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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 11 June 2013
Northern Ireland
Capita
Mr Sheerman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department currently
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spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [158471]
Mrs Villiers: My Department's expenditure on contracts with Capita in the current financial year is £2,169 per month.
Because of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office, my Department does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
For the financial years 2010/11 to 2012/13, my Department's expenditure on contracts with Capita was:
| Capita maintenance contract expenditure | |
| £ | |
Legal Costs
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by her Department were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such payments were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought; [158623]
(2) how much her 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; [158647]
(3) how much her Department spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012; [158665]
(4) what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by her Department since 7 May 2010 was. [158682]
Mrs Villiers: During these periods, my Department did not pay for any external legal advice. Any legal advice required was provided by internal services.
Public Accounts Commission
Legal Costs
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission (1) how much the Public Accounts Commission has spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012; [158707]
(2) how much the Public Accounts Commission has spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsels (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012; [158710]
(3) what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by the Public Accounts Commission since 7 May 2010 has been; [158713]
(4) what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by the Public Accounts Commission in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 were; to whom such payments were made; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought. [158715]
Mr Leigh: The Public Accounts Commission has a limited number of statutory functions. Principally these are to agree the National Audits Office's strategy and budget, to appoint Non-Executive Members (other than the Chair) to the NAO's Board, and to appoint the NAO's external auditor. The Commission has not obtained any external legal advice since 2010.
Wales
Accountancy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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. [159052]
Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has no personnel seconded from an accountancy firm.
Home Department
Drugs
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 15 November 2010, Official Report, column 549W, on drugs, what progress she has made in producing the evaluation framework to support assessments of the new drugs strategy. [158934]
Mr Jeremy Browne [holding answer 10 June 2013]: The document outlining the proposed approach to the evaluation of the 2010 Drug Strategy—the Evaluation Framework—is currently being finalised and will be published shortly.
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Gating Orders
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what discussions her Department has had with the emergency services on the proposed changes to gating orders in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill; [159018]
(2) what consultation her Department has had with (a) local access forums and (b) Rambler associations on the proposed changes to gating orders in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill. [159019]
Mr Jeremy Browne: In our 2011 public consultation, we sought views on the proposed rationalisation of powers to deal with antisocial behaviour. This included replacing gating orders with a new community protection order. We received over a thousand responses, including from numerous police forces and ‘Ramblers’, Britain's walking charity.
In addition, we published draft legislation in December 2012 so that it could undergo pre-legislative scrutiny by the Home Affairs Committee, This included a further opportunity to comment, this time on the detailed proposals. Again, a number of police forces responded to this, as did the ‘Ramblers and Open Spaces Society’.
We have considered these responses in developing our proposals and will continue to engage with interested groups and individuals over the coming year as the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill makes its way through Parliament.
Private Finance Initiative
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts for private finance initiative schemes were signed prior to May 1997; and what the total capital value of those contracts was. [158062]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 5 June 2013]: The Home Office awarded a number of private finance initiative contracts for prisons and secure training centres prior to May 1997. Following machinery of government changes in 2005 these contracts were transferred to the Ministry of Justice and all relevant details will be retained by them.
Radicalism
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research her Department undertakes into identifying those who are most vulnerable to being influenced by Islamist preachers. [158944]
James Brokenshire
[holding answer 10 June 2013]: The Home Office draws on a wide range of external evidence, including academic research, to understand what makes individuals more vulnerable to extremist ideologies and influence. This includes work to understand the psychological and social processes, as well as local circumstances which can increase or reduce vulnerability. A useful summary of our understanding of vulnerability is the Channel guidance
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(2012), which draws on the full range of knowledge available to us. This is available on the Home Office website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/counter-terrorism/prevent/vul-assessment
Communities and Local Government
Capita
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [158460]
Brandon Lewis: Our spending relates to Capita Resourcing Ltd for short-term staffing. Use of contingent labour for short-term or specialist work can be better value for money than hiring staff on permanent contracts. Notwithstanding, my Department has cut back spending on contingent labour from £17.4 million in 2008-09 and £14.4 million in 2009-10 to £3.8 million in 2012-13. We have also significantly cut spending on consultancy in addition.
The majority of spend on contingent labour is now with Capita Resourcing Ltd, under a centrally approved Government Framework Agreement to help drive down unit costs. In previous years, a larger number of agencies were used by the Department but these have intentionally been scaled down.
Consequently, the following table breaks down the spending by year. Although the Capita spending has increased, overall costs to taxpayers have fallen as explained above.
| Spending on Capita Resourcing Ltd | |
| Financial year | £ |
Green Belt
Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to what extent it is his Department's policy that development on the green belt is a last resort; and what evidence is required to show the lack of suitable non-green belt sites in the surrounding area of each proposed green belt development. [159262]
Nick Boles: Reflecting the commitment made in the coalition agreement, this Government have maintained strong protection of the green belt.
In particular, I refer my hon. Friend to paragraph 14 (Footnote 9) and to section 9 of the National Planning Policy Framework on ‘protecting Green Belt land’ which outlines national policy.
Homelessness: Yorkshire and the Humber
Mr David Davis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency,
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(b)
East Yorkshire and
(c)
Yorkshire and Humber were registered as homeless in each of the last three years. [157963]
Mr Prisk [holding answer 5 June 2013]: The following table shows, for the East Riding of Yorkshire council area, both the number of homelessness acceptances of households with dependent children in each of the last three calendar years and the number of households with dependent children in temporary accommodation as at 31 December 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Figures are collected only at local authority level, and so not available for the Haltemprice and Howden constituency, which falls wholly within the area of the East Riding of Yorkshire council. The council's area also includes at least part of the Beverley and Holderness, Brigg and Goole, East Yorkshire and Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle constituencies.
As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 32WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by Government office region.
Housing: Construction
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the cumulative effect of Government schemes to increase house building. [158537]
Mr Prisk: We regularly publish detailed data on all our major housing schemes. The latest figures on net housing supply(1) show it is at the highest level since the tail end of the unsustainable housing boom in 2008. The latest seasonally adjusted house building starts in England (March quarter 2013) are 4% higher than the previous quarter and 15% higher than in the same quarter last year: Our main Affordable Homes Programme remains on track to deliver 170,000 new affordable homes by March 2015. Up to a further 30,000 homes will start on site by the same date, supported by our Affordable Housing Guarantee.
(1) DCLG Net supply of housing: 2011-12, England, published 1 November 2012.
Housing: North West
Jonathan Reynolds:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many enquiries have been made with regard to the Government's
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Help to Buy scheme in
(a)
Tameside metropolitan Borough council and
(b)
Stalybridge and Hyde constituency. [158607]
Mr Prisk: We do not hold information at constituency level on the number of inquiries that have been made with regards to the Help to Buy: equity loan scheme. There has been a high level of interest in the scheme, for example Rightmove has reported over 337,000 visits to its Help to Buy website since the scheme's launch and housebuilders have reported over 4,000 reservations being placed in the first two months.
Leeds City Region
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend clause 103 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 to allow York to be part of the Leeds City Region combined authority. [155184]
Brandon Lewis [holding answer 14 May 2013]: The Government’s response to the Heseltine Review indicated our willingness to remove legislative barriers to more locally-led, joint working in local government.
I am open to representations on the best way to deliver the practical change suggested in the right hon. Member’s question, including examining the potential scope for using a Legislative Reform Order to remove regulatory restrictions.
Attorney-General
Capita
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers' Departments currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [158458]
The Solicitor-General: The information requested is contained in the following table:
| £ | |||||
| TSol | AGO | HMCPSI | CPS | SFO | |
Human Trafficking
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Attorney-General what his policy is on prosecuting people for crimes committed while being controlled by traffickers. [158728]
The Solicitor-General:
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued comprehensive legal guidance to advise prosecutors of the steps they should take in cases where the police have arrested potential victims of trafficking who have committed criminal offences and referred them for charge. If information suggests that they have been trafficked, prosecutors are advised
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to make full enquiries and consider whether the case against them should be discontinued. However, a prosecutor can only take these steps if they have information from the police or other sources that a suspect might be a victim of trafficking.
The CPS is considering issuing new guidelines to prosecutors following recent cases in the Court of Appeal in which victims of trafficking were prosecuted and convicted, having been advised to plead guilty by their legal representative. The new guidelines will be shared in due course with law enforcement and the Law Society to ensure a joined-up approach in these cases.
Prosecutions
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney-General whether he has considered increasing the amount of costs requested by the Crown Prosecution Service at the conclusion of magistrates' court cases. [159092]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is currently reviewing its Scales of Costs guidance and intends to issue revised guidance later this. year. The scales illustrate the average costs incurred in a wide range of cases and provide a benchmark to help inform costs applications against convicted defendants.
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Attorney-General what the average cost was to the Crown Prosecution Service of prosecuting a defendant who pleads (a) guilty and (b) not guilty in the last year for which figures are available; and what average costs are sought at the conclusion of such cases. [159096]
The Solicitor-General: The broad average internal cost to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of prosecuting cases in 2012 was as follows:
| Magistrates court | |
| £ | |
| Crown court | |
| £ | |
It should be noted that the average internal costs quoted exclude external costs, such as counsel fees, witness expenses or expert fees.
The CPS applies for costs against convicted defendants using published Scales of Costs guidance. The scales illustrate the average costs incurred and provide a benchmark to help inform the calculation of costs applications against convicted defendants. The figures in the current scales are presented in a lower/average/higher range, as follows:
| Magistrates court | |||
| £ | |||
| Lower | Average | Higher | |
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| Crown court | |||
| £ | |||
| Lower | Average | Higher | |
| (1) These scales include the costs of committal/transfer/sending proceedings. | |||
Treasury
Banks: Loans
David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to help people who have been missold loans by high street banks. [158768]
Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Consumers who believe they have been missold a financial product by a lender can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service(FOS)—an independent body set up, through the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) 2001, to provide arbitration between businesses that provide financial services and their customers, as an alternative to the civil courts.
Government has also decided to transfer the regulation of consumer credit from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) from April 2014. The FCA will have its own powers to require firms to establish redress schemes and require reimbursement.
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been distributed to businesses through the Funding for Lending scheme in (a) Tameside metropolitan borough and (b) Stalybridge and Hyde constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [158929]
Greg Clark: The Funding for Lending scheme is designed to boost lending across the whole of the UK economy. The Bank of England publishes the net lending data of participants on a quarterly basis. However, a detailed breakdown on a geographical basis is not available.
Banks: Scotland
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the statement on page 6 of his Department's publication, Scotland Analysis: Financial Services and Banking, that Scottish banks have assets totalling around 1,254% of an independent Scotland's GDP, if he will provide a full list of assets included to support that figure. [158420]
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Danny Alexander: An explanation of the methodology used to define the Scottish banking sector and calculate the size of its assets relative to the GDP of an independent Scottish state, and a list of the firms whose assets were included for this purpose, can be found on the UK Government website at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/scotland-analysis-financial-services-and-banking
Gift Aid
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to make it easier for charities to access gift aid from small donations made in the workplace; and if he will make a statement. [159266]
Sajid Javid: Gift aid is a generous tax relief and is available on all donations of cash to charity from UK taxpayers. However, the Government have recognised that it is not always practicable for charities to collect gift aid declarations from donors making small, impulsive donations of cash—for example through bucket or church plate collections.
To address this issue, the Government launched the Gift Aid Small Donations scheme on 6 April 2013. This scheme allows a gift aid-style top-up payment on small cash donations for the first time. The Government estimate this should be worth around £130 million a year to charities by 2015-16.
The Government recognise the importance of workplace giving, and encourage it through the Payroll Giving scheme.
Intestacy
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many unclaimed estates there are on the Government's bona vacantia list. [159210]
Sajid Javid: There are 10,270 unclaimed estates on the bona vacantia historic list (estates dealt with between 1997 and 2012) and, at 7 June 2013, 620 unclaimed estates on the current list of advertised estates.
Statutory Sick Pay
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to (a) commence consultation and (b) report on plans for the abolition of the Percentage Threshold Scheme and recycling of funding into the creation of the Health and Work Advisory Service for those at danger of long-term sickness absence. [157787]
Esther McVey: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
The information requested is as follows:
(a) As announced at Budget 13, the Government will introduce targeted tax relief. Amounts up to £500, paid by employers on health-related interventions recommended by the service, will not be treated as a taxable benefit in kind. The Government will consult on implementation later in 2013.
(b) We are currently in the early stages of designing the new health and work assessment and advisory service. We expect the service to be delivered through external provision and an
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invitation to tender to this effect will be issued in due course. Funding for the new service will be recycled from the Percentage Threshold Scheme (PTS) which will end in April 2014.
Scotland
Accountancy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. [159049]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not have any personnel who have been seconded from the big four accountancy firms.
Capita
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [158472]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office has no contracts and has incurred no costs with Capita since 2008.
Domestic Visits
Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many nights (a) he and (b) other Ministers of his Department have stayed overnight in Scotland in an official capacity since 1 January 2012. [159258]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland and I live in Scotland in our respective constituencies and carry out official duties all year round, as the ministerial quarterly returns illustrate.
Legal Advice
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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 payments were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought. [158625]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office incurred expenditure for external legal advice once between 2010 and 2012 at a total cost of £2,930 in July 2012. The payment was made to Faculty Services Ltd.
The Government do not specify the reasons they seek external legal advice.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. [158649]
David Mundell: The Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland provides any necessary legal advice to the Scotland Office. The Scotland Office has incurred no expenditure for external legal advice from Queen's counsels since 7 May 2010.
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Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012. [158667]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office incurred expenditure for external legal advice once between 2010 and 2012 at a total cost of £2,930 in July 2012.
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by his Department since 7 May 2010 was. [158684]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not record the day rates paid for external legal advice.
Pensions: Tax Allowances
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the effect of different Scottish rates of income tax on individuals who are members of pension schemes who operate the relief at source process for tax relief. [158181]
David Mundell: During the development and delivery of the Scotland Act 2012, Scotland Office Ministers and Treasury Ministers met regularly to discuss a wide range of matters relating to the new Scottish rate of income tax, including its effect on pensions tax relief. In May 2012, HMRC published a Technical Note entitled "Clarifying the Scope of the Scottish Rate of Income Tax" which set out the Government's intention to continue to give tax relief on pensions individuals' marginal rates to all taxpayers after the Scottish rate of income tax is introduced. HMRC continues to discuss the issue with the industry via its Scotland Act Pensions Technical Group to find a method of giving relief which minimises costs to the industry and HMRC and ensures that contributors potential burdens on the industry are minimised and that taxpayers, as far as possible, receive the right amount of relief at the right time. The most recent meeting of the technical group took place in April 2013.
Education
Capita
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [158463]
Elizabeth Truss: Spend with Capita, and its group of companies, is shown in the table for each of the requested financial years. The figures include both contract work and work completed by Capita outside of contracts through paid invoices.
| Financial year | Spend (£) |
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Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish information on all the contracts they award on Contracts Finder.(1)
The Department does not have a central repository of all contract information. To collate and provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.
www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
Females: Education
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to work with schools to broaden girls' education choices and aspirations. [158996]
Mr Laws: We are committed to ensuring that all pupils have the opportunity to make good progress and reach their potential, regardless of their gender, or other characteristics. We believe that schools are best placed to know what works best for their pupils and should lead the way in driving this forward.
We are supporting all young people to make informed choices by giving schools responsibility for securing independent and impartial careers guidance on the full range of education and training options, including apprenticeships. Schools have had responsibility for careers guidance since September 2012.
In addition, and with a particular emphasis on girls, the Government are taking action to improve engagement in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects. This includes funding (£1.85 million in 2013-14) the Stimulating Physics Network to support schools to improve progression to physics A level.
First Aid: Curriculum
Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has plans to introduce life saving skills as part of the National Curriculum; and if he will make a statement. [158946]
Elizabeth Truss: Our proposals for the new national curriculum were published for consultation on 7 February 2013, and the consultation closed on 16 April 2013. The proposals are based on the principle that the national curriculum should set out a body of essential knowledge that children should be expected to acquire in key subjects during the course of their school career.
We are reviewing the consultation responses, including those from organisations and individuals supporting the inclusion of emergency life-saving skills, and will publish a final version of the new national curriculum later in the year.
Free School Meals
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what amount his Department spent on free school meals in each of the last five years. [159284]
Mr Laws:
The funding the Department provides to local authorities through the Dedicated Schools Grant and to academies through the General Annual Grant does not separately identify funding for free school
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meals. The cost of free school meals is met by schools from their overall budget, which is determined by the local authority in consultation with its School Forum. As autonomous institutions, schools have the freedom to decide how much to spend on free school meals.
Health Education: Skin Cancer
Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department issues to schools on protecting young children from the effects of overexposure to the sun. [159119]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not issue guidance on protecting young children from the effects of overexposure to the sun. It is a matter for individual schools to decide how to advise and protect their pupils. They are best placed to determine what measures are practicable to minimise any known risks arising from activities which take place in sunny weather and exposure to sun during school breaks.
Higher Education: Brigg
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of schools in Brigg and Goole constituency sent at least one pupil to the universities of (a) Oxford and (b) Cambridge in each of the last 10 years. [159270]
Mr Laws: This information is not currently available at parliamentary constituency level.
Destination Measures were first published by the Department for Education in 2012, identifying 2008/09 students going into 2009/10 education destinations. They were published at national, local authority and institutional level and included the proportion of students who went to the universities of Oxford or Cambridge. The publication can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/destinations-of-key-stage-4-and-key-stage-5-pupils-academic-year-2009-to-2010
On 20 June 2013, Destination Measures will be published on 2009/10 students going into 2010/11 education and employment destinations. Additional Destination Measures data at constituency level are currently under review and may be published later in the year subject to data quality considerations.
Schools: Admissions
Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that parents with more than one child who fulfil all relevant admissions criteria are able to send all their children to the same school. [159273]
Mr Laws:
Local admission authorities are responsible for setting school admission arrangements and must act in accordance with admissions law and the School Admissions Code. Many admission authorities give priority to siblings in their admissions criteria but they are not required to do so. We have no plans to amend the Code in this respect. The revised Code, which came into effect on 1 February 2012, does exceptionally permit schools to admit a child whose
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twin or sibling from a multiple birth is admitted to the school even where that would involve the school exceeding the infant class size limit.
Schools: Buildings
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children are currently being taught in temporary facilities in (a) England and (b) Birmingham. [159189]
Mr Laws: Local authorities in England are responsible for the management of the demand and supply of pupil places. The Department does not hold information on how many children are taught in temporary facilities as we do not collect this data from local authorities on how pupil places are provided.
Schools: Finance
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the potential effects of proposed changes to school funding on the funding of (a) schools with pupils with special educational needs and (b) such schools which have intermittent spare places; and if he will make a statement. [159260]
Mr Laws: In establishing new funding arrangements for schools we have taken care to make sure (a) that local authorities have the flexibility to target resources to schools so that they can make effective provision for pupils with special educational needs, and (b) that authorities can take account of place occupancy levels in setting the funding for schools with intermittent spare places. Our school funding system is not, however, designed to support a significant number of empty school places indefinitely as we do not consider that to be a proper use of taxpayers' money.
Defence
Afghanistan
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the future use of UK unmanned aerial vehicles in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [R] [158932]
Mr Robathan: No decisions have been taken on the longer term use of unmanned aircraft systems by UK forces within Afghanistan.
Air Force: Training
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the airworthiness of the Grob 115E training aircraft; and if he will make a statement. [158446]
Mr Robathan: The Grob Tutor fleet are contractor owned, civil registered aircraft operated and maintained by Babcock International Group to civil European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) airworthiness and maintenance regulatory requirements.
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The Ministry of Defence (MOD) Duty Holder, Air Officer Commanding 22 (Training) Group, supported by the MOD Chief Air Engineer provides oversight of the civil engineering airworthiness requirements.
Armed Conflict: Children
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation he has conducted with (a) non-governmental organisations and (b) other stakeholders to inform the preparation of the UK's submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. [158036]
Mr Francois: The Department for Education (DFE) has the UK Government lead on reporting on this protocol. The Ministry of Defence (MOD), along with other Government Departments, has contributed to the DFE work. The MOD has accordingly not held any discussions with non-governmental organisations or any other organisations outside the MOD to inform the preparations of the UK's submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on implementation of the Optional Protocol.
Armed Forces: Complaints
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints were made by armed forces personnel of (a) bullying, (b) harassment and (c) sexual assault in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many such complainants were minors at the time the incident was reported. [157763]
Mr Francois: Complaints of bullying and harassment can be handled through the service complaints system, whereas allegations of sexual assault relate to potential criminal offences and are therefore investigated by the police.
The latest figures available for complaints made by service personnel about bullying and harassment are published in the Service Complaints Commissioner's Annual Report 2012 at table 13. The full report is presented annually to the House and is also located at the following website:
http://armedforcescomplaints.independent.gov.uk/linkedfiles/afcindependent/426354_ssc_ar_2012.pdf
In summary, during 2012 armed forces personnel made 158 formal complaints of bullying and 100 informal; and 38 formal complaints of harassment alongside 109 informal. As noted in the report, complaints can include more than one allegation.
The age of complainants at the time the incident was reported is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
For the latest information held by the Ministry of Defence on sexual assault complaints made by service personnel below the age of 18 at the time of the incident I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1255-6W, to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon).
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Armed Forces: English Defence League
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent advice has been issued to the chain of command on (a) membership of the English Defence League (EDL), (b) attendance at EDL marches or meetings and (c) references to EDL on social media. [158318]
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance his Department has given on membership of the English Defence League by members of HM Armed Forces. [158836]
Mr Francois [holding answer 6 June 2013]: In the wake of the appalling murder of Drummer Lee Rigby, General Sir David Richards, Chief of the Defence Staff, wrote to all ranks on 23 May both to express his sympathy for Drummer Rigby's family and to urge all service personnel not to get drawn into the politics of this incident. General Richards was clear that UK armed forces fight to protect people of every creed. On 30 May, General Sir Peter Wall, Chief of the General Staff, wrote to all Army Commanders and Commanding Officers to reiterate that Queen's Regulations forbid regular service personnel in uniform from taking an active part in the affairs of any political organisation party or movement, or participating in political marches or demonstrations. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will also use suitable opportunities to reinforce these messages as appropriate, down to unit level.
All service personnel are expected to abide by the values and standards of the British armed forces in all they do. All those who are found to fall short of these high standards or have committed an offence under the Armed Forces Act are dealt with administratively or through the disciplinary process. Ultimately, such action may result in dismissal.
Armed Forces: Mental Illness
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department has commissioned or evaluated on the prevalence of (a) post-traumatic stress disorder and (b) other mental health problems among armed forces personnel according to age at enlistment. [157761]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence has not commissioned or evaluated any research which specifically addresses age of enlistment as a risk factor in mental health outcomes. However, this Government are committed to providing our service personnel with the best possible mental health care and support. Work is under way in a number of areas to address the mental health needs of serving and former service personnel. These include structured mental health assessments, the national veterans' mental health network, and continued funding of research into post-traumatic stress disorder at King's College by Professor Sir Simon Wessely and his team. Most recently, in April 2013, an iPhone app was launched to provide serving armed forces personnel with additional mental health support and information.
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Armed Forces: Qualifications
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what GCSE or Scottish Standard results newly enlisted soldiers had gained in (a) English and (b) mathematics in (i) the infantry and (ii) the Army as a whole in the most recent year for which figures are available. [157759]
Mr Francois: Qualifications on entry, as recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration system, for those soldiers joining between 2 June 2012 and 3 June 2013 are summarised in the following table:
| Infantry | Whole Army | |||
| Name | English | Mathematics | English | Mathematics |
| (1) Less than five. Note: All figures are rounded in accordance with Governmental statistical conventions. | ||||
Armed Forces: Training
Mr Kevan Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many people are undergoing training at (a) RAF Cranwell, (b) Britannia Royal College,
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Dartmouth,
(c)
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and
(d)
the Defence Academy at Shrivenham; [156979]
(2) how many individuals underwent training at (a) Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, (b) Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, (c) the Defence Academy, Shrivenham and (d) RAF Cranwell in each year since 2000; and how many people are intended to undergo training at each establishment in each year until 2020. [156982]
Mr Robathan: The following information relates only to Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and RAF Cranwell. The information relating to the Defence Academy, Shrivenham will take time to collate, and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
As at 23 May 2013, the number of personnel undergoing training was:
| Number | |
The number of personnel who have undergone or will undergo training at each establishment between 2000 and 2020 is shown in the following table.
Where the number is marked as not available (BRNC and Cranwell in financial years 2000-01 to 2005-06), the data has not been captured in electronic form and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
| 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | |
Substantive answer from Andrew Robathan to Kevan Jones:
I undertook to write to you in my answer to your Parliamentary Questions of 3 June 2013 (Official Report, column 988W) about training.
The Defence Academy is a complex Training and Education (T&E) establishment which has its HQ based at Shrivenham, but also has integral components which deliver courses at other geographical sites. The figures below are for all types of T&E delivered at all sites.
As at 23 May 2013, the Defence Academy had approx. 2,474 students undertaking various types of short and longer term T&E.
The number of personnel that have undergone, or will undergo training at the Defence Academy between 2000 and 2020 is shown in the table below. This has been broken down by specific component for ease of reference. Where the number is marked “not available” this is because the information has not been retained.
For ease of reference the areas are as follows:
Armed Forces Chaplaincy Centre (AFCC)—Figures are only available since 2006 as AFCC was not part of the Academy before then.
Defence Academy College of Management Technology—DA CMT was not formed in its current structure until 2009 and figures are not available before this time.
Defence Centre of Training Support (DCTS)—Not part of DA until 2012.
Joint Service Command Staff College (JSCSC)
Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS)
| 00-01 | 01-02 | 02-03 | 03-04 | 04-05 | 05-06 | 06-07 | 07-08 | 08-09 | 09-10 | |
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| 10-11 | 11-12 | 12-13 | 13-14 | 14-15 | 15-16 | 16-17 | 17-18 | 18-19 | 19-20 | |
I have also made arrangements for the Defence Academy Training and Education Statistical Analysis publication to be placed in the House of Commons Library should you wish to review it.
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are taken to ensure that training exercises for minors in the armed forces are suitable for their age and relative physical and psychological maturity. [157764]
Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that the care and training of military personnel under the age of 18 requires particular attention, as made clear in the Armed Forces Covenant.
MOD policy on the care and training of all military personnel, including those under the age of 18, undertaking Phase 1 and Phase 2 training is set out in Joint Service Publication 898—Catalogue of Defence Policies with Impact on Training and Education. This includes guidance on factors that should be considered as part of a Unit Commander's Risk Assessment (CRA). The CRA must take account of any particular or local factors and must contain a detailed analysis of the trainee population, the type of issues they generate and the nature of training and education being undertaken.
No trainee will be released from Phase 2 training until commanders are content that the individual has reached the required level of knowledge and maturity required for their chosen trade. Beyond Phase 2 training, Commanding Officers have a continuing duty of care for the welfare and ongoing training needs of all personnel under their command.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what financial contribution the Department for Education makes to the provision of training for members of the armed forces; [159201]
(2) in what ways his Department co-ordinates with the Department for Education to provide training for members of the armed forces; [159202]
(3) how much his Department spends annually on training members of the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy to reach (i) Key Stage 1 and (ii) Key Stage 2; [159203]
(4) how much his Department spends annually on providing members of the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy with apprenticeships. [159204]
Mr Francois: Given the central importance of readiness for operations, training lies at the core of what we do and is a vital component of professional development for every single member of the armed forces. However, key stages 1 and 2 are attainment levels for children of primary school age and as such are not provided for members of the armed forces.
The Department for Education (DFE) makes no contribution to the provision of military training for members of the armed forces. The Ministry of Defence MOD) has worked closely with the DFE on the recently announced Troops to Teachers programme, which aims to make it easier for highly-skilled former members of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force to become teachers.
Over 10,000 apprenticeships were completed by members of the armed forces in academic year 2011-12. However, the specific MOD costs associated with apprenticeships are not easily separated from other areas of the training budget and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Army: Redundancy
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to support soldiers who will be made redundant as a result of the planned reductions in the size of the Army. [159209]
Dr Murrison: Assisting our former service personnel transition to civilian employment is of major importance to the Department. All service personnel selected for redundancy receive financial compensation and a comprehensive resettlement package to help them find a job and transition to life outside the armed forces.
Soldiers being made redundant in Tranche 3 will qualify for the normal resettlement package available to all armed forces personnel. In addition, as part of the special arrangements for redundancy all Army personnel will receive the same level of graduated resettlement time (GRT) and training to which they would have been entitled had they completed their full commission or engagement. GRT is flexible time which may be used by personnel to complete training courses, civilian work attachments and resettlement activities such as job and house hunting. Also, to help families find accommodation, they may retain their service families' accommodation for up to 93 days after their discharge.
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The resettlement package includes financial briefings covering budget and debt management, specialist housing advice, and advice on the importance of seeking medical help, including the ability to access mental health services, should they feel it necessary.
Further support is available through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) in the form of training courses; career transition workshops; employment and future career advice; assistance with curriculum vitae writing and job preparation; vocational training; and a job-search/recruitment facility.
The CTP also run ‘Right Job’—a bespoke online job finding service, listing thousands of live vacancies which are updated on a daily basis. Right Job assists the service leaver in finding a job they believe is right for them, and enables employers to find qualified candidates who are leaving the armed forces. This service is free of charge to both service leavers and employers.
Historically, over 90% of those service personnel who use the CTP to seek employment secure it within six months of discharge.
Service leavers are entitled to lifetime job finding support through either the Officers Association or the Regular Forces Employment Association.
Libya
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department's work in Libya counted towards the UK's Overseas Development Assistance target. [158447]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) military operation in Libya was not eligible to be counted as overseas development assistance (ODA).
The MOD's Defence Advisory Team which works on capacity building and security sector reform were counted as partially ODA eligible for financial year (FY) 2012-13. The total value of ODA spend on Libya from these activities in FY 2012-13 was approximately £295,000.
As ODA is reported by calendar year, final details of 2012 expenditure will not be available until they are published in Statistics on International Development in the autumn.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he has visited Libya in 2013; what the (a) dates and (b) purpose was of each such visit; and whom he met during each such visit. [158999]
Mr Philip Hammond: I have not visited Libya in 2013. However, the Minister for international security strategy, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), did visit Tripoli in April this year for discussions about naval co-operation.
Military Exercises
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the use of Urban Warrior 5 technology in recent training exercises; and if he will make a statement. [158732]
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Mr Robathan: The Urban Warrior 5 trial seeks to explore how various simulation methods can be used to aid decision making for major combat operations. Urban Warrior 5 also provided an opportunity to further develop the effectiveness of an Armoured Infantry Company Group as part of the new Army 2020 structure. Evaluation of the trial is still in progress and it is expected that the results will not be available before autumn 2013.
Radar: Hebrides
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the operation of the radar at Rangehead is for test facility or for national security. [158697]
Mr Robathan: Radar equipment located in the vicinity of Rangehead on South Uist supports test, evaluation and training activities that are conducted at the Ministry of Defence Hebrides Range.
Radar: Wind Power
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made with the development of technology to allow radar to function effectively with wind turbines in line of sight situations; what plans he has to roll out such technology; and when he anticipates the installations of such technology in the Hebrides Range. [158699]
Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not have responsibility for developing technologies capable of mitigating wind farms. The MOD does continue to work closely with the wind farm industry to identify mitigations for Air Defence (AD) and Air Traffic Control radars (ATC). Wind farm developers have so far funded the implementation of new AD radars at Remote Radar Heads Trimingham and Brizlee Wood, with a third due to be installed at Remote Radar Head Staxton Wold shortly. For ATC Radars, the MOD will conduct a Technology Demonstration (TD) of potential solutions during July/August 2013, and a report will be issued in the autumn of 2013. This TD is not being funded by the MOD.
The MOD intends to upgrade the T92 Radar at Clettraval on North Uist in the next five years, but exact timings have yet to be determined.
Reorganisation
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department's new Operating Model is being implemented and the desired effects are achieved. [158733]
Mr Philip Hammond:
The new Defence Operating Model was put in place, as planned, on 2 April 2013 at Initial Operating Capability and over the next year we will be optimising it to ensure that the Department is best placed to deliver the benefits envisaged by Lord Levene's Defence Reform Review for a simpler, more effective, better skilled and less bureaucratic organisation. These changes are at the heart of how we are delivering our part of the pan-Government Civil Service Reform plan. Defence Reform is managed as
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one of the programmes in the Defence Transformation Portfolio which directs, co-ordinates and drives forward implementation of the major change initiatives. I oversee progress routinely through the Defence Board. Lord Levene also reviews progress annually against his recommendations, reporting to me. Progress is reported to Parliament, including through the Prime Minister's annual report on the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review, the MOD's Annual Report and Accounts, and publication of Lord Levene's annual progress report.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the new Operating Model will affect his Department; and if he will make a statement. [158737]
Mr Philip Hammond: The new Operating Model will lead to:
Net programme delivery risk reduced through empowered financial and capability delegation for delivery to the Command or Top Level Budget area best able to manage it including better management of joint enablers;
Increasingly efficient and effective delivery of operational outputs through increased freedoms to manage capability generation across the Defence Lines of Development;
Non-front line costs reduced as a proportion of overall Defence expenditure through a smaller more professional MOD and more efficient, customer focused support from our corporate service providers;
A better skilled, motivated and engaged work force through improved leadership, targeted education and training and more efficient structures and processes; and
Increased levels of trust through improved top level decision making, more transparent processes and improved communications.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has estimated the cost of extending the in-service life of RFA Fort Rosalie and RFA Fort Austin beyond their retirement dates of 2022 and 2021. [158609]
Mr Dunne: As part of our regular budgetary cycles, we routinely examine a range of options for delivering military capability in the most cost-effective manner. One of these options led to the decision, in 2011, to extend the service lives of RFA Fort Rosalie and RFA Fort Austin to 2024 and 2023 respectively.
Telephone Services
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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. [157734]
Mr Francois: Telecommunications, including telephone lines and services, are provided to the Ministry of Defence and its agencies via the Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service (DFTS) Agreement with British Telecom (BT).
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For the period 2010 to 2015, the bespoke services covered by the agreement provided substantial financial savings of around £92 million. In addition, central Government negotiated improved mobile telephony tariffs with Vodafone (an enabling arrangement under the DFTS agreement) and have realised a further direct saving of £6 million. Central Government have also negotiated a further 1% off direct use of BT digital private circuits and further discounts have been achieved on telephone line rentals.
Where negotiable, standard BT products and services are accompanied by discounts, including reductions in the departmental telephone bill.
Some non-financial benefits have also been realised as a result of the DFTS agreement. These include increased bandwidth for the Defence Information Infrastructure (DII—the departmental ICT network) which has enhanced network capability.
Unmanned Air Vehicles
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many qualified unmanned aerial vehicle pilots are currently employed by the Royal Air Force. [158752]
Mr Robathan: There are currently 36 Royal Air Force personnel qualified to pilot remotely piloted air systems.
Wind Power
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on funding technical demonstrators to assist the development of wind farms in the last five years. [R] [158144]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has contributed £45,000 of funding to Technology Demonstrator Programmes to assist in the development of wind farms in the last five years. The Department has also closely monitored the development of radar technologies and supported trials to assess the maturity of commercial wind farm mitigation solutions.
Energy and Climate Change
Accountancy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 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. [159042]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have any people currently seconded from the big four accountancy firms.
Energy: Coventry
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average proportion of household expenditure on energy bills in (a) Coventry and (b) Coventry North East constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [159278]
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Gregory Barker: The latest available data cover the years 2009-11. This suggests that during this period in the west midlands, the average proportion of expenditure on electricity, gas and other fuels was 5.0%. This compares with 4.6% for the UK as a whole. These data are from the Living Costs and Food Survey, run by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Data from this survey are not available at a lower level than that of regions. Therefore data for Coventry and Coventry North East constituency are not available.
Energy: Disconnections
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in the UK were disconnected by their (a) energy and (b) gas supplier in 2010-11. [158536]
Michael Fallon: Ofgem monitors and publishes information about disconnections of domestic electricity supplies in its Domestic Supplies' Obligations Annual Reports:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Monitoring/SoObMonitor/Pages/SocObMonitor.aspx
In 2010, 1,988 domestic electricity and 813 domestic gas supplies were disconnected due to debt. In 2011, 921 domestic electricity and 331 gas customer supplies were disconnected due to debt.
Warm Front Scheme
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an assessment of the effects of the closure of the Warm Front Scheme on (a) levels of fuel poverty and (b) the number of energy efficient homes. [159279]
Gregory Barker: The Warm Front scheme has been a key policy in tackling fuel poverty among private sector households in England though the installation of a range of heating, insulation and other energy efficiency measures. The last year of Warm Front's operation was 2012-13 and to ensure there was no gap in the support for vulnerable households the Energy Company Obligation was introduced in January 2013.
The energy company obligation is expected to lead to more cost-effective delivery of measures to low income, vulnerable households.
Under Warm Front in 2010-11, around 80,000 households received major heating and/or insulation measures from a budget of £366 million. By contrast, the ECO Affordable Warmth obligation is expected to deliver heating and insulation measures to around 130,000 households each year of the scheme for an annual cost of around £350 million. Coupled with the ECO Carbon Saving Communities obligation, worth around £190 million per annum, we expect some 230,000 low income households to be assisted each scheme year. We also expect the main ECO carbon obligation to assist further low income households.
Women and Equalities
Rape: Victim Support Schemes
Steve McCabe: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how much funding was provided to rape crisis centres in each year since 2010. [154602]
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Mrs Grant: Since 2010 the Government Equalities Office has provided £1,085,000 towards the funding of Rape Crisis Centres.
Regulation
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what processes the Government Equalities Office 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 the Government Equalities Office. [155796]
Mrs Grant: The Statement of New Regulation is a Government-wide publication that lists regulatory and deregulatory measures and their expected impact on businesses.
GEO has used the Red Tape Challenge process to review existing regulations, and in particular invite requests from stakeholders to amend or revoke regulations that impose unnecessary burdens on business.
Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities if she will provide the estimated cost of each regulation introduced by the Government Equalities Office since May 2010; and what the estimated benefits of each regulation (a) amended and (b) revoked were. [155962]
Mrs Grant: The information requested is provided in the following table based on the following definitions:
Regulation: a measure within scope of the one-in, one-out (OIOO) or one-in, two-out (OITO)
Introduced: the date at which a regulation came into force
Business impact: the annual net cost to business (negative should be interpreted as benefits).
The one-in, one-out rule came into force in January 2011. The one-in, two-out rule replaced the one-in, one-out rule from January 2013. EU derived regulatory measures are out of scope of OIOO and OITO. The machinery of government change brought the Government Equalities Office (GEO) under control of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in September 2012. This table also covers the period when GEO was under the control of the Home Secretary.
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Culture, Media and Sport
Pay
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many employees in her Department were paid in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000 in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013. [156748]
Hugh Robertson [holding answer 3 June 2013]: The number of employees paid in excess of (a) £80,000 and (b) £100,000 in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013 is shown in the table. Historical data is also provided to highlight the context.
| In excess of £80,000 | In excess of £100,000 | |
Sign Language
Sir Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what specific measures her Department has in place to ensure that deaf people have the opportunity to communicate in British Sign Language with (a) cultural, media, sporting and business organisations and (b) the agencies and public bodies for which she is responsible. [157587]
Mr Vaizey: We recognise the importance of removing the barriers deaf and hearing impaired people face, where they might otherwise be at a substantial disadvantage compared to the way others access a particular service.
The Minister for disabled people, my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral West (Esther McVey), and I have written to organisations to explore how they can meet the needs of BSL customers, through developing a mix of accessible contact strategies for their
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disabled and older customers via e-mail, SMS, instant messenger, text relay and Video Relay Services (VRS). These initiatives will assist many people who are deaf and hearing impaired.
The information on measures taken by the Department's agencies and arm's length bodies is not held centrally.
Swimming Pools
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to the building of Olympic-sized swimming pools in each year for which information is available. [156827]
Hugh Robertson: The table sets out Sport England funding (through the Lottery and from the Exchequer). We do not have records of other sources of public funding.
The 'years' column sets out the year the award was made, as some facilities were paid over a number of years.
| Funding (£) | |
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bovine Tuberculosis
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to his written statement of 27 February 2013, Official Report, column 28WS, on bovine TB, what criteria will be used to test his Department's assumptions about the effectiveness, humaneness and safety of shooting badgers in the proposed cull pilots. [158029]
Mr Heath: Independent monitoring will be undertaken to assess the effectiveness, humaneness and safety of controlled shooting during the pilots. The design of this monitoring has been overseen by an independent panel of experts, who have advised on the appropriate methods for monitoring, which will include field observations and post mortems. Further details of the monitoring protocols are available online at the following link and I have also placed copies in the Library of the House.
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/a-z/bovine-tb/badgers/badger-culling-pilots/
The independent panel will evaluate the pilots before reporting back to Government. Ministers will then decide whether the policy should be rolled out more widely.
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Cattle: Vaccination
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what the current status is of his discussions with the European Commission on cattle vaccine trials in England; and if he will make a statement; [157835]
(2) what recent progress he has made on discussions with the European Commission on cattle vaccine trials in England; and if he will make a statement. [158030]
Mr Heath: EU Commissioner Tonio Borg wrote to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 14 January 2013 setting out the substantial scientific evidence that will be needed before any decision can be taken on lifting the current EU ban on cattle vaccination. For that reason, his view is that it would be reasonable to expect the full process to take 10 years. The Secretary of State and I will continue to discuss this important issue with the Commissioner as and when the need arises.
We are looking for ways to accelerate the work we were already doing on the required experimental research and planning the subsequent large scale trialling of the vaccine that the Commissioner regards as the essential next step. We hope to have successfully completed all the experimental work, including studies on safety of meat and milk, during 2014 so that we can make an application to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for an Animal Test Certificate to begin the necessary field trials.
Dairy Products: Exports
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to work with UK Trade and Investment to increase the volume of exports of English dairy products. [159200]
Mr Heath: The Government are helping industry to address the current dairy trade deficit by increasing the proportion of British dairy products sold in the domestic market and by increasing exports.
DEFRA and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) are working closely together and with the dairy industry to drive growth. They are increasing the dairy industry's awareness of and capability for exporting, as part of DEFRA and UKTI's Exports Action Plan and UKTI's business plan for food and drink sectors which includes specific work with the dairy sector.
seminars;
improved liaison and exports services;
supporting applications for protected food names;
developing a “British dairy message” to work alongside both the GREAT campaign and commercial brands; and
assisting dairy companies to reach new markets through international trade missions.
Food: Prices
Richard Burden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of recent price
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movements in the Consumer Price Index for
(a)
food and non-alcoholic beverages and
(b)
vegetable products for people's dietary choices. [158532]
Mr Heath [holding answer 10 June 2013]: DEFRA actively monitors retail food prices and their impact on household expenditure through its Family Food Survey. We know that some households are seeing the amount they spend on food and non-alcoholic beverages increase and there is evidence that households are trading down to cheaper products. On average in 2011 food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for 11.3% of all household expenditure, up from 10.8% in 2008.
The amount UK households spend on fresh and processed vegetables has been increasing, reflecting price increases. However, the 2011 Family Food Survey reported that in 2011 purchases of '5 a day' were unchanged for the third consecutive year, at an average of four portions per person per day.
Public Health England, in partnership with Health Departments across the UK, monitors the food consumption and nutrient intakes of the general population using data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Results from the survey are published regularly, and are reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN). The most recent results were published in July 2012.(1)
We work internationally to promote transparency, open global markets and a competitive domestic market to help producers and retailers offer the best prices to consumers.
(1) Bates B, Lennox A, Prentice A, Bates C, and Swan G (Eds.) (2012) National Diet and Nutrition Survey. Headline results from Years 1, 2 and 3 (combined) of the rolling programme (2008-09—2010-11)