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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 16 May 2013
Scotland
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years. [155004]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join the Office do so on an assignment, secondment or loan agreement from other Government bodies, but principally from the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice.
The Scotland Office is not responsible for end of year performance payments and does not hold information centrally on these matters. The Office is however able to directly authorise non-consolidated and non-pensionable bonus payments (including small and instantaneous awards, eg vouchers) in recognition of special effort, achievement and commitment. No bonus payments have been suspended or removed in the last five years.
Wilson Review
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he plans to publish the Wilson Review. [155464]
Michael Moore: The Wilson Review of support for Scottish exporting is currently scheduled to submit its report to me this autumn. The Government will then consider their findings and recommendations before publishing it before the end of 2013.
Wales
Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation. [154967]
Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office does not generate statistical analysis that would require us to use such indices.
National Assembly for Wales
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what considerations have been made with regards to renaming the National Assembly for Wales the Parliament of Wales. [155573]
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Mr David Jones: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 15 May 2013, Official Report, columns 625-26, to my hon. Friend the Member for Lichfield (Michael Fabricant).
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years. [155007]
Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right, and adopts the policies of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The MOJ has no policy for claiming back bonuses and, as such, no bonus payments have been returned in the last five years.
Prime Minister
Honours
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Prime Minister if he will establish a single honours list each year rewarding the giving of money to charitable works and foundations and to honour equally those who similarly generously give their time to charitable activity. [154213]
The Prime Minister: Two honours committees already exist that perform these tasks: the Philanthropy Honours Committee and the Community, Voluntary and Local Services Honours Committee. Candidates recommended for honours by both these committees appear in the new year and birthday honours lists.
Lynton Crosby
Mr Watson: To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether Mr Lynton Crosby is classified as a Government special adviser; and whether he has been subjected to (a) all forms of personnel security control, (b) a counter terrorism check, (c) a security check and (d) developed vetting; [155213]
(2) whether Mr Lynton Crosby is allocated an office in No. 10 Downing Street; whether he has a Government email address; and if he will list the Government buildings to which he has a security pass. [155214]
The Prime Minister: Mr Lynton Crosby is not employed by the Government. He does not have an office in No. 10 Downing street, a Government e-mail address or a security pass to any Government building.
Northern Ireland
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance her Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in her Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years. [155003]
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Mike Penning: Staff employed by my Department are on Ministry of Justice (MOJ) terms and conditions. As such, they may be eligible to receive performance-related bonuses at the end of the reporting year. In line with MOJ performance management policies, such bonuses are only paid where there is clear evidence of outstanding and exceptional performance throughout the previous reporting year. There is, therefore, no requirement for processes to suspend, remove or claw back bonuses and there has been no occasion when this has occurred.
Transport
Directly Operated Railways
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of staffing levels at Directly Operated Railways for the next two years; and what the job description will be for each grade. [155147]
Mr Simon Burns: We do not anticipate any change in staffing levels for Directly Operated Railways' core functions from those published in the latest accounts at:
www.directlyoperatedrailways.co.uk
This level of resource will be adjusted if further work is necessary in connection with fulfilling the Secretary of State's duties under section 30 of the Railways Act 1993.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes in legislation would be required to allow Directly Operated Railways to permanently operate franchised rail passenger services. [155151]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has not analysed in detail what changes in legislation would be required to allow this.
The current statutory regime under section 26 Railways Act 1993 is that the Secretary of State for Transport may select the person who is to be the franchisee in relation to a franchise agreement from among those who submit tenders in response to an invitation to tender and the Secretary of State intends to select all franchise operators in this way unless the exceptions set out in his section 26 policy statement apply.
Directly Operated Railways (DOR) was set up to act as the "operator of last resort" in the event that Secretary of State needs to step in to secure the provision of rail passenger services in accordance with his duty under section 30 of the Railways Act 1993. Section 25 of the same Act would prevent DOR from itself responding to invitation to tenders to operate franchised rail passenger services. In order to allow DOR to permanently operate passenger rail services these provisions of domestic law at a minimum would need to be changed and we would also have to be mindful of European law regarding procurement and competition.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed by Directly Operated Railways in the last two years; and what roles were performed by each grade of staff. [155156]
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Mr Simon Burns: The number of staff employed at Directly Operated Railways along with the activities that are undertaken by the company in any given year are published in their annual report and accounts which are available on the company's website at:
www.directlyoperatedrailways.co.uk
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, column 20W, on high speed 2 railway line, when he plans to publish the draft environmental statement. [155046]
Mr Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, issued a written ministerial statement to the House about HS2 Phase One Consultations today.
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to assist British companies to win contracts for the construction and manufacture of tracks, locomotives and carriages for the proposed High Speed 2 service. [155163]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government's National Infrastructure Plan makes clear the importance of a predictable and transparent pipeline of infrastructure projects, which helps British companies gear up for and respond to opportunities. HS2 forms a key element of that long-term pipeline.
As the HS2 project moves forward, the Government will do all they can to ensure that companies with a British presence are well placed to compete for future contracts.
Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation. [154969]
Norman Baker: There are many contracts in my Department and its agencies which are linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI). These include PFI service payments, the Severn River Crossing loan and grants to Passenger Transport Executives and Network Rail. Many of these payments are contractually linked to a specified inflation measure so we cannot change to an inflation measure that produces different payment amounts without reopening the contract.
Other major uses of the RPI by my Department are in annually inflating Network Rail's Regulated Asset Base (RAB), calculating the annual permitted increase in regulated rail fares using an RPI related formula and in re-letting franchises, where an assumption on RPI is a fundamental element of the bid.
Many of the Department’s models which forecast transport demand and network congestion use both the RPI and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflator, as published by HM Treasury. Various inflation indices are used in appraisal of policies, in particular in Impact Assessments. This is often the GDP deflator, to calculate
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figures on a comparable price base but the inflation index used should be explained in all published Impact Assessments.
Other inflation indices used include Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) which is used as an index for labour related costs in some franchise agreements, resource cost index of road construction (ROCOS) which is used in valuation of the road network and regional land and building indices (derived from RICS market appraisal) which are used by the Highways Agency to value freehold land and buildings yearly.
Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he next plans to discuss repeal of the Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002 with officials from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE); and if he will publish the (a) dates and (b) minutes of all previous meetings his Department has held with HSE officials to discuss that subject. [155249]
Stephen Hammond: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) notified the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of their proposal to revoke the Merchant Shipping (Diving Safety) Regulations 2002 as part of the liaison between the HSE and the MCA on the Red Tape Challenge in October 2011 and January 2012. No meetings have been held to discuss this specific proposal to date; however, a more detailed discussion will be held prior to any changes to the regulations.
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years. [155005]
Norman Baker: The Department does not provide bonus payments. However, a small element of salary is “held back” and must be re-earned for staff working in the Department and some of its executive agencies. This takes the form of a performance related non-consolidated payment which must be re-earned by staff annually.
Performance awards are paid in retrospect meaning that performance must be agreed and signed off before performance payments are made. As a result the DfT does not need to claw back payments and there have been no instances of this happening in the last five years.
Railways: Franchises
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes in legislation would be required to allow Network Rail to permanently operate franchised rail passenger services. [155142]
Mr Simon Burns: Network Rail does not operate rail passenger services. It operates the rail network and infrastructure, by maintaining and developing rail tracks, signalling, bridges, tunnels, level crossings, viaducts and certain stations.
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The Department has not analysed what changes in legislation would be required to allow Network Rail to take over the operation of franchised passenger services. Current domestic and EU law and policy has as an objective the separation of rail infrastructure from service provision and this degree of separation is proposed to be increased further in the 4th Railway Package. This is for reasons including the prevention of conflicts of interest and the promotion of competition for services.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the implications for the domestic rail (a) industry and (b) staff of the European Commission's Fourth Rail Package requirement for EU member states to regularly tender all or some of their rail passenger services; and what the current deadline is for transposing this requirement into UK law. [155143]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department for Transport is still considering the implications of this EU proposal. However, the European Commission has carried out its own impact assessment which was published alongside the EU proposal. This is available on the European Commission's website at
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=SWD:2013:0011:FIN:EN:PDF
There is no current deadline for the entry into force of the final regulation relating to the tendering of rail passenger services: EU regulations have direct effect and would not generally need to be transposed into UK law.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in respect of the current negotiations between his Department and the incumbent franchisee for an extended rail passenger service contract for the (a) Essex Thameside, (b) Thameslink, (c) Inter City West Coast, (d) Great Western, (e) Greater Anglia, (f) Northern, (g) London Midland, (h) East Midlands and (i) South Eastern lines, which of these existing contracts currently require revenue support; and what the amount of such support is in each case. [155148]
Mr Simon Burns: The most recent available figures, for 2011-12, had the following contracts requiring revenue support:
| £ million | |
The following contracts did not require revenue support:
(a) C2C (Essex Thameside);
(e) Greater Anglia;
(f) Northern; and
(g) LOM (London Midland).
Please note that more recent figures, for 2012-13, are not available yet as we have not reconciled them to the statutory accounts for the respective train operating companies.
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Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in respect of the current negotiations between his Department and the incumbent franchisee for an extended rail passenger service contract for the (a) Essex Thameside, (b) Thameslink, (c) Inter City West Coast, (d) Great Western, (e) Greater Anglia, (f) Northern, (g) London Midland, (h) East Midlands and (i) South Eastern lines, what assessment he has made of the (i) amount and (ii) duration of revenue support the franchisee will require under the extended contract in each case; and whether the Office for Rail Regulation plans to publish this information. [155149]
Mr Simon Burns: In all discussions with incumbent operators, whether to extend the current franchise or enter into a new directly awarded franchise, the financial position of each franchise will be a key consideration. The premium paid to government or subsidy required will be published at the time each franchise award is announced, as will the commercial terms of the award, including whether the government retains any revenue risk.
Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies procured from companies based in Scotland of a value in excess of £25,000 since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such procurement contract. [155766]
Norman Baker: Neither the Department for Transport nor its non-departmental public bodies holds information on what has been procured from companies based in Scotland. Information is not held on the cost to the public purse of each such procurement contract.
Justice
Prisons: Discipline
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what types of rewards are afforded to prisoners; and whether prisons have a minimum criterion for the requisite level of prisoner behaviour before distribution of such rewards. [153962]
Jeremy Wright: We announced changes to the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme on 30 April. Prisoners will now have to contribute actively to their own rehabilitation, help others and continue to behave well if they are to earn privileges above the basic level, rather than simply avoiding bad behaviour. Convicted prisoners will have a longer working day and will not be allowed to watch television when they should be engaged in work or other purposeful activity. They will have to earn the right to wear their own clothes and spend money brought into the prison for them.
The key earnable privileges, which must be included in local IEP schemes to the extent deemed appropriate for the different privilege levels, are:
Extra and improved visits
Eligibility to earn higher rates of pay
Access to in-cell television
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Opportunity to wear own clothes
Access to private cash
Time out of cell for association
In addition to the key earnable privileges, establishments may make other privileges and incentives available to suitable prisoners according to local circumstances.
Prisons: Mental Health Services
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of mental health in-reach teams (MHIRTs) in each prison over the last five years; and what the health outcomes of MHIRTs for prisoners are. [154947]
Norman Lamb: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
The information requested is not collected centrally.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many contracts for the running of prisons have used the social value clauses in the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 since that Act came into force. [154114]
Jeremy Wright: Given that the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 came into force in January 2013 there are no current prisons contracts that contain the social value clauses.
Treasury
Bank Notes
Mark Tami: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of how many £5 notes (a) are currently in circulation and (b) were in circulation in each of the previous four years. [155158]
Sajid Javid: The issue of banknotes is the responsibility of the Bank of England. The following table shows the numbers of £5 notes in circulation, based on Bank of England data.
| Estimated total number of £5 notes in circulation (million) | |
Please note that the figure for the number of £5 notes in 2009 only represents Bank of England notes. Before 2009, commercial banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland were not obliged to declare the number of notes in circulation by denomination.
Since 2011, the Bank of England has worked with financial institutions to increase the quantity and quality of £5 notes in circulation.
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Financial Services: Regulation
Neil Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the Financial Conduct Authority to publish the results of the consultation exercise CP12-19; and whether he expects venture capital trusts to be included within the scope of the new regulations banning the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes. [155140]
Sajid Javid: The Financial Conduct Authority has announced that it is minded to explicitly exclude venture capital trusts from the restrictions on promotion proposed in consultation CP 12-19. The FCA is working toward making a final policy statement in June.
Fuels: Prices
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of differential fuel pump prices in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [155012]
Sajid Javid: The retail price of petrol and diesel is affected by a range of factors, and varies across the regions of the UK.
Motorists on the Scottish islands and the Isles of Scilly are benefiting from a 5p per litre discount on pump prices since the Government introduced the rural fuel rebate pilot scheme last year.
The Government will consider whether to seek EU approval for an extension of the scheme to remote parts of the UK that are likely to display similar cost characteristics to the islands.
Individual Savings Accounts
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have more than (a) £100,000, (b) £500,000 and (c) £1 million in an individual savings account. [155320]
Sajid Javid: The information is as follows:
(a) An estimated 430,000 individuals had ISA accounts with market values of at least £100,000 in 2010-11, the latest year for which statistical estimates are available.
(b) (c) Robust estimates of ISA market values above £500,000 is not separately available because of the limitations of the statistical sample from which the analysis has been drawn.
Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation. [154968]
Sajid Javid: This information is published alongside the Budget each year in Annex A of the ‘Policy Costings’ document. For Budget 13, this is available online via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/188367/budget2013_policy_costings.pdf.pdf
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Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years. [155006]
Sajid Javid: Suspension or removal of the bonus may take place following disciplinary action on a case by case basis. HM Treasury does not operate a claw back bonus system. There have been no bonus removals or suspensions in the last five years.
Public Expenditure: Ministry of Defence
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the current financial delegations for the Ministry of Defence. [155020]
Danny Alexander: As set out in Managing Public Money, the Ministry of Defence has delegated authority to permit expenditure up to an agreed limit, depending on the category of spend, which is reviewed on an annual basis. The nature of the delegated control for Departments can be found in Annex 2.3 of Managing Public Money via the following link:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/mpm_annex2.3.pdf
Delegated authority excludes any novel and contentious expenditure for all Departments.
Tonnage Tax
John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the UK's annual (a) imports and (b) exports in each year since 2000-01 were accounted for by vessels in the tonnage tax scheme. [155243]
Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 11 July 2012, Official Report, column 221W.
Home Department
Altaf Hussain
George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports she has received from the Metropolitan Police on recent television broadcasts made from London by Altaf Hussain; and if she will make a statement. [155488]
James Brokenshire: As with any alleged criminal activity, this is an operational matter for the police. Anybody with information about an individual inciting hatred or violence should report the matter to the police.
George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the recent televisual appearances of Altaf Hussain; and whether these appearances will have any consequence for his citizenship. [155490]
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James Brokenshire: Any alleged criminal activity is an operational matter for the police. Anybody with information about an individual inciting hatred or violence should report the matter to the police.
Considerations in relation to citizenship are undertaken by the Immigration Enforcement Directorate. The British Nationality Act (1981) (as amended by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006) allows for an individual to be deprived of their British citizenship by the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is considered conducive to the public good to do so or where deception has occurred in the acquisition of the citizenship.
Asylum
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum applicants were granted (a) asylum or humanitarian protection and (b) neither in each of the last five years. [155567]
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Mr Harper: The table shows the total number of asylum applications received in each of the last five years, and what proportion of asylum applicants are estimated to have been (i) granted asylum, (ii) granted humanitarian protection or discretionary leave, (iii) refusals, and (iv) cases where a decision was not known for the years 2007 to 2011, as at May 2012 when the statistics were compiled. Figures relate to main applicants only, and include the outcome of appeals.
Figures for 2012 will be published in the Immigration Statistics April to June 2013 release on 29 August 2013.
The data presented above, are published in table as.06 (Asylum data tables Volume 2) of Immigration Statistics. The latest release Immigration Statistics October to December 2012 is available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/immigration-q4-2012/
| Table 1: Estimated outcome analysis of asylum applications, as at May 2012 | |||||
| Year of application(1) | Total main applicants | Grants of asylum as a percentage of applications | Grants of HP/DL as a percentage of applications(2) | Refusals as a percentage of applications | Cases decision not known as a percentage of applications(3) |
| (1) Year relates to the period in which the application was made; the actual initial decision and/or appeal may have occurred in a different year. (2) HP = Humanitarian protection DL =Discretionary Leave. Figures shown include grants of Discretionary Leave. (3) ‘Cases with decision not known’ reflect that no confirmation of a decision on the case/appeal had been received when the statistics were compiled on 7 May 2012. Note: Provisional data. | |||||
Entry Clearances: China
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision for biometric facilities there is in China for Chinese nationals applying for a visa to visit the UK. [155483]
Mr Harper: There are 12 visa application centres in mainland China where applicants make their visa application—including enrolling their biometric information. They are located in the following cities: Beijing, Wuhan, Shenyang, Jinan, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. These are managed by our commercial partner, VFS Global. We also have a visa application centre in Hong Kong, which is operated by the Home Office out of the consulate general in Hong Kong.
Entry Clearances: India
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects the same-day business visa service for Indian nationals announced by the Prime Minister in February 2013 to be introduced. [155481]
Mr Harper: The same-day visa service for India was launched on 14 May 2013, and went live on 15 May 2013. The service is available in New Delhi and Mumbai.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to her dated 2 April 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr T.N. Tchinda. [155631]
Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 14 May 2013.
Plants: Imports
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff have the expertise to identify exotic diseases on imported plant material entering the UK. [155664]
Mr Harper: Border Force staff do not have the expertise to identify exotic diseases on imported plant material. The Food and Environment Research Agency (an agency of DEFRA) has overall responsibility for inspectorate functions in relation to plant heath.
Police: Festivals and Special Occasions
Chris Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent changes have been made to national guidance on the charges levied for the policing of (a) festivals with up to 5,000 attendees,
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(b)
festivals with between 5,000 and 12,000 attendees and
(c)
festivals with more than 12,000 attendees. [155026]
Damian Green: The guidance produced by the Home Office in relation to charging for special police services can be found in a Home Office circular 009/2011 which is available on the National Archives website at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk
This guidance was last updated in August 2011.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to authorise the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence gathering by UK law enforcement agencies; and if she will make a statement. [155035]
Damian Green: Use of unmanned aerial vehicles would need to comply with existing Civil Aviation Authority regulations. Covert use by a public authority likely to obtain private information, including by any law enforcement agency, would be subject to authorisation under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
That Act requires that covert investigatory techniques are used only if they are necessary and proportionate for purposes such as preventing or detecting crime or in the interests of national security. It makes deployment subject to independent overview, inspection and right to redress in case of individual complaint. Any overt use of a surveillance camera system in a public place in England or Wales will be subject to a new code of practice prepared under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, on which the Home Office is currently considering its response to statutory consultation.
Cabinet Office
Cabinet
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost was of the extension of the size of the table at which the Cabinet meets. [155318]
Mr Maude: In line with the practice of previous Administrations, running costs of No. 10 are published in the Cabinet Office annual accounts.
Equal Opportunities
Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what outcome his Department seeks in order to meet its commitment to developing a workforce that is representative of the population it serves. [155528]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office is committed to developing a workforce that best meets the needs of the population.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish the full Major Projects Authority report into High Speed 2 which carries a red/amber classification. [154908]
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Miss Chloe Smith [holding answer 14 May 2013]: The Government announced their transparency policy for major projects data 25 February 2013. Further details can be found here:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/psr_treasury_minutes.htm
Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation. [155050]
Mr Maude: This information is published alongside the Budget each year in Annex A of the Policy Costings document.
For Budget 13, this is available online via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/188367/budget2013_policy_costings.pdf.pdf
Internet
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with interested parties on IP address transparency. [154690]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 13 May 2013]: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.
Home Office Ministers have meetings with a variety of organisations and individuals, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are published on the Cabinet Office website on a quarterly basis.
Migration
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the Office for National Statistics will issue revised Long Term International Migration Statistics for the period between the 2001 and 2011 censuses in line with its revised annual population estimates. [155574]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office when the Office for National Statistics will issue revised Long Term International Migration Statistics for the period between the 2001 and the 2011 censuses in line with its revised annual population estimates [155574]
The results of the 2011 Census enabled ONS to compare the census estimates with the mid-year population estimates. The population estimates use long-term international migration data as a component of the estimate. The comparison with census estimates led to revisions to the rolled forward mid-year population estimates from the year to mid-2002 to the year to mid-2010. This included a revision to the net migration component, focussed on the middle part of the decade before improvements were made to the International Passenger Survey in 2009. This provides a revised series of net migration for the inter-censal period.
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Revised net migration figures published as components of change in revised population estimates can be found in table 10 at the following link:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/population-estimates-for-england-and-wales/mid-2002-to-mid-2010-revised--subnational-/rft---mid-2002-to-mid-2010-revised-tables.zip
Ministerial Policy Advisers: Vetting
Mr Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many candidates for special adviser posts have not been appointed because they have not received security clearance since May 2010; how many special advisers have had their security clearance (a) withdrawn or (b) suspended since May 2010; and if he will make a statement. [155484]
Mr Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 138W.
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years. [154991]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office only awards bonuses to our highest performing members of staff for their performance over the previous reporting year and a rigorous moderation process is undertaken to decide who is awarded a bonus.
We have not removed bonuses from any official over the past five years.
Since 2010-11 the Government have restricted performance related payments for senior civil servants to the top 25% of performers (down from 65% before the last general election).
Ministerial Meetings
Mr Burley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if the Permanent Secretary of his Department has held any (a) briefing sessions, (b) private meetings and (c) lunches or dinners with journalists and newspaper editors when he or Ministers in his Department were not present in the last year; [155082]
(2) what meetings have been held between the (a) Cabinet Secretary, (b) Head of the Civil Service or (c) Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary and any newspaper journalist or editor in the last year. [155083]
Mr Maude: Details of hospitality received and meetings held by the Cabinet Secretary, the Head of the Civil Service and the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary with external organisations, including media proprietors, editors and senior executives, are published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed on gov.uk at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-permanent-secretaries-meetings-with-external-organisations-2012
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Publications
Ann McKechin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his 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. [154488]
Mr Maude: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
As part of the Department's transparency programme, it has been Cabinet Office policy since January 2011 to publish details of all contracts with a value of £10,000 or more on Contracts Finder:
www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
In addition, this policy extends to Cabinet Office expenditure over £25,000, which is published at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data
Railway Stations: Crime
John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many criminal offences were recorded at (a) Barrow and Furness, (b) Roose, (c) Dalton-in-Furness and (d) Ulverston railway station, by category of offence in each of the last five years. [155663]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many criminal offences were recorded at (a) Barrow and Furness, (b) Roose, (c) Dalton-in-Furness and (d) Ulverston railway station, by category of offence in each of the last five years [155663]
Unfortunately it is not possible for ONS to provide the requested data. ONS does not hold information for crimes recorded at individual railway stations. Information relating to incidents at railway stations is collected by the British Transport Police which are provided to ONS as a composite figure for British Transport Police as a whole, broken down by specific crime types.
Culture, Media and Sport
Health Education: Sex
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 23 April 2013, Official Report, column 827W, on health education: sex, when the Government plans to announce its response to the consultation on changing the exemption of educational DVDs from BBFC age ratings. [155578]
Mr Vaizey: DCMS has been consulting on the exemptions from age rating in the Video Recordings Act that apply to many music, sports, religious and educational DVDs. The Government expect to publish their response to the consultation shortly, though a specific date for this has not yet been set.
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Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the purposes for which her Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation. [154981]
Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport uses the retail prices index measure of inflation in some of its procurement contracts that have an annual uplift, which is RPI based. The Department may also, on occasion, use other measures of inflation as required for accounting adjustments or budget planning.
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance her Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in her Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years. [154993]
Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's current Conduct and Discipline Policy explicitly lists the withdrawal or withholding of pay increases and/or bonus payments (in whole or in part) as one of the penalties available to a disciplinary panel, for a proven charge of serious or gross misconduct.
DCMS has not removed or suspended such payment in the last five years.
S4C
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will (a) review the financial position of S4C and (b) institute a fixed funding formula for that channel to facilitate greater stability in financial planning. [154804]
Mr Vaizey: Government funding of S4C will be reviewed as part of the spending review. There are no plans to review the financial position of S4C or to institute a fixed funding formula for that channel. We recognise the important contribution that S4C makes to public service broadcasting and the welsh language and the desire for it to be on a stable financial footing. We welcome the agreement with the BBC which took effect from April 2013, meaning that the BBC became S4C's majority funder and has already committed to funding S4C until the end of the current charter and licence fee period in 2016-17. The BBC will conduct a review of S4C strategy and finances by the end of 2014-15.
Deputy Prime Minister
Local Government: Elections
John Woodcock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the levels of turnout of electors voting (a) by post and (b) in person at the 2013 county council elections. [155657]
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Miss Chloe Smith: Returning Officers collect information about the number of ballot papers issued and forward it to the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission collates that data and produces turnout figures for each electoral area as well as an overall turnout figure.
While figures for the May 2013 local elections are not yet available, I understand that the Electoral Commission plans to publish information on turnout once all this data has been received and collated. The Government have not made a separate assessment.
Work and Pensions
Buildings
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, other than buildings such as job centres intended to be used primarily for meetings with members of the public, in each of the last three financial years. [154244]
Mr Hoban: The total running costs for eight central London buildings, as requested above, are:
| £ | ||||
| Building | Status | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
Occupation in London has been reduced as part of our ongoing Estates Rationalisation Programme.
The information for non-departmental public bodies cannot be supplied as it is not held centrally.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when statistics for the Youth Contract wage subsidy scheme will be released; [155473]
(2) how many employers have received wage subsidy payments under the Youth Contract since April 2012. [155478]
Mr Hoban: In most cases the wage incentive element of the Youth Contract is paid after a young person has been in work continuously for 26 weeks. Following the collection and quality assurance of this data, the first set of Official Statistics on the wage incentive should be available in the next few months.
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The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.
Enfield
Nick de Bois:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies
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for which he is responsible has allocated to the London borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years. [154522]
Mr Hoban: The funding allocated by the Department to the London borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five financial years is detailed in the following table. There was no funding allocated from any of our non-departmental public bodies.
| £ | |||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
|
Additional funding elements towards administering housing/council tax benefit | |||||
Homelessness
Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will work with homelessness organisations to assess the effectiveness of the toolkit for identification of homelessness by Jobcentre Plus advisers. [155973]
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the toolkit for identifying homelessness used by Jobcentre Plus advisers. [156144]
Mr Hoban: There is no specific toolkit for the identification of homelessness. However, Jobcentre Plus advisers are equipped with the necessary guidance and training to identify and provide an appropriate level of tailored support for the homeless, as well as other disadvantaged groups. As a priority group, the homeless are able to access additional support through Jobcentre Plus advisers to enter employment, including early access to the Work programme. The guidance which supports Jobcentre Plus advisers is subject to regular review to ensure its effectiveness for helping to tackle homelessness and the barriers it creates to employment.
Innovation Fund: Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland have been supported by the Innovation Fund; and how many such people have gone on to (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment following participation in the scheme. [155683]
Mr Hoban: The information is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether it is feasible to produce the statistics requested within the disproportionate cost limit, and if so, will issue them in an official statistics release in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
Jobseeker's Allowance
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time taken to assess a claim for jobseeker's allowance is in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England. [155564]
Mr Hoban: The information requested for (a) and (b) is not available in the format required.
The actual average clearance time for processing a jobseeker’s allowance claim nationally during 2012-13 was 9.74 days.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Croydon
Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 18 to 24 years old in Croydon North constituency had been claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months in the most recent month for which figures are available; what that figure is as a percentage of (a) all jobseeker's allowance claimants aged 18 to 24 years old and (b) the 18 to 24 years old workforce; and what the change in these figures has been in the last year for which figures are available. [155555]
Mr Hoban: The information for those people in Croydon North parliamentary constituency is shown in the following table:
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| Notes: 1. Claimant figures are rounded to the nearest 5, percentages to one decimal place. 2. Caseload data is published here and April 2013 is the latest available: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/Default.asp 3. Percentages are calculated using ONS Mid-Term population estimates from the relevant parliamentary constituency which are available here: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/what-we-do/publication-scheme/published-ad-hoc-data/population/september-2012/mid-2006-to-mid-2010-parliamentary-constituencies-population-estimates-by-single-year-of-age.zip Source: 100% Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems and ONS Mid-Term population estimates 2010. |
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years. [155008]
Mr Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has two schemes for rewarding good performance:
end-of-year non-consolidated performance payments; and
in-year awards.
The Department uses these payments to motivate and engage employees and ensure added value to business performance.
These schemes award cash or vouchers to individuals who have performed well throughout the previous year or have carried out a specific piece of work during the year to a high standard. As the awards are based on past performance, it would not be applicable to suspend or remove such a payment.
The Department has a process in place to recover administrative errors.
Pensioners
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) many pensioners have returned to the Exchequer the cash value of their (a) winter fuel allowance, (b) free television licence and (c) free bus pass in each of the last three years; and what the total amount is that has been reimbursed to the Exchequer for each such benefit in the last three years; [155319]
(2) how many people have contacted his Department requesting to return to the Exchequer the cash value of their (a) winter fuel allowance, (b) free television licence and (c) free bus pass in each of the last three years. [155323]
Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
Each winter around 12 million customers receive a winter fuel payment, over 95% of these are paid automatically without the need to claim.
The Department does not keep a record of winter fuel payments returned to the Department.
Anyone aged 75 or over is entitled to a free TV Licence for their main address. The free licence is not issued automatically and needs to be applied for. Once issued, licences are renewed automatically every year
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unless the customer does not have a national insurance number in which case TV Licensing will contact them to confirm their circumstances have not changed each year.
TV Licensing has no record of any over 75 TV licence holders having returned the cash value of their TV licence in any of the last three years nor are they aware of any over 75 TV licence holders having made contact requesting to return the cash value of their TV licence in the same period.
The concessionary travel benefit is optional. An eligible person can choose not to take up the entitlement. The National Travel Survey 2011 shows that in GB, 79% of people eligible for an older persons' bus pass held one.
Figures on the take-up of concessionary travel schemes in GB are available online and can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/nts06-age-gender-and-modal-breakdown
Personal Independence Payment
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) cost savings will be made and (b) benefits for the claimant will result from reassessing personal independence payment claimants who have a degenerative illness. [155206]
Esther McVey: Overall spending on personal independence payment and disability living allowance in 2015-16 is forecast to be £13.8 billion in real terms, spending on disability living allowance was £12.5 billion in 2009-10.
The benefit expenditure forecast is here:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure_tables_Budget_2013.xls#'DisabilityBenefits'!A1
It is not possible to breakdown the costs or savings relating to the reassessment of personal independence payment (PIP) claimants who have particular types of impairment or health condition.
Under disability living allowance (DLA) there is no systematic award review mechanism. Over 70% of the current DLA caseload has an indefinite award, meaning that individuals' awards may continue for life without ever being checked to see if it still reflects their needs. With PIP we want to ensure that everybody continues to receive the correct level of award and support. People's needs can increase or decrease over time. Therefore most PIP awards will be reviewed at appropriate intervals.
Ongoing awards can be used in cases where changes, either positive or negative, are unlikely. These may be reviewed periodically, but it is unlikely that these claimants would be invited for a face-to-face consultation. By reviewing PIP awards we are recognising that people's needs may change gradually over time, and that these changes can sometimes happen so gradually that the individual may not notice.
Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies procured from companies based in Scotland of a value in excess of £25,000 since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such procurement contract. [155687]
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Mr Hoban: To obtain all the information to answer this question would incur disproportionate cost.
Since January 2011, central government departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the contracts they award:
https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000.
Social Security Benefits
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have entered employment as a result of the application of the benefit cap; and if he will make a statement. [155492]
Mr Hoban: The benefit cap was introduced in four London boroughs (Bromley, Croydon, Enfield and Haringey) from 15 April 2013 and statistics on numbers impacted are not yet available. However, the April 2013 publication "Ad hoc statistics on Jobcentre Plus Activity regarding claimants who have been identified as potentially impacted by the benefit cap" reported that 8,000 claimants in households that may be subject to the cap have moved into work.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many calls to the helpline for existing benefit recipients have been declined on security grounds since the introduction of new security checks. [155579]
Mr Hoban: Since the launch of the telephony and identification verification (T-IDV) process in November 2011 and up to 10 May 2013, a total of 1,068,079 calls to the DWP Enquire Service have resulted in failed security questions, preventing access to benefit related information.
This is the final stage of the T-IDV process and, at this point, the customer will have already failed to satisfactorily answer automated security questions and agent-led security questions (both based on memorable information previously entered by the customer), representing a progressively increasing proportion of total inquiry calls.
Comparable data are not available for the other enquiry service lines, as T-IDV is not used on other inquiry lines. However, T-IDV volumes have increased, progressively, in line with Enquire rollout, accounting for an increasing proportion of total primary benefit inquiries.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes identify verification very seriously and, when appropriate, we need to ensure that the person that we are speaking to is who they claim to be. This helps us to ensure that departmental records are protected, a claimant's personal details are as secure as possible and that identify fraud is prevented.
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to review the online application process for claiming (a) attendance allowance, (b) disability living allowance and (c) the overseas state pension. [155672]
Mr Hoban:
Online applications for attendance allowance, disability living allowance and overseas state pension are currently made using the Tactical e-Service platform.
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As a consequence of customer feedback and analysis, the current Tactical e-Service (TeS), introduced in 2006, is no longer compatible with many browsers and operating systems and is deemed to be too unreliable and problematic to offer reasonable customer service. As the IT platform is outdated, it is not feasible to upgrade the existing service. Digital Services Division (DSD) are therefore proceeding with decommissioning TeS and developing a business case to demonstrate the financial viability of new replacement services. The new services would be based on the Government Digital Service approved approach which is being trialled using carers allowance and personal independence payment. The business case proposal will be reviewed in June. If viable, we would seek to develop the new services as soon as is practical after those dates.
Telephone Services
Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) target set and (b) rate of achievement is for response to call back telephone calls for his Department's call centres. [155269]
Mr Hoban: For working age claimants, the target is for 95% of call backs to be completed within three hours following handover from the initial point of contact.
Over the course of the 2012-13 reporting year, 91.8% of callbacks were cleared within the prescribed time frame. During the month of April 2013, the achievement was 95.8%.
Child Maintenance Group has an internal target to complete all call backs within 24 hours. Over the course of the 2012-13 reporting year, 99.25% of calls were completed within that time scale.
Unemployment Benefits: Croydon
Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women were claiming out-of-work benefits in Croydon North constituency in the most recent month for which figures are available; and what the figures are for the same month in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [155554]
Mr Hoban: Statistics on the number of people in Croydon North constituency who were receiving out-of-work benefits in November 2010, November 2011 and November 2012 by gender is shown in the following table.
| Number of out-of-work benefit claimants in Croydon North parliamentary constituency by statistical group and gender: November 2010, November 2011 and November 2012 | |||
| Statistical group/gender | November 2010 | November 2011 | November 2012 |
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| Notes: 1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 2. Statistical group is a hierarchical variable. A person who fits into more than one category will only appear in the top-most one for which they are eligible. 3. Out of work benefits which are included in this analysis are: Jobseeker's allowance Employment and support allowance Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance Income support. 4. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment and support allowance (ESA) for new claims from October 2008. 5. November 2012 is the latest data available. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. | |||
Universal Credit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of universal credit. [155486]
Mr Hoban: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the reply I provided him with on 13 May 2013, Official Report, column 69W, on how many people have claimed universal credit in the pathfinder to date. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics on pathfinder areas in autumn 2013 and on nationally implemented universal credit from autumn 2014.
We expect around 7,000 claims to be processed during the pathfinder.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evaluation he has set in place to assess the effect on (a) lifting people out of poverty and (b) claimants of disablement benefits, of the introduction of the universal credit social benefit scheme; and over what time periods he plans to report to Parliament its impact on the poorest people. [155508]
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Mr Hoban: In December 2012, DWP published a document setting out the broad approach to universal credit evaluation:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/180879/universal-credit-evaluation-framework.pdf
Plans for the evaluation are wide-ranging, employing a number of different approaches over the lifetime of the policy. These range from ongoing monitoring, “live running reviews” of implementation and delivery, through to longer term analysis of the outcomes and impacts for different groups of claimants.
Where possible, DWP will undertake specific sub-group analysis looking at the experiences of different groups of claimants such as disabled people and low income households. Drawing on existing data sources such as HBAI (households below average income) and primary evidence emerging from the evaluation, we will analyse changes in labour market participation; improvements to in-work progression; increased self-sufficiency and reductions in poverty.
We have recently run a consultation of statistics on universal credit and other welfare reform changes. We will publish our proposed publication strategy for universal credit in the next couple of months.
Universal Credit: Gloucestershire
Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when benefit claimants in Gloucestershire will be transferred to universal credit. [155758]
Mr Hoban: Decisions on the timing of the roll-out of universal credit in Gloucestershire have not yet been finalised.
Vacancies: Internet
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many vacancies have been posted on Universal Jobmatch to date; and how many job outcomes have been achieved through that system. [155485]
Mr Hoban: The number of new job vacancies posted on Universal Jobmatch between its inception on 19 November 2012 and 30 April 2013 is 1,668,745. Data regarding the number of job outcomes that have been achieved through the Universal Jobmatch service are not collected, and so it is not possible to provide this.
Work Capability Assessment
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the reasons why people who apply for employment and support allowance do not subsequently attend a work capability assessment; and if he will make a statement. [155487]
Mr Hoban:
When a claimant fails to attend a work capability assessment, they are asked to provide their reasons for non-attendance. The reasons for non-attendance are individual to that person and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decision maker will make a decision (in accordance with current social security
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legislation) to determine if the reason for non-attendance is sufficient to allow good cause and refer for another assessment to be arranged.
The Department does not compile or publish statistics on the reasons why people do not attend their assessment.
Work Programme
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support he has put in place for those people who will complete two years on the Work programme without having achieved a job sustainment. [155474]
Mr Hoban: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave previously to the hon. Member for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham) on 12 March 2013, Official Report, column 206W (PQ 147545).
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on the Work Programme in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 to date. [155581]
Mr Hoban: The total paid to Work Programme Providers in the UK is £377.9 million from the start of the programme through to 30 July 2012, ie the period covered by the last Statistical Release. Further information on spend up to the end of March 2013 is scheduled to be available to coincide with the next planned Statistical Release on 27 June 2013.
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will strengthen the minimum service standards for the Work programme to better improve the experience of homeless people who use the service; [156143]
(2) what steps he is taking to improve job outcomes for homeless people in the Work programme. [156145]
Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will strengthen the minimum service standards for the Work programme to better improve the experience of homeless people who use the service; [155975]
(2) what steps he plans to take to improve job outcomes for homeless people in the Work programme. [155974]
Mr Hoban: Providers set out their minimum service standards as part of their bids for Work programme contracts. These standards have been published and providers must make them clear to all participants when they join the Work programme. The Department for Work and Pensions carries out regular compliance checks to ensure these standards are being met.
If a participant is concerned that their provider is not meeting their minimum service standards, then they are able to raise the issue with their provider. If the participant is not satisfied with their provider’s response, they are then able to escalate the complaint to the Independent Case Examiner.
I have also set up the Work Programme: Building Best Practice group, which is independently chaired by Andrew Sells. This group will set up a framework to promote the sharing of best practice, with a particular
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focus on the harder to help such as claimants who are homeless. It will also explore best practice for minimum service levels, to ensure that they are transparent and measurable.
Energy and Climate Change
Climate Change: Curriculum
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an assessment of the proposal by the Department for Education to remove climate change from the national curriculum guidelines for key stages one to three. [154370]
Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has made such an assessment and has written to the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), expressing his support for climate change remaining an explicit feature of the Geography curriculum, as well as in the Science curriculum.
Fracking
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the total UK onshore shale gas resource; and when he plans to publish the recent report on shale gas resources produced by the British Geological Survey. [154386]
Michael Fallon: We are working with the British Geological Survey on a study to assess the volume of shale gas in place (ie the resource as distinct from the proportion that might be economic to produce) in the Bowland Shale of northern England. I expect that the report will be published this summer. With regard to the total UK shale resource, further studies looking at other UK shale deposits will be required.
Fuel Poverty
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, columns 1058-60W, on fuel poverty, what the time lag was for reporting of data in each year; and when he expects figures for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 to be available. [155763]
Gregory Barker: The first separate statistical report on fuel poverty in England (and overall for the UK) was published in 2009, for 2007 data. Prior to that, fuel poverty statistics were covered in the annual report on progress on the fuel poverty strategy. Fuel poverty statistics gained National Statistics accreditation in 2011. The dates of publication and period covered for the statistics reports are given in the table, which show that we have improved the timeliness in reporting these statistics, and will continue to seek further improvements in due course.
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| Fuel poverty report | Publication date | Data period |
Future publication dates of fuel poverty data for England are yet to be announced, but are currently anticipated to be around:
May 2014, covering the data period 2011-12;
May 2015, covering the data period 2012-13.
Fuel poverty in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.
Green Deal Scheme
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that small construction companies are able to access work contracts to deliver the Green Deal. [156065]
Gregory Barker: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will play a key role in delivering the Green Deal. A number of business models are starting to emerge in the market that allows them to use their local knowledge to provide a vital link between potential customers and the Green Deal.
We would expect most SME participation in the Green Deal to be in the role of advisers and installers, but the policy and legislative framework also enables SMEs to become Green Deal providers.
Plutonium
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 31 of page 14 of his Department's consultation on the Management of the UK's Plutonium Stock, published on 28 May 2012, if he will set out the criteria he intends to use when judging whether to publish applications in redacted form made under the justification process on the re-use of plutonium. [155645]
Michael Fallon: While it is our intention that applications will be published, each will need to be considered on a case-by-case basis against the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 in order to determine whether information included in the application should be withheld.
Radioactive Waste
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what communications his Department has received from the Office for Nuclear Regulation on (a) transport safety and (b) security issues created by geographically dispersed (i) interim stores and (ii) final disposal repositories for radioactive waste outside Cumbria since May 2010. [155268]
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Michael Fallon: The Department has received no specific communication from the Office for Nuclear Regulation on transport safety and security issues created by geographically dispersed interim stores and final disposal repositories for radioactive waste outside Cumbria since May 2010. However, my officials regularly liaise on these topics in the round, as well as receiving periodic reports from the ONR covering the range of its regulatory responsibilities.
Renewable Energy
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of electricity market reform on community and co-operative energy projects. [155307]
Gregory Barker [holding answer 15 May 2013]: The Government are committed to driving and supporting an ambitious level of investment by independent generators, including community energy and co-operatives. Independent developers have played an important role in delivering new capacity, and we expect them to continue to make a material contribution to delivering investment and meeting our objectives of keeping energy prices affordable and supplies secure as we decarbonise. Accordingly, the Government are working to ensure that the electricity market reform proposals support independent generation.
The contracts for difference proposed in the Energy Bill will remove wholesale price risk and consequently improve conditions in the market for long-term power purchase agreements needed by many independent low carbon developers to secure project finance.
Further, we are taking powers in the Energy Bill to give Government the flexibility to support the availability of viable power purchase agreements for independent generators, should the market not develop as expected.
Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies procured from companies based in Scotland of a value in excess of £25,000 since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such procurement contract. [155767]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not record this information centrally and it would be available only at disproportionate cost. The Department would be able to provide further contract information by narrowing the scope, if specific procurement projects were identified.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Aerospace Technology Institute
Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what advice his Department has issued to the Aerospace Growth Partnership's working group examining the location of the proposed Aerospace Technology Institute; [154893]
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(2) when he expects to announce the location of the proposed Aerospace Technology Institute; [154894]
(3) what recent representations he has received on the location of the proposed Aerospace Technology Institute. [154895]
Michael Fallon: As set out in the Aerospace Industrial Strategy, the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) will consist of a small core team—probably 30 to 50 staff—primarily seconded from industry and academia. The research and technology programmes funded under the ATI programme will be carried out as collaborative projects including a wide range of industrial and academic partners at a range of locations across the UK. Filton is an area with strong aerospace capabilities and I would anticipate that a number of companies with a presence in the area will be involved in these programmes.
The ATI is jointly funded by business and Government and we are working closely together on a range of implementation issues including location. We have received a number of representations on the possible location of the ATI. We are examining these alongside the other factors that will help ensure that the ATI achieves maximum impact. Following the publication of the Aerospace Industrial Strategy in March, we are looking to establish the ATI as quickly as possible. I intend to make an announcement on the next steps before the summer recess.
Bankruptcy
Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bankruptcy cases were recorded as having few or no assets in each year since 2008. [155582]
Jo Swinson: It is not possible to provide an answer to the question raised as the Insolvency Service does not collate information or report on the number of bankruptcy cases having few or no assets, and the costs of obtaining that information would be disproportionate.
Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average level of debt was for bankruptcy cases (a) recorded as having few or no assets, (b) excluding those with few or no assets and (c) overall in each year since 2008. [155583]
Jo Swinson: It is not possible to provide an answer to points (a) and (b) in the question raised as the Insolvency Service does not collate information or report on the average debt of cases taking into account levels of assets, and the costs of obtaining that information would be disproportionate.
In answer to point (c), the overall average level of unsecured debt since 2008 is as follows:
| £ | ||
| As at April to March each year | Median average amount of debt | Mean average amount of debt |
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Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Insolvency Service annual reports 2009-10 and 2010-11, what the threshold is for a bankruptcy case to be recorded as having few or little assets. [155586]
Jo Swinson: The Insolvency Service annual reports for 2009-10 and 2010-11 referred to cases having few or little assets. Those are cases where there were insufficient assets to cover the official receiver's case administration fee after the petition deposit had been received.
| £ | ||
| In cases where debtors present their own petition | In cases where creditors present the petition | |
EU External Trade: USA
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on an EU-US trade agreement; what timetable is envisaged; and if he will make a statement. [155013]
Michael Fallon: The UK strongly supports the forthcoming launch of negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. It is important that we push for as ambitious an agreement as possible to deliver the fullest benefits to the "UK and the EU". We are hoping to agree the negotiating mandate within the EU in June and launch negotiations soon after that. We hope to make rapid progress towards conclusion.
Exports
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department's (a) Export Refinancing Scheme and (b) Direct Lending Facility will be in operation. [155205]
Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Streatham (Mr Umunna) on 24 April 2013, Official Report, column 995W. Both the Export Refinancing Scheme and Direct Lending Facility are still being developed.