Natural Resources
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what work his Department is undertaking on resource depletion and its implications for climate change and growth. [148827]
Mr Hayes: DECC's analysis of its policies and future energy market trends is underpinned by projections for the prices of oil, gas and coal:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/fossil-fuel-price-projections
These projections are updated annually and take into account future availability of these resources based on potential trends in global supply and demand. DECC has also published (jointly with DFT and DEFRA) a UK Bioenergy Strategy which considers the future availability of bioenergy resources to the UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48337/5142-bioenergy-strategy-.pdf
Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil
Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil maintains dialogue with people in those areas proposed for shale gas development. [148418]
Mr Hayes: The new Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil (OUGO) within DECC will join up responsibilities across Government, provide a single point of contact for investors, and ensure a streamlined regulatory process. Active engagement with all stakeholders, including local communities in the areas which may be proposed for shale gas development, will be central to its role. The remit of the new office, which we announced on 20 March:
https://www.gov.uk/government/policy-teams/office-of-unconventional-gas-and-oil-ougo
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emphasises that among its objectives will be supporting public engagement, helping people understand the facts about unconventional gas and oil and what it could mean in their area; and supporting local authorities, helping them to engage with the local community, resolve issues and ensure that projects are able to move forward, where appropriate.
The new office will help us to ensure that we can make the most of our natural resources, whilst protecting the environment, safeguarding the public and ensuring local communities feel some benefit from hosting developments. As announced today, it will bring forward proposals by the summer to ensure people benefit from shale gas production if there are future developments in their area.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
British Indian Ocean Territory
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made on resettling those evicted from the Chagos Islands in the 1960s. [149184]
Mark Simmonds: Now that the litigation in the European Court of Human Rights is concluded, the Government are taking stock of our policy towards the resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), as we always said we would. There are fundamental difficulties with resettlement in BIOT, but we will be as positive as possible in our engagement with Chagossian groups and all interested parties.
Cyprus
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Government have to extend an invitation to the new President of Cyprus to make an official visit to London. [148710]
Mr Lidington: The Prime Minister spoke to the President-elect of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, on 24 February to congratulate him on his election success. We look forward to working closely with President Anastasiades on shared priorities in the months ahead and hope to welcome him to London at an early opportunity.
European External Action Service
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the total contribution by the UK Government in respect of the European External Action Service in each year since its creation. [148757]
Mr Lidington:
The United Kingdom contributes to the EU budget as a whole, not to individual elements of it. The initial European External Action Service (EEAS) budget in 2011 was €464 million. €441 million of this was existing money transferred from the Commission and Council Secretariat. The EEAS budget in 2012 was €489 million and in 2013 is €509 million. Over this period, the UK's pre-abatement financing share was 14.5% (outturn) in 2011, 15.3% in 2012 and 15.5% and
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2013, based on the latest budgets for those years. The UK has been clear that increases to the EEAS budget are unacceptable at a time when difficult spending decisions are being taken by member states and we continue to remind the EEAS of its commitment to resource neutrality.
Hezbollah
Mr Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the most recent statements of Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Neim Qassem, on the relationship between the military and political wings of Hezbollah. [148789]
Alistair Burt: We are aware of statements by Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary General, Sheikh Neim Qassem. It remains our assessment that, under the overall leadership of Hezbollah Secretary-General Nasrallah, there is an organisational distinction to be made between Hezbollah's political and military wings.
Iran
Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on Iranian production of plutonium at Arak. [148685]
Alistair Burt: Consecutive quarterly reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including its most recent report of 21 February 2013, confirm that Iran is continuing construction of the heavy water moderated research reactor at Arak, known as the IR-40 Reactor. Iran has stated that the operation of this reactor is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2014. Once operational, the IR-40 would start producing plutonium in its reactor fuel. This would need subsequent reprocessing to obtain plutonium suitable for use in a weapon.
The IAEA reports that construction of this reactor is continuing in violation of the relevant resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors and the UN Security Council, which require Iran to suspend its enrichment-related activities and its work on all heavy water related projects. It also notes that its lack of up-to-date information on the facility “is having an adverse impact on the Agency's ability to effectively verify the design of the facility and to implement an effective safeguards approach”.
The Government remain very concerned by Iran's continuing breaches of IAEA Board and UN Security Council resolutions. The onus is firmly on Iran to take concrete steps to co-operate fully with the agency and to comply with all its international obligations.
Jordan
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the UK started (a) directly supporting and (b) funding the training of Syrian opposition forces in Jordan. [149190]
Mr Hague: The UK has not undertaken any training of Syrian opposition forces in Jordan.
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Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps the Government are considering to assist Jordan in its humanitarian crisis. [149282]
Alistair Burt: Jordan has been extremely generous in hosting over 360,000 registered refugees from Syria. The UK is firmly committed to supporting Jordan, aware of the significant burden the ever growing number of refugees is placing on the country and on host communities.
The UK has provided over £28 million of support for refugees and host communities in Jordan. This funding is providing food for over 12,000 people per month, as well as clean drinking water for over 5,000 refugees. The UK has also ensured that 20,000 child refugees have benefitted from support including psycho-social counselling. We continue to consider what more we can do.
Middle East
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of Hamas rocket fire into Israel. [148687]
Alistair Burt: I received reports from our embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate General in Jerusalem about rockets being fired on 26 February from Gaza into Israel, for the first time since the ceasefire agreement was reached on 21 November 2012. I released a statement on 27 February condemning the rocket fire and calling on both parties to respect in full their obligations under the ceasefire agreement.
Nepal
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the UK's relationship with Nepal; and if he will make a statement. [149238]
Mr Swire: We value our close ties with Nepal, based on 200 years of friendship and in particular our long- standing connection through the Gurkha Brigade and our position as Nepal's largest bilateral development donor. The UK continues to play an active role in supporting democracy and the protection of fundamental rights in Nepal. The creation of an interim election council to hold elections in the country is a welcome step, as long as they are free, fair and credible. The UK will continue to support efforts to conclude the peace process, including the establishment of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission that complies with international law. These are the best ways that the UK can support Nepal in its effort to create the foundations for lasting stability and prosperity.
Palestinians
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the extent of arms smuggling into Gaza. [148744]
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Alistair Burt: We have not made any recent independent assessment on the extent of arms smuggling into Gaza. We are concerned by unconfirmed reports that armed groups in Gaza are seeking to resupply following the November ceasefire. We are also aware of Egyptian efforts to prevent weapons smuggling into Gaza. We are urging all sides to take advantage of talks in Cairo, brokered by Egypt, to resolve the issues of arms smuggling and of the Israeli restrictions on Gaza.
South Africa
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his South African counterpart recent reports that more than a quarter of schoolgirls in that country are HIV positive; and what steps can be taken to significantly reduce that figure. [149281]
Mark Simmonds: The Government of South Africa have—together with international partners—undertaken interventions to address the problem of HIV/AIDS which can have such a devastating impact on those infected. Programmes have specifically included empowerment of girls and South Africa now has the largest anti-retroviral programme in the world. The Department for International Development has been active for a number of years in funding interventions designed to change behaviour. A new programme has been agreed to fund operational research on how best to prevent adolescent HIV infection in the region which has some of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world. This programme will operate in several countries in southern Africa and aims to elicit better evidence about the most efficacious and cost-effective methods of limiting the spread of HIV in these adolescents.
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which organisations provided submissions to the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in their consultation conducted between October and November 2012 on marine protected areas. [148897]
Mark Simmonds: In relation to the marine protected areas consultation that was conducted between October and November last year, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands received responses from the following organisations: Sandford Ltd, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Birdlife International, British Antarctic Survey, Marine Reserves Coalition. World Wildlife Fund, Fauna and Flora International, Argos, Beauchene Fishing, Polar Ltd, Fortuna Limited, Aker Biomarine Antarctic AS, and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Syria
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to assess whether the Syrian opposition groups being trained with UK support are using such training only in the protection of civilians. [149186]
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Mr Hague: The training we have provided to date has focused on improving awareness of human rights and international humanitarian law, including in the law of armed conflict and developing media skills. Such training is designed to enhance the protection of civilians. We maintain close contact with the Syrian National Coalition to ensure that the recipients of our training treat the protection of civilians with the utmost seriousness. This is also reflected in the selection process to identify the recipients prior to any training taking place.
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the contribution by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of 6 March 2013, Official Report, columns 961-4, on Syria, who will be providing the training of opposition forces in Syria; whether British troops will be involved in such training; where such training will take place; and what eligibility criteria groups must meet to be able to take part in such training. [149295]
Mr Hague: We will be providing training by international non-governmental experts on the law of armed conflict and appropriate conduct. British forces will not be involved. The training will take place in the Middle Eastern region but outside Syria. This training will be carried out in close coordination with the Syrian National Coalition with whom we work closely to ensure that the recipients of the training are legitimate members of the opposition.
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the contribution by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of 6 March 2013, OfficialReport, columns 961-4, on Syria, whether UK nationals will (a) oversee and (b) be involved in delivery of the training of opposition forces in Syria. [149296]
Mr Hague: In order to deliver this important training we are working through tried and tested training providers, including those based abroad which employ UK nationals who will both oversee and be involved in the training we are funding. We take great care to ensure that the training providers we select to work with meet the highest standards of professionalism and are able to deliver training appropriate to the needs of the Syrian opposition, as identified through our discussions with the Syrian National Coalition, with the clear aim of protecting civilian lives. No training is taking place inside Syria.
Telephone Services
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department's customer service telephone lines are restricted to those beginning 0870. [149024]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not use the prefix 0870. The FCO uses either geographic numbers (numbers beginning with 01 or 02) or UK-wide geographic numbers (03 number) for the following customer services:
Consular Assistance (020 7008 1500)
FCO Legalisation Office (03700 00 22 44)
Births, marriages and deaths enquiries (03700 00 22 44)
FCO Switchboard, including the FCO Global Response Centre (020 7008 1500).
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Tunisia
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support democratic presidential elections in Tunisia. [148541]
Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), welcomed the formation of a new coalition Government in Tunisia in a statement on 13 March. Tunisia's post-revolutionary political system, including the nature of the presidential-parliamentary relationship, continues to evolve and the new Government have committed to holding elections by the end of 2013.
In the meantime, we continue to watch closely and provide support to Tunisia's democratisation process. We are working through our Arab Partnership programme, the EU and with international financial institutions and our G8 presidency to support political reforms and to help the Tunisian Government tackle the major economic and security challenges they face.
In 2011-12 the British embassy in Tunis funded over £1 million of projects in Tunisia through the programme providing support to the political transition through capacity building for political parties, voter education and media reform as well as vocational training and microcredit lending. In the financial year 2012-13 this has tripled to around £3 million. Through our projects with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy and a local non-governmental organisation we are helping strengthen political parties and the role of democratic institutions. We also have local projects working to strengthen the monitoring and management of elections, and during my visit to Tunis in December, I saw first-hand our support to media reform that is helping turn the national television organisation into a public service broadcaster.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Business Names
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from chambers of commerce in respect of his Department's consultation on company and business names. [149292]
Jo Swinson: The company and business names consultation is running from 27 February to 22 May 2013.
The Department has received letters from chambers across the UK, including Northamptonshire Chamber, and has today received the formal response of the BCC.
Officials are happy to meet with any representatives of the BCC, or any other organisations affected by this consultation, and I confirm that an invitation to discuss this issue has been extended to the Director General of the BCC.
Business: Government Assistance
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects of the Enterprise Guarantee Scheme on lending to small and medium-sized enterprises. [149149]
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Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills appointed independent researchers from the Durham Business School to conduct an economic evaluation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme (EFG).
The research published in February, shows that EFG is successful in helping credit-constrained small and medium size enterprises obtain finance. The key findings are that:
Since May 2010 over 10,700 businesses have been offered loans with a total value of £1.1 billion.
83% of all EFG loans are finance additional (i.e. there were no alternative sources of funding available) indicating the scheme is well targeted.
Overall EFG has benefited the economy by over £1.1 billion (net of costs) over the first years of operation.
Businesses in receipt of EFG loans have created 6,500 additional jobs and saved 12,400 jobs.
For every £1 it costs the Government to operate the scheme, there are economic benefits of £33.50 because EFG leverages in private sector cost.
The full report is available on the gov.uk website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/enterprise-finance-guarantee-efg-scheme-economic-evaluation
Out of Town Shopping Centres: Northamptonshire
Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will visit Wellingborough and Rushden to see the Skew Bridge/Rushden Lakes site. [149293]
Michael Fallon: Neither the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), nor I, have plans to visit the Skew Bridge/Rushden Lakes site.
Reliance Yacht Management
Mr Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if the Insolvency Service will examine the cases of Reliance Yacht Deliveries Limited and Reliance Maritime Limited to see if there are grounds for the disqualification of their director, Mr Nick Irving. [149216]
Jo Swinson: At present neither Reliance Yacht Deliveries Limited nor Reliance Maritime Limited are subject to any form of insolvency proceedings.
The Insolvency Service has discretionary powers under the Companies Acts to conduct inquiries on behalf of the Secretary of State where it appears that there has been misconduct in relation to the affairs of live companies, i.e. those not subject to formal insolvency.
Complaints relating to the companies should be sent to:
The Insolvency Service
Investigations and Enforcement Services
Intelligence Hub
3rd Floor
Cannon House
18 Priory Queensway
Birmingham
B4 6FD
intelligence.live@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk
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I would add that for the investigation process to be effective it is essential to maintain confidentiality at all stages. Consequently, and also to acknowledge the commercial interest of companies against whom complaints are made, it is the Insolvency Service's policy not to confirm nor deny whether an investigation of a particular company is taking place.
Northern Ireland
Parades Commission
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will publish the guidelines, protocols and memoranda governing the way the Parades Commission reaches decisions on notified parades. [148955]
Mike Penning: The Parades Commission for Northern Ireland is a non-departmental public body and operates independently of Government. Publication of the guidelines, protocols and memoranda governing the way the Parades Commission reaches decisions on notified parades is therefore a matter for the Commission.
I understand that this information is available on the Parades Commission website at:
http://www.paradescommission.org
Plants
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on indoor and outdoor plants and trees in each year from 2005 to 2010. [147162]
Mike Penning: Comparable figures for my Department as it is now configured are not available following the completion of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.
From April to December 2010, my Department spent £1,781 on indoor and outdoor plants and trees. The expenditure related primarily to the upkeep of Hillsborough Castle.
Scotland
Armed Forces: Electoral Register
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish service personnel are registered to vote as a service voter. [149243]
David Mundell: As at 1 December 2012, there were 2,739 electors registered under a service declaration in Scotland. Service electors are members of HM armed forces and their spouses plus Crown servants and British Council employees and their spouses, residing abroad who have not opted to register as a civilian elector.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) serving and (b) former Scottish service personnel are registered to vote in Scotland. [149244]
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David Mundell: The Government actively encourage all eligible service personnel to register to vote, and to participate fully in the democratic process. However, registration is a private matter and we do not collect information on whether or not personnel are registered to vote.
We do provide a mechanism for service men and women to record, on a voluntary basis, their registration status. Since only a proportion of personnel choose to do so, and no data are held on the place of registration, it is not possible to provide the information requested.
Cabinet Office
Hypothermia
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people died from hypothermia in each (a) local authority area and (b) region in each year for which figures are available. [149348]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people died from hypothermia in each (a) local authority area and (b) region in each year for which figures are available. (149348)
ONS holds electronically stored, national data on death registrations in England and Wales from 1959 onwards. Figures cannot be provided for the entire period due to disproportionate cost. To protect confidentiality, figures for local authority areas cannot be
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provided due to the small number of deaths. This is in line with the ONS policy on protecting confidentiality within birth and death statistics:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/best-practice/disclosure-control-policy-for-birth-and-death-statistics/index.html
Figures have been provided for each region in England and for Wales from 2001 onwards. The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision was introduced in 2001, so there are no discontinuities in how cause of death data were coded over this period.
Table 1 as follows provides the number of deaths where exposure to excessive cold (natural or of man-made origin) or hypothermia was the underlying cause of death, for England and Wales, regions of England, and Wales, from 2001 to 2011 (the latest year available).
Table 2 as follows provides the number of deaths where exposure to excessive cold (natural or of man-made origin) or hypothermia was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, for England and Wales, regions of England, and Wales, from 2001 to 2011 (the latest year available).
Please note that the death certificate does not always make it clear whether the hypothermia was due to a cold environment or directly due to another illness, especially for deaths where hypothermia was mentioned on the death certificate, but was not the underlying cause.
ONS routinely measures excess mortality during the winter period in England and Wales, as it is usual for mortality during the winter months to be higher than mortality during the non-winter months. The majority of excess winter deaths are from respiratory diseases or circulatory disease, not hypothermia. This measure, known as excess winter mortality, is based on the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July). Figures for excess winter mortality in England and Wales are available on the ONS website:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health2/excess-winter-mortality-in-england-and-wales/index.html
| Table 1: Number of deaths where exposure to excessive cold or hypothermia was the underlying cause of death for England and Wales, regions of England, and Wales, deaths registered between 2001 and2011(1, 2, 3, 4) | |||||||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
| (1) Underlying cause of death was defined using the following International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10) codes: R68.0 (Hypothermia, not associated with low environmental temperature), X31 (exposure to excessive natural cold), W93 (Exposure to excessive cold of man-made origin). Deaths were included where one of these was the underlying cause of death. (2) Figures are based on deaths registered rather than deaths occurring in a calendar year. Information on registration delays for a range of causes can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html (3) Figures for regions are based on boundaries as of February 2013 and exclude non-residents. (4) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. | |||||||||||
| Table 2: Number of deaths where exposure to excessive cold or hypothermia was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate for England and Wales, regions of England, and Wales, deaths registered between 2001 and 2011(1,2,3,4) | |||||||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
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| (1) Cause of death was defined using the following International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10) codes: R68.0 (Hypothermia, not associated with low environmental temperature); X31 (exposure to excessive natural cold); W93 (Exposure to excessive cold of man-made origin); or T68 (Hypothermia). Deaths were included where one or more of these causes was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, either as the underlying cause of death, or as a contributory factor. For some of these deaths it was not clear from the death certificate whether the hypothermia was due to a cold environment or directly due to another illness. (2 )Figures are based on deaths registered rather than deaths occurring in a calendar year. Information on registration delays for a range of causes can be found on the ONS website: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html (3) Figures for regions are based on boundaries as of February 2013 and exclude non-residents. (4) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. | |||||||||||
Motor Vehicles: Costs
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of average take home pay in (a) 2013 and (b) 2010 was spent by a family owning a family saloon car with average (i) miles per gallon and (ii) mileage per annum. [149283]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, asking what proportion of the average take home pay in (a) 2013 and (b) 2010 is spent by a family owning a family saloon car with an average (i) miles per gallon and (ii) mileage per annum (149283).
ONS does not have the data required to answer your question. The Living Costs and Food Survey (LCF), which is a sample survey covering approximately 5,000 households in the UK, does collect data on household income, as well as expenditure on transport, including vehicle running costs. However, no information is collected on either the types of cars owned by households or the number of miles driven.
Social Enterprises: EU Action
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of progress with implementing the EU Commission's Social Business Imitative. [149326]
Mr Hurd: We welcome the Social Business Initiative and are supportive of the European Commission's approach to improve access to finance for social enterprises, increase the visibility of social entrepreneurship and improve their legal environment.
Defence
Air Force: Military Bases
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which RAF bases each fast jet squadron is located. [149338]
Mr Robathan: RAF bases where fast jet squadrons are located, are shown in the following table:
| RAF Base | Squadron | Aircraft |
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Warrior infantry fighting vehicles are in service with the British Army. [148330]
Mr Dunne: The number of Warrior infantry fighting vehicles currently in service with the Army is 781.
NATO
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any UK personnel or assets have been assigned to NATO Operation Active Fence. [149360]
Mr Robathan: There is currently one UK serviceman deployed in support of Operation Active Fence.
No assets are currently assigned to Operation Active Fence.
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Nepal
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the UK's bilateral defence relationship with Nepal; and if he will make a statement. [149240]
Mr Dunne: The UK armed forces enjoy a long standing and close working relationship with Nepal, most significantly through the Brigade of Gurkhas who have a highly respected record of service within the British Army.
Our wider defence engagement includes the provision of specialist training, capacity building and supporting the Nepalese Army's contribution to UN peacekeeping missions.
Staff
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the thirty-second Report of the Committee of Public Accounts, Ministry of Defence: Managing the defence inventory, HC 745, what steps his Department has taken to tackle the skills gaps identified in that report in respect of inventory management posts; and how many of those in post hold the appropriate qualification for their role. [148932]
Mr Dunne: Since the publication of the National Audit Office Report “Managing the Defence Inventory” in June 2012, a number of short and medium-term actions are being implemented. These include: a coordinated recruitment exercise to fill critical posts within the inventory management function; a 25% increase in personnel mandated to undertake higher level qualifications; and the appointment of a senior head of profession for all Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) inventory management personnel.
We have also engaged Ernst and Young to identify possible improvements in inventory management across DE&S and to assist in filling short-term skill gaps. Additional measures will be taken as required.
As at 1 March 2013, 356 inventory management personnel were qualified at either the ‘practitioner’ or ‘expert’ level.
Ultra Electronics
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts his Department has with Ultra Electronics Holdings plc; and what the (a) monetary value and (b) net worth is of any such contract. [147205]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence currently has 44 contracts with Ultra Electronics Holdings plc, with a total value of around £493 million. Information about the net worth of contracts is not held.
Warships
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the current value of (a) RFA Wave Knight, (b) RFA Wave Ruler, (c) RFA Gold Rover, (d) RFA Black Rover, (e) RFA Orangeleaf, (f) RFA Fort Rosalie, (g) RFA Fort Austin, (h) RFA Fort Victoria, (i) RFA Argus, (j) RFA Diligence, (k) RFA Lyme Bay, (l) RFA Mounts Bay and (m) RFA Cardigan Bay. [145097]
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Mr Dunne: The current values of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels are shown in the following table. The values quoted reflect the net book value (NBV) of the asset, which is calculated by adding the cost of any major up grades to the original capital cost of the asset and deducting depreciation. Depreciation is a measure of the decrease in value of an asset over time.
The values quoted bear no relation to the replacement costs of the assets and capabilities.
| Name | NBV (£ million) |
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Farms: Economic Situation
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK's recent downgrading from AAA credit status on farming and food production in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [147505]
Mr Heath: There has been no separate assessment made of the effect of the recent downgrading on farming and food production that was announced by Moody's credit rating agency on 22 February.
We have no evidence that it has become more difficult for farmers to access credit compared with any other small businesses. Bank of England data on lending to agriculture have shown a rising trend in recent years. At the end of January 2013, lending was 11% higher than a year earlier.
Meat Products
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent representations he has received on the import of mechanically-separated meat destined for sausage meat; and if he will make a statement; [146189]
(2) if he will press the European Commission to review the current arrangements for producing mechanically-separated meat throughout the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [146190]
Mr Heath: The European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) expert opinion on mechanically separated meat is expected by 31 March 2013. The Government have made it clear to the Commission that we expect discussions on the definition of mechanically separated meat to be re-opened at working group level as soon as possible once EFSA's opinion has been published.
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I have not received any recent representations on the import of mechanically separated meat destined for sausage meat.
Health
Ambulance Services: North West
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the average transfer times of hospital vehicles using blue lights travelling from Furness General Hospital to (a) Royal Lancaster Infirmary, (b) Royal Preston Hospital and (c) Royal Blackburn Hospital. [148983]
Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may wish to approach the chief executive of North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, which might hold some relevant information.
Aplastic Anaemia
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there have been any cases of aplastic anaemia in the UK in the last 10 years. [149322]
Anna Soubry: The counts of finished admission episodes(1) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of aplastic anaemia(2) in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector from 2002-03 to 2011-12(3) were:
| Finished Admission Episodes | |
| (1)Finished admission episodes: A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2)Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary or secondary diagnosis: The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. ICD-10 Code: D60.0 Chronic acquired pure red cell aplasia D60.1 Transient acquired pure red cell aplasia D60.8 Other acquired pure red cell aplasias D60.9 Acquired pure red cell aplasia, unspecified. D61.0 Constitutional aplastic aplasia D61.1 Drug-induced aplastic aplasia D61.2 Aplastic anaemia due to other external agents D61.3 Idiopathic aplastic anaemia D61.8 Other specified aplastic anaemias D61.9 Aplastic anaemia, unspecified (3)Assessing growth through time (in-patients): HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre | |
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Arthritis
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the information, support and advice given to people with rheumatoid arthritis about their medication to improve concordance with their treatment regime. [149187]
Norman Lamb: The clinical guideline on rheumatoid arthritis, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in 2009, emphasises the need for clinicians to discuss treatment options with patients and to offer written and verbal information. General advice to patients about the medications used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is available from a number of sources, including the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, Arthritis Care, and the websites NHS Choices and Patient.co.uk; and information on individual medicines is available through the patient information leaflet which is given to patients when the medicine is dispensed.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure continuity of care across the NHS and public health and social care services for patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. [149188]
Norman Lamb: The mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) includes an objective to drive better integration of care for everyone who needs it, including people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. It is for the NHS CB to decide how precisely it will carry this out; the Government will hold it to account for the outcomes it achieves, through a new outcome measure which the Department is developing to assess service users' experience of integrated care. This will be common to the health and social care outcomes frameworks and will be reflected in the public health outcomes framework.
Additionally, national and local bodies have been given statutory duties on integration through the Health and Social Care Act 2012, and we are reinforcing these through the draft Care and Support Bill.
The Department is also working with national partners to build a common understanding of what good integrated care looks like; build the case for change by drawing all the evidence together, as well as tools to support localities, and further tackle the barriers to integration. Later this spring the Department and its partners will publish a common purpose framework, setting out what each of the national partners is doing to further encourage and support integrated care.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of regional variations in the usage of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence-approved treatments for rheumatoid arthritis; and if he will make a statement. [149191]
Norman Lamb: Information on the usage of certain medicines recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, by national health service hospital trusts, is available from the “Innovation scorecard” published by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care on behalf of the NHS Commissioning Board at:
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www.ic.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB09539
Some variation in the use of individual medicines is to be expected since clinicians are free to prescribe any treatment they consider suitable for individual patients, taking account of guidance. Local NHS organisations are responsible for working with other local stakeholders to understand and address any significant local variations. NHS organisations are required to fund any treatments prescribed by a clinician if they are recommended by a NICE technology appraisal.
General Practitioners
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many unfilled vacancies there have been for GPs in each region in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012. [149182]
Dr Poulter: The last GP vacancy survey was undertaken in 2010. The collection of the NHS vacancies survey in England was suspended in 2011, following the announcement of the Fundamental Review of Data Returns, which aimed to reduce the burden of the collection of data from national health service organisations.
Horsemeat
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which products each retailer has withdrawn from sale since 15 January 2013 due to concerns about horsemeat. [149286]
Anna Soubry: Products found to contain horse DNA at or above the 1% threshold and withdrawn from sale have and will continue to be named in Food Standards Agency (FSA) reports and published on the FSA website at:
www.food.gov.uk
as soon as the results are verified and confirmed.
In addition to those instances where gross contamination with horsemeat has been detected, either through industry testing or otherwise, retailers have on occasion taken a commercial decision to withdraw products that may be indirectly implicated, for example, where manufactured in a plant where adulterated product has been found. The FSA does not keep a register of such withdrawals, but some retailers have listed these products on their websites.
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent comparative assessment he has made of the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients in the UK and other European Union countries; and if he will make a statement. [149351]
Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 13 March 2013, Official Report, column 245W.
Medical Records: Children
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of establishing an integrated medical and social care record system for every child in England. [149323]
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Dr Poulter: The Government's information strategy for health and care in England—‘The power of information’ set clear direction, ambition and next steps for how better use of technology and information can and must improve health, public health and social care services in adult and children's services in England. Central to this strategy is the need for both users and those professionals to link up our health and care records across services.
The strategy made a commitment that patient data, in publicly funded health and social care, should be identified by the NHS number as the primary identifier at the point of care by 2015. Local authorities are committed to working towards much better integration of our health and care information and the consistent use of NHS numbers.
Medicine: Overseas Students
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with UK medical schools on the proportion of foreign students that are offered places relative to UK students; and if he will make a statement. [149235]
Dr Poulter: Currently there is agreement that the total number of non-European economic area students at UK medical schools should be a maximum of 7.5% of the total in each cohort. The number of medical students, and proportion admitted from overseas, is kept under regular review.
NHS: Reorganisation
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the names are of all reports which were commissioned for the NHS Next Stages Review; [149284]
(2) what the cost to his Department was of commissioning the reports, published in 2008, entitled (a) Quality Oversight in England, by Joint Commission International, (b) Achieving the Vision of Excellence in Quality, by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and (c) Developing, Disseminating and Assessing Standards in the National Health Service by RAND. [149337]
Anna Soubry: The payments were (in US dollars):
“Quality Oversight in England, by Joint Commission International”, $319,000;
“Achieving the Vision of Excellence in Quality”, by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, $162,500; and
“Developing, Disseminating and Assessing Standards in the National Health Service”, by RAND Corporation, $170,000.
We do not hold a list of reports commissioned for the review. The review was an extensive exercise that drew on a wide range of evidence, details of which were set out in the Department's and the strategic health authorities' interim and final reports, all of which are available through the Department's website (using the search terms “Next Stage Review” and “Strategic Health Authorities' visions for better healthcare”). It is not clear which other reports or studies, if any, were commissioned specifically for the review.
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Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the total cost of (a) establishing clinical commissioning groups, (b) closing primary care trusts and (c) closing the strategic health authority in London; and if he will make a statement. [149336]
Anna Soubry: As set out in the written ministerial statement issued on 18 October 2012, Official Report, columns 35-36WS, the Department's current estimate of the costs of implementing the reforms is £1.5 billion to £1.6 billion in 2010-11 prices. This is equivalent to £1.6 billion to £1.7 billion in cash terms. Within this range, around £550 million is attributable to the establishment of clinical commissioning groups and £750 million to the closure of strategic health authorities (SHAs) and primary care trusts (PCTs). However firmer figures will be available when the Department's report and accounts for 2012-13 are published.
We are not able to provide the costs of closing down an individual SHA or PCT as these costs continue to be reported and validated.
Opiates
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence-based guidance and information his Department has provided to prescribers on the use of medicines for opioid substitution therapy with a recovery orientated outcome goal, in line with the Government's drug strategy. [149546]
Anna Soubry: Advice to prescribers on how opioid substitution treatment can be used to promote recovery from dependence is contained in three key documents: ‘Medications in Recovery: reorientating drug treatment’, published by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse in 2012; ‘UK guidelines on clinical management of drug misuse and dependence’, published by the four UK Health Departments in 2007; and ‘Methadone and buprenorphine for the management of opioid dependence’, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in 2007.
Suicide
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on suicide prevention in each year since 2010. [149237]
Norman Lamb: Information is not collected centrally in this format.
However the National Institute for Health Research is funding a five-year programme grant on suicide prevention which has a total value of £1.8 million. The programme started in April 2012. Additionally the suicide prevention strategy is backed by up to £1.5 million funding for suicide prevention research, through the Department's Policy Research Programme. We will know what awards have been made in spring 2013.
Through the Health Quality Improvement Partnership, the Department funds the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness by up to £2 million. This inquiry collects and analyses detailed clinical information on all suicides and homicides committed by someone with mental
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illness, and sudden and unexplained deaths of psychiatric in-patients. It makes recommendations for improvements in the light of its analyses.
The Department made a grant of £17,328 to Samaritans in 2011-12 for the Suicide Prevention Call to Action which unites 50 national organisations from across the public, private and voluntary sectors in England, taking action so that fewer lives are lost to suicide and people bereaved or affected by a suicide receive the right support.
Telephone Services
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department's customer service telephone lines are restricted to those beginning 0870. [149025]
Dr Poulter: The Department's customer service lines do not use 0870 numbers. The Department's Public Enquiries Unit, which is based in London, uses a local dialling code.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of levels of alcohol consumption in the UK since 2004 and the role of the Government's Alcohol Strategy; and if she will make a statement. [R] [148609]
Damian Green: There are several long running surveys which measure levels of alcohol consumption in Great Britain, including the General Lifestyle survey (formerly the General Household survey) and the Health survey for England. These provide the most up-to-date information and assessment of patterns of consumption in the UK. Both surveys are National Statistics and findings are published on the Office for National Statistics website. The Government's Alcohol Strategy, published in March 2012, sets out a range of action to tackle the harms caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
Confiscation Orders
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many confiscation orders were (a) issued and (b) successfully enforced under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since that Act came into force; and what the value of assets confiscated under that Act is for each year since 2002. [146255]
Damian Green [holding answer 5 March 2013]: Figures from the Joint Asset Recovery Database are as follows:
| Confiscation Orders made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 | |||
| Orders issued | Orders completed | Value of orders completed (£) | |
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DNA: Databases
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) physical DNA profiles and (b) digital DNA profiles have been removed from the DNA database since the introduction of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012; and what the total cost to the public purse was of removing such profiles. [149314]
James Brokenshire: Physical DNA samples taken from arrested persons are sent to authorised Forensic Service Providers (FSPs), who process them to produce digital DNA profiles, which are added to the National DNA Database (NDNAD). As at 19 March 2013, FSPs had destroyed 453,000 DNA samples, and the NDNAD had destroyed 504,000 digital DNA profiles, as part of the programme of work to implement the Protection of Freedoms Act. The costs of sample destruction have not yet been determined. The costs of profile destruction cannot be disaggregated from the other costs of operating the NDNAD.
Indigo Public Affairs
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings (a) she, (b) Ministers, (c) officials and (d) special political advisers of her Department have had with Indigo Public Affairs Ltd; and if she will publish full details of any such meetings. [148831]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 19 March 2013]: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Cabinet Office website.
Licensed Premises
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the potential effects of the proposed withdrawal of the requirement to publish alcohol licence notices in local newspapers on households without internet access; [149332]
(2) what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about the potential effects of the proposed withdrawal of the requirement to publish alcohol licence notices in local newspapers; [149192]
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Damian Green: The Government's consultation on key measures in the Alcohol Strategy ran from 28 November to 6 February 2013. This included a proposal to remove the requirement for applicants to publish details of licensing applications in local newspapers. The Home Office published a consultation stage impact assessment on the proposal which set out its assessment of potential effects. The Home Office also sought views from across Government prior to the launch of the consultation. The Government will consider all views and respond in due course.
Odgers Berndtson
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the purpose was of her meeting with Odgers Berndtson in September 2012. [147871]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 13 March 2013]: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as well as making overseas trips, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings and trips are published on the Cabinet Office website.
Police: Greater London
Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer by the Prime Minister of 6 March 2013, Official Report, columns 956-7, on police officers, how the figure of 3,418 neighbourhood police officers in London was arrived at; and whether she is satisfied that the figure is in conformity with information supplied to the hon. Member for Harrow West in response to his recent requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [148135]
Damian Green [holding answer 18 March 2013]: The figure of 3,418 relates to the number of police officers within the neighbourhood policing function as at 31 March 2012 within the Metropolitan Police Service.
Sexual Offences: Southwark
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many charges for sexual offences were brought in the London borough of Southwark in each year from 2007 to 2012. [146165]
Damian Green [holding answer 4 March 2013]:The Home Office holds data on how many recorded offences are dealt with by charge or summons. These data are based on the number of offences recorded rather than the number of people charged or summonsed. The data are given in the table.
| Table A—Number of charges or summons for sexual offences brought in London borough of Southwark, 2007-08 to 2011-12 | |
| Southwark | Number of charges or summons for sexual offences |
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Sovereignty: Scotland
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from the Scottish Government on (a) passports and (b) dual citizenship with the UK in the event of Scottish independence. [149104]
Mr Harper [holding answer 20 March 2013]: No representations have been received from the Scottish Government on (a) passports or (b) dual citizenship with the UK in the event of Scottish independence.
Termination of Employment
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies have left that body due to (i) resignation, (ii) retirement, (iii) redundancy, (iv) transferral to another public sector post and (v) another reason in each of the last five years. [147952]
James Brokenshire: The information is as follows:
(a) Table l shows the number of paid civil servants who left the Home Department in the last four full financial years, together with reason for leaving. Information for the 2007-08 financial year has not been provided as it would incur a disproportionate cost.
(b) Table 2 shows the number of employees who have left each of the non-departmental public bodies in the last five full financial years, together with reason for leaving.
Information for the current financial year will not be available until mid April 2013.
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| Table 1: Number of civil servants who left the Home Department, together with reason for leaving: 2008-09; 2009-10; 2010-11; 2011-12(1) | ||||
| Reason for leaving | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| (1) Information for the current financial year will not be available until mid April 2013. (2) In line with ONS guidelines this category includes all other leaving reasons, including those from (iii) above, where the NDPBs (in the timescales allowed for this response) have not provided information that allowed for the differentiation of voluntary or compulsory terms for individual departures. Extract dates: 1 April 2009 (2008-09); 1 April 2010 (2009-10); 1 April 2011 (2010-11); 1 April 2012 (2011 -12). Source: Data for the Home Office have been taken from Data View, the Home Office's single source of Office for National Statistics (ONS) compliant monthly corporate HR data. Periods covered: Data are provided as at 31 March for each financial year and include all paid civil servants who left during the financial year. Organisational coverage: Figures include Home Office Headquarters (including Border Force and the Government Equalities Office) and the Department's executive agencies (UK Border Agency (UKBA), Identity and Passport Service (IPS), National Fraud Authority (NFA) and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)). During each of the financial years there were a number of machinery of government changes including: 1 March 2009: General Register Office joined IPS. 1 April 2010: Home Office Pensions left headquarters and joined the Department for Work and Pensions; HM Revenue and Customs detection employees joined UKBA. 1 May 2010: Foreign and Commonwealth employees joined UKBA. 1 April 2011: Government Equalities Office (GEO) joined headquarters; NFA joined as an executive agency and Home Office Pay Service left to join the Ministry of Justice. Employee coverage: Figures include paid civil servants. Machinery of government changes are not included in the ‘Transfer Out’ reason for leaving, as ‘Transfer Out’ refers to individuals only and not Transfers of Function. The latter are included in the relevant departmental report. Transparency agenda considerations: Consistent with Office for National Statistics reporting standards. | ||||
| Table 2: Number of civil servants who left the Home Office NDPBs, together with reason for leaving: 2007-08; 2008-09; 2009-10; 2010-11; and 2011-12(1) | |||||
| Reason for leaving | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| (1 )Information for the current financial year will not be available until mid April 2013. Organisational coverage: This response includes data for the Independent Safeguarding Authority, the Independent Police Complaints Commission, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner. The Independent Safeguarding Authority was not inaugurated until September 2008 so is not included in the 2007-08 data. Although the Equality and Human Rights Commission was sponsored by the Home Office during this period, its data are included in the response for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. This response does not include data for either the Security Industry Authority or the National Policing Improvement Agency as to do so would incur a disproportionate cost. | |||||
Education
Asperger's Syndrome
Sir Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that classroom teachers are trained to understand Asperger's syndrome; [146013]
(2) what (a) guidance and (b) support his Department plans to give to local education authorities to ensure consistency of service provision for children and young adults with neurological disorders such as Asperger's syndrome; [146015]
(3) what steps the Government are taking to improve the rate of early detection of Asperger's syndrome. [146020]
Mr Timpson: New qualified teacher standards came into effect in September 2012. These have a sharpened focus on meeting the needs of children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities. The Government have also strengthened initial teacher training and continuing professional development provision through the publication of additional online training materials for teachers of pupils with the most common and complex special educational needs, such as autism and Asperger's syndrome.
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The Government have provided funding to train all new school SEN coordinators so they can better advise their colleagues on how to meet children's needs. That training includes training on particular types of need, including autistic spectrum disorders. The Government have funded training for almost 10,500 SENCOs so far.
The Government have also provided some £1.3 million funding to the Autism Education Trust over the last two years to provide training and training materials for school and other staff. The Department will be letting a contract to provide specialist support in autism provision from April. The Autism Education Trust has put in a bid which proposes to extend its existing training programme beyond March 2013, and also expand coverage more widely throughout England and to cover early years and further education.
Asperger's syndrome is commonly diagnosed later than classic autism as children's difficulties may only become apparent when they are introduced to a social environment such as a school. The measures the Government are taking to spread training in, and understanding of, autistic spectrum disorders will help to improve the early detection of Asperger's syndrome.
Local authorities have the same duties to meet children's special educational needs and to make special educational provision when carrying out their duty to secure that there are sufficient primary and secondary schools in their areas. The precise make-up of the special educational provision local authorities make is a matter for local determination but the Department advises that local authorities should give children and parents access to a range of provision which reflects the range of children's needs.
Bullying
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff West of 23 January 2013, Official Report, column 326W, on bullying, how many cases named special advisers to him in the complaint; and what the amount of any payments over £5,000 made resulting from those cases were. [146158]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 4 March 2013]: Since May 2010 there has been one grievance against the Department at which a special adviser gave evidence. That complaint was not upheld.
The details of any settlement resulting from employment grievance are confidential.
Children in Care
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many looked-after children there are in each local authority in England. [147492]
Mr Timpson [holding answer 12 March 2013]: Information on the number of children looked after in each local authority in England has been placed in the House Libraries.
The information requested is contained in Table LAA1 of the statistical first release ‘Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and
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care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2012’. This statistical first release can be found on the Department's website via the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/a00213762/children-looked-after-las-england
Child Protection
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children are on the at-risk register for (a) England and (b) local authorities in the Tyne and Wear area. [146605]
Mr Timpson: The number of children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March 2012 in England and local authorities in Tyne and Wear are shown in the table.
The latest figures on children who were the subject of a child protection plan were published in statistical first release (SFR) 27/2012 “Characteristics of Children in Need, in England, 2011-12”, available at the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/a00215043/
| Number of children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March 2012 England and local authorities in Tyne and Wear | ||
| Children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March 2012 | Rate of children who were the subject of a child protection plan at 31 March per 10,000 children | |
| (1) The total figures for England include estimates for missing data and are rounded to the nearest 100. Source: 2011-12 Children in Need census | ||
Financial Services: Education
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to promote financial budgeting and other life skills in schools. [145941]
Elizabeth Truss: On 7 February, the Department launched the consultation for the proposed new national curriculum. This included proposals to make financial literacy statutory for the first time, as part of citizenship education. Pupils will be taught the functions and uses of money, the importance of personal budgeting, money management and the need to understand financial risk.
In addition, the national curriculum for mathematics has been strengthened to give pupils from five to 16 the necessary mathematical skills that underpin sound financial literacy.
Other life skills can be covered as part of non-statutory Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. Schools are free to decide what to include in their PSHE programmes and should tailor the content of PSHE lessons to take account of the needs of their pupils.
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GCE AS-level
Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed establishment of AS levels as a stand-alone qualification on take-up of each subject at AS level. [147255]
Elizabeth Truss: The AS will be retained as a stand-alone qualification to offer breadth. It is for schools to determine the number and range of AS qualifications they offer, based on their own school's circumstances and the needs of their pupils.