Foreign Investment in UK
Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much foreign direct investment the UK has attracted in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [155382]
Michael Fallon: Official statistics on inward FDI stocks and flows over the last 10 years (2002-11) are published by the Office for National Statistics in its ‘Foreign Direct Investment Involving UK Companies, 2011 (MA4)’ publication at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/fdi/foreign-direct-investment/2011-ma4/index.html
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ICT
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support the creation of a digital single market. [155113]
Michael Fallon: The Government are working closely with business, consumer groups and the EU institutions to ensure that the right policies are in place to create a digital single market. My noble Friend Lord Young of Grantham chairs an e-commerce task force which brings together key actors from within the digital economy to identify areas where further action is needed to create a digital single market. My noble Friend Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint will host a conference on the digital single market in Brussels this month which will be attended by Commissioners, MEPs and Ministers from across the EU. In addition, we continue to work with likeminded allies to ensure that proposals under negotiation will support the development of the digital single market and business and consumer's ability to buy and sell goods and services online across the EU.
Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 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. [155049]
Jo Swinson: Information around the use of inflation measures 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
From a financial accounts perspective, uses of inflation measures in BIS's accounts are mentioned in the published annual report and accounts. The BIS Annual Report and Accounts for 2011-12 is published on the data.gov.uk website:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/bis-annual-report-and-accounts
The accounting areas that mention use of inflation measures are student loans (on pages 151, 166 to 170 and 206) and launch investments (on pages 172 and 173).
Post Offices: Greater London
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has given consideration to the future of Holloway Crown post office. [155315]
Jo Swinson: The Government do not have any role in franchising or mergers of Crown post office branches and the development and implementation, following local public consultation, of such proposals is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd.
The Government are fully committed to modernising the post office network and to safeguarding its future. This is why we are investing £1.34 billion over the next
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two years to modernise the network, helping the Post Office to compete in a changing retail market with no programme of closures.
Ensuring that the heavy losses of the Crown post office segment of the network are eliminated to reach break-even by 2015 is a key element of the strategy to make the network sustainable.
Zoos
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the importance of zoos and aquariums to the UK economy; [154854]
(2) what steps he is taking to stimulate economic growth in the zoo and aquarium sector. [154857]
Michael Fallon: A report by the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BAIZA)(1), to be published shortly, indicates that when indirect and induced effects are added to the direct outputs of zoos, as measured through the purchase of goods and services, the sector contributes some £658 million in total activity, and that the sector employs some 11,000 FTEs. Ministers and officials from BIS have had regular contact with BAIZA over the lifetime of this Parliament at which BIAZA's proposals for growth within the sector have been discussed.
(1 )The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums Regent's Park London NW1 4RY. Direct line: 020 7449 6599. Website: www.biaza.org.uk
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote the economic potential of zoos, aquariums and allied wildlife sites to local enterprise partnerships. [154856]
Michael Fallon: The Government are committed to devolving power to local communities, and it is not for the Government to determine local enterprise partnerships’ (LEPs) priorities and actions. As independent bodies, LEPs develop and agree their own local priorities as they are best placed to understand how to drive jobs and growth.
Health
Variant CJD
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when screening for vCJD will be available to families who have been affected by it; [155371]
(2) when he proposes that a vCJD blood screening test will be implemented to screen all UK blood donors. [155374]
Anna Soubry: At present, there are no validated blood screening tests for variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The Department, together with the United Kingdom blood services, continues to monitor scientific research and development in this area.
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many silent carriers of vCJD there are in the UK; and how many of those could be potential blood donors; [155372]
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(2) what his latest estimate is of the number of people in the UK who may be unknowing carriers of vCJD. [155373]
Anna Soubry: A recent study of stored tissue samples, published in the Health Protection Report in August 2012, found abnormal prion protein in 16 appendices out of 32,441 samples. This suggests a prevalence of about one in 2,000, which remains statistically consistent with results from an earlier appendix survey.
This estimate measures the prevalence of abnormal prion protein in appendix tissues within the population covered. We cannot know for certain whether this is a good indicator of risk in relation to potential blood-borne routes of infection, such that blood taken from donors with abnormal prion protein in appendix tissue would transmit prion infection. However, risk assessments, prepared for the independent scientific Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP), are based on the presumption that this could occur. In February 2013, ACDP agreed and published an updated variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and blood components risk assessment, which takes into account the recent prevalence study data. A copy of this document has been placed in the Library, and is publicly available on the Department's website.
The prevalence of infective blood donors remains unknown. Not all individuals in the study would be of an age eligible to donate blood, nor is it clear whether presence of abnormal prion protein in tissues such as the appendix indicates that the blood of such a donor would transmit vCJD. Precautionary measures are assessed in the context of the fundamental uncertainties about prevalence.
Clinical Commissioning Groups
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that clinical commissioning groups do not have conflicting interests when purchasing services on behalf of patients. [155134]
Anna Soubry: The National Health Service Act 2006, as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, sets out the clear requirements on clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in relation to managing conflicts of interest. For example, CCGs should maintain registers of interests that are published or otherwise accessible to the public. They should also make arrangements for managing conflicts of interest and potential conflicts of interest, to ensure they do not affect or appear to affect the integrity of their decision-making process.
CCGs must also comply with the requirements for managing the conflict of interests set out in NHS (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) Regulations 2013.
NHS England is responsible for supporting CCGs to manage conflicts of interest, and has produced guidance setting out the statutory requirements and general safeguards to protect the integrity of the CCGs decision-making process. The guidance is available at:
www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/ccg-conflict-int-guide.pdf
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Croydon University Hospital
Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the proposed downgrade of Croydon university hospital, including the closure of accident and emergency, maternity and children's units; and if he will make a statement. [155556]
Anna Soubry: Croydon university hospital is part of the current review of health care services taking place under the Better Services, Better Value reconfiguration proposals.
Proposals for reconfiguration of health services are locally led, in this case by the local clinical commissioning groups of South West London and Surrey Downs.
No decisions have been made and local clinicians continue working together to develop ways of reshaping local health services for the benefit of patients. Once final proposals are agreed, a full three-month public consultation will be held.
Drugs: Misuse
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of hospital admissions arising from legal highs in each of the last five years. [155655]
Anna Soubry: The information that is collected centrally about hospital admissions for drug poisoning does not separately identify newer substances such as legal highs. In “Statistics on Drug Misuse England, 2012” published on 29 November, the Health and Social Care Information Centre highlighted a consultation on whether additional codes should be included in collecting statistics on hospital admissions for drug poisoning.
General Practitioners: Working Hours
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of spending on out-of-hours care between 2004 and 2010, by primary care trust. [155467]
Mr Jeremy Hunt: Information on spending on out-of- hours care between 2004 and 2010 by primary care trust has been placed in the Library.
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many items of correspondence his Department received from primary care trusts expressing concern about arrangements for out-of-hours care following the introduction of the revised GP contract between 2004 and 2010; [155468]
(2) how many individual items of correspondence his Department received expressing concern about out-of- hours care between 2004 and 2010. [155469]
Anna Soubry:
Records are only available from August 2005. A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified 601 items of correspondence received up to 31 December 2010 about out-of-hours care. This is a minimum figure and represents correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit only. It is not possible to provide
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more specific information about this correspondence without incurring disproportionate cost.
There were no items of correspondence from primary care trusts expressing concerns about arrangements for out-of-hours care following the introduction of the revised contract between 2004 and 2010.
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP practices have opted out of providing out-of-hours care under the provisions of the revised GP contract since April 2004. [155470]
Anna Soubry: Information on how many general practitioner (GP) practices have opted out of providing out-of-hours care under the provisions of the revised GP contract since April 2004 is not available.
Health Services
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's administrative budget in 2013-14 is for (a) Monitor, (b) Healthwatch England, (c) Healthwatch Staffordshire, (d) Independent Complaints Advocacy Service, (e) health and wellbeing boards, (f) quality surveillance groups, (g) Care Quality Commission, (h) NHS England and (i) clinical commissioning groups. [154901]
Anna Soubry: The Department has set initial administration budgets in 2013-14 for the following organisations:
| Organisation | 2013-14 Administration budget (£ million) |
| (1) The initial administration budget shown for CQC includes £3 million which is ringfenced for Healthwatch England. CQC also receives programme funding from the Department, the majority of its funding is regulatory fee income. (2) The administration budgets for NHS England are published in the NHS Mandate: www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-mandate (3) Issued to NHSE. | |
The Department does not directly set the budgets for a number of the organisations quoted in the question as follows:
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Health Services: Berkshire
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has recently received representations from NHS Berkshire about (a) the future of Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot and (b) the strategic priorities for health care services in East Berkshire. [R] [154904]
Anna Soubry: The Department has not received any representations from NHS Berkshire about the future of Heatherwood hospital, Ascot and the strategic priorities for health care services in East Berkshire.
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value was of invoiced fees owed to the NHS by foreign patients not entitled to free care which were written off in each of the last 10 years. [155471]
Anna Soubry: The following table shows, for the years that are available, the total losses, bad debts and claims abandoned in relation to overseas visitors not entitled to free national health service hospital treatment that NHS trusts in England have recorded in their accounts. The Chairman of Monitor has provided similar data for NHS foundation trusts, which are also in the table.
The data may relate to treatment provided to overseas visitors in earlier financial years. Furthermore, since overseas visitors can include United Kingdom nationals visiting the UK, the data will not relate exclusively to foreign patients. The Department does not hold information centrally about the nationality of patients treated by the NHS.
| Overseas visitors: Losses, bad debts and claims abandoned | |||
| £ | |||
| NHS trusts | NHS foundation trusts | Total | |
| Source: NHS trust audited summarisation schedules and NHS foundation trust consolidated accounts (data are not available from NHS foundation trusts prior to 2007-08). | |||
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of secondary care provided to foreign nationals who were not entitled to free treatment. [155577]
Anna Soubry: The Department is not able to make a reliable estimate of the cost to the national health service of providing secondary care to foreign nationals who were not entitled to free treatment because the NHS does not currently have robust enough systems in place to identify every foreign national who should pay for hospital treatment.
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The Department has commissioned a piece of work to better understand the extent of the use of the NHS by migrants and visitors.
The Department has recently concluded a major review of the rules and procedures on charging visitors and migrants for NHS care, and over the summer we will consult on proposals to make the system fairer and ensure that people who should pay for NHS services do in fact do so. This will include improving how the NHS can identify, charge and recover charges where they should apply.
Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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. [154975]
Dr Poulter: The Department uses a number of different measures of inflation for a number of different purposes, including the following:
(a) The retail price index (RPI) measure of inflation is used to inform:
level of future payments made by the NHS Litigation Authority;
Health service cost index (uses both RPI and gross domestic product (GDP) deflators);
NHS Pay Review Bodies (consider both RPI and the consumer price index (CPI)); and
payments to externally financed premises such as private finance initiative (PFI) contracts.
(b) The consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation is used to:
Calculate support payments paid to individuals infected with Hepatitis C or HIV through NHS blood transfusions.
(c) GDP deflators are used to inform the setting of:
sight test fees and optical vouchers (also uses RPI);
tariff uplift;
dental charges;
prescription charges; and
overseas health payments and income (both historical trends of inflation and GDP deflators are used).
It is considered to be of disproportionate cost to compile a comprehensive list.
Mental Hospitals
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to develop existing high secure hospital estates to meet changes in overall capacity requirements over the next five years; [155563]
(2) whether any review of the capacity of high secure hospitals was undertaken prior to the commissioning of redevelopment plans for Broadmoor hospital; [155651]
(3) what the maximum patient capacity of Ashworth hospital was on the date the hospital was established. [155652]
Norman Lamb: NHS England informs me that commissioners undertook a capacity review that was completed in November 2009 for the period 2011-12 to 2015-16.
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Ashworth hospital was originally built with 410 bedrooms. Good practice is to have less than 100% occupancy so that admission and discharge can be arranged to meet clinical need and the requirements of the criminal justice system.
The main improvement to the high secure estate over the next five years is the redevelopment of Broadmoor hospital. Other improvement schemes are local to the hospitals.
Mesothelioma
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has held with insurance firms on the proposal to place their financial contribution to mesothelioma research on to a statutory basis. [155658]
Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has had no such discussions.
NHS Foundation Trusts
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts have not achieved foundation trust status; and when he expects all NHS trusts to gain foundation trust status. [155316]
Anna Soubry: The NHS Trust Development Authority (NTDA) has responsibility for providing support to trusts to help them achieve foundation trust status. The Department has allowed the NTDA to agree trajectories for NHS trusts to reach foundation trust status by 2014 or, on a case-by-case basis, beyond 2014. In doing so, we will ensure that the primary focus of the NTDA and of NHS trusts themselves is on improving the quality and sustainability of services for patients. The list of existing NHS trusts is outlined as follows:
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Barking Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust
Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust
Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust
Bart’s Health NHS Trust
Bedford Hospital NHS Trust
Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Bradford District Care NHS Trust
Bridgewater Community Healthcare Trust
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
Buckinghamshire Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Cambridge Community Services NHS Trust
Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Ealing Hospital NHS Trust
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
East Cheshire NHS Trust
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
East Midlands Ambulance Services NHS Trust
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
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East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust
Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust
Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust
Isle of Wight NHS Primary Care Trust
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust
Kent Community Health NHS Trust
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust
Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust
Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust
London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells
Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust
Mersey Care NHS Trust
Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
NHS Direct
Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
North Bristol NHS Trust
North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust
North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust
North West Ambulance Services NHS Trust
North West London Hospitals NHS Trust
Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust
Royal Wolverhampton Hospital NHS Trust
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust
Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust
Solent NHS Trust
South London Healthcare NHS Trust
South West London and St George's NHS Trust
Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
St George's Healthcare NHS Trust
St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust
Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Sussex Community Health NHS Trust
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The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust
Torbay and Southern Devon Health and Care Trust
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
West London Mental Health NHS Trust
West Middlesex University NHS Trust
Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust
Weston Area Health NHS Trust
Wirral Community Health Services
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
Wye Valley NHS Trust (Hereford Hospital)
Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
NHS: Whistleblowing
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many individual items of correspondence his Department received expressing concern about the effects of Government targets on patient care between 2005 and 2010; [155477]
(2) how many investigations into poor care or malpractice in the NHS were initiated as a result of whistleblowers highlighting these to his Department between 2005 and 2010; [155584]
(3) how many individual items of correspondence his Department received from whistleblowers reporting instances of malpractice or poor patient care between 2005 and 2010. [155585]
Dr Poulter: It is not possible to trace individual items of correspondence received by the Department expressing concern about the effects of Government targets on patient care, or reporting instances of malpractice or poor patient care by whistleblowers between 2005 and 2010 without incurring disproportionate cost.
A search of the Department's records has identified 192 items of correspondence received from whistleblowers between February 2009 (when central records began) and December 2010. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit only.
The Department does not hold information relating to investigations into poor care or malpractice in the national health service initiated as a result of information provided to it by one or more whistleblowers between 2005 and 2010 centrally.
Offenders: Rehabilitation
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost of (a) methadone prescriptions and (b) rehabilitative treatment for both prisoners and offenders on probation is. [155465]
Norman Lamb:
We are informed by Public Health England that data are not collected centrally on spending by prisons on methadone prescriptions. Data are available on total funding allocations for clinical drug treatment,
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which includes the cost of methadone prescribing, to primary care trusts in prisons over the last five years to March 2013 and is shown in the table. It is not possible to extract methadone prescription costs from the data. The cost of rehabilitative drug treatment for prisoners is also included in these totals.
| Total funding allocations made to primary care trusts for all clinical drug treatments in prisons in England between 2008-09 and 2012-13: male and female, all ages | |
| Total clinical drug funding allocation (£ million) | |
| Source: Public Health England. | |
From April 2011, the total allocation included funding for psychosocial interventions which had previously been funded by the National Offender Management Service. In 2012-13 the total included funding for the young persons' secure estate and for immigration removal centres.
The cost of rehabilitative health care treatments provided to offenders on probation is not collected centrally. Since April 2013, NHS England has commissioned prison drug treatment services through 10 designated local area teams (LATs). LATs will be able to enter into local agreements with other partners, including criminal justice agencies, to establish pooled budgets and deliver services including rehabilitative health care for offenders in the community. These data will be available from NHS England in future.
Prisons: Mental Health Services
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost of prisoners' access to (a) psychiatric nurses, (b) psychiatrists, (c) clinical psychologists, (d) occupational therapists, (e) drug workers and (f) counsellors is. [155462]
Norman Lamb: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Skin Cancer
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) GPs and (b) GPs with special interests who diagnose, manage and excise low-risk basal cell carcinomas in the community (i) are fully accredited to do so and (ii) undergo continuous professional development in the diagnosis and management of skin lesions to maintain their accreditation. [155666]
Dr Poulter: The Department supported the revision of guidance for general practitioners (GPs) with a special interest in dermatology, which set out a new role for skin surgery and community cancer care, in ‘Revised guidance and competences for the provision of services using GPs with special interests: Dermatology and skin surgery’ (NHS Primary Care Commissioning, 2011). This guidance for GPs and commissioners of services underpins more effective community care for those with suspected cancer.
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Furthermore, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on the management of low-risk basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), published in 2011, describes the training, education, qualifications and accreditation (official recognition and approval) that three different groups of health care professionals need to manage low-risk BCCs in the community.
The General Medical Council (GMC) is an independent statutory body that is directly accountable to Parliament. One of its purposes is to promote high standards of medical education and training. In December last year, the GMC introduced medical revalidation, which is the process by which licensed doctors are required to demonstrate on a regular basis that they are up to date and fit to practise. All doctors have to provide evidence of continuing professional development, covering the full scope of their practice, which is assessed through a formal annual appraisal process.
Social Services
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment of the potential effects on (a) insurers and (b) policy holders of the proposed cap on social care costs; [155040]
(2) what discussions his Department had with insurance providers before the Government's decision to set a cap on the cost of social care was taken; [155041]
(3) what discussions his Department had with patient groups and care organisations before its decision to set a cap on the cost of social care. [155164]
Norman Lamb: The Department ran an engagement in autumn 2011 on social care reform. This included the proposals for capped costs scheme, and the role for financial services in helping people pay for care. The engagement was run in partnership with representatives of local authorities, the care sector and the financial services industry including the Association of British Insurers.
The engagement was supportive of a cap on social care costs on the basis this would protect people from very high care costs while allowing people to use products such as insurance, pensions and equity release to pay for their care. The feedback from the engagement was published in November 2011.
A copy of the feedback is available at:
www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/136456/2900021-Ipsos-MORI-Caring-for-our-future-engagement-analysis-of-responses.pdf
With regards to the market for financial services, the changes in limiting assessed care costs to £72,000 per person give providers more certainty about the maximum payout they might face.
We will be consulting on the detail of implementing these reforms over the summer and are currently engaging with local authorities, the care and support and financial services sectors. Further analysis is available in an impact assessment of the capped costs scheme published on 10 May 2013.
Streptococcus
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set a target for the reduction of early-onset group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies; and if he will make a statement. [155689]
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Dr Poulter: The Department has set no target but is working together with the national health service, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives, the National Institute for Health Research Heath Technology Assessment and the pharmaceutical industry to make improvements in the reduction of early-onset group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, are to appoint a clinical research fellow to carry out an audit across the United Kingdom. It would aim to provide feedback and advice to all participating trusts about how they can further improve their adherence to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidelines on the prevention of neonatal group B streptococcus disease.
Tuberculosis
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will create a national strategy for tuberculosis in the UK. [155015]
Anna Soubry: Public Health England (PHE) is leading a national oversight group for tuberculosis (TB), which brings together partners from the Department, NHS England, local government, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, British Thoracic Society, academia and TB Alert to develop a strategy to reverse the trend of increasing TB rates in the United Kingdom. The group held its first meeting on 10 April.
The Department will continue to support PHE in giving national policy leadership.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent of the incidence of tuberculosis in the UK. [155016]
Anna Soubry: The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the United Kingdom over time is assessed through systematic analysis of notification data obtained from the Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance System, run by Public Health England. In 2011 in the UK, a total of 8,963 cases of TB were reported, a rate of 14.4 cases per 100,000 population. This information is contained in tuberculosis case reports and rates, UK, 2000-11 which has been placed in the Library. TB notifications and rates increased from 2000 until 2005, and have remained high but relatively stable since.
A brief summary of key surveillance data for 2011 is given as follows:
The main burden of TB was concentrated in large urban areas, with 39% of all cases reported from London.
Over half of TB cases had pulmonary disease (52%).
The majority of cases (74%) were born outside the UK, with the rate of TB among the non-UK-born population being 20 times the rate in the UK-born.
Communities and Local Government
All-party Groups
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings he and Ministers in his Department have had with all-party parliamentary groups in the last 12 months. [154870]
16 May 2013 : Column 376W
Brandon Lewis: Due to the sheer number of all-party parliamentary groups, Ministers are not practically able to attend every event which may involve the Department's responsibilities.
However, a list of meetings which Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government attended over the last 12 months has been placed in the Library of the House.
Fires: Death
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the number of deaths per 100,000 due to fire in (a) the UK and (b) countries that have introduced compulsory fire sprinklers in domestic properties. [154861]
Brandon Lewis: The Department has not made such an assessment. Recording practices for fire incidents and casualties vary across countries as described in the report “Comparison of European Fire Statistics” and found in the following link:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121108165934/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/2159418.pdf
Fire safety and prevention activity, such as promoting increased ownership and regular testing of smoke alarms, has resulted in fire fatalities being halved over the last 20 years, with the latest figures showing a further fall:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-statistics-monitor-april-to-september-2012
Research and a review in 2005 concluded that it would not be cost-effective to provide sprinklers in new homes, but that it would be reasonable to provide them in blocks of flats over 30 metres in height and certain types of care homes. The outcome of the research resulted in building regulations being amended to require sprinklers in tall blocks of flats, certain types of care homes and large warehouses.
New regulation on housing needs to be balanced and proportionate. Making sprinklers compulsory in all new homes would add an estimated £2,000 to £3,000 to the regulatory cost of a new-build home, meaning fewer new homes, making home ownership less accessible especially for first-time buyers, and potentially pushing up rents in the private rented sector.
Local Government: Newspaper Press
Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority spent on newspapers delivered to households in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date. [154132]
Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.
Notwithstanding, I would note that councils are required by the Local Government Act 1986 to “keep a separate account of their expenditure on publicity”. The Act states:
“Any person interested may at any reasonable time and without payment inspect the account and make copies of it or any part of it.”
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Prior to the general election, surveys by the Taxpayers' Alliance of such accounts estimated councils were spending in the region of £450 million a year on publicity.
A Local Government Association survey of local authority publications in England and Wales in August 2010 found that 92% of respondents published regular municipal periodicals.
Such spending will have fallen since the revised “Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity” was issued in 2011, but it is clear that some councils are intentionally disregarding this guidance.
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 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. [154992]
Brandon Lewis: My Department has not issued any explicit guidance on the actions which would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in my Department. However, under the Department's conduct and disciplinary procedures it is open to DCLG to take such actions as it considers appropriate in any individual case, which could include either suspension or removal of a bonus payment.
In the event that the Department needed to claw back any bonus payment, the normal approach would be to deduct the relevant amount from a future salary payment (either as a single or a series of payments, depending on how much is to be recovered). Where claw-back occurs after an individual has left the Department, it would either be recovered via the new employer if the individual has gone to another civil service employer or as a debt if the individual has left the civil service.
There are no recorded instances of a bonus being reclaimed from any DCLG official in any of the last five years.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Access to Countryside
11. Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds have access to the countryside. [155345]
Richard Benyon: The Natural Environment White Paper included an ambition that every child in England be:
'given the opportunity to experience and learn about the natural environment.'
We have acted to break down perceived health and safety barriers and enabled schools to use Pupil Premium funding for outdoor learning.
The Natural Connections Demonstration Project targets students in deprived areas across the south west. We plan to launch a similar project in east London.
Local green space, farm host visits and initiatives such as the Forest School movement are also particularly beneficial to disadvantaged children.
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New Markets: British Producers
15. Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on opening up new markets to British producers. [R] [155349]
Mr Paterson: DEFRA continues to work with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and industry to promote exports and address market access barriers. We have opened the pork markets in China and Australia, expanded the beef market to Hong Kong, and opened poultry, beef and lamb markets in Russia. We continue to work hard to open and maintain markets for UK goods; we also champion British food at the world's key trade events.
Red Tape
18. David Rutley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on reducing red tape in the farming industry. [155352]
Mr Heath: The Farming Task Force Implementation Group has assessed progress in reducing red tape. Its assessment, published on 27 February, recognises the positive action taken by Government to date but highlights that much of it is yet to be felt by farmers. We will work at pace to ensure farmers see reductions in unnecessary red tape by, improving the way inspections are carried out, developing simple, clear guidance, and reducing paperwork burdens.
Rural Economy
19. Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what policies he is putting in place to encourage growth in the rural economy. [155353]
Richard Benyon: Stimulating economic growth is the top priority for Government. We want to see rural areas contributing to and benefitting from that growth. We are working to improve superfast broadband and mobile infrastructure in rural communities, piloting rural growth networks to test different ways of helping businesses stimulate economic growth in rural areas, while boosting key sectors such as tourism. We are also increasing export potential and unblocking barriers to growth by removing red tape.
Bovine Tuberculosis
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on testing for bovine tuberculosis in (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency in each of the last 10 years. [154153]
Mr Heath: Financial data which allow the costs of bovine TB testing to be separately identified from other TB related spending for the last 10 years are not available.
However, data are available (as follows) for 2011-12 and 2012-13 but not in the form requested as data are only available regionally (ie Midlands), not by individual county.
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| £ million | ||
| 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
TB testing is defined as all skin tests and gamma interferon tests.
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the bagder cull programme in Ireland and of lessons to be learned in relation to the proposed badger cull in the UK. [155141]
Mr Heath: The Irish approach to badger control is to cull badgers where they have been identified as contributing to an outbreak of TB, which is determined through an epidemiological investigation. There are a number of differences between the situation here and in the Republic of Ireland which mean that we are not planning to replicate its approach. These include differences in TB incidence, badger population density and ecology (population density is lower and badgers appear to move over larger distances in the Republic of Ireland).
We believe controlled shooting is one of the most effective methods of carrying out badger culling but the pilots this summer will test our assumptions about the effectiveness, humaneness and safety of this method. Once the independent panel of experts overseeing and evaluating the pilots report back to Government, Ministers can then decide whether the policy should be rolled out more widely.
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to eradicate tuberculosis from cattle. [155284]
Mr Heath: The Government are committed to a comprehensive and balanced approach to tackling bovine TB using all available tools. Numerous cattle controls are already in place, including:
Routine surveillance testing of cattle herds, frequency of testing based on risk;
Pre-movement testing of cattle from higher risk herds;
Movement restrictions on animals from herds that have tested positive or inconclusive for bovine TB;
The slaughter of all cattle that have tested positive for bovine TB;
All cattle carcases inspected at slaughterhouses for evidence of TB;
Advice and support for farmers that have had cases of bovine TB in their herds about bio-security and reducing the risk of bovine TB; and
Significant investment in research, with a particular focus on the development of vaccines.
In January 2013 the Government introduced further changes to the TB surveillance testing regime and cattle movement controls. Measures for controlling bovine TB in cattle will continue to form the backbone of our approach to tackling bovine TB and we will continue to look for ways to enhance them.
However, cattle measures alone are not enough to prevent the spread of disease in the worst affected areas. In order to stop it spreading further we need to address
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the issue of infected badgers passing the disease to cattle. Two badger culling pilots will go ahead this summer to test the effectiveness, humaneness and safety of controlled shooting and inform a decision on a wider roll-out of the policy.
The Government intend to publish a broad strategy pulling all of these strands together.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what plans he has to start bovine TB cattle vaccination trials; [155544]
(2) whether he has submitted a request to the European Commission to start bovine TB cattle vaccination trials; and what the timetable is for any such programme; [155545]
(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that any bovine TB cattle vaccination trials to be undertaken in England do not adversely affect the ability to export beef and dairy products. [155546]
Mr Heath: EU Commissioner Tonio Borg wrote to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), on 14 January 2013 setting out the substantial scientific evidence that will be needed before any decision can be taken on lifting the current EU ban on cattle vaccination. For that reason, his view is that it would be reasonable to expect the full process to take 10 years.
However, we are looking for ways to accelerate the work we were already doing on planning the experimental research and large-scale trialling of the vaccine that the Commissioner regards as the essential next step. We hope to have successfully completed all the experimental work, including studies on safety of meat and milk, during 2014 so that we can make an application to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for an animal test certificate to begin the necessary field trials.
Bovine Tuberculosis: North West
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the outbreak of bovine tuberculosis in the North West of England is attributable to cattle movements from the South West or other areas of high bovine tuberculosis risk. [155211]
Mr Heath: Bovine TB is rare in Cumbria and Lancashire. The majority of breakdowns identified in those counties in 2012 and previous years were caused by introductions of undetected infected cattle from areas of high TB incidence, including the West of England, Wales and Ireland.
The origin of a recent cluster of bovine TB breakdowns detected in North Lancashire (River Lune valley) at the end of last year and the beginning of 2013 has not yet been established. Targeted TB testing and epidemiological investigations by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) of herds in the area are under way.
Gangmasters
Stephen Barclay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 4 July 2012, Official Report, column 682W,
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on gangmasters, what progress he has made in
(a)
bringing forward proposals for consultation on the introduction of fines and penalties for low-level technical and minor offences,
(b)
issuing sentencing guidelines for gangmaster-related offences and
(c)
introducing civil penalties for gangmaster-related offences. [155280]
Mr Heath: DEFRA launched an eight-week public consultation on proposals arising from the Red Tape Challenge review of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) on Friday 26 April. It includes proposals to introduce civil sanctions as an alternative to prosecution for the offences in the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 (the 2004 Act), and seeks views on how these could be introduced. Any measures introduced following the consultation will be consistent with the Government's policy on the use of civil sanctions, as set out in the written ministerial statement laid before Parliament by the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon), on 8 November 2012, Official Report, column 43WS.
DEFRA officials have looked into the practicalities of drafting sentencing guidelines in respect of the offences in the 2004 Act. Initial findings indicate that the relatively low level of prosecutions arising from these offences means it is unlikely that the Sentencing Council would view this area of sentencing as a priority.
Temporary Employment
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many agency staff are currently working within (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies. [155215]
Richard Benyon: As at 31 March 2013, core DEFRA employed 40 agency staff, the DEFRA Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies employ 764 agency staff.
Education
Childminding
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether he plans to offer financial incentives to encourage the formation of childminder agencies; [155116]
(2) what representations his Department has received from child care experts in support of the creation of childminder agencies; [155117]
(3) what (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has approached regarding the establishment of pilot schemes for childminder agencies. [155118]
Elizabeth Truss: At present we do not have any plans to offer financial incentives to encourage the formation of childminder agencies.
We have received support from a number of organisations and individuals for the introduction of 'childminder agencies', including the members of our task and finish group, and Her Majesty's chief inspector.
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In relation to pilot schemes for childminder agencies, we have actively encouraged all those with a potential interest in working with us on trials of agencies to contact us directly.
Children: Day Care
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has approached regarding the establishment of pilot schemes for the relaxation of staff to child ratios in child care settings. [155119]
Elizabeth Truss: In 'More great childcare', published on 29 January, the Government announced their intention to amend the staff:child ratios as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework from September 2013. The Government consulted on the qualifications required to enable settings to take advantage of the new ratios in a public consultation which closed at the end of March. We have spoken to a number of early years and child care organisations and providers about our proposals to improve the quality of provision in the early years sector and how best to implement staff:child ratios.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether he has received representations from Ofsted in support of the relaxation of child care ratios; [155126]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with Ofsted and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education on the relaxation of child care ratios. [155270]
Elizabeth Truss: I have regular conversations with Her Majesty's chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, on this and other issues. Sir Michael has made clear that Ofsted considers highly qualified staff to be critical to ensuring high quality early years provision. In an article published in 'Nursery World' on 25 February 2013, Sir Michael said,
"The facts are clear—highly skilled adults do a great deal to improve the vocabulary, cognitive and social skills of very young children, particularly when they are not able to gain them at home. It is the skill and knowledge of early years teachers and educators that counts more than how many are deployed in a setting. Qualified teachers have been able to work with more children aged three and four than staff who are not teachers for years, and it seems right to me that the government is thinking of extending this principle”.(1)
(1)http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/1172172/Exclusive-Why-I-believe-need-raise-qualifications/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH
Children's Centres
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children's centres employed early years professionals as of (a) 6 May 2010 and (b) 6 May 2013. [155132]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education collects information on the provision of child care through the annual Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey. This survey does not report the number of children's centres employing early years professionals. It does provide estimates for the proportion of staff who are early years professionals employed by children's centres which provide full day care. The estimates as a percentage by year are 5% in 2009, 7% in 2010, and 9% in 2011.
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These are the latest figures available to the Department. The survey is now undertaken every other year and the 2013 survey is due to be published in September 2014.
Curriculum
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when the Government plan to publish a revised impact assessment on the proposed changes to the national curriculum. [155032]
Elizabeth Truss: We will publish an equalities impact assessment for the new national curriculum, alongside our consultation on the draft statutory orders that will implement the new programmes of study, in the summer.
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to publish the final programmes for study for Key Stage 1 to 3. [155034]
Elizabeth Truss: We are currently considering the outcome of the consultation on draft programmes of study which closed on 16 April 2013. We plan to publish revised versions of the programmes for consultation on the draft statutory orders in the summer. The final versions will be published in the autumn once the necessary parliamentary processes are complete. Schools will start teaching the new programmes of study from September 2014.
Departmental Responsibilities
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the stop lists of policy activity referred to in his Department's recent infrastructure and funding division newsletter. [155101]
Elizabeth Truss: As part of the Department review we have examined all areas of the Department's business to make sure that our resources are properly focused on ministerial priorities, and explored work which can be stopped, scaled back, or done differently. We will continue to do this on a regular basis as part of our commitment to reduce our administration budget, and to make sure that we continue to allocate our resources where they are needed most.
The 'stop list' mentioned in the newsletter refers to this ongoing and developing work—we are therefore not in a position to publish a single, definite 'stop list'.
Education: Assessments
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the time taken in publication of assessment criteria on the development of learning resources. [155031]
Elizabeth Truss: We aim to publish the consultation on primary assessment and accountability under the new national curriculum by the end of the summer term. The first new statutory assessments of the new national curriculum will be in 2016.
In advance of the consultation, we are continuing discussions with publishers, educational suppliers and representative bodies, to make sure that appropriate support is available to schools as they develop their own curriculum, assessment and reporting arrangements.
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Pre-school Education
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what representations he has received advocating the delivery of free nursery education by child care providers rated as satisfactory without the involvement of the relevant local authority in ensuring good quality provision; [155120]
(2) what representations he has received advocating the guarantee of an offer of funding for new early education providers, which have been registered with Ofsted but not inspected, to deliver the free nursery entitlement; [155121]
(3) what representations he has received advocating the removal of the duty on local authorities to secure information, advice and training for child care providers; [155122]
(4) what assessment he has made of the potential effect of limiting the retention of free nursery entitlement funding by local authorities on the ability to provide services to child care providers, including training and special educational needs support. [155123]
Elizabeth Truss: The consultation on proposed changes to the role of the local authority in the delivery of funded early education, and in securing information advice and training for child care providers, closed on 6 May 2013. The Department received a large number of responses from a range of organisations, which it is currently analysing. The Government will publish their response to the consultation in due course.
The Government are keen to maximise the level of funding that reaches the frontline to give early education and child care providers greater choice and flexibility when it comes to accessing training and support that meets their needs. In 2012-13, 113 local authorities retained less than 10% of their early years budget and nine retained centrally over 20%.
The 'Early Years block' within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) is not the only source of funding for activities to support high-quality inclusive early education. Provision for children with special education needs (SEN) can also be supported through the High Needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). Funding is also still available through the Early Intervention Grant (now in the Business Rates Retention Scheme) into which a number of predecessor grants, including those for early years, were brought together.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average number of hours of free entitlement was for (a) two-year-olds, where offered, (b) three-year-olds and (c) four-year-olds actually used per child in each of the last five years. [155128]
Elizabeth Truss: The average (mean) number of hours per week of funded early education received by three and four-year-olds in each of the last four years is given in the table.
Information on funded hours is collected through the Early Years Census and School Census. The Department collects and funds local authorities based on the number of funded hours a child receives during the census week. A figure is not available for the average number of funded hours a child receives over the year.
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The Department does not have information on the number of funded hours received on average by two-year-olds. This information will be available for the first time from 2014, following the introduction of the statutory entitlement to early learning for two-year-olds from September 2014.
It was only possible to provide data for the last four years. To provide further analysis covering five years would incur disproportionate costs.
| Table 1: Mean number of hours of funded early education received by three and four-year-olds(1,2) —All schools and providers(3), England, January 2009 to January 2012 | ||
| Three-year-olds | Four-year-olds(4) | |
| (1) Children accessing their funded education across more than one provider will be counted separately at each provider. (2) Age as at 31 December in previous calendar year. (3) Includes maintained nursery, direct grant nursery, maintained primary schools, primary academies, maintained secondary schools, secondary academies, special schools, special academies, city technology colleges, pupil referral units, and private, voluntary and independent providers. Excludes general hospitals and non-maintained special schools. (4 )Figures for four-year-olds include those in maintained school reception classes. (5) From September 2010 the number of hours of funded early education was increased from 12.5 hours to 15 hours per week. | ||
Pupil Exclusions
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take in response to the report of the Office of the Children's Commissioner entitled They Go The Extra Mile, published in March 2013; and if he will make a statement. [155688]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education is currently considering the Children's Commissioner's report, They Go The Extra Mile. A formal response to the recommendations made to the Department will be issued soon.
School Meals
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to monitor the take-up of school meals. [155193]
Elizabeth Truss: Monitoring the take-up of school meals is being considered as part of the School Food Plan, which is currently being prepared by the independent school food reviewers, Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent.
Once the reviewers have completed the plan, we will consider any recommendations they make on this issue.
Schools
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools other than academies and free schools have been visited by each Minister in his Department since May 2010. [155192]
Elizabeth Truss: This information is not held centrally. Therefore to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to monitor the effect of the introduction of new GCSEs and A-levels at the same time on the workload of schools. [155580]
Elizabeth Truss: The first new GCSEs and A-levels will be introduced from September 2015, which allows schools to see the full picture of academic qualification reform, alongside curriculum and accountability reform, at one time. We believe this will help schools plan. To support preparation, we expect specifications for the new qualifications to be available to schools from September 2014.
To minimise the impact on schools, we are phasing in the changes to qualifications. Our priority is to reform the key academic subjects and, for A-levels, some of the high volume subjects. Changes to other subjects will follow over a longer timetable. Together with teacher associations, Ofqual and other key stakeholders we will monitor the impact of introducing new GCSEs and A-levels on schools.
Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 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. [155771]
Elizabeth Truss: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Special Educational Needs
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will request Ofsted to inspect specialist SEN support services for children with sensory impairments; [154942]
(2) what the outcome was of his Department's discussions with Ofsted on inspections of specialist SEN support service. [154944]
Mr Timpson: There is no plan to require Ofsted to inspect specialist SEN services as a matter of course.
Ofsted already has the power to inspect the 'education functions' of any local authority. Provisions in the Children and Families Bill will ensure that this includes all local authority functions relating to children with special educational needs under part three of that Bill.
Ofsted recently consulted on plans to introduce a new framework for the inspection of local authority school improvement functions where there are particular concerns. Discussions between the Department and Ofsted are continuing. These discussions will explore how concerns and local intelligence about SEN provision might be covered by these inspection arrangements. I expect to be able to provide further information about this approach during the next stage of the Bill.
Ofsted regularly considers how well schools meet the needs of disabled pupils and those with SEN through both its mainstream and special schools inspections. Ofsted's inspection framework requires that inspectors consider the extent to which the school meets the needs
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of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Ofsted reports include details on specialist resource bases for sensory impairments where these are located within the school. In October 2012 Ofsted published a report called 'Communication is the Key' which surveyed good practice in services for deaf children.
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information is available to parents of children with sensory impairments on the quality of support they receive from specialist SEN support services. [154943]
Mr Timpson: The main source of information for parents is regular, high-quality contact with their child's teacher, SEN co-ordinator and other specialist staff. This should include information on how well their child is progressing, the specialist support that is in place and how well this is meeting their child's needs.
Parents can also use Ofsted reports. Ofsted's inspection framework requires that inspectors consider the extent to which the school meets the needs of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Ofsted reports include details on specialist resource bases for sensory impairments where these are located within the school.
The Children and Families Bill, which is currently before Parliament, includes a requirement for local authorities and their partners to publish a 'local offer' of the support that is normally available to children and families in their area. This will increase the information that is available to parents, including parents' views on the provision available and the local authority's response to those views.
International Development
Clothing
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public body for which she is responsible have made a claim for evening dress allowance in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of such claims has been. [155452]
Mr Duncan: DFID does not have an evening dress allowance.
Developing Countries: Nutrition
Mr Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she discussed increasing resources for nutrition-specific programmes at the World Bank spring meeting in Washington, USA. [155042]
Mr Duncan:
At the recent spring meetings the UK sought commitments from the World Bank for it to use existing resources and make programmes nutrition sensitive. Nutrition-sensitive programmes are programmes across a range of sectors, for example social protection, agriculture or health, which are also designed to have a nutritional impact. The Bank has huge investments in agriculture and social protection which have significant untapped
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potential for nutritional impact. We would like to see the Bank use this portfolio of programmes to deliver nutrition outcomes.
Ethiopia
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how UK bilateral aid to Ethiopia has been spent, by category of programme and expenditure, in each of the last three years. [154903]
Mr Duncan: The following table details how DFID's development support in Ethiopia has been spent in each of the last three years, according to category of programme, and whether it is resource or capital spending.
| £000 | ||||||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | ||||
| Pillar/strategic priority | Resource | Capital | Resource | Capital | Resource | Capital |
| Note: Figures for: 2010-11 and 2011-12 are out-turn; figures for 2012-13 are budgeted. | ||||||
Further information on DFID Ethiopia's programmes can be found in the operational plan, at this web link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/67393/ethiopia-2011.pdf
Ghana
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how UK bilateral aid to Ghana has been spent, by category of programme and expenditure in each of the last three years. [154902]
Mr Duncan: The following table details DFID's development support in Ghana for the past three years, according to category of programme.
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| £000 | ||||||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | ||||
| Pillar/Strategic priority | Resource | Capital | Resource | Capital | Resource | Capital |
Inflation
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 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. [154973]
Mr Duncan: DFID uses monthly consumer price indices, published by the Office for National Statistics, to revalue its vehicles, furniture and equipment and IT equipment assets. These assets are reported in the Department's annual report and accounts. This revaluation is in accordance with the requirements on accounting for tangible assets, set out within the HM Treasury financial reporting manual.
The consumer prices index (CPI) is also used for price indexation of public service pensions.
Nepal
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether the Government of Nepal has declined funding from the UK Government to support their gender-based violence unit in the Prime Minister's Office. [155138]
Mr Duncan: Since 2010, the UK has worked very closely with the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, in Nepal, to help establish a gender-based violence unit (GBV Unit) and develop a National Plan of Action to address gender-based violence. This GBV Unit is now fully funded by the Ministry of Finance, from Nepal's own public funds, and UK funds are therefore not required.
Addressing violence against women and girls remains a key shared priority for the Government of Nepal and the UK. The UK is continuing work with the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare to strengthen and support local level responses to gender-based violence and we are currently designing a larger scale justice programme which will have a particular focus on tackling violence against women and girls.
Pay
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 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. [155001]
Mr Duncan: DFID's disciplinary policy allows for the withdrawal of future non-consolidated performance related payments as one of a number of possible sanctions. There have been fewer than five cases in each of the last five years.
Regulation
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will provide the estimated cost of each regulation introduced by her Department since May 2010; and what the estimated benefits of each regulation (a) amended and (b) revoked were. [155965]
Mr Duncan: DFID has no regulatory function.
South Africa
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 92W on South Africa, (1) for what reasons the proportion of UK aid to South Africa spent on providing support to HIV and AIDS was increased from zero per cent to 50% in 2013; [154896]
(2) who was consulted on the decision to increase UK support to HIV and AIDS in South Africa from zero per cent in 2011-12 to 50% in 2012-13. [155125]
Lynne Featherstone: There was a tabulation error and the corrected table is provided here. UK aid to South Africa in 2011-12 and 2012-13 was £19 million. The categories of programme and expenditure are as follows:
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| Percentage | ||
| 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
|
Tackling gender based violence and strengthening public sector performance | ||
As the corrected table now shows, the increase in UK support was for maternal and new-born health to reverse the increasing maternal mortality ratio and under-five mortality in the country. In collaboration with the Government, a consultation was held with civil society and national and international academia during the design of the programme.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Afghan Government about (a) fully implementing the Elimination of Violence Against Woman Law, (b) increasing support for family responses units, (c) increasing the recruitment and retention of women in Afghan police forces, (d) increasing support for Afghan women human rights defenders and (e) ensuring the meaningful representation of Afghan women in any peace negotiations. [154368]
Alistair Burt: The information is as follows.
(a) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for International Development (DFID) are working together to ensure the Afghan Government implement their national and international human rights commitments and obligations, including the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Implementation of the Afghan Elimination of Violence Against Women Law (EVAW) was specifically included in the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework (TMAF), the partnership between the Afghan Government and the international community. We, along with our international partners, will hold the Afghan Government to account for the commitments they have made. In Kabul, the Gender Donor Coordination Group (led by UN Women) and the Civil Society Support Group (led by UNAMA) are currently considering how the TMAF recommendations should be taken forward. The UK is represented on both groups.
(b) The UK provides £7.1 million assistance to the Ministry of the Interior in Afghanistan, which includes support to work that is helping to protect and uphold women's rights, such as the development of the Afghan National Police's policy on promoting human rights
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and protecting women and women’s rights defenders from violence. Through our support to EUPOL, the European Police Mission to Afghanistan, the UK supports the Ministry of Interior in its efforts to increase the numbers and capacity of family response units across Afghanistan. Earlier this year, a Memorandum of Understanding between EUPOL, the Ministry of Interior and United Nations Development Programme was signed to this effect.
(c) During her visit to Afghanistan 4-6 March, the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi discussed women's vital contribution to building peace, security and prosperity in Afghanistan with the Afghan Government and wider Afghan authorities, leading female parliamentarians and other Government and civil society representatives. In Helmand, Baroness Warsi visited the Provincial Police Headquarters and met female police officers who are contributing to the provision of security in their community.
(d) We share the widespread concern about the attacks and intimidation faced by the dedicated and courageous women who work tirelessly to defend the rights and fundamental freedoms of others. This year the UK has provided £500,000 in funding to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission to help it act to protect human rights defenders, investigate and catalogue violence, and support those seeking justice. The British embassy in Kabul monitors threats of violence towards human rights activists, with a particular focus on women. Where appropriate and useful to do so the British embassy in Kabul has issued statements condemning such violence, and raised concerns with senior interlocutors in the Government of Afghanistan.
(e) We are committed to ensuring that women play as full a part as possible in securing a peaceful and prosperous future Afghanistan, and that the Afghan political system and Afghan-led peace process are inclusive and reflect the needs and aspirations of all Afghan citizens, including women and girls.