Vacancies: Thirsk
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the latest number of job vacancies were in Thirsk and Malton constituency. [162868]
Mr Hoban: Based on the jobs advertised on the Universal Jobmatch service, the number of live job vacancies as at 27 June 2013 in the Thirsk and Malton parliamentary constituency was 68.
Welfare State: Reform
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to correct the under-performance of his Department's programmes identified by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Statement of 26 June 2013, Official Report, column 314. [163094]
Mr Hoban: The Department continually assesses the value for money and performance of programmes to ensure that they meet the standards required and that the best possible value for money is received from all programmes and activity.
Culture, Media and Sport
Broadband
John Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on increasing broadband infrastructure in
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(a)
Glasgow,
(b)
each other city in Scotland and
(c)
each other city in the UK since May 2010. [162268]
Mr Vaizey: Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Perth have been successful in bidding for funding from the £150 million Super Connected Cities Programme. Following discussions with the European Commission, the Government has amended the scope of the projects to be supported through the programme and asked cities to provide revised plans by 21 May. The Government has reviewed the plans and will be writing to all the cities shortly.
Glasgow was not successful in its bid for funding from the Super Connected Cities Programme but parts of the city will be eligible for coverage by the project to provide superfast broad band in Scotland excluding the Highlands and Islands that will be managed by the Scottish Government and which will have approximately £50 million of funding from the UK Government's rural broadband programme.
Football
Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of the role of supporters' trusts in improving governance of football clubs. [161521]
Hugh Robertson: Supporters’ trusts can play an important role in the governance of football clubs, which I saw for myself whilst visiting Portsmouth FC recently. Over 120 Supporters Trusts are now in operation: I welcome both their inclusion in their club governance structures, and the role of the Supporters Trust in guiding their formation.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries intends to reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed of 31 August, 8 October and 28 November 2012 and 15 April 2013 on the procurement process and gaps in mobile telephone coverage at a sub-county level. [157833]
Mr Vaizey: I understand that officials replied in September 2012 and have also sent a duplicate response on 2 July 2013, receipt of which the right hon. Gentleman's office has acknowledged.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to reply to the letter to the Minister for Sport dated 16 May 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Richard Belshaw. [162876]
Mr Vaizey: I can confirm that the response, to the letter from the right hon. Member regarding Mr Richard Belshaw, was sent on 2 July 2013.
Public Expenditure
Caroline Lucas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the equality impact of her Department's spending reductions since 2010; whether this assessment has been
3 July 2013 : Column 679W
used to inform her planning ahead of the 2013 Comprehensive Spending Review and with what result; what plans she has to publish the equality impact assessments undertaken by her Department as a result of the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review; and if she will make a statement. [161175]
Maria Miller: DCMS, which includes the Government Equalities Office, 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 analysis and by the SR equalities assessment commissioned by HMT. This Government has been clear that producing formal equality impact assessment documents is not required in order to ensure compliance with the legal responsibility to consider equality impacts.
Public Lending Right
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to bring forward legislative proposals to extend public lending right to remote lending of e-books, subject to compliance with the EU Copyright Directive; and what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of extending the public lending right. [161848]
Mr Vaizey: As explained in the Government Response to William Sieghart's e-lending review weblink:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-independent-review-of-e-lending-in-public-libraries-in-england
any amendment the Government would seek to pursue in future to extend the Public Lending Right (PLR) scheme to incorporate remote lending is subject to considering whether that would be compatible with the Copyright Directive and this matter is under consideration.
On 26 June 2013, HM Treasury announced that in response to William Sieghart's recommendation that PLR be extended by commencing the provisions of the Digital Economy Act 2010, the Government will consult on plans to extend the PLR scheme to cover onsite loans of e-books and audiobooks, with loans data to be collected from July 2014:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-round-2013-documents
Women and Equalities
Legal Costs
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities (1) what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by the Government Equalities Office since 7 May 2010 was; [158676]
(2) what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by the Government Equalities Office were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such payments were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought; [158619]
(3) how much the Government Equalities Office spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012; [158641]
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(4) how much the Government Equalities Office spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012. [158659]
Mrs Grant: The Government Equalities Office has not made any payments for external legal advice.
Public Expenditure
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the equality impact of the Government Equalities Office spending reductions since 2010; whether this assessment has been used to inform her planning ahead of the 2013 Comprehensive Spending Review and with what result; what plans she has to publish the equality impact assessments undertaken by her Department as a result of the upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review; and if she will make a statement. [161179]
Maria Miller: The Government Equalities Office, which is part of DCMS, 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 analysis and by the SR equalities assessment commissioned by HMT. This Government has been clear that producing formal Equality Impact Assessment documents is not required in order to ensure compliance with the legal responsibility to consider equality impacts.
Defence
MITIE Group
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008. [162461]
Dr Murrison: Expenditure on Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts with MITIE is shown in the following table:
| Financial year | Expenditure (£ million) |
These figures include expenditure by MOD trading funds, but do not include payments which may have been made on behalf of other Government Departments, by the MOD'S executive non-departmental public bodies (which lie outside the MOD'S accounting boundary), locally by the Department, through third parties such as prime contractors or other Government Departments and in relation to collaborative projects where the payments
3 July 2013 : Column 681W
are made through international procurement agencies or overseas governments. Payments made by Government Procurement Card are also not included.
Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish information on the contracts they award at:
www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000.
Cabinet Office
Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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. [162627]
Miss Chloe Smith: All invoice processing functions for the Cabinet Office are outsourced to DWP Shared Services.
The 12/13 direct processing costs (per invoice) for DWP shared services customers were as follows:
| £ | |
The proportion of invoices paid by DWP shared services (a) electronically is 100% and (b) by cheque is nil.
MITIE Group
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008. [162458]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office have spent the paid the following amounts to MITIE:
| £ | |
Since 2011, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 have been published on the Contracts Finder website:
http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk
In addition, this policy extends to Cabinet Office expenditure over £25,000, which is published at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data
Records before 2009-10 are now archived on a legacy accounting system; it is not possible to provide the amount paid to Serco prior to 2009-10 without incurring disproportionate costs.
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Serco
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much No. 10 Downing Street currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008; [162943]
(2) how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [162929]
Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and as such the figures in the following table are for the whole of the Cabinet Office including the Prime Minister's Office.
Since 2011, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 have been published on the Contracts Finder website:
http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk
In addition, this policy extends to Cabinet Office expenditure over £25,000, which is published at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data
Records before 2009-10 are now archived on a legacy accounting system; it is not possible to provide the amount paid to Serco prior to 2009-10 without incurring disproportionate costs.
The spend on Serco contracts for the years not covered on the transparency websites is as follows:
| Spend (£) | |
Staff
Mike Freer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months. [162609]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office spent £229,824 on recruitment agency fees for posts recruited from July 2012 to June 2013.
Since 2011, details of Cabinet Office expenditure over £25,000 is published at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data
At present this covers expenditure up to and including March 2013. Data for April and May 2013 are to be published shortly.
The Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of outplacement agency fees, nor does it hold a central of staff training costs.
Travel: Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many journeys from the UK to overseas destinations began in Scotland in each of the last 10 years. [163051]
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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, July 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many international visits from the UK to overseas destinations began in Scotland in each of the last 10 years [163051].
The International Passenger Survey collects information about international visits by UK residents on their return to the UK. I am able to report estimated visits to overseas destinations made by UK residents returning to the UK via Scotland. These estimates can be found in Table 5.07 of the annual ‘Travel Trends’ publication for each year from 2002 to 2012 at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ott/travel-trends/index.html
Estimates of the number of UK residents returning from international visits via Scotland for the last 4 years (2009 to 2012) are provided in the accompanying spreadsheet. Estimates for earlier years are available at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ott/travel-trends/index.html
However, changes to the International Passenger Survey (IPS) methodology and survey design in 2009 caused some discontinuity in the survey results and any comparisons of IPS results for 2009 onwards with earlier years (and especially those of a UK regional nature) should be made with care. Details of the changes made to the survey design can be found in Appendix C of Travel Trends 2012:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ott/travel-trends/2012/rpt-travel-trends--2012.html#tab-Appendix-C--The-IPS-Methodology-and-coverage
A copy of the tables has been placed in the Library of the House.
Education
Class Sizes
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in which local education authorities (a) primary and (b) secondary school class sizes have risen since May 2010, by size of increase; and if he will make a statement. [162974]
Mr Laws: A table showing average class sizes in primary and secondary schools in each local authority in January 2013 has been placed in the House Library.
Data on class sizes in state-funded primary and secondary schools for January 2010 are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2010
The relevant information is contained within table 14a for primary schools and 14c for secondary schools, within the link ‘Local Authority Tables SFR09/2010’.
The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per school teacher. Additional children may be admitted in exceptional circumstances—for example, looked after children or children of UK service personnel. Classes often reduce to 30 naturally over the subsequent year or two. This Government are spending £5 billion by 2015 on creating new school places, more than double the amount spent by the last government in an equivalent timeframe. This will help reduce the pressure on infant classes.
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We have also opened 81 free schools and approved some 200 more—providing 130,000 extra places in total once full.
Pre-school Education: Closures
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many maintained nurseries have closed in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [162754]
Elizabeth Truss: Six maintained nursery schools closed in 2010, two maintained nursery schools closed in 2011, and six maintained nursery schools closed in 2012. This compares to the nine that closed in 2009.
Many maintained primary schools also have nursery classes. In 2010, two maintained primary schools removed nursery classes. No others have been removed since then.
Over this same period (2010 to 2012) two hew maintained nursery schools have opened, and 99 maintained primary schools have added a nursery unit.
Primary Education: Class Sizes
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children aged (a) five, (b) six and (c) seven were in infant classes of over 30 on (i) 1 May 2010 and (ii) the latest date for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. [162998]
Mr Laws: Information on infant class sizes was published in table 6a of the publication "Schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2013". A copy of this table has been placed in the House Library.
The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 limits the size of an infant class to 30 pupils per school teacher. Additional children may be admitted in exceptional circumstances—for example, looked after children or children of UK service personnel. We are spending £5 billion by 2015 on creating new school places, more than double the amount spent by the last Government in an equivalent timeframe. This will help reduce the pressure on infant classes.
We have also opened 81 free schools and approved some 200 more—providing 130,000 extra places in total once full.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013
Schools: Buildings
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent estimate he has made of the number of temporary classrooms in each English local education authority. [162977]
Mr Laws: The last Government stopped collecting data on the condition of the school estate in 2005. We believe this decision was flawed, which is why we began collecting up-to-date information on the school estate via the Property Data Survey Programme (PDSP), including the number of temporary classrooms across England.
The survey phase of the PDSP is scheduled for completion in late July 2013. The data gathered will then be subject to an on-going quality assurance process.
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Once this has been finalised, the release of Property Data Survey Data will commence, which we currently expect to begin during autumn 2013.
Secondary Education: Coastal Areas
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the most recent Ofsted inspection grades were for each secondary school serving the principal seaside towns of England. [162430]
Mr Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Library.
Teachers: Pay
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers in England applied for performance-related pay in the latest period for which figures are available; how many of these received such a payment; what proportion of eligible teachers this represents; and if he will make a statement. [162976]
Mr Laws: Under current arrangements, provided in the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 2012, classroom teachers on the main pay scale progress automatically each year unless their performance is deemed unsatisfactory. In practice, almost all teachers on the main pay scale progress to the next spine point each year.
In addition, teachers at the top of the main pay scale are able to apply to “cross the threshold”, with successful applicants paid on the upper pay scale. These decisions are made at school level and the Department for Education does not have data on applications to cross the threshold.
In its 21st Report, the independent School Teachers Review Body (STRB) recommended a stronger link between pay and performance and simpler criteria for access to the upper pay scale. The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), accepted the STRB's recommendations in full and schools will be implementing them from September 2013.
Teachers: Training
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of those entering teacher training schemes had no qualifications at (a) degree and (b) advanced level in each year since 2010. [162755]
Mr Laws: The latest available data, which are published in the initial teacher training (ITT) performance profiles, are for first year trainees who started an ITT programme in England in the academic year 2010/11.
80% of first-year trainees were on a postgraduate programme. A degree or degree equivalent is an entry requirement for this programme. The Department only holds information on the most advanced qualification held by entrants to the postgraduate programme. This means that figures for how many trainees on the graduate programme had no qualifications at advanced level are not available.
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20% of trainees studied an undergraduate programme, which itself has degree status. 58% of first year trainees on the undergraduate programme had qualifications at A or AS-level; 9% had GNVQ qualifications; 8% had Access qualifications; and 25% had other qualifications such as BTEC National Diplomas and Higher National Diplomas. Data for the academic year 2011/12 will be published in July 2013.
Entry requirements for undergraduate programmes are set by training providers. We have toughened the ITT entry requirements, so that since 1 September 2012 all applicants to initial teacher training courses have had to pass the professional skills tests in literacy and numeracy before starting the course. We have raised the pass mark to make the tests more rigorous, and candidates are limited to two resits. We have also carried out a fundamental review of the skills tests and new, tougher tests will be introduced from autumn 2013.
In 2012/13 we introduced a bursary system which awards higher bursaries to trainees with good degrees. Under the new bursary system, ITT candidates holding third class and pass or ordinary degrees are no longer eligible for funding. In the subjects to which it is hardest to recruit teachers we offer: a bursary of £20,000 for trainees with first class degrees; £15,000 for those with upper second class degrees; and £12,000 for those with lower second class degrees. For other subjects we offer: £9,000 for trainees with first class degrees; and £4,000 for trainees with upper second class degrees. This approach will help to raise the status of teaching as a career choice and incentivise the best graduates to become teachers.
Truancy and Pupil Exclusions
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what the change has been in the number of (a) unauthorised absences and (b) exclusions in schools since 2010; [162972]
(2) what estimate he has made of changes in school (a) truancy and (b) exclusions rates since 2010; and if he will make a statement. [162973]
Elizabeth Truss: The available information on unauthorised absence from 2009/10 to 2011/12 and on fixed period and permanent exclusions for 2009/10 and 2010/11 is shown in the following tables.
The latest data on absence for the school year are published in the ‘Pupil Absence in Schools in England, Including Pupil Characteristics: 2011/12’ Statistical First Release(1).
The latest data on exclusions are published in the ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions from schools in England: academic year 2010 to 2011’ Statistical First Release(2)
Exclusion information for 2011/12 will be published on 25 July 2013.
(1)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england-including-pupil-characteristics
(2)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-from-schools-in-england-academic-year-2010-to-2011
3 July 2013 : Column 687W
| State-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools(1, 2, 3, 4): Pupil absence by type of school 2009/10 to 2011/12—England | |||
| 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies, including free schools. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies, including free schools. (4) Includes maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools and special academies. Excludes, hospital schools, independent special schools and independent schools approved for SEN pupils. (5) Number of pupil enrolments in schools from start of the school year up until the end of the fifth half term. Includes pupils on the school roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once (if they moved schools during the school year or are registered at more than one school). (6) The number of registration sessions missed due to unauthorised absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. There are two registration sessions per day. Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest5. Source: School Census | |||
| State-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools1, 2, 3, 4 number of permanent exclusions by type of school England 2009/10 to 2010/11 | ||
| 2009/10 | 2010/11 | |
3 July 2013 : Column 688W
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and academies (including all through academies). (4) Includes maintained special schools and non maintained special schools. Excludes general hospitals, hospital schools. (5) The number of fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) in January each year. Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. (6) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) in January each year. Source: School Census | ||
| State-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools1, 2, 3, 4 number of fixed period exclusions by type of school England 2009/10 to 2010/11 | ||
| 2009/10 | 2010/11 | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and academies (including all through academies). (4) Includes maintained special schools and non maintained special schools. Excludes general hospitals, hospital schools. (5) The number of fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of all pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) in January each year. Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census | ||
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Energy and Climate Change
Devolution
Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library any concordats which his Department or the public bodies for which he is responsible have with the devolved Administrations. [163149]
Gregory Barker: The Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements, agreed in September 2012, set out principles which underlie the relationship between the UK Government and the devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These documents are available in the Libraries of the House.
In addition, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has agreed a concordat that sets out the framework for administrative co-operation for the implementation of the regulatory framework established by the Climate Change Act 2008, with counterparts in the devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Copies of the documents will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
We will check whether the public bodies that DECC has responsibility for have concordats with the devolved Administrations and these, or links to them, will be placed in the Libraries of the House in due course.
Renewable Energy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, columns 461-2W, on renewable energy, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's analysis of projects with the potential to generate 20 MW or more recorded on the renewable energy planning database cross-referenced by information on investment provided by developers. [161754]
Michael Fallon: The Renewable Energy Planning Database is already in the public domain and can be found at:
https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/planning-database/
Estimates of jobs and investment for projects with the potential to generate 20 MW or more were provided through analysis of publically available announcements and commercially sensitive information provided in confidence by developers. The following tables set out our analysis of projects aggregated by UK country, and English region.
| Table 1: Breakdown of jobs and investment announcements since 2010 by UK country | ||
| Announcement numbers | ||
| Country | Recorded investment | Jobs that the announcement has the potential to support |
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| Table 2: Breakdown of jobs and investment announcements since 2010 by English regions | ||
| Announcement numbers | ||
| Region | Recorded investment | Jobs that the announcement has the potential to support |
| Note: All figures are based on the Renewable Energy Planning Database and industry announcements. These are not official figures. | ||
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the Government's investment in non-wind forms of renewable energy; and if he will make a statement. [162372]
Michael Fallon: The Department set out the Government's expectations for the deployment of all forms of renewable energy, including non-wind forms, in the UK Renewable Energy Roadmap, published in 2011 and updated in 2012. The 2011 UK Renewable Energy Roadmap can be viewed online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48128/2167-uk-renewable-energy-roadmap.pdf
The 2012 update to the UK Renewable Roadmap can be viewed online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/80246/11-02-13_UK_Renewable_Energy_Roadmap_Update_FINAL_DRAFT .pdf
Serco
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [162934]
Gregory Barker: The following amounts (excluding VAT) have been paid to Serco Ltd:
| £000 | |
3 July 2013 : Column 691W
| (1 )To end of May 2013 | |
Wind Power
Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average price paid to wind farm operators per megawatt hour for power generated was in the 12 months from May 2012. [162480]
Michael Fallon [holding answer 1 July 2013]: Onshore and offshore wind generating stations above 5 MW (and those below 5 MW in Northern Ireland) are eligible for support through the renewables obligation (RO) in the form of renewable obligation certificates (ROCs)(1). They also receive the wholesale electricity price and are eligible to receive levy exemption certificates.
As support levels have changed over time under the RO, plants receive a different number of ROCs per MWh of generation depending on when they joined the scheme. Table 6.3 in Energy Trends presents total ROCs awarded and total generation for each cohort and can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206534/et6_3.xls
As the RO is a market-based support mechanism, the actual value of a ROC to a generator will depend on the supply and demand for ROCs during a given obligation period, and the individual arrangements reached between generators and the supplier or other person to whom they sell their ROCs. DECC do not hold information on purchase power agreements (PPAs) as this information is commercially confidential.
For Government accounting purposes DECC assume that the obligation is set correctly (i.e. at the level of generation plus 10% headroom). Therefore, the value of a ROC to an electricity supplier is assumed to be the buyout price (which a supplier can pay to discharge its obligation) plus 10% (headroom). The buyout price is set by Ofgem, in 2012-13 it was £40.71; historic rates can be found on Ofgem's website here:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/Environment/RenewablObl/Documents1/buy-out%20price%20and%20mututalisation%20ceiling%202013_14.pdf
Using these assumptions the average price paid under the RO for a given year can be calculated as follows:
(Total number of ROCs issued to wind * Value of a ROC)/Total generation from wind
(1) Since April 2010, new onshore wind sites in Great Britain between 50 kW and 5 MW have the choice of accreditation under either the RO or feed-in tariff; however, most have chosen the latter.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Basic Skills
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to help improve adult literacy and numeracy rates. [162155]
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Matthew Hancock: Through the Adult Skills Budget, this Department provides significant support to adults to improve levels of literacy and numeracy. We fully fund English and maths courses from Entry Level 1 to Level 2 for all adults who lack those skills. Since August 2012, this includes funding GCSE English and maths qualifications to support adults to achieve these widely recognised qualifications.
In 2011/12 we supported 782,500 adult learners doing an Adult Skills for Life course in English and 772,500 doing maths, a 22.5% increase for each over the previous year.
We have encouraged awarding organisations to introduce new English and maths unit-based qualifications on the Qualifications and Curriculum Framework which will provide learners with more options for improving their skills. These qualifications are designed to help people address specific skill deficits prior to starting a full course of learning at a higher level.
We reviewed English and maths provision in 2011 and are taking action to make it more effective including piloting in 2012/13 how providers can be funded on the basis of the skills gains made by learners and requiring apprenticeship providers to support apprentices in progressing towards the achievement of Level 2 English and maths.
We are implementing the recommendations of Lord Lingfield's report on further education work force and teacher qualifications. I can confirm that as part of this new suite of qualifications for the work force we are launching new specialist qualifications for the teaching of English and maths in recognition of the importance of these subjects. The link to the full report can be found here:
http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/p/12-1198-professionalism-in-further-education-final
This Department is also working with other interested Departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Justice. Jobcentre Plus advisers are now required to embed effective and timely screening of the English and maths needs of benefit claimants and mandate them to an initial interview with a provider and training where a lack of these skills is preventing them from moving into work. Similarly, we now assess the English and maths needs of offenders at the very start of their sentence.
Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 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. [162626]
Jo Swinson: The Department has not recently carried out a benchmarking exercise to establish the cost of processing an invoice for payment. The Department has recently moved its invoice processing function to a new ‘Shared Services’ provider therefore disproportionate costs would be incurred should a benchmarking exercise be carried out at this stage.
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During 2012/13 the Department made 99% of it payments electronically; the remainder were made by payable order.
EU Grants and Loans
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding was provided by the European Regional Development Fund for projects in the UK (a) in total since 2007, (b) per year since 2007, (c) in total per NUTS 1 region since 2007 and (d) in total per NUTS 1 region per year since 2007. [162843]
Michael Fallon: The United Kingdom European Regional Development Fund allocations for the 2007-13 programming period are as follows, broken down by NUTS 1 Area:
| European regional development fund allocations 2007-13, United Kingdom NUTS 1 Areas | ||||||||
| £ million | ||||||||
| Area | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Total |
| Note: The allocations are indicative £ sterling figures converted using a current exchange rate of £1= €1.1714. | ||||||||
European Social Fund
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total funding provided by the European Social Fund was for projects in the UK (a) in total since 2007, (b) in each year since 2007, (c) in total in each NUTS 1 region since 2007 and (d) in total in each NUTS 1 region in each year since 2007. [162434]
Michael Fallon: The United Kingdom European Social Fund allocations for the 2007-13 programming period are as follows, broken down by NUTS 1 Area:
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| European social fund allocations 2007-13, United Kingdom NUTS 1 Areas | ||||||||
| £ million | ||||||||
| Area | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Total |
| Note: The allocations are indicative £ sterling figures converted using a current exchange rate of £1= €1.1714. | ||||||||
Higher Education: Scholarships
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness, performance and effects of the National Scholarship Programme. [162969]
Mr Willetts: The Government have been very clear about the importance of widening participation and improving fair access in higher education—all those with the ability should have access to higher education, irrespective of family income.
The Government are establishing a new framework, with increased responsibility placed on universities to widen participation. This includes arrangements for annual access agreements. Universities plan to spend over £670 million in 2016/17 on measures to widen participation through their access agreements.
To make sure that we are doing everything possible to widen participation and promote fair access BIS Ministers asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) to develop a shared strategy for access and student success which will include advice to ensure we achieve the maximum impact from spending by Government, HEFCE and institutions. HEFCE and OFFA are due to deliver the strategy in autumn 2013. An interim report was published on 7 March 2013.
Data about the National Scholarship Programme (NSP) submitted to HEFCE by institutions have shown that approximately 35,000 students are expected to receive
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an award during 20012-13. Around £69 million is expected to be delivered in the form of fee waivers, £21 million through cash bursaries, £2 million on free or discounted foundation years, and £29 million on discounted accommodation and other institutional support. Students have a choice over how they receive the remaining £10 million.
Independent evaluation has shown that there is a low awareness of the NSP. In addition, it was found to have limited impact on students' decision making because funding is not generally guaranteed at the point of application to university. From 2015-16, the Government will refocus the National Scholarship Programme to support postgraduate students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The £50 million fund will be administered by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). HEFCE will allocate the money competitively to higher education institutions, and will attract additional scholarship funding from the private sector or from the institutions' own resources.
Legal Costs
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available. [162509]
Jo Swinson: The information requested is being collated and will be sent to the hon. Member, and placed in the Libraries of the House, shortly.
Local Enterprise Partnerships: West Midlands
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department collects on the allocation of resources by local enterprise partnerships in (a) the West Midlands, (b) Coventry and (c) Coventry South constituency. [163043]
Michael Fallon: Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) determine where they allocate their resources. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not collect information on where these resources are allocated by LEPs.
Manufacturing Industries: Sports
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support sports equipment manufacturers. [162446]
Michael Fallon: Sports equipment manufacturers can access help and advice to start and grow their business through ‘GREAT’
www.greatbusiness.gov.uk
www.gov.uk
eligible businesses can gain support in areas such as running, funding, staffing and expanding a business. The Government-funded Manufacturing Advisory Service provides practical support on all aspects of manufacturing, including direct access to manufacturing experts with a proven track record
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www.mymas.org/services
There is also support available from UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) for those companies wishing to grow through international trade.
In addition, the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative aims to improve global competitiveness of UK manufacturing supply chains by supporting innovative projects where the UK is well placed to take a global lead. The deadline for applications to Round 4 is noon on 16 October 2013; further information about the competition—which is open to all organisations operating as part of a manufacturing supply chain—can be found at the AMSCI helpdesk webpage:
www.financebirmingham.com/amsci
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the growth of sports equipment manufacturing businesses over the last 10 years. [162447]
Michael Fallon: The sporting goods manufacturing industry has consistently employed around 6,000 people over the period 2001-11 (the latest year for which figures are available). In terms of gross value added its economic contribution in current prices is given in the table along with the number of businesses operating in this industry.
| Number of businesses | Gross value added (current £ million) | |
| Source: Annual Business Survey | ||
MITIE Group
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spends on contracts with MITIE; and how much was spent on contracts with MITIE in each year since 2008. [162456]
Jo Swinson: Since 2008 the Department has spent the following amounts with MITIE group companies:
| MITIE Technical Facilities Management Ltd | |
| £ | |
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| MITIE Catering Services (London) Ltd | |
| £ | |
Mobile Phones
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which companies supply (a) mobile telephones and (b) mobile data services to his Department. [162680]
Jo Swinson: The purchase of mobile telephones and mobile data services to BIS is arranged through a Cabinet Office framework agreement with Vodafone plc. On occasion, where the business requirement demands, for example in areas of limited reception, this can include purchases of equipment and/or services through other providers such as O2.
Post Codes: Databases
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the likely yearly costs to the Government of accessing the Postcode Address File following the privatisation of Royal Mail. [162440]
Michael Fallon: Royal Mail is legally obliged to make the Postcode Address File (PAF) available to anyone who wishes to uses it on reasonable terms. This obligation is regulated by Ofcom and will apply regardless of ownership of Royal Mail. On 14 June Royal Mail announced a package of measures to improve access, including a forthcoming consultation to simplify radically the licensing and pricing regime. In addition, Ofcom recently consulted on the licensing regime and will publish its conclusions shortly. Government and Royal Mail have previously announced the intention to introduce a PAF Public Sector Licence to cover all uses of PAF by the public sector. The forthcoming Royal Mail consultation and the resulting regime will inform the PAF Public Sector Licence discussions and work, including assessment of costs.
Press: Subscriptions
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade publications in the last 12 months. [162644]
Jo Swinson: The financial data held within BIS do not separately identify the amount spent on newspapers and periodicals and such costs are included amongst all publication costs.
In the 12 months to June 2013 the amount of expenditure against all publications was £194,258. This figure includes a range of publications, including newspapers and periodicals.
The Department does publish details of all individual spend transactions as part of its obligations under transparency. These details are openly available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills/series/bis-spending-totals
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The work of BIS regularly leads the news agenda and national, regional and specialist media all have a keen interest in the Department's work. It's an important part of our work to keep abreast of all media coverage, not just of what the Department does, but also breaking news and analysis about all its very diverse policy areas.
Research: EU Grants and Loans
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much EU research and development funding has been awarded under the FP7 programme to projects involving British universities and companies (a) in total and (b) in each year since 2007; and how much such funding has been awarded to each British company and university in receipt of such funds in total and in each year since 2007. [162433]
Mr Willetts: The total amount of EU funding awarded to UK Higher Education Establishments and Private for Profit organisations from the EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to date is €3,708 million and €878 million respectively. This information is taken from the Commission's report of FP7 projects for the UK, which includes all signed grant agreements registered centrally as of 21 June 2013.
FP7 funding is received as a combination of pre-financing paid at the start of a project, interim payments following each reporting period and a final payment at the end of the project for the last reporting period. The Commission does not release payment information. Instead it provides information based on the total value of the grant agreement in the year it was signed, which is presented in the following table for UK Higher Education Establishments and Private for Profit organisations.
The Commission's confidentiality rules for the Framework Programme allows communication of applicant data in an aggregated form only, therefore I am unable to provide details of funding awarded to individual UK universities or companies.
| EC requested financial contribution (€) | ||
| FP7 Project signature date | Private for Profit Organisations | Higher Education Establishments |
Staff
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last 12 months. [162608]
Jo Swinson:
Details of spend by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on (a) recruitment agency fees can be found on the Department's website
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under the heading ‘Hire of Agency Staff (Clerical/Secretariat /Other)’ and ‘Hire of Agency Staff (Professional/Management)’:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills/series/bis-spending-totals
(b) Outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff was £0 and (c) staff training in core BIS for each of the last 12 months is:
| £ | |
In common with other large organisations, natural staff turnover can mean that we sometimes need to recruit people to fill specialist roles, where there is a clear business need to have someone in that role. As it can take three or more months to recruit an individual, temporary specialist staff are sometimes hired while permanent appointments are being made—but only where there is a clear business case. Temporary appointments may also be made for genuinely time limited projects requiring specialist experience not normally found in the civil service.
The Department is accredited by Investors in People, and we are very proud of that fact.
Students: Loans
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide an assurance that there will be no retrospective changes to the terms of student loans taken out before 2012. [163063]
Mr Willetts: The Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations set out the terms and conditions of income contingent student loans for the current year. We have no intention to change retrospectively the terms that were applied in earlier years to these loans.
Vacancies
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's vacancy rate was in 2012-13; and what vacancy rate has been assumed for 2013-14. [162662]
Jo Swinson: The vacancy rate in BIS has been between 1% and 2% over the financial year 2012-13. We have assumed the same vacancy rate for 2013-14.
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Health
Cancer
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will hold discussions with UK broadcasters on the scope for the inclusion of factual and relevant information relating to the signs and symptoms of cancer within the storylines of popular serial dramas. [162604]
Anna Soubry: Public Health England (PHE) has a keen proactive interest in working with the media across all campaigns and regularly meets with media owners—including television programming—and briefs them on its campaigns. This includes PHE engaging proactively with programme makers to understand how we can support and influence future storylines.
In terms of the cancer sign and symptoms campaign, it ensures that up to date information on the various campaigns and advice as well as leaflets and posters (for appropriate display within programmes) are provided regularly. Programme makers wish their dramas to be topical and relevant and it is both their and PHE's interest to develop the relationship further.
PHE cannot influence storylines as such but can ensure that up to date information on campaigns and initiatives is provided.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer, what progress he has made in meeting the target for saving additional lives each year by 2014-15. [162798]
Anna Soubry: ‘Improving Outcomes: a Strategy for Cancer’, published in January 2011, set out the ambition to save 5,000 additional lives (avoidable premature deaths) each year by 2014-15. Avoidable premature deaths are those that occur among cancer patients within five years of diagnosis (premature) and that would not be expected to have occurred if survival in Britain matched the level of the best seen in Europe (avoidable).
While it is too early to undertake an analysis of our performance against this ambition, details concerning the basis for this calculation and our projection for lives, saved can be found in Annex C of ‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer—Second Annual Report’. A copy of the report has already been placed in the Library.
Cancer: Drugs
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have received medicine through the Cancer Drugs Fund in (a) the West Midlands, (b) Coventry and (c) Coventry South constituency since its introduction. [162796]
Norman Lamb: Between October 2010 and the end of March 2013, over 3,400 patients in the West Midlands strategic health authority area have benefited from the additional funding we have made available for cancer drugs.
Information on patients funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund is not collected at city or constituency level.
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Information on the numbers of patients benefiting from the Cancer Drugs Fund since NHS England took responsibility for the Fund from April 2013 is not yet available.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of people that will be affected by the move from the Cancer Drugs Fund to a value-based pricing system in (a) the West Midlands, (b) Coventry and (c) Coventry South constituency. [162797]
Norman Lamb: We have made no such estimate.
We are committed to ensuring that arrangements are in place to protect individual patients receiving treatment through the Cancer Drugs Fund as the planned end of the Fund approaches.
Care Quality Commission
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what salary grades the Care Quality Commission has used in its public affairs team in each year since its establishment; and how many people have been employed at each grade in each such year. [163053]
Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. The CQC has provided the following information.
CQC introduced a pay and grading framework for all staff on 1 April 2012. Before this point, jobs did not have comparable grades across the organisation.
| CQC Salary pay and grading as from 1 April 2012 | ||||
| £ | ||||
| National | London | |||
| Grade | Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum |
The Executive 3 (E3) pay scale is treated separately from the A-G grades and is not subject to being London or National. The pay scale is £70,000 to £100,000.
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The following table shows how the establishment of the public affairs team is split by pay grade.
| Salary grades used by the Public Affairs team in 2012 and 2013 | ||
| Grade | 1 April 2012 | 1 April 2013 |
| Note: All grades are on the London scale. | ||
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Care Quality Commission has spent on public affairs in each year since its establishment. [163054]
Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. The CQC has provided the following information.
In the year 2009-10 and 2010-11, public affairs and media were one team so there was no specific cost code for public affairs. CQC expenditure on public affairs in the last two years is in the following table.
| Spend (£) | |
Care Quality Commission: Publicity
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people the Care Quality Commission has employed in its public affairs team in each year since its establishment. [163052]
Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. The CQC has provided the following information:
In 2009 and 2010, public affairs and media were one team, so it is not possible to provide a separate figure for public affairs for these years. From 2011 onwards they were split. The following table provides numbers in the public affairs team on 1 April each year for 2011, 2012 and 2013.
| Establishment | Actual Headcount | Actual Full Time Equivalent | Vacancies | Temporary/ Interim staff | Vacancies after Temps | |
Cerebral Palsy
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance his Department issues on the commissioning of selective dorsal rhizotomy for the treatment of spasticity; [162529]
(2) how many selective dorsal rhizotomy procedures were approved under the NHS in the last year for which figures are available; [162530]
(3) how many clinical commissioning groups in England commission selective dorsal rhizotomy procedures for the treatment of spasticity. [162531]
Norman Lamb: Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is classified as a specialised service, and is therefore commissioned directly by NHS England rather than by clinical commissioning groups.
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NHS England issued a “Clinical Commissioning Policy Statement on Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR)” in April 2013. The document states that the procedure is not routinely commissioned, but may be available on a limited basis as part of a ‘Commissioning through Evaluation’ project. A copy has been placed in the Library.
We understand that 60-70 SDR procedures were funded by the national health service in England in 2012-13.