Energy: Housing
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes have benefited from the (a) Energy Company Obligation and (b) Green Deal to date. [161090]
Gregory Barker: DECC will publish, on 27 June, a monthly Official Statistics publication that will include this information for the energy company obligation and Green Deal.
Fuel Poverty
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether there has been any successful use of data matching to assist energy suppliers in finding households in fuel poverty. [161601]
Gregory Barker: Data matching is a key feature of the Warm Home Discount scheme. As a result of matching data held by the Department of Work and Pensions with data held by participating energy suppliers, a large number of pensioners receive automatic electricity bill discounts each year. In 2012-13, over one million low income pensioners received such discounts (worth £130).
The Government has also taken the steps necessary to allow energy suppliers participating in the scheme to use the results of data-matching under the Warm Home Discount to target energy efficiency measures (for example under the Energy Company Obligation).
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues in other departments about sharing household data with energy suppliers to ensure a strategic approach to tackling fuel poverty. [161603]
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Gregory Barker: Data-matching is a key element of the Warm Home Discount scheme. This scheme, which DECC operates jointly with the Department for Work and Pensions, leads to the automatic payment of an electricity bill discount to over one million of the poorest pensioners. Participating energy suppliers can also use the results of data-matching under the Warm Home Discount to target delivery of energy efficiency support (for example under the Energy Company Obligation, ECO).
DECC also works closely with DWP in the operation of the ECO referrals system, which ensures that customers eligible for ECO support who contact the Energy Saving Advice Service are passed on to participating energy suppliers for a minimum package of assistance.
Green Deal Scheme
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the level of bureaucracy in the Green Deal. [160155]
Gregory Barker: The Green Deal launched on 28 January 2013. It is being delivered by the private sector, with Government having created a framework within which businesses can operate and consumers are protected. The Department is publishing monthly statistics setting out progress.
Heating
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take if individual air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps do not, when installed, reach co-efficients of performance of at least 2.9. [161111]
Gregory Barker: Heat pump performance is measured by both the coefficient of performance, which is laboratory efficiency and seasonal performance factor, which is the efficiency over the different seasonal conditions. Minimum requirements for laboratory efficiency are set out in the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). All MCS heat pumps must meet a minimum coefficient of performance of at least 3.
The MCS heat pump standard has been recently revised to drive improvements in the performance of heat pump installations.
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to include gas absorption heat pumps in the next iteration of the Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme. [161112]
Gregory Barker: DECC intends to work with industry to build the evidence base and complete the modelling and analysis necessary to evaluate the case for support for these technologies
My officials have recently met with representatives of the heat driven heat pump industry, which includes gas absorption heat pumps, to discuss the processes and timelines for new technologies to be added to the Renewable Heat Incentive.
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Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether gas absorption heat pumps are classifiable as renewable energy heating. [161114]
Gregory Barker: Heat driven heat pumps, such as gas absorption heat pumps, are classified as renewable heating technologies in the Renewable Energy Sources Directive providing that they meet the eligibility requirements, including the seasonal performance factor in the final Decision on Annex 7 of the Directive dated 1 March 2013.
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether gas driven heat pumps are eligible for the Renewable Heat Incentive. [161115]
Gregory Barker: Installations using engine driven heat pumps, including those driven by gas engines, may be eligible for the renewable heat incentive if all other requirements of the scheme are met, including achieving a minimum coefficient of performance of 2.9.
Hydrofluorocarbons
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the rate and amount of emissions of refrigerant hydrofluocarbons from (a) gas absorption heat pumps and (b) ground source heat pumps and air source heat pumps powered by electricity. [161113]
Gregory Barker: DECC has no specific assessment of the rate of leakage of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants from gas absorption heat pumps. These heat pumps mostly use ammonia or water as a refrigerant; ammonia heat pumps are designed to ensure zero leakage for safety reasons.
DECC has commissioned a study on the leakage rate of refrigerants (including hydrofluorocarbons) from a range of electric-powered heat pumps. The study will also examine the impact of proposed EU legislation on the likely uptake of refrigerants with lower global warming potential. The study aims to report in early 2014.
Insulation: Cannock Chase
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes in Cannock Chase constituency have received insulation under his Department's programmes in each of the last three years. [161262]
Gregory Barker: The Energy Savings Trust (EST) publishes reports on cavity wall insulation and professionally installed loft insulation delivered through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) as recorded in the Homes Energy Efficiency Database. The following table shows the number of installations of cavity wall and loft insulation under CERT in each of the last three years for the Cannock Chase constituency, as published by EST. The CERT year runs from the 1 April to 31 March, the final year of CERT runs from l April 2012 to 31 December 2012.
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| Table 1: Cavity wall and loft insulation delivered under CERT, Cannock Chase constituency | |||
| 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 | 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 | 1 April 2012 to 31 December 2012 | |
The following table shows the number of installations of insulation measures under Warm Front in the Cannock Chase constituency.
| Table 2: Installations of insulation under Warm Front, Cannock Chase constituency | |||
| 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 | 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 | 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 | |
Insulation: Housing
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many grants for hard-to-treat wall insulation have been made under the Energy Company Obligation scheme to date. [160989]
Gregory Barker: Under the energy company obligation (ECO), obligated energy suppliers are required to meet carbon emission and bill saving targets by promoting the delivery of energy efficiency measures—it is not a grant scheme. For information, DECC will publish, on 27 June, a monthly Official Statistics publication that will cover progress on ECO delivery.
Culture, Media and Sport
Apprentices
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many apprenticeships have been created in her Department in (a) Barnsley Central constituency and (b) South Yorkshire in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [161696]
Hugh Robertson: All of the offices for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport are in London and, as such, DCMS has not created any apprenticeships in the Barnsley Central constituency or South Yorkshire in 2010, 2011 or 2012.
Betting Shops
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department or its agencies have commissioned research into any potential relationship between clusters of betting shops and the prevalence of anti social behaviour; and if she will make a statement. [161660]
Hugh Robertson: Antisocial behaviour tends to reflect local circumstances and any research would be most appropriately carried out by agencies in local areas. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its agencies have not commissioned research into this area.
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Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff were suspended from her Department and its associated public bodies 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. [160409]
Maria Miller: The number of staff suspended and costs incurred are as follows:
(a) FY 2010-11: two suspensions at a total cost of £31,314 (gross);
(b) FY 2011-12: two suspensions at a total cost of £11,525 (gross);
(c) FY 2012-13: one suspension at a total cost of £5,268 (gross).
The figures provided equate to the individuals' salaries and total costs to the Department during their suspensions.
The figures at a, b and c reflect that no staff were suspended from the Government Equalities Office on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.
Internet
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what technical expertise her Department has to advise Ministers on internet matters. [161687]
Mr Vaizey: There are specialist technical advisers, working across Government, on whose technical expertise Ministers draw.
Leicester
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) when she last visited Leicester in an official capacity; how many times and on what dates she has visited Leicester since her appointment; and what plans she has to visit Leicester; [158034]
(2) on what dates the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries has visited Leicester since his appointment; and when he next plans to visit Leicester. [157992]
Maria Miller: I visited Leicester on 14 February, to appear on the BBC show, Question Time. Either I or the Minister with responsibility for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), will be sure to visit Leicester in the coming months, as well as all the other candidate cities, to celebrate its success at being short-listed for the title of UK City of Culture 2017.
Sports
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the effects of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on rates of participation in sport. [161710]
Hugh Robertson: The latest Active People Survey figures show 15.3 million people, aged 16 and over, are playing sport, at least once a week. That is 1.4 million more than when London won the Olympic and Paralympic bid, and includes an increase of 46,600 in the number of disabled people playing sport, over the past year.
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Sports: Schools
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department provided to sport in schools in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years. [160469]
Hugh Robertson: As part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport-led School Games programme, Sport England (SE) will directly invest in the North East £1,574,691 over the period 2010-15. This includes £640,000 to County Sport Partnerships (on behalf of the Local Organising Committees) in the North East, of which £160,000 is for Tyne and Wear to organise, co-ordinate and deliver the Level 3 Sainsbury’s School Games county festivals. In addition, the North East has 27 School Games Organisers, which are jointly funded by the Department of Health and SE. SE's contribution is £934,691 over the period, of which £77,891 is for Tyne and Wear's nine School Games Organisers. In addition, SE has also invested, to date, a total of £8,467,490 in the Place People Play (PPP) programme in the North East. Finally, from September this year, every primary school will receive a ring-fenced amount for school sport, averaging out at £9,000 per school across the country.
Over the period 2008-11, DCMS and the Department for Education jointly funded the £755 million Physical Education and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP). As part of this, £36 million was invested via County Sport Partnerships, to support local community taster sessions for young people aged 11 to 19 through the Sport Unlimited initiative. This included £2,256,646 invested in the North East and £746,844 in Tyne and Wear.
Cabinet Office
Big Society Network
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will publish evaluations of the performance of the Big Society Network and its subsidiaries for the programmes for which his Department has directly or indirectly funded; and if he will make a statement. [160935]
Mr Hurd: As part of the grant to the Big Society Network (BSN) under the Social Action Fund, BSN was required by Social Investment Business to produce monitoring reports setting out progress against expected outcomes prior to releasing payment. A copy of the BSN and Sports Leader's UK monitoring report for the Get In campaign was released in May 2013 and a copy has been placed in the House of Common's Library. A final evaluation was not produced, as a decision was made in December 2012 to put the project on hold.
The Cabinet Office will continue to evaluate Big Society Network's performance in relation to the Big Society Awards.
Construction: Barnsley
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in Barnsley East constituency are employed in the construction sector. [161556]
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Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many people in Barnsley East constituency are employed in the construction sector. [161556]
Annual employment statistics are available from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). The number of people in Barnsley East constituency employed in the construction sector is 1,800, rounded to the nearest 100.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Manufacturing Industries: Barnsley
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in Barnsley East constituency are employed in the manufacturing sector. [161560]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many people in Barnsley East constituency are employed in the manufacturing sector. [161560]
Annual employment statistics are available from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). The number of people in Barnsley East constituency employed in the manufacturing sector is 3,900, rounded to the nearest 100.
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National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Small Businesses: Staffordshire
Mr Burley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses that were operating in (i) Cannock Chase constituency and (ii) Staffordshire in each of the last five years. [161259]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking what estimate has been made of (a) small and (b) medium-sized businesses operating in (i) Cannock Chase constituency and (ii) Staffordshire in each of the last five years. [161259]
Annual statistics on the number of businesses (enterprises) are available from the ONS release – UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/uk-business/index.html
Data on the number of enterprises broken down by districts, counties and unitary authorities within region and country by employment size band can be found in table B1.2 of the publication and data broken down by constituencies can be found in table B6.2.
The table below contains the count of small and medium-sized businesses that were operating in the Cannock Chase constituency and Staffordshire from 2008 to 2012. Small businesses have been defined as those with an employment between 0 and 49 and medium-sized businesses as those with an employment between 50 and 249.
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | ||||||
| Small | Medium | Small | Medium | Small | Medium | Small | Medium | Small | Medium | |
| Note: These numbers do not include very small businesses, typically those below the threshold for VAT and PAYE. | ||||||||||
Teenage Pregnancy: Cannock Chase
Mr Burley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many teenage pregnancies there have been in Cannock Chase constituency in each of the last five years. [161208]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many teenage pregnancies there have been in Cannock Chase constituency in each of the last five years [161208].
This question has been answered using conception statistics to women aged under 18 to represent teenage pregnancies. Conception statistics are estimated for women usually resident in England and Wales and are based on birth registrations and abortion records.
The number of teenage conceptions is available for the non-metropolitan district of Cannock Chase rather than the parliamentary constituency of Cannock Chase. Figures cannot be provided for parliamentary constituencies because of the risk of disclosing information on conceptions due to small differences with local authority boundaries.
The latest year for which conception statistics are available is 2011.
| Number of conceptions to women aged under 18, Cannock Chase, 2007-11 | |
| Number of conceptions | |
| Source: Office for National Statistics | |
The number of conceptions to women aged under 18 by area of usual residence, England and Wales 1998-2011 are available on the ONS website (see table 6):
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/conception-statistics--england-and-wales/2011/rft-conception-statistics-2011.xls
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Termination of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions (a) a compromise agreement, (b) a confidentiality clause and (c) judicial mediation was used when an employee of (i) his Department and (ii) the public bodies for which he is responsible left their employment in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160900]
Mr Hurd: As was the case under the previous Administration, the Cabinet Office always considers whether compromise agreements and confidentiality clauses issued by the Department are appropriate and necessary and always ensures that non-disclosure clauses allow disclosure for business needs and the requirements of law, including accountability to Parliament.
In the last three years, five civil servants in the Cabinet Office signed compromise agreements which contain a non-disclosure clause. We do not know how many were signed prior to 2010 as, unfortunately, records are not available. There have not been any judicially mediated settlements by the Cabinet Office in the last three years. The Government Procurement Service has not used any compromise agreements, confidentiality clauses or judicial mediation during the last three years.
Until 2012 the Big Lottery Fund had a common practice of issuing compromise agreements to most staff who were dismissed on the grounds of redundancy. This occurred whether the individual's exit from the organisation was contentious or not, but was linked to their access to post employment outplacement benefits. From April 2007 to March 2010 there were 98 compromise agreements issued. During 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 the Fund issued 25, nine and nine compromise agreements respectively. The Big Lottery Fund did not use any confidentiality clauses or judicially mediated settlements in the last three years. Compromise agreements are now only used in appropriate circumstances where there may be a dispute between the Fund and an ex-employee.
Young People
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether data collected in the 2011 Census, relating to the number of 16 to 18-year-olds in the current year and the next 10 years, matches that provided by the Office of National Statistics in its latest sub-national population projections; and if he will make a statement. [161605]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking whether data collected in the 2011 Census, relating to the number of 16 to 18 year olds in the current year and the next ten years, matches that provided by the Office for National Statistics in its latest sub-national population projections [161605].
Estimates of future population are available as population projections. The most recent are the Interim 2011-based subnational population projections which are based on mid-2011 population estimates, which are in turn based on 2011 Census estimates.
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However, the Interim 2011-based subnational population projections for England are produced using trend- based assumptions about future levels of fertility, mortality and migration as calculated for the 2010-based subnational population projections which do not incorporate 2011 Census information.
Subnational population projections are not forecasts and do not attempt to predict the impact of future government policies, changing economic circumstances or the capacity of an area to accommodate a change in population. They provide an indication of the future size and age structure of the population if recent demographic trends continued.
ONS are planning to release the 2012-based Subnational Population Projections to take account of rebased fertility, migration and mortality assumptions to include results from the 2011 Census, in spring 2014.
International Development
Developing Countries: Health Services
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what technical support her Department offers to developing countries to held them achieve universal health coverage. [161353]
Mr Duncan: Moving towards universal health coverage requires countries to ensure that all aspects of their health systems—including health workers, medicines and commodities, equipment, financing and management —are working well. DFID provides technical support directly to countries in all of these areas. DFID also uses multilateral organisations to provide technical support. For example, DFID is funding the World Health Organization (WHO) to help more than 20 countries develop and implement health financing strategies based on the best available evidence and aimed at achieving universal health coverage. In order to strengthen WHO's own capacity to do this work, DFID has also seconded a health financing specialist to WHO for three years.
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what private health insurance projects her Department has supported in developing countries. [161354]
Mr Duncan: DFID has not supported private health insurance projects in developing countries.
Education
Academies: Romford
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the (a) take up and (b) performance of academies in Romford constituency. [161424]
Mr Timpson: As of 20 June 2013, there were four open secondary converter academies in Romford constituency. In addition, there are two schools in the process of becoming academies: one sponsored primary academy and one converter secondary academy.
Information about the performance of all schools in Romford constituency can be found on the Department's website(1). This information indicates school type, including academies.
(1)( )http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/
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Apprentices
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on ensuring that individuals with education and health care plans have support and access to apprenticeships. [161344]
Mr Laws: The reforms in the Children and Families Bill make it clear that young people with special educational needs who have education, health and care plans will have support and access into apprenticeships. The training provider supporting the young person's apprenticeship will be named in the plan and the local authority and relevant commissioning body will continue to be responsible for securing and arranging the special educational and health care provision. Young people who are disabled and accessing apprenticeships will be able to apply for additional support from the Department for Work and Pension's Access to Work scheme—regardless of whether they have an education, health and care plan.
The Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' Joint Apprenticeship Unit continue to work with the Department for Work and Pensions to ensure that the new SEN Code of Practice provides clear guidance on young people with education, health and care plans accessing apprenticeships.
Billing
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial benefits that could be achieved by paying suppliers early in return for rebates. [160932]
Elizabeth Truss: It is Government policy to pay valid invoices within 10 days for small and medium-sized enterprises and 30 days for other types of organisation. The Department for Education aims to pay all organisations within 10 days and the prices we pay reflect this arrangement.
As part of the tendering process we ask suppliers to provide details of discounts for prompt payment. Where early payment is requested we will carry out a risk assessment and negotiate with suppliers to obtain the best value for money for the Government.
Children: Disability
Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities improve their support for disabled children and young people. [160840]
Mr Timpson: We are introducing wide ranging reforms through the Children and Families Bill to improve provision for children and young people with special educational needs, many of whom will be disabled.
The Bill includes proposals for local authorities to publish a local offer of services for children and young people with special educational needs.
The local offer would enable families to see readily what they can expect from mainstream services across education, health and social care; how to access more specialist support; how decisions are made including eligibility criteria for accessing services where appropriate; and how to complain or appeal.
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Local authorities would be required to involve local children and young people with special educational needs and their parents in developing and reviewing their local offer and the special educational and social care services that are available in their area.
Local authorities would be required to publish comments from or on behalf of children, young people and their families on the content of the local offer alongside their response to these comments. They would also be required to keep their local offer under review and up to date in order to ensure that it continued to be responsive to local needs and aspirations.
Children: Internet
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department will continue to be the lead Department on child internet safety. [161664]
Mr Timpson: The Department for Education currently provides the Secretariat for the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, the board of which is chaired by Ministers from the Department for Education, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Home Office. Child internet safety is a cross-Government issue which Ministers will keep under review to determine how it can best be addressed.
Children: Protection
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which serious case reviews have been published since 10 June 2010, by (a) date, (b) subject and (c) commissioning local safeguarding children's board. [161665]
Mr Timpson: The Department is aware of 58 Serious Case Review (SCR) overview reports which have been published since 10 June 2010. This is in addition to overview reports of the SCRs relating to Peter Connelly in Haringey, the ‘J' children in Ellington and Kyra Shaq in Birmingham. The following table gives details of the 58 SCR overview reports by date of publication, subject and the name of the commissioning Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).
| Date published | Subject | LSCB |
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| (1 )Court Reporting Restriction Order in place until 2029 not allowing the identification of anyone in the family or their location. Overview Report published on the Association of Independent LSCB Chairs website as the geographical location of the family cannot be revealed. | ||
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) which serious case reviews are currently commissioned but unpublished; [161666]
(2) which serious case reviews have been produced since 10 June 2010 but are subject to (a) a request not to publish and (b) an exemption from the obligation to publish. [161667]
Mr Timpson: The information held by the Department is provided by individual Local Safeguarding Children's Boards (LSCB). Statutory guidance sets out the criteria for initiating a Serious Case Review (SCR) and the expectation is that SCRs will be published. The Department does not exempt LSCBs from publishing an SCR. It is for each LSCB to take the decision as to whether or not to publish. From 1 July 2013 a national panel of independent experts will be fully operational. The panel will advise and where appropriate challenge LSCBs on any case where an LSCB has concerns about publication of an SCR report and/or intends not to publish an SCR report.
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The Department is aware of 203 SCRs that have been initiated since 10 June 2010. Of those, the overview reports of 58 have been published. Some 119 SCRs have commenced but are not yet published, for a number of reasons including completion of court proceedings. The Department is aware of 26 cases where LSCBs have said they are not able to publish the SCR overview report because of concerns about protecting the welfare of individuals.
Extended Schools
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what steps his Department has taken to increase the availability of wrap-around childcare in schools; [161026]
(2) what guidance he has issued to schools on the provision of wrap-around childcare services since May 2010; [161027]
(3) what specific funding his Department has provided to increase the availability of wrap-around childcare in schools in each year since May 2005. [161028]
Elizabeth Truss: We want to make it easier for out-of-hours provision to be made available on school sites, and to ensure children have fair access to these services. Through the Children and Families Bill we are removing barriers that may be holding schools back from running before and after school and holiday care onsite, either themselves or in partnership with other providers.
Guidance for schools on providing or commissioning child care before or after the school day has been included in the Governors' Handbook in 2012 and 2013(1).
Between 2005 and 2011 specific funding was allocated for Extended Services of which child care was one of the five core elements. The Department does not hold information on specific funding for wrap-around child care as funding was not ring-fenced for each of the five elements.
Between 2005 and 2008 £840 million was allocated to provide extended services in schools. This was paid through the Standards Fund, Sure Start General Grant Revenue and Capital and the Schools Standard Grant.
Between 2008 and 2011 £1.2 billion was allocated for providing extended services through the Area Based Grant, the Standards Fund and the Single Capital Pot.
Since April 2011, extended services funding—that the Standards Fund previously provided—has formed part of schools' overall budgets. Head teachers and governors are best placed to decide how to use their budgets to support their pupils.
(1)( )http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/governance/b00224781/govhandbook
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of free schools in England providing (i) breakfast clubs and (ii) after-school clubs. [161029]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department has made no estimate of the number and proportion of free schools in England providing breakfast clubs and after-school clubs.
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Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of mainstream schools in England providing extended services at (i) 1 May 2010 and (ii) 1 May 2013. [161030]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not hold information on the number and proportion of mainstream schools in England providing extended services between May 2010 and May 2013.
Free School Meals: Staffordshire
Mr Burley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in (a)
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Staffordshire and
(b)
Cannock Chase constituency were eligible for free schools meals in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in each of the last three years. [161260]
Mr Laws: Information on the number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals in state-funded primary and secondary schools in Cannock Chase constituency, Staffordshire local authority and England is shown in the following tables:
| State-funded primary(1, 2) | |||||||||
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||
| Number on roll(4, 5) | Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4, 5) | Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | Number on roll(4, 5) | Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4, 5) | Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | Number on roll(4, 5) | Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4, 5) | Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | |
| State-funded secondary(1, 3) | |||||||||
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |||||||
| Number on roll(4, 5) | Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4, 5) | Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | Number on roll(4, 5) | Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4, 5) | Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | Number on roll(4, 5) | Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals(4, 5) | Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes all primary academies, including free schools. (3) Includes city technology colleges and all secondary academies, including free schools. (4) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. Includes boarders. In pupil referral units includes pupils registered with other providers and further education colleges. (5) Pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between 5 and 15. Source: School Census. National figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. | |||||||||
Human Trafficking: Curriculum
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will consider including awareness of human trafficking in the secondary school curriculum. [160991]
Elizabeth Truss: Schools may choose to cover issues related to human trafficking as part of their wider school curriculum or as part of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.
The Government believe that teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and do not need additional central prescription in this area.
Misuse of Drugs Ministerial Group
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many times Ministers of his Department have attended the inter-ministerial group on drugs since May 2010. [161581]
Mr Timpson: Ministers from the Department for Education have attended the inter-ministerial group on drugs six times since May 2010.
Public Expenditure
Caroline Lucas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the equality impact of his Department's spending reductions since 2010; whether this assessment has
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been used to inform his planning ahead of the 2013 Comprehensive Spending Review and with what result; what plans he has to publish the equality impact assessments undertaken by his Department as a result of the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review; and if he will make a statement. [161176]
Mr Laws: Assessment of equalities impact forms part of all decision making, including on the implementation of spending reductions from 2010. Her Majesty's Treasury will publish a document alongside the outcome of the current spending round summarising the overall equalities analysis. When decisions are made on the implementation of spending reductions more detailed analysis will be carried out and considered to inform final decisions on how reductions will be made. Where appropriate, these will be published on the Department's website.
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Pupils: Disadvantaged
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the correlation between students who are entitled to free school meals and those who go on to (a) further and higher education and (b) apprenticeships. [161620]
Mr Laws: The following table provides estimates of the proportion of 16- and 17-year-olds participating in (a) education and training, and (b) apprenticeships; and the proportion of young people participating in higher education by the age of 19. In the table, young people are categorised according to whether they were in receipt of free school meals (FSM) at the age of 15.
| Participation in education and training, apprenticeships, and higher education by young people who were eligible for free school meals at age 15 | |||||
| Percentage | |||||
| Academic age 16 | Academic age 17 | Academic age 19 | |||
| FSM status at age 15 | Education/training | of which apprenticeship | Education/training | of which apprenticeship | Higher education |
The figures for education and training and apprenticeships refer to participation during the academic year 2011/12, and are estimated using the Department for Education's Young Person's Matched Administrative Dataset (YPMAD). Figures for participation in higher education refer to participation during the 2009/10 academic year and are published by BIS in the ‘Widening Participation in Higher Education’ publication (August 2012). Academic age is defined as age at the start of the academic year, 31 August. Estimates relate only to young people whose FSM status at age 15 was known.
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ofsted and (b) other organisations on possible links between entitlement to free school meals and low attainment levels; and what steps he is taking to address such factors. [161677]
Mr Laws: Ministers meet Her Majesty's Chief Inspector regularly to discuss a range of matters including the performance of pupils entitled to free school meals (FSM). The Government welcome the recent Ofsted report, “Unseen Children: access and achievement 20 years on”, as a significant contribution to this important issue.
Taking into account the link between FSM eligibility and low attainment, the Government's allocation methodology for the pupil premium is based principally on numbers of pupils eligible for FSM. The pupil premium channels additional funding to schools of £900 per eligible pupil in 2013-14 and is set to rise to a total of £2.5 billion nationally in 2014-15.
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he takes to ensure that children who are falling below expected attainment levels in schools otherwise rated by Ofsted as outstanding are receiving appropriate support. [161678]
Mr Laws: The pupil premium, which this year is £1.875 billion of additional funding nationally, is given to schools to help close the attainment gap between pupil premium eligible pupils and their peers. In addition, the year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium provides secondary schools with £500 for each pupil who has not attained the expected level in reading and/or maths by the end of primary school.
Head teachers have the freedom to decide how to use the additional funding they receive as they are best placed to know the needs of their pupils. A range of measures, including Ofsted inspections, makes schools accountable for the decisions they make and the progress of their students. Ofsted will consider, as part of the inspections, whether schools are offering appropriate support to all pupils, including those who are falling below expected attainment levels.
Ofsted is not currently required to routinely inspect schools that were judged outstanding at their most recent inspection. However, in a speech on 20 June Her Majesty's Chief Inspector made clear that schools previously judged outstanding that are not doing well by their poorest children will be re-inspected by Ofsted.
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how the pupil premium will be used to improve the education of children attending schools rated by Ofsted as outstanding. [161679]
Mr Laws: The Government are determined that every school should use the pupil premium to close attainment gaps, regardless of either the proportion of disadvantaged pupils on roll, the size of its mainstream budget, its geographical location, or its overall performance.
It is for head teachers and school leaders to decide which interventions to fund with the pupil premium: they have the necessary professionalism and in-depth knowledge of their own schools and the characteristics
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and needs of their disadvantaged pupils. They will be held accountable for the decisions they make and the impact they have. This applies as much to those schools rated by Ofsted as “outstanding” as to other schools. Ofsted is not currently required to routinely inspect schools that were “outstanding” at their most recent inspection. However, in a speech on 20 June Her Majesty's Chief Inspector made clear that schools previously judged outstanding, that are not doing well by their poorest children, will be re-inspected by Ofsted.
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with (a) Ofsted and (b) other organisations on differences in attainment levels between children in cities and children in rural communities. [161680]
Mr Laws: Ministers meet Her Majesty's Chief Inspector regularly to discuss a range of matters including the differences in attainment levels regionally. The Government welcomed the focus on regional differences in the quality of education in Ofsted's annual report last year and subsequently, the targeted monitoring and support by Ofsted of schools that require improvement, which focuses on raising standards more quickly in schools that are coasting and not meeting the needs of all pupils.
The recent Ofsted report, “Unseen Children: access and achievement 20 years on”, is also a significant contribution to this important area. The report highlights recent improvements by schools in meeting the needs of disadvantaged children as well as setting out some of the remaining challenges.
Schools are accountable for the decisions they make, and the progress of their students, through a range of measures including their Ofsted inspection. Ofsted will consider, as part of the inspection, whether schools are offering appropriate support to all pupils, including those who are falling below expected attainment levels. Ofsted is not currently required routinely to inspect schools that were ‘outstanding’ at their most recent inspection. However, in a speech on 20 June Her Majesty's Chief Inspector made clear that schools previously judged outstanding, that are not doing well by their poorest children, will be re-inspected by Ofsted.
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment his Department has made of the relative attainment levels of students in inner city schools and those in schools in rural areas and coastal towns. [161681]
Mr Laws: Information on pupil attainment at each key stage by the degree of rurality of pupil residence is published each year in the Department's statistical first releases (SFR).
Early years foundation stage profile (EYFSP) attainment of pupils by the degree of rurality of pupil residence is available in table A2 of the 'EYFSP attainment by pupil characteristics in England: academic year 2011 to 2012 SFR(1).
Attainment of pupils at key stage 1 by the degree of rurality of pupil residence is available in table A2 of the ‘Phonics screening check and national curriculum assessments at key stage 1 in England: 2012’ SFR(2).
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Key stage 2 attainment of pupils by the degree of rurality of pupil residence is available in table A2 of the ‘National curriculum assessments at key stage 2 in England: academic year 2011 to 2012’ SFR(3).
Attainment of pupils at key stage 4 by the degree of rurality of pupil residence is available in table A2 of the ‘GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics in England: 2011 to 2012’ SFR(4).
Figures for coastal towns are not published. Officials have estimated that the time it would take to identify pupils resident in coastal towns, evaluate their attainment and quality assure results would incur disproportionate cost.
Research on seaside towns published in 2008 by the Department for Communities and Local Government(5) found that, in 2006, performance in seaside towns was marginally below the national average. However, none of the seaside towns had an especially low share achieving 5 GCSEs A*-C, compared to some inner urban areas.
(1 )Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eyfsp-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-in-england-academic-year-2011-to-2012
Table A2 can be found within the ‘Pupil residency tables: SFR30/2012’ link.
(2 )Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-and-national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-1-in-england-2012
Table A2 can be found within the ‘KS1—local authority and pupil residency based tables: SFR21/2012’ link.
(3 )Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-in-england-academic-year-2011-to-2012
Table A2 can be found within the ‘Pupil residency and school location based tables: SFR33/2012’ link. Key Stage 2 attainment of pupils by the degree of rurality of school location is also available, in table B1 of this publication, which can be found from the same link as Table A2.
(4) Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-in-england
Table A2 can be found within the ‘Pupil residency and school location based tables: SFR04/2013’ link. Key stage 4 attainment of pupils by the degree of rurality of school location is also available in table B1 of this publication, which can be found from the same link as Table A2.
(5) Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7624/englishseasidetowns.pdf
Runaway Children
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will require local authorities to conduct return interviews with all children who run away or go missing from home or care, within 72 hours of a missing incident. [161689]
Mr Timpson: The Department's statutory guidance ‘Children who run away or go missing from home or care’(1) recommends that local authorities offer young people a return interview within 72 hours of them being located. Interviews should be held to understand and address the reasons why the child went missing and to minimise the risk of them going missing again.
(1)( )http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/statutory/g00222839/children-who-run-away-and-go-missing-from-home-or-care
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We have just launched a consultation on the guidance. Details are available at:
https://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1917 &external=no&menu=1
Schools: Sports
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he plans to increase the number of children taking part in competitive sport at school. [161440]
Mr Timpson: PE is, and will remain, compulsory at all four key stages of the national curriculum and the draft programmes of study released for consultation in February 2013 place a far greater emphasis on competitive sport. We are supporting the cross-Government School Games programme and applaud the positive impact it has had in encouraging more young people to participate in sport.
During the academic years 2011/12 and 2012/13 we provided £65 million of funding for a PE Teacher Release scheme to enable the release of a PE teacher from every secondary school for one day a week to encourage take-up of competitive sport in local primary schools as well as in their own school.
In March 2013, the Prime Minister announced additional ring-fenced funding of £150 million per annum for academic years 2013/14 and 2014/15 to support the provision of PE and sport in primary schools. We expect this will also encourage greater pupil participation in competitive sport, including the School Games.
Termination of Employment
Mr Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions (a) a compromise agreement, (b) a confidentiality clause and (c) judicial mediation was used when an employee of (i) his Department and (ii) the public bodies for which he is
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responsible left their employment in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160904]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education will, in line with other employers’ practice, consider use of compromise agreements to settle small numbers of cases of dispute with members of staff, based on a risk assessment and a value for money case.
The Department also considers using confidentiality clauses in its compromise agreements, but will always assess whether such clauses are appropriate and necessary. Such clauses do not prevent any protected disclosure of issues under whistleblowing legislation.
Information for the Department is set out in the following table.
Totals of less than five are withheld on grounds of confidentiality.
The Department does not hold this information for its non-departmental public bodies.
UK Council for Child Internet Safety
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list (a) the members of the Executive Board of the UK Council on Child Internet Safety since May 2010 and (b) the dates of each board meeting each such member has attended. [161561]
Mr Timpson: The information has been provided in the following table.
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Work and Pensions
Anti-Slavery Day
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have to mark Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2013; and if he will take steps to ensure that officials in his Department are offered an opportunity to be involved in various events organised by (i) his Department, (ii) local authorities and (iii) non-governmental organisations. [161123]
Mr Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions has no plans to mark Anti-Slavery Day 2013 nationally, but this does not prevent staff in our local office network planning activities. While we do not keep central records of local plans, the Department's national staff network group invite staff to share information about local events to mark such occasions and this material is published on the Department's internal website. This information would include details about activity in other Government Departments, local authorities and non-governmental organisations.
Billing
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial benefits that could be achieved by paying suppliers early in return for rebates. [160934]
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Mr Hoban: The Department have committed to prompt payment of invoices to suppliers. We have committed to adhere to a ‘Prompt Payment Code’ whereby invoices are paid on receipt, but no later than 30 days after receipt. This enables the Department to secure excellent commercial deals with its suppliers resulting in the Department achieving significant savings. We have therefore not conducted a separate assessment.
Cattle: Accidents
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been killed by cattle in each of the last 30 years. [161415]
Mr Hoban: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) holds details of fatal injuries to workers and members of the public on farms reported to it under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (as amended) (RIDDOR).
Details of the number of deaths involving workers and members of the public in agriculture due to cattle in each of the years from 1996-97 to 2010-11 are set out in the following table.
The data for the period before 1996-97 are not readily available and as a result of changes to the accident reporting systems introduced to RIDDOR comparable data cannot be provided from 2011-12 onwards.
| RIDDOR reported fatal injuries due to cattle in agriculture for the years 1996-97 to 2010-11 | ||||
| Employee | Self-employed | Member of the public | Total | |
Employment Schemes: Young People
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to publish figures for the number of wage incentive payments being made to employers through the Youth Contract. [161495]
Mr Hoban: The first set of figures for the number of wage incentive payments being made to employers through the Youth Contract will be published on 22 July 2013.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the extent to which Youth Contract wage incentive payments are made to employers who would not have otherwise taken on a young employee. [161498]
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Mr Hoban: Jobcentres and Work programme providers distribute claim forms to employers when an eligible young person starts in an eligible job and it is clear the wage incentive influenced the decision to hire. When employers claim the funding they must agree to the terms and conditions of the scheme which stipulate they would not have been in a position to hire the young person without the incentive.
Employment: Disability
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the numbers of disabled people likely to return to work as a consequence to changes to disability benefits and the Work programme. [161255]
Mr Hoban: The Department has not made assessments about the number of disabled people likely to return to work as a consequence of the Work programme. Personal independence payment began to replace disability living allowance for people aged 16 to 64 from 8 April 2013. No assessment has been made on the numbers of people likely to return to work as a result of the introduction of personal independence payment.
Employment: Graduates
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent steps his Department has taken to help graduates into work. [160843]
Mr Hoban: Jobcentre Plus is geared-up to offer advice to everyone who is looking for work—irrespective of background, profession or occupation. Through Jobcentre Plus, individuals can get advice on finding a job; help with retraining or skills advice, CV and job applications and access to the thousands of new vacancies we record every day. They can also access a range of tailored opportunities to improve their likelihood of entering or re-entering the labour market, including demand-led training for higher skilled jobs in specific sectors.
Jobcentre Plus provides numerous leads and good practice ideas to help people direct their job search in the most effective manner and has built up a substantial network of links with external training providers and other organisations such as universities and colleges. We have improved online signposting for graduates, managers and professionals looking to use our services to other sources of specialist help.
The Work programme will also provide personalised support for those at risk of becoming long-term unemployed.
Food Banks
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2013, Official Report, column 304W, on food banks, if he will take steps to record all referrals made by Government agencies for people to receive emergency food aid or visit food banks. [161472]
Mr Hoban: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Hampstead and Kilburn (Glenda Jackson) on 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1266W, and on 12 June 2013, Official Report, column 373W.
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Future Jobs Fund: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobs were created in each of the principal seaside towns under the Future Jobs Fund in each year of that Fund's existence. [161396]
Mr Hoban: The Department does not hold information on the number of jobs created in each of the principal seaside towns under the Future Jobs Fund in each year of that fund's existence.
However, the number of starts on a FJF placement by region is available on:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/195961/ypg_oct2011.pdf.pdf
Housing Benefit
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he has given to local authorities on the granting of discretionary housing benefit to households which include a resident who has had an organ transplant; and if he will make a statement. [161668]
Steve Webb: The Discretionary Housing Payment Guidance does not specifically refer to people with organ transplants, as this may not always be a relevant factor when considering an award.
Throughout the guidance local authorities are advised that when considering whether or not to make an award, they should have regard to the claimant's or their families' individual circumstances. This includes any extra needs they may have due to medical problems.
Jobcentre Plus
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints he has received relating to the performance of Jobcentre Plus offices (a) in Ashfield constituency, (b) in Nottinghamshire and (c) nationally in each year since 2008. [160956]
Mr Hoban: DWP do keep records which show the overall number of complaints it receives and whether the complaints are about, for example, their decisions, Government policy, benefit payments. DWP's complaint categories do not cover the specific performance of its offices and therefore we are unable to provide the figures requested.
Personal Independence Payment
Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training Personal Independence Payment assessors receive on multiple and complex conditions. [161499]
Esther McVey:
The Department requires the health professionals carrying out personal independence payment assessments to have a broad training in disability analysis, as well as training in specific conditions, including multiple and complex conditions. Both organisations providing the assessment have to conform to a rigorous set of standards regarding staff recruitment, which are
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being closely monitored by the Department for Work and Pensions. It should be noted that health professionals are not undertaking a diagnostic assessment, but one which will look at the impact of conditions and impairments on individuals’ everyday lives.
Public Expenditure
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the equality impact of his Department's spending reductions since 2010; whether this assessment has been used to inform his planning ahead of the 2013 Comprehensive Spending Review and with what result; what plans he has to publish the equality impact assessments undertaken by his Department as a result of the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review; and if he will make a statement. [161185]
Mr Hoban: DWP considers equality issues in exercising its functions, including in setting priorities within its budget, in order to comply with equality legislation and to ensure it understands how its activities will affect specific groups in society.
The Department's overall spending round submission was informed by its own equality assessments and by the SR equalities assessment commissioned by HMT.
The Department has produced and published equality impact assessments to accompany all major policy reforms since 2010. These are updated in light of policy changes or updates to economic assumptions, as required.
DWP has provided HM Treasury with an equalities assessment of its main areas of expenditure, as well as some additional areas of spending that have particular equalities impacts, both before and during the spending round process.
The Department publishes an annual report in line with its public sector equality duty, to demonstrate its compliance with the duty. The report provides information on how DWP policies and practices, as well as its own workforce, perform in relation to the nine protected groups under the Equality Act 2010. The next report will be published on the 12 of July.
This Government have been clear that formal equality impact assessment documents are not required in order to ensure compliance with the legal responsibility to consider equality impacts. The outcome of the Spending Round will be published on 26 June 2013.