Immigration Controls
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received by hon. Members on firms in their constituencies and the right to sponsor overseas employees. [142238]
Mr Harper: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Marine Policing Unit
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis about the future of the Marine Unit based at Wapping (a) generally and (b) in respect of night river patrols. [142112]
Damian Green: There have been no discussions on this matter.
Decisions about the most effective use of available resources, including number of officers and patrols by Thames river police are a matter for the Mayor of London, the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis.
Slavery
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to train police officers to help identify victims of slavery. [142062]
Mr Jeremy Browne: Combating human trafficking is part of core police business. All new police officers receive mandatory training on trafficking and existing officers have access to awareness material.
In England and Wales over 18,000 police staff have completed an e-learning package on human trafficking. Many forces also have their own human trafficking training.
Telecommunications: Databases
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times communications data were accessed as part of investigations into paedophile activity in the two week survey conducted by the Association of Chief Police Officers during summer 2012. [133300]
James Brokenshire:
During the two week 2012 Association of Chief Police Officers Single Point of Contact Survey, there were 592 occasions that communications data were disclosed by communications service providers to participating law enforcement organisations to support child abuse investigations. The survey was conducted on the basis of identifying broad
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crime types that communications data were acquired for—and the closest approximation to the investigation of “paedophile activity” is the category relating to the investigation of child abuse.
These snapshot survey figures if repeated over a 12-month period would therefore indicate an annual total of around 15,000 disclosures to support child abuse investigations.
Communications data are used to investigate a range of crimes, but are particularly important in child abuse investigations which frequently involve the internet—either through the grooming of children online, or the sharing of illegal child abuse images. Communications data are vital to establish who has been in contact with whom in these sorts of investigation; they can also be used to locate vulnerable individuals so that they can be protected from harm.
Communities and Local Government
Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque. [125671]
Brandon Lewis: The average cost to the Department for Communities and Local Government of processing the payment of an invoice, based on data for the last 12 months ending January 2013, is:
The direct cost of staff involved in scanning invoices, handling queries and processing invoices for payment, divided by the number of invoices received in the 12 month period ending January 2013 is £6.96.
The cost of processing the payment transaction is £2.62.
This compares with costs of £7.55 for direct staff costs and processing the payment transaction costs of £2.62 in the 12-month period ending in September 2011.
The average proportion of invoices settled over the same period (a) electronically is 99.9% and (b) by cheque is 0.1%.
Broadband
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to promote the installation of fibre optic cables to facilitate high-speed broadband in new housing developments. [142253]
Nick Boles: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 23 January 2013, Official Report, columns 299-300W.
Early Intervention Grant
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authority use of the early intervention grants for family intervention projects; and if he will make a statement. [141117]
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Brandon Lewis [holding answer 1 February 2013]: My Department published information from the evaluation of family intervention projects in our recent report, “Working with Troubled Families”, which is available on my Department's website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-with-troubled-families-a-guide-to-evidence-and-good-practice
Fracking
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time staff of the Planning Inspectorate are working on cases relating to shale gas; and if he will make a statement. [141754]
Nick Boles: Currently the Planning Inspectorate is not dealing with any shale gas extraction projects and therefore no staff are engaged in this type of casework.
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to clause 24 of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, how he plans to ensure that local residents will have their views on shale gas developments in their local area taken into account where a development is considered as a nationally significant infrastructure project; and if he will make a statement. [141755]
Nick Boles: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 5 February 2013, Official Report, column 127W. Notwithstanding, we are still considering the responses we have received on the proposed list of development types as part of the consultation document on extending the nationally significant infrastructure regime to business and commercial projects. The nationally significant infrastructure regime places a requirement on the applicant to undertake consultation. Local people have the opportunity to put forward their views on an application at the pre-application stage, following submission of the application and then again, if an application is accepted for examination, to be heard at a hearing.
Homelessness: Brighton and Hove
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department plans to spend on reducing homelessness in Brighton and Hove in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; whether these plans have taken account of any modelling of possible increases in homelessness as a result of planned changes to (i) under-occupancy rules in social housing, (ii) the benefit cap, (iii) council tax benefit and (iv) the Social Fund; and if he will make a statement. [142723]
Mr Prisk: Brighton and Hove have been awarded provisional funding for homelessness prevention of £1,292,665 for 2013-14 and 2014-15. The council is also eligible to apply for funding from the localising support for council transition grant scheme.
The baseline funding level for local authorities is set according to need at the outset of the Homelessness Prevention Grant scheme and a number of modifications have been used to ensure funding follows need (for example, adjustments have been made to meet peaks in youth homelessness and rough sleeping).
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Brighton and Hove will receive £1,014,714 in 2013-14 for discretionary housing payments to help support households with the transition of welfare reform changes. This funding falls under the remit of the Department for Work and Pensions.
Local Government Finance
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how the local government funding formula accounts for (a) local authorities' statutory functions and (b) anticipated cost pressures on those functions. [140572]
Brandon Lewis: At each spending review the Government consider what functions, both statutory and non-statutory, are to be funded through the local government finance settlement and what functions are to be funded outside of it through special or specific grants. The Government then consider the cost pressures on services and take these into account, alongside wider fiscal considerations, when setting the amount of funding to be provided to local government.
The funding formula used for the 2013-14 local government finance settlement is set out in the draft Local Government Finance Report (England) 2013/2014 which was laid in this House on 4 February.
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 4 February 2012, Official Report, column 1WS, on local government finance, by what method he estimated the change in local councils' spending power in the next financial year. [142424]
Brandon Lewis: The precise definition and calculation of spending power is published at:
http://www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/1314/esgnotes.pdf
Lydd Airport
Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to make a recommendation on the application referred to his Department by the Planning Inspector regarding the proposed runway extension and new terminal facilities at Lydd airport. [142397]
Nick Boles: As my hon. Friend will be aware, these planning applications are before the Secretaries of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), and for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin). We do not set targets for the determination of planning cases such as this that involve two Departments. However, I can assure him that we are treating the case as a priority and that the Secretaries of State will issue their decision as quickly as they reasonably can.
Plants
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees since his appointment. [139938]
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Brandon Lewis: As explained in the answers of 16 December 2010, Official Report, column 933W, and 10 January 2013, Official Report, column 409W, unlike the last Government, we are rooting out waste and we do not spend taxpayers' money on pot plants or the display of cut flowers.
The incoming Administration cancelled the contract for internal departmental plants in September 2010. This contract had been signed under the last Administration in 2004 by the (then) Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The 2004 contract required the provision of indoor plants which
“takes cognisance of its position within the First Secretary of State's Premises”
“Service for the provision of cut flowers, on request by authorised personnel of the First Secretary of State”.
The 2004 contract cost taxpayers £38,858 until its termination by Ministers in this Government.
I also refer the hon. Member to the answer of 28 June 2011, Official Report, column 731W, on the Audit Commission's £6,500 flower display bill under the last Administration; this was also terminated in September 2010.
Right to Buy Scheme
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many right-to-buy sales to sitting tenants have taken place since 1980. [142147]
Mr Prisk: Local authorities sold 1,775,000 dwellings through the right to buy scheme between 1980-81 and 2011-12. There were also 86,000 dwellings sold by registered providers through the preserved right to buy and right to buy schemes over the same time period. Further information can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-housing-sales-in-england-2011-to-2012
Social Rented Housing
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the oral answer from the Minister for Housing of 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 20, on social housing, what progress he has made on plans to bring forward legislative proposals affecting social housing tenants who sub-let a room. [142415]
Mr Prisk: The Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act, legislation introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Watford (Richard Harrington), and supported by the Government, received Royal Assent on 31 January. The Act creates new criminal offences of unlawful sub-letting by secure and assured tenants of social housing in England and Wales and provides for the courts to make orders for the recovery from defendants of profits made from unlawful sub-letting.
The Act will serve both to deter and punish more severely the small, but nonetheless significant, minority of social tenants who choose to abuse their tenancy and deprive others in need of a social home by leaving the property they have been allocated to live elsewhere and letting it out, sometimes for a considerable profit.
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The Act does not cover, nor is there any intention to legislate for, the quite different situation where social tenants continue living in their property but rent out a spare room to a lodger. All secure tenants have a statutory right to take in a lodger and assured tenants are able to take in a lodger subject to any restrictions in their tenancy agreement.
Vacant Land
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many developments were built on greenfield sites in (a) England, (b) Leeds and (c) Leeds North West constituency in each of the last five years. [141353]
Nick Boles: The Department's Land Use Change-Green Statistics provide information about development on previously-developed land and on “greenfield” (non previously-developed land). These statistics are published on the Department's website at the following link,
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use-change-statistics
Residential development is covered in Tables 211 to 213 and other developed uses in Tables 261 to 265. The statistics are not available at constituency level.
Education
Further Education
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much has been made available from the post-16 learner budget provided by the Education Funding Agency to each of the first wave City Deals in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13. [141387]
Mr Laws [holding answer 4 February 2013]: No 16-19 learner budget funding has been made available to City Deals by the Education Funding Agency and there are no plans to do so. However, funding from the separate Youth Contract budget has been given to three core cities in 2012-13 (no money was given in 2011-12) as follows:
| 2012-13 | |
| Local authority | £ |
| (1) The grant paid to Leeds includes sufficient funding to provide services in Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield local authorities. (2) The grant paid to Newcastle includes sufficient funding to provide services in Newcastle and Gateshead local authorities. | |
Schools: Information Regulations
Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the degree to which schools in England are compliant with the School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012. [138623]
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Mr Laws: The amended regulations removed the requirement for schools to produce a hard copy prospectus each year and instead require schools to publish certain information online. This includes information about their pupil premium expenditure, which rises to £900 per eligible pupil for 2013-14.
The pupil premium is a significant Government investment in addition to mainstream school funding, for which schools are accountable to parents and to their local communities. The Government are determined to narrow attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers, and that is why we have introduced the pupil premium. This investment currently stands at £1.25 billion this year and will rise to £1.875 billion in 2013-14. We believe that head teachers and school leaders should decide how to use the pupil premium, as they are the professional experts who know their own pupils' needs. This means that we also expect schools to take the lead responsibility in assessing and accounting for their use of the premium.
Departmental researchers recently conducted a random survey of schools' compliance, which found that only 21 of the 120 schools sampled published online information on their pupil premium allocation and/or expenditure. This included nine primary schools, 11 secondary schools, and one special school. None of the 10 pupil referral units (PRU) sampled provided online information on either their pupil premium allocation, or expenditure.
These are unacceptable figures. Schools are free to choose how to spend the pupil premium to achieve their objectives, but the use of the money must be clear and schools will be held to account. That is why we are taking the additional steps outlined in my response to PQ 138696. We shall be examining the compliance of a further sample of schools in the spring.
Governing bodies and head teachers have clear responsibilities to ensure that their school adheres to the law. If a parent believes that a school is not complying with the requirements they are entitled to raise this with the governing body. If they remain dissatisfied, they can then raise their complaint with the Secretary of State. Any such complaint would be handled as set out in the Department's published school complaints process.
Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with the School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012. [138696]
Mr Laws: The amended regulations removed the requirement for schools to produce a hard copy prospectus each year and instead require schools to publish certain important information online. The Department notified schools about the changes made to these regulations which came into force in September 2012. This has included through termly departmental Need to Know emails to all schools (before and after the changes came into force), publishing and updating information on the departmental website, and working to communicate the changes through partners like the National Governors Association.
The regulations also introduced an important new requirement, to publish online information about their pupil premium expenditure, which rises to £900 per eligible pupil next year, and for which schools are accountable to parents and to their local communities.
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Overall compliance by schools concerned with this requirement had not reached satisfactory levels when it was examined during autumn 2012.
Her Majesty's chief inspector has recently written to schools, drawing their attention to the new formal inspection focus on their use of the pupil premium and the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. I have recently asked Sir Michael Wilshaw to consider the ways in which his inspectors might use a school's published information about the pupil premium in support of their assessments. Compliance with the regulations would then help to inform the dialogue between a school and its inspectors, improve schools' general sense of accountability, and engage the parents of disadvantaged children more fully with their children's educational opportunities. We are publishing examples of information prepared by schools about their use of the premium on the Department's pupil premium webpage at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/premium
Schools: Inspections
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Ofsted inspections have been contested in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints were (a) upheld and (b) dismissed. [141405]
Mr Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to my hon. Friend, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 5 February 2013:
Your recent Parliamentary Question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
The following tables detail the number of Ofsted inspections, and the number of upheld and not upheld complaints about Ofsted. This information is split by academic year and between stage one and stage two of the published Ofsted complaints handling process. Data on upheld complaints include all investigations where at least one aspect of concern has been upheld.
A stage one complaint investigation includes challenges to inspection judgements (gradings) as well as concerns about inspector conduct, Ofsted administration, or information. The stage two complaint investigation is Ofsted's equivalent of an appeal against the investigation completed at stage one and reviews the handling of the original complaint. We do not record separately whether a complaint is directly linked to an inspection, however, it should be noted that the vast majority of complaints relate to Ofsted inspections. Therefore, the total number of Ofsted inspections is included for comparison purposes.
Ofsted does not hold sufficiently detailed complaints data prior to the academic year 2009-10 to be able to contribute to this aspect of the response. Ofsted implemented a national complaints function from 1 September 2009 which led to the introduction of a national reporting system for stage one and stage two complaints. Prior to this date, complaints handling was carried out across three of Ofsted's regional offices where data and information was collated, but not in a consistent format.
A copy of this reply will be placed in the library of both Houses.
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| Stage One complaints—number of upheld/partially upheld and not upheld (academic year) | ||||
| Inspections | Total complaints | Upheld/partially upheld complaints | Not upheld complaints | |
| Stage Two complaints—number of upheld/partially upheld and not upheld (academic year) | ||||
| Inspections | Total complaints | Upheld/partially upheld complaints | Not upheld complaints | |
| Notes: 1. Data for inspections relates to inspections of schools, childcare, children's social care, and learning and skills in the relevant academic years. 2. Data for total complaints is all complaints within the reporting period, including those following Ofsted inspections. 3. Data for upheld/partially upheld complaints includes all complaints where at least one aspect of concern has been upheld. 4. Data for not upheld complaints includes all complaints where no aspect of concern has been upheld, including those where no decision could be reached. | ||||
Schools: Standards
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether Ofsted uses floor standards to determine whether a school is failing. [140818]
Mr Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Sir Michael Wilshaw, dated 4February 2013:
Your recent Parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
Ofsted inspectors look at a wide range of evidence to inform their judgements about a school. Ofsted uses floor standards to help inspectors determine the judgement on the achievement of pupils at a school. When judging achievement, inspectors take account of both pupils' progress and their attainment. Where attainment is consistently below floor standards, then achievement is likely to be found to be inadequate. If pupils are consistently making less than expected progress—a situation which would apply to a school consistently below the floor standards for progress—then it is likely that achievement would be judged inadequate.
If achievement is judged inadequate, for any reason, the overall effectiveness of the schoo1 is likely to be found to be inadequate. Inspectors will state in the inspection report whether a school meets current floor standards(1).
A copy of this reply will be placed in the library of both Houses.
(1 )This does not include nursery schools, special schools or pupil referral units.
Culture, Media and Sport
Broadband
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what broadband speed her Department defines as super-fast. [142252]
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Mr Vaizey: BDUK/DCMS has defined Superfast Broadband as having a potential headline access speed of greater than 24 Mbps, with no upper limit.
ICT
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to help those who lack basic IT skills to get online. [142251]
Mr Vaizey: BDUK is encouraging local authorities responsible for delivering broadband projects to develop demand stimulation campaigns that support people and businesses to take full advantage of better broadband. These campaigns need both to motivate people to recognise the benefits of being online and to support them to build their digital skills. BDUK is working with Go ON, UK national partners and others to channel additional support through local broadband projects.
National Lottery: Brigg and Goole
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much national lottery funding from each different lottery fund was given to organisations in Brigg and Goole constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [142802]
Hugh Robertson: Information on the value and number of lottery grants made by each of the lottery distributing bodies in the Brigg and Goole constituency can be found by searching the Department's lottery grants database, which uses information on lottery grants supplied by the lottery distributors, at:
www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
Sex Discrimination
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to tackle sexism. [142257]
Hugh Robertson: The Department and its arm's length bodies undertake a wide range of activities to promote equality across all of its sectors.
Tourism
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people she estimates will travel abroad in 2013. [142426]
Hugh Robertson: We have made no estimate of the number of UK residents that will travel abroad during 2013.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many tourists she estimates will visit the UK in 2013. [142442]
Hugh Robertson: VisitBritain estimates that 31.7 million overseas tourists will come to the UK in 2013.
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Women and Equalities
Discrimination
Ms Harman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities when she plans to take steps to bring into force the dual discrimination provisions contained in section 14 of the Equality Act 2010; and if she will make a statement. [141986]
Mrs Grant: In March 2011, the Government published the “Plan for Growth” which announced that they would not bring forward the dual discrimination provisions. The then Minister for Women and Equalities confirmed this commitment in her written statement to Parliament on 15 May 2012, Official Report, columns 28-29WS, on the outcome of the Equalities Red Tape Challenge.
These provisions will remain on the statute book but will have no effect during the lifetime of this Parliament.
Ms Harman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what meetings she has had on dual discrimination issues since her appointment. [142118]
Mrs Grant: None. In March 2011, the Government published the “Plan for Growth” which announced that they would not bring forward the dual discrimination provisions. The then Minister for Women and Equalities confirmed this commitment in her written statement to Parliament on 15 May 2012, Official Report, columns 28-29WS, on the outcome of the Equalities Red Tape Challenge.
Written Questions
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities (1) how many and what proportion of questions tabled for ordinary written answer by the Government Equalities Office (a) were answered after 30 days and (b) have not been answered in this Session; [139304]
(2) how many and what proportion of questions for written answer on a named day by the Government Equalities Office (a) received a substantive answer after the named day and (b) have not received a substantive answer in this Session; [139303]
Mrs Grant: Since 4 September 2012 responsibility for the Government Equalities Office, formerly within the Home Office, moved to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The response to these questions by the Minister for Immigration includes the information requested relating to the Government Equalities Office.
International Development
Overseas Aid
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many developing countries are in receipt of support through her Department's Global Poverty Action Fund. [142223]
Lynne Featherstone:
The Department for International Development is supporting Global Poverty Action Fund (GPAF) projects in 31 countries. The eligibility criteria
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for GPAF proposals state that DFID is willing to support high quality work in DFID's 28 focal countries or countries that are in the bottom 50 of the United Nations Human Development Index.
Palestinians
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the projects funded by (a) bilateral British financial aid packages and (b) multilateral financial aid packages involving funding from her Department to (i) the Palestinian Authority and (ii) non-governmental organisations working in the Gaza Strip and West Bank; and if she will give details of how these projects are audited. [142698]
Lynne Featherstone: The information requested is as follows:
(a) Details for projects funded through our Palestinian programme are available on our website:
www.dfid.gov.uk/Where-we-work/Middle-East--North-Africa/OPT/
This includes funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and non-governmental organisations.
(b) DFID also provides core funding to a number of multilateral agencies. Details of the agencies we fund are available at the following link:
www.dfid.gov.uk/What-we-do/Who-we-work-with/
Audit arrangements for all of our programmes are set out in the financial sections of the relevant business cases. These are available on our website:
http://projects.dfid.gov.uk/Default.aspx?countrySelect=WB-Occupied_Palestinian_Territories
Sudan and South Sudan
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian assistance she is providing to Sudan and South Sudan; and if she will make a statement. [142338]
Lynne Featherstone: DFID continues to be a leading contributor to the humanitarian response in Sudan supporting emergency water, food and health interventions in Sudan and contributing £21 million in 2012. Where possible we will look to support communities to rebuild their lives and reduce their dependency on short-term humanitarian support. We stand ready to provide support to South Kordofan and Blue Nile states once humanitarian access is permitted. Total UK support for the humanitarian situation in South Sudan stands at £48 million for 2012, which includes funds for the refugee crisis channelled through the Common Humanitarian Fund, World Food Programme and a £5 million contribution to UN High Commissioner for Refugees to help, in part, to prepare for additional refugees in 2013. We are also currently considering the level of humanitarian funding for both Sudan and South Sudan for the coming year. We will continue to work with our international partners in both countries in deciding how best to respond to and plan for the changing humanitarian need.
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Sudan and South Sudan; and if she will make a statement. [142339]
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Lynne Featherstone: I am extremely concerned about the humanitarian situation in both Sudan and South Sudan. In Sudan we are particularly concerned for civilians caught up in fighting in the border states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. We are also deeply worried about the recent escalation of conflict in North Darfur which is affecting 100,000 people. South Sudan remains in the grip of a long-term, complex humanitarian crisis. This has resulted from large numbers of internally displaced people from conflict and flooding, a flow of returnees from Sudan, and a general food security problem faced by much of the population. The situation has been further exacerbated by the influx of around 175,000 refugees from Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile into both Unity and Upper Nile States. I have visited both Darfur and South Sudan in the last four months to see first-hand the humanitarian situation.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Arctic
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions were held at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 31 January 2013 on the safety of drilling for oil or gas in the Arctic Circle. [142285]
Mark Simmonds: There were no explicit discussions on the safety of drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic Circle. The discussion on the Arctic focused around member states' support for the Commission's application for Arctic Council observer status. Ministers also focused on the impact of climate change on the Arctic, and the importance of respecting the rights of the Arctic's indigenous peoples.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 31 January 2013 on the safety of drilling for oil or gas in the Arctic Circle. [142359]
Mark Simmonds: There were no explicit discussions on the safety of drilling for oil and gas in the Arctic Circle. The discussion on the Arctic focused around member states’ support for the Commission’s application for Arctic Council observer status. Ministers also focused on the impact of climate change on the Arctic, and the importance of respecting the rights of the Arctic’s indigenous peoples.
Bahrain
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has recently raised with the Government of Bahrain the ban on public demonstrations in that country; and if he will make a statement. [142225]
Alistair Burt: The Bahrain Minister for the Interior announced a temporary ban on rallies in Bahrain on 29 October. As I said in my statement at the time, we were concerned by this decision as a blanket ban of this nature appeared excessive.
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Since then there have been a number of demonstrations approved and taken place peacefully. We understand the Government's concerns about maintaining law and order, especially when faced with increasingly violent protests, but peaceful protests are a democratic right. Equally though, protestors should also desist from violent acts.
Capital Punishment
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last raised the issue of capital punishment with his counterparts in (a) Iran, (b) China, (c) Russia and (d) the US; and when this issue was last discussed at (i) the General Assembly of the United Nations and (ii) the UN Security Council. [142227]
Mr Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers and officials regularly raise the issue of abolition of the death penalty with their counterparts. The FCO has raised this issue with the countries and institutions named as follows:
Iran: We frequently condemn Iran's excessive use of the death penalty. Most recently on 18 January, we condemned the death sentences of five members of Iran's Ahwazi Arab minority in a statement on the Foreign and Commonwealth website, UK for Iranians at:
http://ukforiranians.fco.gov.uk/en/news/?view=News&id=851520682#
The UK was a co-sponsor of the annual UN resolution on Human Rights in Iran in the autumn, which criticised Iran's use of the death penalty. The resolution passed with an overwhelming majority.
China: we last raised the issue during the most recent UK-China human rights dialogue in January 2012. In addition, we engage in project work to promote debate about the death penalty and movement towards abolition within Chinese judicial circles, experts and civil society.
Russia: although Russia has not formally abolished the death penalty, it has applied a moratorium on its use since 1999. We have not, therefore, raised this issue recently with the Russian authorities.
The United States: responsibility for the death penalty rests primarily at state level in the United States. We regularly raise the death penalty with state authorities. Our most recent intervention, acting jointly with our EU partners, was with the authorities of Oklahoma in November 2012.
UN General Assembly: our most recent action was in support of the biennial General Assembly Resolution calling for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, which was passed by 111 votes to 41, with 34 abstentions, on 20 December 2012.
UN Security Council: the mandate of the Security Council does not extend to the death penalty, which is an issue of states' domestic policy.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Naomi Long:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent diplomatic
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efforts he has made to find a long-term solution to the military and humanitarian crisis in Democratic Republic of Congo. [142460]
Mark Simmonds: I remain deeply concerned by the fragile state of security in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). I visited the region from 21-23 November last year to assess the situation in person, and followed up on 10 December with phone calls to the Foreign Ministers of DRC, Uganda and Rwanda. I pursued further with regional leaders and UN officials in the margins of the African Union (AU) summit at the end of January. In addition, the Prime Minister spoke to Presidents Kagame and Kabila on 22 November last year. He pressed them to find a sustainable solution to this long running conflict. British officials have been engaged with interested Governments, on the ground in Kigali, Kinshasa and Kampala, as well as at the UN, the AU, the EU and elsewhere, in promoting the early signature of a regional Peace and Security Framework setting out the conditions for peace in the region. We remain convinced that a credible international oversight mechanism for its implementation will help ensure the sustained regional and international attention needed to ensure long-term gains.
Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to support the appointment of a UN special envoy to lead mediation in Democratic Republic of Congo in collaboration with the International Conference on the Great Lakes and the African Union. [142461]
Mark Simmonds: The UK believes that the appointment of a UN special envoy to the Great Lakes region is a key step in delivering a peaceful and sustainable solution to the crisis in the region. We have strongly encouraged the UN Secretary-General to appoint an envoy soon, including through UN Security Council resolution 2076 of 20 November last year.
Diplomatic Service
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans his Department has to open new UK diplomatic posts overseas by 2015. [141771]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has announced plans to open the following UK diplomatic posts overseas by 2015, in addition to the posts opened since 2010. Details of further posts will be announced once planning is finalised and formal approval has been granted by the host Governments.
| Post | Country | Type |
11 Feb 2013 : Column 487W
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department retains the expertise of senior former members of HM Diplomatic Service. [141889]
Mr Lidington: When the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), set out his vision of the future of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on 8 September 2011, he emphasised the importance of cultivating and retaining the knowledge and expertise of senior FCO alumni. He also announced the decision to set up a new “Locarno Group” of former ambassadors and other senior former members of HM Diplomatic Service. Together they combine a broad range of strategic policy-making experience with expertise in specific areas relevant to current foreign policy priorities. Members provide valuable assistance in the development and implementation of foreign policy and perform a challenge role: an external check on the direction of the FCO's foreign policy in specific areas key to our national interest. They perform these functions both in Locarno Group meetings and to the rest of the FCO. The Group's discussions are treated as confidential advice to Ministers.
Since its creation, the Secretary of State has held four meetings of the Locarno Group, most recently on 30 January 2013. Updated terms of reference for the Group (including membership) were placed in the Library of the House on 13 December 2012.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the comparative size of the UK's overseas diplomatic network and that of (a) France, (b) Germany and (c) Italy. [141890]
Mr Lidington: The UK has the third largest diplomatic network in the world with 266 overseas posts. France has 281, Germany 229, and Italy 228.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is strengthening its diplomatic network significantly, deploying more staff to the fastest growing regions, upgrading existing posts and opening new ones. We are the only European country that is expanding its diplomatic network in this way.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for the UK to share diplomatic premises overseas with (a) Canada, (b) Australia and (c) New Zealand. [141891]
Mr Lidington: We are committed to strengthening our relationships with our Commonwealth partners. We believe that co-location of embassies, where it is of mutual benefit, supports closer co-operation, and is an efficient use of resources. Where we are co-located, it is as separate embassies in the same premises.
The United Kingdom already shares diplomatic premises with:
(a) Canada in Bamako and Rangoon
(b) Australia in Vientiane
(c) New Zealand in Kabul
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There are plans for further co-location with these countries. These include:
(a) with Canada in Port-au-Prince
(b) with Australia in Dakar. The Australians will also use around 12 of our offices in Africa during their two-year tenure of the United Nations Security Council.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase language training for UK diplomats; and if he will make a statement. [141892]
Alistair Burt: Increasing the number of skilled language speakers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is a priority for the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). Work is under way to raise the standards of staff language skills significantly.
lengthening training programmes in key languages such as Arabic and Mandarin and increasing the number of speakers of these. Once trained speakers are in place, we will have 40% more speakers of Arabic and Mandarin in our posts overseas than in 2010;
increasing the number of jobs overseas for which language skills will be a requirement;
ensuring our training supports the influencing and negotiation skills required for effective diplomacy;
providing lunchtime and after-work classes, and e-learning resources in key languages to ensure that speakers can develop and maintain skills while on home postings;
and
developing cadres of language expertise to support British foreign policy over the long term.
As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs announced in a speech at the FCO in September 2011, this Government have also committed to re-open a language centre in the Foreign Office. We expect to open the language centre in summer 2013. The new centre will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 students a year, including from other Government Departments. This will allow us, for the first time, to accommodate all of our students on-site, including the many FCO staff who study languages part-time.
Embassies
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what changes have been made to the UK's network of embassies since May 2010. [141773]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is strengthening its diplomatic network significantly, deploying more staff to the fastest growing regions, upgrading existing posts and opening new ones. Nine new posts have been opened or upgraded since May 2010, in the following locations:
| Date | Post | Country | Change |
11 Feb 2013 : Column 489W
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has made a commitment to retain all existing British embassies and high commissions throughout the life of this Parliament, but we have closed a number of consulates in Europe. We have changed our working methods to provide services to our customers in a more effective and efficient way, for example through the introduction of a Contact Centre in Malaga, which helps reduce calls to our posts in southern Europe.
| Date | Country | Post | Change |
Indonesia
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which Christians are being persecuted in the Aceh Province of Indonesia; and what representations he has made to the Indonesian Government on that matter. [141989]
Mr Swire: The British Government remain concerned about individuals and groups in Indonesia who are denied the right to freedom of religion or belief, or who face discrimination and persecution, including Christians in the Indonesian province of Aceh. We have noted with concern the closure of churches and other places of worship in Aceh over the last year.
Staff at our embassy in Jakarta have visited Aceh, most recently in November 2012, to meet representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and religious communities, and officials from the provincial government. In May 2012, my right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Warsi went to the province of Aceh and spoke to the Deputy Provincial Secretary regarding religious tolerance. Embassy officials will visit Aceh later in 2013 to continue to monitor the situation closely, and to maintain close links with local NGOs and religious groups, including church groups.
More generally, our embassy in Jakarta frequently raises freedom of religion issues with the Government of Indonesia, most recently in December 2012 at meetings at the Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights and
11 Feb 2013 : Column 490W
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The deputy ambassador also recently met the Chairman of the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights (KOMNAS HAM) in January 2013 and discussed incidents of violations of freedom of religion.
Israel
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart about the recording of police interviews with children. [142222]
Alistair Burt: During his visit to Israel in November 2012 the Attorney-General, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Beaconsfield (Mr Grieve) raised the issue of audio-visual recording of interviews with Palestinian children held in Israeli military detention, as recommended in an independent report by British legal experts, with the Israeli Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein and other senior interlocutors. Mr Weinstein agreed to further talks between UK and British legal experts on the subject. This followed previous discussions between the embassy in Tel Aviv and the Israeli authorities on this and other recommendations made in the June 2012 report.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials discussed the recommendations and progress on this issue with a senior Israeli legal delegation on 31 January 2013.
Middle East
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the peace process; and what topics were discussed. [142699]
Alistair Burt: The Government have regular contacts with the Israeli authorities on the peace process at both ministerial and senior official level. Contacts cover both the need for a return to negotiations and related issues such as settlements, the unfreezing of planning in E1, the need to release Palestinian tax revenues and the situation in Gaza.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the peace process with the Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on 30 November and the Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on 3 December. I also discussed the peace process with Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon on 2 January. Our ambassador to Israel has also discussed the peace process with a range of senior figures over this period.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Palestinian counterpart on the peace process; and what topics were discussed. [142700]
Alistair Burt:
I discussed a wide range of issues concerning the middle east peace process with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, on 21 December. I asked the President to engage in a renewed effort—led by the United States with full European support—to achieve a just and permanent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Our officials at the
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Consulate-General in Jerusalem also recently met with Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat and discussed the peace process.
The UK continues to urge both sides to refrain from any steps that would make the two-state solution, or a return to negotiations, more difficult. 2013 is a crucial year for the middle east peace process if progress is to be made before the window for a two-state solution closes. Accordingly we will continue to call on Palestinian Authority President Abbas and the Israeli Prime Minister to show the strong leadership needed to achieve a return to negotiations for a two-state solution, which will bring a just and permanent solution to this conflict.
Occupied Territories
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evaluation he has made of third party legal opinions that trade with Israeli settlements aids and assists breaches in international law. [142329]
Alistair Burt: We are aware of third party legal opinions on this matter, but as the hon. Gentleman will know I am not able to comment on legal advice to Ministers. The issue of trade with Israeli settlements was recently addressed in the report of the HRC Fact Finding Mission dated 31 January 2013. We are considering this report and its recommendations in detail prior to the interactive dialogue to be held with the Fact Finding Mission during the 22nd Session of the Human Rights Council.
It is the Government's long standing view that settlements are illegal under international law and Israel's presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is governed by the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a state party. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and regularly raise our profound concerns over Israel's settlement policy, including its implications on the rights of Palestinian people across the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We will continue to press the next Israeli Government to cease all settlement activity.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on Israeli development of Area C of the West Bank. [142330]
Alistair Burt: The Government remain deeply concerned about the impact of Israeli restrictions on Palestinians living in Area C, Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes and infrastructure and continued settlement building. We have received representations from members of the public via their MPs raising their concerns with this issue and from NGOs active on these issues. Our officials from the embassy in Tel Aviv have made representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue, most recently on 5 February with the Israeli National Security Council.
Western Sahara
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 710W, on Western Sahara, if he will ask MINURSO to report on the number of Moroccan soldiers stationed in the Western Sahara. [142035]
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Alistair Burt: MINURSO is not mandated to stipulate overall troop numbers. We currently have no plans to request MINURSO to incorporate this into their mandate.
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct HM Ambassador to Morocco to investigate reports that demonstrations in El Aaiun, Western Sahara in connection with the trial of 24 Saharawi political prisoners were violently dispersed by Moroccan police. [142089]
Alistair Burt: We are aware of the reports to which the question refers. We follow events in Western Sahara very closely. We frequently discuss human rights issues relating to Western Sahara with the Moroccan authorities, including at senior level in Rabat and during the embassy's regular visits to Western Sahara itself.
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct HM Ambassador to Morocco to investigate reports that the Moroccan police is handing out Saharawi clothing to Moroccans in Salé so as to create the impression that Saharawi are demanding the maximum sentence to be pronounced against the 24 Saharawi political prisoners in Salé prison. [142090]
Alistair Burt: Our embassy in Rabat is aware of Moroccan media reports of this nature. It is not however aware of any official comment from the authorities about this allegation. Our embassy will continue to monitor reporting about the trial.
Cabinet Office
Health
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if he will assess the top 10 issues that influence the happiness and well-being of UK citizens; [142472]
(2) if he will assess the role of fairness and equality in influencing well-being; [142473]
(3) if he will assess the public views on levels of community spirit and its impact on well-being; [142474]
(4) what recent assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of economic inequalities between generations. [142475]
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 February 2013:
As Director-General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will assess the top ten issues that influence the happiness and well-being of UK citizens (142472), the role of fairness and equality in influencing well-being (142473), the public views on levels of community spirit and its impact on well-being (142474) and what recent assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of economic inequalities between generations (142475).
ONS has not made an official assessment of the top ten issues that influence the happiness and well-being of UK citizens. The National Well-being framework that ONS has developed following
11 Feb 2013 : Column 493W
the National Debate on how to measure well-being recognises that individual's subjective well-being is influenced by a broad range of factors including: personal relationships, health, what we do, where we live, personal finance, education and skills, the economy, governance and the natural environment. Added to this, sustainability, fairness and equality were also seen as important aspects for consideration when assessing the nation's well-being.
Many of the specific measures that are related to an individual's subjective well-being are also related to each other such as age, employment status, marital status and health. ONS is currently undertaking work to understand better the drivers of subjective well-being. Preliminary results suggest that for the measures available, self reported health, relationship status, employment status and ethnicity are most strongly related to subjective well-being. ONS plans to publish a report providing more detailed results in April or May 2013. Subsequent analysis including income and wealth is also planned.
ONS has published estimates of people's views of their community involvement and belonging in the ‘Where we live' article in July 2012, but did not analyse how these are associated with levels of subjective well-being. However, it does provide estimates of how people's satisfaction of their local area is associated with life satisfaction. Of those who reported a medium/high satisfaction (seven to 10 out of 10) with their local area, 19% reported a low satisfaction (zero to six out of 10) with their life. However, of those who reported a low satisfaction with their local area, 42% reported a low satisfaction with their life. It must be noted that 58% who reported a low satisfaction with their local area also reported a medium/high satisfaction with life.
In terms of economic inequalities between generations, ONS published a report July 2011 that considers a generational accounts approach to long term public finance in the UK.
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/psa/a-generational-accounts-approach-to-long-term-public-finance-in-the-uk/july-2010/long-term-public-finance.pdf
ONS also publishes an annual statistical bulletin on The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household income which examines how taxes and benefits redistribute income between various groups of households in the UK, including retired and non-retired households.
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http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/household-income/the-effects-of-taxes-and-benefits-on-household-income/2010-11/etb-stats-bulletin-1011.html
Further to this, ONS also publishes estimates of household wealth by age from the Wealth and Assets Survey. Table 14 in Chapter 2 of ‘Wealth in Great Britain' gives estimates of persons by age by the total wealth of the household in which they live.
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/was/wealth-in-great-britain-wave-2/2008-2010--part-2-/report--chapter-2--total-wealth.html
Average Earnings
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average salary was in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) each local authority in Scotland and (d) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [142806]
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 February 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average salary was in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) each local authority in Scotland and (d) Rutherglen and Hamilton West in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. (142806)
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Annual levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, who have been in the same job for more than a year.
The following table shows the median gross annual earnings for employee jobs in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) each local authority in Scotland and (d) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency for all employees and full-time employees, for each year from 2010 to 2012.
| Median gross annual earnings for employee jobs(a) in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) each local authority in Scotland and (d) Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency, for all employees and full-time employees from 2010 to 2012 | ||||||||
| £ | ||||||||
| 2010(b) | 2011(b) | 2011(c) | 2012(c) | |||||
| All | Full-time | All | Full-time | All | Full-time | All | Full-time | |
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| Notes: (a) Employees on adult rates who have been in the same job for more than one year. (b) Results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (c) Results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. (d) Parliamentary constituency. Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: CV<=5% * CV>5% and <=10% ** CV>10% and <=20% X = Unreliable. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics. | ||||||||
Charities Act 2011
Alun Cairns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will introduce legislative proposals to further define the public benefit test in the Charities Act 2011. [142155]
Mr Hurd: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 26 November 2013, Official Report, column 89W.
Civil Servants: Pay
Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many equal pay cases have been lodged against Civil Service employers at employment tribunals since May 2010; [142038]
(2) which Civil Service employers have had equal pay cases lodged against them at employment tribunals since May 2010. [142041]
Mr Maude: Equal pay cases are a matter between employees and their employing Department.
Communities First Fund
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reason funding from the Community First scheme is allocated in target periods. [142146]
Mr Hurd: The budgets for Community First match funding are managed across the four financial years of the programme, 2011-12 to 2014-15. Funding is allocated for each financial year in line with the parliamentary supply estimates.
Cybercrime
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2013, Official Report, columns 152-3W, on cybercrime, what steps he is taking to address the security issues raised by Network Virtualization; and what guidance his Department has issued on Network Virtualization in Government networks. [142425]
Miss Chloe Smith: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave on 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 932W.
Employment: Disability
Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many disabled people in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber were in employment in the most recent period for which figures are available. [142803]
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 February 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many disabled people in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and The Humber were in employment in the most recent period for which figures are available. (142803)
Employment statistics for local areas are calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). The APS is based on responses to interviews carried out during the twelve months of the survey period.
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The estimate of the number of people who were employed and had a disability (disabled according to the Disability Discrimination Act or having a work limiting disability) according to the October 2011 to September 2012 APS was 6,000 for those resident in Brigg and Goole constituency and 362,000 for those resident in Yorkshire and The Humber.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Harvey Nash
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what contracts his Department (a) has and (b) has had with Harvey Nash in 2012-13; and what the monetary value is of each contract. [142250]
Mr Maude: As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of contracts awarded since January 2011 over the value of £10,000 and payments of over £25,000 are published on Contracts Finder:
http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk
Internet
Nic Dakin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the Government's policy is on securing IPv6 addresses. [141983]
Mr Hurd: The Government have already secured two top level IP Version 6 addressing domains and another will be acquired in 2013 for the public services network.
Jobseeker’s Allowance: Ethnic Groups
Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many ethnic minority jobseekers have been receiving jobseeker's allowance for more than (a) 12 months and (b) two years; and what proportion of the ethnic minority workforce that represents in each such case. [142321]
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 February 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your two Parliamentary Questions asking how many ethnic minority jobseekers have been receiving jobseeker's allowance for more than (a) 12 months and (b) two years, and what proportion of the ethnic minority workforce that represents in each such case; and secondly how many jobseekers have been receiving jobseeker's allowance for more than (a) 12 months and (b) two years, and what proportion of the workforce that represents in each such case. (142321 & 142322)
The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) has been taken from the Jobcentre Plus Administrative system. The estimates of the number of people in the workforce have been taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The workforce has been defined as all those who are economically active, that is either employed or unemployed.
Table 1 shows the number of people in Great Britain, as at October 2012, who had been claiming JSA for over 12 months and for over 2 years, for all people and for ethnic minorities.
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Table 2 shows the number of people in Great Britain claiming JSA as a percentage of people who were economically active, according to survey responses to the September 2012 to November 2012 LFS. This is the closest period to October 2012, for all people and for ethnic minorities. Although individual components in the table can be produced for more recent periods, October 2012 is the latest period for which all component series are available.
Estimates for Northern Ireland are not available.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1: Number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance by length of claim, October 2012 | ||
| Great Britain, not seasonally adjusted | ||
| Claiming over 12 months | Claiming over 2 years | |
| (1) Ethnic minorities are people who have reported their ethnicity as mixed/multiple ethnic groups; Indian; Pakistani; Bangladeshi; Chinese; Any other Asian background; Black/African/Caribbean/Black British; Other ethnic group. Note: Rounded to nearest 5 Source: Jobcentre plus Administrative System | ||
| Table 2: Percentage(1) of economically active people claiming jobseeker's allowance by length of claim, October 2012 | ||
| Great Britain, not seasonally adjusted | ||
| Claiming over 12 months | Claiming over 2 years | |
| (1) Number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in October 2012 divided by the number of economically active people according to the September to November 2012 Labour Force Survey. (2) Ethnic minorities are people who have reported their as ethnicity mixed/multiple ethnic groups; Indian; Pakistani; Bangladeshi; Chinese; Any other Asian background; Black/African/Caribbean/Black British; Other ethnic group. Source: Jobcentre plus Administrative System/Labour Force Survey | ||
Suicide
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many deaths registered in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012 were for suicides, as defined in the Office for National Statistics Statistical Bulletin Suicides in the UK, published in January 2013, which occurred in 2008; and how many such suicides were (i) men and (ii) men aged 45 years old or over; [142924]
(2) how many deaths registered in (a) 2007, (b) 2008, (c) 2009, (d) 2010, (e) 2011 and (f) 2012 were of suicides, as defined in the Office for National Statistics Statistical Bulletin Suicides in the UK, published in January 2013, which occurred in 2007; and how many such suicides were (i) men and (ii) men aged 45 years old or over; [142925]
(3) how many deaths registered in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009, (e) 2010, (f) 2011 and (g) 2012 were of suicides, as defined in the Office for National Statistics Statistical Bulletin Suicides in the
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UK, published in January 2013, which occurred in 2006; and how many such suicides were (i) men and (ii) men aged 45 years old or over. [142926]
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 February 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions. [142924] [142925] [142926]
Tables 1, 2 and 3 provide the number of deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, by sex and year of death registration, in England and Wales, for deaths occurring in 2008 (Table 1), 2007 (Table 2) and 2006 (Table 3). Tables 4, 5 and 6 provide the number of male deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, by age group and year of death registration, in England and Wales, for deaths occurring in 2008 (Table 4), 2007 (Table 5) and 2006 (Table 6). Figures are only available for deaths registered by 31 December 2011.
The latest statistical bulletin released on 22 January 2013 contains a section on the impact of registration delays on suicide statistics. It reports that out of the 4,871 suicides registered in England and Wales in 2011, just under half occurred before 2011. Therefore, figures presented in this answer will not be consistent with figures in the ‘Suicides in the United Kingdom’ statistical bulletin, as the England and Wales figures contained in the bulletin are based on the year in which the death was registered, where as figures in this answer are based on the year in which a death occurred.
Figures for suicides in the UK, England and Wales, and regions of England are published annually on the ONS website:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html? definition=tcm%3A77-29400
| Table 1: Number of deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, by sex and year of death registration, England and Wales, deaths occurring in 2008(1,2,3,4) | |||
| Suicides | |||
| Registration year | Males | Females | All persons |
| (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 (Intentional self-harm) and Y10-Y34 (Events of undetermined intent). (2) Figures are for people aged 15 years and over. (3 )Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (4 )Figures are for deaths occurring in 2008. | |||
| Table 2: Number of deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, by sex and year of death registration, England and Wales, deaths occurring in 2007(1,2,3,4) | |||
| Suicides | |||
| Registration year | Males | Females | All persons |
| (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 (Intentional self-harm) and Y10-Y34 (Events of undetermined intent). (2) Figures are for people aged 15 years and over. (3) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (4 )Figures are for deaths occurring in 2007. | |||
| Table 3: Number of deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, by sex and year of death registration, England and Wales, deaths occurring in 2006(1,2,3,4) | |||
| Suicides | |||
| Registration year | Males | Females | All persons |
11 Feb 2013 : Column 500W
| (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 (Intentional self-harm) and Y10-Y34 (Events of undetermined intent—excluding Y33.9 where the coroner's verdict was pending for deaths registered in 2006. Deaths registered from 2007 onwards which were previously coded to Y33.9 are coded to U50.9.) (2) Figures are for people aged 15 years and over. (3) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are for deaths occurring in 2006. | |||
| Table 4: Number of male deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, by age group and year of registration, England and Wales, 2008(1,2,3,4) | |||
| Suicides (males) | |||
| Registration year | 15 to 44 years | 45 years and over | All ages |
| (1 )Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 (Intentional self-harm) and Y10-Y34 (Events of undetermined intent). (2) Figures are for males aged 15 years and over. (3) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are for deaths occurring in 2008. | |||
| Table 5: Number of male deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, by age group and year of registration, England and Wales, 2007(1,2,3,4) | |||
| Suicides (males) | |||
| Registration year | 15 to 44 years | 45 years and over | All ages |
| (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 (Intentional self-harm) and Y10-Y34 (Events of undetermined intent). (2) Figures are for males aged 15 years and over. (3) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are for deaths occurring in 2007. | |||