Health
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations or individuals have withdrawn from each of the networks established under the public health responsibility deal to date. [168216]
Anna Soubry: Since its launch in March 2011, 41 organisations have withdrawn from the Responsibility Deal. At 9 September 2013, there were 559 Responsibility Deal partners.
Some individuals, such as academics or expert advisers, are involved in the work of the Deal's networks in a personal capacity. They cannot sign up as partners. One such advisor, Dr Nick Sheron, resigned as co-chair of the alcohol network in July 2013.
In July 2013, the UK Health Forum withdrew as a member of the alcohol network's core group; however, it remain signed up as a partner.
Incontinence
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to improve the standards of continence care in social care settings; [168131]
(2) if he will include measures to address continence care within the forthcoming domiciliary care strategy. [168132]
Norman Lamb: All providers of health and adult social care services are required by law to make suitable arrangements to meet the needs of and ensure the welfare and safety of service users, as cited under Regulation 9 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.
Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning high quality continence services for their
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areas, based on an assessment of local need and performance managing their providers in the delivery of high quality services.
We recognise that continence can impact on every aspect of peoples' lives and that it often requires a joined approach from both health and social care services. The Department's forthcoming ‘Vulnerable Older People's Plan’, with its focus on improving and individualising the management of out of hospital care, will directly support those with continence problems by creating more integrated health and social care services.
To improve standards in continence care generally, the Department commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to develop clinical guidelines on the management of urinary incontinence in women (issued in 2006) and faecal incontinence in adults (issued in 2007), which are supported by commissioning tools to support clinical commissioning groups. NICE is also developing a clinical quality standard on incontinence, due for publication in February 2014.
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to address the deficits in training, diagnosis, treatment and patient communications in continence care identified in the recent report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Continence Care entitled, Cost-effective Commissioning for Continence Care. [168133]
Norman Lamb: Responsibility for continence services sits with NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs are responsible for commissioning high quality continence services based on an assessment of local need and performance managing their providers in the delivery of high quality services.
Health Education England has responsibility for promoting high quality education and training that is responsive to the changing needs of patients and local communities and will work with stakeholders to influence training curricula as appropriate.
The content and standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC is an independent professional body. It has the general function of promoting high standards of medical education and co-ordinating all stages of medical education to ensure that students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values essential for professional practice. Communication skills are an important part of medical training and there are a range of guidance and training curricula which set out common competencies that should be acquired by all doctors, including communication skills and interaction with patients.
Through NHS Choices we have provided information for the public on incontinence and continence services including causes, symptoms, diagnosis, risks, treatments and real-life stories of living with incontinence.
In addition, the Department commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to develop clinical guidelines on the management of urinary incontinence in women (issued in 2006) and faecal incontinence in adults (issued in 2007), which are supported by commissioning tools to support clinical commissioning groups. NICE is also developing a quality standard on incontinence for publication in February 2014.
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Out-patients: Attendance
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS for each patient who does not attend a booked appointment without cancelling in (a) GP surgeries and (b) clinics; [168154]
(2) how many patients did not attend appointments in the NHS without cancelling in advance in each of the last five years; [168155]
(3) what the estimated cost to the NHS was of missed appointments, without patients cancelling in advance, in each of the last five years; [168156]
(4) what discussions he has had with NHS England on ways to minimise the financial loss and time wasted by patients not attending appointments. [168157]
Dr Poulter: No estimates have been made centrally of the cost to the national health service of missed appointments (Did Not Attends) in general practitioner (GP) surgeries or clinics.
The information available on missed outpatient appointments in England is shown in the following table. Information is not collected on the number of patients who miss appointments in GP surgeries.
The Department and NHS England have not discussed missed appointments. Local NHS organisations make their own arrangements for preventing and dealing with missed appointments.
| NHS out-patient Did Not Attends (DNA) | |||
| First attendances DNA | Subsequent attendances DNA | Total DNAs | |
| Source: NHS England Quarterly Activity Return. Commissioner based | |||
Plastic Surgery
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what consideration he has given to introducing a licensing system to regulate providers of higher-risk cosmetic interventions; [168203]
(2) whether he has given consideration to bringing forward legislative proposals to give local authorities powers to regulate providers of higher-risk cosmetic interventions. [168204]
Dr Poulter: An Independent Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions (the Keogh review) was published in April 2013. A copy of the review has already been placed in the Library. The Keogh review made 40 recommendations. We support the principal conclusions of the review. However, implementation of the recommendations raises a number of complex issues, which we are working through, and involves a wide range of partners. We will be publishing the Government response later this autumn.
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Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010, all providers, including independent providers, of surgical procedures carried out by a health care professional for cosmetic purposes are (subject to the exceptions of piercings, tattoos, subcutaneous injections/filler, and the removal of hair/blemishes via lasers and lights) required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and regulated for that activity against a set of registration requirements.
Failure to comply with the requirements is an offence, and under the 2008 Act, the CQC has a wide range of enforcement powers that it can use if the provider is not compliant. Providing local authorities with powers to regulate providers of such cosmetic interventions would be unnecessary duplication.
We will be considering how best to address non-surgical interventions in the Government response to the Keogh review.
Staff
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of his Department's jobs have been relocated from London to each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years. [168015]
Dr Poulter: The Lyons Review Programme set out departmental delivery targets for the delivery of relocation of posts from London to the regions during the period 2003-04 to 2009-10. The departmental delivery target included both the core Department and its arm’s length bodies. The Department's agreed target for relocations during this period was 1,030. However the Department and its arm’s length bodies exceeded this target and delivered a total of 1,222 relocations. Information outside of this period is not available.
The number of posts the Department and its arm's length bodies relocated outside of London as part of the Lyons Review Programme broken down by year and region is detailed as follows:
| Region | Number of posts relocated | |
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International Development
Developing Countries: Health
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department has spent on research and development of new drugs, diagnostics and vaccines for global health through each of her Department's product development partnerships in each of the last five years; and how much she intends to spend in such fashion in each of the next five years. [168221]
Lynne Featherstone: The following table shows details of the UK Government’s funding support to Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) in each of the last five financial years:
| £ | ||||||
| PDP | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | Due beyond 2012-13 |
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The following table shows the overall level of funding recently awarded by the UK Government to each of the Product Development Partnerships for the period 2013-18—an annual breakdown of projected spend is not yet available.
| Product Development Partnership | Funding 2013-18 (£ million) |
|
PATH for new drugs and vaccines for diarrhoeal disease and diagnostics for malaria | |
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Departmernt has to replace the current research strategy for new drugs, diagnostics and vaccines when it expires at the end of 2013. [168222]
Lynne Featherstone: In August 2013, the UK Government committed to investing a further £138 million over the next five years to support the development of new drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tools to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases that affect the poorest in society. The funding has been awarded to nine partner organisations, as a means of bringing together experts in the field whilst sharing the costs and risks.
Developing Countries: Tuberculosis
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the contribution that (a) the Stop TB Partnership and (b) TB Reach programme has made in (i) assisting her in meeting her Department's objectives and (ii) increasing case detection and treatment of people in developing countries who have active TB. [168089]
Lynne Featherstone: Our departmental objective is to help achieve the goals of the Global Plan to Stop TB to reduce deaths and prevalence of TB by half by 2015, compared to 1990 levels. This means we will be contributing to increasing case detection and treatment for people in developing countries with active TB.
DFID assesses its contributions to the Stop TB Partnership on an annual basis. The assessments have shown that these contributions represent good value for money in terms of reaching our objectives. DFID will also pay due attention to the external evaluation of the Partnership, which is expected to take place early next year. The TB Reach initiative has recently been independently evaluated and DFID is reviewing the report.
Treasury
Family Incomes
Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect of fiscal policy on family incomes. [900232]
Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy).
Bank Services
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on full bank account number portability of new anti-money laundering requirements. [168070]
Sajid Javid [holding answer 9 September 2013]: The Government have made no such assessment, but retain the view that UK anti-money laundering requirements should not adversely impact the delivery of full bank account number portability.
British Overseas Territories
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2013, Official Report, column 525W on British Overseas Territories, how many action plans from the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies have been published to date; where such plans have been published; and what steps he plans to take against those jurisdictions that fail to publish action plans by the end of this year. [168214]
Mr Gauke: Each of the Crown Dependencies and the Overseas Territories with a financial centre has published an action plan setting out the concrete steps they will take to ensure greater clarity about who really owns, controls, and benefits from companies and legal arrangements in their jurisdictions. These can be found here:
http://www.gov.gg/article/108000/Guernsey-publishes-action-plan-on-beneficial-ownership
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http://www.gov.gg/article/108000/Guernsey-publishes-action-plan-on-beneficial-ownership
http://www.gov.je/SiteCollectionDocuments/Government% 20and%20administration/R%20Jersey%20Action%20 Plan%20To%20Prevent%20The%20Misuse%20Of%20Legal %20Persons%20And%20Legal%20Arrangements%2020130618% 20AM.pdf
http://www.gov.ai/documents/Anguilla%20Action%20Plan %20To%20Prevent%20Misuse%20Of%20Companies%20And% 20Legal%20Arrangements.pdf
http://www.royalgazette.com/assets/pdf/RG140491730.pdf
http://www.bvi.gov.vg/sites/default/files/action-plan/ActionPlan.pdf
http://www.caymanfinance.gov.ky/portal/page?_pageid=4081,7430547&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
https://www.gibraltar.gov.gi/finance-centre/action-plan
http://www.gov.ms/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Final-action-plan-on-beneficial-ownership.pdf
http://www.gov.tc/pressoffice/?q=latest-news/turks-and-caicos-islands-action-plan-prevent-misuse-legal-persons-and-legal-arrangements
Business: North East
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many new loans have been made to small businesses in the North East of England through the Funding for Lending Scheme; and which participating bank or building society has provided each such loan; [167913]
(2) what small and micro businesses in the North East have received loans through the Funding for Lending Scheme; and which banks and building societies are providing such loans. [167994]
Greg Clark: The Funding for Lending Scheme has contributed to a transformation of the bank funding environment, and banks are now passing these on to the real economy including to small businesses.
As part of the monitoring of the Funding for Lending Scheme, the Bank of England publishes the net lending data of individual banks on a quarterly basis. A regional breakdown is however unavailable. The Bank of England will publish net lending figures by sector once the extension begins.
Income Tax
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the potential additional revenue to the Exchequer arising from a 60 per cent. tax rate on earnings above £500,000 per annum; and if he will make a statement. [168173]
Mr Gauke:
An estimate of the fiscal impact on the Exchequer from a 60% income tax rate on incomes over £500,000 is available only at disproportionate cost. Such a policy would be expected to have a considerable
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behavioural response, which could ultimately reduce Exchequer revenues rather than raise them.
For more details on expected responses to high marginal tax rates see the HMRC report ‘The Exchequer effect of the 50% additional rate of income tax’, available at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2012/excheq-income-tax-2042.pdf
Minimum Wage
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has undertaken into the potential economic effect of raising the minimum wage to a living wage. [167955]
Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
There is no universally agreed definition of the living wage.
The Government's primary policy for supporting the low paid is the national minimum wage (NMW) and the job of the Low Pay Commission (LPC) is to provide independent advice each year on a NMW level which maximises the support for the low paid without damaging their employment prospects. As part of the NMW annual cycle the Government provide evidence to the LPC on the state of the labour market, wages and the macro-economy.
Pay
Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent comparative assessment he has made of trends in real wages in the UK and in similar economies. [900240]
Greg Clark: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Chancellor gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead (John Cryer).
Revenue and Customs
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what HM Revenue and Customs' compliance yield has been in the financial year to date. [168226]
Mr Gauke: In 2012-13, HMRC delivered £20.7 billion in compliance revenue. It has continued to build upon that success in 2013-14 delivering its best first quarter performance at £4.026 billion1. Its year to date performance (up to July 2013) stands at £5.196 billion.
1 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-are-we-doing-hmrcs-april-to-June-2013-performance
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful criminal prosecutions have been brought as a result of investigations by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2010-11; and which offences were prosecuted in that time. [168227]
Mr Gauke: The number of prosecutions, convictions and acquittals resulting from HM Revenue and Customs investigations in each year since 2010-11 are as follows:
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| Prosecutions | Convictions | Acquittals | |
The total number of convictions and acquittals in any one year do not match the total number of prosecutions for that year as cases commencing in one year may not reach conclusion until the next. Figures for 2010-11 are based on data collated by the Crown Prosecution Service. Those for 2011-12 and onwards are based on HMRC's own data.
Offences prosecuted during the period 2010-11 to July 2013 were:
| Act and section under which individual were charged | |
| Act | Section |
Justice
Altcourse Prison
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to extend HM Prison Altcourse; and what consideration he has given to HM Prison Altcourse as a potential site for the proposed North West superprison. [168075]
Jeremy Wright: As part of our search site process to find a suitable location for a new 2,000-plus place prison in London, North Wales and the North West England region we reviewed our surplus land holdings in those regions.
HM Prison Altcourse was not deemed suitable and we have no current plans to extend or redevelop the site.
On 4 September the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), announced Wrexham as the site of the new prison for North Wales and the North West England region.
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Coroners: Teesside
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the status is of the Office for Judicial Complaints' investigation into HM Coroner for Teesside. [168181]
Mrs Grant: The Office for Judicial Complaints' investigation into Mr Michael Sheffield, HM Coroner for Teesside has concluded. The Lord Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), considered the findings of investigations undertaken by Middlesbrough Council's Community Safety and Leisure Scrutiny Committee into the Teesside Coroner's Service and a report prepared by the Probation Service (Business Development Team).
We are of the view that there is no evidence to suggest that the delays have been caused as a result of Mr Sheffield's conduct and concluded that no formal disciplinary action is required. However, the Lord Chief Justice has issued informal advice to Mr Sheffield on the importance of keeping the issues of backlog and delay continuously under review.
A press statement regarding the outcome of the investigation was placed on the Office for Judicial Complaints website on 9 September. The local MPs who have previously raised PQs regarding Mr Sheffield's conduct have been personally informed of the outcome.
Departmental Responsibilities
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions Ministers and officials of his Department have met (a) Frances Crook, (b) Juliet Lyon and (c) Jenny Earle since May 2010; who took part in any such meetings; and what was discussed at each such meeting. [167262]
Jeremy Wright: The Department has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders on all aspects of penal and prison reform. For example, over the consultation period for our plans for rehabilitation reform, the Ministry of Justice held 14 events in five cities that were attended by over 800 stakeholders—this included a roundtable with the CBI and an event for the private sector.
The Department publishes details of meetings between Ministers, senior officials and all external organisations on a quarterly basis, which include details of meetings with the Howard League for Penal Reform and the Prison Reform Trust. Meetings from January 2010 to December 2012 can be found at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/information-access-rights/transparency-data
Meetings from January 2013 can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=ministry-of-justice&publication_type=transparency-data
Quarters from March 2013 will be published in due course.
European Convention on Human Rights
Philip Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will list the cases brought against the UK under the provisions of the European Convention on
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Human Rights since 1998 where damages, costs or compensation were awarded in favour of the complainant; and how much was awarded in each such case. [166410]
Jeremy Wright: A table listing all of the final judgments against the United Kingdom since 1998 where damages, costs or compensation were awarded in favour of the applicant has been prepared using the information publicly available on the website of the European Court of Human Rights.
In view of the table's length I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Commons Library.
Knives: Crime
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2013, Official Report, columns 387-9W, on knives: crime, what the court proceedings data are for those who received the maximum custodial sentence for possession of a knife in 2012. [167412]
Jeremy Wright: This Government take knife crime very seriously and sentence lengths are increasing for those caught carrying a knife in a public place.
Unlawful possession of a knife or offensive weapon is a serious criminal offence which carries a maximum four-year custodial sentence. Where someone is actually harmed there are a range of other offences with very tough maximum sentences, such as causing grievous bodily harm, that the person will be charged with.
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Last year we introduced new offences of using a knife to threaten and endanger others in a public place or a school. These offences carry a minimum sanction of six months custody for adults and a four month Detention and Training Order for juveniles.
The Government are also considering whether there is a case for further changes to be made to the sentencing framework for knife possession as part of the knife sentencing review.
Within the sentencing framework set by Parliament, it is for judges and magistrates to decide the appropriate sentence in individual cases taking account of the harm the offence caused and the culpability of the offender. Under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 there is an obligation on courts, when sentencing for offences to follow the guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council, unless it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.
Available information on the number of offenders sentenced at all courts to immediate custody, and those who received the maximum sentence of four years and the maximum custodial sentence imposed for knife possession offences, in England and Wales from 2008 to 2012, can be viewed in the table.
Following further validation and receipt of additional magistrates court records, a number of revisions have been made to previously published 2011 information. As such, 2011 figures may not match what was previously provided.
Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014
| Offenders sentenced at all courts to immediate custody, and those who received the maximum sentence, for knife possession offences, England and Wales, 2008-121, 2 | ||||||
| Offence description | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 20115 | 2012 | |
| 1 The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 An offence under Criminal Justice Act 1968 S.139 as amended by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S.3. 4 An offence under Criminal Justice Act 1988 S.139A (1K5)(a) as added by Offensive Weapons Act 1996 S,4(1). 5 Following further validation and receipt of additional magistrates court records, a number of revisions have been made to previously published 2011 information. As such, 2011 figures may not match what was previously provided. Note: Excludes life and indeterminate sentences. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice. | ||||||
Legal Aid Scheme
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made, in calculating the likely costs or savings arising from his Transforming Legal Aid proposals, of the possibility of (a) increased applications for permission for judicial review and (b) increased applications for costs from public authority opponents, if lawyers are not paid unless permission for judicial review is granted; what the evidential basis was for that assessment; and if he will make a statement. [166141][Official Report, 12 September 2013, Vol. 567, c. 13-14MC.]
Mrs Grant:
At around £2 billion a year we have one of the most expensive legal aid systems of its type in the world. The consultation paper, ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’,
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contained a range of measures aimed at reducing the cost of and promoting public confidence in the legal aid scheme, including a proposal that providers would only be paid for work on an application for permission to proceed with a judicial review if permission is granted by the court.
We are concerned that legal aid is currently being used to fund applications for permission for judicial review in weak cases which are unsuccessful and which have little effect other than to incur unnecessary costs for the public.
As part of our consultation we have published an impact assessment which is available at:
https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid
As noted in the impact assessment, under our proposal set out in the consultation paper the provider would need to make an assessment of whether the application is arguable and therefore permission should be applied for. There may therefore be a fall in permission applications made. This may reduce the number of cases the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) need to process and reduce the number of hours required in court for these cases with an associated saving for Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS). We have also noted in our assessment that there is the potential for an increase in requests for reconsideration of the permission application at a hearing, or onward permission appeals to the Court of Appeal where permission has been refused, which may result in an impact on HMCTS from reconsidering the applications.
In both circumstances however this is unquantifiable as the behavioural response of providers and clients is unknown.
Regarding possibility of increased applications for costs from public authority opponents, it is already the case that providers should generally agree costs as part of a settlement or seek a costs order form the court, as
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they would if acting for a privately paying client. This is set out in paragraph 6.58 of the 2013 Standard Civil Contract General Specification.
The consultation closed on 4 June 2013 and we intend to publish a Government response shortly.
Lost Property
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) laptops, (b) memory sticks, (c) mobile telephones and (d) iPads have been lost by his Department in 2012-13. [166071]
Mrs Grant: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Harrow West (Mr Thomas) on 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 170W.
Additionally, (d) no iPads were lost or stolen from the Ministry of Justice in 2012-13.
Offenders
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were (a) remanded in custody and (b) granted bail in each month since May 2010. [166030]
Jeremy Wright: The issue of bail is for the courts to decide following clearly set out procedures. The statutory structure is provided primarily by the Bail Act 1976, which creates a general presumption to bail for all defendants involved in criminal proceedings with certain exceptions.
The number of defendants remanded in custody and the number granted bail in each month at all courts in England and Wales between 1 May 2010 and 31 December 2012 (latest currently available) is shown in the table.
The proportion of those suspects granted bail has remained constant throughout this period.
| Defendants remanded in custody and defendants remanded on bail at all courts1 in England and Wales, by month2, 2010-123 | |||||||||||||
| Number | |||||||||||||
| Year/remand status/court type | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
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Offenders: Deportation
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many foreign national prisoners who had served their sentence but were awaiting deportation were in the prison system on 31 July (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; [167263]
(2) how many foreign national prisoners who had served their sentence but were awaiting deportation were in HM Prison (a) Brixton, (b) Wandsworth, (c) Feltham, (d) Isis, (e) Wormwood Scrubs, (f) Pentonville and (g) Belmarsh on 31 July (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013. [167264]
Jeremy Wright: The Government are committed to increasing the removal of Foreign National Offenders (FNOs) in our prisons. The proportion of FNOs serving sentences in prison remains broadly stable. The following table shows the number of Immigration detainees held in prison at the beginning of August in 2010; 2011; 2012; and 2013.
| 2 August 2010 | 1 August 2011 | 6 August 2012 | 5 August 2013 | |
| 1 Isis opened in July 2010 | ||||
Prisoner Escapes
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many escaped prisoners since 1997 escaped from (a) public prisons, (b) private prisons, (c) courts, (d) secure hospitals, (e) prisoner transit and (f) other areas; [166020]
(2) for how long each escaped prisoner has been at large; from what category of prison each such prisoner escaped; and for what offence they were imprisoned. [166019]
Jeremy Wright: The total number of escapes from custody has been falling since 1995 when central records began, despite an increasing prison population.
Numbers of escapes from prisons, contractor escort, prison escort and of Category A prisoners are published annually by financial year and establishment on the gov.uk website. Details of the number of escapes from 1995-96 to 2012-13 can be found at the following link.
Details of individual offences and the period spent unlawfully at large for all prisoners who have escaped are not held centrally in a form that can be interrogated readily. To provide these details would require manual interrogation of different sets of electronic records which would be at disproportionate cost.
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https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225234/prison-performance-digest-12-13.xls
Notes:
1. Escapes from contractors’ escorts include those occurring at court and in transit.
2. Escapes occurring from prison escort may also occur in transit or at the destination of the escort e.g. hospital out-patients of accident and emergency units. The exact location of these escapes could be obtained only by manual interrogation of the electronic incident reports which would be at disproportionate cost.
3. Escapes from secure hospital are the responsibility of the Department of Health and are therefore not included in these statistics.
Prisons: Exercise
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy to introduce a charge for prisoners to use gyms and swimming pools in prisons. [167304]
Jeremy Wright: The Prison Act 1952 sets out the statutory requirements for physical education (PE) and the legal minimum provision of one hour a week for adults (Prison Rules 1999, Rule 29) and two hours a week for young offenders (Young Offender Rules 2000, Rule 41).
The National Offender Management Service promotes participation in PE and Prison Service Instruction 58/2001 Physical Education for Prisoners specifies the requirement for fair and equal access to PE facilities for all prisoners, including young offenders.
There are no current plans to introduce charging of prisoners for the use of gyms and swimming pools in prisons and young offender institutions.
We have announced significant changes to the policy framework of the Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) scheme, which operates in all prisons. The new arrangements will be implemented across the adult estate. Under the revised IEP policy, from November, access to exercise facilities above the minimum allowance will have to be earned by engaging with the regime and demonstrating commitment to their rehabilitation, as well as demonstrating good behaviour. Any such access must take place outside the core working day.
PE in prisons focuses on rehabilitation and reducing reoffending through a range of structured activities and intervention programmes and should not be confused with community participation in leisure activities. Prisoners are encouraged to address their offending behaviour, adopt healthy lifestyles, gain employability skills/qualifications and tackle substance misuse issues. PE supports those prisoners with physical and mental health issues by providing the opportunity for modified PE activity and reduces health inequalities by providing access for all prisoners.
Public Records
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will publish a list of records of papers that have been retained for an extended period on the grounds of risk of prejudice to national security which were subsequently released; [166460]
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(2) on which occasions papers have been withheld for more than 30 years under section 23 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 since implementation of that Act; [166407]
(3) on which occasions papers have been withheld for over 30 years under the Public Records Act 1958. [166408]
Mrs Grant: Central records are not held listing the total number of papers that have been retained under the Public Records Act 1958 (PRA) for an extended period (including on national security grounds) and subsequently released, or the number of occasions papers have been withheld for more than 30 years under section 23 of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Therefore it would be possible to provide any part of this information only at disproportionate cost following research undertaken by all bodies subject to the PRA and FOIA.
Education
Children: Day Care
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of children entitled to free childcare on 1 October (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 in (i) East Hampshire constituency and (ii) Hampshire, as a result of the extension of the free childcare scheme announced on 2 September 2013. [168152]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department estimates that around 2,150 two-year-olds in Hampshire are likely to be eligible for the first phase of the programme, introduced at the beginning of September 2013; and that some 4,440 two-year-olds in Hampshire will be eligible from September 2014.
No such estimate has been made for the East Hampshire constituency.
Directors
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library a copy of each of his Department's non-executive board member's entry in the Register of Interests. [168220]
Elizabeth Truss: A copy of the Register of Interests is available for inspection upon request. Details of how to make this request are included in the Department's Consolidated Annual Report and Accounts, which were laid in Parliament on 17 July 2012.
GCSE: English Language
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he plans to take to ensure that teachers are held accountable for the teaching of speaking and listening skills at Key Stage 4 English and English Language after Ofqual's decision to remove the Speaking and Listening Assessment from GCSE English and GCSE English Language. [168311]
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Elizabeth Truss: The assessment of speaking and listening has not been removed from GCSE English and English Language. Students' speaking and listening skills will be reported separately on the GCSE certificate alongside the GCSE grade, giving a more detailed picture of students' achievements than under the previous arrangements.
Ofsted will continue to hold schools to account for their teaching of English, including speaking and listening. The Department for Education will consider making available the results of the separate assessment of speaking and listening through its new Data Portal.
National Curriculum Tests
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, columns 530-32W, on National Curriculum tests, what specific disruptions and risks to the delivery of Key Stage 2 tests occurred in 2012. [167948]
Elizabeth Truss: The specific disruption encountered during the delivery of key stage 2 tests in 2012 was the number of registrations for the level 6 tests during the two weeks before test week. About 25% of total registrations were made during this time, which was well in excess of the number of registrations expected at this time.
One of the challenges and risks to operational delivery arising from this was the manufacture and delivery of a significant amount of test materials to schools in a very short space of time.
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, columns 530-32W, on National Curriculum tests, how many individual schools were involved in the 240 complaints. [167949]
Elizabeth Truss: A total number of 178 schools made a formal complaint to the Standards and Testing Agency about National Curriculum tests.
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, columns 530-32W, on National Curriculum tests, what specific criteria for late applications to be permitted after the deadline exist. [167950]
Elizabeth Truss: Schools that report exceptional circumstances before the deadline—including technical issues and serious tragedies—may be permitted late registrations. Schools with new children arriving after the deadline may also be permitted late registrations.
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) on how many occasions an incorrect number of test papers has been delivered to schools by the Standards and Testing Agency; [167951]
(2) on how many occasions an incorrect number of test papers has been printed by the Standards and Testing Agency. [167952]
Elizabeth Truss: Sufficient quantities of test papers were printed and distributed to schools. The quantities are based on the information schools provide during the test orders and pupil registration windows.
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Public Appointments
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many appointments and reappointments he has made to public bodies since May 2010; and which candidates for those posts have declared political activity since May 2010. [168217]
Elizabeth Truss: Since May 2010, the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has made a total of 33 new appointments and 10 reappointments to public appointment positions within its public bodies. These are all non-civil servant appointments.
Declarations of political affiliation by public appointees have been recorded since April 2012. Those records indicate that five public appointees declared a political affiliation: Alan Milburn, Gillian Shephard, Christian Guy, Francis Plowden and Neil O'Brien.
Public Expenditure
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on staff (a) training and away days, (b) foreign travel and (c) refreshments in the last three years. [167491]
Elizabeth Truss: The following table provides a breakdown of the cost of staff training and of foreign travel for staff in the last four years. The Department does not hold data on staff away days or staff refreshments.
| £ | ||||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
Data for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are not comparable with data for 2011-12 and 2012-13. This is because, from 2011, the Department assumed responsibility for some international work previously discharged by the DWP.
School Meals
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what timetable he has set for the testing and introduction of revised standards for school food. [167946]
Elizabeth Truss: Following the publication of the school food plan, work is under way between officials in the Department and the plan's authors to finalise the timetable for testing and introducing the revised standards for school food. These discussions are based on the timetable set out in chapter eight of the school food plan.
Schools: Vocational Guidance
Tristram Hunt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of (a) maintained schools, (b) non-academy schools, (c) converter academy schools, (d) sponsor-led academy schools and
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(e)
academies secured access to independent careers service provision from an external provider in the 2012-13 school year. [167529]
Matthew Hancock: The Department does not collect data on how schools secure and deliver careers guidance or the number or proportion doing so through different routes. The Education Act 2011 placed schools under a duty to secure access to independent and impartial careers guidance for their pupils in years 9 to 11. In September 2013, the duty was extended to include all registered pupils in years 8 to 13.
Please find below a link to the Inspiration Vision Statement, published on 10 September 2013, which sets out the Government's vision for improving the guidance young people receive on their education options and future careers:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/238841/bis-13-1176-inspiration-vision-statement-R2.pdf
A copy has been placed in the House Library.
Staff
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of his Department's jobs have been relocated from London to each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years. [168011]
Elizabeth Truss: The information requested is not held by the Department.
Standards and Testing Agency
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how often Ministers of his Department meet officials of the Standards and Testing Agency; and when the last such meeting was. [167953]
Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) and his ministerial colleagues meet frequently with officials of the Standards and Testing Agency to discuss a range of topics.
Vetting
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many special advisers in his private ministerial office have developed vetting security clearance. [168215]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education determines its vetting requirements in line with Her Majesty's Government's Security Policy Framework. Information on the framework is available on the Government website1. Copies of this document are in the House Libraries.
For reasons of national security and Data Protection Act considerations, it would not be appropriate to disclose information which could lead to the identification of individuals who are subject to vetting.
1https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmg-personnel-security-controls
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Young People
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average government grant is per person for (a) 16, (b) 17 and (c) 18-year-olds in England and Wales. [168178]
Matthew Hancock: The average funding per full-time student between the ages of 16 and 18 in the 2012/13 academic year for schools and colleges in England was £5,130. 16, 17 and 18-year-olds are now funded through a single national funding formula.
Education funding in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.
Cabinet Office
Billing
Mike Freer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available. [167658]
Miss Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office processed 30,543 invoices in 2012-13.
Investment and Contract Readiness Fund
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what organisations received Investment and Contract Readiness funding in the last year for which records are available. [167705]
Mr Hurd: Since 1 September 2012, the Investment and Contract Readiness Fund has committed to funding 70 front-line organisations. Information on those organisations can be found at:
www.beinvestmentready.org.uk/about/investments
Members: Correspondence
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he intends to reply to the letter of 1 March 2013 from the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North, addressed to the Minister of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and transferred to the Cabinet Office on 15 May 2013, regarding information provided on the www.gov.uk website. [167465]
Mr Hurd: The letter has been answered; I apologise wholeheartedly for the delay.
Social Incubator Fund
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 821W, on Social Incubator Fund, what are the defined plans to reach outside London of the listed recipients of the Social Incubator Fund. [167702]
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Mr Hurd: The Social Incubator Fund has now committed to making grants to four incubators: Wayra UnLtd, Bethnal Green Ventures, Social Incubator North and Hub Launchpad.
In relation to Wayra UnLtd and Bethnal Green Ventures, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 12 March 2013, Official Report, column 168W.
Social Incubator North accepts applications from businesses making a positive social or environmental impact in the north of England only. It aims to run a ‘Call to the North' campaign to attract an initial cohort of beneficiaries, which will be followed by a co-ordinated mainstream and social marketing campaign. Hub Launchpad is located in London and Birmingham. It actively recruits beneficiaries from across England.
Staff
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many of his Department's jobs have been relocated from London to each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years. [168007]
Mr Maude: No significant numbers of Cabinet Office posts have been relocated from London to the regions in the last 10 years.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
China
Mr Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to encourage the Chinese Government to take stronger action to prevent organ harvesting from Chinese prisoners. [168083]
Mr Swire: I refer the right hon. Member to my previous answer dated 22 April 2013 to the hon. Member for East Londonderry (Mr Campbell), Official Report, column 633W. Our position has not changed.
10 Sep 2013 : Column 702W
We continue to have serious concerns about reports of torture and mistreatment of detainees in China. Criminal justice reform and the rule of law, including torture prevention and treatment of detainees, has been a consistent focus of our human rights engagement with the Chinese authorities, both at ministerial level and in project work on the ground. Our embassy in Beijing has raised these allegations with the Chinese Government. We also highlighted our concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's 2012 Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy, which was published on 15 April 2013. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly denied the allegations.
The Chinese Government have assured us that organs from executed prisoners will only be used for transplantation with their consent. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Chinese Government bilaterally and alongside international partners, and to urge the Chinese authorities to grant permission for UN Special Procedures independent experts to visit China.
Pakistan
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide an estimate of the number of Pakistanis killed by American drones, with a separate estimate of the number of civilians killed. [168086]
Mr Robathan: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
This a matter for the US and Pakistan, who are facing a shared and dangerous threat from terrorists.
Seven Years' War: Anniversaries
Mr Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Prime Minister has to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Paris 1763. [168018]
Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no plans to mark the 250th anniversary of the Treaty of Paris.