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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 11 July 2013

Work and Pensions

Child Maintenance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the letter of 13 June 2013 from the Child Support Agency (CSA) to the hon. Member for Chesterfield, reference CFA/0307292, (1) what steps he is taking to lift the current moratorium on committal actions for parents who are non-compliant with the CSA; [164200]

(2) when he expects the CSA to be able to resume carrying out committal actions on parents who are non-compliant with the CSA. [164201]

Steve Webb: A Court of Appeal judgment handed down on 30 October 2012 required the Child Support Agency (CSA) to amend several processes linked with commitment applications.

The CSA has amended the procedures for progressing commitment action, and revised the standard of financial evidence required to support the case in court. I can clarify that since March 2013 the legal teams have been presenting certain cases, ie where the non-resident parent is already the subject of a court order committing them to prison but suspended on the basis they will comply with certain conditions, which they have then failed to do.

The courts have tested and accepted the revised commitment approach and, since recommencing commitment work in May, five custodial sentences have been imposed.

Having looked into this matter personally, I can also confirm that the Child Support Agency (CSA) has now re-started action on all committal cases in line with the amended procedures. I apologise that the agency's letter of 13 June to the hon. Member did not reflect the most up to date information.

Flexible Support Fund

Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has allocated for the Flexible Support Fund in each of the last three financial years; how much his Department will spend on the fund in 2013-14; and what the reasons are for any change in these figures. [164204]

Mr Hoban: Flexible Support Fund over the last three financial years is as follows:

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The Flexible Support Fund was introduced in April 2011 and expenditure was lower in 2011-12 due to the lead time in identifying and putting in place appropriate additional provision and support to meet local needs.

Food Banks: Voucher Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many foodbank vouchers have been issued by jobcentres in each month in the last year. [164598]

Mr Hoban: Food banks do not form part of the welfare system and DWP does not monitor their usage, or have any plans to do so.

Housing Benefit: Night Shelters

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the recent judgement OR v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Isle of Anglesey County Council on the operation of homeless nightshelters. [164597]

Steve Webb: This Upper Tribunal judgment was about whether a person's accommodation could be regarded, for benefit purposes, as a dwelling which the claimant occupied as his home. That has always been a basic test for entailment to housing benefit in legislation. The Tribunal decided that for benefit purposes, in this particular case and based on specific facts, that the claimant's accommodation did not constitute his home. Housing benefit regulations do not refer specifically to homeless hostels or shelters and the law in this respect has not changed.

The Government recognise the important contribution that night shelters can make to reducing rough sleeping and the associated costs to society. There are already significant levels of funding for shelters available in England; £470 million preventing homelessness funding for local authorities and the voluntary sector to tackle and prevent homelessness, including rough sleeping; and a £42.5 million Homelessness Change programme for 1,500 new and refurbished bed spaces for rough sleepers.

It is for local providers to look at the most appropriate sources and mix of funding for the type of accommodation for rough sleepers they think is most suitable for their local needs. Housing benefit may be one of them, and universal credit in future.

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Young People

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the actively seeking work criteria of the jobseeker's allowance regulations will be applied for young people aged between 18 and 24 years old enrolled on the Government's traineeships scheme. [164784]

Mr Hoban: Jobseekers participating on a traineeship will continue to be paid jobseeker's allowance at their benefit rate. For the duration of their traineeship, they will be subject to all existing conditionality such as actively seeking work, being available for employment and attending regular face-to-face Job-centre adviser interviews.

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Traineeships aim to help an intermediate group of jobseekers develop the skills and attitudes employers look for to enable them to move into sustainable employment. Young People who already possess employability skills or have high levels of attainment are likely to be successful in finding work or an apprenticeship without the extra support a traineeship provides. Young people who need more intensive help before they can successfully engage with the labour market are supported through the Youth Contract, the Work programme and wider training provision.

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the 16 hour rule for study will be applied to young people aged between 18 and 24 years old enrolled on the Government's traineeship scheme and claiming jobseeker's allowance. [164785]

Mr Hoban: Traineeships do not change the full-time study rule in jobseeker's allowance. The programme however will be flexible enough to enable training providers and employers to meet the requirements of young people who are claiming benefits. Those who are designing traineeships with the intention of offering places to benefits claimants are encouraged to consult Jobcentre Plus, to ensure a suitable fit with the benefits system whilst also meeting the needs of the local labour market.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times in each of the last five years well operators in the UK offshore oil and gas industry reported the use of blow-out prevention technology in well control operations. [164715]

Mr Hoban: The number of times offshore operators have reported to the Health and Safety Executive the coming into operation of blow-out prevention or diversion systems to control the flow of a well, in each of the last five years is:

The figures for 2012-13 are not yet available.

Northern Ireland

Bombings: Omagh

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she expects to announce her decision regarding the need for a public inquiry into the events surrounding the Omagh bombing. [164748]

Mrs Villiers: I am currently considering the contents of a report presented to me by the Omagh Support and Self Help Group (OSSHG). I hope to be in a position to make my decision soon.

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National Crime Agency

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations she has made to her counterparts in the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice on the National Crime Agency and its work in Northern Ireland. [164453]

Mike Penning: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), and I are in close touch with Home Office colleagues about the National Crime Agency's role in Northern Ireland. Our shared aim is to ensure that Northern Ireland benefits as much as possible from the National Crime Agency. We hold regular meetings with Justice Minister David Ford about matters affecting security in Northern Ireland.

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with (a) the security services and (b) police forces in Great Britain on the National Crime Agency and its work in Northern Ireland. [164454]

Mike Penning: Neither the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), nor I have had discussions with the Security Service or police forces in Great Britain about the National Crime Agency.

Attorney-General

Alternatives to Prosecution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what record is kept of when a Crown Prosecution Service lawyer recommends that a serious offence is disposed of via a caution prior to the stage when the police formally refer a case for charging decision. [164167]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) only records the number of cases formally referred by the police for pre-charge advice and where the final decision was to either charge, obtain further evidence, issue a simple caution, conditional caution, reprimand, final warning or take the offence into consideration.

The figures in the table below show the total number of pre-charge decisions and those where the decision was either issue a simple caution, conditional caution, reprimand, final warning or take the offence into consideration.

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The CPS case management system is unable extract pre-charge data for specific offence categories.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2013, Official Report, column 349W, on alternatives to prosecution, what factors determined the decision not to prosecute in the 190 cases where cautions were recommended by the Crown Prosecution Service for child abuse flagged cases. [164293]

The Attorney-General: The CPS Case Management System data do not provide a breakdown of the individual factors that determined the decision not to prosecute the 190 cases where cautions were recommended by the CPS. This information could only be obtained by examining all of the files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

The decision to issue a caution will have been taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors; the Directors Guidance on Charging; CPS guidance on child abuse, and the Home Office/Ministry of Justice guidance on simple cautions.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on alternatives to prosecution, if he will list by Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) business area of CPS out-of-court disposals in each of the last seven years for (a) domestic violence-flagged, (b) rape-flagged and (c) child abuse-flagged cases. [164295]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) consists of 13 areas, each headed by a chief Crown prosecutor (CCP), In addition, there are four specialised national divisions. The figures provided in the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, related to pre-charge decisions made by the 13 areas only. A full breakdown has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on alternatives to prosecution, how many of the Crown Prosecution Service out-of-court disposals for rape-flagged cases concerned offences that were (a) indictable-only and (b) triable either way but routinely so in a Crown court. [164296]

The Solicitor-General: The information provided in the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on alternatives to prosecution related to the number of pre-charge decisions (PCDs) referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) where a ‘Rape' database monitoring flag had been applied. Notwithstanding the application of a rape monitoring flag, PCD data are not held by offence type so the mode of trial of any offences considered by a CPS prosecutor when making a pre-charge decision cannot be ascertained without looking at individual PCD files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on alternatives to prosecution, how many of the Crown Prosecution Service out-of-court disposals for domestic violence-flagged cases concerned offences

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that were

(a)

indictable-only and

(b)

triable either way but routinely so in a Crown court. [164297]

The Solicitor-General: The information provided in the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on alternatives to prosecution related to the number of pre-charge decisions (PCDs) referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) where a ‘Domestic Violence' database monitoring flag had been applied. PCD data are not held by offence type so the mode of trial of any offences considered by a CPS prosecutor when making a pre-charge decision cannot be ascertained without looking at individual PCD files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 701W, on Crown Prosecution Service, how many police-charged cases have been subsequently discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service in each year from 2007 up to and including 2011. [164298]

The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the number and proportion of cases charged by the police, which were subsequently dropped by the CPS in each year from 2007 to 2011.

Prosecutions dropped comprise cases discontinued or withdrawn, where no evidence is offered, the prosecution or indictment is stayed or all charges are left on file.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 701W, on Crown Prosecution Service, how many police-charged cases have been subsequently disposed of via a caution by the Crown Prosecution Service in each year from 2007 up to and including 2011. [164299]

The Solicitor-General: The following table sets out the number and proportion of police charged cases that were not continued by the CPS in the specified years because it was determined that a caution was more appropriate.

European Convention On Human Rights

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Attorney-General what progress he is making on negotiations on the European Convention on Human Rights. [164290]

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The Attorney-General: Protocol 15 to the European Convention on Human Rights was opened for signature on 24 June and the UK signed immediately. This will among other things shorten the time limit for applications to the Court and write the principle of subsidiarity in to the Convention. Other short-term and medium-term reform measures are progressing well, and the Court's backlog of applications is falling. The next phase will be the longer-term reform work called for by the Brighton Declaration, starting in the autumn.

HSBC

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General with reference to the conclusion of the United States Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations, published in July 2012 that HSBC had failed to prevent criminals using the bank to channel the proceeds of crime, what steps he and the Director of the Serious Fraud Office have taken to ascertain HSBC's historic and current compliance with money laundering laws since July 2012. [164262]

The Solicitor-General: The Criminal Justice Act 1987 limits the remit of the Serious Fraud Office into investigating serious and complex fraud or bribery and corruption. Any investigation into the historic or current anti-money laundering procedures adopted by HSBC Bank Plc would need to be conducted by the Financial Conduct Authority which is specifically tasked with such a role.

Money Laundering

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many investigations into money laundering were launched by the Serious Fraud Office in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013 to date. [164162]

The Solicitor-General: The remit of the Serious Fraud Office, as set down in the Criminal Justice Act 1987, is to investigate serious and complex fraud or bribery and corruption. An investigation with the primary focus of money laundering is therefore not a case that can be accepted by the Serious Fraud Office. There are a number of instances in which lines of inquiry include investigating the laundering of the proceeds of the primary crime however statistics on secondary lines of inquiry are not held.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many cases the Crown Prosecution Service had to review mid-trial its decision to deploy a single barrister to conduct a homicide prosecution or a prosecution involving multiple defendants in each of the last three years. [164165]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain central records of instances where the decision to instruct a particular advocate has had to be reviewed midway through a trial. In order to answer the question each file for a homicide case and a case involving multiple defendants, which proceeded to trial, would have to be reviewed manually which would incur a disproportionate cost.

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Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been waiting for three months or more for a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decision to charge following the submission of their case by the police to the CPS for a charging decision. [164166]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the length of time taken to make a charging decision. To provide this information would require a manual search of files incurring a disproportionate cost.

However, data are available in respect of charging decisions taken by CPS Direct which is responsible for over 95% of charging decisions made by the CPS. CPS Direct receives approximately 350,000 requests for charging decisions per annum from the police via a telephone based system. Currently, 69% of calls are being answered within three minutes. For each valid call received a decision is made on the day to charge, not to charge or agree an action plan with the police to secure further essential information or evidence.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Crown Prosecution Service plans to review its use of a single barrister to conduct a homicide prosecution or a prosecution involving multiple defendants. [164344]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service is currently reviewing its processes for determining whether the use of a single barrister to conduct a case, be it a homicide case or one involving multiple defendants, is appropriate.

Leader of the House

Accountancy

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Leader of the House how much his Office spent on contracts with (a) Deloitte, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) KPMG and (d) Ernst and Young in each year since 2008. [164958]

Mr Lansley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. Our answer will be included in the response by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, shortly.

Consultants

Mr Thomas: To ask the Leader of the House how much (a) he and (b) officials in his Office spent on external assistance to prepare for (i) appearances before select committees and (ii) contact with the media in (A) 2011-12 and (B) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [164673]

Mr Lansley: No Minister or official in the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons has commissioned any external assistance to prepare for appearances before select committees, or for media contact in either (A) 2011-12 or (B) 2012-13.

International Development

Burma

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information she has on reports of cholera cases in camps for displaced Rohingya people in Burma. [164707]

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Mr Duncan: According to the latest report from UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in May 2013 there have been no reports of outbreaks of cholera in camps for displaced Rohingya people.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what healthcare facilities are available in each of the Rohingya internally displaced persons camps in Burma. [164710]

Mr Duncan: Access to healthcare in Rohingya internally displaced persons camps (IDP) is limited. Restrictions on freedom of movement, which can be particularly difficult for Rohingya, is also a problem; most health centres in Rakhine State tend to be located in areas which are hard to reach for IDPs. Currently there are two non-governmental organisations providing health services in Rakhine state through mobile clinics and disease surveillance, including to Rohingya camps.

Northcote House

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department used the facilities at Northcote House, Sunningdale Park, Berkshire in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement. [164825]

Mr Duncan: DFID has not used Northcote House to deliver central DFID learning and development events or training courses. It is possible that DFID staff or Ministers have attended externally hosted training courses or meetings at Northcote House, but our systems do not allow us to identify training events or meetings by venue, and DFID is not aware of any such events.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Afghan counterpart regarding the appointment of the five new commissioners to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and recent comments made by Navi Pilley, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, on the effect of this on the Commission's independence. [164218]

Alistair Burt: The British Government have been forthright in our promotion of the human rights of all Afghan citizens, and will continue to be so. We raised our concerns regarding the appointment process through a joint EU/Swiss statement at the senior officials meeting on the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework in Kabul on 3 of July.

We called on the Afghan Government to take appropriate actions to ensure that the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) retains its “A” accreditation from the International Coordination Committee of National Human Rights Institutions.

We support the work of the AIHRC and have provided £500,000 this year to help it act to protect and promote human rights. We will continue to work closely with the

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AIHRC to ensure it can perform effectively, and will continue to monitor its ability to function as an independent national human rights body.

Burma

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost to the public purse of the visit of Burma's President Thein Sein and his delegation to the UK will be. [164712]

Mr Swire: The cost of the Guest of Government visit for President Thein Sein to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will be an estimated £30,250. The Home Office will bear policing costs.

Diplomatic Service

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on consular assistance provided by UK embassies or consulates to people resident at addresses in Scotland in each of the last five years; what the locations of the embassies or consulates offering assistance were; and what the reasons for assistance being offered were. [164580]

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) records consular information on our "COMPASS" global assistance database. For those living in the UK this only records nationality as British. In some consular cases we may record where a British national or their family is resident in order to assist our handling. However we could only retrieve this information through a manual search of all assistance cases. Since the FCO helps on average 20,000 people each year this is not possible. Likewise we cannot gather the information requested about the location of the embassy or consulate, or the reason for assistance, without a similar manual search.

Dominican Republic

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aid the Government provided (a) directly and (b) via multilateral agencies to support judicial and penal reform in the Dominican Republic in each of the last five years. [164649]

Mr Swire: In 2009 and 2012 the British embassy in Santo Domingo financed the construction of secure facilities for the Dominican judicial system for use when interviewing vulnerable witnesses and victims of crime, predominantly women and children. The embassy has also funded the engagement of a UK prison consultant to advise the Dominican Attorney General on the construction of the New Model Prison system in the Dominican Republic. The UK's support for the New Model Prison project also included a capacity-building visit to UK by the Dominican Attorney General in 2007.

With regard to multilateral agencies, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State, Department for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr Duncan), on 5 July 2013, Official Report, column 841W.

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Greece

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with his Greek counterparts regarding human rights abuses in that country; and if he will make a statement. [164353]

Mr Lidington: All EU member states have committed to respecting human rights through the Treaty on EU and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The British ambassador in Athens regularly discusses human rights with Ministers and senior officials, including issues around racism and the asylum process. In recent months the Greek Government have taken positive steps to tackle racism with the introduction of a directorate within the police force dedicated to tackling racism and legislation aimed directly at combating racism and xenophobia. We also expect Greece's recent efforts to develop further their system of processing asylum claims to improve conditions for migrants.

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on Operation Zeus in Greece; and what discussions he has had with the Greek Government concerning the treatment of EU nationals affected by this operation. [164354]

Mr Lidington: I have received regular reports form the British embassy in Athens about Operation Zeus and the wider migration issues faced in Greece. The British embassy in Athens has not been alerted to any cases of EU nationals being affected by Operation Zeus.

Both the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), and the Minister for Immigration, my hon. Friend the Member for Forest of Dean (Mr Harper), have discussed Operation Zeus with the Greek Minister for Public Order and Citizen Protection.

Israel

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received in opposition to proposals by the government of Israel to forcibly remove 40,000 Bedouin from their historic lands. [164278]

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received over 600 representations from members of the public on this issue.

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will direct HM ambassador to Israel to draw the attention of the Israeli Government to the possible breach of Article 76 of the fourth Geneva convention committed by the Israeli authorities in imprisoning in Israel Palestinians charged with or convicted of offences committed in the Occupied Territories. [164708]

Alistair Burt: I can confirm that we have already raised with the Israeli authorities our concerns over Israeli treatment of Palestinian detainees, including the practice of detaining Palestinians within Israel contrary

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to Article 76 of the fourth Geneva convention. I raised our concerns over the treatment of Palestinian detainees during my meeting with the Israeli Attorney General in London on 20 June. My officials also discussed the issues facing Palestinian detainees with the Palestinian Minister for Prisoner Affairs during his visit to London on 21 June.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the legal obligations of the UK Government under Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention with regards to investigating (a) the directors of and (b) the corporate entity of G4S plc for aiding and abetting breaches of the Convention in the transfer of Palestinian detainees from the West Bank. [164709]

Alistair Burt: The British Government ensure they act in accordance with our international law obligations. However, in accordance with longstanding convention followed by successive governments, we are notable to comment on detailed legal advice.

Whilst international law does not impose direct obligations on corporations, the British Government have made clear our concerns about Israel's treatment of Palestinian detainees to G4S and our clear position on the illegality of settlements, including at a meeting with representatives from G4S in October 2012.

On 21 April, G4S publicly confirmed that they would not renew a number of security contracts in the West Bank ‘to ensure that G4S Israel business practices remain in line with our own business ethics policy’. These include the servicing of security equipment at Ofer Military Prison, at West Bank checkpoints and at a police station in the contentious E-l area of Jerusalem.

Italy

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) his EU counterparts and (b) the EU Commission on whether Italy should be excluded from the Erasmus and the Bologna process until it abides by agreements and fully implements the judgements of the Court of Justice of the European Union with regard to lettori. [164425]

Mr Lidington: The discrimination faced by UK and foreign national lecturers in Italy is unacceptable and illegal. We have pressed the Italian authorities to find a solution to this issue. Our embassy in Rome has been facilitating dialogue between the Association of Foreign Lecturers in Italy, and the Italian Education Ministry. The Minister for Universities and Science, my right hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Mr Willetts), and the British ambassador to Italy have both raised the importance of solving this issue with the newly appointed Italian Minister for Education, Maria Chiara Carrozza. While the UK Government are not currently engaged in any discussions about whether to exclude Italy from the Erasmus or Bologna processes, we will continue to look at all available options to encourage a prompt resolution to this issue.

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North Korea

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the viability of the resumption of Six Party Talks regarding the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea in 2013. [164263]

Mr Swire: The decision on whether to resume the talks will ultimately be made by the parties involved: the United States, China, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan, Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). It is too early to tell whether the Six Party Talks, or any negotiations on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, will take place in 2013. We are maintaining close contact with all parties and welcome the recent Presidential discussions between the US and China, US and RoK, and China and RoK.

The UK is clear that the DPRK's long-term interests will only be served by dialogue with the international community. G8 leaders made clear in June 2013 that it is important that the DPRK approach any negotiations in an open, credible and authentic manner. A copy of the G8 Summit Communiqué can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2013-lough-erne-g8-leaders-communique

Russia and China

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the specific issues on which Russia and China continue to differ. [164169]

Mr Swire: At the Russia-China summit, on 22 March, the two countries described their relationship as a strategic partnership. Within this partnership most economic and political differences are addressed in private, however some have been set out in public. This does not affect the UK's determination to pursue stronger political and commercial relationships with both countries.

Health

Arthritis

Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that people living with osteoarthritis are able to access essential physiotherapy, exercise facilities and weight management services. [164310]

Norman Lamb: Through our Mandate to the NHS, we have asked NHS England to make measurable progress towards making our health service among the best in Europe at supporting people with ongoing health problems, such as osteoarthritis, to live healthily and independently, with much better control over the care they receive. The NHS Outcomes Framework contains the indicators that will be used to hold NHS England to account for making progress.

It is for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in partnership with local stakeholders, including local government and the public to assess the needs of their, local population and to commission services accordingly.

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CCGs will work closely with public health colleagues in this assessment to address local needs within the health community including physiotherapy.

Local authorities are now responsible for commissioning weight management services. Public Health England (PHE) is actively engaged in exploring ways in which the new public health system can support older people with long-term conditions and disabilities to maximise their health and wellbeing. PHE will work with and support local authorities to tackle obesity and is currently developing its work programme to do this. The programme will include support to local authorities to commission weight management services in England.

Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will take steps to raise awareness of the rights of people with osteoarthritis to joint replacement surgery within 18 weeks of referral as set out in the NHS Constitution. [164311]

Norman Lamb: As set out in the National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012, delivery of the NHS Constitution maximum waiting time right is a matter for NHS England and clinical commissioning groups as commissioners.

We are advised by NHS England that it is shortly due to publish guidance to commissioners to ensure non-emergency consultant-led treatment takes place as described in the NHS Constitution, including access to joint replacement surgery within 18 weeks of referral for people with osteoarthritis.

Cancer: Worcestershire

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Worcestershire have received funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund in each of the last three years. [164211]

Norman Lamb: Information on patients funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund is not collected at county level.

Information on the number of patients who have had cancer drugs funded by West Midlands Strategic Health Authority (SHA) for the period October 2010 to end March 2013 is shown in the following table.

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.

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Cataracts

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for cataract treatment (a) in each region of the UK and (b) in the UK as measured by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; and if he will make a statement. [164155]

Dr Poulter: Health is a devolved matter. The Department is responsible for England and so is unable to provide the information for other areas of the United Kingdom.

For cataract treatment in England during 2011-12, the mean waiting time for specialist assessment to treatment was 66.2 days.

The median waiting time for specialist assessment to treatment was 59 days.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England regarding the development of a NICE Quality Standard for Cataract; and if he will make a statement; [164170]

(2) what plans he has to introduce a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standard for Cataract within the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [164174]

Norman Lamb: Ministers have had no such discussions.

‘Cataracts' is included as a topic in the library of quality standards referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in March 2012. NHS England is now responsible for commissioning quality standards relating to NHS services from NICE and is responsible for liaising with NICE about the prioritisation of NHS quality standards in development.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost of treating elderly patients with cataracts in hospitals in the latest year for which figures are available. [164176]

Dr Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested.

While the Department does collect the cost of cataract procedures in hospitals, they are not sufficiently detailed to show the costs of treating elderly patients with cataracts.

The following table contains total reported cost information from the 2011-12 reference costs (the most recent year for which data have been published) for collection categories which relate explicitly to cataracts.

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Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to reviewing primary care registration for all people in England registered with GPs as part of his review of migrant access to the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [164515]

Anna Soubry: Following the Department's review of migrant access to the national health service, the Government are now consulting on proposals to amend the current rules and procedures for charging visitors and migrants for NHS care. These proposals include extending charges for general practitioner (GP) services, but not for registering with a practice.

We are not proposing to review primary care registration for all people in England registered with GPs. The new registration system proposal is intended to operate from the first point of registration with the NHS, and so will impact only on people newly arriving from abroad. However, consideration will be given at a later date to identify those who are already registered but who should be chargeable.

Health Visitors: Bury

Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment on whether families in Bury North constituency are receiving all the services they are entitled to from the Health Visiting Service. [164291]

Dr Poulter: NHS England is responsible for commissioning health visiting services in England. Since May 2010, the health visiting work force has grown by more than 1,000 extra health visitors (full-time equivalent).

NHS England uses a national service specification⁽¹⁾ which is intended to ensure that health visiting services across the country are commissioned in a consistent way which promotes high standards of care quality and outcomes, while also allowing flexibility to tailor services according to local needs. The national service specification builds upon the Healthy Child Programme and reflects the evidence base which supports the importance of providing good early years care to children.

NHS England has developed a performance report framework to support the. delivery of the national service specification and will seek regular assurance from their area teams to ensure the core national service requirements are being met across the country.

⁽¹⁾ The national service specification is available on NHS England's website:

www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/qual-clin-lead/hlth-vistg-prog/

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Heart Diseases: Children

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will impose a moratorium on new appointments and the filling of vacancies for senior posts in children's heart units until all the issues connected with the Safe and Sustainable Review have been brought to a conclusion. [164255]

Anna Soubry: Following a full and independent review of the Safe and Sustainable review by the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP), their report was submitted to the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on 30 April 2013.

In the Secretary of State's statement to Parliament of 12 June 2013, we accepted the IRP's recommendations, and NHS England must now move forward on the basis of these recommendations.

The recommendations set out what the IRP consider needs to be done to bring about the desired improvements in services in a way that addresses gaps and weaknesses in the original proposals. The IRP did not recommend a moratorium on the appointment to senior posts in children's heart units.

Trusts need the ability to appoint senior staff if they are needed to provide a safe, high quality service. In making any such appointment, we would expect trusts to take account of the fact that the Safe and Sustainable Review has not yet concluded.

Hospitals: Consultants

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce shortages of consultants in (a) deprived areas, (b) geriatric medicine and (c) other areas; and if he will make a statement. [164713]

Dr Poulter: Health Education England (HEE) was established to support the delivery of excellent healthcare and health improvement to patients and the public in England. HEE will work to ensure that the national health service has a workforce with the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours across all specialist areas.

HEE is working with its local education and training boards across all areas of England to ensure that all NHS organisations have available the right number of staff that they require to provide care to patients.

In 2010 the Centre for Workforce Intelligence suggested an increase in national geriatric training numbers (NTNs) over three years. As a result of this:

In 2011 an extra 15 NTNs were allocated in England;

In 2012 an extra seven NTNs were allocated in England; and

In 2013 an extra 15 NTNs are currently in the process of being allocated in England.

In the recent round-one of recruitment for 2013,109 NTNs in England were filled (84%) of all posts. Any remaining vacancies will be handed back to trusts to fill locally with locums for service.

In taking its wider work programme forward and ensuring that the NHS has available the right number of staff across all specialities, HEE has also established specific specialist groups and taskforces to look at work force issues in:

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Acute Medicine, Geriatric Medicine and Acute Care Specialities Working Group;

Emergency Medicine Workforce; and

General Practice.

Nutrition: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of trends in the consumption of fruit and vegetables by children over the last 10 years. [164148]

Anna Soubry: The Health Survey for England has collected information on children's fruit and vegetable consumption since 2001. Between 2001 and 2004, there were no significant changes in mean portions of fruit and vegetables consumed among children aged 5-15, but there was an increase in 2005 in the average number of portions of fruit and vegetables eaten daily. There was a further significant increase among girls in 2006.

In 2011, the survey⁽¹⁾ estimated boys consumed an average of 3.0 portions of fruit and vegetables per day and girls an average of 3.3, compared with an average of between 2.4 and 2.7 portions per day among boys and between 2.6 and 2.7 portions per day among girls between 2001 and 2004.

^{(1 )}Health Survey for England—2011, Health, social care and lifestyles

www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB09300

Older People: Domestic Accidents

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to implement the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Guidance clinical practice guideline for the assessment and prevention of falls in older people; and if he will make a statement. [164216]

Norman Lamb: This is matter for local commissioners of health and care to determine, having regard to their duties and available evidence.

Clinical guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and are developed through wide consultation with stakeholders. They represent best practice and we expect the national health service to take them into account in its decision making.

As a commissioner of services, NICE quality standards and clinical guidelines will enable NHS England to be confident that the services they are purchasing are high quality and cost effective and focused on driving up quality.

We are informed by NHS England that the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership will continue to ensure that National Clinical Audits align wherever appropriate with NICE guidance. As part of the Falls and Fragility Fractures Audit Programme, there will be a second-stage pilot for an inpatient falls audit, due to take place by end of this year. If the pilot is successful, a full national audit may then be commissioned.

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Radiotherapy

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of new radiotherapy machines needed to allow all cancer centres in England to deliver Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy to 24 per cent of patients as recommended by the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group by the end of 2013. [164560]

Anna Soubry: The Department's report, Radiotherapy Services in England 2012, published in November 2012, stated that almost 100% of radiotherapy machines were already technically capable of delivering Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT). IMRT was available in 48 of 50 centres but only four of these were delivering inverse planned IMRT to at least 24% of their patients.

The £23 million Radiotherapy Innovation Fund was designed to support radiotherapy centres to prepare to deliver 24% of radical (curative) treatments using IMRT from 1 April 2013 by providing technology or devices that enhanced the capability of existing equipment, not by purchasing additional radiotherapy machines.

Over half of radiotherapy centres are now delivering at least 24% of radical treatment using IMRT. NHS England is working with providers to ensure that radiotherapy centres can deliver 24% of treatment with IMRT as quickly as possible. It is currently anticipated that all centres will have to the capacity to deliver this by the end of December 2013.

Prime Minister

Cabinet Manual

Mr Allen: To ask the Prime Minister when he intends to produce the next periodic update of the Cabinet Manual; and what steps he will take to ensure the updated text is the product of full parliamentary and public consultation. [164359]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the “Government Response to the House of Lords Constitution Committee, Political and Constitutional Reform Committee and Public Administration Select Committee on the Cabinet Manual Committee”, page 32, published in October 2011. A copy can be found in the Library of the House, or online at:

www.gov.uk

Home Department

Animal Experiments

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department allocated to fund alternatives to using animals in experiments in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and how much of this funding was allocated for (i) replacement, (ii) reduction and (iii) refinement. [164261]

Mr Jeremy Browne: The Home Office makes payments of £250,000 per annum to the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). It is for the NC3Rs to determine how those funds are allocated.

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A significant part of the resource in the Home Office Animals in Science Regulation Unit is working towards the development of reduction, refinement and replacement alternatives (the 3Rs) to the use of animals in scientific procedures. Home Office inspectors do this as part of their inspection role and when assessing applications for project licences. Policy staff, in association with colleagues in other Government Departments, are actively taking forward the Coalition Commitment published in 2010 to work towards reducing the use of animals in research, which involves promoting all 3Rs. It is not possible to quantify the value of this resource.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any national laboratories have been nominated to assist the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods in the validation of alternative methods in line with Article 47 (2) of European Directive 2010/63/EU. [164264]

James Brokenshire: None of the establishments licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 have been nominated to assist the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods in the validation of alternative methods in line with Article 47 (2) of European Directive 2010/63/EU.

Although there is significant experience and expertise in the UK, until we know what the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods requires investigating, the tests to be validated and how funded, we are unable to determine which of the establishments to nominate or suggest that they nominate themselves. We continue to closely monitor the situation.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how her Department plans to promote alternative methods to procedures on animals and disseminating information thereon in accordance with Article 47 (4) of European Directive 2010/63/EU. [164282]

James Brokenshire: Home Office inspectors play a key role in the promotion of alternative methods to procedures on animals and disseminating information. All project licence applications are referred to inspectors who analyse the information provided, referring to colleagues or other experts, as necessary, to ensure appropriate application of the 3Rs at the inception of the project. Applications are also scrutinised by licensed establishments before submission. The establishment holder has a responsibility, under the legislation, (standard condition 1) to ensure that regulated activities are carried out in a manner consistent with the principles of the 3Rs. Visits by inspectors to licensed establishments enable them to scrutinise ongoing programmes of work and advise those working, under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) on the application of best practice with respect to the 3Rs: replacement, reduction and refinement.

The inspectors also have an outreach commitment which includes presenting at and attending meetings to promote the requirements of ASPA, with an emphasis on recognition of where the 3Rs might be applied and facilitating links between research groups to carry these forward from both strategic and practical perspectives.

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The commitment to work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research is being delivered through a science-led programme led by the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). Its ARRIVE guidelines are intended to improve the reporting of animal research. Previous work by the NC3Rs showed that many publications lacked key information, which could limit their value in informing future scientific studies and policy. The Home Office is promoting the guidelines to project licence holders.

The NC3Rs has also launched its new Evaluation Framework, the first ever attempt to systematically benchmark the impact of 3Rs programmes. As well as enabling robust evaluation of the centre's work to replace, reduce and refine animal use, the Evaluation Framework has the potential to complement the Home Office annual statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals and become a barometer of the application of the 3Rs in the UK.

The coalition has made a commitment to work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research, an ambitious, but essential and achievable goal that encompasses the 3Rs. The programme will exert influence both domestically and at an international level. The delivery of the commitment involves Government Departments and agencies, the Home Office Inspectorate, the research community in both academia and industry, and others with relevant animal welfare interests. Of key importance is the involvement of the NC3Rs. We envisage making a statement in the autumn to present our action plan and announce progress to date.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department has committed to continuing the development and validation of alternative approaches to procedures on animals in 2013 and beyond in accordance with Article 47 (1) of European Directive 2010/63/EU. [164283]

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has made a payment of £250,000 to the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) for each year since it was founded. In line with the coalition agreement to work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research we are committed to continuing the development and validation of non-animal alternatives.

Drugs: Crime

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug offences relating to Class A substances have been reported in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) England since 2010; and what proportion of national offences relating to Class A substances such figures represent. [164704]

Mr Jeremy Browne: The information requested is not available centrally. The police-recorded crime data collected by the Home Office contain the number of drug offences recorded but it is not possible to identify the class of the drug involved.

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Food

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of all food procured for her Department was sourced from (a) British producers, (b) small and medium-sized enterprises and (c) producers which met British buying standards in the latest period for which figures are available. [164769]

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not directly contract for food supplies but procures catering services through wider facilities management or operating service contracts.

Suppliers have been made aware of the Government Buying Standards (GBS) criteria and their report against GBS criteria, which includes information on the proportion of food sourced from UK suppliers, is available on the Home Office website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-procurement-reporting--2

For 2 Marsham street an estimate given in spring showed that food sourced from producers which met British buying standards equalled 95%. Other information on food procurement is not collected.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Independent Police Complaints Commissioner; when each such meeting took place; what issues were discussed; and if she will make a statement. [163584]

Damian Green: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Cabinet Office website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-ministers-gifts-and-hospitality-oct-2012-to-dec-2012

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many (a) independent investigations, (b) managed investigations and (c) supervised investigations involving the Independent Police Complaints Commission there were in each year since 2004; and if she will make a statement; [164053]

(2) how many (a) complaints and (b) appeals were upheld by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (i) in each police force area and (ii) by age of complainant in (A) 2009-10, (B) 2010-11, (C) 2011-12 and (D) to date in 2012-13. [164055]

Damian Green: This information is available on the Independent Police Complaints Commission's website at:

www.ipcc.gov.uk

Members: Correspondence

Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letters she has received from the right hon. Member for Tonbridge

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and Malling (Sir John Stanley) dated 14 March, 2 May, 22 May and 26 June 2013 on behalf of his constituent, Mrs Rene Siu-Ling Chung. [163686]

Mr Harper: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 3 July 2013.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to provide an urgent response to the letter from the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) dated 2 July 2013 regarding the cases of Ms Noushin Afaghzadeh. [164242]

Mr Harper [holding answer 9 July 2013]: I wrote to the hon. Lady on 11 July 2013.

Olympic Games 2012

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many extra visa applications the UK Border Agency received as a result of the London 2012 Olympic Games in comparison with previous years. [162719]

Mr Harper [holding answer 1 July 2013]: The Home Office publishes data on visit visa applications received and the outcomes of these applications, on an annual and quarterly basis. However, these data are not disaggregated by the purpose of the visit, so while we are able to advise how many visit visa applications were received in 2012 compared with previous years, we cannot specify how many extra applications were received as a result of the London 2012 Olympic Games, as this would require the examination of individual records, which would incur disproportionate costs.

A total of 1,956,304 visit visa applications were received in 2012. This compares with 1,924,345 visit visa applications received in 2011, and 1,762,298 applications received in 2010⁽¹⁾.

On 19 April 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published an article on “Visits to the UK for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympics”, as part of its Travel Trends 2012 release. The article estimated that 698,000 overseas residents completed a visit to the UK, primarily for an Olympics/Paralympics-related purpose (471,000 visits), or primarily for another purpose but went to a ticketed London 2012 event (227,000).

A full copy of the article can be found on the ONS website:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ott/travel-trends/2012/sty-visits-to-the-uk.html

^{(1)( )}Notes:

1. Figures extracted from "Table be_1_q: Entry clearance visa applications and resolution by category" available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2013

2. Figures relate to main applicants and dependants.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Land Use

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice he has issued to planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate on building on agricultural land. [164348]

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Richard Benyon [holding answer 9 July 2013]:Department for Communities and Local Government are the Government lead on planning policy. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), introduced in March 2012, puts decision-making in the hands of local planning authorities and communities.

The NPPF gives a framework for decisions to encourage re-use of land that has been previously developed (brownfield land), provided that it is not of high environmental value. Local planning authorities are encouraged to take into account the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land. Where significant development of agricultural land is deemed to be necessary, local planning authorities are encouraged to use poorer quality land, in preference to high quality. If a development proposal involves the loss of 20 or more hectares of the best and most versatile land (Grades 1, 2 and 3a) Natural England, on behalf of DEFRA, will be consulted. The decision on how significant the agricultural land issues are remains with the local planning authority.

Bees

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what comparative assessment he has made of the contribution to maintaining the scale of UK bee colonies made by (a) amateur and (b) professional beekeepers; what the reason is for the disparity in grants provided by his Department for training and other beekeeping promotional activities to (i) the amateur British Beekeepers' Association and (ii) the professional Bee Farmers' Association; and what assessment he has made of the lessons that can be learned in England and Wales from steps taken in (A) Scotland and (B) overseas countries to tackle serious losses in bee colony totals. [163324]

Mr Heath [holding answer 4 July 2013]: In 2008, a report by Imperial College Consultants Limited estimated that there were 44,000 beekeepers in the UK, with a total of 274,000 hives. Of these, some 300 were commercial beekeepers (members of the Bee Farmers' Association (BFA)) with 50,000 hives. As there is no requirement for beekeepers to register we remain reliant on surveys such as these to make comparisons.

The Healthy Bees Plan is a 10-year plan launched in 2009 to protect and improve the health of honey bees in England and Wales. It is overseen by amateur and professional beekeepers (including the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA) and BFA) as part of their role as members of the Bee Health Advisory Forum, previously the Healthy Bees Project Management Board.

A key objective of the plan is to improve beekeeper husbandry skills; DEFRA is working in partnership with the bee stakeholders to deliver this through a coordinated training and education programme. Some funds are available through the plan for stakeholders such as BBKA and BFA to develop and deliver education initiatives.

Applications for funding have been taken on a case-by-case basis, assessed by the Advisory Forum and measured against their potential to deliver on key performance indicators of the plan. Although the total amount of funding available is limited, and bidders are aware of this, the amount they bid for is at their discretion

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and they need to provide matched funding. Applications in 2012-13 and 2013-14 have included bids from both BFA and BBKA. They received funding for their different bids in 2012-13, which totalled £10,000 for BFA and £30,076 for BBKA, the full amount applied for in both cases. Bids for 2013-14 are currently being assessed by the Advisory Forum.

EPILOBEE is an EU project looking at losses of bees and the causes of losses and involves 17 member states. We hope to learn lessons from the assessment of these data. In addition, the National Bee Unit (NBU) is assessing the yearly husbandry survey where feedback to questions posed to beekeepers may provide an insight that will support the development of future best practice. These data are due for publication later this summer.

The NBU will also be working with the BFA, BBKA and other stakeholders to develop better ways of controlling bee pests and diseases in line with the recommendations and evidence gathered in the recent consultation on the bee health programme.

The NBU was asked for help in 2011 following catastrophic losses, by bee farmers in particular, from bee disease in Scotland. The NBU advised on the setting up of the Scottish system and enabled Scottish beekeepers to use the BeeBase database to record and monitor inspections and disease outbreaks.

Food: Low Incomes

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what analysis he has undertaken into the effects of food poverty on children's educational attainment. [164465]

Mr Laws: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Education.

Evidence suggests a link between nutrition and educational outcomes, including attainment, cognition and behaviour. An unhealthy diet and poor nutrition has a negative impact on children's attention span, cognitive abilities and behaviour⁽¹⁾.

The Government recognise the benefits of healthy school meals and are committed to continuing to provide free school meals to families who need them. Entitlement to free school meals is targeted on the most disadvantaged children⁽²⁾.

⁽¹⁾ Sorhaindo and Feinstein, 2006; Bellisle, 2004

⁽²⁾ Bellisle, F. (2004) Effects of diet on behaviour and cognition in children. British Journal of Nutrition, October 2004, Volume 92, Supplement S2, pp S227-232.

Feinstein, L. and Sorhaindo, A. (2006). “What is the relationship between child nutrition and school outcomes?” Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning.

Forests

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what percentage increase in woodland under active management is expected over the next five years; and what proportion of that increase will be coniferous commercial forestry stands; [164360]

(2) what proportion of the woodland brought under active management between April 2011 and December 2012 was commercial coniferous forestry. [164361]

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Mr Heath: Commercial coniferous forestry is not a recognised designation used by the Forestry Commission in its performance indicators for England or the National Forest Inventory. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to assume that coniferous woodland in active management is for commercial purposes.

The proportion of all woodland in active management in England increased from 52% in April 2011 to 53% in December 2012. Less than 3% of this 1% increase was conifer woodland.

In January 2013 DEFRA's Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement for England set out our aspiration to increase the percentage of woodland in management. We estimate that the shared programme of activities could bring two thirds of woodland into active management in the next five years. This would be an increase of nearly 14% from the position at December 2012.

We have not specified whether the increase will be in conifer or broadleaf woodland.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what safety assessment he has made of the recent findings by the European Food Safety Authority's scientists of a potentially harmful hidden viral gene in 54 of 86 genetically modified crops commercialised to date in the US. [163736]

Mr Heath: This issue has been considered by two independent expert groups; the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment and the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes. Neither Committee identified any cause for concern in relation to the safety assessment of GM crops and foods. The reports of their discussions are available respectively, here:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/acre/files/acre-minutes-7Feb.pdf

and here:

http://acnfp.food.gov.uk/meetings/acnfpmeet13/acnfpmeet13feb/acnfpmin13feb

The European Food Safety Authority has itself refuted the claim that the research paper in question raises new safety questions. Its advice is available here:

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/faqs/faqinsertedfragmentofviralgeneingmplants.htm#1

Plastics: Recycling

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department provides to companies on the most effective way to recycle plastics. [164288]

Richard Benyon: DEFRA does not provide such guidance to companies but supports the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). WRAP's ‘Halving Waste to Landfill' commitment has helped to encourage waste prevention and recycling in the construction industry. WRAP is also developing a Plastics Action Plan with industry to promote increased recycling through a range of initiatives.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much plastic has been recycled in each of the last three years. [164289]

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Richard Benyon: Based on data returns submitted by plastics reprocessors to the Environment Agency under the Packaging Directive requirements, the following tonnages of waste plastic packaging were received for reprocessing in the UK or were exported for recycling:

The figures provided are for plastic packaging waste only. This is the best data set we have on plastics waste for recycling.

Sea Level: Dorset

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any estimates have been made of rises in sea levels on the Dorset coast over the next 30 years; and if he will make a statement. [162896]

Richard Benyon: Coastal erosion risk mapping data (which are closely related to rises in sea levels) were published on the Environment Agency website in April 2012. These covered many parts of England and Wales, including the Dorset coastline. The data show erosion predicted over the short term (to about 2030), medium term (to about 2060) and long term (to about 2100).

The Environment Agency is working with partners to resolve outstanding issues with the existing National Coastal Erosion Risk Map. A follow-up project—where local authorities have given permission for the data to be published—begins in July 2013.

The Environment Agency is not planning a further update of the National Coastal Erosion Risk Map at this stage.

Serco

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Serco; and how much was spent in each year since 2008. [162935]

Richard Benyon: The table details the core Department's spend on services from Serco from 2008-09 to 2012-13. Core DEFRA has spent a total of a further £122,428.26 so far this financial year. All expenditure stated is inclusive of VAT.

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Sickness Absence

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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. [162582]

Richard Benyon: Sickness absence rates are calculated over a rolling 12-month period each quarter. The information requested on monthly absence rates could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost.

The sickness absence rates for each grade in core DEFRA for the year to 31 March 2013 are shown in the table.

Sky Lanterns

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will urgently review the use of Chinese lanterns; and if he will make a statement. [164240]

Mr Heath [holding answer 9 July 2013]:DEFRA recognised that farmers had concerns about the potential risks posed by sky (Chinese) lanterns and commissioned, jointly with the Welsh Government, a project to identify and assess the impacts and risks associated with them. The report has recently been published and can be found at:

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu =Menu&Module= More&Location=None&Completed=2&ProjectID=18402

Evidence from the report shows that overall the risks to animal health and welfare and to the environment are not sufficient to justify a ban. DEFRA has been working with other Government Departments in considering options for mitigating risks and discouraging the use of these lanterns. The report suggests that voluntary action taken by, for example, the hospitality sector, as well as publicity by DEFRA to raise public awareness of the potential risks, does work and we will continue to focus on this. Any future action Government may take to regulate the use of sky lanterns will need to be proportionate to the problem and backed by reliable evidence.

Energy and Climate Change

Energy Security

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the UK’s energy security. [164501]

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Michael Fallon: In November 2012 this Government published an Energy Security Strategy, which provides an assessment of the UK's energy security outlook and sets out the range of policies the Government have in place for ensuring secure energy supplies.

The Government also published their annual Statutory Security of Supply report which looks at the security of supply across electricity, gas and oil.

Energy

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of levels of investment in energy infrastructure. [164496]

Mr Davey: Average annual investment in energy infrastructure from 2010 to 2012 has been £8.5 billion, more than double the average for 1997 to 2010. Our electricity market reform and other measures are designed to continue this investment surge and sustain it.

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to safeguard the UK's energy security by means of shale gas and other resources. [164498]

Michael Fallon: Shale gas activity in the UK is very much in its infancy and it is too early to make any useful assessment on the impact of domestic shale gas production on UK energy security. DECC will continue to monitor the potential effect of shale gas on the UK's security of energy supply.

However, the Government are clear that if significant resource could be developed in a safe and environmentally sustainable way, this would bring benefits to the UK in terms of jobs and energy security. The Government are therefore committed to enable the exploration of UK shale gas in a safe and environmentally sustainable way to establish its potential.

Recent analysis presents a robust picture of the outlook for the UK's gas security of supply. However we are not complacent and we are currently analysing whether there is a case for an extra intervention in the gas market to increase gas supply security.

Green Deal Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's Domestic Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation in Great Britain, monthly report published 27 June 2013, what the interest rates of the four Green Deal Plans described as pending are. [164432]

Gregory Barker: The interest rate of an individual Green Deal Plan is a private transaction between the customer and the Green Deal Provider and so will not be published.

Interest rates are set by the individual Green Deal Providers; however, the Green Deal Finance Company is offering a rate of 6.96%, plus administration fees, which is available to over 80% of the population.

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Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 460W, on the Green Deal Scheme, how many Green Deal apprentices in each local authority area have completed their training. [164779]

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold this information.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 460W, on the Green Deal Scheme, what criteria Asset Skills and Construction Skills have used to allocate funding for the training of Green Deal apprentices. [164780]

Gregory Barker: Asset Skills undertook a competitive tendering process for the delivery of the Government- funded Green Deal adviser training across Great Britain through three models training providers, Green Deal providers and regional initiatives. Criteria for the awards of contracts included demonstration of relevant delivery experience, quality assurance monitoring and price.

For solid wall insulation installer training, individuals were invited to register via an online portal. Registered individuals were then profiled on a first come, first served basis to identify training needs. Funding was allocated to give the best coverage possible to England, Scotland and Wales, while ensuring those selected would be able to achieve a qualification.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the average cost to an individual of completing PAS2030 training. [164782]

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold specific information on PAS 2030 training costs. PAS 2030 training is delivered by the private sector. Costs will vary from one training provider to another and will depend on the type and amount of training required by each individual.

Offshore Industry

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Maitland Review of the regulatory regime for the UK offshore oil and gas industry; which recommendations are yet awaiting implementation; and when the senior oversight group expects to complete implementation of the Maitland recommendations. [164716]

Michael Fallon: As detailed in the Government Response to the Maitland Review, which was published on 18 December, the vast majority of the recommendations made in the Maitland review have been implemented. However, some work continues and where this is the case, timeframes for delivery have been put in place and detailed in the response. Further information is contained in the “Offshore Oil and Gas in the UK—Government Response to an Independent Review of the Regulatory Regime”. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-an-independent-review-of-the-regulatory-regime

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Renewable Energy

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) when a decision will be made on the regulatory licence treatment of the transmission cables of directly connected offshore renewable energy projects that are located outside of the UK; and whether such a decision will be announced in advance of an intergovernmental agreement signed by the UK and Ireland on renewable energy trading; [164637]

(2) whether his Department has held discussions with Ofgem on whether the transmission cables for directly connected offshore renewable energy projects located outside of the UK can be treated as a generator spur; and if he will make a statement; [164638]

(3) whether his Department has held discussions with Ofgem to determine the regulatory licensing treatment of transmission cables of offshore renewable energy projects located outside of the UK; what the estimated timetable for a decision on this regulatory treatment is; when the intergovernmental agreement between Ireland and the UK is expected to be signed; and if he will make a statement; [164639]

(4) whether his Department has held discussions with Ofgem on whether the transmission cables for directly connected offshore renewable energy projects located outside of the UK can be treated with a derogated interconnector licence or a derogated transmission licence; and if he will make a statement. [164642]

Michael Fallon: The Government are considering their policy on overseas renewable energy projects, and published an update on this recently.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/response-to-call-for-evidence-on-renewable-energy-trading

This document set out the issues and the timetable we are working to. Our policy work has included discussions with Ofgem on the licensing of the transmission asset.

Wind Power

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what measures to reduce the cost of offshore wind power generation to £100 per MWh by 2020 recommended by the Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Task Force he has implemented to date. [164613]

Michael Fallon: The recommendations of the Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Task Force are being implemented by the Offshore Wind Programme Board. Details of the board's work, including meeting minutes and implementation updates, are published on the Crown Estate website:

http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/energy-infrastructure/offshore-wind-energy/working-with-us/offshore-wind-programme-board/

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change at what level per MWh the strike prices for offshore wind power generation have

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been set for

(a)

2018,

(b)

2019 and

(c)

2020, expressed in 2012 prices. [164614]

Michael Fallon: The Department published the following draft strike prices on 27 June 2013 for consultation:

The prices are for projects commissioning in that financial year—e.g. a developer signing a CfD contract in 2015 and commissioning their windfarm in June 2018 would receive £135/MWh,

The Department has not yet set draft strike prices for 2019-20 or 2020-21.

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made in reducing the cost of offshore wind power generation to £100 per MWh by 2020. [164615]

Michael Fallon: We are providing a stable framework for future investment through the new Contract for Difference support mechanism, which reduces risk for investors and will help to drive down costs. We published draft Strike Prices ahead of schedule in June. These set out a degression of strike prices to 2018-19, which reflects our expectation that costs will fall.

The Government are supporting a range of research, development and demonstration projects designed to support innovative new technologies that can reduce the cost of offshore wind deployment, and are also supporting investments in a broad, competitive and innovative offshore wind supply chain.

Following the work of the Offshore Wind Cost Reduction Task Force, we have established an industry-led Offshore Wind Programme Board to implement the task force's recommendations. Details of its progress, including meeting minutes and implementation updates, are published on the Crown Estate website:

www.thecrownestate.co.uk/energy-infrastructure/offshore-wind-energy/working-with-us/offshore-wind-programme-board/

Business, Innovation and Skills

Accountancy

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on contracts with (a) Deloitte, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) KPMG and (d) Ernst and Young in each year since 2008. [164940]

Jo Swinson: Since 2008, the Department has paid the following amounts:

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China

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in which industries increased trade and investment with China in 2013 is being sought. [163864]

Michael Fallon: The Government are taking a targeted approach to build on the complementarities between the Chinese and British economies and linking the priorities set out in China's 12th Five-Year Plan to our Industrial Strategy.

We have identified three key areas of opportunity in which China's needs align with UK strengths: (1) China's rapid urbanisation and pressing need for low carbon design, construction, transport and healthcare solutions; (2) China's growing consumer class, particularly its demand for luxury goods and professional services; and (3) China's ‘going global’ agenda, including outward investment, establishing China's brands globally and internationalising the Renminbi.

In the first quarter of 2013, UK goods exports to China averaged over £1 billion a month. UK companies that are being supported by UKTI include JLR, which sold a record 73,347 vehicles in China in 2012, up 74% on 2011; Rolls Royce, which has signed £100 million- worth of equipment contracts in China; and Astra Zeneca, which achieved record revenues in Q4 2012. Notable recent inward investment successes have included Dalian Wanda's £1 billion investment in the luxury boat-making and hotel sectors, and ABP's £1 billion investment to transform the Royal Albert Docks.

Our priorities include: intensified targeted engagement with the Chinese private sector, building on the success of China Business Day during the Olympics; driving forward 12 High Value Opportunities programmes in mainland China and Hong Kong around China's ambitious infrastructure and healthcare plans, and continuing to increase the number of companies we directly support in market year-on-year.

Consultants

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much (a) he and (b) officials in his Department spent on external assistance to prepare for (i) appearances before Select Committees and (ii) contact with the media in (A) 2011-12 and (B) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [164657]

Jo Swinson: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has had no such assistance. Information regarding the Department's officials is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Green Investment Bank

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what contribution he expects the Green Investment Bank to make to green growth. [164479]

Michael Fallon: The Government expect the Green Investment Bank to play a key role in mobilising additional private sector capital and increasing the overall scale and pace of investment into the UK green economy. By providing finance to projects that have a strong green impact while making a strong commercial return on its capital, the bank will help demonstrate to the wider market that investing in green projects makes sound commercial sense. To date the bank has committed £635 million to 11 projects with a total value of £2.3 billion, mobilising almost £3 of additional capital for every £1 provided.

Private Sector: Pay

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of businesses paying salaries between the value of the minimum wage and the living wage; and how many workers would be in receipt of such salaries. [164818]

Jo Swinson: There is no universally agreed definition of a living wage. Therefore, we have made no such assessment.

Public Appointments

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the representation of (a) women, (b) people with disabilities and (c) ethnic minorities on the boards of public bodies falling within his Department's area of responsibility. [164603]

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is committed to having a strong and diverse membership on all boards of public bodies falling within its responsibility. The department works closely with the Commission for Public Appointments (OCPA) and the Centre for Public Appointments, based in the Cabinet Office, to ensure it addresses all aspects of the appointments process, with a focus on diversity.

In building diversity considerations into the process, steps include publicising adverts widely through different channels and via the Department's external Equality Advisory Group; ensuring role and person specifications are concise and focus on the important key skills, competencies and knowledge; and that the language used does not discourage under-represented groups from applying. The Department also encourages boards to explore more flexible ways of working and encourages the sharing of good practice.

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Senior Civil Servants

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many senior civil servants left his Department and public bodies under voluntary exit and received a severance payment in each of the last three years; and what the value of such payments was. [164392]

Jo Swinson: The following table shows how many senior civil servants left the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills under an exit scheme in the last three years.

Information concerning the Department's non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.