Cyprus
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the UK's sovereign base areas in Cyprus have a territorial water and a claim to a continental shelf; and if he will make a submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, in accordance with article 76, paragraph 8, of the United Nations convention on the law of the sea on this matter. [149606]
Mr Lidington: The adjacent territorial sea boundaries between the two sovereign base areas and the Republic of Cyprus are defined in annex A of the treaty concerning the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, 19 August 1960. Presently, both sovereign base areas claim a territorial sea out to three nautical miles but we have reserved our rights to claim up to 12 nautical miles on their behalf, as provided for under the UN convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS).
Diplomatic Service
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which countries and embassies the UK has (a) decreased the number of diplomats and (b) closed diplomatic posts since May 2010. [149372]
Mr Lidington: I refer to the statement on Britain's future diplomatic network made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to the House on 11 May 2011, Official Report, columns 1165-68. In line with that statement, we have reduced our diplomatic footprint in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in some European subordinate posts outside capital cities.
We have not closed any sovereign posts. The following diplomatic posts have closed since May 2010:
| Date | Country | Post |
Operations in Iran and Syria have been suspended for security reasons.
Kashmir
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to help resolve the conflict in Kashmir; and whether Kashmir was discussed during the recent visit to India led by the Prime Minister. [149732]
Mr Swire: The long-standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, one which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
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Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Governments of India and Pakistan regarding the situation in Kashmir. [149742]
Mr Swire: Our officials in Islamabad and Delhi regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with both governments. We welcome the renewed engagement between India and Pakistan and a solution to the Kashmir dispute is something that both sides will need to develop.
The long-standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, one which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to mediate in finding one.
Maldives
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the concerns raised by the UN Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and Lawyers about the trial of former President Mohamed Nasheed in the Maldives. [149194]
Alistair Burt: We welcome the statement from the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Gabriela Knaul, following her visit to Maldives. This statement urged the Maldivian Government to address a number of challenges hampering the functioning of the justice system in Maldives. These included concerns on the appointment of judges, training and education for individuals in the justice system, and transparency. We share many of the concerns expressed, and urge all parties to work together in order to implement these, and other reforms identified by the Commission of National Inquiry in order to strengthen democratic institutions in Maldives. We look forward with interest to the exploration of these issues in a detailed written report which will be presented to the Human Rights Council session in May.
The Government have consistently urged all parties to work together to implement reforms highlighted by the Commission of National Inquiry, including those designed to strengthen the judiciary. In my statement of 6 March, I urged all parties to work together to find a solution which would allow for genuinely free, fair, and inclusive elections, and outlined our view that all parties should be able to contest elections with a candidate of their choice. This includes former President Nasheed, should he be selected as a candidate by his party.
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of the Maldives on the arrest and forthcoming trial of former President Mohamed Nasheed. [149248]
Alistair Burt:
The Government is monitoring events closely following the recent arrest and detention of former President Nasheed in Maldives. The former President was released after his hearing, and his trial has been postponed until 4 April. We look to the Maldivian authorities to ensure that due process is followed, and that proceedings are fair and transparent.
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We urge all parties to remain calm and to act responsibly. Our high commissioner and officials remain in regular contact with Maldives Government.
I made a statement on 6 March following former President Nasheed's hearing, which outlined our view that all parties should be able to contest elections with the candidate of their choice. This includes former President Nasheed, should he be selected as a candidate by his party. During my visit to Maldives last month, I outlined the same points in my meetings with the President, Foreign Minister, and other political leaders. We believe that if the chosen candidates of all parties are not permitted to participate in the Presidential election in September, the credibility of the outcome will be irreparably damaged. We hope all involved will to work together to find a solution which would allow for genuinely free, fair, and inclusive elections, and ensure all are able to campaign without hindrance.
Middle East
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Government plans to reinvigorate the Deauville partnership to ensure that economic support is available to countries in transition. [149277]
Alistair Burt: The Deauville partnership plays an important role in supporting the transitions under way in the Middle East and North Africa. Under the UK presidency we are working with Deauville partners to help catalyse inclusive economic growth, and enable greater economic opportunities for youth and women in transition countries. We are doing this by providing practical support focused on delivery and impact on the ground. We are increasing the role of the private sector in all of our activities under the Deauville partnership, as a key to delivering sustainable growth. Work on eight priority areas this year which will aim to bolster strong economic growth in the transition countries:
1. Promoting investment opportunities in transition countries, through convening a major international investment conference to showcase opportunities, encourage policy reforms to the investment climate and bring together interested businesses.
2. Trade: We will encourage further movement on opening markets as well as exploring practical steps to address other barriers to trade.
3. Supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): We are working with the International Financial Institutions to help develop SMEs in the region and are running an SME mentoring scheme to support entrepreneurship.
4. Supporting women's economic participation: We will integrate a focus on the role of women throughout all of our work and host a conference to recognise and boost the role of women in Arab economies.
5. Support expansion of European Bank of Reconstruction and Development's mandate: This will make up to €2.5 billion per year available in private sector finance available in transition countries.
6. Ensuring recovery of stolen assets: We will make sure there is an effective international response to stolen assets, by encouraging work which disseminates knowledge, facilitates and coordinates international cooperation and builds capacity in transition countries.
7. Greater access to private capital: We will continue to support greater state and private sector access to private capital to finance critical investments.
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8. Providing practical assistance through a Transition Fund set up during last year's US presidency. Through this we will ensure delivery of technical assistance in implementing economic reform in transition countries.
Morocco
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will raise with the Moroccan authorities the concerns raised by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture for Morocco that public officials who order, condone or cover up torture should be prosecuted; [149220]
(2) if he will raise with the Moroccan authorities the concerns of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture on the systematic pattern of acts of torture and ill-treatment during the detention and arrest process of Saharawi accused of threats against national security; [149226]
(3) if he will raise with the Moroccan authorities the concerns of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture that Saharawi accused of threats against national security are often not officially registered, that they are held for weeks without being brought before a judge and without judicial oversight, and that families are not notified until such time as the suspects are transferred to police custody in order to sign confessions; [149227]
(4) if he will raise with the Moroccan authorities the concerns of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture that testimonies of Saharawi accused of threats against national security, indicate that many cases that are submitted to the courts are based solely on confessions by the accused, allegedly obtained under torture and later recanted, in the absence of any material evidence. [149228]
Alistair Burt: We welcome the report of Mr Juan Mendez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, and Morocco's openness in allowing him to visit, which indicates a genuine political will to address a continued improvement in human rights. We will encourage and support Morocco in the implementation of the recommendations and continue to raise our concerns with the Moroccan authorities on human rights issues through our existing frank and open dialogue.
Palestinians
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what recent representations the British (a) ambassador to Israel and (b) Consul General in Jerusalem have made to the Palestinian Authority about incitement; [149647]
(2) what representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority on fulfilling its Road Map commitment to end incitement against Israel. [149649]
Alistair Burt: Our officials raise instances of incitement with both the Palestinian Authority and Israel whenever we feel this appropriate. There is a profound need for both the Israeli and Palestinian sides to do more to promote a positive portrayal of each other, reflecting the principles of co-existence, tolerance, justice and human dignity. However, the British Government believe that the track record of President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad shows they are genuinely committed to a non-violent pursuit of a two state solution.
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Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the (a) treatment and (b) position of Christians in the Palestinian territories. [149648]
Alistair Burt: The Government place a high priority on the right to freedom of religion for all.
The UK is not aware of specific legal restrictions placed upon Christians in Gaza or the west bank to practise their religion. However, we remain deeply concerned about restrictions on freedom of movement. Palestinian Christian communities are primarily concentrated in Bethlehem, Ramallah and East Jerusalem. Travel by Palestinians between these places remains very difficult due to Israeli restrictions on freedom of movement. Palestinian Christians may also, like Palestinians of other faiths, face other restrictions as a result of the policies of the respective authorities exercising control over the occupied Palestinian Territories.
The Government regularly discuss these issues with religious leaders of all faiths, and with the relevant authorities, including raising specific cases as appropriate and discussing ways of protecting holy sites across the occupied Palestinian Territories.
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority on the naming of cultural and sporting events after terrorists. [149675]
Alistair Burt: As the Prime Minister made clear in his speech to the United Jewish Israel Appeal on 15 October 2012, the UK will not tolerate incitement to terrorism and cannot support those who name sporting events after suicide bombers.
We have a regular dialogue with the Palestinian Authority in which we reiterate the need for both sides to prepare their populations for peaceful coexistence and to avoid anything which further stirs up hatred and prejudice. We most recently raised the issue of incitement with Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad's office in January 2013.
Syria
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2013, Official Report, column 472W, on Syria, what assessment he has made of the vulnerability of Syrian chemical weapons stocks to being captured and exploited by elements of the Syrian opposition. [149885]
Alistair Burt: The Syrian regime is legally obliged under UN Security Council Resolution 1540 to keep its chemical weapons secure. We have pressed upon them the need to meet this responsibility in full.
The vulnerability to capture of Syrian chemical weapons stocks is very difficult to assess. Ultimately, if the regime falls, the security of the stocks will depend on those guarding them.
Some expertise, as well as access to appropriate delivery systems, is needed to handle and exploit chemical weapons.
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The opposition's ability to use these weapons is likely to depend on the number of people with the necessary expertise who defect.
The Syrian National Coalition has however made clear in a statement on 20 March its condemnation of the use of chemical weapons, saying that “chemical warfare is internationally prohibited. Its use against any enemy is banned.”
We welcome the UN Secretary-General's decision to investigate possible use of chemical weapons in Syria. Any use of chemical weapons would be morally abhorrent and universally condemned and demand a serious response from the international community.
Health
Blood: Donors
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Blood Service checks levels of lead in those who wish to donate blood. [149473]
Anna Soubry: NHS Blood and Transplant, which provides blood for transfusion to hospitals in England and North Wales, does not check levels of lead in either potential blood donors or donated blood.
Significant lead poisoning usually results in anaemia, as lead affects a person's ability to form haemoglobin (iron). All potential blood donors have their iron levels tested prior to donation and must have a minimum iron
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level before they can donate. Donors who have been exposed to high levels of lead will therefore not be able to donate because their low iron levels would prevent them from meeting the donation criteria.
Cancer
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of those eligible did not receive a cancer care review within six months of receiving confirmation of their diagnosis since the programme's inception. [149655]
Anna Soubry: Cancer reviews are carried out under the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), which is a voluntary part of the general practitioners (GPs) contract. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is responsible for keeping QOF indicators under review and making recommendations for changes.
There has been a cancer review indicator in QOF since its inception in 2004. The following table, provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, sets out achievement levels.
Please note that in 2004-05 and 2005-06 a slightly, differently worded indicator (‘Cancer 2’) with a larger diagnosis window was in force, though both ‘Cancer 2’ and its successor ‘Cancer 3’ refer to the review occurring within six months of confirmed diagnosis. Exceptions data were not reported in 2004-05, hence the missing figures in the table.
| Numerator | Exceptions | Denominator | Underlying achievement, net of exceptions (numerator/denominator)(2) | % of patients for which indicator was not achieved (100% underlying achievement) | % of patients receiving the intervention (numerator/exceptions + denominator)(3) | % of patients for which indicator was not achieved (including exceptions) (100% of patients receiving the intervention) | |
| (1 )Cancer 2 indicator applied in 2004-05 and 2005-06. (2) Underlying Achievement is the measure by which practices are awarded QOF points score, based on this figure measured against the defined achievement thresholds. (3) This measure was introduced in 2011-12 to provide greater context to Underlying Achievement figures. It includes exceptions in the calculation, and thus covers all patients to whom the indicator applies, regardless of exception status. This measure is not part of the QOF payment process. | |||||||
Cancer: Drugs
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefits patients have derived from receiving drugs through the Cancer Drugs Fund; and how many additional patient years of life, taking account of the published QUALY benefits, have resulted from each of the drugs provided through the fund. [149817]
Norman Lamb: The Cancer Drugs Fund was launched on 1 April 2011 to help thousands of cancer patients access the drugs their clinicians believe will help them. We also made an additional £50 million available to strategic health authorities in 2010-11. This funding has so far helped over 28,000 patients in England to access the additional cancer drugs their clinicians recommend.
A clinical audit of the drugs provided through the Cancer Drugs Fund is being carried out by the Chemotherapy Intelligence Unit at the Oxford Registry and we expect them to report preliminary data later this year. The audit will provide an opportunity to assess the benefits of the fund for patient outcomes and build the evidence base for the future.
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Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the continuation of the Cancer Drugs Fund beyond the end of 2014; and what assessment he has made of the value-based pricing process. [149823]
Norman Lamb: We are considering ways in which cancer patients can continue to benefit from drugs currently provided through the Cancer Drugs Fund, at a cost that represents value to the national health service.
The consultation document, “A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines” set out our proposals for value-based pricing. The consultation ran from 16 December 2010 to 17 March 2011 and the Government's response to the consultation was published on 18 July 2011, “A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines: Government response to consultation”.
The impact assessment accompanying the consultation document set out an evaluation of the effects of our proposals including an assessment of the possible impact on NHS patients, including cancer patients. Copies of the consultation document, the Government's response and the impact assessment have already been placed in the Library.
The impact assessment will be updated in due course as the new pricing arrangements for branded medicines, including value-based pricing, are finalised.
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in each hospital trust who have received treatment attributable to the Cancer Drugs Fund since its inception. [149951]
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have received drugs funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund to date; and how many patients with breast cancer have received treatment with drugs funded through the fund. [149816]
Norman Lamb: A number of the drugs funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund are used in the treatment of breast cancer. However, the Department does not collect information on the specific indications for which drugs have been funded and some of these drugs may be used in the treatment of other cancers. Neither is information collected by the Department about the use of treatments funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund at hospital trust level.
Information on the number of patients who have had cancer drugs funded by strategic health authorities (SHAs) under the interim cancer drugs funding arrangements in 2010-11 (from October 2010 to the end of March 2011) and under the Cancer Drugs Fund (from April 2011 to the end of January 2013) is shown in the following table.
| Strategic health authority | Number of patients funded 2010-11 | Number of patients funded in 2011-12 | Number of patients funded from April 2012 to end January 2013 | Total number of patients funded since October 2010(1) |
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| (1) Some individual patients may be double-counted where a patient has received more than one drug treatment through the Cancer Drugs Fund. Source: Information provided to the Department by SHAs | ||||
Chemotherapy
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has made in developing a quality standard for chemotherapy. [149221]
Norman Lamb: The topic ‘cancer chemotherapy' is in the core library of quality standards referred to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). We understand from NICE that this topic has not yet been scheduled into its work programme.
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the quality and safety of chemotherapy services in the NHS; and if he will make a statement; [149222]
(2) what plans the NHS Commissioning Board has to introduce measures to assess and improve the quality and safety of chemotherapy services in the NHS Outcomes Framework. [149223]
Anna Soubry: The National Cancer. Peer Review (NCPR) programme assesses local services against the performance measures contained in the Manual for Cancer Services. These measures reflect the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 'Improving Outcomes in Cancer Guidance' documents and other national and best practice guidance on the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of cancer patients. The role of the NCPR programme is to support quality assurance and continuous service improvement. All chemotherapy and acute oncology services were subject to assessment as part of the NCPR programme in 2011-12, following the introduction of new measures for these services.
The outcome of that review was published in the report 'National Cancer Peer Review Programme Report 2011-12: An overview of the findings from the 2011-12 National Cancer Peer Review of Cancer Services in England'. It showed that while compliance against the chemotherapy service measures was over 80% in all areas, there was still work to be done to ensure compliance
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with Acute Oncology Service measures. The peer review programme continues to work closely with the Care Quality Commission, sharing information about poor performing teams and Trusts and providing regular updates on any immediate risks identified. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.
The Manual for Cancer Services informed the development of the chemotherapy service specification that will be used by the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) to commission chemotherapy services from April 2013. Compliance against the measures has also been included as one of the performance indicators in the specification. The NHS CB has advised that the Clinical Reference Group for Chemotherapy services intends to continue working with providers to ensure that outcomes from the peer review process are addressed and that the new data now flowing from the National Chemotherapy Dataset Collection continues to drive improvements in quality and safety of chemotherapy services.
Furness Hospital
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on how many occasions the oncology unit at Furness General hospital was operating at full capacity in terms of beds in each of the last five years; [149308]
(2) what the average occupancy rate of beds was in the oncology unit at Furness General hospital in each of the last five years. [149313]
Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally. This information may be obtained from the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust directly.
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with (a) University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, (b) Monitor and (c) the Care Quality Commission on the future of the oncology unit at Furness General Hospital in the last 12 months. [149309]
Anna Soubry: No such discussions have taken place.
Genito-urinary Medicine
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2013, Official Report, column 356W, on genito-urinary medicine, for what reasons the results of the 2010 evidence review on the effectiveness of sexual health interventions have not been published. [149891]
Anna Soubry: The evidence review was completed in September 2010 and it was the Department's original intention to publish it alongside the Sexual Health Framework. The framework was published on 15 March 2013. To be of maximum benefit we now want to update the evidence review and will work with Public Health England to undertake this.
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Health Services: Sign Language
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to help deaf British Sign Language users communicate with and understand health professionals. [149265]
Norman Lamb: Addressing the communication needs of people with hearing loss, including those who are British Sign Language users, to communicate with and understand health professionals is important. This is for many reasons including ensuring that they can take a genuine part in shared decision making and safeguarding against safety issues arising such as non-compliance with medicine regimes.
When making decisions about what services are delivered locally, all national health service organisations must assure themselves that they have complied with the Equality Act 2010. This includes advancing equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic, including a disability such as hearing loss, and those who do not.
HIV Infection
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment his Department has made of the financial effects of using antiretroviral therapy as a preventative measure against the spread of HIV in high risk groups; and if he will make a statement; [149178]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to ensure people with HIV start their treatment early to reduce the risk of onwards transmission; [149179]
(3) if the forthcoming sexual health strategy will encourage the early uptake of antiretroviral therapy by people with HIV to reduce the risk of onwards transmission. [149180]
Anna Soubry: The Department's Expert Advisory Group on AIDS (EAGA) has produced, jointly with the British HIV Association (BHIVA), a position statement for clinicians and other health professionals interpreting the latest evidence on HIV treatment as prevention. The statement will also help patients with diagnosed HIV to make an informed decision about starting treatment based on their individual circumstances. The statement is available on the Department's website by searching EAGA news and publications.
Decisions on when to start prescribing HIV treatment are informed by clinical guidelines produced by BHIVA. These address when to prescribe treatment to prevent HIV transmission. On 15 March, the DH published A Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England which highlights BHIVA's recommendation about offering patients with diagnosed HIV treatment at an early stage to prevent onward transmission of HIV. The framework also highlights the evidence on the reduction in treatment costs of early testing and diagnosis. A copy of the framework has been placed in the Library.
In November 2012 the Medical Research Council clinical trials unit, with the Health Protection Agency and others, started a three-year pilot study on prescribing HIV treatment for prevention purposes to HIV negative gay men.
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Hospitals: Closures
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to NHS trusts on the management of situations where buildings or equipment which have been funded by community charitable donations are proposed for closure. [149310]
Norman Lamb: The Department has not issued specific guidance on the issues raised. Only general guidance is given in departmental publications ‘Health Building Note 00-08: Estatecode’ and ‘NHS funds held on trust: guidance on acceptance, management and transfer of charitable funds for NHS bodies’. A copy of these documents have been placed in the Library.
Human Papillomavirus
Mr Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the risk of aluminium in the (a) cervarix and (b) gardisil form of the human papillomavirus vaccine crossing the blood brain barrier; and if he will publish the research and data held by his Department on such risks; [149260]
(2) if he will seek to determine the possibility of synergistic toxicity of aluminium in human papillomavirus vaccines and the mercury present in other concomitantly administered vaccines; [149261]
(3) what estimate he has made of the amount of aluminium that will enter a girl's body if she receives all the approved courses of vaccination including the human papillomavirus vaccine. [149262]
Norman Lamb: Aluminium adjuvants have been safely used to enhance the effectiveness of many vaccines for over 60 years. During product development, the adjuvants of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines Cervarix and Gardasil, including the aluminium component, were extensively tested and met all the specifications required by the licensing procedure.
The European Medicines Agency has published a summary of the data considered during the licensing process for each of these and other vaccines.
The amount of aluminium varies between vaccines and is determined by several factors including the nature of the vaccine antigens and the specific manufacturing process which is different for every vaccine. The maximum total aluminium content that a child may receive through episodic vaccination as part of the current United Kingdom routine childhood immunisation programme is 3.44 milligrams. The amount of aluminium in vaccines is very small compared with aluminium exposure from the environment(1) including foods, and there is no evidence to suggest that aluminium in vaccines poses any serious health risks. This is supported by a recent review published by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)(2). The World Health Organization's Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS)(3) has also concluded that the FDA review further supports the clinical trial and epidemiological evidence of the safety of aluminium in vaccines.
None of the vaccines used in the current UK routine childhood immunisation programme contains a mercury compound.
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As with all vaccines and medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continues to closely monitor the safety of HPV vaccines using all available sources of data. The benefits of HPV vaccination in protecting against cervical cancer far outweigh any known side effects.
(1) European Food Safety Authority
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/afc080715.htm
(2) R. J. Mitkus et al/Vaccine 29 (2011) 9538- 9543
(3) http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/committee/topics/adjuvants/Jun_2012/en/index.html
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received on the effectiveness of the Government's strategy for the diagnosing of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; [149209]
(2) what plans the Government have to develop additional advice to accompany the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease action plan to reduce misdiagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. [149210]
Anna Soubry: Since 1 September 2012, the Department has received one item of correspondence, no parliamentary questions and held no ministerial meetings on the diagnosing of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The Government do not have a strategy for the diagnosing of IPF as this is a clinical matter.
From 1 April, Government discretion on clinical issues will be limited to referring subjects to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and to setting ambitions for national health service performance through the Mandate provided to the NHS Commissioning Board. The Government have already referred the diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) to NICE as a priority subject for a clinical guideline and this guideline is due to be published in June 2013.
Knee Replacements
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what criteria the NHS Commissioning Board will use to determine for which patients microprocessor knees are appropriate; [149206]
(2) what recent progress has been made on recommendations from the Innovation, Health and Wealth report, including on the National Specialised Services Innovation Fund; what the criteria for participation in this fund are; and whether microprocessor knees will be considered as part of this programme. [149207]
Norman Lamb: Microprocessor knees are not currently routinely funded by the national health service for civilian patients. A number of microprocessor knees have been funded but only following approval by Exceptional Treatment Panels.
The Clinical Reference Groups (CRG) of the NHS Commissioning Board are planning to develop a clinical commissioning policy which, will include access criteria for micro-processor knees as a priority in 2013-14 for consideration. The CRG will work closely with the Military Health policy team at the Department of Health to build on the expertise and knowledge gained as a result of their use in veterans to inform the development of a policy.
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The NHS chief executive, Sir David Nicholson, published ‘Creating Change—IHW One Year On’ in December 2012. The document provides a full update on the progress made with the Innovation, Health and Wealth programme. A copy has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/12/ihw-creating-change/
The Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund (SSCIF) has been established to rapidly test, trial and evaluate innovations with the potential to deliver high impact change for specialised services throughout the NHS. The SSCIF will launch in the first financial quarter of 2013 and will be announced with widespread notifications issued to all stakeholders (individuals and organisations can be added to this list upon request) along with a news story on the NHS CB website.
The SSCIF will be open to applications from health staff, commissioners, manufacturers, clinicians, researchers, independent providers and the third sector. The full entry criteria for consideration of a submission to the SSCIF will be published when the fund is launched, but in essence the types of innovation that would be suitable for consideration by the SSCIF are those:
that are new to NHS specialised services or applied in a way that is new to NHS specialised services;
have shown promise of delivering an improvement in quality and outcomes for patients or the cost of service delivery; and
where it is already possible for the innovation to be used within the NHS and the innovation must not still be in the early development phase.
The scope of innovations that will be considered by the SSCIF is broad, including: service models, pathways, team approaches, diagnostics, devices, technologies and medicines.
It would not be appropriate to comment on whether individual innovations are suitable for the fund as this will be determined via the assessment of applications. However, an online self-assessment checklist will be available when the fund launches to help potential applicants determine if their innovation is suitable to be considered.
Learning Disability
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that there is local support for adults with moderate to mild learning difficulties; [149563]
(2) how much has been allocated to help individuals with moderate to mild learning difficulties in the last five years; [149564]
(3) how much has been allocated to help individuals with moderate to mild learning difficulties in the London borough of Havering in the last five years. [149565]
Norman Lamb: Many people with mild learning disabilities are able to live independent lives and contribute fully to their communities without requiring care and support from Government. However, those that do have care and support needs are supported by their local authorities through the adult social care system if they meet eligibility criteria.
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Local services such as adult social care are not run from Whitehall, and it is for local authorities to choose how best to use their available funding. Central Government do not dictate to councils how much they should spend on adult social care, or how this should be divided between people with different care needs. Local authorities are best placed to make these prioritisation decisions based on local pressures and priorities, and councils have made it clear that this allows them to deliver better outcomes and more efficient services.
The Department for Communities and Local Government collects data on expenditure by service from all local authorities. These data are publicly available at:
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing
The Department of Health has also published the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework, which supports councils by providing a clear focus for local priority setting and improvement. This includes enhancing the quality of life for people with care and support needs, such as those adults with learning disability who require care and support, and includes measures on adults with a learning disability in paid employment and adults with a learning disability who live in their own home or with their family.
Mental Health: Young People
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ask the Office for National Statistics to update its report from 2004, “Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain”, based on the 2011 Census. [149404]
Norman Lamb: We have no such plans currently in place. However, the Children and Young People's Health Outcomes Forum recommended in its report published last year that a survey be developed to support measurement of outcomes for children and young people with mental health problems. In “Improving Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes: a system wide response”, published in February 2013, we said that the Department would be working with partners to develop a programme of work to explore detailed options and development costs to implement new or extend existing data sources and measures. This programme of work will consider surveys to look at mental health in children and young people, among other options.
Multiple Sclerosis
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has conducted into the causes of multiple sclerosis. [149824]
Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network is hosting a study of the genetic analysis of multiple sclerosis (MS) led by the University of Cambridge. The research is seeking to identify genetic factors that influence susceptibility to MS. Research in this field has also been supported by the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.
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NHS: Finance
Charlotte Leslie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual NHS spend is on (a) medical staff, (b) nursing staff, (c) other staff, (d) supplies, (e) overheads, (f) building and estate costs and (g) other
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running and maintenance costs of operating theatres. [149304]
Norman Lamb: The information requested is not available. Such information as is available is provided in the following table. The figures are for 2011-12, the latest period for which data are available.
| £000 | ||||||
| Medical staff | Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff(1) | Other staff | Supplies and services | Overheads | Building and estate costs | |
| (1) It is not possible to separately identify "nursing staff" from "nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff". Notes: 1. The Department does not collect data from NHS foundation trusts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data provided is only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust. 2. Information on running and maintenance costs of operating theatres is not collected centrally. | ||||||
NHS: Redundancy
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on NHS staff redundancies in 2012-13. [149741]
Norman Lamb: Audited and complete data for 2012-13 redundancies is not yet available. It will be available in the summer, once the Department's annual report and accounts are audited, signed and laid before Parliament.
NHS: Redundancy Pay
Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS foundation trusts spent on employee severance packages in each year from 2005-06 to 2011-12. [149203]
Norman Lamb: Monitor, the regulator for foundation trusts, only holds the requested information since 2010-11.
In 2010-11, employee severance packages paid by foundation trusts totalled £3.2 million.
In 2011-12, employee severance packages paid by foundation trusts totalled £1.2 million.
However, the total severance packages paid may include contractual elements which Monitor is unable to separate from the non-contractual elements.
Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS severance packages contained confidentiality clauses in each year from 2005-06 to 2011-12. [149204]
Norman Lamb: The Department does not hold this information. The Department reviews proposals to make special severance payments from national health service trusts, before either rejecting them or supporting them and sending to HM Treasury for approval. Foundation trusts send such proposals to HM Treasury via Monitor.
Neither the Department nor Monitor routinely see the compromise agreements, which may include a confidentiality clause under which such payments are proposed.
In future, special severance payments will be approved only where there is assurance that the compromise agreement under which they are being proposed includes a specific clause stating that nothing within the agreement prevents the individual from speaking out on issues such as patient care and safety, or anything else in the wider public interest.
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2013, Official Report, column 361W, on NHS: redundancies, what the average cost per staff member was of such redundancies; what the largest individual redundancy payment was; how many such redundancies involved an individual redundancy payment of over (a) £50,000, (b) £100,000 and (c) £200,000; and what the total cost to the public purse was of such redundancies. [149914]
Norman Lamb: This information is not held centrally. The average cost of compulsory redundancies across the whole national health service in 2011-12 was £39,044
Prescriptions
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requirement NICE has to take account of the value of innovation in a disease area where no effective treatment already exists. [149208]
Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) legislative framework requires it to have regard to the potential for long term benefits to the national health service of innovation in its work.
From April 2013, NICE will be re-established as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 provides that, in exercising its functions, NICE must have regard to the desirability of promoting innovation in the provision of health services.
NICE'S ‘Guide to the methods of technology appraisal’ explains that the innovative nature of the technology is one of the factors that its Appraisal Committees will take into account in deciding whether to recommend a
25 Mar 2013 : Column 925W
technology at the higher end of the cost per Quality-Adjusted Life Year range that NICE uses in the development of its guidance. The guide is available at:
www.nice.org.uk/media/B52/A7/TAMethodsGuideUpdated June2008.pdf
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether, under his plans for value-based pricing, treatments for diseases affecting older people will need to have higher than usual cost-effectiveness in order to be recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; [149729]
(2) whether the age of patients will be a determinant factor in the value of medicines under his plans for value-based pricing. [149730]
Norman Lamb: The consultation document, “A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines” set out our proposals for value-based pricing. The consultation ran from 16 December 2010 to 17 March 2011 and the Government's response to the consultation was published on 18 July 2011, “A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines: Government response to consultation”.
The impact assessment accompanying the consultation document set out an evaluation of the effects of our proposals including an assessment of the possible impact on NHS patients. Copies of the consultation document, the Government's response and the impact assessment have been already placed in the Library.
The impact assessment will be updated in due course as the new pricing arrangements for branded medicines, including value-based pricing, are finalised.
School Milk
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Stevenage of 6 March 2013, Official Report, column 1086W, on school milk, whether the European School Milk Scheme was open to early years settings, including Ofsted registered settings, prior to 2008; what EU rules changed in 2008 that extended the European School Milk Scheme to early years settings; and for which breaches of the EU requirements the Government was asked to return £2,641,271.08 to the European Commission in 2010. [148617]
Mr Heath: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Approved applicants were able to claim under the European School Milk Scheme for nurseries linked to primary schools prior to 2008. The EU rules were amended in 2008, from which time access to the scheme was granted to all early years settings.
The Government decided to return the £2,641,271.08 because there were concerns over nursery settings' ability to comply in full with onerous EU record-keeping requirements.
Sheepmeat
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when (a) the Food Standards Agency and (b) Ministers were informed of the discovery of 57 tonnes of British mutton at the Spanghero factory in France. [149910]
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Anna Soubry: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was first alerted to the French authorities' initial findings at the French company Spanghero by the United Kingdom Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer on 22 February 2013. This started an immediate investigation which is ongoing. The FSA was formally notified by France through the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) system on 27 February 2013.
The FSA informed me on 20 March 2013. As regards Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Ministers, this issue was first included in a ministerial briefing pack for (DEFRA) oral questions on 7 March 2013, but the issue was raised substantively on 18 March when officials provided briefing for my hon. Friend the Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr Heath), Minister of State for agriculture and food.
FSA inspectors had visited Central Food Services on several occasions after the UK moratorium came into effect on 28 April 2012. The evidence disclosed at these visits, including documentary evidence and full inspections of the entire premises, indicated that unused desinewed meat—DSM—produced from ruminant bones, prohibited under the moratorium, had been disposed of as animal by-products in accordance with the terms of the moratorium.
However, evidence uncovered at the visits carried out after the information was received from the French authorities has confirmed that Central Food Services dispatched a number of consignments of desinewed lamb to Spanghero in breach of the moratorium after the moratorium had commenced.
The FSA continues to investigate the extent of the breach. To date there is nothing to suggest that Central Food Services, or any other business, manufactured DSM from ruminant bones after the moratorium commenced. There is also no evidence to suggest any link with the horse meat issue, beyond the involvement of Spanghero.
Surgery
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total annual reference costs are for all surgical procedures in the NHS. [149305]
Norman Lamb: The information is not available in the format requested.
Annual reference costs are collected from national health service trusts and NHS foundation trusts by health care resource groups (HRGs). HRGs are standard groupings of clinically similar treatments which use similar levels of health care resource, and may be distinguished as either diagnosis driven (where there are no major procedure codes in the patient record) or procedure-driven.
The total cost of all procedure-driven HRGs in admitted patient care or out-patient settings in 2011-12 reference costs is estimated at approximately £13 billion. It is not possible to distinguish between surgical and non-surgical procedures from within this amount.
A list of the procedure driven HRGs used to inform this estimate has been placed in the Library.
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University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he or his predecessor was made aware of the details of the arrangements for the severance of Mr Tony Halsall from the position of chief executive of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay; and whether he or his predecessor were made aware of Mr Halsall's continued employment in the NHS. [149902]
Norman Lamb: University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay is a national health service foundation trust. The Department does not see special severance payments from foundation trusts, foundation trusts are required to send such proposals to HM Treasury for approval via Monitor.
The trust released a statement on 20 March 2013 outlining the details of the departure confirming that Mr Tony Halsall remains an employee of the trust but is currently on secondment to the NHS Confederation and that the agreed severance arrangements at the end of the secondment do not involve a special severance payment.
Wales
Domestic Visits
Jessica Morden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times he has visited each parliamentary
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constituency in Wales in an official capacity since taking office. [149476]
Stephen Crabb: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given on 19 March 2013, Official Report, columns 668-69W.
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2013, Official Report, column 668W, on domestic visits, how many such visits have been undertaken by (a) him and (b) each of his two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State; [149913]
(2) pursuant to his answer of 18 March 2013, Official Report, column 406W, on Domestic Visits, what the venue was of each visit undertaken by (a) him and (b) each of his two Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State. [149912]
Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office Ministerial Team and I meet with numerous stakeholders across Wales, and in London; to enhance the economic prospects of Wales; to guard the constitutional settlement and to further the interests of the people of Wales. Details of all the organisations my ministerial colleagues and I meet are regularly published on the Wales Office website.
Pursuant to my answers of 18 and 19 March 2013, Official Report, columns 406W and 668W respectively, the split in these visits, and the locations they were undertaken in, between the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Clwyd West (Mr Jones), the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales, my Noble Friend Baroness Randerson, and I are shown in the following table:
| Constituency | Secretary of State for Wales (David Jones) | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Stephen Crabb) | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Baroness Randerson) |
| Note: This table shows the number of separate occasions these locations have been visited. | |||
Government Expenditure: Females
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment his Department has made of the effect of Government spending reductions on women in Wales. [149478]
Stephen Crabb: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 19 March 2013, Official Report, column 670W.
Defence
Armed Forces: Electoral Register
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces are registered to vote. [149252]
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Mr Francois: The latest Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey published in August 2012 indicates that some 67% of regular service personnel have registered to vote.
Armed Forces: Pay
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of implementing the x-factor element of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body's forty-second report 2013 by each rank to which it applies. [149735]
Mr Francois: The estimated total cost of implementing the X factor element of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body's (AFPRB) 2013 report is some £33 million for 11 months of financial year 2013-14 and £36 million per year thereafter. Rates of pay for each rank, including the 0.5% X factor increase are set out in the AFPRB's 2013 report, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Armed Forces: Redundancy
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many advanced explosive ordnance disposal operators have been made redundant in tranches 1 and 2; and how many are liable for redundancy in tranche 3. [148202]
Mr Francois: Statistics for tranches 1 and 2 of the armed forces' redundancy scheme can be found on the Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) website at the following address:
http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page=67&pubType=0&thiscontent=5100&date=2012-08-24
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No advanced explosive ordnance disposal operators were made redundant in tranches 1 or 2; and none are liable for redundancy in tranche 3.
Armed Forces: Scotland
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Scottish-based service personnel serving in the infantry are liable for redundancy under tranche 3; and at what ranks such service personnel are. [149700]
Mr Francois: An individual's unit or where they are stationed is not a factor in the decision to select service personnel for redundancy.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 March 2013, Official Report, column 644W. As part of the January 2013 redundancy announcement for tranche 3 that earmarked 5,300 posts, 654 Infantry personnel between the ranks of Private and Corporal are liable for selection for redundancy.
Army
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) military personnel and (b) UK-based civilians are currently serving in (i) Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, (ii) 2 Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and (iii) 110 Provost Company Royal Military Police; and how many (A) spouses and (B) school-age children are attached to each unit. [149536]
Mr Francois: The numbers currently serving in the units concerned are shown in the following table.
These units are stationed in Germany at present and are due to move to Leuchars from 2015 as announced in the Army Basing Plan by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) on 5 March 2013, Official Report, column 845.
The Ministry of Defence will now begin the process of detailed planning and necessary engagement with the stakeholders concerned, including local councils, to deliver the Army Basing Plan and ensure the minimum disruption to Army personnel, their families and the local community.
British Overseas Territories
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military assets are deployed in (a) Anguilla, (b) Bermuda, (c) British Antarctic Territory, (d) British Indian Ocean Territory, (e) British Virgin Islands, (f) Cayman Islands, (g) Falkland Islands, (h) Gibraltar, (i) Montserrat, (j) Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, (k) St Helena and St Helena Dependencies (Ascension and Tristan da Cunha), (l) South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, (m) Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia and (n) the Turks and Caicos Islands. [149249]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has four bases located in UK overseas territories. These are termed permanent joint operating bases and consist of British Forces Gibraltar, British Forces Cyprus located within the sovereign base areas, the British Indian Ocean Territory and British Forces South Atlantic Islands based in Falklands Islands and Ascension Island. This reflects the MOD's commitment and responsibility for defence and security of the UK's overseas territories as a standing military task.
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The military assets deployed in each of the permanent joint operating bases are presented in the following table:
The Ministry of Defence has no military assets deployed in Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, St Helena and St Helena Dependencies (Tristan da Cunha) South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands or at the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on programmes or projects related to (a) Anguilla, (b) Bermuda (c) British Antarctic Territory, (d) British Indian Ocean Territory, (e) British Virgin Islands, (f) Cayman Islands, (g) Falkland Islands, (h) Gibraltar, (i) Montserrat, (j) Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, (k) St Helena and St Helena Dependencies (Ascension and Tristan da Cunha), (l) South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, (m) the Sovereign Base areas of Akritiri and Dhekelia and (n) the Turks and Caicos Islands in each of the last three years. [149371]
Mr Robathan: Costs shown in the following table reflect Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s commitment and responsibility for defence and security of the UK's Overseas Territories as a standing military task and are rounded to the nearest £ million.
| £ million | |||
| Financial year | |||
| UK's Overseas Territories | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
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| (1 )Figures for Falkland Islands include the costs associated with Ascension Island as these figures cannot be broken down further without incurring disproportionate cost. These figures do not include the costs associated with St Helena or Tristan da Cunha (of which there are none). (2) Figures for Akrotiri and Dhekelia include all MOD sites in British Forces Cyprus as these cannot be broken down further without incurring disproportionate cost. | |||
These costs represent the Joint Forces Command Top Level Budget from 2012-13 and the Chief of Joint Operations Top Level Budget prior to this period. It also includes Defence Infrastructure Organisation costs incurred for these locations.
Consultants
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many consultants were hired to advise the (a) Defence Infrastructure Organisation, (b) Defence Science Innovation and Technology Laboratory, (c) Defence Support Group, (d) Hydrographic Office and (e) Meteorological Office between (i) 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011, (ii) 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012 and (iii) 1 April 2012 and January 2013; [149266]
(2) how many consultants were hired to advise the (a) Defence Equipment and Support, (b) HQ Air Command, (c) Land Forces and (d) Navy Command between (i) 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011, (ii) 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012 and (iii) 1 April 2012 and January 2013; [149267]
(3) how many consultants were hired to advise (a) Central TLB, (b) head office and corporate services, (c) chief of joint operations and (d) Joint Forces Command between (i) 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011, (ii) 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012 and (iii) 1 April 2012 and January 2013. [149354]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence negotiates contracts with consultancy companies to deliver a specific output at an agreed price. It does not specify the number of consultants to be employed as this is a matter for the contractor.
Expenditure on external consultancy with a breakdown by category of expenditure is published in UK Defence Statistics at the following website:
http://www.dasa.mod.uk/modintranet/UKDS/UKDS2012/c1/table109.php
Cyprus
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cash dispensing machines are situated within UK armed forces' bases in Cyprus. [149503]
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Mr Francois: The Hellenic Bank Public Company Ltd have five cash dispensing machines at Akrotiri, (two) Ayios Nikolaos (one) and Dhekelia Station (two). The Cyprus Popular Bank have two cash dispensing machines at Episkopi Station. The British Forces Post Office provide a chip and pin service at Dhekelia, Akrotiri and Episkopi Stations for those with UK cash cards that have the necessary arrangements with the Post Office in the UK.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK armed forces personnel and Ministry of Defence civil servants based in Cyprus have bank accounts in that country; and when his Department ceased to make payments to these accounts. [149597]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) may not be aware of all personal bank accounts but it routinely pays salaries for 192 civil servants and 1,737 UK armed forces personnel into Cyprus bank accounts.
A decision was taken by the MOD on 19 March 2013 to hold payments into these accounts. All personnel have been asked to nominate a UK bank account into which their March salary can be paid.
Defence
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are taken by his Department as part of the threat assessment process. [149251]
Mr Robathan: The Cabinet Office leads the monitoring of threats at national level through the biennial National Security Risk Assessment and the regular output of the Joint Intelligence Committee. The Ministry of Defence contributes fully to this work and in addition monitors in more detail some of the threats identified at national level.
Military Bases
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any 105mm light guns will be based in Scotland following the basing review. [149361]
Mr Francois: Following the outcome of the regular Army basing plan announced on 5 March 2013, Official Report, columns 845-48, 105mm light guns will continue to be based in Scotland with 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery 7 (Sphinx), Commando Battery Royal Artillery at Royal Marines Condor, Arbroath.
A small number of 105mm light guns are also held in Scotland for ceremonial purposes.
The future location of any 105mm light guns with Army reserve units remains subject to the reserves announcement which is due before the summer recess.
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 78W, on the army basing plan, what overall valuation of the announced land disposals consequent on the army basing review has been made for the purposes of his Department's budgetary planning. [149548]
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Mr Francois: Although the disposal of some sites formed part of the announcement, details of any pre-sale valuations obtained in advance of land disposals will not be released as to do so could unduly influence the market.
Military Bases: Edinburgh
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of housing stock at Craigiehall. [150205]
Mr Francois: The final requirement for Service Family Accommodation to support the revised structure of the armed forces in Edinburgh has not yet been confirmed.
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of service family accommodation at (a) Redford and (b) Dreghorn barracks will be used in each of the next five years; and which personnel are expected to be housed at each site during this period. [149872]
Mr Francois: The final requirement for Service Family Accommodation to support the revised structure of the armed forces in Edinburgh has not yet been confirmed.
Military Bases: Scotland
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the outcome of the basing review on the Defence Medical Services in Scotland. [149589]
Mr Francois: The provision of healthcare by the Defence Medical Services in Scotland should not be adversely affected by the basing review. Health-care provided at Defence medical and dental centres in Scotland will be adjusted if required to ensure service personnel continue to receive the highest standard of care.
Military Exercises
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets are taking part in (a) Saharan Express and (b) Proud Mantra; how many personnel were deployed on each such operation; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of each operation. [149359]
Mr Robathan: Saharan Express is a multi-national maritime exercise designed to improve co-operation among participating nations in order to increase counter-piracy capabilities and deter maritime crimes in West Africa. The UK, US and four other European nations together with eight West African nations have just completed participation in Saharan Express 13.
The UK was represented by HMS Argyll, a Type 23 frigate, with a crew of 174 personnel. HMS Argyll was able to participate because she is in the region on UK Defence's standing commitment to maintain maritime security patrols in the North and South Atlantic. Costs associated with the exercise have not been collected separately, as HMS Argyll was concurrently on-task, fulfilling this standing commitment.
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Proud Manta is NATO's largest annual anti-submarine exercise designed to improve co-operation and inter-operability between NATO members; 11 nations participated this year. The UK deployed three Merlin Mk1 helicopters with 75 personnel as part of Proud Manta 2013 at a cost of £175,000.
Military Police: Edinburgh
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement of 5 March 2013, Official Report, columns 845-63W, on Army Basing Plan, whether Royal Military Police based at Edinburgh Castle will be moved in consequence of the Army Basing Plan; and where they will be based after any such move. [149938]
Mr Francois: There are no current plans to move the Royal Military Police based at Edinburgh castle.
Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the instructor to student ratio is for members of the Ministry of Defence police; and what estimate he has made of the likely change in the ratio in each of the next five years. [149253]
Mr Francois: The instructor to student ratio for members of the Ministry of Defence police varies according to the type of training being delivered. Therefore the ratio in each of the next five years will be determined by the category and frequency of training delivered.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Ministry of Defence Police Criminal Investigation Department have (a) been made redundant and (b) been moved to other posts within his Department in the last 12 months. [149254]
Mr Francois: Since 1 April 2012 in the Ministry of Defence Police Criminal Investigation Department there have been no redundancies and three members have moved to other posts within the Ministry of Defence Police.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff were employed by the Ministry of Defence Police Criminal Investigation Department in (a) May 2010 and (b) March 2013. [149255]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence Police Criminal Investigation Department employed 205 police and civilian staff as at 1 May 2010. There were 154 police and civilian staff employed as at 1 March 2013.
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 27 March 2012, Official Report, column 116WS, on Defence, Police and Guarding Agency, when he will report to Parliament the results of the consultation on the future of the Ministry of Defence police. [149728]
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Mr Francois: Formal consultation is in hand on detailed proposals resulting from the changes announced last year. I will make a further statement once final decisions on those proposals have been taken. I would expect to be able to do so in the summer.
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the saving to the public purse as a result of actions taken by the Ministry of Defence police CID in disrupting conspiracies to commit crime in each of the last five financial years. [149814]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence police (MDP) has recorded the following crime disruption figures:
| £ | |
The MDP only hold established disruption figures from 2010. The figures recorded are for all disruptions which would include any element of conspiracy.
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year. [148041]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence currently has over 500 pay-related allowances and subsidies in addition to salary available to civilian staff. This follows the removal of approximately 800 allowances in 2004-05. Nevertheless, the number and purpose of these remaining allowances is the subject of an ongoing efficiency review.
The total cost of these allowances and subsidies in each of the last five financial years was as follows:
| Financial year | Total cost (£ million) |
A full breakdown of the monetary value of each type of allowance and subsidy in addition to salary, in each of the last five financial years, will be placed in the Library of the House. These allowances include those for the cost of living overseas, allowances for shift work and unsociable hours and skills specific allowances.
Other allowances and payments for the reimbursement of costs associated with transferring to a new location following a posting are payable. However, these have been excluded from total costs provided above as they are not salary-related, but claims for expenses incurred.
The Department has one non-departmental public body which has a separate pay and grading delegation, the Royal Air Force Museum. Information on the Royal Air Force Museum will be placed in the Library of the House.
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RAF Leuchars
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the titles are of the (a) sustainability studies, (b) other environmental studies and (c) associated action plans (i) completed and (ii) commissioned in relation to the transfer of the Typhoon Force from RAF Leuchars and the arrival of Army units. [148179]
Mr Robathan: The following sustainable development assessments have been completed to date for the relocation of the Typhoon Force from RAF Leuchars to RAF Lossiemouth, and the arrival of Army units:
a sustainability appraisal for the development of the estate at RAF Lossiemouth, to facilitate the arrival and future operation of up to three Typhoon Fighter 2 Squadrons, including the Northern Quick Reaction Alert facility;
a sustainability appraisal for the delivery of an Adaptable Force Brigade Scotland, including Leuchars, Cavalry Barracks Redford, Dreghorn Barracks, Fort George, Glencorse and Kinloss;
an updated sustainability appraisal for the Base Optimisation Programme (BOP) in Scotland; and
an updated sustainable development action plan for the overarching BOP.
In addition, the following site-specific environmental assessments are planned to be commissioned in 2013 for all the sites in scope:
ecological desk and field scoping surveys, assessment of development constraints and recommendations for further ecological surveys; and
cultural heritage desktop scoping assessments, assessment of development constraints and recommendations for further heritage surveys.
The above reports will support the forthcoming assessment studies on all the sites in scope.
RAF Lyneham
Mr Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the historic Comet aircraft which is at the entrance to the former RAF Lyneham base. [149378]
Mr Robathan: The RAF are currently examining options for the future of the De Havilland Comet C2 XK699 which is the gate guardian at the former RAF Lyneham. No decision has yet been made.
RAF Police
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what limitations the RAF places on recruitment to the RAF police due to previous temporary residence in another Commonwealth nation. [149307]
Mr Francois: Candidates applying for commissioned Service in the RAF police must hold developed vetting (DV) clearance, which in accordance with Cabinet Office instructions requires an individual to have resided continuously in the UK for 10 years immediately prior to their application. Candidates wishing to apply for non-commissioned service in the RAF police must hold security check (SC) clearance and should have at least five years continuous residency in the UK immediately prior to their application.
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On a case-by-case basis the RAF can opt to reduce this requirement to seven years of continuous residency (for developed vetting) and three years (for security check). A residency waiver may also be considered for candidates who have undertaken full-time study overseas or those who have taken a gap year or studied abroad for a short period, but meet all other eligibility criteria.
Theft
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the potential increase in theft and loss from the Ministry of Defence estate as a result of the reduction in the number of Ministry of Defence Police CID detectives. [149714]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) police criminal investigation department will continue to provide an effective investigative capability using police powers to support the MOD's new counter fraud and loss department, which aims to improve the way fraud and theft is managed across Defence.
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made on his plans to create a Defence Fraud and Loss Unit in his Department. [149715]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is making good progress in establishing a dedicated Counter Fraud and Loss Prevention Unit. It has appointed a new head of counter fraud, loss and prevention at senior civil service level, and is currently recruiting a well-qualified team of counter fraud specialists to support efforts to reduce fraud and theft.
The Department has adopted a new Counter Fraud Strategy and a Counter Fraud and Loss Prevention Board has been established to drive improvements in managing the risk of fraud and loss across the MOD.
United Arab Emirates
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long he expects the 906 Expeditionary Air Wing to be based at Al Minhad air base. [149362]
Mr Robathan: The RAF's 906 Expeditionary Air Wing (EAW) was stood up in the United Arab Emirates on 15 January 2013, replacing B Flight of 901 EAW. Its tasks include the provision of support to air transport links between the UK and deployed operations in Afghanistan, as well as logistic support to deployed forces. It is also responsible for supporting RAF aircraft conducting joint exercises in the region. No decision has yet been made on an end date for 906 EAW's basing at Al Minhad.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of deploying 906 Expeditionary Air Wing at Al Minhad air base; [149363]
(2) what (a) assets and (b) munitions are deployed to Al Minhad air base; [149364]
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(3) how many personnel are deployed to Al Minhad air base as part of (a) the 906 Expeditionary Air Wing and (b) other operations. [149365]
Mr Robathan: 906 Expeditionary Air Wing, based at Al Minhad in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), provides support to air transport links between the UK and operations in Afghanistan. The wing has a secondary role supporting RAF aircraft conducting joint exercises in the region such as the RAF's Tornado, Typhoon and E-3D Sentry aircraft which regularly exercise with Gulf Co-operation Council members.
The number of assets and munitions deployed, either for exercises or supporting operations, is constantly changing depending on the activity at the time. There are currently a number of Tornado aircraft deployed to the UAE supporting the biannual advanced tactical leadership course which involves aircrew from Gulf Cooperation Council partners as well as RAF and US personnel. In addition a C-17 aircraft is currently deployed to Al Minhad supporting operations in Afghanistan. There are around 100 UK personnel currently deployed to the UAE on operations, including those at Al Minhad air base as part of 906 Expeditionary Air Wing.
The precise number of personnel fluctuates on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces, visits and a range of other factors. We do not, therefore, publish actual figures for personnel deployed on operations and the figure above is rounded to the nearest 50 personnel.
The approximate cost for 906 Expeditionary Air Wing is £248,000 per month. This figure will fluctuate due to personnel levels changing and exchange rates varying.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what reports he has received on whether the US administration is operating unmanned aerial vehicles from any UK RAF base; [149168]
(2) what oversight the RAF has of US unmanned aerial vehicles where such operations originate from the UK. [149449]
Mr Robathan: The US does not operate remotely piloted aircraft systems from the UK.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the cable linking RAF Croughton to Camp Lemonier is used to support US unmanned aerial vehicle operations. [149185]
Mr Robathan: RAF Croughton is part of a worldwide US Defence communications network, and the base supports a variety of communications activity. The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on what support to US operations is provided by RAF Croughton.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support the RAF is providing to the United States for unmanned aerial vehicle operations outside the UK. [149263]
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Mr Robathan: RAF personnel routinely operate Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) alongside US personnel in Afghanistan as part of the Launch and Recovery Element for NATO international security assistance force (ISAF) missions.
A small number of RAF personnel are also embedded with 432nd Wing of the US Air Force at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada and the USAF Formal Training Unit, at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.