Babies: Screening
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment the UK National Screening Committee has made of the merits of compulsory oximetry tests for newborns; and if he will make a statement. [154273]
Dr Poulter: The Department commissioned research into the accuracy of pulse oximetry as a screening test for congenital heart disease. A National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme trial was undertaken at six hospitals in the West Midlands to determine this. The NIHR HTA reported in 2012 and the United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is currently reviewing the results of the, trial and the world-wide clinical literature against their criteria. A consultation is scheduled to start in the autumn of 2013 for a recommendation early next year.
The UK NSC will decide whether to recommend that pulse oximetry be added to the routine clinical examination of new born babies.
Cancer: Drugs
Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he first asked the Radiotherapy Clinical Reference Group to put in place a review process for NHS patients excluded from the Cancer Drugs Fund national list from 1 April 2013; [154950]
(2) what funding mechanism has been available from 1 April 2013 to allow NHS patient access to selective internal radiation therapy prior to the outcomes of the review by the Radiotherapy Clinical Reference Group; [154953]
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(3) how the review process by the Radiotherapy Clinical Reference Group into selective internal radiation therapy will be conducted; and if he will make a statement. [154955]
Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has made no requests to the Radiotherapy Clinical Reference Group (CRG).
There is not currently national clinical consensus on the value that Selective Internal Radiotherapy (SIRT) provides to patients and it is not routinely funded by NHS England.
Patients may access SIRT through clinical trials open in the United Kingdom and NHS England encourages clinicians to discuss this possibility with eligible patients. Clinicians may also apply for SIRT treatment on behalf of patients through the individual funding request process.
NHS England requested that the Radiotherapy CRG undertake an assessment of the latest clinical evidence base underpinning SIRT in order to inform a commissioning policy statement. A draft policy statement has now been agreed by the relevant CRG Chairs and will be considered by the Specialised Services Portfolio Board on 14 May 2013.
Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the review process is for NHS patients for cancer treatments excluded from the Cancer Drugs Fund national list from April 2013; [154952]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the number of newly presenting NHS patients who will not receive cancer treatment from 1 April 2013 as a consequence of the transition of the Cancer Drugs Fund to the national list. [154954]
Norman Lamb: NHS England has reviewed the former strategic health authority Cancer Drugs Fund priority lists and published a national list of cancer drugs covered by cohort policies. Clinicians can apply to the national Cancer Drugs Fund for the inclusion of a drug within the national list, which is regularly reviewed and updated. This approach has resulted in improved consistency of access for patients.
Regional clinical panels will continue to consider individual patient applications where a patient is considered to be exceptional to a cohort policy or where use under a cohort policy has not been considered due to the rarity of the condition.
NHS England advises that no newly-diagnosed patients will be denied access to cancer treatment as a consequence of the transition of the fund to the national list.
Clinical Commissioning Groups
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish all calculations undertaken in the process of allocating resources to clinical commissioning groups for 2013-14; and what (a) formulae and (b) criteria were used in each such calculation. [155092]
Dr Poulter: Decisions on the allocation of resources to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are a matter for NHS England, which would publish any supporting information.
We are informed by NHS England that all CCGs' baseline allocations were increased by 2.3% for 2013-14.
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Clinical Commissioning Groups: West Midlands
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will direct the area director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) the delegated budgets for the clinical commissioning groups in (i) North Staffordshire, (ii) Stoke-on-Trent, (iii) South Staffordshire and (iv) Shropshire in the year ending 31 March (A) 2013 and (B) 2014 and (b) what those budgets are per head of population in each such area in each financial year. [154327]
Dr Poulter: We are informed by NHS England that North Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, South Staffordshire and Shropshire are the old primary care trust (PCT) areas.
Table 1 shows the clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) budget for 2013-14 (supplied by NHS England). This covers the areas of the four above PCTs. It is difficult to map the old PCTs to the new CCG areas. This is the first year of CCG allocations hence 2012-13 data are not available.
| Table 1: CCGs budget for 2013-14 | |||
| CCGs | 2013-14 (£ million) | Registered population | Budgets are per head of population (£) |
| Source: NHS England | |||
Emergency Services: Counselling
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for emergency service personnel waiting to receive trauma counselling. [154288]
Dr Poulter: This information is not held centrally.
Emergency Services: Suicide
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned into the rate of suicide amongst emergency services personnel. [154289]
Dr Poulter: The Department has not commissioned research specifically into suicide among emergency services personnel. The Department's National Institute for Health Research and Policy Research Programme (PRP) fund a range of research relating to suicide. Last year the PRP launched a research initiative to support implementation of the national suicide prevention strategy.
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G4S
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008. [154554]
Dr Poulter: Information held by the Department where available for the last-five financial years 2008-09 to 2012-13 is contained in the following table.
| Departmental spend excluding VAT | |||||
| £ | |||||
| Supplier name | 2008-09 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | Grand total |
The Department also has a contract with Group 4 Total Security Limited for the provision of key holding and call out services for one alarmed premises. The Department cannot provide a total contract value until the end of the contract in 2014 as the contract is volume related and dependent on the number of call outs.
In July 2008, the Department implemented a new business management system (BMS) which collects enhanced detail on the categorisation, purpose and value of orders. This has now given the Department the scope to be more specific about the nature of each of the consultancy commissions. However, information on the period of engagement for each case is not held on BMS.
Hospitals: Television
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to NHS hospitals regarding the amounts charged to patients for using television. [154409]
Dr Poulter: The Department does not issue guidance to national health service hospitals regarding the amounts charged to patients for using television.
The bedside televisions in hospitals are operated and managed by providers who charge the patients on a pay per use basis.
Each provider is responsible for setting its own charges in agreement with the NHS trust it is contracted to. The Department is not party to these contracts and therefore is not involved in setting the charges for the bedside television and telephone services.
Influenza
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contingency plans his Department has to respond to the potential spread of a human variant of the H7N9 influenza virus; and which Ministers have responsibility for civil contingency planning relating to an influenza pandemic. [155178]
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Anna Soubry: The “UK influenza pandemic preparedness strategy 2011” is aimed at guiding and supporting integrated contingency planning and preparations for spread of a new influenza virus both in health and social care organisations and more widely across government and public and private sector organisations. It provides information on the likely impact of an influenza pandemic and sets out some of the key assumptions for use in response planning.
Additionally, it describes the Government's strategic approach to responding to a pandemic and the arrangements within which organisations responsible for planning, delivering or supporting local responses should develop and maintain integrated operational arrangements.
The Department of Health is the lead Department for planning for a human influenza pandemic, working in close conjunction with the Civil Contingencies Secretariat of the Cabinet Office and the Health Ministers in the devolved Administrations. However, given the wide impacts of a pandemic all Government Departments are involved in planning to mitigate its impacts.
NHS England
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will direct the Board of NHS England to publish all minutes of its meetings that do not pertain to commercial confidentiality. [155091]
Anna Soubry: NHS England holds open board meetings—in line with the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960—and publishes the minutes of the meetings.
Details of NHS England's board meetings can be found on its website at:
www.england.nhs.uk/category/board-meetings/
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many procurement contracts issued in relation to the running of the NHS have used the social value clauses within the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to date; and what the estimated value of these contracts has been. [154115]
Dr Poulter: The Department does not hold information on how many procurement contracts issued in relation to the running of the national health service have used the social value clauses within the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to date centrally.
The responsibility for compliance with relevant procurement regulation rests with individual NHS organisations, where they are acting as the contracting authority.
University Hospital of North Durham: Nurses
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses there were at University Hospital Durham in (a) May 2010 and (b) the latest month for which figures are available. [154197]
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Dr Poulter: The information requested is not centrally held in the format requested. Information on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is shown in the following table for the dates requested.
| County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | |
| FTE qualified nursing midwifery and health visiting staff | |
| Notes: 1. University Hospital Durham is part of County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (FT). 2. Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number. 3. As a consequence of Transforming Community Services the former provider arm of some primary care trusts (PCT) may have transferred into local acute trusts. This can be seen in the large increase in staff numbers at County Durham and Darlington NHS FT, which subsumed staff from Darlington PCT in September 2011. 4. IC seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. 5. As from 21 July 2010 the IC has published provisional monthly NHS workforce data. As expected with provisional statistics, some figures may be revised from month to month as issues are uncovered and resolved. The monthly workforce data is not directly comparable with the annual workforce census; it only includes those staff on the Electronic Staff Record (i.e. it does not include primary care staff or bank staff). There are also new methods of presenting data (headcount methodology is different and there is now a role count). This information is available from September 2009 onwards at the following website: www.hscic.gov.uk Source: The Information Centre for health and social care (IC), Provisional Monthly Workforce Statistics | |
Treasury
UK Companies: Third World Markets
Q17. Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that UK companies operating in third world countries are more transparent and accountable regarding the tax they pay in those countries. [153864]
Sajid Javid: The UK plays a leading role in supporting developing countries to access sustainable sources of revenue, including through increasing transparency in the extractives sector to address corruption.
One of the Government’s key priorities on tax and development is to ensure that developing countries can benefit from international advances on tax transparency and exchange of information as these are important tools in identifying and tackling international tax avoidance and evasion.
Autumn Statement: Upratings
Q18. Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of working households that will be affected by the changes to the uprating of tax credits and other payments announced in the autumn statement 2012. [153865]
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Sajid Javid: The 1% uprating from 2013-14 of working-age discretionary benefits and tax credits is estimated to affect 6.5 million working-age households by 2015-16.
A further 2.9 million households are affected in 2015-16 by the 1% uprating of child benefit from April 2014.
National Infrastructure Plan
Q19. Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made on implementing the national infrastructure plan. [153866]
Sajid Javid: Two of the top 40 priority investments are due to complete later this year, including the King's Cross station improvements, worth over £500 million, and a roads programme.
Also, Budget 2013 confirmed that the first UK guarantee for a commercial sponsor has been agreed—£75 million for Drax Power Station.
To build on this success, from 2015-16, the Government will increase their spending plans by £3 billion per annum. This will mean £18 billion additional investment over the next Parliament.
Heseltine Review
Q20. John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Heseltine review. [153867]
Q21. Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on Lord Heseltine's proposal for the devolution of regeneration funding to local enterprise partnerships. [153868]
Greg Clark: The Government will enthusiastically implement the recommendations of Lord Heseltine's report.
Local growth deals will be negotiated with every local enterprise partnership to transfer power and resources from Whitehall to the cities, towns and counties of our country.
High-carbon Assets
Q22. Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on risks to UK financial stability from investment in high-carbon assets. [153869]
Greg Clark: The independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) of the Bank of England which has the primary objective of identifying, monitoring and taking action to remove or reduce systemic risks to the UK financial system. Should the FPC conclude that investment in high carbon assets poses a systemic risk to the financial system, it is required to report and explain that risk in its six-monthly Financial Stability Report.
Financial Sector: Reform
Q23. Damian Hinds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to reform the regulation of the financial sector. [153870]
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Greg Clark: This Government have moved quickly to correct the fundamental errors in the regulatory system that, in part, caused the financial crisis.
In two and a half years we have replaced the failed system with:
A financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England to identify and prevent systemic risks
A new Prudential Regulation Authority
A dedicated conduct regulator
And in the Banking Reform Bill, currently before this House, we will require everyday banking services to be ring-fenced from more risky investment banking activities.
Child Poverty
Q24. Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect of Government fiscal policy on child poverty. [153871]
Sajid Javid: The Government have protected vulnerable groups as far as possible while urgently taking action to tackle the record deficit it inherited.
Work remains the best and most immediate way out of poverty and the Budget took action to support families and make the tax and welfare system fairer: including further increasing the income tax personal allowance to take 2.7 million people on low incomes out of tax altogether.
Financial Services: Business
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the number of people who have been wrongly advised by a financial adviser and have subsequently gone out of business in each year since 2010-11; [154848]
(2) what (a) recourse and (b) compensation is available to people who have gone out of business as a result of being wrongly advised by a financial adviser. [154849]
Sajid Javid: Businesses which have complaints about the advice which they have received from their financial adviser may be able to pursue compensation through the courts or, if they are a micro-enterprise, through the Financial Ombudsman Service.
Where there has been a breach of relevant requirements the Financial Conduct Authority has powers to intervene in certain circumstances and may be able to require firms to take remedial action. For example, it has powers to impose industry or single firm redress schemes. However, it is not within its remit to resolve individual cases.
Minimum Wage
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the minimum wage over the remainder of this Parliament. [154758]
Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Government remain committed to the national minimum wage (NMW).
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The Government annually review the minimum wage rates that should apply and make their decision on the basis of recommendations from the Low Pay Commission. We intend to continue with this approach.
On 15 April 2013 we announced the minimum wage rates that will apply from 1 October 2013 and I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement given by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), on 15 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1-3WS.
In addition, we are consolidating the numerous NMW regulations into a single set of regulations. This is because we want to reflect the simplicity and clarity of the NMW rules within a single set of regulations. We will introduce the improved set of regulations, following consultation, during this Parliament.
Public Expenditure: Scotland
Mr David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what formula his Department will use to adjust the block grant to Scotland to reflect the implementation of the new taxation powers contained in the Scotland Act 2012. [155174]
Danny Alexander: The Government have agreed a block grant adjustment mechanism with the Scottish Government in relation to the Scottish rate of income tax, whereby the adjustment will be indexed against growth in the UK non-savings non-dividend income tax base. Discussions on an adjustment mechanism in relation to Stamp Duty Land Tax and Landfill Tax are ongoing.
Further information is contained in the Government's first annual report on the implementation of the Scotland Act 2012, available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/first-annual-report-on-the-implementation-of-the-financial-provisions-of-the-scotland-act-2012
Tax Allowances: Married People
Tim Loughton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to introduce transferable tax allowances for married couples. [154907]
Mr Gauke: The Government are committed to recognising marriage in the tax and benefit system and will bring forward proposals in due course.
Welfare State: Reform
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the expected percentage reduction in welfare expenditure that will be achieved through changes to the benefits system. [154838]
Sajid Javid: Welfare spending rose by 20% in real terms in the decade before the financial crisis, leaving reduced resources available for other public services. Reforming the welfare system will not only put welfare spending on a more sustainable footing, but will also reduce pressures on public services.
The Government have made a series of reforms that impact on welfare expenditure. Prior to autumn statement 2012, the Government announced measures saving
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£18 billion from welfare spending in 2014-15. Autumn statement 2012 announced welfare reforms saving a further £3.7 billion in 2015-16.
Total welfare expenditure in 2013-14 is projected to be £204 billion. Further information on welfare expenditure, including forecasts, can be found at:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure_tables_Budget_2013.xls
Working Tax Credit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of the childcare element of working tax credit claimed for the maximum eligible childcare costs for (a) one child and (b) two or more children; and how many such households incurred childcare costs in excess of these limits in each year since 2005-06. [155079]
Sajid Javid: Tax credit rules state that the maximum amount a family can claim in childcare costs is £175p/w for one child and £300p/w for two or more children.
The following table details the number of families claiming the childcare element of working tax credit, and the weekly childcare costs being claimed for by the family. The number of families claiming childcare costs of £175p/w and £300p/w has also been provided. Information on whether the families with these costs are claiming the maximum amount is only available at disproportionate cost.
Data for 2011-12 are unavailable. HMRC is due to publish the 2011-12 Tax Credits Finalised Annual awards at the end of May 2013.
| Numbers (thousand) | ||||
| 2010-11 | 2009-10 | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | |
Information on families' actual incurred childcare costs in excess of the weekly thresholds is only available at disproportionate cost.
The Government are making a sustained investment in early education and childcare. The Government have already extended the free entitlement to 15 hours of early education and childcare for all three-four year
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olds, and are investing an additional £760 million a year to extending this provision to 260,000 two year olds from lower income families by 2014-15.
On 20 March 2013 the Government announced that they would develop a new Tax-Free Childcare scheme that is simple and easy for parents to access. The new scheme will expand support for affordable childcare to 2.5 million families, not just the 450,000 or so who are fortunate enough to work for an employer that offers employer support childcare (ESC). From autumn 2015 working families will be able to claim 20% of childcare costs of up to £1,200 per child aged under twelve (£2,400 for two children, £3,600 for three children etc.) under a new Tax-Free Childcare scheme.
Culture, Media and Sport
Apprentices
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many apprenticeships have been created in (a) the tourism sector and (b) libraries in (i) Barnsley Central constituency, (ii) South Yorkshire and (iii) England in (A) 2010, (B) 2011 and (C) 2012. [154888]
Mr Vaizey: Six travel services apprenticeships have been completed in South Yorkshire (including Barnsley) since April 2012; five intermediate apprenticeships and one advanced.
People 1(st) have advised that the number of apprenticeship completions for April 2012 by Pathway in England are:
| Pathway | Intermediate (Level 2) | Advanced (Level 3) |
|
Travel Services—Leisure and Business; Tour Operators, Head Office; Tour Operators, Field Staff | ||
Data for 2010 and 2011 are not available.
We are not aware of any apprenticeships having been created in public libraries for the geographical areas or the years requested. However, there is potential for apprenticeships in libraries in the future through Arts Council's Creative Employment Programme which was launched in March 2013. It supports the creation of traineeships, apprenticeships and internships for young unemployed people aged 16 to 24 wishing to pursue a career in the arts and cultural sector including libraries.
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The programme is managed by Creative and Cultural Skills and will distribute £15 million to the programme which completes in 2015.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance she has given to her Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act. [154527]
Hugh Robertson: The requirements of the Social Value Act have been translated into the Department’s procurement policy, which has been communicated to all staff within the Department. The Department has made ALBs aware of their responsibilities under the Act and these considerations will take place at the pre-procurement stage of future tendering exercises.
Transport
Blue Badge Scheme
Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to bring forward legislative proposals to enable temporary Blue Badges. [154847]
Norman Baker: It is important that we ensure the scheme remains sustainable and protects preferential parking facilities for people with permanent disabilities affecting their ability to walk.
I recently considered this issue as part of the wider Blue Badge reform programme but have taken the decision not to extend eligibility to people with temporary impairments.
It would be costly to implement at a time of pressure on public sector resources with over 2.5 million badges on issue.
Bus Services
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which regulations affecting the bus industry have been withdrawn since May 2010. [155246]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport published the outcome of the Road Transportation Red Tape Challenge, which includes regulations relating to buses, in December 2011. This document is published on the internet at the following address and can be made available in the Library of the House:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/road-transport-red-tape-challenge
Although no repeals have yet taken effect, the Department is now preparing legislation which will give effect to some of these measures.
Directly Operated Railways
Kelvin Hopkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which rail passenger franchises Directly Operated Railways are currently on standby to take
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over if negotiations between his Department and the incumbent operator for a contract extension are not successful. [155153]
Mr Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), announcement on Rail Passenger franchising on 26 March 2013 setting out the Government’s future franchising programme including the proposals for Direct Awards. At that time, the Department made it clear that the Government’s preference is to negotiate direct awards with the current operators but that Directly Operated Railways will be readied in case agreement cannot be reached. This remains the case and the company has plans in place to ensure that it can take over any franchise where commercial agreement cannot be reached as part of the direct award programme.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of Directly Operated Railways' capacity to take over the operation of rail passenger franchises if it proves impossible to conclude negotiations successfully with the incumbent operator for a contract extension. [155154]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has made a full assessment of the capacity required for Directly Operated Railways to take over the operation of rail passenger franchises if it proves impossible to conclude negotiations with the incumbent operator for a Direct Award. A detailed plan has been submitted by Directly Operated Railways on how they will resource for each competition following the announcement of the Rail Franchise Schedule on 26 March.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many rail passenger franchises Directly Operated Railways could take over responsibility in the event that it is not possible for his Department to successfully conclude contract extension negotiations with the incumbent train operating company. [155155]
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Mr Simon Burns: The Secretary of State has the responsibility under the Railways Act 1993, as amended, to maintain the continuity of passenger rail services. Under Section 30 of the Act the Secretary of State has the power to transfer the operation of services to an “operator of last resort.” Directly Operated Railways fulfil the function of that “operator of last resort.” In the event that the Department is unable to successfully conclude negotiations for a Direct Award with the incumbent train operating company, we do not foresee any problem with Directly Operated Railways continuing to fulfil the Secretary of State's duty under the Act.
Ferries: Registration
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vessels with valid licences to operate in the UK ferry sector are registered under (a) non-UK and (b) non-EU flags. [155067]
Stephen Hammond: The number of individual vessels currently operating in the UK ferry sector is as follows:
| Number | |
G4S
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008. [154560]
Norman Baker: The current level of expenditure to the nearest pound by my Department on contracts with G4S, as well as spend in each year since 2008, is shown in the table below.
| Agency | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14* | TOTAL |
| * Spend up to 10 May 2013 | |||||||
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department intends to publish and introduce the High Speed 2 Preparation Bill as announced in the Queen's Speech of 8 May 2013. [154905]
Mr Simon Burns: The High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill was introduced into the House of Commons and published on Monday 13 May.
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons his Department's High Speed 2 Environmental Report is not intended to be displayed at the (a) Little Chalfont and (b) Chalfont Street Peter libraries in Chesham and Amersham constituency. [154909]
Mr Simon Burns:
HS2 Ltd are aiming to send copies of the relevant documents to two libraries per community forum area. As a result, both Chalfont St Giles Community Library and Amersham Library will be provided with
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the relevant documentation in the Chesham and Amersham Constituency. This is felt to be a reasonable approach given the Government's overall policy of 'digital by default' and that the documents will also be available online, will be available upon request, and will be available at public events proposed for each community forum area.
Network Rail
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether train operating companies are able to bid for contracts tendered by Network Rail. [155152]
Mr Simon Burns: Train operating companies are restricted under the terms of their Franchise Agreement from carrying out any business or activities other than the provision and operation of its Franchise Services (as so defined in their Franchise Agreement) unless they have the prior written consent of the Secretary of State.
Railways: East of England
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission a study to outline the feasibility and initial cost of introducing a half-hourly train service between Cambridge and Stansted Airport. [155075]
Mr Simon Burns: It is not currently possible to enhance the service between Cambridge and Stansted airport as there are not enough available diesel trains to operate this service. This situation will change when electrification in the north of England is completed. It is possible then that the Department would consider whether or not it is appropriate to enhance the frequency of services between Cambridge and Stansted airport. This first opportunity to consider this issue is the East Anglia franchise starting in October 2016.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of introducing a half-hourly train service between Cambridge and Stansted Airport. [155076]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government have not yet conducted an assessment of what the cost to the public purse is of providing half-hourly service between Cambridge and Stansted airport. We would normally consider this as part of developing the proposition for the franchise. In the specific case of East Anglia it will not be possible to consider this before the franchise starting in 2016 as there will be no more diesel trains available to operate this service before this date.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential gross value added to the economy of the East of England by improving rail links between Cambridge and Stansted Airport. [155078]
Mr Simon Burns:
The Government have not yet conducted an assessment of the potential gross value added to the economy of the East of England by improving rail links between Cambridge and Stansted airport. We would normally consider this as part of developing the proposition for the franchise. In the
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specific case of East Anglia it will not be possible to consider this before the franchise starting in 2016 as there will be no more diesel trains available to operate this service before this date.
Railways: Franchises
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department is subject to a legal duty to undertake a consultation exercise on the content of rail franchises prior to issuing an invitation to tender. [155144]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is under no express statutory duty to consult the public on the content of rail franchises but is subject to an overriding duty to act fairly in the exercise of its functions. The Railways Acts do include obligations to consult with certain devolved Administrations, Passenger Transport Executives and other bodies before issuing an invitation to tender. In the past we have carried out a public consultation on the service specification for each franchise prior to the issue of an invitation to tender and we expect to do so for future competitions.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department is required to publish the results of consultations over the content of rail passenger franchise contracts; and if he will publish the results of any such consultations concluded in the last two years. [155145]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government's guidance for consultation can be found on the Cabinet Office website at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consultation-principles-guidance
For rail franchises we have published a summary of responses as part of the pack of documents issued with the Invitation to Tender for each franchise and we would expect to continue to do this.
The Department carried out formal consultation on the three current franchises (Essex Thameside; Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN); and InterCity East Coast) in 2012. The summary of responses for the consultation carried out on the Essex Thameside franchise was published with the ITT in July 2012
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/essex-thameside-franchise-invitation-to-tender
We expect to publish a summary of responses to each of the TSGN and InterCity East Coast consultations in summer this year.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department plans to undertake further consultation on the content of contracts for rail passenger franchises prior to issuing any new invitations to tender for such contracts, in light of the (a) revised rail franchise schedule published on 26 March 2013 and (b) recommendations of the Brown review of the rail franchising programme; and if he will make a statement. [155146]
Mr Simon Burns:
The Government are in frequent dialogue with the rail industry, local authorities and passengers regarding the development of rail franchises.
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The Department has previously carried out formal consultation on each specific franchise prior to the issue of the Invitation to Tender for them and we intend to continue to do so.
The Department has previously consulted on the Essex Thameside; Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern; and East Coast franchises. When formulating the Invitations to Tender for these competitions we will take into account the views expressed in the responses to these consultations alongside the recommendations of the Brown review, which Richard Brown stated should be
“implemented on a phased basis”.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the EU (a) regulations and (b) directives his Department has taken cognisance of when awarding (i) contract extensions and (ii) temporary contracts to incumbent rail passenger franchisees. [155150]
Mr Simon Burns: In some cases the Department is exercising an existing contractual right to extend the franchise and in others the Department is negotiating with incumbent operators with a view to entering into a new, directly awarded franchise agreement for a further term before an invitation to tender can be issued and a full open competition held to operate the relevant franchise. In all cases, the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), is cognisant of all of his duties and obligations under the Railways Acts (including Section 26 and his policy published thereunder) and under domestic and European procurement, competition and state aid law, including in particular Regulation 1370/2007 on public passenger transport services by rail and by road.
Rescue Services
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of shifts were staffed at below risk-assessed levels across all maritime rescue co-ordination centres in April 2013. [154282]
Stephen Hammond: Out of the 960 watchkeeping shifts worked across all Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCCs) during April 2013 172.8 individual shifts were staffed at below risk assessed levels. These situations are mitigated by ‘MRCC pairing' where each MRCC is connected to at least one other MRCC which is available to provide mutual support.
Shipping
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of seafarer (a) ratings and (b) officers working on vessels registered under the (i) UK and (ii) Red Ensign Group flag were (A) UK nations, (B) non-UK nationals and (C) non-EU nationals in the latest period for which figures are available. [155029]
Stephen Hammond:
Information on the proportion of seafarer ratings and officers working on vessels registered on the flags of the UK and other Category 1 members of the Red Ensign Group (REG) (Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar and the Isle
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of Man), is not held by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Records may be maintained separately by the other individual Category 1 Administrations.
The MCA does however maintain a record of Certificates of Competency that it issues to (a) UK nationals, (b) EU nationals, (c) REG nationals and (d) Non EU nationals. This information is provided in the following table detailing the number of Certificates of Competency issued to personnel working on board all types of vessels including Deck, Engine, Yachts, Tugs and Inshore Craft during 2011 and 2012.
| Number of certificates issued | ||
| Seafarer nationality | 2011 | 2012 |
Shipping: Conditions of Employment
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total number of commercial vessels over 500 gross tonnage working on routes to and from UK ports that will not be covered by laws implementing the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 after the Convention comes into force. [155066]
Stephen Hammond: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency estimates there are currently 107 commercial vessels over 500 gross tonnage operating from UK ports which will not be subject to survey or inspection under regulations implementing the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 after the convention comes into force.
However, many of the UK standards implementing the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 apply to all seagoing ships, including these vessels.
Shipping: Registration
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the ships over 500 gross tonnage working on commercial routes to and from UK ports were registered under (a) non-UK and (b) non-EU flags in each of the last five years. [155065]
Stephen Hammond: The proportion of commercial ships over 500 gross tonnes arriving at UK ports that are registered under non UK and non EU flags can be seen in the following table.
On average, over the last five years, 68% of all commercial ships over 500gt arriving at UK ports were registered under (a) non-UK flags, and 54% were registered under (b) non-EU flags.
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| Proportion of arrivals for ships over 500gt (percentage) | |||||
| Country of registration | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
Please note that 2011 is the latest year currently available.
Tonnage Tax
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new training roles for UK seafarers were created under the approved core training commitments submitted by company groups that qualified for the tonnage tax scheme for 2012-13. [155056]
Stephen Hammond: Approved core training commitments for the 2012-13 training commitment year are around 600 for new first year officer trainees. Additionally, company groups are required to provide second and third year training for trainees taken on during the previous two years when they were in the tonnage tax. The cumulative training commitment for 2012-13 is therefore around 1,800 officer trainees.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the current total is for Payments in Lieu of Training made by shipping company groups that qualified for the tonnage tax scheme in 2012-13. [155241]
Stephen Hammond: The tonnage tax training requirement is monitored on the basis of training commitment years, which run from October to September, rather than on a financial year basis. Payments in Lieu of Training (PILOT) are made to the Maritime Training Trust, the independent industry body set up for this purpose. The current total of PILOT payments due for Period 1, October 2012 to January 2013, is £380,514. This figure may change when outstanding End of Period Adjustment returns are received.
Traffic Commissioners
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the future regulatory role of traffic commissioners in respect of the bus industry; and if he will take steps to (a) expand the regulatory remit and (b) increase the resourcing of traffic commissioners. [155209]
Norman Baker: I have no plans to change the regulatory role or resourcing of Traffic Commissioners in respect of the bus industry at this time.
The Department is due to carry out a review of the role of Traffic Commissioners later in the year.
International Development
Buildings
John Mann:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central
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London by her Department and its non-departmental public body in each of the last three financial years. [154246]
Mr Duncan: DFID occupied premises at 1 Palace Street, London, SW1, over the last three years. The total running costs for this building were as follows:
| £ | |
| (1) Estimate. | |
DFID vacated this building in early 2013, and moved to smaller, freehold premises in Whitehall. The corresponding running costs are expected to be around £2,500,000 p.a., and it will save £62.5 million over the next seven years.
In addition, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact has occupied space within the Scottish Office in Whitehall. Its costs, since its creation, were as follows:
| £ | |
| (1) Budget figure, to be confirmed in ICAI's Annual Report to the House of Commons International Development Committee in June 2013. | |
EU Aid
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding her Department gave to (a) EuropeAid and (b) the European Development Fund; how such spending is scrutinised and relates to each other; and if she will make a statement. [154210]
Lynne Featherstone: DFID's funding (a) towards the General EU Budget for external assistance and (b) of the European Development Fund are shown for the last three available years in the following table.
| £000 | |||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
| Source: Table 18, Statistics on International Development 2012 | |||
The quality of the programme spending is examined by independent audits, the results-monitoring system and evaluations published by EuropeAid Evaluation Unit. Before the Commission can adopt individual programmes the UK (and all EU member states) formally scrutinise projects and their funding for the European Development Fund and other external aid instruments.
Mr Ellwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on UK funding towards the European Defence and Security
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Policy which is then marked against the UK's Overseas Development Assistance target; and if she will make a statement. [154297]
Lynne Featherstone: The Statistical Directives issued by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) set out what spending can be recorded as Official Development Assistance (ODA). The costs of Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions are funded as part of our assessed contributions to the European Union (EU). In accordance with these Directives, the costs of CSDP civilian-led EU missions are recorded as ODA. Civilian CSDP missions have played, and continue to play, an important role in areas such as supporting Rule of Law, Border Management, and Justice Sector Reform. The costs of Military CSDP operations are mostly recorded as non-ODA due to the nature of the activities undertaken. Identified ODA eligible activities are scored as such.
These missions are all funded through the Conflict Settlement, managed tri-departmentally by DFID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence.
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how she influences how funds are spent and projects scrutinised by (a) Europeaid and (b) the European Development Fund. [154622]
Lynne Featherstone: A UK Representative sits on all the committees to take decisions on funding and programming of EU development spend. I and my officials have regular dialogue with our Commission counterparts, including EuropeAid, the European Commission Directorate-General responsible for designing EU development policies and delivering aid programmes under both the European Development Fund and the EU aid instruments under the General EU budget.
The UK currently has a particular opportunity to influence EU external assistance spending. Negotiations on the new EU Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2014-20 are enabling the UK to secure better focused EU programmes around greater support to the poorest, a greater focus on results and to enhance systems used by the Commission to identify what results have been achieved.
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 608W, on EU aid, what the relationship is between Europeaid and the European Development Fund; whether there are any plans to combine those two funding streams; and if she will make a statement. [154790]
Lynne Featherstone: By decision of the European Council in February 2013, the European Development Fund remains outside the general EU budget and is funded by voluntary member state contributions. Along with the other development related external assistance instruments it is implemented by EuropeAid, the European Commission Directorate-General responsible for designing EU development policies and delivering aid through programmes across the world.
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The future of the European Development Fund will next be reassessed when the Cotonou Agreement, the Partnership Arrangement between the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, and the European Union, expires in 2020.
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 608W, on EU aid, how decisions on funding to Europaid and to the European Development Fund are made; what the reasons are for differing amounts of funding being allocated to each; and if she will make a statement. [154803]
Lynne Featherstone: At the February 2013 European Council, EU Heads of State agreed the funding ceilings for the next budget cycle, 2014-20, for the European Development Fund (EDF) and for the General EU Budget including external assistance. The funding ceiling and member states shares for the EDF are now finalised and allocation to individual EDF spending priorities is being negotiated by member states.
EU Budget financial ceilings are now subject to negotiation and agreement with the European Parliament. External assistance programmes funded from the EU Budget will then be agreed by member states. The UK's financial shares for these programmes will be determined as part of our overall EU Budget share.
EuropeAid, the European Commission Directorate-General responsible for designing EU development policies and delivering aid programmes, manages both the EDF and the EU aid instruments under the General EU Budget.
G4S
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the current level of expenditure by her Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by her Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008. [154556]
Mr Duncan: The following table gives details of expenditure with G4S, including current year to date spend. No expenditure has been recorded before 2011-12.
| Spend (£) | |
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance she has given to her Department's non-departmental public body on implementation of that Act. [154535]
Mr Duncan: DFID applies Social Impact Appraisal as part of its standard Business Case process.
The Cabinet Office has been working closely with organisations such as Social Enterprise UK and the National Housing Federation to organise a series of
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regional events to raise awareness of the Act across local government commissioners and social enterprises. Representatives from various Government Departments have been in attendance and collectively HMG is looking to encourage positive change in the way that public services are commissioned.
Publications
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years. [154498]
Mr Duncan: DFID spent the following on its academic journal subscriptions from 2010 to 2013. Expenditure for previous financial years can be compiled only at disproportionate costs.
| Period | Publisher | £ |
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|
| ||
South Africa
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) when she reached agreement with the South African government to end the UK's bilateral aid programme to South Africa in 2015; [154879]
(2) with which South African government department it was agreed that the UK's bilateral aid programme to South Africa should end in 2015; [154964]
(3) if there is a written record confirming the South African government's agreement to the UK ending its bilateral aid programme to South Africa in 2015. [154875]
Justine Greening: Ministers and officials from DFID discussed our intention to end the UK's bilateral aid programme from 2015 with the South African National Treasury, Department of International Relations and Cooperation, and Presidency on various occasions over the last year.
We will have further discussions about the nature and scope of our future development relationship with South Africa including at the next Bilateral Forum.
Justice
Data Protection: Crime
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to making breach of section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998 a recordable offence. [154831]
Mrs Grant: Following Lord Justice Leveson's inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the press, it is the Government's intention to conduct a public consultation on the full range of Lord Justice Leveson's data protection recommendations, including on whether to make an Order introducing custodial sentences under section 77 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (CJIA).
Driving Offences: Fines
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been collected from motoring fines issued in (a) Bassetlaw constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) Nottinghamshire in each of the last five years. [154159]
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Mrs Grant: HM Courts and Tribunals Service systems do not identify amounts collected for specific offences or for specific constituencies. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost as it would require a manual search of all live and closed fine accounts.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for commercialisation of HM Courts and Tribunal Services. [154685]
Mrs Grant: As set out in the written ministerial statement of 26 March 2013, Official Report, columns 94-95WS, my Department has been asked to explore proposals for the reform of the resourcing and administration of HM Courts and Tribunals services. This includes considering options to raise the revenue and investment necessary to modernise the infrastructure and deliver a better and more flexible service to users. An update on this work will be provided in due course.
Police Cautions
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cautions were issued for (a) triable either way offences and (b) indictable-only offences in each year from 2002 to 2012 in (i) total and (ii) each police authority area. [153938]
Jeremy Wright: The use of cautions is at its lowest level for more than five years, as is the number of cautions issued to those who have a previous criminal record. However, the public and victims have a right to expect that people who commit serious crimes should be brought before a court. On 3 April 2013 we launched a review into the use of cautions which will focus on the use of cautions for serious offences and persistent offenders. Among other things, the review will examine whether there are some offences for which the use of simple cautions is generally inappropriate, the reasons why multiple cautions are given to some criminals and the difference in the use of cautions by police force areas. The review is a significant step to ensuring that cautions are used correctly, in the interests of justice, and command the confidence of the public.
The decision whether to offer a caution is an operational matter for the police and in some circumstances the CPS depending on the circumstances of the offence and offender. Court will always be the right place for serious and contested cases and those involving prolific offenders. However, there will always be exceptional cases in which a prosecution for what appears to be a relatively serious offence is not in the public or the victim's interest. While we should not remove police officer discretion, the public have a right to expect that people who commit serious crimes should be brought before a court.
The number of cautions issued for indictable only and triable either way offences, and the caution rate by type of offence in each police force area in England and Wales in each year from 2002 to 2011 (latest data available), can be viewed in the tables placed in the Library. Statistics on out-of-court disposals in 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013.
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Prison Service
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times employees of the Prison Service have been found guilty of criminal activity in the workplace in each year since 2003, by category of offence. [154023]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Prisons: Electronic Equipment
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on (a) televisions, (b) games consoles, (c) subscription television channels and (d) DVD players in publicly-run prisons. [154314]
Jeremy Wright: On 30 April, we announced changes to the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme, under which prisoners earn access to in cell television, games consoles and DVD players. The changes, which will come into effect from 1 November, will ensure that privileges are appropriate and earned not just through good behaviour but also through the demonstration of positive behaviour targeted at rehabilitation.
The provision of in-cell television in both public and private sector prisons is entirely self-financing; the money comes from payments made by prisoners. Some establishments may have televisions in other areas of the prison—for example, in public areas or for education provision.
In the adult estate, all games consoles are purchased at prisoners’ own expense. No public funds must be used to purchase games consoles and equipment. Access to games consoles is restricted to prisoners who are on the enhanced level of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme. Separate arrangements are in place in the under-18 estate.
Subscription television channels are not available in publicly run prisons. The changes we are introducing to the IEP scheme mean that access to subscription television channels is being removed from contracted out prisons.
Where prisoners are permitted to purchase DVD players, under local IEP schemes, this is at their own expense. Some prisons may use DVD players as part of education provision.
The National Offender Management Service's central accounting system does not hold separately expenditure details on televisions, games consoles for the under 18 estate, or DVD players used outside of cells in publicly-run prisons. In order to obtain the costs, local records would need to be examined at each establishment. The costs would then need to be extracted, disaggregated and then centrally collated and reviewed. To establish these costs would therefore incur a disproportionate cost.
Prisons: Mental Health Services
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what mental health treatment options are available to prisoners; whether there is proven cost-effectiveness for those treatments; and what the average cost is of prison-based mental health treatment per prisoner. [154959]
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Norman Lamb: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
Prisoners have the same mental health problems as everyone else. Treatment is based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and wherever possible is equivalent to that provided in the community. There is therefore a range of medication, individual and group therapy.
From 1 April 2013 NHS England has been responsible for the commissioning of mental health services for prisoners.
The information requested about cost effectiveness and average cost is not held centrally.
Probation
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on installing the nDelius system to date; and how much it expects to spend on the system in total. [153941]
Mrs Grant: The nDelius (National Delius) system is in the process of being rolled-out across probation Trusts in England and Wales, with the project scheduled to complete in October 2013. This new case management system for Probation Trusts is currently in daily use within seven of the 35 probation Trusts, including the whole of Wales. The cost to date of delivering this new ICT service is approximately £48 million. This cost is fully inclusive of the design, IT development, testing, and business implementation. The cost includes full NOMS spend with suppliers as well as internal NOMS costs.
The project is projecting that a further £7.7 million will be spent in 2013-14 to complete business implementation. This forecast spend is fully aligned with the project's overarching business case which was reviewed and approved by the Treasury in September 2012. The system is planned to remain a key part of the case management infrastructure for probation services, used by the public sector and a range of contracted out providers in the future, further to the reforms put in place under the Government's Transforming Rehabilitation programme.
A proposal that the retained public sector continues to use nDelius and other providers have secure access to the nDelius dataset is designed to underpin cost effective delivery and innovation, ensures that a national case view of offenders managed in the community is maintained and effective management information is provided. The availability of a single national case management system, coupled with a national risk management system (OASys-R-recently successfully deployed and operating across all prisons and probation trusts), better facilitates new business processes and the necessary organisational changes being made at pace with risks better managed.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if his Department undertook a risk assessment of the installation of the nDelius system. [153942]
Mrs Grant: In answering this question it has been assumed that it refers to the new National Delius (nDelius) system being implemented across all 35 probation trusts. This is distinct from the Delius system which is used currently within five probation trusts and is scheduled to be replaced by the new national system.
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The nDelius system has been rigorously tested by a significant number of front-line staff in advance of the system being accepted from ICT suppliers. In addition the new system completed an operational business pilot during November/December 2012 to confirm it was suitably fit for business implementation. Prior to entering business pilot the system also went through an OGC Gateway 4 Review to confirm readiness for live service. As with all large ICT systems deployed by NOMS there is a rigorous acceptance into service process which seeks to ensure that the known risks of migrating to any new ICT system are minimised.
The nDelius system has now been in full live service since 4 February 2013. The service is proving stable, and initial feedback from the early trusts using the system has been encouraging—particularly in respect of system usability; Assistive Technology compliance; and the connectivity that National Delius allows with other national systems. The system is planned to remain a key part of the case management infrastructure for probation services, used by the public sector and a range of contracted out providers in the future, further to the reforms put in place under the Government's Transforming Rehabilitation programme.
Deputy Prime Minister
Electoral Register
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the outcome of his Department's matching of the electoral register with Department for Work and Pensions data in communities with (a) seaside towns and (b) towns with high student populations; and what effect this work will have on the size of electorates in these constituencies. [154454]
Miss Chloe Smith: As part of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER), entries on the electoral register will be matched against data held by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the purposes of confirming existing electors, a process which will simplify the transition for the majority of existing electors. Last year the Cabinet Office undertook pilots to test this process and we published our evaluation of these pilots earlier this year which is available to download from:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/simplifying-the-transition-to-individual-electoral-registration
The evaluation report includes an analysis of match rates by population groups and while no specific analysis was undertaken of seaside towns, the results did suggest that match rates were lower in areas with high student populations. However, anyone who cannot be confirmed will still be invited to register individually and will retain their ability to vote in the 2015 general election. By using confirmation to simplify the process for the majority of electors it means resources can be focused on maximising registration among those people who cannot be confirmed, including individuals who are not currently registered. We are also currently running a separate set of pilots exploring whether data matching against DWP and other trusted national data sets can be used to find potential electors who are not currently registered but may be eligible to do so, in order to invite them to register. The results of the pilots, which are specifically targeted at boosting registrations among students, attainers and home-movers, will be published in the summer.
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Work and Pensions
Disability Living Allowance: Cystic Fibrosis
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged between 16 and 64 years old whose main disabling condition is cystic fibrosis have been in receipt of the (a) mobility and (b) care component for disability living allowance at the (i) lower, (ii) standard and (iii) higher rate in each year since 1992. [154415]
Esther McVey: The information requested is given in the following tables.
| Disability living allowance recipients aged 16-64 with a main disabling condition of ‘Cystic Fibrosis’ by care component rate | |||
| Date | Higher rate | Middle rate | Lower rate |
| Disability living allowance recipients aged 16-64 with a main disabling condition of ‘Cystic Fibrosis’ by mobility component rate | ||
| Date | Higher rate | Lower rate |
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| (1) Figures of 500 or less are subject to a degree of sampling variation and therefore should be used as a guide only to the correct situation. Notes: 1. Figures up to August 2010 are taken from 5% Sample data have been uprated to be consistent with WPLS data and are rounded to the nearest 100. Figures for August 2011 and August 2012 are from 100% data arid are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. ‘–‘ denotes nil or negligible Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate, 5% sample and Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data | ||