Children: Literacy
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many school children in each age cohort in England are judged to be illiterate; and if he will make a statement. [163021]
Mr Laws: The requested information is not held by the Department. The Department collects attainment information at the end of each key stage.
The information on the number of pupils at the end of key stage 1 (aged 7) achieving each level in teacher assessments is available from our statistical first release “Phonics screening check and national curriculum assessments at key stage 1 in England: 2012”(1), “KS1,—national tables: SFR21/2012” link, table 13. The drop-down function at the top of the page allows you to view numbers and percentages.
(1)Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-and-national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-1-in-england-2012
The information on the number of pupils at the end of key stage 2 (aged 11) attaining different levels in tests and teacher assessments is available from our statistical
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first release “National curriculum assessments at key stage 2 in England: academic year 2011 to-2012”
(2), “National tables: SFR33/2012” link, tables 1 and 3. Table 1 provides an overall English level that pupils achieve at the end of key stage 2. Table 3 gives Reading and Writing test and teacher assessment results of pupils at the end of key stage 2. The drop-down function at the top of the page allows you to view numbers and percentages.
(2)Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-in-england-academic-year-2011-to-2012
The information on the number of pupils at the end of key stage 3 (aged 14) attaining different levels in teacher assessments is available from our statistical first release “Provisional GCSE and equivalent results and national curriculum teacher assessments at key stage 3 in England: academic year 2011 to 2012”(3), “Additional tables 1: SFR25/2012” link, table 1.
(3)Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/provisional-gcse-and-equivalent-results-and-national-curriculum-teacher-assessments-at-key-stage-3-in-england-academic-year-2011-to-2012
The number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 (aged 16) achieving A*-G grades in English GCSE, or another functional skills, key skills or basic skills qualification in English at Level 1 or above, was 591,768 (95.2% of the cohort).
GCSE: Disadvantaged Children
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of children who attained five or more GCSEs at A* to C grade at schools where (a) more than 50 per cent, (b) between 35 and 50 per cent, (c) between 21 and 35 per cent, (d) between 13 and 21 per cent, (e) between nine and 13 per cent, (f) between five and nine per cent and (g) fewer than five per cent of children were receiving free school meals in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement. [162767]
Mr Laws: The information requested is provided in the following table.
| Percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 achieving 5 or more GCSEs at grade A*-C or equivalent(1) by percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM). Years: 2009/10 to 2011/12(2). Coverage: England, state-funded schools (including Academies and CTCs)(3) | |||||||
| Percentage of all pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs at grade A*-C or equivalent at schools where percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals was | |||||||
| Less than 5%(4) | Greater than or equal to 5% but less than 9%(4) | Greater than or equal to 9% but less than 13%(4) | Greater than or equal to 13% but less than 21%(4) | Greater than or equal to 21% but less than 35%(4) | Greater than or equal to 35% but less than 50%(4) | Greater than or equal to 50%(4) | |
| (1) From 2009/10 iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents. (2 )All figures are based on final data. (3) Includes pupils who have recently arrived from overseas. (4) Percentage of FSM pupils has been calculated from the number of eligible pupils at the end of key stage 4 attending schools who are eligible for FSM. Source: National Pupil Database | |||||||
Languages: GCE A-level
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to encourage students to take a modern language subject through to A Level. [162324]
Elizabeth Truss:
The introduction of the English Baccalaureate performance measure in 2010 was intended to encourage students to study a strong academic core, including a modern language, at GCSE. A survey conducted for the Department for Education by Ipsos Mori in
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2012 estimates that 54% of all key stage 4 pupils are studying towards a language GCSE in 2014—up from 43% in 2010. This will provide a strong foundation for progression to study of modern languages through to A level and beyond.
We are taking further steps to improve the teaching of modern foreign languages. From 2014, the teaching of languages at key stage 2 will be statutory, so that all pupils will have had a solid grounding in languages before they start secondary school. The new national curriculum programmes of study and GCSE subject content requirements will make sure that study of modern foreign languages, and of ancient languages, is appropriately challenging and fulfilling.
Languages: Teachers
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many primary school language teachers were recruited in each year since 2010; how many (a) primary teachers and (b) primary teaching assistants have been given training to teach foreign languages to their pupils since 2010; and if he will make a statement. [162756]
Mr Laws: The Department for Education does not collect information on teacher recruitment by schools for subject specialisms, or on how many teachers have received language training on the job or have language degrees or A-levels.
The Department does not hold data on the employment, deployment or training of teaching assistants. Training for teaching assistants is determined locally and data on training will also be held locally.
Legal Costs
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available. [162513]
Elizabeth Truss: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the right hon. Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) on 10 June 2013, Official Report 130W.
Literacy: Primary Education
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils aged 11 met the standard of literacy for that age (a) in May 2010 and (b) on the latest date for which information is available. [162975]
Mr Laws: In 2012, the overall English level was calculated from reading test results and writing teacher assessment rather than from reading and writing tests as in previous years.
The overall English level in 2012 is therefore not directly comparable to previous years. Information for 2012 on the levels achieved by pupils at the end of key stage 2 (aged 11) in tests and teacher assessments is published in our statistical first release, “National curriculum assessments at key stage 2 in England: academic year 2011 to 2012”, which can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-in-england-academic-year-2011-to-2012
2 July 2013 : Column 596W
The relevant information is contained within the link “National tables: SFR33/2012“. Table 1 provides the overall level that pupils achieved in English at the end of key stage 2 in 2010 and 2012. Table 3 gives the reading and writing test and teacher assessment results of pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2012. This information for 2010 is available in our statistical first release “National curriculum assessments at key stage 2: England—academic year 2009 to 2010 (revised)”, which can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-england-academic-year-2009-to-2010-revised
The relevant information is contained in table 3 within the link “National and local authority tables: SFR36/2010”.
Ministers' Private Offices
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will reduce the number of staff employed in his private ministerial office. [162845]
Elizabeth Truss: We have taken significant steps to reduce the cost of staffing the ministerial private office of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education.
As shown in the following table, the annual cost of staffing the Secretary of State's ministerial private office has been reduced by more than £120,000 under this Government.
| Financial year | Staff cost (£) |
MITIE Group
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008. [162462]
Elizabeth Truss: The following table provides the total spend that has been made by the Department in each of the last five years:
| £ million | |
There has been no spend on contracts with MITIE in the first two months of the 2013-14 financial year.
Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder(1) information on the contracts they award. In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000.
(1)www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
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Politics: Education
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department plans to make political education compulsory. [162865]
Elizabeth Truss:
We have confirmed that citizenship will remain a compulsory subject within the national curriculum at key stages 3 and 4. The draft programmes of study which we published in February 2013 propose that pupils should be taught about politics, including voting, elections and the role of political parties. We are
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currently considering responses to the public consultation on those programmes of study, and will make a further announcement shortly.
Pupils
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many maintained schools have fewer than (a) 40, (b) 50, (c) 60, (d) 70, (e) 80, (f) 90 and (g) 100 pupils; and if he will make a statement. [162753]
Mr Laws: The number of schools broken down by pupil numbers is given in the following table:
| Number of schools in England by pupil numbers (headcount)(1) | ||||||||
| School type | Number of schools | (a) Fewer than 40 pupils | (b) Fewer than 50 pupils | (c) Fewer than 60 pupils | (d) Fewer than 70 pupils | (e) Fewer than 80 pupils | (f) Fewer than 90 pupils | (g) Fewer than 100 pupils |
| (1) As at January 2013, pupils with sole or dual main registrations (also includes other and FE college registrations for pupils in pupil referral units and alternative provision academies/free schools). (2) Includes local authority maintained schools, nurseries and pupil referral units. Also includes direct grant nurseries, city technology colleges, academies, free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools. (3) Includes local authority maintained nursery schools. Source: School Census | ||||||||
Disadvantaged Pupils
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department possesses on the proportion of students (a) on free school meals, (b) in families dependent on benefits, (c) considered to be from more deprived backgrounds as available indicators in (i) academies, (ii) free schools and (iii) comprehensive schools; and if he will make a statement. [162986]
Mr Laws: The School Census collects data for individual pupils in state-funded schools where they are known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals. To be entitled to free school meals pupils must be within a family in receipt of benefits, but the Department does not hold other data on the benefits that families receive or on other indicators of deprivation at student level. Information on the percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals was published in the publication “Schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2013”(1).
Table 3a in that publication shows the percentage of pupils in state-funded primary and secondary schools known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals. Table 3c shows the percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals in academies and free schools. Information on the number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals for each school is provided in that publication's underlying data. This includes school type and admissions policy.
(1) Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013
Pupils: Per Capita Costs
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average annual standard spending assessment is for each (a) primary school and (b) secondary school pupil in England; and if he will make a statement. [162988]
Mr Laws: The Department does not make an average annual standard spending assessment for school pupils. Local authorities receive a fixed amount of funding per pupil and use a local formula to decide funding allocations for the schools in their area. The fixed amount of per pupil funding currently differs for each local authority. We will consult on the introduction of a national funding formula for 2015-16 so that all pupils are funded on a comparable basis.
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the total (a) local and (b) national government expenditure on each pupil in state secondary schools was in 2012-13 ; and if he will make a statement. [162989]
Mr Laws: Local authorities receive a fixed amount of revenue funding per pupil and use a local formula to decide funding allocations for the schools in their area. The average amount allocated at a national level in 2012-13 to local authorities for pupils aged three to 15 was £5,083. The average amount allocated by local authorities to each pupil in maintained secondary schools in 2012-13 was £5,344.
Kevin Brennan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his estimate is of the average expenditure on (a) secondary school places per pupil
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in the state sector and
(b)
secondary school places per day pupil in the independent sector; and if he will make a statement. [163031]
Mr Laws: The average amount allocated by local authorities to each pupil in maintained secondary schools in 2012-13 was £5,344. This excludes capital spending and the pupil premium.
The Independent Schools Council 2013 census(1) provides information on the fees of its members on page 16. A copy will be placed in the House Library.
(1)http://www.isc.co.uk/Resources/Independent%20Schools%20Council/Research%20Archive/Annual%20Census/2013_annualcensus_isc.pdf
Schools: Sports
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to encourage team sports in lower-performing schools and deprived areas; and what research his Department has carried out on a link between increased participation in sport at school and reduced crime rates. [162151]
Mr Timpson: The draft national curriculum programmes of study for physical education (PE) place a far greater emphasis on team and competitive sport in schools in all areas of the country. We have also introduced the School Games, which are encouraging greater participation in competitive sport across the country, both within and between schools.
In March 2013 the Prime Minister announced additional ring-fenced funding of £150 million per annum to support provision of PE and sport in primary schools, including improving access to competitive team sports.
The Department has not conducted any research into a link between increased participation in sport at school and reduced crime rates.
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of ring-fenced funding for school sports on the quality and quantity of sport provision and participation in school sports. [162152]
Mr Timpson: While the School Sports Partnerships were successful in helping some schools to raise participation levels in areas targeted by the previous Government, the proportion of pupils playing competitive sport regularly remained disappointingly low. Schools remain free to work in partnership to deliver physical education (PE) and sport for their pupils if they wish; they are merely no longer required to do so.
The Department no longer collects data on the quality and quantity of sport provision and participation in school sports, as it placed a burden on schools that distracted them from the provision of PE and school sport. The recent Ofsted report, ‘Beyond 2012—outstanding physical education for all’, published in February 2013, recognised that there was more good and outstanding PE in schools than when their previous survey was published in 2008(1).
In March 2013 the Prime Minister announced additional ring-fenced funding of £150 million per annum to support
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the provision of PE and sport in primary schools, including improving access to competitive team sports.
(1)http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/beyond-2012-outstanding-physical-education-for-all
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what regulations are in place regarding compulsory sport and physical education in schools; and what initiatives his Department has in place to encourage (a) more girls to participate in school sports, (b) more sport to be played outdoors and (c) sports for school-leavers. [162317]
Mr Timpson: Section 78 of the Education Act 2002 requires all maintained schools to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. Similarly section 1(6) of the Academies Act 2010 requires academies to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. Under these regulations all maintained schools are required to follow the national curriculum in which physical education (PE) is, and will remain, compulsory at all four stages. This applies equally for boys and girls.
We trust teachers to know what best suits the particular needs of their pupils, and do not prescribe whether physical activity should take place inside or outside.
The Government have announced additional ring-fenced funding of £150 million per annum to improve provision of PE and sport in primary schools. The Department of Health is also funding the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation to build on the ‘Changing the Game for Girls’ programme.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Youth and Community Sport Strategy is delivering significant results, including better facilities and more opportunities for young people to play sport regularly beyond school. For example, Sportivate is a £56 million legacy programme that gives 14 to 25-year-olds access to coaching and encourages them to participate in sport beyond school and at local community sports clubs.
Serco
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [162933]
Elizabeth Truss: The following table provides the total spend that has been made by the Department in each of the last five financial years.
| Financial year | Total spend (£million) |
Total spend in the first two months of the 2013-14 financial year made by the Department is £215,711.90.
Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder(1) information on the contracts they award. In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000.
www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
2 July 2013 : Column 601W
Standards and Testing Agency
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much the Chief Executive of the Standards and Testing Agency is paid. [162082]
Elizabeth Truss: The salary of the chief executive of the Standards and Testing Agency is published on the GOV.UK website as part of the Government's Transparency Agenda. This information has been placed in the House Library.
http://reference.data.gov.uk/gov-structure/organogram/?dept=dfe&post=DFE-1003
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reason three deputy directors are employed by the Standards and Testing Agency; and what their annual salaries are. [162146]
Elizabeth Truss: The responsibilities of the three Deputy Directors are as follows:
The Deputy Director for Test Development is responsible for developing statutory tests. This division comprises three units:
psychometrics and assessment;
test development research; and
test development support and delivery.
The division is accountable for producing valid and reliable tests that meet the purposes set out by Ministers. They are also responsible for setting standards on the tests, working closely with curriculum and assessment policy teams within the Department, and maintaining those standards in a rigorous and transparent way.
The Deputy Director for Test Operations is responsible for delivering statutory tests, including the operational aspects of the test development process. This division is accountable for ensuring that test papers are printed and delivered into schools in sufficient time to administer the tests, marking processes are valid and produce reliable outcomes for pupils, and results are returned to schools by the deadline.
The Deputy Director for Test Support is responsible for supporting stakeholders to deliver the tests and providing support services to other divisions within Standards and Testing Agency (STA). This division is made up of three units:
test administration;
moderation; and
commercial.
The test administration unit is responsible for developing guidance, ensuring that tests are administered appropriately in schools and managing relationships with external stakeholders, including Ofqual. The moderation unit supports moderation arrangements at Early Years Foundation Stage and key stage 1 to ensure the consistency and accuracy of teacher assessment data, and is responsible for supporting and implementing new arrangements for moderation at key stage 2. The commercial unit provides specialist services—such as security, procurement and contracts management—to support other units/divisions in the STA.
In light of the DFE review and the challenging spending review process across central Government the STA will be consolidating to two divisions on 1 August 2013, reducing the number of Deputy Directors at the STA from three to two.
2 July 2013 : Column 602W
To preserve the individual confidentiality of the Deputy Directors, a band rather than salary amount is provided as follows:
| Deputy Director—Pay band 1 | |
| £ | |
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff are employed at the Standards and Testing Agency; and what the annual staffing cost is of this body. [162184]
Elizabeth Truss: In 2012-13, the staffing costs for the Standards and Testing Agency were £5.1 million with 89 full-time equivalent staff employed. This is inclusive of wages, social security and pension costs.
Cabinet Office
Childbirth
Damian Hinds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department (a) collects and (b) holds on the average age of mothers at the birth of their first child in each Government office region. [163064]
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 July 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions on what information is (a) collected and (b) held on the average age of mothers at the birth of their first child in each Government office region [163064].
Birth registration is a legal requirement under the Births and Deaths Registration Act (1836). The registration of births occurring in England and Wales is a service carried out by the Local Registration Service in partnership with the General Register Office (GRO), part of Her Majesty's Passport Office. Information collected at birth registration is recorded on a Registration Online (RON) system by Registrars. Most of the information is normally supplied by the parent(s). Birth registration data are supplied by GRO to the Office for National Statistics for statistical purposes.
At birth registration in England and Wales, information is collected on the mother's age at the time of birth. However until late May 2012, information on previous children was only collected from mothers giving birth within marriage, so for births outside marriage (47% of alt births in 2011) it was not possible to identify whether a birth was a first or later birth to that mother. In order to estimate birth order for all births, ONS combines the data from birth registrations with survey data, enabling estimation of mean age at first birth at the national level. However it is not possible to produce robust estimates at regional level using this method, so the information requested does not exist.
In 2011, the standardised mean age at first childbirth in England and Wales as a whole was 27.9 years. Since late May 2012, information on previous children has been collected from all mothers at birth registration, but this new information has not yet been published. The new data may enable a wider range of information on this topic at subnational level to be published in future but there are no plans for regional estimates at present.
Damian Hinds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department (a) collects and (b) holds on the average birth weight of babies in each Government office region. [163065]
2 July 2013 : Column 603W
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 July 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions on what information is (a) collected and (b) held on the average birthweight of babies in each Government office region [163065].
Birth registration is a legal requirement under the Births and Deaths Registration Act (1836). The registration of births occurring in England and Wales is a service carried out by the Local Registration Service in partnership with the General Register Office (GRO), part of Her Majesty's Passport Office. Information collected at birth registration is recorded on a Registration Online (RON) system by Registrars. Most of the information is normally supplied by the parent(s). Birth registration data are supplied by GRO to the Office for National Statistics for statistical purposes.
For live births, details of the birthweight are obtained from the birth notification (completed by the midwife or doctor in attendance at the birth). This information is then linked to the birth registration. For stillbirths, details of weight are taken from the medical certificate issued by a doctor or midwife. The certificate is supplied to the registrar by the informant and the weight is recorded electronically when the stillbirth is registered. If the birthweight is missing, but the registration is linked to the birth notification then the birthweight from the notification is taken.
ONS publishes annual birth statistics showing the number and percentage of live births and stillbirths by birthweight and mother's region of usual residence in the Characteristics of Births 1 Package. Figures for 2011, the latest year, are available in tables 5 and 6 at:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-272512
ONS does not calculate average birthweight, however the tables included above provide an indication of the distribution of birthweight across the regions.
Freedom of Information
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he plans to publish the draft open government partnership national action plan. [162916]
Mr Hurd: The second iteration of the open government partnership (OGP) UK 2013 draft national action plan was published for consultation on 27 June 2013 at:
http://data.gov.uk/library/national-action-plan
The final OGP—UK 2013 national action plan will be published by the end of October 2013.
Our first national action plan was published on 20 September 2011 and is available at:
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/www.opengovpartnership.org/files/country_action_plans/UnitedKingdom_actionPlan.doc
Voluntary Work
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012 on the rate of volunteering in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK; [162312]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people who volunteered in each month since September 2012; and what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Scotland on plans to share best practice following the Commonwealth Games in 2014. [162316]
2 July 2013 : Column 604W
Mr Hurd: We do not hold volunteering rates for the specified areas. However the Community Life Survey, which covers England, shows that the proportion of people volunteering at least once a year has now increased from 65% in 2010-11 to 72% in August 2012 to January 2013, with an even bigger increase in the proportion of people volunteering regularly. This shows a change in the culture of volunteering that is not limited to those who volunteered to make the Olympic and Paralympic games a success. Significantly, this survey data reverses the steady decline in volunteering seen since 2005.
We are committed to promoting volunteering opportunities in sport as part of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games legacy.
Join In, the Olympic and Paralympic legacy charity are also meeting with organisations in Scotland, including Glasgow 2014 to ensure the lessons of the volunteering legacy are embedded in Glasgow 2014.
Join In will be hosting the Go Local event at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic park on 19 July which will bring together 2012 volunteers and ask them to inspire others to get involved in their community.
Defence
Armed Forces
David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers in HM Armed Forces have access to a staff car. [162188]
Mr Francois: Full information on the access of military officers to staff cars is not yet available as we are in the process of implementing significant reforms in the use of Ministry of Defence provided cars and drivers to reduce costs. In the future, most eligible officers will share pool cars as, under the car reforms, only officers of 4-star rank are entitled to an allocated car and driver.
Armed Forces: Officers
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force were at (i) one star, (ii) two star, (iii) three star and (iv) four star rank; and what proportion of such posts formed the total strength of each service in each of the last 10 years. [159205]
Mr Francois [holding answer 11 June 2013]: Reductions are being made in the number of stars and the number of starred posts. A positive reduction has already been achieved and we are currently ahead of this year’s target, and only seven off the required reduction for 2015.
It is important to note that senior officers work not only in Command positions, but Staff posts in organisations such as PJHQ, Defence Equipment and Support, the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, Finance, Capability, and a whole range of posts where they are not commanding a unit, but carrying out a senior post within the Department.
The following figures set out the trajectory of reduction planned in the number of one to four star officers.
500 (rounded figure)
2 July 2013 : Column 605W
Projected level: 453
Actual: 436
Projected level: 429
2 July 2013 : Column 606W
Projected level: 405
The following tables show the number of armed forces personnel by one, two, three and four star rank, by service, and the proportion of such posts compared to total strength in each year between 2004 and 2013:
| Strength of naval service (comprising the Royal Navy, the Queens Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service and the Royal Marines) by rank—one star and above | ||||||||||
| At April each year: | ||||||||||
| 2004 | % of total strength | 2005 | % of total strength | 2006 | % of total strength | 2007 | % of total strength | 2008 | % of total strength | |
| At April each year: | ||||||||||
| 2009 | % of total strength | 2010 | % of total strength | 2011 | % of total strength | 2012 | % of total strength | 2013 | % of total strength | |
| Strength of Army by rank—one star and above | ||||||||||
| At April each year: | ||||||||||
| 2004 | % of total strength | 2005 | % of total strength | 2006 | % of total strength | 2007 | % of total strength | 2008 | % of total strength | |
| At April each year: | ||||||||||
| 2009 | % of total strength | 2010 | % of total strength | 2011 | % of total strength | 2012 | % of total strength | 2013 | % of total strength | |
| Strength of Air Force by rank—one star and above | ||||||||||
| At April each year: | ||||||||||
| 2004 | % of total strength | 2005 | % of total strength | 2006 | % of total strength | 2007 | % of total strength | 2008 | % of total strength | |
| At April each year: | ||||||||||
| 2009 | % of total strength | 2010 | % of total strength | 2011 | % of total strength | 2012 | % of total strength | 2013 | % of total strength | |
2 July 2013 : Column 607W
2 July 2013 : Column 608W
| Notes: 1. “Total strength” comprises trained and untrained UK Regular Forces and excludes Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service personnel and mobilised reservists. 2. Percentages are percentage of total strength per service. 3. Percentages are not calculated where strength numbers are lower than five. 4. Figures for total strength and one star personnel are rounded to the nearest 10. 5. Strengths for senior officers at two, three and four star level have been left unrounded so as not to obscure the data. 6. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 7. Percentages are calculated from unrounded data. | ||||||||||
Armed Forces: Railways
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on how many service personnel in Liverpool are currently entitled to an HM Forces Railcard. [162301]
Mr Francois: All members of the regular armed forces and reservists undertaking full-time or permanent service are entitled to an HM Forces Railcard.
As at 1 April 2013 there were 110 Regular and full-time reserve service personnel serving in the Liverpool area.
Notes:
1. This figure represents the number of personnel stationed in the Liverpool area, and may differ from the actual number of personnel working at that location e.g. due to deployment.
2. The number has been rounded to prevent systematic bias.
Army: Recruitment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the closure of Rhyl Army Recruitment Centre. [162906]
Mr Francois: The Rhyl Recruiting Clinic closed on 14 March 2013, as part of the wider reduction in the number of army recruiting offices across the UK. The hall where the office was collocated was formerly used by the Territorial Army and will continue to be used by cadets. The senior careers advisor in Wrexham is retaining a point of presence in Rhyl in order to make it easier for potential recruits to gain information and attend interviews. This service operates from a civilian employment agency on a Tuesday morning.
The nearest permanent Army Recruiting Centres to Rhyl are located at Bangor and Wrexham.
NATO
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2013, Official Report, columns 31-49, on NATO, when the performance report on the supply of fuels to NATO forces in Afghanistan was published; what its key findings were; and what actions have since been taken by (a) the UK and (b) the NATO Secretariat to ensure that the findings are implemented. [162247]
Mr Robathan: The report was issued by the International Board of Auditors on 24 September 2012 and its key findings were:
that a high-risk cost-plus arrangement was established without the management and control mechanism necessary to police it;
that there was a failure to both validate charges raised by the contractor and to verify that invoices were in line with the contract conditions; and
that payments to the contractor were made which went beyond those mandated in the written contract.
As a strong proponent of accountable and effective governance, best practice in budgetary control and financial management in NATO, the UK is extremely concerned at the serious nature of the audit findings. NATO has established a formal Board of Inquiry to investigate further the reasons behind the failings in governance and control, and to recommend improvements to working practices and procedures to prevent a recurrence. The Board of Inquiry report is awaited and the UK will judge our next steps in the light of its findings. We expect those responsible to be held fully to account, and action taken to prevent similar problems arising in the future.
Nuclear Submarines
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 719W on HMS Tireless, on how many occasions radioactive emissions were vented to the atmosphere from nuclear powered submarines at Devonport Dockyard in each of the last five years; what quantity of radioactivity and which radionuclides were emitted in such fashion in each of the last three years; what the permitted levels of discharge are under such circumstances; and which regulatory agency sets such limits. [162431]
Mr Dunne: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Official Cars
David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many lease cars his Department has in service; and what the annual cost is of each such car. [162323]
Mr Dunne: The cost to the Ministry of Defence of providing the total number of individual lease cars in service globally and the annual cost of each such car is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Procurement
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many location of work codes on DEFFORM 57 indicate that contracts were located in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland; and if he will estimate the value of each such contract in each of the last five years; [154698]
2 July 2013 : Column 609W
(2) since what date the location of work codes have been collected on the DEFFORM 57; [154699]
(3) whether his Department collects information on where the work of signed contracts and sub-contracts on DEFFORM 57 take place and on the value of each such contract. [154700]
Mr Dunne [holding answer 13 May 2013]: As part of this Government’s commitment to increase transparency, details of Ministry of Defence procurements valued at over £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder:
www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
Science and Technology
Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's budget will be spent on science and technology in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [162175]
Mr Dunne: The Department's plans for funding the centralised Ministry of Defence Science and Technology Programme, under the Department's chief scientific adviser, as a proportion of the Department's budget, equate to 1.2%, 1.3% and 1.3% in financial years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively, meeting our intention to sustain science and technology investment at a minimum of 1.2% of the Defence budget.
Warships
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost is of building and equipping for sea a (a) minesweeper, (b) destroyer, (c) frigate, (d) nuclear submarine and (e) Trident-equipped submarine; how many such vessels are in active service; and when each such vessel was commissioned. [160693]
Mr Dunne: The information requested is provided in the following table.
The costs provided are based on actual costs at the time they were incurred and therefore do not reflect current build costs. They cover those vessels that have achieved their In Service Date (ISD). Total costs of equipping the platforms (which is an ongoing process through life), including those associated with Government Furnished Equipment, are not held centrally and could be provided at only disproportionate cost,
ISDs have been provided as they more accurately reflect a ship's availability for ‘active service’ than commissioning dates.
| Mine Countermeasure Vessels | ||
| In service date | Build cost (£ million)(1) | |
2 July 2013 : Column 610W
| (1) The figures quoted above do not represent the total cost of the vessels. Some figures, such as those for Government Furnished Equipment, are no longer held centrally for each ship and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. | ||
| Type 45 Destroyers | |
| In service date | |
HMS Duncan, the final ship in class, is expected to achieve her ISD in March 2014.
The unit production cost for a T45 is £633 million. This figure includes the cost of the T45 platform and the Sea Viper missile system, but does not include the development costs of the T45 programme.
| Type 23 Frigates | ||
| In service date | Build cost (£ million)(1) | |
| (1) The figures quoted above do not represent the total cost of the vessels. Some figures, such as those for Government Furnished Equipment, are no longer held centrally for each ship and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. | ||
| Trafalgar Class submarines | |
| In service date | |
The build costs of these vessels are no longer held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The first two (of seven) Astute Class submarines have achieved their ISD.
| In service date | |
HMS Artful, the third boat in class, is currently in build.
2 July 2013 : Column 611W
There is no unit cost for an Astute Class submarine as Boats one to three (Astute, Ambush, and Artful) were contracted as a batch with a total forecast cost of £3.4 billion, which includes cost of building the boats, the onboard communications system, and the tactical weapons system.
| Vanguard Class submarines | |
| In service date | |
The total procurement cost for the four submarines was £3,587 million, which equates to approximately £897 million per submarine. This figure excludes the costs of the tactical and strategic weapons systems.
Culture, Media and Sport
Alcoholic Drinks: Marketing
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the amount spent by the alcohol industry on the promotion of alcohol. [162751]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 1 July 2013]: Ofcom recently published data on alcohol advertising spend, as part of its May 2013 report, “Children's and young people's exposure to alcohol advertising, 2007-11”. The total amount spent on alcohol advertising across all media was £179.4 million in 2011, representing 1.9% of total UK advertising expenditure.
The full report is available at:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/tv-research/1100204/Alcohol_Report_2013.pdf
Apprentices
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 668W, on apprentices, how many apprentices her Department plans to employ. [162866]
Hugh Robertson: DCMS will take part in the Civil Service Apprenticeship scheme, from September 2013. As the scheme is managed centrally and the matching process has yet to take place, we do not have confirmation of how many apprentices will join DCMS, at the current time.
DCMS is committed to supporting social mobility and has also employed three interns this year, as part of the Summer Diversity Internship programme.
Broadband
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to hire industry experts to complete the rollout of broadband; what estimate she has made of the cost of hiring such experts; and whether such experts would be additional to the civil servants in her Department already working on the project. [162522]
2 July 2013 : Column 612W
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 1 July 2013]: Broadband Delivery UK already has industry specialists within its ranks. These are additional to the civil servants working on the project. In the spending review the Government has announced that Broadband Delivery UK will be given greater operational freedom and an enhanced delivery focus, and will be equipped with the commercial skills it needs to deliver a broadband programme that will now extend to at least 2017. Lord Deighton will work with DCMS to determine how the new delivery model should be implemented.
Broadband Delivery UK
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the funding required by Broadband Delivery UK. [162203]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 1 July 2013]: The question does not make clear whether the hon. Member is referring to the funding required by Broadband Delivery UK in order for it to carry out its responsibilities or the funding being channelled through Broadband Delivery UK to help deliver a transformation in broadband provision in the UK. If the hon. Member wishes to clarify her question, I would be very happy to provide her with an answer.
Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which of the recommendations of the Leveson report have been fully implemented by the Government. [162049]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 27 June 2013]:Lord Justice Leveson's report (HC779) made findings and recommendations in three areas: on the relationship between the press and the police; on the relationship between the press and politicians; and on the relationship between the press and the public.
On the relationship between the press and the police, the Secretary of State for the Home Department made clear in her statement to the House in respect of police integrity on 12 February 2013, Official Report, columns 713-15, the Government accept Lord Justice Leveson's recommendations and will be working closely with the College of Policing, Chiefs' Council, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Independent Police Complaints Commission on implementation.
On the relationship between the press and politicians, as recommended by Lord Justice Leveson, the Government publish details of meetings held by Ministers and/or special advisers with editors, proprietors and senior media executives.
On the relationship between the press and the public, a cross-party Royal Charter was agreed on 18 March.
Exercise: Young Offenders Institutions
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department provides and for which programmes to facilitate sports and physical activities in young offenders institutions in the UK. [162154]
2 July 2013 : Column 613W
Hugh Robertson: Sport England is investing £62.9 million in two projects, which work directly with young offenders and young offenders institutions between 2011 and 2017. Through Sportivate, £56 million of lottery funding is being invested over the period 2011-17. As part of this investment, Sportivate has delivered around 20 projects for young offenders, working with both probation services and directly with young offenders institutions. Through Get on Track, Sport England is investing £6.9 million of lottery funding over the period 2012-17. Around 10% of the young people engaged in Get On Track have had criminal convictions. Youth offending teams are key local partners in all areas where Get On Track projects are delivered.
Press: Regulation
Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will reopen negotiations on the cross-party Royal Charter agreed on 18 March 2013. [162059]
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 434W, whose agreement is needed for the reopening of cross-party discussions on the Royal Charter; and whether she received any indications from any such people that such a reopening is sought. [162051]
Mr Vaizey [holding answer 27 June 2013]:Cross-party discussions on the Royal Charter concluded on 18 March. The Government has no plans to reopen these discussions.
Press: Subscriptions
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months. [162647]
Hugh Robertson: The Departmental for Culture, Media and Sport has spent £9,244.49 on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last twelve months (July 2012 to the end of June 2013).
Tourism: Inverclyde
Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will support the emerging tourist industry in Inverclyde. [162069]
Hugh Robertson: Tourism is a devolved matter, but places like Inverclyde, which is already benefitting from the expanding cruise ship industry, benefit greatly from VisitBritain's international campaigns, including ‘GREAT’, and from VisitEngland's ‘Holidays at Home are GREAT’ campaign. Additional information on the initiatives led by VisitScotland can be found on their website:
www.visitscotland.co.uk
Tourism: Rural Areas
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the contribution of tourism to the rural economy; and if she will make a statement. [162871]
2 July 2013 : Column 614W
Hugh Robertson: Tourism is one of the most important sectors of the rural economy, worth over £33 billion in turnover a year and accounting for around 13% of rural employment. The Rural Economy Growth Review launched a £25 million package, aimed at growing the visitor economy in rural areas. As part of this package, Visit England estimate their promotional activity will create over 6000 extra jobs and £260 million in additional visitor spend and will provide an initial assessment in the autumn.
Justice
Criminal Justice
17. Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to modernise the criminal justice system. [162400]
18. Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to modernise the criminal justice system. [162401]
Damian Green: On 28 June I published “Transforming the CJS”, a strategy and action plan to reform the Criminal Justice System.
It sets out a number of steps to digitise the CJS, tackle the root causes of waste and delay in the system, and offer better support for victims and witnesses as their case progresses through the system.
Prison Privileges and Incentives
20. Gavin Barwell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on rolling out his proposed changes to the privileges and incentive scheme in prisons. [162406]
Jeremy Wright: The overhaul of the incentives and earned privileges scheme will come into effect on 1 November. The processes that will underpin the changes are currently being developed. We have, however, already removed “18” rated DVDs and informed contracted out prisons that subscription television services must be withdrawn by 31 July. In addition, we have begun work to consider a revised system of incentives and privileges for young people in custody.
Pleural Plaques: Compensation
21. Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on compensation for people with pleural plaques. [162407]
Mrs Grant: We have received a small number of recent representations on pleural plaques from Members of Parliament sent on behalf of their constituents.
Cautions
22. Sir Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress he has made on his review of the use of cautions; and when he plans to publish the results of that review. [162408]
Damian Green:
We are clear there must be no soft alternative for serious offenders who should be brought before the courts. That is why the Government launched its review into how simple cautions are used by the
2 July 2013 : Column 615W
police on 3 April. The review has completed its work and reported to Ministers. Proposals will be brought forward in due course.
Human Trafficking
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance he has given to law enforcement and prosecuting authorities on not proceeding with a prosecution or imposing a penalty in cases where victims of trafficking have been compelled to take part in criminal activities. [162138]
The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued comprehensive legal guidance to advise prosecutors of the steps they should take in cases where the police have arrested potential victims of trafficking who have committed criminal offences and referred them for charge. If information suggests that they have been trafficked, prosecutors are advised to make full enquiries and consider whether the case against them should be discontinued. However, a prosecutor can only take these steps if they have information from the police or other sources that a suspect might be a victim of trafficking.
Following recent cases in the Court of Appeal in which victims of trafficking were prosecuted and convicted, having been advised to plead guilty by their legal representative, the CPS is considering new guidelines for prosecutors, which are to be shared with the police and other law enforcement agencies and the Law Society to ensure a more joined-up approach in these cases.
Guidance, published in 2011 by the Child Exploitation and On-line Protection Centre (CEOP), advises that police should be alert to the possibility that any person, adult or child, identified in a cannabis farm could be a victim of trafficking and the steps that they should take.
Prisoners
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) for how long each person held in a segregation unit in each prison on 1 June 2013 had been held in segregation; [163030]
(2) how many prisoners were held in segregation units in each prison on the first day of each month in each of the last three years. [163036]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not recorded centrally. It could be provided only at disproportionate cost by collating the relevant information from segregation records held by individual prison establishments.
Prisoners may be held in segregation for reasons of good order and discipline or for their own protection. They may also be segregated to await adjudication or as a punishment of cellular confinement for offences against prison discipline. Segregation is used only in circumstances which are lawful, safe and decent.
Woodhill Prison
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements are in place for expert witnesses to conduct interviews with prisoners in private at Close Supervision Centre, HM Prison Woodhill; and if he will make a statement. [161992]
2 July 2013 : Column 616W
Jeremy Wright: Prisons will always try and accommodate the requirements of expert witnesses. Operational constraints, including the limited availability of the expert witnesses or requests for interviews made at short notice may mean this is not always possible.
Energy and Climate Change
Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average cost to his Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period his Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque. [162631]
Gregory Barker: The average cost of processing an invoice is calculated to be £2.60.
In the 12 month period to the end of May 2013: (a) 6,900 electronic payments (99.77%) were made and (b) 16 cheque payments (0.23%).
Fuel Poverty
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2013, Official Report, columns 622-3W, on fuel poverty, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in receipt of assistance under (a) Warm Front, (b) the super priority group of the carbon emissions reduction target, (c) the Community Energy Saving programme and (d) the voluntary agreement to support vulnerable and fuel poor households in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10, (iii) 2010-11, (iv) 2011-12 and (v) 2012-13. [162001]
Gregory Barker: Under the Warm Front scheme, the number of households assisted with thermal efficiency measures or energy saving advice was (i) 233,594 in 2008-09 from a budget of £395 million; (ii) 212,963 in 2009-10 from a budget of £369 million; (iii) 127,930 in 2010-11 from a budget of £366 million; (iv) 33,058 in 2011-12 from a budget of £145 million; while it is expected that around 35,000 households will be assisted from applications received in 2012-13, from a budget of £100 million.
Estimates of the number of households receiving assistance under the Super Priority Group (SPG) of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) are not readily available, however the final Ofgem report on CERT(1) showed that over the lifetime of the scheme from 2008-12, SPG eligible households received a significant number of major energy efficiency measures, including: the insulation of 237,692 cavity walled properties; the professional insulation of 531,932 lofts; the insulation of 8,229 solid walled properties; and. the replacement of 6,506 inefficient boilers with more efficient models. Ofgem are currently reviewing additional information from obligated energy companies which may identify that a greater number of measures delivered under CERT were in SPG eligible households.
(1)Note:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/Environment/EnergyEff/Documents1/CERT_FinalReport2013_300413.pdf
Estimates of the number of households assisted with energy efficiency measures under the Community Energy
2 July 2013 : Column 617W
Saving Programme (CESP) are not readily available by year, but the final Ofgem report on CESP
(2)showed that over the lifetime of the scheme from 2009-12 a total of 293,922 measures were installed in 154,364 dwellings in low income areas.
(2)Note:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/Environment/EnergyEff/cesp/Documents1/CESP%20Final%20Report%202013_FINAL%20300413.pdf
Under the Voluntary Agreement, the number of customer accounts—where some households may hold more than one account—benefiting from social tariffs, discounts and rebates was: (i) around 1.3 million at the end of March 2009(3); (ii) around 1.6 million at the end of March 2010(4); and (iii) around 1.9 million at the end of March 2011(5). The Voluntary Agreement ended in March 2011 and was replaced by the Warm Home Discount scheme which supports around 2 million low income and vulnerable households per year.
(3)Note:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Documents1/Monitoring%20Suppliers%20Social%20Spend%202009-10.pdf
(4)Note:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Documents1/Monitoring%20Suppliers%20Social%20Spend%202009-10.pdf
(5)Note:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Documents1/Suppliers%20Social%20Spend%20report%202010-2011.pdf
Green Deal Scheme
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal assessments have been carried out (a) free of charge and (b) at a subsidised cost to date. [162909]
Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold information on the cost of individual Green Deal assessments. The costs charged for assessments are a matter for the companies or individuals providing them.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of the 245 Green Deal plans currently active were taken out following free Green Deal assessments. [162910]
Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold information on the cost of individual Green Deal assessments. The costs charged for assessments are a matter for the companies or individuals providing them.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households have installed energy efficiency measures recommended by a Green Deal Assessment without taking out a Green Deal finance package to date. [162911]
Gregory Barker: Households are not required to inform Government of energy efficiency measures installed following a Green Deal Assessment which the householder has funded through options other than a Green Deal Plan.
2 July 2013 : Column 618W
Cashback applicants are required to carry out a Green Deal Assessment before applying for a voucher. The Department collects data on the Cashback scheme and 968 cashback vouchers had been paid, following the installation of measures, to individual households up to 16 June with them choosing an alternative funding option to a Green Deal Plan.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households have claimed Green Deal cashback benefits without signing up for a Green Deal finance package to date. [162912]
Gregory Barker: 968 cashback vouchers (with a total value of £263,452) had been paid, following the installation of measures, to individual households up to 16 June with them choosing an alternative funding option to a Green Deal Plan.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households have installed energy efficiency measures recommended by a Green Deal assessment with assistance under the Energy Company Obligation but without taking out a Green Deal finance package. [162913]
Gregory Barker: Under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) framework, it is not a requirement for energy suppliers to lodge a Green Deal assessment for measures installed under ECO. Provisional figures published on 27 June showed that there were 81,798 measures installed in 72,525 households under ECO up to the end of April.
Legal Costs
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available. [162514]
Gregory Barker: In 2011-12, the Department paid £7.7 million to firms of solicitors external to government.
Further information covering sums paid above £500 is available on the DECC website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/departmental-spend-over-500
MITIE Group
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008. [162463]
Gregory Barker: The Department does not have a contract with MITIE and has not incurred any expenditure with this organisation.
Press: Subscriptions
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months. [162649]
2 July 2013 : Column 619W
Gregory Barker: The Department spent £25,000 on its electronic press cuttings service during the 12 months period ending March 2013. The equivalent expenditure in the 12 months April 2010 to March 2011 was £80,000.
The Department does not record expenditure on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines separately from overall expenditure on publications which includes the cost of the Department's own publications as well as purchased publications of all types. It would incur disproportionate costs to scrutinise all publication transactions to identify relevant amounts.
Sick Leave
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many days on average staff of his Department in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in each of the last 12 months. [162581]
Gregory Barker: The Department records the ill health absence for its staff on a quarterly basis. The average working days lost per pay grade, for each of the past four quarters for which data is available, is shown in the following table.
| Pay Grade | June 2012 | September 2012 | December 2012 | March 2013 |