Academies: North Tyneside
Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what agreements he has signed setting up Academy schools in North Tyneside since May 2010. [158574]
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Mr Timpson: Since May 2010 the Secretary of State for Education has signed two agreements to set up academy schools in North Tyneside. The academy schools that have opened in North Tyneside are St Thomas More Roman Catholic Academy in December 2011 and Grasmere Academy in September 2012.
Details about all open academy schools up to May 2013 are available on the Department for Education's website and can be found using the link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/open/b00208569/open-academies
Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he intends to sign-off the agreement setting up the Kings Priory Academy. [158573]
Mr Timpson: As with all academy proposals, the Secretary of State for Education will make a decision on signing the funding agreement for the proposed Kings Priory Academy when the proposal is fully developed and all pre-opening requirements have been met.
Accountancy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the names, job titles, area of work, term of appointment and civil service equivalent grade are of personnel currently seconded to his Department from the big four accountancy firms. [159041]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has one secondee from the “big four”, working in the Corporate Finance Team as a management accountant. As this is a reciprocating placement, there is no payment involved and no equivalent civil service grade. The placement started on 5 November 2012 and is due to end on 30 June 2013.
Business: Education
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to assist and encourage charitable organisations in educating school pupils about business and associated skills. [158742]
Matthew Hancock: Business education is important for the Department and head teachers are encouraged to work with charitable organisations to develop their pupils' entrepreneurial skills. Schools have the freedom to decide how they wish to encourage business skills and they will work with relevant organisations, including those from charitable organisations, to provide the most appropriate opportunities for their pupils' needs. Charities can apply to establish free schools and Studio Schools, and can partner employers and universities to establish University Technical Colleges (UTCs). UTCs and Studio Schools provide innovative ways for employers and other organisations, including charities, to help address the skills shortages identified by employers and to give young people the skills that businesses need. Employers make significant contributions by assisting with planning the curriculum and providing mentoring and work experience opportunities for young people.
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Children in Care: Death
Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many deaths of formerly looked-after children placed on a local authority pathway plan in the last five years have been subject to a serious case review; [158966]
(2) how many deaths there have been of formerly looked-after young people aged between (a) 16 and 19 and (b) 19 and 21 who were on a local authority pathway plan in the last five years; and what the recorded cause of death was in each case. [158967]
Mr Timpson: The Department does not collect information on former looked-after children placed on a local authority pathway plan.
The Department is reliant on Local Safeguarding Children Boards to inform it when they publish serious case reviews and this does not always happen in practice. As a result we are currently unable to provide an accurate figure on the number of deaths of former looked-after children placed on a local authority pathway plan in the last five years who have been subject to a serious case review.
Education
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress his Department is making on ensuring an appropriate separation between awarding organisations and bodies that publish educational textbooks and other educational materials. [158193]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department recognises concerns about the links between awarding organisations and bodies that publish text books.
Ofqual published an action plan last November on the arrangements that awarding organisations have in place for the publication of learning resources linked to their specifications, including textbooks. It is undertaking a general review of the processes by which awarding organisations endorse text books relating to GCSE and A-level qualifications, the marketing of such text books, and their impact on the type and choice of resources available. The review will include consideration of whether there are alternatives to awarding organisation endorsement, and is expected to be completed by August 2013.
Ofqual has also undertaken a specific review of the business separation measures that Pearson operates between its publishing and awarding functions, including arrangements for managing conflicts of interest. Ofqual expects to publish the findings of this review in July 2013.
The outcomes from Ofqual's work will inform proposals for future publishing arrangements to support the delivery of reformed A-level and GCSE qualifications.
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what data assessment his Department has made of the performance of (a) children on free school meals and (b) children not on free school meals in (i) London and (ii) other parts of the country (A) in secondary education before 2005 and (B) in primary education in 2009. [158548]
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Mr Laws: At secondary school level, the Department published final data for 2009 on the performance of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and all other pupils within all regions and local authorities within table 5 of the 'GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics in England: 2011 to 2012' statistical first release. These data can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-in-england
Table 5 can be found within the ‘National and local authority tables: SFR04/2013' link.
At primary school level, the Department published final data for 2009 on the performance of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils not eligible for free school meals for all regions and local authorities within table 5 of the ‘Provisional key stage 2 attainment by pupil characteristics in England: academic year 2009 to 2010' statistical first release, which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-2-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-england-2009-and-2010-provisional
Table 5 can be found within the ‘National and local authority tables: SFR35/2010' link.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent on and how many people received education maintenance allowance in (a) England and (b) Oxfordshire in the last full year of that scheme's operation. [158450]
Mr Laws: The last full year of the education maintenance allowance was 2009/10, as the scheme was closed to new applications after 31 December 2010. In 2009-10, £560,609,690 was spent on the scheme in England, with 644,641 young people receiving payments. Over the same period in Oxfordshire, £3,996,175 was spent on the scheme, and there were 4,511 recipients.
Education: Birmingham
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much capital expenditure there has been in the education sector in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency in each year since 2010. [157688]
Mr Laws: The Department allocates the majority of capital funding at a local authority level and relatively small amounts at a school level through devolved formula capital and the academies' capital maintenance fund. The following table shows the total capital allocations made to the area covered by Birmingham City council, which includes the Birmingham Hall Green constituency, for each year since 2010.
| £ million | |
| (1) Includes basic need 13-15. | |
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Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the answer of 17 April 2013, Official Report, column 478W, on email, when the guidance on the use of private e-mail accounts that complies with the recommendation of the Information Commissioner was issued to (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department; if he will place a copy of that guidance in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [157876]
Elizabeth Truss: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1095W.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many (a) departmental and (b) non-departmental e-mail accounts he has used for official government business in the last 12 months; [157881]
(2) on how many occasions he has been asked to conduct a search of the Mrs Blurt e-mail account for items that discuss official government business for requests to his Department under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [157882]
Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education uses equipment and systems provided by the Department and his own IT equipment as appropriate, depending on his location and circumstances. Where information is generated in the course of conducting Government business, it is stored on departmental systems and renders searches of non-departmental e-mails unnecessary. This complies with the Information Commissioner's recommendations.
In compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the Department carries out reasonable searches in response for any request for information.
Free School Meals
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many school students in (a) England and (b) Birmingham, Hall Green constituency are eligible for free school meals. [157690]
Mr Laws: Information on the number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency, Birmingham local authority and England is shown in the following table.
Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals as of January 2012 is published in the Statistical First Release ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2012’, which is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2012
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| Maintained nursery, state-funded primary, state-funded secondary, state-funded special schools and pupil referral units(1,2,3,4): Number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(5,6,7), January 2012, England, Birmingham local authority and Birmingham Hall Green constituency | |||||||||
| Maintained nursery and state-funded primary schools(1,2) | State-funded secondary schools(1,3) | Special schools(4) | |||||||
| No. on roll(5,6) | No. of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(5,6) | % of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | No. on roll(5,6) | No. of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(5,6) | % of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | No. on roll(5,6) | No. of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(5,6) | % of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | |
| Pupil Referral Units | Total(7) | |||||
| No. on roll(5,6) | No. of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(5,6) | % of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | No. on roll(5,6) | No. of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(5,6) | % of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | |
| n/a = Not applicable, no schools of this type (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2 )Includes all primary academies, including free schools. (3) Includes city technology colleges and all secondary academies, including free schools. (4) Includes maintained special schools, special academies and non-maintained special schools, excludes general hospital schools. (5) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. Includes boarders. In pupil referral units includes pupils registered with other providers and further education colleges. (6) Pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between five and 15. (7) Includes maintained nursery, state-funded primary, state-funded secondary, state-funded special schools, and pupil referral units. Excludes pupils in other alternative provision as full and part time status is not collected. Note: National figures and totals have been rounded to the nearest five. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown. Source: School Census | ||||||
Free Schools
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether all students attending all free schools will be eligible for free school meals. [158375]
Mr Laws: As in all maintained schools and academies, pupils attending free schools are eligible to receive free school meals if they meet the entitlement criteria. Pupils in 16 to 19 free schools are not eligible for free school meals; this is consistent with other wholly post-16 education institutions.
Freedom of Information
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what training (a) he and (b) special advisers in his Department have received on the Freedom of Information Act 2000 since May 2010. [157879]
Elizabeth Truss: Incoming Ministers are briefed on their responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In common with all officials in the Department, Ministers and special advisors also have access to a number of sources of information on the Act, including guidance published by the Information Commissioner's Office.
GCSE: Cannock Chase
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in state schools in Cannock Chase constituency achieved five GCSE passes at A* to C-grade, including mathematics and English, in each of the last seven years. [158134]
Elizabeth Truss: The requested information can be found in the following table.
| Percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 (KS4) achieving 5+ GCSEs at grade A*-C or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs in Cannock Chase. Years: 2005/06 to 2011/12(1, 2). Coverage: State-funded schools (including academies and CTCs) in Cannock Chase parliamentary constituency(3, 4) | |||
| End of KS4 | |||
| Cannock Chase | Number of pupils at the end of KS4 | Number of End of KS4 pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs at grades A*-C inc. English and Maths | Percentage achieving 5+ GCSEs at grades A*-C inc. English and Maths |
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| (1) All figures are based on final data. (2) From 2009/10 iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents and also as English and mathematics GCSEs. (3) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. (4) The figures in this table do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. Source: National Pupil Database | |||
Legal Costs
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by his Department were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such sums were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought; [158630]
(2) how much his Department spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012; [158637]
(3) how much his Department spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012; [158655]
(4) what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by his Department since 7 May 2010 was. [158672]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not hold the information requested centrally, only in the form of individual invoices. Extracting this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Pupils: Attendance
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's policy is on flexi-schooling; and if he will make a statement. [158853]
Elizabeth Truss: Flexi-schooling is a combination of attendance at school and home education. Schools may enter into flexi-schooling arrangements provided they correctly mark children as absent in attendance registers when they are being educated at home.
Schools
Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress schools have made on making savings in back office and procurement services; and what estimate he has made of the total predicted saving by 2014-15. [157679]
Mr Laws: As part of the spending review 2010, we asked schools to make savings in procurement and back office functions to allow more money to be invested directly in frontline teaching. We will not be able to accurately measure the impact of any changes in schools' spending habits in the first year of the spending review period until academies' expenditure data for 2011-12 are available later this year.
As announced in the Budget statement in March, we are currently conducting a review of efficiency in schools to learn more about how schools spend their money and what could be done to support them to invest in those areas which are proven to have an impact on pupil achievement. The outcomes of the review will be published later this month.
Schools: Corby
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of provision of school places in Corby constituency over the next 20 years. [158050]
Mr Laws: It is the responsibility of each local authority to accommodate the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and secure a place for every child of statutory age who wants one. The Department relies on local authorities for information on school capacity in their area.
The most recent information available on primary and secondary school capacity in Northamptonshire relates to the position as at May 2012. At that time the local authority forecast an increase in primary pupil numbers of 8,413 (15%) between 2011-12 and 2016-17, and an increase in secondary pupil numbers of 2,784 (6%) between 2011-12 and 2018-19.
Local authorities group their schools into planning areas for the purposes of planning local school place provision. Based on available places in 2011-12, Northamptonshire local authority forecast a shortfall of over 700 primary places (12%) by 2015-16 in the Corby planning area. However, this does not take into account the 800 places the local authority expects to add in Corby by 2013,
At secondary level, based on available places in 2011-12, Northamptonshire local authority is forecasting a shortfall of around 60 places (2%) by 2015-16 in the Corby planning-area.
The Department has allocated £41 million in basic need funding to the local authority in the current spending review period to support the provision of additional school places (2011-12 to 2014-15). This compares with £29.05 million allocated in the previous four year period (2007-08 to 2010-11).
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Schools: Swimming
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on the provision of swimming in primary schools. [158569]
Mr Timpson: The Secretary of State was recently advised by the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) of the imminent publication of its 2013 state of the nation report on school swimming, “Learning the Lesson”. I expect to meet the chief executive of the association shortly.
ASA was one of a wide number of bodies consulted by the Department prior to the Prime Minister's announcement of new funding for sport and physical education in primary schools in March. In the last month the Secretary of State has also received correspondence from two MPs, both drawing his attention to the ASA report, and from a primary school pupil who asked him if her primary academy could have more swimming lessons.
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to improve access to swimming lessons for schoolchildren. [158767]
Mr Timpson: Swimming has been a compulsory part of the primary national curriculum since 1992, and as such schools should plan to fund its provision from their core budgets.
In March 2013 the Prime Minister announced additional ring-fenced funding of £150 million per year for each of 2013-14 and 2014-15 to support the provision of PE and sport in primary schools. Qualifying schools would be free to use this to extend their pupils' access to swimming lessons.
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Schools: Transport
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Gateshead of 1 March 2013, Official Report, columns 753-54W, on schools: transport, if he will take steps to update his Department's statutory guidance to local authorities regarding transport for 16 to18-year-olds. [158786]
Mr Laws: The responsibility for post-16 transport support lies with local authorities. They have a legal duty to set out in an annual transport statement the arrangements they consider necessary to enable young people to attend post-16 education. The Department provides statutory guidance to local authorities on how they should fulfil the duty.
The Government have no plans to change this duty. The current post-16 transport guidance for local authorities reflects the existing duty; no substantive changes to the guidance are planned.
Secondary Education: Admissions
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in (a) England and (b) Birmingham, Hall Green constituency secured places at (i) their first choice and (ii) one of their top three choices of secondary school in the most recent application period. [157689]
Mr Laws: Data on the proportion of pupils being offered a place at one of their preferred schools are published in the annual Statistical First Release ‘Secondary school applications and offers in England’. These data are collected at local authority level only so data for Birmingham, Hall Green parliamentary constituency are not available. Figures for the last five years are given in the following table for England and the local authority of Birmingham (which includes Hall Green parliamentary constituency).
| Applications and offers for entry to secondary schools in England and Birmingham local authority, academic years 2009/10 to 2013/14 | ||||
| Birmingham | England | |||
| Percentage offered first preference school | Percentage offered one of top three preferences | Percentage offered first preference school | Percentage offered one of top three preferences | |
| Note: Data collected from local authorities on National Offers day each year in early March. | ||||
The figures for each year were published in an annual Statistical First Release ‘Secondary school applications and offers in England’. Figures for the most recent three years can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/series/statistics-school-applications
Those for 2009 and 2010 can be found on the national archives website at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130401151655/http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics?page=1
Secondary Education: Mental Health Services
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effects on performance in exams, sport and music of the use of mindfulness in secondary schools. [158128]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has not conducted an assessment of the effects on performance in exams, sport and music of mindfulness in secondary schools. Individual headteachers can decide whether they wish to adopt approaches relating to mindfulness.
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Special Educational Needs
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will publish plans for the introduction of a single category of special educational need. [158761]
Mr Timpson: The Department will publish details of a new approach for children with special educational needs (SEN) as part of a new SEN Code of Practice.
An indicative SEN Code of Practice which includes the draft SEN support was published during the Committee Stages of the Children and Families Bill. The Department is engaging with a range of interested parties before producing a full draft for public consultation in autumn 2013.
Subject to the passage of the Children and Families Bill, the resulting Code will be laid before Parliament in early 2014 with the aim of it being approved by spring 2014.
Teachers
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of teaching appointments were made through (a) Teach First and (b) other routes in each Government office region in the last year for which information is available. [158549]
Mr Laws: The Department does not have data for teaching appointments as such. It does, however, collect data for employed newly qualified teachers by Government office region of their employing school. The following table shows these data for the latest year they are available, which is the 2009-10 cohort of trainees employed in 2010-11.
| Employment of the 2009/10 cohort of newly qualified teachers in 2011 | ||
| Government office region of employing school | Teach First | Other routes |
Teachers: Pay
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the recommendations within the 2013 School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document on the (a) recruitment and retention of quality and experienced staff within schools, (b) time that governing bodies in schools will have to allocate to determining staff salaries and (c) morale of the teaching profession. [157862]
Mr Laws:
Pay is one of a number of factors that are known to influence whether individuals choose to enter the teaching profession and continue to work as teachers.
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The changes to teachers' pay, which are due to be implemented from September 2013, will give schools the flexibility to set pay within a broad national framework and pay the best teachers more. Schools are best placed to develop the right package of reward and support that will attract the right people into the profession, help new teachers to continue to develop throughout their careers, and retain in the profession those teachers that make the biggest contribution to the attainment of their pupils.
We have provided advice to schools and governing bodies to support their implementation of the pay reforms. It will be for individual schools and governing bodies to decide the time commitment required to undertake this role.
We believe that strengthening the link between performance and pay will ensure that high-performing teachers are properly rewarded for the excellent work that they do and that this will contribute to raising the morale of the profession.
Teachers: Pensions
Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people were overpaid their pension by Teachers' Pensions in each year since 1997-98; how much was overpaid in each such year; and how much was recovered. [157696]
Mr Laws: Due to the nature of overpayment recovery, it is not possible to provide all of the information in the format requested. We also do not have information on how many individuals have been overpaid their pension on a yearly basis.
Pension overpayments can arise for a number of reasons if Teachers' Pensions are not notified of a change in a member's circumstances. Invoices are sometimes cancelled when subsequent information confirms that there has not in fact been an overpayment of pension. Recent improvements in Teachers' Pensions' systems now enable us to exclude these invoices, which was not possible at the time I responded to the hon. Member's previous question on this issue on 26 November 2012, Official Report, column 7W. Therefore the figures in the table vary from those previously provided.
The table provides the total invoices for overpayments issued for each year since 1997. However, overpayments can occur over a number of years, and an invoice can relate to several previous financial years. It also shows the amount of overpayments recovered per year, but this may relate to an invoice issued that year or a previous year where debt recovery has taken some time. These figures also exclude cases where the overpayment has been secured for future recovery, for example through offsetting of future benefits, or the placing of a charge on a member's property when they have demonstrated that immediate repayment would cause hardship, as defined by HM Treasury's guidelines.
The difference between the two columns reflects the remaining balance which is still subject to recovery action and the approximate 1.5% of the total debt that has been written off in accordance with HM Treasury guidelines.
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| Numbers of invoices in-year | Amount invoiced in-year (£) | Amount recovered in-year (£). | |
The recent increase in debts invoiced is because the Teachers' Pensions has put in place new arrangements to identify overpayments, which have identified a number of historic cases. We expect this increase to be a one-off and that the level of invoiced debt will reduce as the new arrangements take effect.
Telephone Services
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department receives any financial or non-financial benefit from its telephone providers for telephone lines that (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which he is responsible operate, including but not limited to (i) a share of call revenue, (ii) a reduction in the Department's telephone bill or tariff and (iii) telephony services for free or at a reduced price. [157735]
Elizabeth Truss: Neither the Department nor its agencies receive any financial or non-financial benefit from telephone providers in respect of our public telephone lines.
UK Trade and Investment
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what input he has had during the recruiting process of the new education advisory group to UK Trade and Investment; [157909]
(2) what plans his Department has to assist UK Trade and Investment to promote UK education exports abroad in (a) emerging and (b) other overseas markets. [157910]
Matthew Hancock: UK Trade and Investment and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills lead on the promotion of UK education exports, working with other Government Departments and key sector partners. The new Education UK Unit is responsible for co-ordinating government action to promote large-scale UK exports across the education sector, including schools. The Education UK Unit and UKTI are part of the civil service, and staff members have been recruited in a manner consistent with other departmental staff.
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The Department for Education is providing assistance to the UK's education export agenda in specific areas, for example, through its support to the network of British Schools Overseas.
Vetting
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that infrastructure projects for his Department are not delivered by firms involved in the blacklisting of construction workers. [157890]
Mr Laws: We are, of course, aware of the ongoing investigations into serious allegations of blacklisting in the construction industry, as explored by the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee in their Interim Report, ‘Blacklisting in Employment’, published on 16 April 2013. The practice of blacklisting, and refusing to hire a potential employee for discriminatory reasons, was made illegal under the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 and we expect all contractors to comply with this legislation. Following the publication of the Interim Report, we will seek confirmation from all who bid for work directly procured by the Department that they do not carry out such practices. We will, of course, consider the full recommendations of the final report once published, and comply with any that are accepted by the Government.
Written Questions
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department operates a list of hon. Members for whom parliamentary questions are processed and responded to in a different way to other hon. Members. [158200]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education processes and responds to parliamentary questions from hon. Members in the same way. Responses are drafted by the area of the Department with responsibility for the topic raised in the question.
Communities and Local Government
Arts: Finance
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of local authority subsidy to the arts in the latest period for which figures are available. [158357]
Brandon Lewis: Figures for local authority expenditure on cultural, environmental, regulatory and planning services in England in 2011-12 have been published at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/28622/Revenue_Outturn_RO5_data_2011-12_by_LA_-_27-Nov-2012-v2.xls
Expenditure on the arts is included within the culture and heritage section, line numbers 111 to 115.
These data are as reported on the annual Revenue Outturn forms submitted to DCLG by all English local authorities.
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Community Assets Programme
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes to the planning system he is making to help protect public houses and other valued community assets. [158953]
Nick Boles: We recognise the importance of public houses and other local services to local communities. Compared to the policies we inherited from the last administration, the National Planning Policy Framework provides increased protection for community facilities and states that local planning policies and decisions should guard against the unnecessary loss of valued community assets such as public houses. Communities can also use the community rights we created through the Localism Act to help protect public houses and other community assets. This is happening through the development of neighbourhood plans and the inclusion of public houses as assets of community value. The Community Right to Bid has already been used to list at least 360 assets of community value, of which 67 are public houses.
Conditions of Employment
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in his Department are employed on zero-hours contracts. [158033]
Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government currently has one senior civil servant in a professional role on a zero-hours contract. The individual is Sir Ken Knight who moved to a zero-hour contract on 1 November 2012. This is a short-term arrangement for Sir Ken to complete a review of the operational efficiency of the services delivered by the fire and rescue authorities in England and to give the Department access to professional advice during the appointment of and handover to a new Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser.
The arrangement is due to finish at the end of June 2013.
Empty Property: Council Tax
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities have chosen to set their council tax rate for empty properties at above 100 per cent in the 2013-14 financial year. [158791]
Brandon Lewis: 233 local authorities in England have chosen to set their council tax rate for long-term empty properties at above 100 per cent in the 2013-14 financial year. This will help to encourage long-term empty properties to be brought back into productive use, increasing housing supply and improving local amenity. It will also raise revenue that can be used to keep overall council tax bills down for hard working families and pensioners.
Fire Services
Mr Ellwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of Facing the Future: findings from the
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review of efficiency and operations in fire and rescue authorities in England, produced by Sir Ken Knight in May 2013; and if he will make a statement. [158141]
Brandon Lewis: I was pleased to receive Sir Ken Knight's review and the thought provoking findings it presented. I shall be considering Sir Ken's findings fully and expect to respond formally in the autumn.
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he is confident that his plan for the mutualisation of the fire service will not lead to its privatisation. [158597]
Brandon Lewis: DCLG have made it very clear that we will not make any moves on mutualisation that would lead to privatisation. Our only aim is to support fire and rescue authorities in exploring the best way of delivering their services to meet the needs of their communities.
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish the corresponding names of the fire and rescue authorities with reference to Figures 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of Sir Ken Knight's Facing The Future report published in May 2013. [158910]
Brandon Lewis: I understand that in preparing his independent report “Facing The Future”, Sir Ken took a decision to anonymise the data. He stated in a teleconference on the matter that he felt publishing unanonymised would skew the debate as he wanted fire and rescue authorities to focus on the principles in his report, saying:
“The reason why I anonymised (the data) was quite deliberate... I felt it would skew the debate in to those seeing whether they were in the best or worst area of the quartile. I would rather have a much more collective, fundamental debate about the nature of the service.”
The link to the full discussion is here
http://soundcloud.com/geykyn/fire-service-teleconference
It is also our understanding that all the data are from publicly available data sources, namely from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy Fire Statistics 2011-12 Actuals. These data are supplied by fire and rescue authorities directly.
Fire Services: Emergency Calls
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the response time for the fire and rescue services to respond to a 999 call in (a) Dorset and (b) London is; and if he will make a statement. [158140]
Brandon Lewis: These data are published with the Fire Incidents Response Times. This can be downloaded from:
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/fire-incidents-response-times
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Housing Benefit
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding the housing cost contribution under universal credit. [158992]
Brandon Lewis: My Department has regular discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions on a range of matters, including universal credit.
Officials from both Departments are currently working on joint Direct Payment Demonstration projects supporting six local authorities and housing partnerships to test the payment of housing support direct to tenants.
Housing: Carbon Emissions
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress he has made on consulting on next steps for zero carbon homes. [157798]
Mr Foster: As announced in the Budget, the Government are currently working on consultation proposals on the next steps to zero carbon homes, including the means of delivering allowable solutions.
Land Registry: Fees and Charges
Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial counterparts on the Land Registry prototype for the provision of local land charges; [158581]
(2) what recent correspondence he has had with (a) Lord McNally and (b) other Ministers in the Ministry of Justice on the prototype of the Provision of Local Land Charges. [158823]
Nick Boles: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from other Departments to discuss a range of matters.
Local Authorities: Flags
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if his Department will encourage local authorities to follow the example of Cumberland in raising awareness of their county flags and coats of arms. [158347]
Brandon Lewis: Since May 2010, my Department has taken a series of steps to champion the flying of local and national flags across the United Kingdom.
We have regularly flown county flags from outside our offices in Victoria to mark county days or those of their patron saints, and we have explicitly recognised England's traditional counties such as Cumberland and Middlesex. We have also recognised wider localities, such as the kingdom of Wessex, which was the foundation of the English nation.
Previously, many parts of Whitehall and municipal officialdom have shunned our traditional and historic identities, many of which date back over a thousand
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years of English history. Our moves to champion local identities complements this Government's abolition of unelected regional government in England which was based on European Union's artificial “NUTS1” administrative boundaries.
My Department has amended the law to make it easier to fly flags without a permit from the council. A plain English guide, which provides a brief summary of the simplified rules over flag flying, is available online:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/flying-flags-a-plain-english-guide
We have encouraged councils to fly the Cross of St George with pride and we have challenged the tiny minority who have foolishly tried to ban the flying of our national flags for the misplaced fear of “giving offence”. Community cohesion is strengthened—not undermined—by flying the flag.
We have not undertaken an explicit programme to raise awareness of coats of arms, but I would welcome suggestions from my hon. Friend and other hon. Members. I am also keen to support local communities, be they a county, district, borough, city, town, village, burgh, parish or riding, in establishing and flying their own local flags.
Of course, flying a flag should be a pleasure, not a chore. Our actions in supporting local people in flying their flags with pride are in contrast with the draconian actions of the European Commission, which has sought to bully Britons into flying the EU flag under the threat of fines through Article 7(2) of EC Regulation 1828/2006. Any institution which seeks to coerce people into flying its flag is one with a deep sense of insecurity about the lack of its public affection and support.
Local Government Finance: North West
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the spending power per head of (a) Barrow and Furness, (b) South Lakeland, (c) Eden, (d) Allerdale, (e) Copeland and (f) Carlisle district councils was in each of the last five years; [158792]
(2) what the spending power per head of (a) Cumbria and (b) Lancashire county councils was in each of the last five years. [158793]
Brandon Lewis: Spending power has been calculated only for the years 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 (provisional). Spending power and population figures for all local authorities in England have been published on our website at:
2013-14 settlement and provisional 2014-15 settlement:
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1314/settle.htm
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1213/grant.htm
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/1112/grant.htm
Local Government: Constituencies
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans his Department has to raise awareness of historic county boundaries amongst (a) children and young people and (b) other people. [158369]
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Brandon Lewis: I refer my hon. Friend to my Department's press notice of 23 April 2013, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.
Local Government: Newspaper Press
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity, published in March 2011, what assessment he has made of the extent to which local authorities are continuing to publish their own newspapers. [158359]
Brandon Lewis: Information from our recent consultation indicates that over three-quarters of local authorities produce a residents' newsletter, with 10% publishing more frequently than quarterly and a small number of local authorities publishing council newspapers on a weekly or fortnightly basis; this is notwithstanding the guidance in the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity that such publications should not be issued more frequently than quarterly.
The Local Audit and Accountability Bill contains measures to address the continuing breaches of the code by this minority of local authorities, in order to help protect an independent free press and prevent the abuse of taxpayers' money.
Local Government: Social Enterprises
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to promote social enterprise in the supply of public goods to local authorities. [158136]
Brandon Lewis: Opening up local authority commissioning and procurement practices to small and medium business', and voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors is a crucial part of the Government's work to promote local growth and innovation.
We are engaged in a range of activity to support this. For example, on 15 May we announced the winners of the 'Best councils to do business with' contest, which identified those local authorities who are already tailoring procurement processes to local businesses and social enterprises. We wrote to all local authorities in January 2013 with the Cabinet Office Procurement Policy note to highlight the requirements of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 including the need to consider the economic, environmental and social benefits of their procurement.
In addition the Community Right to Challenge enables voluntary and community bodies including social enterprises to challenge a local authority to give them the opportunity to bid to run services, including proposals to deliver services differently.
Rented Housing: Fires
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of house fires in (a) Warrington and (b) the North-West were in rented properties in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many people (A) died and (B) had injuries which required hospital treatment as a result of such fires. [158980]
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Brandon Lewis: Tenure of dwellings is not currently among the data reported by fire and rescue authorities in fire incident records. It is expected that this will be introduced in 2014.
Sign Language
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to ensure the services it offers are accessible to British Sign Language users. [157925]
Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not have direct responsibility for delivering major public services.
It has a strategic role supporting local authorities, communities and neighbourhoods through policy frameworks established to deliver services locally. These frameworks are developed in line with our responsibilities under the Public Sector Duty of the Equality Act 2010.
The Department also has guidance in place which sets out our responsibilities for the provision of ‘reasonable adjustments' for staff with disabilities. This ensures that disabled staff are not treated less favourably than non disabled staff on the grounds of their disability.
Telephone Services
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department receives any financial or non-financial benefit from its telephone providers for telephone lines that (a) his Department and (b) the agencies for which he is responsible operate, including but not limited to (i) a share of call revenue, (ii) a reduction in the Department's telephone bill or tariff and (iii) telephony services for free or at a reduced price. [157732]
Brandon Lewis: DCLG does not receive any financial or non-financial benefit from its prime telephony provider. DCLG does not receive a share of call revenue nor a reduction in the Department's telephone bill or tariff. DCLG does not receive its telephony services for free or at a reduced rate from that provider.
A number of DCLG's agencies and associated bodies operate telephone help or advice lines. These bodies attempt to keep call charges to a minimum and in most cases provide a national rate number or, on occasions, a free service. No profits are received from these lines.
Each of the principle access numbers operated by the Department and its agencies (the Planning Inspectorate and the Homes and Communities Agency) are 030 numbers.
030 numbers were specifically designed for not-for-profit organisations, charities and public sector bodies to offer consumers a single point of contact nationally. Calls cost no more than calls to geographic (01 and 02) numbers and are included in inclusive minutes and discount schemes in the same way.
Tesco
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on instances of Tesco plc receiving (a) local authority and (b) government grants in the last five years; and what information his Department holds on instances of Tesco plc receiving grants from the EU. [158374]
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Brandon Lewis: No grant payments were made to Tesco Stores Ltd by the Department between April 2008 and May 2013. They are not eligible for European Regional Development funding because of state-aid rules.
The Department did, however, make a grant of £4,000 to the company in 2007-08 in relation to the Quality Part-time Work Fund.
DCLG does not hold information on grant payments by local authorities, other central Government Departments or the EU to private companies.
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Health
Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency hospital admissions there were, by age of patient, in each of the last five years. [158924]
Anna Soubry: The information is shown in the following table.
| Count of finished admission episodes (FAEs)(1) where the method of admission was emergency(2) by age groups for the years 2007-08 to 2011-12(3) | |||||
| Age band | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| (1) A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2) The count of admission episodes with an admission method indicating the admission was an emergency (admission method codes: 21 = Emergency: via Accident and Emergency (A&E) services, including the casualty department of the provider; 22 = Emergency: via General Practitioner (GP); 23 = Emergency: via Bed Bureau, including the Central Bureau; 24 = Emergency: via consultant out-patient clinic; 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A&E department of another healthcare provider). (3) Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) for admitted patient care data for 2012-13 will be published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in November 2013 (provisional date). Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre. Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. | |||||
Accident and Emergency Departments: Birmingham
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency have waited more than four hours before being treated at an accident and emergency facility in the latest period for which figures are available. [157683]
Anna Soubry: The information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the latest weekly data for the number of people seen in accident and emergency (A&E) within four hours at the university hospitals of Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which serve the Hall Green constituency:
| Patients seen in A&E within four hours—week ending 26 May 2013 | |
| Trust | Percentage of patients seen with four hours |
| Note: The weekly A&E collection includes all A&E types, including minor injury units and walk-in centres. | |
Accident and Emergency Departments: Romford
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an estimate of the cost of unnecessary accident and emergency attendances in Romford constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [158356]
Anna Soubry: The information requested is not centrally held. My hon. Friend may wish to contact local national health service organisations for information about accident and emergency attendances in his constituency.
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Alcoholic Drinks: Young People
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged under 18 years were admitted to hospital with an alcohol-related condition in each year since 2005-06. [158362]
Anna Soubry: The following table contains the sum of the estimated alcohol-related admissions, using attributable fractions for those aged under 18 years old resident in England.
It should be noted that these figures are not a count of people and represent an estimated number of admissions that were attributable to alcohol.
Alcohol attributable fractions (AAFs) are based on the proportion of a given diagnosis or injury that is estimated to be attributed to alcohol. Some diagnoses or injuries will, by definition, be wholly attributable to alcohol and have an AAF of one, others will only be partly attributable to alcohol and have an AAF greater than zero, but less than one. Diagnoses or injuries that are not attributable at all to alcohol will have an AAF of zero.
These figures are derived by summing all AAFs for the relevant admissions and should therefore only be interpreted as an estimate of the number of admissions that can be attributed to alcohol.
| Sum of AAFs(1) for hospital admissions for people aged under 18 years and resident in England(2) from 2005-06 to 2011(3): Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | |
| Sum of AAFs | |
| (1) Alcohol-related admissions The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO), which uses 48 indicators for alcohol-related illnesses, determining the proportion of a wide range of diseases and injuries that can be partly attributed to alcohol as well as those that are, by definition, wholly attributable to alcohol. Further information on these proportions can be found at: www.nwph.net/nwpho/publications/AlcoholAttributableFractions.pdf The application of the NWPHO methodology has recently been updated and is now available directly from HES. As such, information about episodes estimated to be alcohol related may be slightly different from previously published data. Alcohol attributable fractions are not applicable to children under 16. Therefore figures for this age group relate only to wholly-attributable admissions, where the attributable fraction is one. (2) Strategic Health Authority/ Primary Care Trust (SHA/PCT) residence The strategic health authority (SHA) or primary care trust (PCT) containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another SHA/PCT for treatment. A change in methodology in 2011-12 resulted in an increase in the number of records where the PCT or SHA of residence was unknown. From 2006-07 to 2010-11 the current PCT and SHA of residence fields were populated from the recorded patient postcode. In order to improve data completeness, if the postcode was unknown the PCT, SHA and country of residence were populated from the PCT/SHA value supplied by the provider. From April 2011-12 onwards if the patient postcode is unknown the PCT, SHA and country of residence are listed as unknown. (3) Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Health and Social Care Information Centre | |
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Ambulance Services
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of any change in the provision of emergency ambulance services by the (a) private and (b) third sector since May 2010. [157896]
Anna Soubry: No assessment has been made of any change in the provision of emergency ambulance services by the private and third sector since May 2010.
Independent or voluntary ambulance services may be used to support NHS ambulance services and can help manage peaks in demand. It is the responsibility of individual ambulance services to ensure that 999 calls are attended by staff that are properly trained and adequately equipped.
The use of private and voluntary ambulances is regulated by the Care Quality Commission and subject to rigorous checks by individual ambulance services. Commissioners will hold ambulance services to account to ensure that they continue to meet the quality and service requirements.
Autism
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department plans to issue to clinical commissioning groups on the commissioning of (a) diagnostic and (b) support services for people with autistic spectrum disorders. [158991]
Norman Lamb: It is the role of NHS England to provide guidance to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). However, a practical guide for CCGs to support health professionals implementing the statutory guidance that followed the adult autism strategy of 2010, and the guidelines on recognition, referral, diagnosis and management of adults on the autism spectrum by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in 2012, will be published later in the summer through the Joint Commissioning Panel (JCP) for Mental Health.
The JCP is a coalition co-chaired by the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and includes organisations that represent patients, carers, and health and social care professionals, with the aim of inspiring informed and collaborative commissioning. The Department and NHS England have supported the JCP in the production of this practical guide for CCGs.
Blood: Contamination
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of difficulties experienced by claimants in gaining financial support from the Macfarlane, Skipton and Caxton funds. [158410]
Anna Soubry: We are aware that some clients of the Macfarlane Trust and the Caxton Foundation have been unhappy with the standard of service that they have received. We have discussed this with the chair and chief executive of the Caxton Foundation, which employs the staff of both bodies, and they are committed to improving the standard of customer service.
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The Skipton Fund has a fixed set of eligibility criteria and claimants can provide a range of different information to support their claims. Claims are assessed on the balance of probabilities. The fund rejects some claims because of insufficient evidence. Anyone whose claim is rejected is able to apply to have their case re-assessed by the fund's independent appeals panel.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the Government have decided not to replicate the Irish scheme of compensation for people who contracted hepatitis and other blood diseases from contaminated NHS blood products. [158411]
Anna Soubry: In a written statement to the House on 14 October 2010, Official Report, columns 30-31WS, the then Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Guildford (Anne Milton), stated that this Government had decided that the level of payments made to people affected by contaminated blood and blood products in the United Kingdom should not match those paid in the Republic of Ireland, because every country must make its own decisions on financial support for those affected, taking account of its own particular circumstances, and affordability.
Cancer: Drugs
Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2013, Official Report, columns 159-60W, on cancer: drugs, what assessment he has made of the policy statement on selective internal radiation therapy by the Clinical Reference Group chairs and the Specialised Services Portfolio Board; and if he will make a statement. [158572]
Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has made no assessment of the draft policy statement on selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT).
On 14 May 2013 the Specialised Services Portfolio Board considered the draft policy statement on SIRT. As a result, the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group has now recommended a national clinical policy on SIRT for the treatment of liver tumours of all types to NHS England.
The policy will support access to SIRT where there is good evidence that it is an effective treatment. NHS England has advised that the policy should be published in the next few weeks.
Continuing Care
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to reduce the current delays in completing reviews for NHS Continuing Healthcare. [157899]
Norman Lamb: The Department does not collect details of NHS Continuing Healthcare cases awaiting review. NHS England and local clinical commissioning groups are responsible for the implementation of NHS Continuing Healthcare policy.
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Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the responsibilities of (a) clinical commissioning groups and (b) local authorities are for the funding of long-term care; and if he will make a statement. [158482]
Norman Lamb: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility for commissioning the majority of health services, with the exception of certain services (such as primary care and specialised services) which are commissioned by NHS England.
The commissioning of services for people with care needs is primarily through NHS Continuing Healthcare, local authority-funded social care, or a joint package of health and social care.
NHS Continuing Healthcare is a package of ongoing care, arranged by CCGs, and funded solely by the national health service where the individual has been found to have a ‘primary health need’. Such care is provided to an individual aged 18 or over, to meet needs that have arisen as a result of disability, accident or illness. Eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare places no limits on the settings in which the package of support can be offered or on the type of service delivery. The national framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care sets out the principles and processes for determining eligibility.
In addition, local authorities have responsibility for meeting the care needs of individuals they assess as eligible for support. Currently, local authorities have a duty to provide financial support to people in need of residential care where the person has less than £23,250 in capital. For domiciliary care, local authorities have discretion to provide financial support to people with higher levels of capital if they wish.
We are reforming the existing system because it is unfair and exposes those with little or modest wealth to the greatest risk of losing everything to pay for their care. In 2016 our plans will put in place a cap on the costs people have to pay towards the cost of their care, and extend means-tested support to those with up to £118,000 in residential care. This will ensure that those with the greatest needs are protected from the risk of facing excessive care costs.
The Care and Support Bill also contains a regulation- making power to set a minimum threshold so that people across England will understand which needs are eligible. This is the minimum people can expect and local authorities will be able to be more generous.
Doctors: Working Hours
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the policy of the Italian Government towards the classification of medical doctors as executives for the purposes of the European working time directive; and whether this policy could apply to doctors working in the NHS. [158568]
Dr Poulter: The Department is not able to comment on how the working time directive (WTD) is implemented in other member states.
This Government committed in the coalition agreement to limit the application of the WTD in the United Kingdom, including the national health service. The
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Department and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are working together on the application of the WTD to the UK health sector.
As part of this commitment, the Department has previously explored whether the autonomous workers exemption could be applied to junior doctors. However, the Department received legal advice that applying the definition of autonomous workers to junior doctors would not comply with the WTD and may risk infraction.
Fertility: North East
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what comparative assessment he has made of the (a) availability and (b) quality of fertility services in (i) Hartlepool and (ii) the north-east region; and if he will make a statement. [158561]
Anna Soubry: No assessment has been made of the availability and quality of fertility services in Hartlepool and the north-east region. The level of provision of health services, including fertility services, is a matter for clinical commissioning groups, taking into account the needs of the local population.
Fluoride: Drinking Water
Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether a formal agreement was signed between the now abolished South Central Strategic Health Authority and Southern Water to add fluoride to the water supply in (a) Southampton and (b) the South West Hampshire area. [158592]
Anna Soubry: No agreement was signed between South Central Strategic Health Authority, prior to its abolition, and Southern Water to add fluoride to the water supply in Southampton and the South West Hampshire area. The position, as at the end of March 2013, was that the strategic health authority was in discussions with Southern Water in relation to agreeing the terms of the agreement.
By virtue of amendments made to the relevant legislation by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the statutory functions of strategic health authorities in relation to fluoridation have transferred to the Secretary of State.
General Practitioners
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the minimum practice income guarantee is for each GP practice. [157722]
Dr Poulter: This information is not collected centrally in the format requested. Information on minimum practice income guarantee (MPIG) spend by former primary care trusts for 2011-12 is provided in the following table.
| Summary of General Medical Services Financial Position 2011-12 Quarter 4 Audited Final | |
| Primary care trust (PCT) name | MPIG correction factor(1) (£000) |
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| (1 )March 2012 year to date. | |