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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 14 February 2013
Work and Pensions
Absent Parents: Scotland
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases under consideration by the Child Support Agency involve absent parents in (a) Scotland and (b) Perth and North Perthshire constituency. [143473]
Steve Webb: As of September 2012, there were 96,700 Child Support Agency live and assessed cases where the non-resident parent resides in Scotland and 1,660 where the non-resident parent resides in Perth and North Perthshire parliamentary constituency.
Employment and Support Allowance: Perth
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed employment and support allowance in Perth and North Perthshire constituency in each of the last three years. [143475]
Mr Hoban: Statistics on how many people claimed employment and support allowance in Perth and North Perthshire constituency can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
Guidance for users is available at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
Housing Benefit
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the ability of the private rental market to accommodate people who leave the social rented sector due to their inability to meet increased costs as a consequence of the under-occupancy penalty in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency. [143266]
Steve Webb: This information is not available.
This measure is not about forcing people to move. We expect many households will prefer to remain where they are and find a way of making up the shortfall, in the same way that those living in the private rented sector in properties that are too large do.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of local authority tenants in England and Wales who will be affected by his proposed changes to housing benefit. [143402]
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Steve Webb: DWP estimates that the number of social rented sector tenants (which includes both local authority and housing association tenants) in England and Wales that will be affected by the under-occupancy measure will be 580,000.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what transitional measures are in place to assist individuals likely to be adversely affected by proposed changes to rules on occupancy for housing benefit. [143415]
Steve Webb: The size criteria rules that apply in the private rented sector will be extended to those who are under-occupying in the social rented sector from 1 April 2013.
These rules will apply to both new and existing housing benefit claimants from this date.
An additional £30 million has been given to the discretionary housing payment fund to specifically help disabled people living in specially adapted accommodation and foster carers who have been affected by this measure.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures are in place to assist cohabiting couples who are required to sleep in separate bedrooms and who may potentially be affected by the proposed under-occupancy penalty. [143416]
Steve Webb: Cohabiting couples are not exempt from the under-occupancy charge, whether or not they sleep in the same bedroom.
The discretionary housing payment scheme may be available to help people affected by this measure but this is dependent upon individual circumstances.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the costs to the public purse of tenants moving from social housing to private sector housing but who may still qualify for housing benefit. [143471]
Steve Webb: This information is not available.
Taxpayers are currently paying for approaching a million spare bedrooms in the social housing sector while families are living in overcrowded conditions while waiting to be re-housed.
The potential impacts on costs and savings of tenants leaving the property they are under-occupying are complex and subject to a great deal of uncertainty. They depend partly on the accommodation to which the tenant moves and the accommodation from which the new tenant taking up their property comes.
This measure is not about forcing people to move. We expect many households will prefer to remain where they are and find a way of making up the shortfall, in the same way that those living in the private rented sector in properties that are too large do.
There are a number of options available to people affected by this measure. For example, they could increase working hours, take in a lodger, or move to smaller accommodation in either the social or private sectors.
It is however for individual claimants to determine the best approach for them.
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Housing Benefit: Scotland
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government about the advice that should be provided to households affected by the introduction of the under-occupancy penalty in the social rented sector in April 2013. [143583]
Steve Webb: Advice to individual claimants is the responsibility of local authorities who will deliver this measure. DWP issued national guidance on 3 July 2012:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/a4-2012.pdf
Incapacity Benefit
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional support his Department provides for claimants of incapacity benefit. [142970]
Mr Hoban: We are currently reassessing (with very few exceptions) everyone on incapacity benefit (IB), severe disablement allowance (SDA) and income support (IS) (where this is paid because of an illness or disability) to see if they are ready and capable to work.
Those claimants who, following assessment, are found not to be immediately ready for, and capable of, work will have their existing awards of IB terminated and transferred to employment and support allowance (ESA) instead. They will be informed if they have been placed in the work related activity group (WRAG) or the support group.
Claimants in the WRAG may be required to attend work focused interviews and to undertake work related activities. Claimants in the support group do not have to undertake any work related activity but can volunteer for support if they wish.
Where a claimant is found fit for work following assessment, claimants may be entitled to other benefits such as jobseeker's allowance, income support for other reasons or pension credit depending on their circumstances.
The Work programme provides support to a wide range of claimants, including those receiving ESA and jobseeker's allowance.
Those with greater disability related barriers to work may be referred to Work Choice, if mainstream support is not appropriate for them. Work Choice participants get consistent, quality support from providers based on their individual needs.
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National Insurance Fund
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of any increase in the income of the national insurance fund as a result of the abolition of contracting out. [143198]
Steve Webb: Estimates of the amount of additional national insurance contributions associated with the proposed abolition of contracting out from the point of implementation of the single-tier pension are presented in the impact assessment accompanying “The single-tier pension: a simple foundation for saving”.
The impact assessment was published on 18 January and is available on the internet at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/single-tier-pension-impact-assessment.pdf
New Enterprise Allowance: Yorkshire and the Humber
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber are in receipt of the new enterprise allowance. [143484]
Mr Hoban: In Brigg and Goole constituency, there were 60 NEA mentor starts and 30 weekly allowance starts over the period January 2011 to November 2012. In the Jobcentre Plus district of north east Yorkshire and the Humber, there were 1,630 mentor starts and 740 weekly allowance starts over the same period.
The numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.
These figures are based upon official Get Britain Working statistics available via the DWP website:
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/pwp/pwp_gbw_feb13.pdf
Pension Credit
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) annual amount of unclaimed pension credit and (b) number of pensioners failing to claim pension credit. [143199]
Steve Webb: The most recent estimates of take-up cover the period 2009-10. Figures for the number of pensioners entitled to but not receiving pension credit in Great Britain in 2009-10 are presented in the following table:
The ‘Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up’ report covers Great Britain for the financial year 2009-10. It provides caseload and expenditure estimates of take-up for income support and employment and support allowance (income-related), pension credit, housing benefit (including local housing allowance), council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based). The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 10 June 2010. The figures are available online and can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb
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Social Security Benefits: EU Countries
Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what comparative assessment he has made of (a) levels of benefits and (b) qualifying thresholds to access benefits in other EU member states. [143505]
Mr Hoban: My Department frequently considers comparative levels of benefits and qualifying thresholds for access to benefits in the context of policy on the coordination of social security benefits in the EU, and in considering access to benefits for migrants.
Levels and thresholds vary considerably across the EU. In the case of unemployment benefit, for example, entitlement can be based on contributions or periods of employment, ranging from four months to two years. Other benefits may be based on contributions, employment or residence. Levels of many benefits are difficult to compare, as they can be a fixed amount, or a percentage of previous earnings, leading to a particularly wide range of potential amounts. In addition, conditions of entitlement also differ.
Information on benefit conditions and entitlements in the EU is collected by the Mutual Information System on Social Protection/Social Security (MISSOC) which has comparative tables:
www.missoc.org
A report by the European Commission
http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/economic_paper/2012/pdf/ecb454_en.pdf
published in 2012 concluded that all central and eastern European countries have less generous unemployment benefit systems than the EU average; Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, Finland and the Netherlands appear to be relatively generous compared with the EU average, while in the UK, Malta, Slovakia, Estonia, Poland and Romania benefit conditions are relatively tight.
State Retirement Pensions
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost would be of extending entitlement to the single-tier pension to existing pensioners at the date of its introduction; and how much would be saved in means-tested benefits as a result of such a policy. [143197]
Steve Webb: The single-tier pension will deliver a simple and fair state pension set above the basic level of means-tested support, providing clarity and confidence to better support saving for retirement. Providing this platform for saving also underpins automatic enrolment.
Moreover, the reforms are designed to cost no more than the current system and are not about spending more money on future pensioners, but spending money more effectively to better support saving for retirement. As a consequence, some people will get more under the single-tier reforms than if the current system continued, and some less.
The Department has estimated the annual cost of increasing the pensions of people who reach state pension age before the implementation of single-tier pension to the proposed single-tier level as being around £10 billion in the medium term. These costs are net of an associated
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reduction in expenditure on means-tested benefits of around £2 billion. Full details are available on the Department's website at
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2011/cost_140_a_week_state_pension.pdf
Current pensioners remain a priority for Government and we have introduced the triple lock to ensure that the basic state Pension rises by at least 2.5% each year. Those who reach state pension age before the reforms are implemented will continue to receive their state pension in line with the existing rules.
State Retirement Pensions: Perth
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed the state pension in Perth and North Perthshire constituency in each of the last three years. [143476]
Steve Webb: Information on the numbers of people in receipt of state pension in Perth and North Perthshire constituency is available from 100% data and is published on the Department for Work and Pensions' website at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
Guidance for users is available at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
Vacancies: Advertising
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps his Department has taken to prevent jobs that have already been filled being advertised on the Universal Jobmatch website; [143210]
(2) what checks Jobcentre Plus carries out to ensure that all jobs advertised on the Universal Jobmatch website are still available. [143211]
Mr Hoban: When a company posts a job in the Universal Jobmatch service an expiry date has to be set. The company can change the expiry date at any time or close the job earlier at their choice.
DWP makes no additional checks to verify that jobs advertised are still available. However, any complaints raised about any jobs on the service are handled by DWP.
Work Capability Assessment
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve the accuracy of work capability assessments for people diagnosed with (a) HIV, (b) hepatitis C and (c) other fluctuating conditions. [143439]
Mr Hoban: We are taking a number of steps to improve the accuracy of the work capability assessments for people diagnosed with HIV, hepatitis C and other fluctuating conditions. Our main focus in this area is to improve the descriptors for people with mental, cognitive and intellectual functioning and fluctuating conditions.
Following his second independent review in November 2011 Professor Harrington commissioned two groups of charities including the MS Society and the National AIDS Trust, to provide recommendations to refine descriptors respectively for (a) mental, cognitive and intellectual functioning and (b) fluctuating conditions.
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Each group provided recommendations for changes to the descriptors to Professor Harrington and since early summer 2012, the Department has worked extensively with the charities to agree a single assessment that combines recommendations from both the mental functioning and fluctuating conditions groups, and that the descriptors are suitable for testing. The ‘alternative' assessment was approved by the charities at the end of August 2012.
Since then we have been working to put together an Evidence Based Review to test the alternative assessment, including developing the training necessary for the health care professionals conducting the alternative assessments; further work with the charities concerning the practicalities of the test, and the evaluation strategy.
We intend to begin the testing phase of the Evidence Based Review in the spring with a final report published later in the year.
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to include a success fee as part of the work capability assessment contract in order to penalise the contract holder on occasions when a high number of decisions are overturned on appeal. [143440]
Mr Hoban: The objective of the assessment is to provide recommendations to DWP as to which group a claimant should be placed in.
We closely monitor the quality of the assessment and there is a financial penalty build into the contract should standards fall below a certain level. There has been no need as yet to use this mechanism.
Home Department
Brodie Clark
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid in total as compensation to Mr Brodie Clark. [141976]
Mr Harper: The details of Mr Clark's settlement payment were given in the UK Border Agency annual report and accounts 2011-12, printed on 12 July 2012.
Food: Waste
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much surplus food was thrown away by her Department in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [143455]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not contract directly for food supplies but procures catering services through wider facilities management (FM) or operational service contractors.
The Home Office records its total waste as required for the annual Sustainable Development in Government Report, and is working to reduce its total waste. The Home Office does not record food waste as a separate waste stream; it does however have data relating to the total volume of food waste disposed of in its headquarters
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building at 2 Marsham street. The data includes waste from self-catering by staff and visitors as well as contractor catering.
| Calendar year | Food waste at Home Office HQ (Tonnes) |
Ibrahim Magag
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2013, Official Report, column 562, on Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures, whether Ibrahim Magag was under surveillance at the time he absconded. [143466]
James Brokenshire: We do not comment on operational security matters.
Immigrants: Detainees
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people detained for immigration purposes suffered from a mental illness in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [143031]
Mr Harper [holding answer 12 February 2013]: The information requested is not recorded centrally and could be provided only by examination of individual records which would be at disproportionate cost. All centres provide primary health care facilities which are equivalent to those available in the community and have access to visiting specialists including psychiatric services.
All detainees receive a health care screening, normally with a nurse, within two hours of arrival in an immigration removal centre. The screening includes an assessment of their physical and mental health, including whether they have been the victim of torture.
Additionally, medical records for detainees are confidential and unavailable to the UK Border Agency.
The only exception to this is where a medical practitioner believes a detainee's health is likely to be injuriously affected by continued detention. In such circumstances, he or she is required to inform the UK Border Agency.
Immigration Controls
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on how many sponsor licence applications decisions are outstanding; and how many sponsor licence applications lodged before (a) January 2012, (b) March 2012, (c) June 2012, (d) July 2012, (e) August 2012 and (f) September 2012 are awaiting a decision; [140390]
(2) how many cases for sponsors licence applications are outstanding. [141051]
Mr Harper [holding answer 30 January 2013]: The number of sponsor licence applications awaiting a decision is 585. Of the applications that are awaiting a decision, there are none that were lodged before March 2012. A breakdown by the months specified is shown in the following table:
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| Table 1: New sponsor licence applications awaiting a decision | |
| Applications received in month: | Applications |
| Notes: 1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Figures relate to sponsorship licence applications from organisations. 3. Figures relate to applications pending a decision as of 28 January 2013. | |
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for sponsor licences have taken over six months to decide in the last 10 years. [140391]
Mr Harper [holding answer 30 January 2013]:The sponsor register opened on 29 February 2008, since that date 51,622 sponsor licence applications have been decided of which 1,543 applications took more than six months to decide (as at 28 January 2013). These applications were of a complex nature and required further investigation. This is internal management information. It is provisional and subject to change.
Immigration: Children
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2013, Official Report, column 140W, on immigration: children, for what reasons her Department does not hold information on how many children living in the UK without immigration status were abandoned in the UK by their parents, by country of origin. [140552]
Mr Harper [holding answer 31 January 2013]:A child without immigration status is unlikely to have been previously encountered by the UK Border Agency. Therefore the UK Border Agency is not able to collect data on the number of children living in the UK without immigration status.
When the UK Border Agency becomes aware of a child in this situation, steps will immediately be taken to address the child's immigration status and to refer the case to the relevant local authority to ensure that the child is safeguarded.
Ivory
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will undertake research with her African and EU counterparts on the links between serious organised crime and the sale of illegal ivory. [143073]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The UK's law enforcement agencies are already working with partners from around the world to tackle the involvement of organised crime in the illegal trade in ivory.
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Police: Private Sector
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of a requirement for private sector staff working for police forces to be licensed by the Security Industry Authority. [142728]
James Brokenshire: Persons who engage in licensable conduct when providing security services under contract, as defined in the Private Security Industry Act 2001, are required to be licensed by the Security Industry Authority. Whether these security services are provided to a police force has no bearing on this legal requirement.
The Home Office has made no assessment at present of this legal requirement as it relates to security services provided to police forces.
Prostitution
Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been confiscated by the police under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2009 from raids on brothels since that Act's implementation; and how much was (a) retained by the police, (b) retained by the Crown Prosecution Service and (c) made available to victims of trafficking. [142858]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The United Kingdom does not have a Proceeds of Crime Act 2009.
According to the Joint Asset Recovery Database, the total amount recorded as confiscated by the police relating to brothels, prostitution, pornography and pimps since the introduction of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 is £12,182,255.
Under the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme, the amount returned to:
(a) the police is £2,256,520.
(b) the Crown Prosecution Service is £1,780,346.
The amount made available to victims of trafficking is not recorded centrally.
Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regulations her Department has repealed in the last six months; and what the estimated cost-saving has been of each such repeal. [141885]
Mr Harper: The Department revoked three sets of regulations between 1 August 2012 and 31 January 2013. They are the Police (Performance) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/2862), the Police (Performance and Conduct) (Amendment: Metropolitan Police) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/3027) and the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/2864).
The revocation of these regulations did not result in any quantifiable cost-saving.
UK Border Agency
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials who were working for the UK Border Agency (UKBA) on 1 January 2010 are still working for the UKBA. [141972]
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Mr Harper: The number of officials who were working for the UK Border Agency on 1 January 2010 and are still working for the UK Border Agency (UKBA) is: 10,205 headcount or 9,579 full-time equivalent (FTE) as at 31 December 2012.
The figure above excludes any officials who were working for Border Force and those who may have transferred to Border Force, which was part of UK Border Agency on 1 March 2011 and is now part of the main Home Office.
The number also excludes personnel working for the UK Border Agency as locally engaged staff and UK based staff posted overseas because their records are held on a database owned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. That would have required manual examination of records, and/or extraction of data from Foreign and Commonwealth Office systems at disproportionate cost.
Work Permits
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average wait is for Romanian and Bulgarian nationals to receive work permits as of January 2013. [140645]
Mr Harper [holding answer 31 January 2013]:The latest period for which figures are available is July to September 2012. The average time taken to process decided Romanian and Bulgarian worker card applications in this period was 66 calendar days.
(1) The figure quoted has been derived from management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.
(2) Figure relates to main applicants only.
(3) Figure relates to applications despatched in the period from 1 July to 30 September 2012.
(4) Processing time based on average number of calendar days between application raised (received) and despatch date.
Prime Minister
David Ord
Wayne David: To ask the Prime Minister (1) when he last met David Ord; and whether proposals for a Severn barrage were discussed in that meeting; [143039]
(2) what (a) meetings, (b) correspondence and (c) emails he has had with Bristol Port since January 2012. [143040]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the list of official meetings by Ministers with external organisations which can be found on the Cabinet Office website. It is a matter of public record that I have met Mr Ord in my capacity as leader of the Conservative party.
Food Banks
Luciana Berger: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2013, Official Report, column 900, whether he has since visited his local food bank. [143254]
The Prime Minister: I visited a local food bank on 9 February 2013 and will visit another food bank in the near future.
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Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have lasted for (a) up to six, (b) six to 12 and (c) over 12 months. [143424]
Matthew Hancock: Table 1 shows apprenticeship achievements (adjusted) by duration for the 2011-12 academic year, the latest year for which full year data are available.
Care should be taken when interpreting apprenticeship durations as they are dependent on the mix of apprenticeship levels and frameworks, and the prior attainment of learners (some will already have completed parts of the apprenticeship). The adjusted measure is intended to exclude those apprentices with some prior attainment.
From August 2012, Ministers have decided that an apprenticeship must last at least 12 months for under 19s and for adults as well unless prior learning is recorded and funding reduced accordingly. This is to ensure that every apprenticeship involves sufficient new learning and opportunities to embed new skills.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship achievements (adjusted) by duration, 2011/12 | |
| Number of months | Achievements (adjusted) |
| Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10, except for the total, which is rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Apprenticeship achievements by duration (adjusted) are based on the actual end date of the apprenticeship as recorded in the ILR; it only includes those achievements within the academic year that were fully funded. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship programme starts by (a) 16 to 18-year-olds, (b) 19 to 24-year-olds and (c) 25-year-olds and above there were in each parliamentary constituency in England in the academic year (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12. [143482]
Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by parliamentary constituency and age are published in a Supplementary Table to a quarterly Statistical First Release (SFR):
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/EAD8024F-3019-4D5C-A6EC-B6241B089862/0/January2013_ApprenticeshipStartsbyGeographyLevelAge.xls
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/Statistics/fe_data_library/Apprenticeships/
Apprentices: South Yorkshire
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been created in each month since May 2010 in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Barnsley local education authority and (c) South Yorkshire for people aged (i) between 16 and 24, (ii) between 25 and 49 and (iii) over 50. [143428]
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Matthew Hancock: Table 1 shows apprenticeship programme starts in Barnsley Central constituency, Barnsley local education authority and Yorkshire and the Humber region by age and quarter for 2009/10 to 2011/12 academic years, the latest year for which final data is available.
We publish apprenticeship starts at the quarterly level, therefore data for each month is not presented.
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We publish apprenticeship data at the region, local education authority and parliamentary constituency levels of geography, therefore data for South Yorkshire are not presented.
| Table 1: Apprenticeship programme starts by geography, age and quarter, 2009/10 to 2011/12 | |||||||||
| 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | |||||||
| Quarter 4 | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 | Quarter 1 | Quarter 2 | Quarter 3 | Quarter 4 | |
| Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10."—" indicates a base value of less than 5. 2. Age is based on age at the start of the programme. A small number of learners aged under 16 are included in the 16-24 age category. 3. Geographic breakdowns are based upon the home postcode of the learner. 4. Figures are based on the geographic boundaries as of May 2010. 5. 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. | |||||||||
Business: Franchises
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking (a) to recognise the risks involved in taking on a business franchise and (b) to ensure that business franchises are protected from unscrupulous franchisors. [142967]
Michael Fallon: It is important that all those going into business think carefully about the legal form they take, such as whether to trade as a limited liability company, sole trader or partnership, and the business opportunities presented to them. Taking on a franchise as a type of business can offer both advantages and disadvantages for franchisees and it is particularly important that would-be franchisees think very carefully about the proposition being offered, the commitment required and the risks involved.
Although no specific provision is made for franchisees, current business regulations, and voluntary codes of practice, offer a variety of protections to both franchisee and franchisor. The British Franchise Association (BFA) provides a range of advice on franchising at its web-site
http://www.thebfa.org
and trade associations such as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)
http://www.fsb.org.uk/
may be able to assist the small business/franchise owner.
Franchising is an important contributor to the UK economy with some 600,000 people employed in the industry, generating an estimated annual turnover of some £13.4 billion. As a business format, a new franchisee is six to seven times more likely to succeed than a non-franchise start-up and profitability rates have remained consistent, at around 90%, throughout the recession.
Buying a franchise and entering into a franchise agreement is a business undertaking and it is important that it is seen as such and that independent advice is sought if that seems necessary. The BFA recommends that anyone considering a franchise should carry out full due diligence before signing any agreement and the services of an accredited franchise solicitor should be used to review the franchise agreement. A number of expert advisors and franchise companies choose to be judged by the BFA standards, which have the European Code of Ethics for Franchising as their foundation.
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Only those that can successfully reach the BFA's standards can be recognised by the BFA, which acts as an additional guidance for potential franchisees.
In addition to advice from the BFA and trade associations such as the FSB, the Business Link helpline provides a quick response service to people and businesses based in England with simple questions about starting or running a business. It also provides a more in-depth service for those with more complex inquiries. Its website is
https://www.gov.uk/business-support-helpline
and the telephone helpline is on 0845 600 9006, available Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm. In Scotland the contact is Business Gateway at
http://www.business.scotland.gov.uk
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the comments by Professor Ian Hargreaves on the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 in his publication “Digital Opportunity: a review of intellectual property and growth”, whether he has received representations from Professor Hargreaves on this matter. [142020]
Jo Swinson: The Government have not received representations from Professor Hargreaves on the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times he has met officials at the Intellectual Property Office to discuss the Government's consultation on copyright and modernising copyright in the last six months. [142869]
Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Viscount Younger of Leckie, have regular meetings with officials at the Intellectual Property Office to discuss all matters related to IP policy. This has included discussions on the Government's response to the Hargreaves review, the subsequent copyright consultation and copyright reform more generally.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any interested party has indicated that it will pursue legal action against the Government if it does not repeal section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. [142752]
Jo Swinson: No such notification has been received.
Employment: Females
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of women in the workplace. [141834]
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Jo Swinson: The Government are committed to building a stronger and more inclusive economy which draws on the talents of both women and men. BIS is playing a central role in helping women to enter, remain and progress in the workplace.
The new system of shared parental leave will support women's participation in the workforce by giving parents the choice of equal access to paid parental leave in the first year of their child's life. The changes will encourage both parents to take an active caring role, and help both parents retain their attachment to the workplace by allowing them to agree a pattern of leave that works for them and their employers. Changing the behaviour of employers and employees will ensure that there is no longer an expectation that only mothers can care for the baby when born.
The National Careers Service offers independent, impartial, professional advice and guidance to encourage individuals to consider the full range of opportunities open to them. In depth, face-to-face guidance is targeted on those who need it most, including women returners.
We are extending the right to request flexible working to all employees, which will benefit all individuals who need to create a better balance between their personal and work life. BIS is also working to encourage cultural change, especially to encourage employers to think about the business benefits of flexible working when they recruit new employees. An employer group led by Working Families will make practical recommendations to business on how flexible working can be beneficial and how it can be built into employers' recruitment practices.
We are committed to seeing more women on the boards of the UK's top companies, as well-balanced boards bring fresh perspectives, talent, new ideas and broader experience which leads to better decision-making and higher productivity. The UK has taken a voluntary business-led approach which will deliver sustainable long-term change. Results are already being seen: in the past two and a half years the number of FTSE 100 all-male boards has fallen to seven, from a starting point of 21. On 29 January the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) wrote to the boards of the remaining seven, outlining the benefits of diversity in the boardroom and reminding them of Lord Davies' recommendation of aiming for a minimum 25% female representation on their boards by 2015.
The Department contributes to the work of the Women's Business Council, which was set up to make recommendations on how Government, business and others could maximise women's contribution to economic growth and improve the business environment for women, to maximise profit and success. We also support the “Think, Act, Report” initiative (bit.ly/UECXVK), launched in September 2011 to improve transparency and help companies think about gender equality in their workforces, on key issues such as recruitment, retention, promotion and pay.
These and a range of other Government measures, such as incentivising work by raising the tax threshold so that low-paid women pay less tax, have contributed to the fact that the number of women in work is higher than at any time in UK history.
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Insolvency Service: Liverpool
Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what future plans his Department has for the Insolvency Service office in Liverpool. [142937]
Jo Swinson: The Insolvency Service has experienced considerable instability in recent years, the root cause having been changes in demand for its largest area of work, bankruptcies and company liquidations. Difficult decisions will need to be taken about jobs, given the fall in demand, and there needs to be a reduction of overhead costs to put the service onto a more sustainable financial footing. This will include decisions on the service's estate, which is now considerably larger than required for the number of staff needed going forward. These decisions will align with the service's business strategy and reflect its need to reduce its current estate footprint by about a third.
The service will be carrying out a phased review of all individual locations, often, but not always in line with lease breaks and ends. The strategic preference will be to merge neighbouring sites where practicable to benefit from economies of scale, to enable more effective management and to enhance development opportunities for individuals. The service's Liverpool office will be included in the early stages of this review, as the current Liverpool office has a lease break coming up this year.
Intellectual Property
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with HM Treasury with regards to the effect of intellectual property reform on the creative industries. [142868]
Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), engages with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a broad range of issues across the BIS policy portfolio. Officials working on intellectual property (IP) have regular discussions with HM Treasury on IP and related policy issues and these discussions inform advice to both BIS and HMT Ministers.
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on the potential effect of intellectual property reform on the creative industries. [142940]
Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), engages with the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on a broad range of issues across the BIS policy portfolio. Officials working on intellectual property have regular discussions with the Cabinet Office on intellectual property providing advice to Ministers accordingly.
Marketing
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the value of brands to the UK economy. [142917]
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Jo Swinson: Brands are valuable both domestically and in the export market. They can help develop strong companies, which in turn will contribute to a strong UK economy, providing jobs and growth. Research by the Westminster Business School estimated that £16 billion was invested in brand development in the UK in 2006. Further, research published by the UK Intellectual Property Office in 2011 suggests that companies that regularly register trade marks, important components of branding, experience more growth, create more jobs and pay higher wages.
Medicine: Research
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in his Department have responsibility for (a) life sciences and (b) the pharmaceutical industry. [142867]
Mr Willetts: The Office for Life Sciences (OLS) is the lead team within BIS for pharmaceuticals and life sciences industries. It currently has 14.1 permanent FTE members of staff. Funding for research in life sciences and related areas is provided from BIS Science and Research funding through the Research Base with 3.4 FTE equivalent staff specific for life sciences research policy and sponsorship. Other parts of BIS are also actively engaged in life sciences work although it is difficult to quantify this engagement in terms of staff time.
In addition there are a number of other BIS organisations involved in life sciences including UK Trade and Investment, Research Councils and the Technology Strategy Board.
Regional Growth Fund: North East
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the Regional Growth Fund on job creation in (a) Northumberland and (b) the North East. [141833]
Michael Fallon: From the first three Regional Growth Fund (RGF) bidding rounds, 108 conditional awards of a total of £337.4 million have been made to businesses and public/private partnerships in the North East. Of these, 62 awards totalling £109.1 million have been finalised to date. So far businesses and partnerships have drawn down £27.3 million. (RGF payments are normally made in arrears of private sector investment.)
Monitoring reports indicate that a total of 3,844 gross jobs have been created or safeguarded in the North East as a result of RGF awards that have been finalised.
For Northumberland, there have been 13 awards for a total of £36.7 million, of which eight awards totalling £8.5 million have been finalised. Five of these have started to draw down funds, and £1 million has been paid to date. Monitoring reports indicate that a total of 134 gross jobs have been created or safeguarded in Northumberland as a result of RGF awards that have been finalised.
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Royal Mail
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom about Royal Mail's universal service obligation. [142821]
Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has a regular dialogue with Ofcom on a wide range of issues concerning the postal services market.
Under the Postal Services Act 2011, Parliament established Ofcom as an independent regulator for postal services, and gave the regulator the primary duty to secure the provision of the universal service.
All discussions between BIS and Ofcom are therefore held in this context.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses that convert vehicles to run on LPG have been operational in the UK in each of the last five years. [142975]
Norman Baker: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Transport.
I am advised that the Government does not collect business information to that level of detail.
Treasury
Departmental Responsibilities
Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's core statutory obligations are; and what estimate he has of the annual cost of delivering each such obligation. [142770]
Sajid Javid: HM Treasury's core statutory obligations are to ensure that public sector net borrowing and debt are reduced between 2011 and 2016 in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2010; to monitor and updating the Charter for Budget Responsibility under the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011; to report to Parliament where required under various statutes authorising specific government spending (for example the Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Act 2012). In addition to these the Treasury has miscellaneous statutory obligations under legislation governing financial services, financial sanctions and Government finances.
The Treasury's accounting system does not hold financial data by statutory obligation and such information could not be provided within the disproportionate costs threshold. Information on outturn and spending plans for the Treasury are shown in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts for 2011-12 (HC 46) and the Business Plan for the period 2012-15, both of which are available at:
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
The 2012-13 Annual Report and Accounts will be published later in the year.
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Developing Countries: Multinational Companies
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what specific proposals his Department will recommend to the G8 to tackle tax avoidance by multinational companies operating in developing countries. [143423]
Mr Gauke: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the response given by the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), to his question 143419, answered on 14 February 2013 and wish to add that the G8 agenda is still being finalised. Nevertheless, the Prime Minister has publicly declared that the UK's G8 presidency will focus on strengthening international tax standards, and working with developing countries to enable them to collect tax that is due to them.
EU External Trade
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of potential legal action from third parties against Government policy under any Investor State Dispute Settlement clauses that are included in future EU trade agreements; and if he will make a statement. [143044]
Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The EU has not yet concluded any agreements with Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clauses. Potential costs to the UK from any third party claims under new EU agreements cannot easily be estimated: they will depend on the party with which the agreement is signed, the specific detail of the ISDS clauses in that agreement and the nature of future Government policy towards investors. The UK Government are, however, mindful of the risks associated with ISDS clauses. We are pushing for agreements that strike the right balance between protecting EU-based businesses' investments abroad and protecting Governments' right to regulate in the public interest.
Floods: Wales
Nia Griffith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much additional funding has been given to Wales as a result of the flooding that occurred in 2012; and how this money has been allocated. [142822]
Danny Alexander: At the autumn statement 2012, the Government announced plans to increase investment in flood defences by £120 million over the remainder of this spending review period. As a result the Welsh Government received £7 million in Barnett consequentials. The allocation of this funding is a matter for the Welsh Government.
Government Procurement Card
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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. [141467]
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Sajid Javid:
The following table provides details of the average spend on a Government Procurement Card
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per member of staff within HM Treasury and each of its arm’s length bodies from April 2009 to date.
| Average spend on government procurement card per member of staff | ||||
| £ | ||||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13(1) | |
| (1) To January 2013. (2 )Note that the APA closed on 31 October 2012. | ||||
Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many regulations his Department has repealed in the last six months; and what the estimated cost-saving has been of each such repeal. [141887]
Sajid Javid: Since the One In One Out system has been in operation the Treasury has saved business £30.05 million per annum in regulatory costs, within the scope of the policy. Statements of the Treasury's regulatory and deregulatory measures, within the scope of One In One Out, are published every six months on our website. These statements can be found here:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about_new_regulations.htm
The Treasury has repealed the following regulatory pieces of legislation between 1 August 2012 and 4 February 2013:
The Community Emissions Trading Scheme (Allocation of Allowances for Payment) Regulations 2008;
Syria (European Union Financial Sanctions) (Amendment) Regulations 2012;
The Belarus (Asset-Freezing) Regulations 2012;
Financial Restrictions (Iran) Order 2012;
Sections 131B to 131D of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (short selling rules).
None of these repeals generate direct cost savings. The first repeal was made for technical reasons and does not have an impact on business, the voluntary sector or the public sector.
The Syria and Belarus regulations establish penalties regimes for European Council Regulations which have direct effect. Since then the relevant European Council Regulations have been amended, requiring consequential changes to the UK regulations. These changes have had no impact on business.
The Financial Restrictions (Iran) Order 2012 prohibited business relationships and financial transactions between UK credit and financial institutions and Iranian banks. Effectively the same prohibition is now contained in a European Council Regulation which has direct effect in the UK. Consequently the order was revoked in order to avoid any confusion resulting from two restrictions operating in parallel. Its repeal therefore has no impact on business.
The repeal of the FSA's power to make short selling rules was necessary in order to make UK law compatible with a new directly applicable EU regulation on short selling. The EU regulation has replaced the controls previously imposed by the UK legislation and so we have not estimated there to be any saving to business.
Staff
Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff are based in each property used by his Department. [143322]
Sajid Javid: The number of staff based at each site of HM Treasury are as follows:
| Location | Headcount |
This information is based on the latest data available for staffing numbers for core HM Treasury as at 31 December 2012.
Taxation: Energy
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce energy tax exemptions to protect the long-term competitiveness of the UK's energy-intensive industries. [142886]
Sajid Javid: Government have already taken action to ensure the UK's energy-intensive industries remain competitive. From this year, the Government are implementing measures worth around £250 million over the spending review period to reduce the impact of policy on the costs of electricity for the most electricity-intensive industries. This includes an increase in the level of relief from the climate change levy on electricity for Climate Change Agreement participants from 65% to 90% and a compensation package to help offset the cost of reducing carbon emissions. As set out in the Energy Bill, energy-intensive industries will also be exempted from the costs of Contracts for Difference under Electricity Market Reform, subject to consultation and state aid clearance.
Education
Adoption: Merseyside
Steve Rotheram:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children (a) were placed for adoption, (b) were adopted and (c) started to be looked after due to the breakdown of an adoptive family in (i) Liverpool,
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Walton constituency, (ii) Liverpool and (iii) Merseyside in each year since 1997. [142001]
Mr Timpson [holding answer 7 February 2013]: Information on the number of looked-after children who were (a) placed for adoption and (b) adopted for the years ending 31 March 1997 to 2012 is shown in the tables. Information at constituency level is not available.
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Information on the number of children who started to be looked after following the breakdown of an adoptive family is not currently available. Information on children who return to care following the breakdown of a previous adoption will be collected for the first time in 2014.
Alternative Education
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what percentage of pupils in each alternative provision setting were classified as persistent absentees in the most recent year for which figures are available. [142571]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 11 February 2013]: Absence data for PRUs—pupil referral units—were first collected at pupil level for the 2009/10 school year. To provide specific data at PRU level would require a substantial amount of analysis and quality assurance and this would incur disproportionate cost.
Children: Day Care
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on the number of hours of (a) formal and (b) informal child care an average child receives each week in (i) Hounslow, (ii) London, (ii) each region and (iv) the UK. [140539]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 31 January 2013]: The Department's Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents is the main source of estimates on this topic. The following table provides estimates of the use of child care during a term-time reference week in England and the English regions. Estimates for the UK or at local authority level are not available. The figures relate to 2010. The survey was published on 31 January 2013.
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| Mean and median hours of child care used by parents of children aged 0 to 14 during a term time reference week by English region 2010 | ||||||
| Any child care | Formal child care | Informal child care | ||||
| Median hours | Mean hours | Median hours | Mean hours | Median hours | Mean hours | |
| Source: Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents, 2010 | ||||||
Children's Centres: Liverpool
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the quality of provision in each Sure Start centre in Liverpool; and which facilities in Liverpool offer Sure Start provision. [142002]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 7 February 2013]:Liverpool city council's entry to the Sure Start-On database shows that Liverpool currently has 17 Sure Start children's centres. To date, Ofsted has inspected 10 of them. Of the 10, one was judged to be outstanding, eight were judged to be good and one was judged to be satisfactory.
Christmas Cards
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012. [142081]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 7 February 2013]: In 2012, the Private Office to the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), spent £885.75 on Christmas cards for the DFE ministerial team. This figure includes the cost of cards, envelopes, labels and postage.
The following table provides the amount spent by the DFE Private Office on Christmas cards in previous years:
| Cost (£) | |
The Christmas card costs have significantly reduced for 2011 and 2012 due to the purchase of in-house design work, which costs less than external procurement.
Citizenship: Curriculum
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the inclusion of Citizenship and Democracy as part of his core curriculum; and if he will make a statement. [141690]
Elizabeth Truss: We announced proposals for the new national curriculum on 7 February, confirming that citizenship will remain a compulsory national curriculum subject at key stages 3 and 4 in future. We also launched a consultation on the draft programmes of study for all national curriculum subjects, which will end on 16 April. The draft programmes of study for citizenship include teaching about democracy at key stages 3 and 4. In addition, the draft programmes of study for history at key stages 2 and 3 chart the development of democracy in the UK through to the twentieth century.
Subject to parliamentary approval, we plan to make the final programmes of study available to schools this autumn so that they can prepare for first teaching from September 2014. More information about our proposals and the consultation is available at:
www.education.gov.uk/nationalcurriculum
Correspondence
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what instructions he has issued to his private ministerial office on the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to official correspondence. [142410]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 11 February 2013]: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has not issued any instructions to his private office regarding the preparation of briefing, speeches and replies to official correspondence.
Creationism
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to schools on the teaching of creationism. [142092]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has made it clear that creationism has no place in any science curriculum and should not be taught as a valid scientific alternative to scientific theories. Creationism does not accord with the consensus of the scientific community or the very large body of established scientific evidence. There is scope for pupils to discuss beliefs about the origins of the Earth and living things, such as creationism, in religious education, as long as it is not presented as a valid alternative to established scientific theory.
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Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to paragraph 83 of the summary of recommendations in Lord Justice Leveson's report on the culture, practices and ethics of the press, what steps his Department has taken to comply with the recommendations set out in that paragraph. [140174]
Elizabeth Truss: The Government already publish on a quarterly basis, information about meetings between Ministers, permanent secretaries, special advisers and media proprietors, editors and senior executives. Cross-party talks about Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations, including the implementation of recommendations at paragraph 83 for Government Ministers and Front- Bench Opposition spokesmen, are on-going.
Education: Qualifications
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many and what proportion of Key Stage 4 examination entries (a) in total, (b) in each non-academy school, (c) in each converter academy, (d) in each sponsor-led academy and (e) for all academies were for (i) a history GCSE, (ii) a geography GCSE, (iii) a modern foreign language GCSE, (iv) a physics GCSE, (v) a chemistry GCSE, (vi) a biology GCSE, (vii) a science GCSE, (viii) an English GCSE, (ix) an art GCSE, (x) a drama GCSE, (xi) a design and technology GCSE, (xii) an information technology GCSE, (xiii) an OCR national level 2 qualification in information and communications technology and (xiv) a diploma in digital application in 2011-12; and how many and what proportion in each such category were eligible for free school meals; [141005]
(2) how many Key Stage 4 examination entries there were (a) in total, (b) in each non-academy school, (c) in each converter academy, (d) in each sponsor-led academy and (e) for all academies in (i) a history GCSE, (ii) a geography GCSE, (iii) a modern foreign language GCSE, (iv) a physics GCSE, (v) a chemistry GCSE, (vi) a biology GCSE, (vii) a science GCSE, (viii) an English GCSE, (ix) an art GCSE, (x) a drama GCSE, (xi) a design and technology GCSE, (xii) an information technology GCSE, (xiii) an OCR national level 2 qualification in information and communications technology and (xiv) a diploma in digital application in (A) 2010-11 and (B) 2011-12; [141007]
(3) how many Key Stage 4 examination entries for pupils eligible for free school meals there were (a) in total, (b) in each non-academy school, (c) in each converter academy, (d) in each sponsor-led academy and (e) for all academies in 2011-12 Key Stage 4 examination entries in (i) a history GCSE, (ii) a geography GCSE, (iii) a modern foreign language GCSE, (iv) a physics GCSE, (v) a chemistry GCSE, (vi) a biology GCSE, (vii) a science GCSE, (viii) an English GCSE, (ix) an art GCSE, (x) a drama GCSE, (xi) a design and technology GCSE, (xii) an information technology GCSE, (xiii) an OCR national level 2 qualification in information and communications technology and (xiv) a diploma in digital application in (A) 2010-11 and (B) 2011-12. [141008]
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Elizabeth Truss: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.
Freedom of Information
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Freedom of Information requests were received by his Department in 2012; and how many such requests were answered late. [142106]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 7 February 2013]:Quarterly and annual statistics on Freedom of Information requests received by a number of central Government monitored bodies (including all Departments of state) are published by the Ministry of Justice on their website at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/foi/implementation
http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/foi/implementation/implementation-editions
The Department is asked to collate these statistics to provide a picture of FOI performance across central Government Departments.
GCSE
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish details of the recent consultation held by his Department on the proposed changes to GCSE examinations. [141533]
Elizabeth Truss: The Government have published their response to the public consultation on reforming key stage 4 qualifications, alongside their equality impact analysis and policy steer to Ofqual, the examinations regulator. Copies of these documents have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils in (a) academies and (b) mainstream schools that were not academies achieved (i) A* to C in English and mathematics GCSE, (ii) five A* to C grades in GCSE including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents, (iii) five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics including equivalents, (iv) A* to C in English, mathematics, two sciences, a foreign language and history or geography excluding equivalents and (v) five A* to C at GCSE excluding equivalents in each year since 2003. [142318]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 11 February 2013]: The Department for Education regularly publishes statistics on GCSE and equivalent attainment; the most recent statistical first release (SFR) was “GCSE and Equivalent Results in England, 2011/12 (Revised)” available from our website:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00219173/qcse-and-equivalent-results
Please see the second link under “Downloads” for the latest year's figures and then the following tables:
(i) Table 4a
(ii) Table 5a
(iii) Table 5a
(iv) Table 3a
(v) Table 5a
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Similar information for 2011 is available in "GCSE and Equivalent Results in England, 2010/11 (Revised)"
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00201306/dfe-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-enqland-201011-revised
Further information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Andrew Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of pupils (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals
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who attended schools that were classified by Ofsted as (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) satisfactory and (iv) inadequate at their most recent inspection achieved (A) A* to C in English and mathematics GCSE, (B) five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents and (C) five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics including equivalents in the last year for which figures are available. [142319]
Mr Laws [holding answer 11 February 2013]: The above information can be found in the following tables.
| Achievements at GCSE and equivalent for pupils(1) at the end of Key Stage 4 by Free School Meal eligibility (FSM) who attended schools that were classified by Ofsted as Outstanding, Good, Satisfactory and Inadequate, years: 2011/12 (revised)(2,3), coverage: England, state-funded schools (including Academies and CTCs) | ||||
| FSM Pupils | ||||
| Ofsted Rating | Number of eligible pupils(1) | A*-C in English and mathematics GCSEs | 5+ A*-C grades exc. equivalents inc. English and mathematics GCSEs(4) | 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs |
| All Other Pupils | ||||
| Ofsted Rating | Number of eligible pupils(1) | A*-C in English and mathematics GCSEs | 5+ A*-C grades exc. equivalents inc. English and mathematics GCSEs(4) | 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs |
| All Pupils | ||||
| Ofsted Rating | Number of eligible pupils(1) | A*-C in English and mathematics GCSEs | 5+ A*-C grades exc. equivalents inc. English and mathematics GCSEs(4) | 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics GCSEs |
| (1) Number of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. (2) Figures for 2011/12 are based on revised data. (3) iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents and also as English and mathematics GCSEs. (4) GCSEs only (including iGCSEs, short courses, double awards and vocational GCSEs) and AS levels. (5) Includes pupils within schools for which an Ofsted rating could not be determined. Source: Key Stage 4 attainment data | ||||