an irresponsible manner. [140522]
Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller) last met the chair of the Football Association on 3 October to discuss a wide range of football issues around reforming the governance of the game.
We expect wide-ranging reforms, including the introduction of a new licensing system for clubs, by the start of the 2013 season. We expect the licensing system to address concerns around financial sustainability and the ownership of clubs.
Defence
Afghanistan
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under which legal jurisdiction UK armed forces personnel in Afghanistan after 2014 will be acting. [140890]
Mr Francois: At the NATO Chicago conference nations agreed, at the request of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, to a new NATO-led post-2014 mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan National Security Forces. Details on how we will conduct the post-2014 mission, including the legal basis, have not yet been finalised. Discussions on status of forces is ongoing.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who will be responsible for operating and maintaining UK defence equipment left in Afghanistan after 2014. [140975]
Mr Robathan: Final decisions on what equipment will not be returned to the UK after 2014 have not yet been taken. Decisions will be made on a case by case basis after considering principles of operational priority and the best value for money for the UK taxpayer.
Africa
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether there is a defence attaché in (a) Mali, (b) Niger, (c) Nigeria, (d) Algeria, (e) Mauritania, (f) Burkina Faso, (g) Chad, (h) Libya, (i) Sudan, (j) South Sudan, (k) Ethiopia, (l) Somalia, (m) Kenya and (n) Western Sahara; [140869]
(2) if he will publish the dates of recent correspondence or e-grams between his Department and the (a) defence attaché and (b) British embassy in (i) Mali, (ii) Niger, (iii) Nigeria, (iv) Algeria, (v) Mauritania, (vi) Burkina Faso, (vii) Chad, (viii) Libya, (ix) Sudan, (x) South Sudan, (xi) Ethiopia, (xii) Somalia, (xiii) Kenya and (xiv) Western Sahara. [140870]
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Dr Murrison: We have accredited defence attachés or advisers in defence sections within our embassies and high commissions in Nigeria, Algeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya. We also have a defence section in the British Office for Somalia, currently based in Nairobi.
Our defence adviser in Ghana holds non-residential accreditation as defence attaché in Mali. Our defence adviser in Morocco holds non-residential accreditation as defence attaché in Mauritania.
We do not have accredited defence representation in Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, or Western Sahara. Defence representation in Libya is currently provided by a senior British military representative.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) communicates with defence sections on a daily basis.
Armed Forces: Housing Benefit
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of how many armed forces personnel will be affected by the proposed change to housing benefit in relation to the under-occupancy of social housing. [139889]
Mr Francois: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 January 2013, Official Report, column 387W, in which I stated that the decision to claim benefits is a private matter on which the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no requirement to collect information. However, despite the lack of such information, we estimate that very few full-time service personnel will be affected by the proposed change, as the majority of them live in service accommodation. It is possible that some reserve personnel could be affected but the MOD does not record if a reservist is in receipt of housing benefit or if they reside in a home where it is being claimed.
Officials are seeking a meeting with their counterparts in the Department for Work and Pensions to seek to better understand the implications of the proposed change for reservists when they are mobilised or away from home on training.
The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency is available to provide advice to both full-time and reserve personnel on housing benefit issues.
Armed Forces: Liverpool
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many injured serving and ex-serving armed forces personnel are resident in Liverpool; and how many such people will receive the armed forces independence payment. [140519]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence does not hold information regarding the number of injured serving and ex-serving personnel resident in Liverpool.
However, as at 1 December 2012 there were 30 serving personnel stationed in Liverpool who were classed as not deployable due to medical reasons. As at 3 March 2012 there were 1,675 ex-service personnel with a contact address in Liverpool who receive payment from the War Pensions Scheme, and as at 30 September 2012, 25 ex-service
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personnel with a contact address in Liverpool were in receipt of a payment from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
To date we have identified less than 10 serving and ex- serving personnel with a contact address in Liverpool who will qualify for the payment of the armed forces independence payment. However, those who do not meet the eligibility criteria will still be able to apply for the personal independence payment.
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers from Liverpool are serving in the armed forces. [140635]
Mr Francois [holding answer 31 January 2013]: This information is not held in the format requested.
Armed Forces: Redundancy
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which units in the (a) RAF, (b) Army and (c) Royal Navy are liable for redundancy under tranche 3; and when he expects the tranche 4 redundancy programme to commence. [140811]
Mr Francois: The tranche 3 redundancy announcement relates only to Army personnel and does not affect Royal Navy and Royal Air Force units.
Army personnel will be selected for redundancy by assessing criteria such as rank, arm, length of service and career employment group in areas where it is predicted that a surplus of Army manpower will exist in the future structure. An individual's unit is not a factor in this decision.
As already announced to Parliament, there is likely to be a need for a further tranche of redundancy for Army personnel and limited numbers of medical and dental personnel from the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force in due course. The precise timing of this has not yet been decided.
Recruitment
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on advertising job vacancies since May 2010. [139970]
Mr Francois: Although the Ministry of Defence is reducing its civilian staff headcount and has imposed a freeze on most external recruitment, we still need to recruit for posts that are business critical or provide support to current operational commitments. We have for example to fill a number of senior civil service posts critical to driving forward our reform agenda. These posts are usually advertised across a range of specialist media, as well as on the civil service jobs website. The amount spent on recruitment advertising since May 2010 is £912,900.
Territorial Army: Employment
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the size of companies which employ serving members of the Territorial Army. [140548]
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Mr Francois [holding answer 31 January 2013]: Members of the Territorial Army (TA) are drawn from a wide range of companies. Current figures from Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers (SaBRE) are shown in the following table:
| Percentage of TA members | |
Theft
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 1 May 2012, Official Report, column 1533W, on theft, how much of the property listed was recovered; and whether there have been any prosecutions related to these thefts. [140217]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence takes detecting and deterring theft seriously. No items listed have been recovered and no prosecutions were undertaken. In many cases a suspected perpetrator is not identified or there is insufficient evidence to pursue a prosecution. Where a suspected perpetrator is identified prosecution or internal disciplinary action follows as appropriate. If a property reappears having being incorrectly recorded as stolen, this is not recorded.
Veterans: Employment
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what proportion of those who leave the armed forces find employment within a year in (a) London, (b) Manchester, (c) Newcastle, (d) Colchester, (e) Aldershot, (f) Catterick, (g) Glasgow, (h) Liverpool, (i) Alyn and Deeside, (j) Argyll, (k) Devizes, (l) Dumfries, (m) Edinburgh, (n) Folkstone, (o) Gosport, (p) Hampshire, (q) Norfolk, (r) Portsmouth and (s) Salisbury; [140380]
(2) what proportion of officers who leave the armed forces find full-time employment within (a) six months and (b) two years of leaving; [140382]
(3) what proportion of former members of the armed forces are (a) in full-time employment, (b) in part-time employment, (c) claiming jobseeker's allowance, (d) claiming employment and support allowance and (e) claiming incapacity benefit. [140383]
Mr Francois [holding answer 30 January 2013]: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) seeks to ensure that all former service personnel are well equipped to take up future employment in a location and career of their choice when they leave.
Once they have left military service there is no requirement for those personnel to maintain contact with the MOD. Therefore it is not possible to be specific about the employment status of former personnel in named towns or regions, nor about the benefits they may claim.
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Nationally, those persons who left the services and were eligible for resettlement with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) scheme, a partnering arrangement between MOD and Right Management Limited, are sent a questionnaire six months after they leave the armed forces to monitor their employment status. Those who complete the questionnaire and return it indicate that more than 90% of former CTP participants found employment within six months. This is the same for former officers and enlisted personnel.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average length of time is for which veterans are out of work before finding employment after leaving the armed forces. [140384]
Mr Francois [holding answer 30 January 2013]: The vast majority of some 20,000 personnel who leave the armed forces each year make a successful transition to civilian life, including gaining employment. Once a veteran leaves the armed forces they are not required to maintain contact with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and therefore the MOD does not hold the information requested.
However, the figures supplied by the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) scheme suggest that more than 90% of those service personnel who participate in their scheme secure employment within six months. For veterans who qualify, active participation with CTP remains an option for up to two years after discharge.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans are employed in (a) London, (b) Manchester, (c) Newcastle, (d) Colchester, (e) Aldershot, (f) Catterick, (g) Glasgow and (h) Liverpool. [140630]
Mr Francois [holding answer 31 January 2013]: This information is not held in the format requested.
Education
Bullying: Internet
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to address cyberbullying in schools and elsewhere. [139707]
Elizabeth Truss: The Government introduced new laws through the Education Act 2011 to strengthen the authority of teachers to enforce discipline and promote good behaviour, published updated advice to schools on behaviour and bullying (including cyberbullying), and are holding schools to account on how well they deal with bullying through the new Ofsted inspections framework. Through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), the Government work with more than 200 organisations to develop tools and information for children and parents to address online risks such as cyberbullying.
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Schools: Cumbria
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on (a) securing future funding arrangements for and (b) making progress with implementing the projects at (i) Stainburn School for which funding has been granted from the Priority Schools Programme and (ii) the Energy Coast University Technical College (UTC) at Lillyhall for which funding has been granted from the UTC Programme; and what methodology will be applied in the assessment of pupil numbers to ensure the optimum implementation of both projects. [140357]
Mr Laws [holding answer 30 January 2013]: Both the Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP) and University Technical Colleges (UTCs) fall within the remit of the Department for Education (DFE).
DFE officials have had continuing discussions with Cumbria County Council about its application for the PSBP in relation to Stainburn School, and with the Energy Coast UTC sponsors as that project proceeds through the pre-opening phase.
The Energy Coast UTC project is currently near the end of a statutory consultation period. The outcome of that consultation will help inform the decision as to whether the Secretary of State for Education should enter into a Funding Agreement with the Energy Coast UTC Academy Trust:
Cumbria County Council submitted a joint application to have Stainburn School and Science College and Southfield Technology College rebuilt as one school. The local authority needs to determine the appropriate capacity for the new school that will be built under the PSBP.
Once the capacity for the new school has been determined Cumbria County Council will need to run a statutory consultation on the proposals.
DFE officials will continue discussions with Cumbria County Council and the Energy Coast UTC Academy Trust about their respective projects, including discussion of pupil number data and how these affect both projects.
Teachers: Training
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the distribution of teacher training places in the (a) North Staffordshire sub-region and (b) West Midlands region. [140433]
Mr Laws: For the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEAs, 191 teacher training places have been allocated directly to schools via the School Direct programme. 183 postgraduate teacher training places in the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent LEAs have been allocated directly to Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers via core provision.
For the West Midlands region as a whole, 964 teacher training places have been allocated directly to schools via the School Direct programme. 2,415 postgraduate and 531 undergraduate teacher training places in the West Midlands region have been allocated directly to ITT providers via core provision.
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The table shows the distribution of teacher training places across core provision and School Direct in the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent LEAs and West Midlands region. Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent LEAs come under the West Midlands Region.
We will continue to monitor the geographic coverage of ITT places.
| Teacher training route | Staffordshire/Stoke | West Midlands |
Energy and Climate Change
Biofuels
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the statement in the Friends of the Earth, RSPB and Greenpeace's Dirtier than coal? report that burning whole trees for biomass energy generation would increase greenhouse gas emissions by at least 49% compared to using coal over 40 years; and if he will make a statement. [140854]
Gregory Barker: The report produced by Friends of the Earth, RSPB and Greenpeace included an assessment of research commissioned by DECC to inform the UK Bioenergy Strategy.
This research on UK forests and carbon impacts looked at different scenarios for the management of a UK forest and for a range of uses for the harvested wood. It found that optimal greenhouse gas (GHG) emission savings can be achieved when harvested wood is used primarily for timber where possible, with energy produced alongside it as a co-product.
The research did not conclude that the use for energy of any ‘whole tree’, a term that encompasses both small and/or diseased trees, would result in higher GHG emissions than the coal replaced. In the case of smaller or diseased trees, energy may be their only practical use.
The UK Bioenergy Strategy was jointly published in April 2012 by DECC, DEFRA and the Department for Transport. This sets out four key principles to steer a sustainable course, which will underpin our bioenergy policy in the years to come. These principles include that bioenergy must deliver real greenhouse gas savings looking out to 2050 and beyond.
The UK Bioenergy Strategy, its underpinning research and a supplementary note covering key technical issues are available from the following website:
www.gov.uk
Energy Companies Obligation
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes have received Energy Company Obligation support since October 2012, by region; and what the total value of support given in each region was. [140977]
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Gregory Barker: Ofgem, as the administrator of the ECO scheme, will be providing monthly information on progress made against installation of measures by obligated energy suppliers. The first of these reports is due after energy suppliers have submitted to Ofgem at the end of February, and will cover all measures installed since last October. This information will be made publicly available by Ofgem, and we expect it to include data on the regional delivery of measures.
Fracking
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment has been made of the extent of possible shale gas reserves throughout the UK. [141057]
Mr Hayes: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Jonathan Edwards) on 16 January 2013, Official Report, column 768W.
Green Deal Scheme
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the reasons are for the differences between the Green Deal cashback scheme in Scotland and England and Wales; and what estimate his Department has made of the potential effects of those differences on take-up of the Green Deal in (a) Scotland and (b) England and Wales. [140864]
Gregory Barker: The differences exist between the cashback scheme in Scotland and the scheme in England and Wales because promotion of energy efficiency is a devolved matter. Scottish Ministers opted to use Scotland's share of the Green Deal incentive funds in order to design and deliver its own scheme, to ensure that it could be integrated with Scottish Government programmes and meet the specific needs of Scottish householders. This also secured a pro rata share for Scotland. The justification for the design of the Scottish scheme is a matter for Scottish Ministers, and was not influenced by DECC. DECC has not estimated the differences on take-up between the two schemes.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2013, Official Report, column 474W, on Green Deal scheme, what estimate his Department has made of the likely level of departmental underspend in 2012-13. [140901]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change keeps its expenditure forecasts under continuous review and actively manages its budgets to make best use of any emerging underspends, including taking steps to manage annual budgets across financial years. Our latest estimate of underspend for 2012-13 is £39 million out of a total budget of £3,395 million, but we expect to re-deploy most of this money to priority areas before the year end.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he proposes that consumers will be subject to a credit check before being allowed to take out Green Deal finance. [140978]
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Gregory Barker: Anyone providing credit to consumers has to lend responsibly. That means lenders—including Green Deal providers—are required by law to check that people will be able to make the repayments and it is for them to decide how to meet this requirement.
At the start, the Green Deal Finance Company will be undertaking credit checks, but we estimate over 80% of the population will have sufficient credit ratings, ensuring the vast majority of people can access competitive finance for their Green Deals.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what role (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have in deciding which media outlets will be used as part of the Green Deal communications campaign. [140979]
Gregory Barker: Detailed implementation plans for paid-for Green Deal communications activity, including choice of specific media outlets, have been drawn up with advice from my Department's appointed communications planning contractor, CARAT, and the cross-Government media buying agency, M4C. Final plans were agreed by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey) and myself.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's local authority competition 2012-13 projects awarded funding, how many households he expects to receive assistance for each local authority awarded funding under (a) fuel poverty funding, (b) Green Deal pioneer places funding and (c) cheaper energy together funding in 2012-13; and if he will publish further details for the competition. [140995]
Gregory Barker: Our initial estimates suggest that the fuel poverty competition could support major heating and/or insulation measures for up to 14,000 households. The final numbers of households assisted will depend on a number of delivery factors—including the characteristics of the households that local authorities (LAs) target for support and the precise mix of measures delivered.
These factors will also affect the delivery of the Green Deal pioneer places fund. Successful bidders will carry out work to promote the Green Deal across their areas (e.g. through show homes and support for local supply chains) as well as assisting local households directly. The benefits will therefore be realised well beyond the March 2013 end date for the funding. However, based on the bids we estimate that up to 8,500 Green Deal plans could be delivered over the coming months.
Cheaper Energy Together funding is being used to support the set up of innovative collective switching and purchasing schemes and particularly to engage with vulnerable consumers. Schemes vary from very large schemes which include a number of LAs and are therefore targeting a wide geographical area to local community based schemes. Each scheme has proposed different approaches to marketing and awareness raising which will have different impacts in reaching consumers. The Department has monitoring plans in place to evaluate their success in reaching consumers.
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We are also commissioning an evaluation of the LA fund across all three workstreams with a view to sharing learning across all LAs. This evaluation should be published in the summer.
Green Deal Scheme: Bradford
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the Government is doing to maximise take up of the Green Deal in Bradford East constituency. [141540]
Gregory Barker: In October last year DECC awarded funding to Leeds City Region to trial aspects of the Green Deal. As part of this funding £141,500 was awarded to Bradford council. This work includes trialling an innovative delivery method of ‘energy efficiency measures on prescription' by linking with local GPs to refer patients with a chronic ill health condition exacerbated by cold living conditions.
To support take-up of the Green Deal nationally we also launched a £3 million national advertising campaign for the Green Deal on 29 January. This promotes the national Energy Saving Advice Service on 0300 123 1234 and the
www.gov.uk/greendeal
There is currently also a cashback scheme which is open to all householders across the country who take up the Green Deal.
Warm Front Scheme
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assistance his Department is providing to (a) elderly people, (b) disabled people and (c) people on low incomes to heat and insulate their homes following the ending of the Warm Front scheme. [140935]
Gregory Barker: The energy company obligation formally launched on 1 January 2013. This will provide targeted support with energy efficiency measures worth around £1.3 billion per annum to low income households and those living in hard to treat properties.
The Affordable Warmth obligation will provide heating and insulation measures to low income, vulnerable households living in private tenure properties, including the elderly, disabled and families with children. We anticipate that 130,000 households will be assisted each year through this obligation. Further, the Carbon Saving Communities obligation will provide insulation measures to around 100,000 households per year in specified areas of low income.
The Carbon Saving Obligation is available to all types of households, providing insulation measures to those living in properties which are harder to treat, including solid wall insulation.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bees: Insecticides
Mr Spencer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess
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the European Food Safety Authority Scientific Opinion behind the development of a risk assessment of plant protection products on bees used by the authority to conduct its recently published review of three neonicotinoid pesticides. [140022]
Mr Heath: The Scientific Opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on the science behind the development of a risk assessment of Plant Protection Products on bees (Apis mellifera, Bombus spp. and solitary bees) was published on 23 May 2012. UK regulatory scientists were involved in the development of this document, which is a substantial and significant review and analysis of the state of the science and forms the basis of a new bee risk assessment Guidance Document being developed by EFSA. The opinion was sent to the independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides and formed part of the information considered by the committee at its meeting on 3 July 2012.
Members: Correspondence
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has issued guidelines to officials on responding to inquiries from the constituents of hon. Members; and if he will place in the Library any such guidelines. [139874]
Richard Benyon: All inquiries are handled in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance on the appropriate handling of Government correspondence in line with the Civil Service Code. This guidance can be found at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/civil-service-conduct-and-guidance
Core DEFRA correspondence is handled centrally by a Customer Contact Unit (CCU), which seeks to answer at least 85% of all correspondence within 15 working days.
Additional guidance to core DEFRA staff is:
“to communicate clearly and write in plain English ensuring our replies are as polite and helpful as possible.”
Freedom of Information and Environment Information Regulation requests are handled in accordance with the requirements of the relevant legislation.
Nappies: Waste Disposal
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of nappies recycled by the Knowaste facility in West Bromwich to date; how many nappies will be recycled at this facility in the next two years; and what proportion of waste caused by disposable nappies this will account for in that period. [134856]
Richard Benyon: Figures provided by Knowaste indicate that since the Knowaste plant opened in September 2011 it has treated 5,920 tonnes of nappies (approximately 2 million nappies).
The projected throughput for 2013 and 2014 is 13,000 tonnes (approximately 4.4 million) and 26,000 tonnes (approximately 8.8 million) respectively.
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The Nappy Alliance estimated in 2008 that around 3 billion nappies were thrown away in the UK each year. Based on that figure this means that approximately 0.06% of nappies thrown away in the UK have been processed at the Knowaste plant since September 2011.
If the target figures are met for the future, this percentage will rise to 0.15% in 2013 and 0.3% in 2014.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Africa
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the Conflict Pool has been spent in (a) Mali, (b) Niger, (c) Nigeria, (d) Algeria, (e) Mauritania, (f) Burkina Faso, (g) Chad, (h) Libya, (i) Sudan, (j) South Sudan, (k) Ethiopia, (l) Somalia, (m) Kenya and (n) Western Sahara in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) 2012-13 to date. [140873]
Mark Simmonds: The Conflict Pool is jointly managed by the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development. It is organised into six regional and one thematic programme: Africa, South Asia, Afghanistan, Wider Europe, Middle East and North Africa and Strengthening Alliances and Partnerships. It also funds the cross-Government Stabilisation Unit.
Starting in financial year 2012-13, the Conflict Pool also includes a £20 million Early Action Facility (EAF), which provides rapid responses to unanticipated in-year priorities. It has been used in the current financial year to fund activity in Syria, Mali, Libya and Somalia.
The countries in question are divided between the Africa and the Middle East and North Africa programmes. The overall allocations for the Africa Conflict Pool programme for the four financial years for which information is requested were £43 million, £42.2 million, £44.4 million and £43.8 million, representing 23%, 23.6%, 24.6% and 20.9% respectively of overall Conflict Pool funding.
The overall allocations for the Middle East and North Africa Conflict Pool programme for the four financial years covered by this parliamentary question were £18 million, £13.8 million, £20.85 million and £23.7 million, representing 10.5%, 7.7%, 11.5% and 11.3% respectively of the overall Conflict Pool funding.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the involvement of Rwanda and Uganda in sponsoring militia attacks in Democratic Republic of Congo. [140508]
Mark Simmonds: We have received a number of reports, including from the UN Sanctions Committee Group of Experts, which provided compelling and credible evidence of support by the Government of Rwanda for the rebel militia group M23. The Group of Experts' report also concluded that individuals from Uganda had given support to militias in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
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European Union
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Scottish Government (a) Ministers and (b) officials have represented the UK Government at EU or European Commission meetings in each of the last five years; when such meetings took place; and what was discussed at such meetings. [141107]
Mr Lidington: The representation of UK positions in the EU Council of Ministers is a matter for UK Ministers. However, they regularly agree to requests from devolved Ministers to join the UK delegation to such meetings. UK Ministers have also agreed to devolved Ministers setting out the UK approach to EU colleagues in such meetings, speaking to a single UK line on which devolved Administrations will have been consulted.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold a record of attendance at EU and European Commission meetings by Scottish Government Ministers or officials.
Uganda
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings officials of his Department have had with Ugandan officials since 2010. [140507]
Mark Simmonds: Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) officials hold regular discussions with their Ugandan counterparts at all levels, on at least a weekly basis, in Kampala, in London, and at international meetings. We do not hold information on the number of meetings that have been held between FCO officials and their Ugandan counterparts since 2010.
Health
Aspartame
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has undertaken on the safety of aspartame. [140738]
Anna Soubry: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the non-ministerial Government Department with responsibility for food safety, that aspartame has been extensively tested and reviewed for safety by independent experts at national, European and international level and found to be safe at current levels of use.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA's) latest draft opinion, published for consultation in January, has confirmed this. Despite this, some people consider they react badly to consuming aspartame. Although not a safety study, the FSA commissioned a research study which looked at self-diagnosed individuals who consider they experience adverse effects after consuming aspartame. The results of the study will be subjected to peer review prior to publication later this year, as well as being shared with the EFSA for consideration as part of its current re-evaluation of aspartame.
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Chief Medical Officer
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the chief medical officer for England speaks on behalf of the Government. [140436]
Dr Poulter: The chief medical officer is the UK Government's principal medical adviser, and has the central role of providing independent advice to the Secretary of State for Health and the Government on the population's health.
The chief medical officer is a civil servant, the role is an independent and non-political one, and when called upon, the chief medical officer's responsibility is to give clinical, expert advice, independent of Government, on a wide range of issues relating to the health of the public, including the handling of health related emergencies.
The chief medical officer is the leading advocate for public health within, across and beyond Government, challenging industry, employers, and civil society to take a bigger role in, and responsibility for, public health.
General Practitioners
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to avoid any conflict of interest arising from clinical commissioning groups taking on responsibility of accrediting and re-accrediting GPs with a special interest; and if he will make a statement. [141053]
Dr Poulter: We are considering a wide range of options for the future arrangements for the accreditation and re-accreditation of general practitioners with special interests, and will be making an announcement in due course. The need to manage potential conflicts of interest will be one of the important factors which Ministers will consider in reaching a final decision.
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there will be any changes to the terms and remit of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in light of changes to the NHS following the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. [140863]
Anna Soubry: The terms of reference of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation are being reviewed as part of a more general review of the Committee's Code of Practice being taken forward as a result of recent developments, including changes to the health and public health system following implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and the Cabinet Office Public Bodies Review 2012. Any revised terms of reference will be published along with the revised Code of Practice when finalised.
Medicine: Education
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to establish academic health science networks nationwide. [141108]
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Dr Poulter: The NHS chief executive's report, ‘Innovation, Health and Wealth: Accelerating, Adoption and Diffusion in the NHS’, committed the national health service to establish a number of Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) across England. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
Expressions of interest were received from 16 prospective AHSNs in September last year, with 15 receiving the go-ahead to proceed to the application stage for full designation. That process is now under way, and will require each prospective AHSN to set out (in its application) its plan for its first five years. We expect all AHSNs to be in place by Quarter 1 of 2013-14.
Meningitis
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the time frame is for discussions between his Department, Public Health England and the NHS Commissioning Board on the introduction of a new meningococcal B vaccine; [140861]
(2) whether any meetings have taken place between his Department, Public Health England and the NHS Commissioning Board on the introduction of a new meningococcal B vaccine into the childhood immunisation schedule; and who attended such meetings. [141026]
Anna Soubry: The Department will work with the NHS Commissioning Board and Public Health England to plan for the implementation of a possible decision to introduce a meningococcal B immunisation programme, subject to the advice of the joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. A preliminary meeting to explore the possible contractual framework for delivering such a programme took place in January attended by officials from the Department, the NHS Commissioning Board, Public Health England and the Local Government Association. It is anticipated that substantive, meetings on this subject will begin in the very near future.
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hendon of 18 December 2012, Official Report, column 750W, on meningitis: vaccination, on what date in 2013 the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is expected to complete its assessment of the meningococcal B vaccine; [140882]
(2) whether a new meningococcal B vaccine will be introduced into the childhood immunisation schedule before winter 2013; [141025]
(3) pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2012, Official Report, column 750W, how long after a JCVI decision on the introduction of the meningococcal B vaccine the Government expect to introduce the vaccine into the childhood immunisation schedule and to outline any additional steps required prior to implementation; [141094]
(4) when a vaccine against meningococcal B will be introduced into the childhood immunisation schedule; [140860]
(5) what plans there are and what the timescale would be for implementing the meningococcal B vaccine if the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommend it to be included in the childhood immunisation schedule. [141305]
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Anna Soubry: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is currently evaluating possible meningococcal B vaccination strategies. The earliest the evaluation is anticipated to be completed and advice provided to the Department is July 2013. However, the evaluation is highly complex and JCVI may need additional time to consider the evidence and to be assured that the benefits, risks and uncertainties are fully considered and reflected in its final advice.
The Department will work with the NHS Commissioning Board and Public Health England to plan for the implementation of a possible decision to introduce a meningococcal B immunisation programme, subject to the advice of JCVI. The planning will cover all the actions that will be required to introduce a new programme, which would include the procurement of vaccine, commissioning the service, development of guidance for the national health service and communication with the public.
It is not possible at this stage of the process to predict the implementation date for the possible introduction of meningitis B vaccination into the childhood immunisation programme.
Mental Illness: Children
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of children with a mental disorder in each decile of gross weekly household income. [140526]
Norman Lamb: This information is not collected centrally.
NHS: Disclosure of Information
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the frequency with which confidentiality agreements are used as part of severance agreements for departing senior NHS trust managers. [140659]
Dr Poulter: The Department approves business cases for extra contractual compromise agreements but does not usually have sight of the agreements and therefore does not routinely monitor the use of confidentiality clauses.
National health service bodies including NHS foundation trusts must obtain HM Treasury's permission for extra contractual compromise agreements; however, NHS foundation trusts will initially send any extra contractual compromise agreements to Monitor.
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John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to NHS trusts on the use of confidentiality agreements for departing senior managers. [140660]
Dr Poulter: The Department wrote to national health service trusts most recently in January 2012 reminding them that compromise agreements should not seek to prevent information being disclosed in the public interest and to ask that they satisfy themselves that their organisational policies are in line with previously issued guidance.
In Sir David Nicholson's letter of 1 November 2007 to strategic health authorities (SHAs) covering severance payments to senior managers, he stated:
“Where compromise agreements are being proposed, you will wish to acquaint yourself with the terms of these documents”.
He also stated that all proposed payments to chief executives and/or directors in primary care trusts (PCTs) or NHS trusts in England must be approved not only by the Trust's own remuneration committee, but also by the remuneration committee of the local SHA. Copies of both letters have been placed in the Library.
The NHS Manual for Accounts states that NHS bodies must obtain Treasury's explicit permission before making any staff severance payments that exceed legal or contractual obligations. NHS trusts and PCTs must seek Treasury approval for any non-contractual payments, through the Department. The Department will carefully consider the circumstances of each case.
Nurses
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2013, Official Report, column 493W, on NHS: staff, how many (a) district nurses, (b) health visitors, (c) community psychiatric nurses, (d) community matrons and (e) community learning disabilities nurses were employed by the NHS in (i) England and (ii) each region in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [140866]
Dr Poulter: The total numbers of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff for the staff groups requested in England and in each region are shown in Table 1.
Since June 2012, there is an additional Health Visiting Minimum Data Set Collection from strategic health authorities (SHAs) that includes additional FTE health visitors employed by non-NHS organisations, not on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). These figures are shown in Table 2.
| Table 1: NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing staff in England by Strategic Health Authority area in each specified area of work as at 31 October 2012 | |||||||
| Full-time equivalent | |||||||
| England | All specified staff | Community learning disabilities | Community services | Of which: | Community matron | Health visitor | District nurses |
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| (1)— = zero Notes: 1. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number, 2. Community matrons, health visitors and district nurses work exclusively in the community services area of work. This area of work also includes nurse consultants, modern matrons, nurse managers, RSCNs, other 1st level nurses and other 2nd level nurses who are not separately identified in this table. 3. Special Health Authorities and other statutory bodies include a small number of staff who cannot be assigned to a specific organisation or Strategic Health Authority area. Since June 2012 there is an additional Health Visiting Minimum Data Set Collection from SHAs that includes additional health visitors employed by non-NHS organisations, not on ESR. These figures are provided in a separate table. 4. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census. | |||||||
| Table 2: Number of health visitors in post—provisional statistics, October 2012 | |
| Total number of health visitors (FTE) in post | |
| (1) denotes zero Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre, Provisional NHS Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) monthly workforce statistics | |
Psychiatry
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the psychiatric diagnostic manual Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5. [140608]
Norman Lamb: No such assessment has been made. The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders will be published in America in May this year but will not be routinely used in NHS mental health services which use the tenth edition of the International Classification of Diseases, commonly known as the ICD-10. The ICD-10 is developed and produced by the World Health Organisation.
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Vaccination: Children
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether maternity and children's strategic clinical networks will have a role in ensuring the effective implementation and delivery of childhood vaccination programmes. [140862]
Anna Soubry: From 1 April 2013, Public Health England (PHE) will be responsible for providing advice to the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) and the Department on immunisation policies. The NHS CB will be responsible for commissioning national immunisation programmes on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health under the provisions of section 7A of the NHS Act 2006 (public health functions to be exercised by the NHS Commissioning Board).
The lead role relating to immunisation within the NHS CB will sit within the commissioning teams at national, regional and area team level of the Operations Directorate, where there are dedicated posts for public health commissioning including public health expertise integrated within NHS Commissioning Board Area Teams employed by PHE and seconded to NHS CB.
Information on these arrangements has been set out in a letter from the Department, NHS CB and PHE dated 23 August 2012, a copy of which has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/08/screening-immunisation-programmes/
Where there are particular issues either locally or nationally in relation to screening and immunisation, Strategic Clinical Networks may be requested to consider this as an improvement priority within the annual work plan.
Home Department
Conditions of Employment
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed on zero-hour contracts in her Department. [140680]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office and its agencies do not employ any people on zero-hour contracts.
Directors
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what declarations of interest must be made by her Department's non-executive directors; with what frequency any such declarations are required to be made; and if she will make that information publicly available. [140080]
James Brokenshire:
Non-executive directors must declare, to the Secretary of State or Permanent Secretary, any personal or business interest which may or may be perceived to influence their judgment in performing their functions and obligations. These interests include personal direct and indirect pecuniary interests and any
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such interests of close family members and/or of people living in the same household as the non-executive or their close family members.
The Department is required to collect this information on an annual basis but is only required to publish it alongside the annual accounts if an interest is declared.
Police National Computer
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 December 2012, Official Report, column 437W, on DNA: databases, what the Government's policy is on compliance with judgment 24029/07 of the European Court of Human Rights relating to deletion of the Police National Computer records of innocent people. [140178]
James Brokenshire: The recent judgment of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in the case of MM v. UK held that the retention and disclosure of caution information by the police was, in relation to the specific facts of that case, unlawful. The judgment is not concerned with the retention of police information relating to individuals other than those who have accepted a caution in relation to, and thereby admitted that they committed, a criminal offence. The Government do not consider that the judgment of the ECtHR in this case is correct and will be seeking to appeal the judgment to the Grand Chamber.
Travel and Subsistence Payments
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many senior officials in her Department (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence for visiting departmental offices. [141149]
James Brokenshire: During 2012-13, no senior officials in the Home Office have had terms of employment that specify their main place of employment as their home address.
Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Committee
Members: Correspondence
Helen Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2013, Official Report, column 118W, on Members: correspondence, when the Chief Executive of IPSA expects to respond to the hon. Member for Warrington North's letter of 27 September 2012; and what the average time taken to reply to correspondence from hon. Members is. [138189]
Mr Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
1 Feb 2013 : Column 999W
Letter from Andrew McDonald, January 2013:
As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about your letter to IPSA of 27 September 2012, and the time taken to reply to correspondence more generally.
I replied to the letter in question on 30 January 2013. I apologise for the delay in replying, which arose because we marked the correspondence - incorrectly - as having been actioned.
We do not record the time taken to respond to correspondence addressed to the Chief Executive. Across the organisation as a whole in the financial year to date, we responded to 95.9% items of correspondence within five working days, against a target of 90%.
Pay
Mr Winnick: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, whether arrangements are to be made for public consultation on how much the most senior full-time staff of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority should be paid as salary. [140737]
Mr Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
Letter from Andrew McDonald, January 2013:
As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about pay arrangements for IPSA staff.
There are no plans to hold a public consultation on the pay of IPSA staff.
International Development
Burma
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the provision of water, sanitation and health care services in remote parts of Rakhine state where inter-communal tensions are high. [140561]
Mr Duncan: My officials are liaising with the European Commission on the findings from its January assessment mission in Rakhine, including the area's sanitation and health care needs. We also await the findings of a review of health assessments conducted to date by the group of health partners who provide emergency health care in Burma. At the end of last year DFID contributed £2 million in bilateral humanitarian aid to communities affected by the inter-communal violence in Rakhine to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene and nutrition in children under five years old.
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to address the severe shortage of food, blankets, medicine and other aid supplies in Kachin state, Burma. [140562]
Mr Duncan: DFID has provided £3.5 million for bilateral humanitarian aid to Kachin since January 2012 through local non-governmental organisations (NGO), supported by experienced international NGOs. We continue to monitor the humanitarian situation closely.
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Developing Countries: Forests
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the Independent Evaluation Group's report on the World Bank's forest investment programme; and if she will make a statement. [140801]
Mr Duncan: The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) report on 10 years of World Bank Group investments in the forest sector is currently under review. It will be considered at the next meeting of the World Bank Group Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE), of which the United Kingdom is a member, due to be held on 4( )February in Washington DC.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she plans to write to the International Development Select Committee to update the Government response to the Committee's Fourth Report of Session 2010-12 following the report of the Independent Evaluation Group into the World Bank's forest investment programme. [140802]
Mr Duncan: Once the report is officially released the Department for International Development will be in a position to provide an update on the conclusions reached.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she plans to next meet representatives of the World Bank to discuss her Department's contribution to the World Bank's forest investment programme. [140803]
Mr Duncan: The UK holds a seat on the Forest Investment Programme sub-committee which meets every six months. The next sub-committee meeting is scheduled to take place in May 2013.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the funding her Department has invested in the World Bank's forest investment programme has been used to support (a) logging enterprises and (b) Government-run protected areas since 2008. [140804]
Palestinians
Mr Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid has been allocated to (a) the Palestine Liberation Organisation and (b) the Palestinian Authority in the last 20 years. [140616]
Mr Duncan: The information is as follows:
(a) The UK began providing support to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation's Negotiations Affairs Department (NAD) in 1999 in order to strengthen technical capacity for engaging in effective negotiations and maintaining and promoting prospects for achieving a peaceful resolution of the conflict. In total, we will have allocated a total of £12,294,934 between 1999 and 2014.
(b) The UK provides financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA) through the World Bank Palestinian Reform and Development Plan trust fund. From 2009 to 2011 the UK provided
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£107 million to help the PA fund the provision of basic services and develop Palestinian institutions.
Details of aid spending over the last 20 years are available at:
www.aiddata.org
http://stats.oecd.org/qwids/
Travel and Subsistence Payments
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many senior officials in her Department (a) have and (b) have had during 2012-13 terms of employment that specify that their main place of employment is their home address and that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting departmental offices. [141150]
Justice
Conditions of Employment
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of staff in his Department currently work (a) part-time, (b) in a job-share or (c) in another flexible working arrangement. [139541]
Mrs Grant: The proportion of staff within the Ministry of Justice (HQ, National Offenders Management Service, HMCTS and Office of the Public Guardian) currently working (a) part-time, (b) in a job share or (c) in another flexible working arrangement is set out in the following table:
| As at 31 December 2012 (headcount) | |
| Employment type | Proportion (%) |
Other flexible working arrangements include compressed hours and home working. Staff within this category may have a combination of flexible working arrangements including part-time hours.
Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when each of the provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 relating to sentencing and offences will come into force. [134696]
Jeremy Wright: A significant tranche of Part 3 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 came into force on Monday 3 December.
The provisions relating to offences in Chapter 9 of the Act are now all in force, with the exception of section 148 on use of reasonable force for the purpose of self-defence. This has not yet been commenced because the Crime and Courts Bill provides for further amendments to the law on use of force.
The Government intend to bring the remaining provisions in Part 3 into force in 2013.