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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 17 June 2013
Education
Accountancy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials of his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of any such secondee. [159848]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has one secondee working for one of the ‘big four'. Their role in the Department is Head of the Management Accounting Team (Grade 6). This is a reciprocal agreement and the placement started in October 2012 and will be for a period of up to 12 months.
Australia
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the apology by the Australian Prime Minister for the past treatment of unmarried mothers and the previous policy of forced adoptions in that country; and whether the Prime Minister plans to issue such an apology for similar past practices in this country. [159740]
Mr Timpson: The United Kingdom Government have not made any formal response to the apology made by the Australian Government. The Government have no plans to issue a similar apology.
Big Society Network
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (a) how much funding his Department allocated to and (b) what contracts his Department held with the Big Society Network in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date. [160112]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department has made no funding allocations to, or held any contracts with, the Big Society Network.
Child Minding
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 381W, on childminding, who the members of the Task and Finish Group for childminder agencies are. [159620]
Elizabeth Truss: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 998W, to the hon. Member for Manchester Central (Lucy Powell).
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Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 381W, on childminding, which (a) organisations and (b) individuals (i) have been actively approached by his Department with a view to piloting childminder agencies, (ii) have expressed an interest in piloting childminder agencies and (iii) are currently working with his Department in planning childminder agency pilot schemes. [159634]
Elizabeth Truss: In relation to organisations who have expressed an interest in or been approached in relation to our childminder trials, as I set out in the House on 11 June, my officials have written to over 60 organisations with a view to trialling elements of childminder agencies. These are a mix of organisations, representing businesses (ranging from multi-national nursery chains to individual childminders), academies, maintained schools, national child care organisations, children's centres and local authorities.
The trials will begin later this summer. I will say more in the coming weeks about the organisations taking part and the shape of the trials.
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, columns 999-1000W, on child minding, how many times the Task and Finish Group has met; and which organisations have attended each such meeting. [159949]
Elizabeth Truss: The Task and Finish Group has met four times to date. This involved three full meetings; and one smaller sub-group meeting to discuss safeguarding issues.
At the meeting of 15 February 2013, those in attendance represented: 4Children; National Day Nurseries Association; Pre-School Learning Alliance; Daycare Trust; Ofsted; Bright Horizons; Redgrave Children and Young People's Centre; Norland Nannies; Independent Childminders Social Enterprise; Kidsunlimited; Association of Nanny Agencies; @Home Childcare; Brookside Community Primary School; Trio Childcare and the Department for Education.
At the meeting of 27 March 2013, those in attendance represented: Ofsted; National College for School Leadership; Redgrave Children and Young People's Centre; National Children's Bureau; Association of Nanny Agencies; Bright Horizons; @Home Childcare; Northamptonshire Childminding Association; Independent Childminders Social Enterprise; Trio Childcare; National Day Nurseries Association; Kidsunlimited and the Department for Education.
At the meeting of 1 May 2013, those in attendance represented: 4Children; Kids Unlimited; National Day Nurseries Association; Redgrave Children and Young People's Centre; National Children's Bureau; @Home Childcare; Independent Childminders Social Enterprise; Trio Childcare; Northamptonshire Childminding Association; Pre-School Learning Alliance; Family and Childcare Trust and the Department for Education.
At the sub-group meeting of 12 June 2013, those in attendance represented: Ofsted, National Children's Bureau, the Independent Childminders Social Enterprise, @Home Childcare and the Department for Education.
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Children: Day Care
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 384W, on children: day care, whether Andreas Schleicher or any other representative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has advocated increasing child-to-staff ratios in childcare settings in representations to his Department; and if he will place a copy of any such representation in the Library. [159616]
Elizabeth Truss: I have corresponded with Andreas Schleicher, Special Adviser on Education Policy to the Secretary-General of the OECD. He is supportive of improving staff qualifications and says the best education systems prioritise quality of staff over class sizes. He has acknowledged the importance of the proposals in ‘More great childcare’, published by the Government in January 2013, including our intention to bring England more into line with comparable countries.
I will place a copy of Andreas Schleicher's letter in the Library.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 382W, on children: day care, for what reasons his Department's consultation on childcare qualifications did not also consult on the principle of increasing child-to-staff ratios in childcare settings. [159617]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department's publication ‘More great childcare’ set out the Government's proposals on child-to-staff ratios. The consultation which accompanied it invited views on the impact the proposals might have on providers, and on which qualification requirements should form part of any new rules on child-to-staff ratios.
Child Poverty
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the number of school children who are living in poverty and who are not receiving free school meals in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Birmingham, Hall Green constituency in the last three years for which figures are available. [159508]
Mr Laws: This information is not available. The Department has not made an estimate, for the current year or earlier years, of the number of school children living in poverty in England who are not receiving free school meals.
Classroom Assistants
Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's policy is on teaching assistants. [159900]
Mr Laws: It is for schools, as the employers, to decide the most appropriate staffing structure for their school, including how teaching assistants are employed and deployed within that structure in a way that reflects local priorities and the educational needs of the pupils at the school.
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First Aid: Education
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to increase the proportion of children leaving school with training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. [159796]
Elizabeth Truss: Teachers are free to teach emergency life-saving skills—including cardiopulmonary resuscitation —within the wider school curriculum as part of non-statutory personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. We believe that schools are best placed to make decisions about whether to offer such training.
Many organisations with an interest in this area responded to our recent consultation on the national curriculum, which closed on 16 April 2013. We are reviewing the consultation responses, including those concerning emergency life-saving skills, and will publish a final version of the new national curriculum later in the year.
Free School Meals
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that school children who live in poverty receive free school meals. [159504]
Mr Laws: The Government recognise the benefits of healthy school meals and are committed to continuing to provide free school meals to those pupils who need them most. Our priority is to make sure that the most disadvantaged children are able to get a nutritious free school meal. The move to universal credit means that we need to introduce new free school meal entitlement criteria. This will not reduce the number of children eligible for free school meals.
We encourage all families who meet the criteria to register for free school meals. This will continue to enable disadvantaged children to benefit from a nutritious meal and their schools to receive Pupil Premium funding to help raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.
Our eligibility checking service, used by most local authorities, has made it much easier and quicker to check anonymously which families are entitled to free school meals. National free school meal take-up increased by 60,000 between 2010 and 2012.
Literacy: Kent
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the literacy level of primary school leavers in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency and (b) Medway in each of the last five years. [159770]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department published data for the last five years for achievements at level 4 or above in English in Medway local authority within table 22 of the ‘National curriculum assessments at key stage 2 in England: academic year 2011 to 2012’ statistical first release, which can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-in-england-academic-year-2011-to-2012
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Table 22 can be found within the ‘Local authority tables: SFR33/2012’ link, with figures for all pupils shown in the right-most column. Different years' data can be selected using the drop down menus, located in the top right of the table.
The data requested for Gillingham and Rainham parliamentary constituency have been provided in the following table:
| Achievements in English at the expected level(1) by pupils at the end of key stage 2 in Gillingham and Rainham parliamentary constituency(2), years: 2008-12(3) | |
| Percentage of KS2 pupils achieving expected level in English | |
| (1) Includes pupils who achieved level 4 or above. Level 4 is the expected level of achievement for pupils at the end of key stage 2. (2) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. (3) Data are final data for all years. (4) In 2012, English was calculated from reading test results and writing teacher assessment rather than from reading and writing tests as in previous years. English in 2012 is, therefore, not comparable to previous years. Source: National Pupil Database. Includes state-funded schools including academies. Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. | |
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Pupils: Attendance
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average attendance rate is for schools in (a) Barnsley local education authority area, (b) Barnsley Central constituency, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) England. [160242]
Elizabeth Truss: Absence rates by type of school for 2011/12 in England, South Yorkshire, Barnsley local authority and Barnsley Central constituency are shown in the table.
Absence data for 2011/12 are published in the ‘Pupil absence in schools in England, including pupil characteristics' Statistical First Release(1).
(1)Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england-including-pupil-characteristics
| State-funded primary, secondary and special schools(1,2,3,4): pupil absence by type of school, 2011/12 Barnsley Central constituency, Barnsley local authority, South Yorkshire and England | ||||||||
| State-funded primary schools(1,2) | State-funded secondary schools(1,3) | Special schools(4) | Total | |||||
| Pupil enrolments in schools during 2011/12(5) | Overall absence rate(6) | Pupil enrolments in schools during 2011/12(5) | Overall absence rate(6) | Pupil enrolments in schools during 2011/12(5) | Overall absence rate(6) | Pupil enrolments in schools during 2011/12(5,7) | Overall absence rate(6) | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies, including free schools. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies, including free schools. (4) Includes maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools and special academies. Excludes general hospital schools, independent special schools and independent schools approved for SEN pupils. (5) Number of pupil enrolments in schools from start of the school year until 1 June 2012. Includes pupils on the school roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15. Excludes boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once (if they moved schools during the school year or are registered in more than one school). (6) The number of sessions missed due to overall absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. (7) National and regional totals and totals across school types have been rounded to the nearest 5. There may be discrepancies between totals and the sum of constituent parts. (8) South Yorkshire consists of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield local authorities. Source: School Census | ||||||||
Pupils: English Language
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for how many pupils in schools in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency and (b) Medway English is a second language. [159771]
Elizabeth Truss: Information showing the number of pupils by first language for England, Medway local authority and Gillingham and Rainham constituency is shown in the table.
A first language other than English is recorded where a child was exposed to the language during early
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development and continues to be exposed to this language in their home or community. If a child was exposed to more than one language (which may include English)
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during early development the language other than English is recorded, irrespective of the child's proficiency in English.
| All schools(1): Number and percentage of pupils by first language(2, 3, )England, Medway local authority and Gillingham and Rainham constituency, January 2012 | |||||||
| Number of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English | Percentage of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English(4) | Number of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be English | Percentage of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be English(4) | Unclassified(5) | Percentage unclassified(4) | Total(3) | |
| (1) Includes maintained primary schools, primary academies including free schools, maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges, secondary academies including free schools, maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools, special academies and pupil referral units. Excludes general hospital schools. (2) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. In pupil referral units, also includes pupils who are registered with other providers and further education colleges. (3) Pupils of compulsory school age and above were classified by first language. (4) The number of pupils by their first language expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils of compulsory school age and above. (5) Information was not sought or refused, also includes pupils where classification of first language is pending. Note: National numbers and all totals have been rounded to the nearest 5. There may be discrepancies between totals and the sum of constituent parts. Source: School Census. | |||||||
Schools: Admissions
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the number of school places available at (a) primary and (b) secondary level in (i) England, (ii) the north west and (iii) Cumbria in each of the next 10 years. [160044]
Mr Laws: The Department collects information about the number of school places available each year, but does not hold information or estimates about the number of school places available in each local authority in future years.
The Department collects local authorities' estimates of future pupil numbers (which indicates the number of places that will be needed). The most recent survey data relate to the position at May 2012 and are available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2011-to-2012
The data show that all local authorities in the north-west, including Cumbria, anticipate an increase in the number of primary pupils in each of the next five years. Cumbria local authority forecasts a decrease in secondary pupil numbers over the next five years. Only a quarter of the local authorities in the north-west are predicting an increase in secondary pupil numbers over the same period.
Over £5 billion is being provided to local authorities for additional school places in this spending round (2011-12 to 2014/15), compared with £1.9 billion in the previous four year period (2007-8 to 2010-11). Basic need allocations to local authorities in the north-west and Cumbria are detailed as follows (note these do not include any funding via the Targeted Basic Need programme as these data have not yet been published):
| Basic need allocations | ||
| £ million | ||
| 2007-08 to 2011-12 | 2011-12 to 2014-15 | |
Based on information provided by local authorities, it is estimated that by September this year 190,000 extra places will have been provided.
Special Educational Needs: Sunderland
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children resident in Sunderland Central constituency received special education needs statements in 2012. [159992]
Mr Timpson: The Department does not hold information on the number of children receiving statements of special educational needs (SEN) for each parliamentary constituency.
The number of children residing in Sunderland local authority who received statements of SEN for the first time in 2011 is 145. Information for 2012 is not currently available. The full statistics on SEN can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2012
Teachers and Classroom Assistants
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his most recent estimate is of the average cost to a (a) school and (b) local authority of employing a (i) teacher and (ii) classroom assistant; and what forecast he has made of the equivalent cost in each year from 2013-14 to 2016-17. [159456]
Mr Laws: The average cost of employing a teacher is provided in the following table:
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| £ | ||||
| Academic years | ||||
| 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | |
| (1) Teachers' cost in academic year 2012/13 is based on School Workforce Census Statistical First Release, November 2012. Notes: 1. Teachers employed by a local authority are defined as “centrally employed” in the School Workforce Census. 2. Includes qualified teachers only and those earning at least £21,588 (classroom teachers) or £37,461 (leadership group teachers). 3. Includes head teachers, deputy head teachers, assistant head teachers, classroom teachers, advanced skills teachers and excellent teachers. 4. The average cost includes base salary, allowances and on-costs (employer's pension and NI contributions). 5. Teachers' average pay is projected into academic years 2013/14 to 2015/16 by applying 1% pay increase in years 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 based on the Chancellor's announcement and the Budget 2013. | ||||
We know that teachers' salaries vary depending on factors such as their experience, grade, phase of school and the geographic area in which they work. The composition of the teaching population employed by local authorities is different from that in schools. This results in differences in the average salaries and subsequently the average costs incurred by the local authorities and schools employing these teachers as shown above.
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From September 2013, schools will be implementing the reforms recommended by the “21st Report of the School Teachers' Review Body” (STRB). The STRB recommended significant additional flexibility for schools to establish pay policies within a broad national framework. The STRB also recommended that all pay progression should be linked to performance.
Costs for 2016/17 have not been provided as they are subject to future decisions about public sector pay and recommendations from the STRB.
Estimates of the average cost of employing teaching assistants can be produced only at a disproportionate cost.
Teachers: Qualifications
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of newly-qualified teachers graduated in each degree class in each Government office region in the last year for which figures are available. [159692]
Mr Laws: The following table shows the proportion of newly-qualified teachers gaining qualified teacher status in 2010/11, broken down by the class of first degree they held and the Government office region in which they trained. Data for the academic year 2011/12 will be published this summer.
| Performance profiles 2010/11—Proportion of Qualified Teacher Status awards by degree class of postgraduates | |||||||||||
| Percentage | |||||||||||
| Qualification on entry | |||||||||||
| UK degree | Non-UK degree | Degree equivalent | Total | ||||||||
| Classification of first degree (UK) | |||||||||||
| Provider | 1st | 2:1 | 2:2 | 3 | Pass | Class not known | Undefined | Total | Total | Total | Total |
| Notes: 1. The percentages included are for those trainees who achieved QTS on completion of a postgraduate initial teacher training course. 2. The government office region relates to the region in which the newly-qualified teacher undertook their initial teacher training. Source: National College for Teaching and Leadership, Initial Teacher Training Performance Profiles | |||||||||||
Teachers: Vacancies
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the ratio of applicants to vacancies was for newly-qualified teachers in each Government office region, in the last year for which figures are available. [159693]
Mr Laws: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Treasury
Civil List: Pensions
Mr Whittingdale: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the total annual cost is of civil list pensions; [158859]
(2) if he will list all those individuals in receipt of a civil list pension; on what date each such pension was awarded; and what the amount is of each pension. [158860]
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Sajid Javid: Civil list pensions are personal awards given by Her Majesty the Queen. Under the Data Protection Act the Treasury is not able to disclose details of individuals in receipt of a pension.
The annual cost of civil list pensions paid to 53 people in 2012-13 was £126,293. The average pension is £2,383.
Gift Aid
Dan Jarvis: 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. [160178]
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. We 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.
Income Tax: Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 462W, on income tax: Scotland, if he will place in the Library the agenda and minutes of the last three meetings of the (a) Pensions Technical Group, (b) Charities Technical Group and (c) Income Tax Group. [159933]
Mr Gauke: The three technical groups were set up by HMRC to advise on the practical implications of the implementation of the Scottish rate of income tax. The Charities Technical Group has completed its work, which was reflected in the approach to the treatment of Gift Aid relief described in the technical note published by HMRC in May 2012. One meeting was held. There was no agenda for the meeting. Minutes of the meeting of the group will be placed in the House Library. Issues discussed with the Pensions Technical Group and Income Tax Technical Group are still under consideration, and relevant papers will be made available when this work is completed.
Individual Savings Accounts: Children
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has conducted a distributional analysis of the take-up of junior individual savings accounts. [159797]
Sajid Javid: No distributional analysis has been produced at this time.
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Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of those eligible for junior individual savings accounts have opened such accounts in each year since their inception. [159798]
Sajid Javid: Junior ISAs have been available since 1 November 2011. Between that date and 5 April 2012, around 71,000 junior ISA accounts were opened and received subscriptions. The total number of children eligible for an account is estimated to be 6 million. Take-up of junior ISA in the first five months of the account is therefore broadly estimated at around 1.2%.
Infrastructure
John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many projects have received support under the borrowing guarantees scheme since that scheme's inception; and what the value of such projects is. [160233]
Danny Alexander: Following the launch of the UK Guarantees scheme one guarantee has been issued to Drax Power to support their £650 million to £700 million partial conversion from a coal-fired power station to biomass.
Commercial specialists continue to engage with eligible projects and further guarantees are expected to be offered in 2013.
Infrastructure UK
John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what projects are currently being managed by Infrastructure UK; and if he will estimate the value of each such project; [160228]
(2) how many of the projects managed by Infrastructure UK have (a) started and (b) been completed. [160229]
Danny Alexander: Infrastructure UK supports the delivery of major infrastructure projects with a focus on the Top 40 priority infrastructure projects and programmes but does not directly manage them. An update on the delivery of the Top 40 was published alongside Budget 2013 and is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infrastructure-delivery-update-march-2013
Loans: Republic of Ireland
Dr McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much from the public purse has been loaned or gifted to the Republic of Ireland since the financial crisis in that country. [160101]
Greg Clark: In December 2010, the UK signed an agreement for a bilateral loan of £3.2 billion.
I refer the hon. Member to the Treasury's Statutory Report on the UK's bilateral loan to Ireland, submitted as required by the Loans to Ireland Act 2010, which covers the reporting period to 1 October 2012 to March 2013 and is available online at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bilateral-loan-to-ireland
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The Treasury has since made one further disbursement of the loan, as set out in my statement to the House on 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 1WS.
Members: Correspondence
Julie Elliott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Sunderland Central to the Economic Secretary to the Treasury dated 19 April 2013 and 24 May 2013, relating to the Sunderland enquiry offices closure. [159622]
Mr Gauke: The letter was replied to in full on 30 April 2013. A duplicate copy has been sent to the hon. Member on 12 June 2013. The letter of 24 May 2013 was chasing the letter of 19 April.
Public Expenditure: Scotland
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding in (a) capital DEL (b) resource DEL and (c) financial transfers have been allocated to the Scottish Government in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [160273]
Danny Alexander: The data requested are set out in the following table:
| £ million | |||
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | |
| (1) Not yet available | |||
Public Expenditure: Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the forthcoming spending review. [159807]
Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a wide variety of topics. In addition, I chaired a Finance Minister Quadrilateral meeting in Belfast on 10 June to discuss issues relating to the forthcoming spending round.
Revenue and Customs
Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1240W, on Revenue and Customs: telephone services, what steps he is taking to ensure that HM Revenue and Customs meets its stated target of answering 80 per cent of calls within five minutes. [159561]
Mr Gauke: To help create a better customer experience in HMRC just under 1,000 additional full-time equivalent staff were deployed to its Contact Centres in 2012-13.
This additional investment is helping its Contact Centres use resources more flexibly to strike a better
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balance across its different telephony performance measures; such as customer waiting times as well as the volume of calls answered.
HMRC intends to publish its performance results covering quarter 1 in August 2013.
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations HM Revenue and Customs has received from the Information Commissioner to release the address of each individual named on the Consulting Association database of blacklisted workers. [159567]
Mr Gauke: I can confirm that the Information Commissioner has been in contact with both HMRC and DWP for assistance in tracing individuals on the Consulting Association database. DWP are taking the lead in providing this assistance.
Tax Avoidance: Charities
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what discussions he has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on steps to prevent organisations registering as charities with the Charity Commission for tax avoidance purposes; [159477]
(2) what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to ensure that charities registered with the Charity Commission are not being used as tax avoidance schemes; and if he will make a statement. [159478]
Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is committed to tackling tax avoidance which seeks to abuse charitable tax reliefs, and works closely with the Charity Commission to ensure that charities are compliant with tax law.
HMRC and the Charity Commission for England and Wales have a close working relationship. HMRC uses a statutory gateway to share intelligence and information with the Charity Commission. The gateway permits HMRC and the Charity Commission to share relevant categories of information, and enables the Departments to act quickly where there is concern. Where there is a mutual interest, HMRC and the Charity Commission investigations staff run joint operations, which have proved to be very effective. Investigative caseworkers from HMRC and the Charity Commission often communicate on a daily basis.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many charities registered with the Charity Commission have been identified by HM Revenue and Customs as being used for tax avoidance purposes in each of the last five years. [159482]
Sajid Javid: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not keep central records of the charities it has identified as being used for tax avoidance purposes. This is because tax avoidance takes a number of forms and HMRC's compliance work therefore spans across multiple sections of the Department. Further, the use of a charity for tax avoidance purposes does not necessarily indicate that the charity is complicit or even aware of its involvement in tax avoidance.
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Taxation: Motor Vehicles
Mr Leigh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what manner funds raised through fuel duty and road tax are apportioned in the budget. [159873]
Sajid Javid: The funds that are raised through fuel duty and vehicle excise duty are passed to the Consolidated Fund.
Taxation: Water Companies
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the corporate structure and tax liabilities of water companies operating in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [160054]
Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers regularly meet with Ministers in other Departments as part of the policy development process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
Tobacco: Smuggling
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he expects the tobacco smuggling strategy of HM Revenue and Customs to meet its target of protecting £1.4 billion in revenue over the current spending review period. [159479]
Sajid Javid: There is no overall revenue target specified for the joint HMRC and Border Force “Tackling Tobacco Smuggling” strategy. The objective of the joint strategy is to maintain downward pressure on the illicit tobacco market in the UK.
Latest HMRC estimates indicate that the UK illicit market share for cigarettes has reduced from 21% to 9% and for hand-rolling tobacco, from 61% to 38% since 2000-01.
£1.4 billion is the expected revenue benefit from reinvestment funding in activity by HMRC and Border Force to tackle organised crime tobacco fraud under the 2010 spending review. Performance in this area is closely monitored and results will be published in departmental reports.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the tobacco smuggling strategy of HM Revenue and Customs; and if he will make a statement. [159480]
Sajid Javid: The key measure of the impact of the joint HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Border Force ‘Tackling Tobacco Smuggling’ strategy is the trend in the relevant tax gap estimates for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.
The most recent estimates of the tobacco tax gaps are published in “Measuring Tax Gaps 2012” available on the HMRC website:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-2012.pdf
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UK Membership of EU
Mr Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of which policy objectives of his Department are being frustrated or inhibited by reason of the UK's membership of the EU. [159214]
Greg Clark [holding answer 11 June 2013]: The Government are committed to membership of a reformed EU. In every negotiation the Government seek to ensure the UK national interest is protected, and risks to HM Treasury policy interests are minimized. We work actively within the EU to enhance UK growth opportunities and UK competitiveness through strengthening of the Single Market, cutting the cost of EU regulation on business and concluding free trade agreements with our major trading partners around the world.
VAT: Hotels
Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider reducing the rate of VAT charged to hotels in the UK for the purposes of enabling them to run their businesses at similar levels of taxation to hotels in other EU countries. [159678]
Mr Gauke: The Government have no plans to introduce a reduced rate for the hotel sector in the UK, but all aspects of the tax system are kept under review.
Energy and Climate Change
Energy Company Obligation
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the (a) monetary value and (b) number of grants awarded to households living in (i) social housing, (ii) private rented housing and (iii) privately owned housing under the energy company obligation scheme. [159565]
Gregory Barker: Under the energy company obligation, major energy suppliers provide subsidy to promote the delivery of energy efficiency measures, but it is not a grant scheme. For information, DECC will publish on 27 June a monthly Official Statistics publication that will cover progress on the energy company obligation.
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure that households living in (a) private rented housing and (b) privately owned housing are able to access the energy company obligation scheme. [160124]
Gregory Barker: Owners, landlords and tenants of privately owned and privately rented properties are eligible for all aspects of the energy company obligation (ECO). Ofgem, who administer the scheme, have published their final ECO guidance document and a set of frequently asked questions, which provide clarity on the precise eligibility criteria and arrangements.
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Both DECC and Ofgem have met key representatives in the private rental sector on a number of occasions to discuss in detail, and raise awareness of, how these groups can take advantage of the scheme.
Energy: Business
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1645, on energy bills, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there are hundreds of new small and medium-sized energy efficiency enterprises. [159721]
Gregory Barker: The latest Official Statistics show that the Green Deal market is gathering real momentum. By the end of April there were 1,274 Green Deal advisors, 55 Green Deal providers and over 1,000 installers organisations. The next full Green Deal statistical release will be on 27 June.
Although we do not collect data on the size of organisations within the Green Deal supply chain our continued engagement with participants within the market gives us encouragement that SMEs are playing a full role within the Green Deal.
Energy: Fines
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that penalties imposed by energy regulators are not passed on to consumers. [159473]
Gregory Barker: Under existing powers Ofgem can fine energy companies up to 10% of their annual turnover for non-compliance with their obligations but unless Ofgem can agree compensation for consumers with energy companies, such fines are paid into the Consolidated Fund. We are taking powers in the Energy Bill to allow Ofgem to require energy companies to pay redress directly to consumers, where they have suffered loss, damage or inconvenience as a result of a breach of licence condition or other regulatory requirement.
There are no regulatory means by which Government or Ofgem can prevent the costs of the penalties imposed on energy companies being passed on to consumers. The reforms to the retail market currently being implemented by Ofgem, and backed by powers in the Energy Bill, will deliver a simpler and more transparent market which should deliver the increased competitive pressure needed to keep bills as low as possible.
Green Deal Finance Company
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 28 January 2012, Official Report, column 603W, on the Green Deal Scheme, how much his Department has lent to the Green Deal Finance Company to date. [159989]
Gregory Barker: To date, DECC has lent the Green Deal Finance Company £16.6 million out of an initially available commitment of £25 million. This has been lent on the same basis as 15 other public and private companies who have also lent to the Green Deal Finance Company and represents a minority of this funding. The Green Deal Finance Company are anticipated to draw the remaining £8.4 million shortly.
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Green Deal Scheme
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 1 November 2012, Official Report, column 395W, on the Green Deal Scheme, how many Green Deal apprentices have (a) begun and (b) completed their training. [159990]
Gregory Barker: The Department made £3 million available in funding for the training of Green Deal advisers and installers. This was delegated to Asset Skills and Construction Skills respectively to allocate on our behalf. 792 Green Deal advisers have now completed their training with support from DECC funding, and as of April 2013, there were a total of 1,274 Green Deal advisers registered. Funding has been allocated to 751 installer operatives on the DECC funded installer training programme. Of these, 167 installer operatives have completed their vocational qualification to date.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal applications have been (a) made and (b) successfully completed to date. [160216]
Gregory Barker: The Department's next monthly Green Deal/ECO statistical release, to be published on 27 June, will be an expanded version of previous monthly releases and will include numbers of Green Deal Plans.
Green Deal Scheme: North West
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency, (b) Cumbria and (c) North West England have received loans under the Green Deal scheme to date. [159943]
Gregory Barker: The Department's next monthly Green Deal/ECO statistical release, to be published on 27 June, will be an expanded version of previous monthly releases and will include the numbers of Green Deal Plans. Further breakdowns of Green Deal Plans (e.g. by local authority) will be available in future quarterly statistical releases.
Insulation
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1654, on energy efficiency, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there are very few cavity walls left to fill. [159723]
Gregory Barker: DECC publish regular estimates of home insulation levels in Great Britain. The most recent publication which contained estimates up to beginning of October 2012 estimated that there are around 0.9 million properties with unfilled easy to treat cavities remaining (5% of cavity wall properties) a reduction of 2.4 million since April 2008. This contrasts with over 3 million unfilled hard to treat cavities, and approximately 7.7 million uninsulated solid wall properties (96% of solid wall properties).
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Since then it has also been confirmed by Ofgem that an additional 167,000 cavities were insulated in the final quarter of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT).
An update to these estimates of home insulation levels will be published on. 27 June, this will include estimates for measures delivered up to the beginning of April 2013.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 824W, on the Green Deal Scheme, what estimate he has made of the number of insulation sector jobs created as a result of the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation to date. [159991]
Gregory Barker: The answer provided on 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 824W, relies on statistics provided on the number of insulation measures installed in the domestic sector under the Green Deal and energy company obligation (ECO).
Statistics available for measures installed since the schemes began will be published on 27 June 2013. Unlike the installation statistics, the number of jobs supported by Green Deal and ECO cannot be measured directly but rely on an estimation methodology and there is too much “noise” to make regular, reliable estimates.
Updated figures for the number of jobs estimated to be supported by the Green Deal and ECO will be made available in the Department's consultation impact assessment for the successor to the current ECO scheme, which ends in March 2015.
Renewable Energy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1648, on decarbonisation, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there has been a big increase in investment in renewables since May 2010. [159720]
Gregory Barker: There has been a big increase in investment in renewables in the UK since May 2010 as demonstrated by a significant increase in renewable electricity installed capacity. By the end of March 2010 there was 8.6GW of renewables installed electricity capacity in the UK. By the end of 2012 this had risen to 15.5GW.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1649, on green investment, what the evidential basis is for the statement that £29 billion of new investment has been announced in renewable energy since 2010. [159722]
Gregory Barker:
The evidential basis for this statement are planned and approved projects recorded on the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD). We considered projects recorded on the REPD since 1 January 2010 with the potential to generate 20MW or more and cross-referenced them with information provided
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by the developers. Total investments announced regarding these planned and approved projects above 20 MW amount to £29 billion of new investment since 2010.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Welfare: Sentencing
Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review sentencing for those convicted of animal abuse; and whether he plans to increase punishments for those convicted of offences connected with animal fighting. [154785]
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what consideration he has given to bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to increase maximum sentences for cases of animal fighting; and if he will make a statement; [155233]
(2) what plans he has to review sentences available for cases of animal abuse; and if he will make a statement. [155234]
Mr Heath: The maximum penalty for those convicted of offences connected with animal fighting is six months imprisonment, or a fine of £20,000, or both. This maximum monetary cap for offences of this level will be lifted when section 85 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 is implemented, which will allow magistrates the discretion to impose any fine they see fit, taking account of the individual circumstances of the case.
The Government are currently taking steps to implement that provision.
Bees: Pesticides
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many representations he has received from the chemicals industry on the UK's opposition to an EU-wide ban on neonicotinoid pesticides; [159075]
(2) how many representations he has received from the bee and honey industry on the UK's opposition to an EU-wide ban on neonicotinoid pesticides. [159076]
Mr Heath: The Secretary of State has received a large number of representations, including some public petitions, in connection with the UK's position on EU restrictions on neonicotinoid insecticides from a wide range of stakeholders. These include the beekeepers, non-governmental organisations, chemical industry and others.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 786W, on bovine tuberculosis, what the next steps to be taken are; and how the effectiveness and intake of such steps will be monitored. [159388]
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Mr Heath: A Project Board, comprising Government and industry representatives, has been set up to take forward the recommendations in the risk-based trading group’s report. The report recommended that a short research project be commissioned after an introductory period (a year) to investigate whether farmers had engaged with the scheme and changed their trading behaviour accordingly.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers have been (a) investigated and (b) prosecuted for offences under the Tuberculosis (England) Order 2007 since implementation of that order. [159427]
Mr Heath: From 2007 to 12 June 2013, 15 Home Office cautions were issued for TB-related offences. A total of 24 prosecutions were initiated, resulting in 11 convictions.
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the Tuberculosis (England) Order 2007, as amended. The information provided is based on data from the animal movement enforcement system (AMES) database, which is populated by local authorities. These data are not separately verified by central Government.
Enforcement activity takes a number of forms, from verifying compliance with pre-movement testing requirements, which can result in oral and written advice or warnings short of a formal investigation, to prosecution.
Investigations into TB-related fraudulent activity are sometimes taken under other legislation.
CJD: Sheep
Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the incidence of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in the UK sheep flock has been in each of the last 10 years for which data are available. [158834]
Mr Heath [holding answer 12 June 2013]: All cases of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) confirmed in the UK sheep flock between 2003 and 2012 have been either classical or atypical scrapie. Cases by year are given in the following table:
| Classical scrapie | Atypical scrapie | Total | |
| (1) 44 classical scrapie cases in 2011 came from a single flock. | |||
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether he has had discussions with his ministerial colleagues on possible proposals to amend the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; [159592]
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(2) what recent representations he has received on amending the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [159593]
Richard Benyon: The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 covers a broad range of policy areas, which are often the subject of representations. I have a wide range of discussions on policy in my portfolio with my ministerial colleagues.
Floods: Insurance
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress he has made on replacing the Statement of Principles governing flood insurance. [160073]
Richard Benyon: We have made significant progress in discussions with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) regarding the future of flood insurance beyond the end of the current Statement of Principles. The negotiations are currently at an advanced stage and we will announce future measures as soon as possible. Members of the ABI have voluntarily agreed to continue to abide by the current Statement of Principles for a further month to July 31, thereby allowing further time for us and the ABI to resolve the outstanding issues.
Please be assured we are working hard with the insurance industry to reach an agreement which ensures the availability and affordability of flood insurance for those at flood risk, but does not place unsustainable costs on wider policyholders and the taxpayer.
I appreciate the hon. Member’s concern and I will endeavour to provide a further update as soon as possible.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the extension for the statement of principle for flood insurance covers both residential and business premises. [160249]
Richard Benyon: The Statement of Principles between the Government and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) relates to flood insurance for both households and small businesses. Members of the ABI will continue to abide by the Statement of Principles for a further month until 31 July 2013, to allow more time to reach agreement.
Genetically Modified Organisms: Wheat
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the scientific objectives are of the release of GM wheat by Rothamsted Research following the application for release in autumn 2013, reference 11/R8/01. [156265]
Mr Heath: The purpose of the research trial is to assess any change in the behaviour of aphids, their parasitoids or predators that result from the aphid-repellent trait of the GM plants.
Poultry: Tumours
Jason McCartney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the incidence
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of
(a)
malignant oviduct magnum tumours and
(b)
non-malignant tumours in spent laying hens was in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [159396]
Mr Heath: DEFRA does not hold statistical information describing the incidence of tumours of the reproductive tract, or any other body system, in spent laying hens in Great Britain.
Property
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland. [160279]
Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not have any freehold properties in Scotland.
Scotland
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) which external (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at such consultation; [159235]
(2) how many officials in his Department have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme; and at what cost to the public purse; [159236]
(3) what meetings he and officials in his Department have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling) as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at such meetings; [159237]
(4) what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants on the Scotland Analysis Programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse. [159238]
Richard Benyon: No officials in core DEFRA have been specifically allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme, though a number have contributed to this work as part of their normal duties, at no additional cost to the public purse. There has been no use of external consultants in this work to date.
To date, this work has involved no specific engagement with external organisations, individuals or work by external consultants.
The DEFRA ministerial team and officials have not held any meetings with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling) to discuss the Scotland Analysis Programme.
Turtles: Cayman Islands
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department ensured compliance with CITES regulations, especially Article III, during the trade of 20 Chelonioidea sea turtles from the Cayman Turtle Farm to Merlin Entertainments Group. [159459]
Richard Benyon:
Responsibility for ensuring compliance with the relevant rules that implement the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES)
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lies with the UK CITES Management Authority, the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency. This involves following a set of procedures laid down in Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 865/2006.
The provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 prevent the disclosure of information in relation to specific import applications.
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what veterinary or other assessment was made by officials in his Department during the trade of 20 Chelonioidea sea turtles from the Cayman Turtle Farm to Merlin Entertainments Group in 2006. [159471]
Richard Benyon: A veterinary risk assessment is not required to facilitate the importation of sea turtles. All consignments of live animals, including these turtles, imported into the UK from third countries must enter via a specifically approved border inspection post (BIP). The importer must give 24 hours notice to the BIP of the arrival of the animals. At the BIP the consignment will be subject to a documentary, identity and physical check to ensure that the animals meet animal health requirements; have been transported in suitable conditions; and that they are healthy and fit for their onward journey.
Wales
Legal Aid Scheme
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the effects of the planned reform of criminal legal aid in Wales; [160052]
(2) what representations he has received on the effects of the planned reform of criminal legal aid in Wales. [160053]
Mr David Jones: I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice about a wide range of topics that affect Wales, including the proposals for changes to criminal legal aid in England and Wales. I have also recently met Welsh representatives of the Queen's legal profession to hear their views on the proposed changes to criminal legal aid in Wales.
The Government are committed to making the criminal legal aid system operate more efficiently while improving confidence in the system and continuing to provide access to legal aid for those who need it. We are currently considering the responses to our consultation and plan to issue a response in the autumn.
Public Expenditure
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the forthcoming spending review. [159808]
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Work Programme
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what visits he has made to Work programme providers in Wales since the Work programme commenced. [160047]
Stephen Crabb: I visited Work programme providers in South Wales on 13 June.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales is regularly briefed on the progress of the work programme in Wales and has visited providers in Pontypridd and Cardiff as well as meeting people on the work programme at Shotton Job Centre.
In February, the Wales Office hosted a job summit in South Wales and another is planned for next month in North Wales.
Northern Ireland
Accountancy
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in her Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job titles and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee. [159909]
Mike Penning: No officials in my Department are on secondment to any of the four largest accountancy firms.
Fuels: Smuggling
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Serious Organised Crime Agency on fuel smuggling in Northern Ireland. [159390]
Mike Penning: I have raised this matter with the Minister for Justice in Northern Ireland and I shall be speaking again with ministerial colleagues in HM Treasury about it later this week.
Fuels: Tax Evasion
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what recent discussions she has had with HM Revenue and Customs on identifying a marker for laundered fuel; [159391]
(2) what discussions she has had with HM Revenue and Customs in relation to the time taken in conducting the Invitation to Make Submissions process on the development of a new fuel marker. [159398]
Mike Penning: There has been no requirement for me or my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to become involved in the technical discussions that have taken place between HM Revenue and Customs and the Revenue Commissioners of Ireland who are jointly seeking to implement improved standards in the marking of rebated oil in the UK and Ireland.
Paragraph 3.2 of the Invitation to Make Submissions document states:
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“This is an ‘indicative’ timetable only and Applicants should note that these dates are subject to change at the discretion of the Revenue Authorities and further that the Revenue Authorities reserve the right to amend them from time to time as they see fit in relation to any aspect of the competition.”
Historical Enquiries Team
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff have been recruited to work for or with the Historical Enquiries Team in the last 12 months; and what the community background is of those who (a) applied for such positions and (b) were recruited in that period. [159939]
Mrs Villiers: Responsibility for operational and staffing matters relating to the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) rests with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), with the support of the Department of Justice under the devolved Administration in Northern Ireland.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions she has met the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the last year; and who initiated each such meeting. [159956]
Mrs Villiers: I hold regular meetings with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. These occur in a variety of formats such as arranged meetings, at events, functions or visits. In addition, we speak frequently by telephone. We discuss a range of subjects including security matters.
Recruitment
Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff were recruited by her Department in 2011-12. [160106]
Mrs Villiers: My Department did not recruit any external staff in 2011-12. Any vacancies were filled by loans from other Government Departments or by secondments from the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Scotland
Income Tax
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues about the implementation costs of the Scottish rate of income tax. [160252]
Michael Moore: During the development and implementation of the Scotland Act 2012, Scotland Office Ministers and Treasury Ministers have met regularly to discuss a wide range of matters relating to the new Scottish rate of income tax, including the costs of implementation. Scotland Office officials are represented on HMRC's implementation project and programme boards.
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Property
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland. [160285]
Michael Moore: The Scotland Office does not own any property. The Office's accommodation in Melville Crescent is leasehold property.
Unemployment
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the total loss to the Scottish economy as a result of underemployment. [160290]
Michael Moore: The latest official labour market statistics show that overall Scottish labour market conditions improved over the three months from February to April 2013, including an increase in employment of 47,000. The Government remain focused on strengthening the economy and the employment opportunities that flow from that. As part of the Scottish Employability Forum work, Scotland's two Governments, alongside COSLA, employers and other delivery partners, are working to strengthen the link between economic development and employability levels.
Leader of the House
Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr Thomas: To ask the Leader of the House how many staff were suspended from his Office on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and what costs were incurred as a result of such suspensions. [160421]
Mr Lansley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. Our answer will be included in the response by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, shortly.
Home Department
Asylum
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Gender Champion for asylum seekers. [159777]
Mr Harper: Within the current Home Office structure there is no specific role of Gender Champion for asylum seekers. However, there was a network of Diversity Champions within the former UK Border Agency that included a Gender Champion.
This role is currently being considered in light of the recent structural changes in the Home Office. No formal assessment of the effectiveness of these champion roles has been undertaken. However, the Home Office remains committed to improving gender sensitivity across all its strands of work.
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Within the immigration system, we continue to ensure that appropriate guidance is followed by caseworkers, including in asylum. Certain actions were highlighted in the recent Government action plan “The Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls—the next chapter” and these have also been incorporated into the Home Office “Women’s Issues in the Asylum Claim” action plan.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from the UN on levels of proof used by the Government to ascertain torture when dealing with asylum seekers; and what steps she has taken in this area. [159824]
Mr Harper: In its publication, “Concluding observations on the fifth periodic report of the United Kingdom, adopted by the Committee at its fiftieth session (6-31 May 2013)”, the United Nations Committee Against Torture recommended that the UK should
“Take necessary measures to ensure that vulnerable people and torture survivors are not routed into the Detained Fast Track System, including by... lowering the evidential threshold for torture survivors.”
The Home Office is committed to the fair and effective operation of the Detained Fast Track, and the procedures and policies underpinning it are under constant review. The UN recommendations will be considered in this context.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received from non-governmental organisations representing asylum seekers on the issue of asylum in the UK. [159825]
Mr Harper: A wide variety of representations are regularly received about asylum matters from non-government organisations. Some of the most recent include a report about the quality of decision making by Amnesty International and a report published by Maternity Action and the Refugee Council about procedures for accommodating destitute asylum seekers who are pregnant.
The main means through which representations are received and discussed is the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum, which includes a wide range of organisations with an interest in asylum matters and meets regularly. There are also Strategic Migration Partnerships which cover particular regions of the United Kingdom and focus on issues in their area.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum seekers receive legal advice. [159891]
Mr Harper: There are no data available on the overall proportions of asylum seekers receiving legal advice. As a result it is not possible to provide definitive figures on applicants who have received, or are receiving, legal advice. It is considered that the costs that would be incurred to collect such data would be disproportionate.
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All asylum seekers can seek legal advice and the Home Office provides information to assist applicants in finding such advice, but does not provide legal advice directly. For instance, at:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/asylum/helpandadvice/legaladvice/
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum interviews are (a) audio taped and (b) video taped. [159892]
Mr Harper: All asylum interviews are recorded verbatim by the interviewer and every applicant receives a copy of the interview record. In addition, applicants without legal representation or whose legal representatives are not publicly-funded to attend the interview are allowed, on request, to have their asylum interviews electronically (audio) recorded, to ensure that they are not disadvantaged by the absence of a legal representative. Applicants and their representatives are not permitted to use their own recording equipment during an asylum interview.
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No interviews are video recorded.
We are unable to provide data on the proportion of interviews that are audio recorded as the information is not held in a recordable format.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of (a) women and (b) men won their asylum appeal in each of the last 10 years. [159893]
Mr Harper: The tables show the total number of main applicants with an asylum appeal determined, for years which information is available, and what proportion of appeals were allowed for (a) women and (b) men.
The data presented above are published in table as_14 (Asylum data tables Volume 2) of Immigration Statistics: January to March 2013, available from the Library of the House and as follows:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
| Table: Asylum appeal determined and allowed, by gender | ||||||
| Year of application | Total appeals determined | Total appeals allowed | Appeals allowed as a % of appeals determined: total | Appeals determined: males | Appeals allowed: males | Appeals allowed as a % of total appeals determined: males |
| Year of application | Appeals determined: females | Appeals allowed: females | Appeals allowed as a % of total appeals determined: females | Appeals determined: sex unknown | Appeals allowed: sex unknown | Appeals allowed as a % of total appeals determined: unknown |
| (1) Provisional data. Notes: 1. HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) (formerly the Tribunals Service Immigration and Asylum (TSIA)), consists of the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (FTTIAC and UTIAC). This replaced the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) on 15 February 2010. 2. Appeals determined includes appeals allowed, appeals dismissed and appeals withdrawn (by the Home Office or by the appellant). | ||||||
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints she has received about (a) country of origin reports, (b) operational guidance notes and (c) country policy bulletins in dealing with asylum seekers in the last six months. [159895]
Mr Harper: In the last six months no complaints have been received about country of origin reports, operational guidance notes and country policy bulletins.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where the asylum screening centres serving (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland are based. [159896]
Mr Harper: The Home Office considers that anyone who intends to claim asylum should do so at the first available opportunity—this usually means on arrival, at a port of entry.
Those who have failed to claim asylum at a port, who believe that they have become refugee sur place (in other words, that they may qualify for refugee status because of a change of situation in their country of origin), or who have otherwise entered the country illegally, are required to register their application in person at the Asylum Screening Unit (ASU) in Croydon, either on a walk-in basis or by appointment. If someone wishes to claim asylum in Northern Ireland, they can make an appointment to attend the Belfast Public Enquiry Office to register.
In exceptional circumstances, for instance in the case of unaccompanied asylum seeking children or those who are unfit to travel, individuals may approach a regional immigration office to make their application.
Those who claim asylum only after being encountered through enforcement activity or police call-outs will usually be screened locally at the time of that encounter, or shortly afterwards if detained.
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Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether persecution because of gender is grounds for claiming asylum in the UK. [159897]
Mr Harper: Persecution because of gender can amount to grounds for being granted asylum in the UK. The gender of an applicant may inform an assessment of whether one or more of the five UN refugee convention grounds is applicable. Gender cases often fall under the convention ground of ‘Particular Social Group’.
The assessment of an asylum claim should be carried out on an individual, objective and impartial basis in order to assess whether the acts to which the person has been or could be exposed would amount to persecution or serious harm.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specialist training her Department gives to doctors to assist in identifying asylum cases involving torture. [159920]
Mr Harper: The Home Office does not provide specialist training to doctors to assist in identifying asylum cases involving torture.
Rule 35(3) of the Detention Centre Rules 2001, however, requires doctors working in immigration removal centres to submit a report on any detainee whom they are concerned may have been a victim of torture in order that the appropriateness of continued detention may be reviewed. Doctors working in this capacity are expected to make such reports in light of their professional knowledge and training.
Asylum: Afghanistan
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many refugees under the age of 18 have arrived in Britain from Afghanistan in the last 10 years; and how many such refugees were returned to Afghanistan. [158840]
Mr Harper: The Government have a policy of not removing unaccompanied children to Afghanistan.
The following table shows the number of main applicant and dependants who are nationals of Afghanistan who have claimed asylum aged under 18, and the number of asylum applicants who have been subject to an enforced removal or who have departed voluntarily aged under 18 within the years available:
| Nationals of Afghanistan, under 18 | |||
| Asylum applicants | Asylum applicants, enforced removal to Afghanistan | Asylum applicants, voluntary departure to Afghanistan | |
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| n/a = Not available Notes: 1. Data from 2011 onwards are provisional figures. 2. Enforced removals/voluntary departures do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period. 3. Asylum applicants, Enforced removals and Asylum applicants, voluntary departures are those recorded who have claimed asylum at some point. 4. Age for asylum applicants is age at date of application (excluding those with unknown gender); age for enforced removal / voluntary departure is age at date of departure. | |||
In 2011 one child was removed in error. They were subsequently brought back to the UK. The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on asylum applications and removals and voluntary departures in Immigration Statistics.
Data on asylum applications by age and nationality are published on an annual basis in Table as_04 in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: January-March 2013, available from the Library of the House and:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release