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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 12 February 2013
Transport
Crossrail Line
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the likely cost of Crossrail 2. [142454]
Stephen Hammond: A recent report by London First estimated the cost of Crossrail 2 at between £10 billion and £15 billion. The Department has made no independent estimate of the cost of the scheme.
Departmental Responsibilities
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's core statutory obligations are; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost of delivering each such obligation. [142769]
Norman Baker: This question can only be answered at disproportionate cost. To answer this question would require trawling through all of the current statutes and to form an assessment of the annual cost of delivering each of the core statutory obligations.
Driving Under Influence: Drugs
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which external stakeholders the Government's recently established expert panel on drug driving has (a) had meetings with and (b) received information from; and if he will make a statement. [142747]
Stephen Hammond: The following list details those organisations that the expert panel made reference to or held conversations with:
The International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety
The Driving Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA)
The Royal College of General Practitioners
Clockwork Research Ltd
Napp Pharmaceutical Group
British Pain Society
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
In addition, teleconferences or meetings were held with experts from the University of Groningen, University of Ghent, University of Surrey and King’s College London. The panel also made use of published research papers, articles and guidelines already in the public domain. We will be publishing the panel's report shortly.
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East Midlands Airport: Tunnels
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he has received on the (a) safety and (b) viability of creating a tunnel under East Midlands airport. [142153]
Mr Simon Burns: The advice submitted by HS2 Ltd reflects an early stage in the design of the scheme but it is confident that the options put forward are viable. There are many national and international examples of tunnels being constructed under sensitive locations and the company is committed to following industry best practice in scheme design as it continues to refine and develop its proposals.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to quantify the economic benefit to West Cumbria of High Speed 2. [143062]
Mr Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to his question of 4 February 2013, Official Report, columns 66-7W.
Thameslink Railway Line
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent progress has been made on Thameslink procurement and the cascade of existing stock to lines that are being electrified including the Liverpool to Manchester line. [142152]
Mr Simon Burns: On 20 December 2012, Official Report, column 1048, I announced that commercial agreement had been reached on key elements of the deal with Siemens and the Cross London Trains consortium. We are targeting financial close for early this year.
Discussions on the procurement of additional electric rolling stock are currently underway, and it is expected that the relevant parties should be in a position to conclude an agreement in the summer that enables the build and delivery of rolling stock in time to cascade electric vehicles to some newly electrified routes, including the Liverpool to Manchester line.
Home Department
Asylum: Finance
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applicants receiving support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 have been receiving support for more than (a) two years, (b) four years and (c) six years; and if she will make a statement. [128014]
Mr Harper: Section 4 support is only provided to a limited group of failed asylum seekers who have chosen not to leave the United Kingdom. These include cases where the person is applying for a passport from their national embassy to facilitate their return to their country of origin and cases where the person has made further representations to be allowed to stay in the United Kingdom (despite already having received a negative decision).
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The data requested are set out in the following table. The data are taken from management information systems and are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols; it would be hard to reconcile these data precisely to other published numbers.
| Duration | Cases |
British Nationality: Assessments
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the number of times someone wanting to settle permanently in the UK can take a Life in the UK test. [142229]
Mr Harper: A new Life in the UK test will be introduced on 25 March 2013, eight weeks after publication of the new handbook, to allow candidates time to prepare. Unlike the current test which only has questions on selected chapters, the new test will include questions on all sections of the new handbook. There is no limit on the number of times a person can take the Life in the UK test.
Counterfeit Manufacturing: Euro
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations into alleged breaches of the Protection of the Euro against Counterfeiting Regulations 2001 have been started in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many prosecutions have been attempted for breaches of these regulations; and how many such prosecutions resulted in a conviction. [140236]
Mr Jeremy Browne: According to the National Central Office for the Suppression of Counterfeit Currency and Protected Coins which sits within the Serious Organised Crime Agency there have been no investigations into breaches of the Protection of the Euro against Counterfeiting Regulations in the UK and no prosecutions under these regulations.
Deportation: Offenders
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals convicted of serious criminal offences in the UK in each of the last five years have been deported. [138722]
Mr Harper: The UK Border Agency seeks to deport from the UK foreign national offenders who meet the following criteria:
A court recommendation.
For non-EEA nationals—a custodial sentence of 12 months or more either in one sentence or as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years, or a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (other than possession).
For EEA nationals—a custodial sentence of 12 months or more for an offence involving drugs, violent or sexual crimes or a custodial sentence of 24 months or more for other offences.
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Any foreign national offenders not meeting the above criteria are removed from the United Kingdom under Section 10(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
The following table sets out the number of foreign national offenders removed or deported from the United Kingdom in each year of the last five years. This is management information which is subject to change. The double count column refers to cases which have been counted as a removal by both the Criminal Casework Directorate and the regional offices.
| Total number of FNOs removed by UKBA | Number of FNOs deported (criteria cases) | Number of FNOs removed (non-criteria cases) | Double counts | |
Entry Clearances
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applications were rejected in each of the last five years. [142388]
Mr Harper: Information on the total number of entry clearance visa applications and outcomes of entry clearance visas resolved (total decisions) is currently published annually. Corresponding information for 2012 is planned to be published on 28 February 2013, as part of the Home Office's quarterly Immigration Statistics release.
The figures for visas, provided in response to this question and appearing in the table provide the latest available published statistics (2007 to 2011) for refusals of entry clearance visa applications only.
The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in the release Immigration Statistics July to September 2012, which is available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Science website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q3-2012/
| Entry clearance visa applications and resolutions(1), 2007 to 2011 | |||||
| Applications | Resolved | Issued | Refused | Withdrawn or Lapsed | |
| (1) The information provided relates to applications received and cases resolved in each calendar year, Some applications received may be resolved in a subsequent year to receipt of application. Source: Immigration Statistics, July to September 2012, Table be.01 | |||||
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Immigration: Children
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the sharing of information between the UK Border Agency and the Child Support Agency for the purpose of ensuring that sponsors who do not support their dependent children in the UK are unable to bring other dependents into the UK. [142300]
Mr Harper: The UK Border Agency provides the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs with the facility to make checks on immigration status and history for the purpose of determining entitlement to benefits. The UK Border Agency conducts checks with other Departments to verify whether a person qualifies for entry under the immigration rules, including the minimum earnings requirements introduced for sponsors of family migrants. The UK Border Agency keeps these arrangements under review and will consider further whether specific account should be taken of money owed in child support payments.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department plans to respond to the letter of 24 October 2012, email of 28 November 2012 and letter of 20 December 2012 from the hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay regarding a constituent Ms Joan Sutherland. [139770]
Mr Harper [holding answer 28 January 2013]: Border Force replied to my hon. Friend on 31 January 2013.
Police: Surveillance
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether her Department was aware of the practice of undercover police officers creating aliases based on the details of dead children; when such incidents occurred; whether such activities were sanctioned by her Department; and on what date the practice of using dead infant identities ceased to be authorised by the Metropolitan Police; [142043]
(2) what recent consideration she has given to the need for a public inquiry into undercover policing; and if she will make a statement. [142044]
Damian Green: Decisions in relation to undercover policing are the operational responsibility of senior police officers—in this case, in the Metropolitan Police. It is therefore unlikely that my Department would have been made aware of these practices.
These allegations, along with other matters in respect of the conduct of undercover policing, are being investigated by a team led by Chief Constable Mick Creedon of Derbyshire Police, under the supervision of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. That investigation, known as Operation Herne, will reveal more about how the practice came to be used and on whose authority.
Given that Operation Herne has yet to conclude and may result in criminal or misconduct proceedings, it would be inappropriate to consider a public inquiry into these matters.
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Regulation of Investigative Powers Act 2000
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times each of the agencies granted investigative powers under the Regulation of Investigative Powers Act 2000 have used these powers in each year since that legislation's implementation. [141990]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 7 February 2013]:All the publicly available information regarding the use of powers contained in this Act is set out in the annual reports of the Interception of Communications, Chief Surveillance and Intelligence Services Commissioners, copies of which can be found in the Library of the House.
Security Guards
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has any plans to introduce tighter regulations on the private security industry. [142224]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 11 February 2013]: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the current industry regulator and is responsible for licensing individuals working in the sector. The Government intend to reform the regulatory regime to focus for the first time on the regulation of security businesses, while maintaining a register of individuals in the industry. A new regulator will be established outside of the state sector to enforce the regime, as the successor to the SIA.
The Home Office recently held a UK-wide consultation on the future regulation of the private security industry, which outlined in detail the Government's proposed reforms.
Responsibility for the regulation of the private security industry is fully devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland, which will decide on whether to opt in to the proposed reforms.
Travel and Subsistence Payments
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many senior officials in her Department's arm’s length bodies (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 the offices of the arm's length body. [141163]
James Brokenshire: The arm's length bodies sponsored by the Home Office have reported that two of their senior officials had their main place of employment as their home address.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many chairs in her Department's arm's length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's length body. [141177]
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James Brokenshire: The arm's length bodies sponsored by the Home Office have reported that three people had such arrangements.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many senior officials of her Department's arm's length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's length body. [141191]
James Brokenshire: The arm's length bodies sponsored by the Home Office have reported one of their senior officials had such an arrangement.
UK Border Agency
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the UK Border Agency performed against its published service standards in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [142073]
Mr Harper [holding answer 7 February 2013]: The UK Border Agency publishes figures on its performance against migration service standards on a quarterly basis as part of its commitment to transparency. These data are disaggregated by quarter and work stream and cover the period from April 2010 to September 2012. The latest figures are available on the UK Border Agency website at:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/percentage-of-migration/
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices: Lancashire
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships commenced in each sector in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire in each of the last three years. [142950]
Matthew Hancock: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship programme starts in Pendle parliamentary constituency and Lancashire local education authority by sector subject area. Data are shown for 2009/10 to 2011/12, the latest year for which full year data are available.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by geography and sector subject area, 2009/10 to 2011/12. | |||
| Sector subject area | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 |
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| (1 )Indicates a value of less than 10. Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geographic breakdowns are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 3. Figures are based on the geographic boundaries as of May 2010. 4. Figures for 2011/12 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier years as a single individualised learner record (ILR) data collection system has been introduced. Small technical changes have been made in the way learners from more than one provision type are counted, leading to a removal of duplicate learners and a reduction in overall learner numbers of approximately 2%. More information on the single ILR is available at: http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/C05DCDD5-67EE-4AD0-88B9-BEBC8F7F3300/0/SILR_Effects_SFR_Learners_June12.pdf Source: Individualised Learner Record | |||
Arms Trade
George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) with which Arab leaders the Prime Minister has discussed the sale of British arms since May 2010; [142051]
(2) whether he insisted in meetings with his counterparts in Arab states that sales of arms and materiel would be dependent on such states instituting meaningful democratic reforms. [142378]
Michael Fallon: The Prime Minister's international contacts include regular discussions with those in leadership positions in Arab League member states.
This Government take our arms export responsibilities extremely seriously and operate some of the most rigorous export controls in the world.
All applications to export controlled goods or services to any overseas destination are rigorously assessed case by case against the Consolidated European Union and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. The criteria include consideration of a wide range of factors, such
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as the human rights record and fundamental freedoms of the country concerned, the preservation of regional peace and security and stability.
I, and my ministerial colleagues have consistently promoted UK defence and security exports in meetings with our counterparts across the globe as part of this effort. We will continue to do so, as part of the spectrum of support we are providing to all sectors of the economy. This spectrum of support is a key principle of our industrial strategy.
Carers: Travel
Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department has issued on whether carers companies are allowed to treat travelling times between house calls as unpaid time for the purpose of minimum wage calculation. [143000]
Jo Swinson: Guidance on how travelling time is treated for the minimum wage purposes is available at:
www.gov.uk/minimum-wage-different-types-work/overview
Employers must ensure that their workers are paid at least the minimum wage on average for the hours they work. Time spent travelling on business, including between house calls, counts as time worked for minimum wage purposes.
Royal Mail
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to safeguard the Royal Mail's universal service following its privatisation. [142212]
Michael Fallon: Richard Hooper's report in 2008 and his updated report in 2010 made three clear recommendations to secure the future of the universal postal service. The Government accepted these and, through the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament implemented them. So far we have relieved Royal Mail of its historic £10 billion pension deficit and established a new regulatory regime. The final phase is to give Royal Mail access to flexible private capital that is needed to ensure that it is successful and sustainable in the long-term. The Government will also honour their commitment that at least 10% of shares will be made available to employees.
Parliament has guaranteed through the Postal Services Act continuation of collection to delivery of letters six days a week throughout the UK at uniform, affordable prices. Royal Mail will continue to provide the universal postal service to these standards regardless of its ownership.
The Act gives Ofcom a clear statutory duty to secure the provision of the universal postal service and the powers to intervene if the universal service is at risk. Those powers will continue to apply after there has been a sale of shares in Royal Mail.
UK Trade & Investment
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the proportion of GDP represented by the annual budget of UK Trade & Investment. [142913]
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Michael Fallon: From the latest national data available, UK GDP in current market prices was £1,516,153 million (£1.5 trillion) in 2011. UK Trade & Investment’s (UKTI) total budget was £320.4 million in 2011-12, equivalent to 0.02% of UK GDP in 2011.
Vetting
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Information Commissioner on financial and logistical support for the Information Commissioner's Office's investigation into blacklisting. [143026]
Jo Swinson: There have been no discussions as yet. A meeting has been arranged for 2 April to discuss how best to handle any evidence of any ongoing blacklisting that emerges.
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on reports of blacklisting of workers in the construction of (a) Portcullis House, (b) Bluewater shopping centre, (c) Liverpool One shopping centre and (d) the Olympic Park; and if he will undertake a Government-led investigation. [143060]
Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has made clear that where there is new evidence that blacklisting is currently being used in any sector of the economy, the appropriate authorities will be asked to carry out a full and thorough investigation.
The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 make it unlawful for an individual or organisation to compile, sell or make use of a blacklist.
Although correspondence has been received, no new evidence and no representations have been made to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills that demonstrate workers have been blacklisted on the named projects.
Vocational Training
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been made available from the adult skills budget provided by the Skills Funding Agency to each of the first wave City Deals in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13. [141388]
Matthew Hancock [holding answer 4 February 2013]: The single adult skills budget is managed by the Skills Funding Agency, an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
Sheffield is being provided funding from the single adult budget by the Skills Funding Agency as part of an existing contract. Sheffield will be able to deploy up to £23.8 million over three years from the adult skills budget, with funding in the final year being subject to performance in the first two years.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department will provide for the skills element of each of the first eight City Deals in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13. [142905]
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Matthew Hancock: In 2011-12 the Skills Funding Agency provided the eight first wave City Deals, and London, with a separate City Skills Fund to help them articulate their skills priorities and to set up apprentice hubs to support small businesses. This amounted to £4.5 million.
BIS will be providing up to £20 million funding to the first wave of cities for the skills elements of the City Deals which were announced in July 2012. This funding will be issued to the cities on behalf of BIS via the Skills Funding Agency. The first wave of cities will receive up to £2.56 million in 2012/13.
Sheffield will also receive funding from the single adult budget, via the Skills Funding Agency, as part of an existing contract. Sheffield will be able to deploy up to £23.8 million over three years from the adult skills budget, with funding in the final year being subject to performance in the first two years.
Communities and Local Government
Carbon Monoxide: Alarms
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to discuss with representatives of landlords the effect of extending the provisions of the Smoke Detectors Act 1991 to include (a) audible carbon monoxide detectors and (b) audible dual carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. [143032]
Mr Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him on 18 December 2012, Official Report, columns 692-93W.
Culture: Finance
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the effect of the Local Government Finance Settlement on funding for cultural projects by local authorities. [142654]
Brandon Lewis [holding answer 11 February 2013]: Ministers regularly meet colleagues from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to discuss a range of matters.
Families: Disadvantaged
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the troubled families initiative in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) Merseyside. [141617]
Brandon Lewis: Liverpool city council has committed to turning around the lives of 2,105 troubled families by the end of this Parliament. In the first year, the local authority has committed to work with a third of this total.
My Department is about to commission an independent evaluation of the Troubled Families programme which will look at the outcomes that areas such as Liverpool demonstrate and the savings made as a result.
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Fire Services: Redundancy
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many firefighters' jobs were lost in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012. [141756]
Brandon Lewis: Figures on the number of firefighters in post can be found in my Department's annual publication ‘Fire and Rescue Service Operational Statistics’ which can be found on my Department's website:
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/fire-and-rescue-authorities-operational-statistics
Local Government Finance
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) for what reason the latest available data were used for all aspects of the provisional local government finance settlement other than in the allocation of local authorities to damping bands; [140449]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of the use of data from 2010-11 rather than the most recent data to assign local authorities to damping bands on local authorities which have frozen council tax in the last two years. [140450]
Brandon Lewis [holding answer 31 January 2013]: This was discussed in the Local Government Finance Working Group's Baseline Sub-Group which comprised officials from the Department together with representatives from local government. The papers and minutes of the meetings are available at:
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/lgrr/bsg.htm
The baseline sub-group concluded that, given the uncertainty around whether or not the 2012-13 council tax freeze grant should be included in the calculation of the notional budget requirement for 2012-13, it would be better to freeze the damping bands. This would also help to ensure stability.
Social Rented Housing
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many rented homes in the social sector are overcrowded in each local authority area. [142980]
Mr Prisk: Overcrowding is estimated using the English Housing Survey; due to the sample size, it is not possible to provide estimates by local authority.
According to the most recently published English Housing Survey, there were 249,000 households in over-crowded accommodation in social housing; these figures are a three-year average for 2009-10 to 2011-12. In the same period, there were 386,000 households in the social sector who were under-occupying (DCLG, ‘English Housing Survey Headline Report 2011-12’, February 2013, p.26).
The comparative figures in the previous survey for 2008-09 to 2010-11 indicated that there were 278,000 households in over-crowded accommodation and 390,000 households in the social sector who were under-occupying (DCLG, ‘English Housing Survey Headline Report 2010-11’, February 2012, p.26).
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While the figures indicate that the situation may have improved slightly from the levels inherited from the last Administration, they also provide a clear policy rationale for taking action to address the empty rooms subsidy in the housing benefit system (as has already been done in the private rented sector). Tackling unnecessary under-occupation in the social rented sector, and making better use of the finite social housing stock, will help reduce over-crowding.
Travel and Subsistence Payments
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many senior officials in his Department's arm's length bodies (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 the offices of the arm's length body; [141073]
(2) how many chairs in his Department's arm's length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's length body; [141074]
(3) how many senior officials of his Department's arm's length bodies are paid on the basis that they are exempt from personally meeting any tax liability in respect of travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the offices of the arm's length body. [141075]
Brandon Lewis: No senior official in the Department's arm’s length bodies have or have had terms of employment for 2012-13 specifying that they are entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting the offices of the arm's length body.
None of the senior officials in DCLG's arm’s length bodies are paid on the basis of being exempt from personally meeting any tax liability arising for travel and subsistence payments for attending meetings at the office of the arm's length body.
The Chairmen of the Valuation Tribunal Service, the Architects Registration Board and the Fire Service College are exempt from meeting any liability arising from travel and subsistence payments in respect of travelling to the office of their respective bodies.
Any tax liability arising from travel and subsistence paid to the non-executive chairman of the Fire Service College for travelling to the College is paid directly by the Fire Service College.
The Valuation Tribunal Service and the Architects Registration Board and their respective Chairmen have an HMRC dispensation granting these travel and subsistence payments exemption. The HMRC dispensations have been in place since at least 2004.
Such arrangements are in place since the Chairmen's normal place of business is not the public bodies' offices and the travel is solely related to the performance of their official duties.
Energy and Climate Change
Departmental Responsibilities
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's core statutory obligations are; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost of delivering each such obligation. [142759]
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Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is responsible for a wide range of statutory functions and obligations relating to energy and climate change issues. Full details on the Department's responsibilities and their implementation are available in the Department's published business plan, available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/47961/decc-business-plan-2011-2015.pdf
Further detail on the full range of DECC's responsibilities, and expenditure on delivering them, is available through DECC's annual report and accounts, available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48452/5718-decc-annual-report-and-accounts-201112-.pdf
Fuel Poverty
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Halifax of 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 1037, on fuel poverty, what the evidential basis is for the statement that it is projected that the number of households in fuel poverty (a) remain the same in 2011 and (b) may rise again in 2012. [142721]
Gregory Barker: The methodology behind the projected levels of fuel poverty in 2011 and 2012 is described in detail in chapter 9 of the latest annual fuel poverty report. This can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuel-poverty-annual-report-on-statistics-2012
Government Procurement Card
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the mean average spend using a Government Procurement Card was per member of staff in (a) his Department and (b) each of its arm's length bodies in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012. [141457]
Gregory Barker: The mean average spend using a Government Procurement Card per member of staff is as follows:
| £ | ||
| 2011 | 2012 | |
Nuclear Reactors
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the proportion of nuclear waste liabilities that could be utilised by integral fast reactor technology to produce energy. [142383]
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Mr Hayes: The UK's inventory of radioactive waste and materials consists of a number of categories including: wastes (i.e. those materials defined as having no further use), spent fuels and other nuclear materials such as reprocessed plutonium and uranium.
As part of its assessment of alternatives to reuse as MOX, for the management of plutonium, the NDA is also examining the use of fast reactor technology, in the form of a PRISM reactor and associated facilities.
Fast reactors, when commercially deployed may also provide usage routes for some elements of the spent fuels stored. DECC has commissioned further analysis of nuclear fuel cycle scenarios open to the UK, including the use of fast reactors alongside other technologies. We aim to publish the outputs from this in due course.
With regards to the wastes, the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management spent three years undertaking an examination of practical routes for the disposition or use of higher level radioactive wastes. Their report (CoRWM doc. 700) concludes that geological disposal preceded by safe and secure interim storage is the best available option.
http://corwm.decc.gov.uk/assets/corwm/post-nov% 2007%20doc%20store/documents/reports %20to%20government/nov%20and%20dec%202007/700%20-%20corwm%20july%202006%20recommendations%20to %20government.pdf
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) if he will make a comparative assessment of the efficiency potential of integral fast reactors and traditional light water reactors; [142384]
(2) what assessment he has made of the implications on his policies of the potential offered by integral fast reactors for the generation of energy. [142385]
Mr Hayes: In September 2012, the Department published a number of studies commissioned from the National Nuclear Laboratory which considered advanced nuclear reactor systems and alternative fuel cycles.
Two of these reports provided a preliminary assessment of the relevance to the UK of several of the advanced reactor systems currently being developed internationally, including a number of fast reactor technologies. These can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advanced-reactor-systems-assessment-against-uk-performance-metrics-by-the-national-nuclear-laboratory
The Department has commissioned further analysis of nuclear fuel cycle scenarios open to the UK, and the operation of fast reactors is included. We hope to publish the output from this analysis in due course.
As part of its assessment of alternatives to reuse as MOX, for the management of plutonium, the NDA is also examining the use of fast reactor technology, in the form of a PRISM reactor and associated facilities.
Offshore Industry
Mrs Glindon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether EU law restricts the Government's ability to introduce a requirement
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that North Sea oil and gas producers source all, or a proportion of, their fabrication needs from UK-based suppliers; and if he will make a statement. [142108]
Mr Hayes: EU law includes provisions on the free movement of goods and services and non-discrimination, which underpin the single market. These provisions benefit UK-based companies which wish to work elsewhere in the EU including UK based companies which are able to meet the fabrication needs of oil and gas producers based in other member states.
Renewable Energy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish a list of all renewable energy generation developments installed in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; on what date each such development (i) received planning consent and (ii) construction started; and what the capacity of each such development is. [142912]
Mr Hayes: The Department holds information on renewable energy generation developments installed in 2010, 2011 and 2012 detailing when each such development received planning consent, when construction commenced and what the capacity of each such development is. This information is updated monthly and published on the extract spreadsheet as part of the renewable energy planning database, which can be accessed at:
https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract
Warm Front Scheme
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has for the estimated £50 million underspend from the Warm Front scheme. [142367]
Gregory Barker: Although there is inherent uncertainty, the Department closely monitors spend and activity under the Warm Front scheme using information from the scheme manager (Carillion Energy Services) on the level of demand for the scheme and the delivery times experienced. Our monitoring suggests that spending on Warm Front applications made in 2012-13 could amount to some £70 million. The fuel poverty capital budget for 2012-13 is £100 million. In order to maximise the use of this budget, we have established a Local Authority Fuel Poverty Competition. Through this, £30 million has been awarded to local authorities across England to improve the thermal efficiency of dwellings for low- income and vulnerable local residents, for example through installation of efficient central heating systems and insulation.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Cattle: Imports
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) blood tests and (b) other veterinary checks are administered on cattle destined for import to the UK before they enter the UK. [142116]
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Mr Heath: All cattle imported into the United Kingdom from other EU member states or third countries (i.e. countries outside the EU) must comply with health controls that are laid down by EU legislation. Responsibility for implementing these rules in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland falls to DEFRA and the devolved Administrations respectively.
All cattle entering the United Kingdom from other EU member states must comply with the requirements of council directive 64/432/EEC. This directive requires that cattle for breeding and production must come from herds that are officially free of tuberculosis, brucellosis and bovine leukosis. These cattle must also be accompanied by a health certificate signed by an official veterinarian of the veterinary authorities of the member state concerned, in conformity with the model laid down in the directive, in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 599/2004. The cattle will need to be tested for tuberculosis, brucellosis and bovine leukosis if the member state or region is not officially free of these diseases.
Cattle may only be imported from approved third countries. Approved third countries are those that have been able to demonstrate to the European Commission that they have robust animal health (and welfare) systems in place, comparable to those in the EU, and that their veterinary services are able to vouch for the health certification that is issued. Cattle must be accompanied by a health certificate which conforms to the model laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 206/2010 and which is signed by an official veterinarian of the veterinary authority in the country of origin. Model certificates can vary in their detailed requirements but generally require assurance that the animals have been held on premises that have been free of notifiable disease for specific periods and have been tested for a range of diseases depending on the health status of the exporting third country.
While the majority of notifiable diseases are detected by serology (bovine tuberculosis is an important exception in that a skin test is used), in many cases, official veterinarians are able to sign health certificates on the basis of the exporting country having official disease- free status. In such circumstances, further blood tests would not be needed.
Detailed information on the import requirements for England is available on the DEFRA website.
Common Fisheries Policy
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the recently-passed reform package of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. [142671]
Richard Benyon: I am pleased that the European Parliament recently voted in favour of many of the changes we need to reform this failed policy. The vote was a crucial step forward in securing radical reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP) and included measures to eliminate discards and fish sustainably.
However, the vote was not the end of the process and there is still more work to be done over the coming months as the reforms will be co-decided by the Council of Fisheries Ministers and the European Parliament. I will continue to work with my fellow Fisheries Ministers
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and the European Parliament to ensure that the new CFP will help deliver a prosperous fishing industry and healthy fish stocks.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the new EU common fisheries policy will be adhered to (a) in UK waters and (b) by UK fishermen. [142672]
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK small-scale fishing fleet is properly consulted on fisheries matters and common fisheries policy reform. [142800]
Richard Benyon: Negotiations on the new common fisheries policy (CFP) are due to conclude later this year. However, work is already under way to prepare to implement the reformed CFP and DEFRA will be working closely with all parts of the UK fishing industry to ensure that the new provisions are brought into force effectively when the regulation is finally agreed.
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the EU Fisheries Commissioner on the regionalisation of fisheries management; and if he will make a statement. [142720]
Richard Benyon: As UK Fisheries Minister, I continue to have discussions on our key priorities, including the regionalisation of fisheries management and for fundamental reform of the common fisheries policy (CFP), with a wide range of people and organisations. They include the EU Commissioner, Members of the UK and European Parliaments, ministerial colleagues of other member states, and representatives of our fishing and related industries.
I will continue to press the case for genuine reform and decentralisation of the CFP as negotiations between the Council and European Parliament progress during 2013.
Meat: Contamination
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department is recognising the validity of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's test procedures as employed in the recent cases of contaminated meat products. [142343]
Mr Heath: DEFRA and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are continuing to liaise with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and the laboratory in Ireland, which undertook the analysis, to ascertain further details of the methods of analysis used. At this time DEFRA/FSA has no reason to doubt the validity of the FSAI data.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has written to local authorities and trading standards officers to encourage them to test for adulterated meat. [142371]
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Anna Soubry: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) wrote to local authorities on 17 January 2013 to inform them about the Food Safety Authority of Ireland's survey of beef products. This drew its attention to the FSA's four-point action plan, and in particular the plans for a United Kingdom-wide study of food authenticity of equine and porcine DNA in processed meat products, in which local authorities could take part. Subsequently, the FSA has written to the 28 local authorities selected to participate in that study with details of its sampling plans. The FSA will continue to communicate with local authorities to let them know how they can contribute to monitoring and surveillance of adulterated meat in the UK.
Plants
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees since his appointment. [139943]
Richard Benyon: Since the appointment on 4 September 2012 of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), the core Department has spent £2,414.08 on indoor and outdoor plants and trees, including Christmas trees.
Scallops
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many and what proportion of regulated vessel trips by scallop vessels reported and recorded by e-logbooks fishing Western Waters are still to be verified against sales notes for each month between January and November 2012; [133735]
(2) when he plans to answer PQ 133735, tabled on 11 December 2012. [138710]
Richard Benyon: The activity reported through the e-logbook reporting mechanism by UK scallop vessels controlled by the Western Waters management regime (ie those vessels 15 metres and over in length subject to days at sea restrictions) is only available related to landings by such vessels in English, Scottish or Northern Irish ports and by English, Scottish or Northern Ireland administered vessels landing abroad. This is given in the following table.
| Month of 2012 | Number of e-logbook returns from UK scallopers regulated by the Western Waters regime that are yet to be validated against sales notes data | As a proportion of the total number of e-logbooks received from such vessels related to scalloping activity (percentage) |
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In addition to the landings included above there were six landings into Wales across the period where activity has been reported via e-logbook returns and the landings have yet to be validated against sales notes. Information on the total number of e-logbooks received by the Welsh Government related to scalloping activity by vessels subject to the regime is not available; hence it has not been possible to include these landings in the above table. Corresponding information related to activity by Isle of Man administered vessels that take part in the fishery (usually in the winter months only) is also unavailable.
I apologise for delay in answering this PQ.
Travel and Subsistence Payments
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many senior officials in his Department's arm's length bodies (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 the offices of the arm's length body. [141159]
Richard Benyon: A total of 33 senior officials in the Department's Executive Agencies and non-departmental public bodies either have or have had such terms of employment during 2012-13.
In most cases, contracts reflect the fact that senior managers in national delivery organisations travel regularly to a range of different office locations as part of their role.
Draft Water Bill
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last met (a) Ministers in and (b) officials of the Scottish Government to discuss the draft Water Bill. [141104]
Richard Benyon: Ministers of the UK and Scottish Governments have exchanged correspondence regarding the draft Water Bill. DEFRA officials are in regular contact with Scottish Government officials on issues linked to the draft Bill and its implementation.
Wales
Official Engagements
Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what official engagements (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have undertaken since September 2012. [142452]
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Mr David Jones: Details of all official engagements I and my ministerial team undertake are published on the Wales Office website every quarter.
VION Food Group
Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues and Ministers in the Welsh Government on the decision by Vion Food Group Limited to withdraw its food processing business from the UK and the impact on its subsidiaries in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [142342]
Mr David Jones: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and Ministers in the Welsh Government on a range of matters which affect Wales.
The sale of Vion Food Group Limited's UK operations is ultimately a commercial decision, however the Government will of course offer the full support that is available to those employees who may be affected.
Treasury
Bank Services
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of banks' willingness to provide basic bank accounts. [142154]
Sajid Javid: The Government are committed to ensuring that individuals are able to access an appropriate range of financial products and services.
All of the major banks currently offer basic bank accounts. More information on the different types of basic bank account on offer is available from the Money Advice Service on its website at:
http://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/
Child Tax Credit
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many adults claim child tax credit for children not residing in the UK; [141022]
(2) for how many children who do not reside in the UK child benefit is being paid. [141023]
Sajid Javid: The main purpose of child benefit and the child tax credit is to support families in the UK. Consequently, the rules for these benefits generally do not provide for them to be paid in respect of children who live abroad.
Nevertheless, both child benefit and the child tax credit are family benefits under EC Regulation 883/2004. This regulation protects the social security rights of nationals of all member states of the European economic area (EEA), including the UK, and Switzerland, when they exercise their rights of free movement under EU law.
The EC regulations have detailed rules to decide which national social security scheme a worker should pay into and which member state has responsibility for the payment of benefits, including family benefits. The EC regulations generally provide that workers should pay contributions into the social security scheme of the member state where they work and, in turn, that state is
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responsible for the payment of family benefits. Consequently, nationals of other EEA member states who are working in the UK and paying compulsory UK national insurance contributions are entitled to claim UK family benefits in respect of children living in another member state.
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to him on 28 January 2013, Official report, columns 619-20W, for details about the number of claims for family benefits paid under the EC Regulations for children resident in another member state and which member states such children reside.
Corporation Tax Yields
Mr Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the yield for corporation tax was in 2012; and what estimate he has made of the annual yield for corporation tax in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 following the changes in the controlled foreign company rules on 1 January 2013 and 1 January 2014. [142427]
Mr Gauke: Corporation tax receipts are published on an annual basis and are available in Table 11.1A of HMRC's corporation tax National Statistics, a link to which is provided as follows:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/ct-receipts/table11-1a.pdf
The Office for Budget Responsibility published its latest forecast of Corporation Tax receipts in Table 4.6 of the December 2012 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, a link to which is provided as follows:
http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/pubs/December-2012-Economic-and-fiscal-outlook23423423.pdf
The estimated Exchequer impact of changes to the Controlled Foreign Company regime is set out in the Tax Impact and Information Note available on the HMRC website at the following link:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/tiin-0724.pdf
Debts Written Off: Burma
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much debt relief has been granted to the Government of Burma by the UK. [143006]
Sajid Javid: In line with the Pans Club agreement reached on the 24 and 25 January 2013, the UK will provide 50% cancellation on arrears due to the UK, with remaining amounts rescheduled over 15 years, with a seven-year grace period. The exact amount of cancellation is to be determined, following reconciliation of debt numbers with Burma.
LIBOR
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of public monies that will be used by Royal Bank of Scotland to pay fines for attempted manipulation of LIBOR rates. [143018]
Greg Clark: The Government have changed the system so that all revenue from UK fines can be used to the benefit of the taxpaying public. We have made provision in the Financial Services Act 2012 for all such fines—net of enforcement costs—to go to the Exchequer.
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The Government have made it clear to RBS that, on this occasion, the US fines should be met in full from past, present and future reductions in variable remuneration for RBS.
Public Expenditure: Scotland
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Barnett consequential funding has been granted to the Scottish Government as a result of expenditure on Crossrail. [142887]
Danny Alexander: Allocations for Crossrail were determined in the 2010 spending review. The Scottish Government received Barnett consequentials on the changes to the Department for Transport budget in the normal way as set out in the statement of funding policy. No further allocations have been subsequently made for this project.
Public Sector Debt
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) the total amount of Government debt and (b) total Government debt as a percentage of gross domestic product was in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12; and what his estimated figures are for 2012-13. [142148]
Sajid Javid: As set out in the December public sector finances release, public sector net debt (PSND) (excluding the temporary effects of financial interventions) was £770 billion in 2009-10, £910 billion in 2010-11 and £1026 billion in 2011-12. As published in its December 2012 “Economic and fiscal outlook”, the Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast that PSND will total £1186 billion in 2012-13. As a percentage of gross domestic product, these figures are 53.1, 60.4, 66.8 and 74.7%, respectively. The Government are taking decisive action to return the public finances to a sustainable position and to provide protection against uncertainty from the global economy. The OBR has judged that the Government were on track to meet their fiscal mandate (to balance the cyclically-adjusted current budget within a rolling 5-year period) a year early, in 2016-17.
The Government inherited an exceptional fiscal challenge. The financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 resulted in the largest deficit since the second world war and unsustainable public spending. The state was borrowing one pound in every four that it spent. The coalition Government took action and set out a clear, detailed and credible consolidation plan to tackle this historically high level of public borrowing, ensuring that the public finances are restored to a sustainable path. As a result, the Government have made significant progress in reversing the unprecedented increase in borrowing between 2008 and 2010 with public sector net borrowing cut by a quarter, falling from £159 billion (11.2% of GDP) in 2009-10 to £122 billion (8.0% of GDP) in 2011-12.
Tax Yields
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total tax revenue taken from each local authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available. [143014]
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Mr Gauke: HMRC publishes total tax revenue for the United Kingdom: a link to the publication is as follows:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/receipts/info-analysis.pdf
Estimates for total tax revenue by local authority are not available. Estimates are available for personal incomes and stamp duty land tax at the local authority level.
Estimates of income for taxpayers resident in each country, region, borough and district or unitary authority for 2010-11 are published in table 3.14:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/personal-incomes/tables3-11_3-15a.pdf
Estimates of total yield attributable to residential and non-residential land and property transactions by each local authority are available for 2011-12: see the link as follows:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/stamp-duty/table15-4-1112.pdf
Tax Yields: Tobacco
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was generated from taxes on tobacco in each of the last five years. [142438]
Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs publishes excise duty collected on tobacco products in the HMRC national statistics bulletin. The tobacco duty revenues for the last five years are provided in the following table, available here:
https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutyBulletins.aspx
| Financial year | Total tobacco duty revenue (£ million) |
VAT collected on tobacco products is not available. Therefore the total tax revenue collected from tobacco taxation is not available.
Taxation: Fraud
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been (a) investigated and (b) prosecuted for tax fraud in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland and (iii) South Lanarkshire in each of the last five years. [142072]
Mr Gauke: The term “investigation” can cover many types of interventions undertaken by HMRC. For instance any tax return can be looked at to ensure its accuracy, and HMRC engages with individuals and companies on their tax affairs on the telephone and by carrying out compliance visits. HMRC carries out hundreds of thousands of such interventions every year.
The majority of tax evasion cases are dealt with using cost-effective civil settlement procedures.
HMRC also has the power to investigate criminally those that seek to defraud the Exchequer, and it publishes its policy around when it will use this power.
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HMRC is not a prosecuting authority. Where cases do proceed to the criminal courts the prosecution is carried out by the relevant independent prosecuting authority. This is the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in Scotland, and the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland (PPSNI).
Details of the total number of individuals prosecuted and convicted for tax offences are set out as follows. These include offences in relation to both direct and indirect tax, excise, and tax credits.
It is not HMRC’s policy to divulge regionally broken- down operational data of the nature requested.
| Prosecutions | Convictions | |
Prosecution and conviction figures in any given year do not necessarily relate to the same individuals due to timing and length of case. Prior to 2010-11, prosecution figures relate to cases as opposed to individuals.
VAT: Medical Equipment
Tessa Munt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 913W, on radiotherapy, whether the Exchequer will receive VAT on the entire £300 million allocation for radiotherapy equipment; and whether large single medical equipment purchases where the funds are raised entirely from charitable donations are exempt from VAT. [142354]
Mr Gauke: Where NHS trusts do pay VAT on the purchase of radiotherapy equipment, this tax will accrue to the Exchequer. The provision of free health care is not a business activity for VAT purposes, and therefore VAT paid on related purchases of goods cannot be recovered. However, funding for the NHS is intended to meet their irrecoverable VAT costs.
There is a VAT zero-rate provision available for 'relevant goods' purchased with charitable or donated funds when it is purchased by an eligible body or donated to an eligible body whose activities are not carried on for profit and used in medical or veterinary research, training, diagnosis or treatment. Relevant goods include medical, scientific, video, computer, sterilising, laboratory or refrigeration equipment. Eligible bodies include certain health bodies, such as national health service trusts, non-profit making research institutions, and certain charitable institutions.
Welfare Tax Credits
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of recent trends in the backlog of tax credits; and if he will make a statement. [142244]
Sajid Javid: HMRC is currently exceeding all internal timeliness targets for tax credit customer processing, and there are no processing backlogs for tax credit new claims and changes of circumstance.
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Working Tax Credit
Mr Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people of each ethnicity received working tax credits in the latest period for which figures are available. [142391]
Sajid Javid: The numbers of those in receipt of working tax credit by ethnicity were estimated for the 2004-05 financial year.
They show that, of the 1,156,000 families who could be classified by ethnicity:
1,025,000 contained an applicant of white origin;
15,000 contained an applicant of mixed origin;
22,000 contained an applicant of Indian origin;
58,000 contained an applicant of Pakistani/Bangladeshi origin;
34,000 contained an applicant of black origin;
14,000 contained an applicant of Chinese or other origin.
The individual ethnic groups are not additive, since couple families with applicants from different ethnic groups will appear twice.
There were a further 522,000 families in receipt of working tax credit who it was not possible to classify by ethnic group.
This information is available by summing the first and fourth columns of Table 2a in HM Revenue and Customs' published “Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit Take-up by Ethnic Group 2004-05”. This publication is available here:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110615131426/http:/www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/takeup-ethnicgroup0405.pdf
Estimates for more recent years are only available at disproportionate cost.
Working Tax Credit: Self-employed
Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions his Department has initiated for fraudulently claiming working tax credit in respect of self-employment in the most recent 12 months for which data are available. [142014]
Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is not a prosecuting authority. Where cases do proceed to the criminal courts the prosecution is carried out by the relevant independent prosecuting authority. This is the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in Scotland, and the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland (PPSNI).
In the current tax year, commencing 6 April 2012, 47 of the cases HMRC investigated for tax credit offences have progressed to prosecution and 66 convictions have been secured. Prosecution and conviction figures in any given year do not necessarily relate to the same individuals due to timing and length of case.
These figures represent the total for all tax credit offences including those conducted and prosecuted with or on behalf of another Government Department. HMRC's management information does not include data on the employment status of individuals prosecuted for tax credit offences. To gather this information would incur disproportionate cost.
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Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what circumstances someone entering self-employment and receiving working tax credit will have their tax credits deemed to have been wholly or partly overpaid once the outcome of the first year's trading is known. [143020]
Sajid Javid: An overpayment of tax credit occurs where the amount of tax credit paid for a tax year exceeds the amount of tax credit to which the claimant is entitled.
The amount of entitlement is decided at the end of the year in question when claimants are asked to confirm their circumstances for the year.
Self-employed claimants, including those who have just completed their first year's trading, can in the first instance provide an estimate of income for the year. They then have the opportunity to confirm their actual income by 31 January following the end of the tax year. This is in line with the obligation on the self- employed to finalise their tax returns by the same date. If an actual income figure is not provided, the final tax credit decision is made using the estimated income held by HMRC.
Defence
Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget for the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors for 2012-13 is. [142984]
Mr Francois: There is no budget specifically allocated for the Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors for 2012-13. If costs are incurred, they are met from the Ministry of Defence's Central Legal Services budget.
The Committee meets only when a request for an appeal is received and the hearing lasts for one day. The Committee consists of a Chairman and Deputy and four ordinary members, but in practice only the quorum is invited to sit at a hearing. The quorum for a meeting is the Chairman or Deputy and two ordinary members. Committee members are only paid when their services are required. At the time of the last appeal in December 2010 the ordinary members received £200 each for the day (plus expenses). The Chairman received no payment as he was a salaried judge. The Committee's secretariat support is provided, when required, by permanent staff from Central Legal Services at no extra cost.
Armed Forces
Mr Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-time equivalent personnel are serving in the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force in an operational capacity; and how many full-time (a) Army, Navy and Royal Air Force and (b) civilian personnel work in his Department. [142381]
Mr Francois: The full-time trained strengths of the UK armed forces, and the number of personnel deployed on operations as at 1 December 2012 was as follows:
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| Service | Total strength |
| Note: Where rounding has been used, sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. | |
As of 4 February 2013, there were approximately 12,500 personnel deployed on operations overseas. The precise number of personnel fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces, visits and a range of other factors. We do not, therefore, publish actual figures for personnel deployed in theatre.
The number of civilian personnel as at 1 January 2013 was 66,170. Military and civilian employment figures are published in the UK Armed Forces Quarterly Personnel Report and Quarterly Civilian Report.
Armed Forces: Redundancy
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the exemptions for armed forces personnel six months before an operational tour and six months after an operational tour, which were introduced in 1993, were not introduced in the most recent tranche of redundancies in the armed forces. [139886]
Mr Francois: The regulations covering redundancies from the armed forces in 1993 were set out in Defence Council Instructions (DCIs). My officials have undertaken a thorough search of the relevant DCIs from the period 1992-95 and have been unable to locate any instructions governing exemptions, exceptions or exclusions to redundancy on the grounds of proximity to an operational tour, both in terms of timeframe and location.
As I said in the House on 22 January 2013, Official Report, column 171, in response to the right hon. Gentleman, in common with previous redundancy tranches following the 2010 strategic defence and strategy review, we have made important exemptions. Under the terms of the recently announced third tranche of redundancies, no one serving in a location which qualifies for an operational allowance on the day the redundancy notices are issued will be made redundant, unless they are applicants. Similarly, those preparing for, or recovering from such operations on the day the redundancy notices are issued will not be made redundant unless they have applied. Those deploying on Operation Herrick 18 will be informed in April this year.
Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what resettlement support will be provided to members of the armed forces who will be made redundant in summer 2013. [140430]
Mr Francois:
Assisting our former service personnel transition to civilian employment is of major importance to the Department. All service personnel selected for redundancy receive financial compensation and a comprehensive resettlement package to help them find a job and transition to life outside the armed forces.
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Historically, 93% of those who look for work are in full-time employment within six months of leaving the armed forces, rising to 97% after 12 months.
Soldiers being made redundant in tranche 3 will qualify for the normal resettlement package available to all armed forces personnel. In addition, as part of the special arrangements for redundancy all Army personnel will receive the same level of graduated resettlement time (GRT) and training to which they would have been entitled had they completed their full commission or engagement. GRT is flexible time which may be used by personnel to complete resettlement activities such as training courses, civilian work attachments and resettlement activities such as job and house hunting. Also, to help families find accommodation, they may retain their service families' accommodation for up to 93 days after their discharge.
The resettlement package includes financial related briefings covering budget and debt management, specialist housing advice, and advice on the importance of seeking medical help, including the ability to access mental health services should they feel it necessary.
Further support is available through the Career Transition Partnership in the form of training courses; career transition workshops; employment and future career advice; assistance with curriculum vitae writing and job preparation; vocational training; and a job-search/recruitment facility.
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are liable for redundancy under tranche 3 from the infantry; and at what rank such service personnel are. [142694]
Mr Francois [holding answer 11 February 2013]: The army redundancy programme tranche 3 announcement in January 2013 highlighted the requirement for up to 5,300 personnel to be made redundant. Based on current planning assumptions, this figure includes 1,082 personnel from the Infantry. A breakdown by rank is as follows:
| Rank | Number of personnel |
These numbers may change in response to changing operational requirements, other emerging business needs, and to maximise the number of applicants. This applies to all redundancy figures under the requirement for tranche 3.
Armed Forces: Sexual Offences
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving armed forces personnel have been convicted of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) assault by penetration by a court martial since 2005 and (i) placed on the Violent and Sex Offenders Register and (ii) not placed on the Violent and Sex Offenders Register; and if he will make a statement. [136155]
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Mr Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 November 2012, Official Report, column 55W, regarding the number of serving armed forces personnel who have been convicted of rape or sexual assault. The figures provided for the number of personnel convicted of sexual assault included any personnel who have been convicted of assault by penetration.
As defined in section three of the 2006 Sex Offences Act, notification requirements flow from the conviction and therefore if a serving member of the armed forces was convicted of rape or sexual assault they would automatically be subject to the notification requirements.
As of 6 February 2013, the Department has been notified of four Royal Navy, 17 Army and two Royal Air Force personnel who are on the Sex Offenders Register for various sexual offences.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving armed forces personnel have received a police caution for sexual offences in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement. [136156]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence does not hold reliable data on the number of serving armed forces personnel who have received a police caution for sexual offences. The Department is aware, however, that as at 8 February 2013, there are five serving personnel (one Royal Navy, three Army and one RAF) on the Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) who have received police cautions for sexual offences and are subject to notification requirements.
Armed Forces: Teachers
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the cost to his Department was in 2012-13 of the Troops to Teachers scheme; [142982]
(2) how many former serving personnel have (a) registered with the Troops to Teachers scheme and (b) successfully secured employment as a teacher through the Troops to Teachers scheme; [142983]
(3) what his Department spent on the Troops to Teachers scheme in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [142985]
Mr Francois: Troops to Teachers is important to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as a means to help our service leavers as they undergo resettlement and seek second careers, as well as to benefit the education sector.
The Department has been collaborating closely with the Department for Education (DFE) and the Teaching Agency in developing the DFE's Troops to Teachers programme. However, we are not a delivery partner nor accountable for delivering the programme's outcomes: that is a matter for DFE and their contractors.
The MOD does not hold records of service leaver registrations to the programme, and there is no cost to the Department.
Army: Training
Sir Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps will be necessary to make the Army's training estate compliant with the Future Character of Conflict concepts; [142711]
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(2) what estimate he has made of the cost of sustaining the existing training estate; and what resources have been allocated to fund this; [142712]
(3) what estimate he has made of the cost of enhancing the training infrastructure in order to fulfil the Army 2020 plan; and what resources have been allocated to fund this; [142713]
(4) what estimate he has made of the suitability of the Army's training estate for the Army 2020 plan; [142714]
(5) what progress he is making in (a) developing new and (b) enhancing existing training facilities necessary to fulfil the Army 2020 plan. [142715]
Mr Francois: Army 2020 will inevitably impact on the MOD training estate. It is too early at this time to say exactly what these impacts may be.
Astute Class Submarines
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has made of the cost of (a) design, (b) manufacture and (c) procurement of additional Astute class submarines, above the seven that are planned. [143023]
Mr Dunne: The 2010 strategic defence and security review (Cm 7948) committed the Ministry of Defence to delivering seven Astute class submarines. There are no plans for additional Astute class submarines.
Defence Fire Service: Retirement
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his policy is on the retirement age for staff of the Defence Fire and Rescue Service; and if he has any plans to change the retirement age for such staff from 68 years old; [141967]
(2) what medical evidence has been used by his Department to inform decisions on changes to the retirement age for staff of the Defence Fire and Rescue Service. [141969]
Mr Francois: Although the Ministry of Defence (MOD) abolished its policy of a contractual retirement age for the majority of its civil servants in 2010, the Defence Fire and Rescue Service continues to operate a retirement age of 65. This decision was based on academic research and drawn up under the guidance of Defence Medical Services.
Defence firefighters are civil servants and, as such, are subject to the rules of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme. Since 2007 all new entrants have been subject to a normal pension age of 65 and this applies equally to MOD firefighters.