Cycling
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government is taking to encourage commuters to cycle to work. [156655]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport actively encourages sustainable travel including cycling to work. The Cycle to Work Scheme provides tax incentives to help employees purchase bicycles and equipment. Alongside this, we work in partnership with Business in the Community, Transport for London, British Cycling and the Cycle to Work Alliance through the website ‘Businesscycle'. The aim is to increase cycling for work and commuting purposes.
We have also made available £14.5m to the Cycle Rail Working Group to improve cycle facilities at railway stations. Improvement projects will not only make it safer and more convenient for people to park their bike at the station but will encourage cycling for the onward journey from the station with new cycle hire schemes. This helps support the Department's recently published Door to Door Strategy which encourages use of sustainable transport for the whole journey.
Havering
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London Borough of Havering in each of the last five years. [156141]
21 May 2013 : Column 703W
Norman Baker: The most recent data available for total public expenditure on transport are given in HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses for 2011/12.
Identifiable expenditure on transport in the London region for the last 5 years is reproduced below. Equivalent data are not available below regional level.
| £ million | |||||
| National Statistics | |||||
| Outturn | |||||
| Transport: | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
Local Government Finance: Transport
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value of awards to local authorities in England under the Local Sustainable Transport Fund was in 2012-13. [156506]
Norman Baker: In 2012-13, through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund we awarded local authorities £110.5 million revenue and £101 million capital funding.
Members: Correspondence
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to answer the letter from the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South dated 21 January 2013. [156565]
Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not have a record of receiving a letter from the hon. Member dated 21 January 2013, but we will be pleased to respond speedily if she could provide a copy.
Polyisobutene
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent correspondence he has had with the International Maritime Organisation on the reclassification of polyisobutene. [155942]
Stephen Hammond: None. However officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have had initial, informal discussions with the International Maritime Organization Secretariat on the classification of polyisobutene (PIB) following the recent incidents off the South Coast.
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) cause and (b) source of the recent polyisobutene pollution incidents was. [155943]
Stephen Hammond:
Officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency are analysing data that show which vessels transited the area where it is estimated that the discharges could have taken place. That may help to determine the source of the pollution and allow further
21 May 2013 : Column 704W
investigation to assess whether the discharge was permissible or whether there may be a case to take action against an unlawful discharge.
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to prevent further seabird deaths as a result of polyisobutene pollution resulting from both legal and illegal discharges at sea. [155944]
Stephen Hammond: Once the full reasons for the incidents are established, the UK will, if appropriate, formally approach International Maritime Organisation to discuss the discharge requirements for products carried on chemical tankers.
Private Finance Initiative
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which private finance initiative projects relating to his Department have been refinanced in each year since May 2010; what the value is of each such project; what the refinancing gain has been in each such case; and how much any such gain the relevant Government body received through a (a) lump sum and (b) reduction in the unitary charge. [156004]
Norman Baker: None of the private finance projects sponsored by the Department for Transport has been refinanced since May 2010.
Railways: Bournemouth
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisation is responsible for keeping the tracks running through Bournemouth railway station free of litter. [156250]
Railways: Fares
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to publish his review of rail fares. [156296]
Norman Baker: We are considering a range of options to improve rail fares and ticketing, and we intend to set out our findings and next steps this summer.
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the cost of rail fares. [156297]
Norman Baker: Since January 2013, the Department has received around 700 items of correspondence from MPs, members of the public and other bodies about rail fares. The subject has also been discussed in a number of meetings with industries and interested parties.
Railways: Finance
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the total annual amounts paid in track access charges to Network Rail by each train operating company contracted to provide rail passenger services since April 2004. [156218]
21 May 2013 : Column 705W
Mr Simon Burns: The data requested refer to transactions between private train operating companies and Network Rail which is not held by the Department. However, information for recent years is contained within Network Rail's Regulatory Financial Statements which are available on their website at:
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/regulatory%20documents/regulatory%20 compliance%20and%20reporting/regulatory%20accounts/regulatory%20financial%20statements%20for%20the%20year %20ended%2031%20march%202012.pdf
Railways: Romford
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that Romford station will be served by National Rail fast trains into London Liverpool Street and Essex once existing metro services are replaced by Crossrail services. [156140]
Mr Simon Burns: It is expected that Romford station will continue to be served by National Rail fast trains into London Liverpool Street and Essex once metro services are transferred to Crossrail.
Regulation
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department. [155803]
Stephen Hammond: The information is as follows:
(a) All regulations introduced by the Department are monitored and examined through the Government's rigorous Better Regulation processes, which are described in full at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reducing-the-impact-of-regulation-on-business
All UK regulation that impacts on business and civil society organisations is listed on Department for Transport's (DFT's) statements of new regulation (SNR). These cover all regulations planned to be implemented or removed in six month periods (January to June and July to December each year) and are published on the website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-transport-statement-of-new-regulations
21 May 2013 : Column 706W
(b) Information on costs and benefits of the regulations we introduce is assessed and recorded in impact assessments (IAs) which are published alongside the regulations on the
www.legislation.gov.uk
website. The information is collated in the SNR.
(c) DFT had four themes under the Red Tape Challenge programme—Road Transportation, Rail, Maritime and Aviation. Alongside internal government review of the body of regulations in these areas, this invited businesses and the public to suggest which regulations should be revoked or improved.
Since December 2011, new regulations have been subject to a sunsetting policy to ensure they are kept under regular review. Details of the policy can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sunset-clauses-and-regulations
As a matter of good practice most IAs outline arrangements for post implementation review even for regulations where statutory review clauses do not apply.
(d) Each Red Tape Challenge (RTC) theme had a period in the spotlight on the RTC website but it was also made clear that contributions and suggestions from businesses and the public on burdensome regulation were welcome outside that period. That remains the case.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; and which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended. [155826]
Stephen Hammond: The one in one out rule was introduced in September 2010 and applied to regulations introduced from 1 January 2011. One in two out replaced this rule and has applied to regulations introduced since January 2013. The Statement of New Regulation published every six months lists regulatory changes that are subject to the one in one out/one in two out rule. This includes the introduction of new regulations and amendments and revocations of existing regulations. The following regulations that were listed on the statements have been introduced.
21 May 2013 : Column 707W
21 May 2013 : Column 708W
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will provide the estimated cost of each regulation introduced by his Department since May 2010; and what the estimated benefits of each regulation (a) amended and (b) revoked were. [155969]
Stephen Hammond: All changes to UK regulation in scope of the one in, one out and one in, two out rules (i.e. those that impact on business and civil society organisations) are listed, along with their estimated impact on business as validated by the independent Regulatory Policy Committee, on the Statements of New Regulation (SNRs). This includes the introduction of new regulations and amendments and revocations of existing regulations, divided up into six month periods (January to June and July to December each year). The answer to PQ155826 provides a list of titles of regulatory changes that have come into force. DFT’s SNRs are published on the website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-transport-statement-of-new-regulations
The one in, one out rule was introduced on 1 September 2010 and applied to regulations introduced from 1 January 2011. One in, Two out replaced the one in, one out rule and has applied to regulations introduced from 1 January 2013.
As well as being collated in the SNR, information on the costs and benefits of the regulations we introduce is assessed and recorded in impact assessments (IAs) which are published alongside the regulations on the following website:
www.legislation.gov.uk
Roads: Carbon Emissions
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of how much the carbon footprint of the UK's roads could be reduced through the sustainable production of asphalt at lower temperatures over the next 10 years; [156519]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of how much the production of asphalt contributes to the annual carbon footprint of the UK's roads. [156520]
Norman Baker: As part of the Highways Agency's carbon reporting, asphalt purchased by its supply chain for use on the Strategic Road Network estimates the production of asphalt contributes a little over 11% of the average annual reported carbon footprint of the Highways Agency, excluding traffic. It should be noted that the traffic loads on the strategic road network does not allow them at present to use cold asphalt.
The Department for Transport does not retain similar information for local highway authority roads.
Roads: Plymouth
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Plymouth City Council received from his Department for highway maintenance in 2012-13; and how much his Department has allocated to Plymouth City Council for highway maintenance in 2013-14. [156062]
Norman Baker: The funding the Department for Transport is providing to Plymouth City Council for highways maintenance in 2012/13 and 2013/14 is as follows:
| Financial Year | £ million |
Local authorities are also able to use revenue funding, allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant for maintaining their local highways.
Neither capital nor revenue highways maintenance block funding is ring-fenced and it is for local highway authorities to decide upon their spending priorities across the whole range of services that they provide.
21 May 2013 : Column 709W
Roads: Romford
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatalities there have been as a result of road traffic accidents involving motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians in Romford constituency in the last five years. [156138]
Stephen Hammond: In the last five years in Romford constituency there have been the following numbers of fatalities in road traffic accidents:
| Number of fatalities in accidents involving | |||
| Motorcyclists | Cyclists | Pedestrians | |
| Note: Constituency boundary as at 2010 | |||
Data for the year 2012 will be available in June 2013.
Transport: Yorkshire and the Humber
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what spending on transport infrastructure in Yorkshire and the Humber was in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [156504]
Norman Baker: The most recent data available for total public expenditure on transport are given in HM Treasury's ‘Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses’ for 2011/12.
The information requested is shown in the following table. This includes a split between current and capital expenditure for all years.
| Identifiable transport expenditure in Yorkshire and the Humber, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12 | |||
| £ million | |||
| Financial year | Total expenditure | of which: Capital | of which: Current |
Energy and Climate Change
Anaerobic Digestion
Sir James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many crop-only anaerobic digestion plants have (a) been awarded feed-in tariffs, (b) applied for feed-in tariffs and (c) been rejected for feed-in tariffs in the last five years. [156017]
Gregory Barker: We do not hold information on which AD plants are crop only as part of the feed-in tariffs scheme which has been operational since April 2010. AD plants may use crops as part of a crop/waste mix although the split between the amounts of crops/waste used may vary from week to week.
21 May 2013 : Column 710W
Climate Change
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reason his Department relies on the Met Office's assessment of the probability in relation to global temperatures of a linear trend with first-order autoregressive noise rather than a driftless third-order autoregressive integrated model. [156568]
Gregory Barker: The Met Office is one of Government's key advisory institutions on climate science, which undertakes climate research and modelling and provides advice on technical questions related to climate, to the Department. Global temperatures, along with other aspects of the climate system, are primarily assessed using physically-based mathematical models, rather than statistical models.
Clothing
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he 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. [155447]
Gregory Barker: There have been no claims by officials of (a) the Department of Energy and Climate Change or (b) its non-departmental public bodies for evening dress allowance.
Energy
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions his Department has had with energy providers on industry-supported helplines and Welsh language provision. [156219]
Gregory Barker: The Department has not had any recent discussions with energy providers on industry-supported helplines and Welsh language provision.
Energy: Disconnections
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what recent estimate he has made of the number of households in the UK who have been disconnected by their gas supplier in the last 12 months; [156293]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the number of households in the UK who have been disconnected by their electricity supplier in the last 12 months. [156294]
Gregory Barker: Ofgem monitors and publishes information about disconnections of domestic electricity supplies in its Domestic Supplies Quarterly Debt and Disconnection reports:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Monitoring/SoObMonitor/Pages/SocObMonitor.aspx
The following tables show the number of disconnections of domestic electricity and gas supplies due to debt during 12 month period of Q2 and Q1 of 2012, Q4 and Q3 of 2011, the latest figures to be published.
21 May 2013 : Column 711W
| Disconnection of electricity supplies | |
| Quarter period | Number of disconnections |
| Disconnection of gas supplies | |
| Quarter period | Number of disconnections |
Green Deal Scheme: North East
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the rollout of the Green Deal in the North East. [156580]
Gregory Barker: The latest Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation monthly statistics, as released on 14 May 2013, reported that there were 18,816 Green Deal Assessments lodged in Great Britain up to the end of April 2013:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-may-2013
DECC will publish, on 27 June 2013, our first quarterly Official Statistics publication which will contain more detailed analysis of Green Deal Assessments lodged up to the end of March. This will include geographic breakdowns.
Hydrofluorocarbons
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs about the implementation of the Montreal protocol and a strategy to reduce HFCs. [156626]
Gregory Barker: The UK is fully supportive of action through the Montreal protocol to phase-down HFCs. DEFRA is the lead Department for the implementation of the Montreal protocol. The UK is also working through the Department to secure a call from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on the Montreal protocol to phase-down the production and consumption of HFCs. DEFRA and DECC officials are working closely together on this issue. There has been no direct discussion between the respective Secretaries of State.
Given the importance of this issue and the emissions reduction potential, the UK also supports efforts to phase-down HFCs through a wide range of other fora such as the G8, G20 and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
ICT
Mr Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) computers, (b) mobile telephones, (c) BlackBerrys and (d) other
21 May 2013 : Column 712W
pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from his Department in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [156425]
Gregory Barker: The following items were lost or stolen during:
| 2010-11 | |
| Number | |
| 2011-12 | |
| Number | |
| 2012-13 | |
| Number | |
All computers and BlackBerrys lost were encrypted to protect Government information.
Procurement
David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that procurement and tendering processes run by his Department give a high priority to the improvement and retention of local specialist skills. [156574]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change procurement policies aim to ensure transparency, fairness, non-discrimination and value for money in accordance with Cabinet Office policy and legal requirements.
There is no specific requirement for policy teams to consider and include the improvement and retention of local skills within the scope of procurements, although they may become part of larger value contract service requirements through the promotion of apprenticeships and skills training.
Renewable Energy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the remit of the local energy assessment fund; and if he will make a statement. [154937]
Michael Fallon: The Local Energy Assessment Fund (LEAF) ran from December 2011 to March 2012.
The project, which provided £10 million grant funding to support 236 early stage community energy projects, covering energy efficiency, electricity and heat, is currently being evaluated. This independent evaluation is examining the outputs achieved through LEAF funding and distilling lessons learned, which
21 May 2013 : Column 713W
can be shared with other community energy projects, and inform future policy in this area. We expect to publish in summer 2013.
Initial feedback from LEAF-funded renewables projects has been used to inform the design of the forthcoming £15 million DEFRA/DECC rural renewable energy fund (for England). This is due to be launched shortly.
Travel
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursement for travel subsistence expenses in each of the last five years; what the total cost was of such claims; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest subsistence claims in each such year. [155407]
Gregory Barker: Neither the Department of Energy and Climate Change nor its non-departmental public bodies keeps a central record of the number of individual staff claiming travel and subsistence.
We are able to provide the number and value of claims recorded from 2008-13, as shown in the following table for (a) core-DECC and (b) DECC's NDPBs (excluding the Committee on Climate Change).
| Core DECC | NDPBs(1) | |||||
| Period | Total claims (number) | Amount (£000) | Top 20 (£000) | Total claims (number) | Amount (£000) | Top 20 (£000) |
| (1) NDPBs' Total number of claims and “Top 20” relate to NDA and CNPA only. | ||||||
The Committee on Climate Change's travel and subsistence data are published in their Annual Reports as follows:
http://archive.theccc.org.uk/aws2/Annual%20Report/CCC-AnnualReport-2010-web.pdf
http://archive.theccc.org.uk/aws2/Annual%20Report%20&%20Accounts%202011/1427_CCC-AnnualReport-2010_6_bookmarks.pdf
http://archive.theccc.org.uk/aws/corporate%202012/CCC_Annual%20Report%202012_Final.pdf
Not yet available.
21 May 2013 : Column 714W
Defence
Afghanistan
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of people killed in unmanned aerial vehicle strikes in Afghanistan in each of the last three years. [155021]
Mr Robathan: While we investigate carefully all alleged incidents involving UK forces from whatever cause, the Government do not record total figures for insurgent or civilian casualties in Afghanistan because of the immense difficulty and risks that would be involved in collecting robust data.
Afghanistan and Iraq
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many minors have been deployed to (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq since the start of British military operations in those countries. [154864]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence can only provide information for the period after the implementation of the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system in 2007. Pre-JPA data could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
No such deployment has taken place since 2010. In the period 2007-10, a total of seven personnel, who were all 17 years old, were confirmed as having entered an area of operations, four on Op Telic, Iraq and three on Op Herrick, Afghanistan. We take immediate action to correct any breach of our policy as soon as it is discovered.
Armed Forces: Apprentices
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 612W, on armed forces: apprentices, how many armed forces personnel completed military apprenticeships as a proportion of the total strength of each service in academic year (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; [155946]
(2) with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 611W, on armed forces: apprentices, how many armed forces personnel completed apprenticeships to level (a) two and (b) three as a proportion of the total strength of each service in (i) academic year 2009-10, (ii) academic year 2010-11 and (iii) academic year 2011-12. [156034]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 20 May 2013]: Apprenticeship completions by service, level and year, and by proportion of total strength, are shown in the following table:
| Apprenticeships completed | 2009-10 | Proportion of strength (%) | 2010-11 | Proportion of strength (%) | 2011-12 | Proportion of strength (%) |
21 May 2013 : Column 715W
21 May 2013 : Column 716W
| (1 )Figures by service are not available prior to 2011-12. | ||||||
Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 613W, on armed forces: disciplinary proceedings, (1) of the appeals against both finding and punishment, how many have resulted in the (a) finding being changed and (b) sentence being changed; and if he will make a statement; [155251]
(2) of the appeals against punishments, how many have resulted in the punishment being (a) altered and (b) quashed; and if he will make a statement. [155252]
Mr Robathan: The requested further breakdown of the data is provided in the following tables:
| Appeals against finding and punishment | Finding quashed | Punishment only changed | |
| Appeals against punishment only | Punishment changed | Punishment quashed | |
In the course of preparing this answer, some inaccuracies have emerged. I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), gave on 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 613W. In that table, two appeals dating from 2005 were omitted, and some data on outcomes were mis-categorised. A corrected version of the table is given in the following table:
| Tri-Service Summary Hearing Appeals 2005-12 | ||||
| Appeals against finding and punishment | Appeals against punishment only | Finding changed (ie quashed) | Punishment changed (ie quashed or altered) | |
Armed Forces: Health Services
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rights are in place to ensure his Department's personnel are treated within 18 weeks, in line with the NHS constitution, if commissioned by his Department. [156635]
Mr Francois: The treatment of military personnel aligns with NHS arrangements for the treatment of civilians. Armed forces personnel have the same constitutional right to the standard NHS timeframe of 18-weeks referral to treatment in accordance with the NHS Constitution dated 26 March 2013, published by the Department of Health.
Where there is an operational or occupational requirement, the Ministry of Defence secures higher levels of access from specified NHS Trusts or independent providers.
Up until April 2013 armed forces personnel could only be identified by NHS providers who hosted MOD hospital units. However, in line with the revised NHS Commissioning Strategy, the MOD has been working with NHS England, using NHS Connectivity, to introduce a system to identify all armed forces personnel.
The MOD has a close working relationship with the UK Departments of Health at both strategic and working levels to ensure, in line with the armed forces covenant, military personnel and their dependants receive the healthcare they are entitled to—at no disadvantage.
21 May 2013 : Column 717W
Armed Forces: Private Education
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) (a) for which schools continuity of education allowance was claimed and (b) to which schools that allowance was paid to in each of the last three years; [156051]
(2) how much his Department has spent on private school fees; and for how many individuals such fees have been paid in each year since 2009. [156052]
Mr Robathan: Continuity of education allowance is paid to eligible service personnel to facilitate a stable education for their children from the age of eight. It is not paid to schools. The information is not held in the format requested.
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on private school fees for the children of commissioned officers in the armed services in each year since 2010. [156172]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 20 May 2013]: Continuity of education allowance (CEA) is an allowance available to personnel of all ranks who are eligible to claim it. As it is not possible to separate out payments for children who attend private schools from those at maintained schools, except at disproportionate cost, the answer reflects the annual totals of CEA paid to officers. The information requested is set out in the following table:
| CEA paid to commissioned officers(1) | |
| Financial year | £ millions |
| (1) Some recipients included in the data for later years will have received CEA payments in earlier years as non-commissioned ranks. | |
It is worth remembering that this allowance is open to all eligible personnel, officers and other ranks. Of the current CEA claimant community around 50% were, or currently are, other ranks.
Armed Forces: Qualifications
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average length of service is before attaining level 2 qualifications in the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force. [156379]
Mr Robathan: The overall policy aim is that all personnel are qualified to level 2 within eight years. Where service personnel are engaged on an apprenticeship scheme they will achieve level 2 upon completion of their course. Some will enter the services already having achieved level 2 qualifications, but unless these form part of the entry requirement for their chosen specialist trade, this will not be recorded. This means that sufficient data to calculate an average length of service are not held.
Armed Forces: Rape
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of rape in the armed forces have resulted in prosecutions in each of the last three years. [156462]
21 May 2013 : Column 718W
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence takes all reports of sexual offences very seriously.
The following table shows the number of cases of rape reported by members of the armed forces which resulted in prosecution by the Service Prosecuting Authority since 1 January 2010:
| Rape referrals | Directed for trial | Conviction | |
| (1 )One yet to be decided for trial. (2) Three awaiting trial in 2012, tried in early2013. | |||
A case referred in any one year may be directed for trial, and the trial held, in a later year.
Armed Forces: Sexual Offences
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 10 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1229-30W, on armed forces: sexual offences, what the (a) average length of an investigation is and (b) start date of each case was; and if he will make a statement. [155253]
Mr Robathan: The Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) assault by penetration against members of the armed forces have been reported by civilians to the service police in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement. [155263]
Mr Robathan: The following table details the number of allegations of rape, sexual assault and assault by penetration against members of the armed forces reported by civilians to service police in each year since the implementation of the Armed Forces Act 2006 on 1 November 2009 to 31 December 2012.
| Rape | Sexual assault by penetration | Sexual assault | |
The term ‘civilians’ here include civilian dependants of service personnel, together with civilians unconnected with HM forces.
The data provided are based on information recorded by the service and shows cases where the service police have jurisdiction and the investigative lead. It does not, therefore, include cases which have been dealt with by the civilian police, including the Ministry of Defence Police, for which only limited information is held.
The rape figures comprise allegations of sections 1 and 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 and inchoate offences.
21 May 2013 : Column 719W
Daniel Nightingale
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to his Department has been of legal proceedings in respect of Sergeant Danny Nightingale up to the end of March 2013; what the estimated costs are of the current proceedings against Sergeant Nightingale; and if he will make a statement. [154567]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 13 May 2013]:There is no separately identifiable internal cost to the Ministry of Defence for the Nightingale case. The total external costs of appointing external counsel for legal proceedings to the end of March 2013 in respect of the case of Sergeant Nightingale are in the region of £8,000. The anticipated cost of the current proceedings is between £5,000 and £7,000. All costs are exclusive of VAT.
Guided Weapons
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about SPEAR (3) in relation to (a) Typhoon and (b) F35. [156513]
Mr Dunne: SPEAR Cap 3, an air-to-surface capability for the joint strike fighter (JSF), is currently in its assessment phase. As part of SPEAR Cap 3 development onto JSF there is a requirement to trial and demonstrate the missile on a similar platform. Typhoon will be used for these trials.
Pensions
Mr Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the calculations which estimated the cost of (a) making the normal pension age 60 years for members of the Defence Fire and Rescue Service and the Ministry of Defence Police and (b) a potential average increase in pension contributions for these members of staff; and which organisation carried out these calculations. [155248]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 15 May 2013]: I am withholding the information requested as it relates to the formation or development of Government policy. The normal pension ages of both the Defence Fire and Rescue Service and Ministry of Defence Police are currently under review in accordance with Clause 36 of the Public Sector Pensions Act 2013. This review of our current policy should be completed by the end of the year.
Procurement
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance his Department issues regarding the employment of outgoing civil servants by private employers with whom his Department has a contractual relationship. [155575]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 16 May 2013]: It is right that those with experience in government should be able to move into business or other areas of public life, but it is equally important that, in the taking up of an appointment, there is no cause for suspicion of impropriety.
21 May 2013 : Column 720W
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to upholding the Business Appointment Rules for civil servants which can be accessed using the following website:
http://acoba.independent.gov.uk/
This document sets out the circumstances in which officials should seek permission to take up an external role. MOD policy on this issue is available to all staff via the internal website.
Regulation
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department. [155790]
Mr Robathan: None of the regulations made by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) since May 2010 impose a regulatory burden on business. The regulations put in place by the MOD are almost entirely for the internal administration of the Armed Forces and Defence assets. Requests for changes to them come from the appropriate MOD and armed forces policy branches.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; and which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended. [155812]
Mr Robathan: The one in, one out rule was introduced on 1 September 2010 and applied to regulations introduced from 1 January 2011. All Ministry of Defence (MOD) regulations are related to internal administration of defence.
The one in, two out rule replaced the one in, one out rule and applies to regulations introduced from 1 January 2013. All MOD regulations are related to internal administration of defence.
Regulations introduced by month since May 2010 are as follows:
The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield Byelaws 2010—SI 2010/249
The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2010—SI 2010/1723
The Reserve Forces Act 1996 (Isle of Man) Regulations 2010—SI 2010/2643
The Reserve Forces Appeal Tribunals (Isle of Man) Rules 2010—SI 2010/2644
The Armed Forces Act (Continuation) Order 2010—SI 2010/2475
The Visiting Forces (Designation) Order 2010—SI 2010/2970
The Armed Forces Redundancy Schemes 2006 and the Armed Forces Redundancy Etc. Schemes 2010 (Amendment) Order 2011—SI 2011/208
The Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme (Amendment) Order 2011—SI 2011/811
The Naval, Military and Air Forces Etc. (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions (Amendment) Order 2011—SI 2011/235
21 May 2013 : Column 721W
The Pensions Appeal Tribunals Act 1943 (Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme) (Rights of Appeal) Regulations 2011—SI 2011/1240
The Pensions Appeal Tribunals Act 1943 (Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme) (Time Limit for Appeals) (Amendment) Regulations 2011—SI 2011/1239
The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) Order 2011—SI 2011/517
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Trading Fund Order 2011—SI 2011/1330
The Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (Amendment) Order 2011—SI 2011/1364
The Armed Forces (Terms of Service) (Amendment) Regulations 2011—SI 2011/1523
Harbours, Docks, Piers and Ferries—The Clyde Dockyard Port of Gareloch and Loch Long Order 2011—SI 2011/1680
The Thetford Range Byelaws 2011—SI 2011/1142
The Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011—SI 2011/1848
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Armed Forces) (Amendment) Order 2011—SI 2011/2282
The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2011—SI 2011/2552
The Armed Forces Redundancy Scheme 2006, The Armed Forces Redundancy Etc. Schemes 2010 And The Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 (Amendment) Order 2011—SI 2011/3013
The Armed Forces Act 2011 (Commencement No. 1, Transitional and Transitory Provisions) Order 2012—SI 2012/669 (C.15)
The Ministry of Defence Police (Performance) Regulations 2012—SI 2012/808
The Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme (Amendment) Order 2012—SI 2012/670
The Northwood Headquarters Byelaws 2011—SI 2011/3102
The Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 (Designation of Vessels And Controlled Sites) Order 2012—SI 2012/1110
The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2012—SI 2012/1573
The Armed Forces (Enhanced Learning Credit Scheme and Further and Higher Education Commitment Scheme) Order 2012—SI 2012/1796
The Ot Moor Range Byelaws 2012—SI 2012/1478
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Armed Forces) (Amendment) Order 2012—SI 2012/2505
The Armed Forces Act (Continuation) Order 2012—SI 2012/1750
The Armed Forces Act 2011 (Commencement No. 2) Order—SI 2012/2921 (C.116)
The Armed Forces (Powers of Stop and Search, Search, Seizure and Retention) Order 2012—SI 2012/2919
The Armed Forces Act 2011 (Commencement No. 3) Order 2013—SI 2013/784 (C.37)
21 May 2013 : Column 722W
The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) (Consequential Provisions: Primary Legislation) Order 2013—SI 2013/796
The Naval, Military and Air Forces Etc. (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions (Amendment) Order 2013—SI 2013/241
The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2013—SI 2013/436
The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme (Consequential Provisions: Subordinate Legislation) Order 2013—SI 2013/591
The Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme (Amendment) Order 2013—SI 2013/707
The Caversfield SFA Byelaws 2012—SI 2012/3088
The Visiting Forces (Designation) Order 2013—SI 2013/540
None. However, please note that each Armed Forces Act (Continuation) Order remains in force for one year only and the byelaws replace earlier versions.
None, although the instruments mentioned above may amend earlier orders.
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide the estimated cost of each regulation introduced by his Department since May 2010; and what the estimated benefits of each regulation (a) amended and (b) revoked were. [155956]
Mr Robathan: Regulations introduced, amended and revoked are a result of the regular updating and consolidation of departmental secondary legislation. They are prepared within existing departmental resources and do not have any external financial impact.
Reserve Forces
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reserve units are currently based in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Wales and (d) England; and what the location is of each such unit. [154733]
Mr Robathan: There are some 142 reserve units in Scotland, 62 units in Northern Ireland, 47 in Wales and 696 units in England. The following lists detail the locations of these units, by service and UK country. Many locations have more than one unit.
Bristol
Devonport
Fleet
Gateshead
Liverpool
London
Northwood
Nottingham
Shefford
Whale Island
Yeovil
Greenock
Rosyth
Sully
Lisburn
21 May 2013 : Column 723W
Bristol
London
Merseyside
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Plymouth
Glasgow
Abingdon
Aldershot
Alnwick
Altcar
Ashford
Ashington
Ashton Under Lyne
Aylesbury
Banbury
Barnsley
Barnstaple
Barrow-In-Furness
Bath
Bedford
Berwick-Upon-Tweed
Beverley
Bexleyheath
Bilborough
Birkenhead
Birmingham
Bishop Auckland
Blackburn
Blackpool
Bletchley
Blyth
Bodmin
Bolton
Bootle
Bovington
Bradford
Bramley
Brentwood
Brighton
Bristol
Brize Norton
Bulwell
Burton-On-Trent
Bury
Bury St Edmunds
Buxton
Camberley
Cambridge
Cannock
Canterbury
Carlisle
Chelmsford
Chester
Chesterfield
Chilwell
Chorley
Cirencester
Cobridge
Colchester
Corby
Corsham
21 May 2013 : Column 724W
Coulby Newham
Coulsdon
Coventry
Cramlington
Crawley
Crewe
Croydon
Darlington
Derby
Digby
Ditton
Doncaster
Donnington
Dorchester
Dover
Dudley
Durham
Eastbourne
Ellesmere Port
Ewell
Exeter
Farnham
Gateshead
Gloucester
Grantham
Grimsby
Hartlepool
Headington
Hebburn
Hereford
Hermitage
Hertford
Hexham
Hilsea
Hitchin
Hornsey
Huddersfield
Hull
Huyton
Ilford
Ipswich
Islington
Keighley
Kidderminster
Kingston Upon Hull
Lancaster
Leeds
Leicester
Lincoln
Liverpool
London
Loughborough
Lowestoft
Luton
Maidstone
Manchester
Mansfield
Middle Wallop
Middlesbrough
21 May 2013 : Column 725W
Milton Keynes
Newcastle
Newport
Newton Aycliffe
Northallerton
Northampton
Norton
Norwich
Nottingham
Oldbury
Peterborough
Plymouth
Pontefract
Poole
Portsmouth
Preston
Prittlewell
Pudsey
Reading
Redditch
Redhill
Reigate
Rochester
Rotherham
Rugby
Rusholme
Salford
Salisbury
Scarborough
Scunthorpe
Sheffield
Shrewsbury
Southall
Southampton
Southfields
St Helens
Stockport
Stoke On Trent
Stourbridge
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Strensall
Sunderland
Sutton
Swaffham
Swindon
Taunton
Telford
Thorney Island
Truro
Tunbridge Wells
Tyne And Wear
Tynemouth
Upavon
Uxbridge
Wakefield
Walker
Walsall
Washington
Wattisham
21 May 2013 : Column 726W
West Bromwich
Westminster
Widnes
Wigan
Wigston
Windsor
Wolverhampton
Woolwich
Worcester
Workington
Worthing
Worthy Down
York
Aberdeen
Arbroath
Ayr
Bathgate
Cumbernauld
Cupar
Dreghorn
Dumbarton
Dumfries
Dundee
Dunfermline
Dunoon
East Kilbride
Edinburgh
Elgin
Forfar
Galashiels
Glasgow
Glenrothes
Govan
Grangemouth
Hamilton
Inchinnan
Inverness
Keith
Kirkcaldy
Kirkwall
Lerwick
Leuchars
Livingston
Motherwell
Paisley
Perth
Peterhead
Stirling
Stornoway
Wick
Abertillery
Bridgend
Caernarfon
Cardiff
Carmarthen
Colwyn Bay
Cwmbran
21 May 2013 : Column 727W
Haverfordwest
Monmouth
Newport
Pontypridd
Prestatyn
Queensferry
Swansea
Wrexham
Northern Ireland Units/Sub Units
Aldergrove
Armagh
Ballykinler
Ballymena
Bangor
Belfast
Coleraine
Enniskillen
Holywood
Limavady
Lisburn
Londonderry
Newtonabbey
Newtownards
Portadown
Benson
Brize Norton
Henlow
Honington
High Wycombe
Leeming
Marham
Northolt
Waddington
Woodvale
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Leuchars
Lossiemouth
To be decided
Aldergrove