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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 11 September 2013
Scotland
Economy
8. Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on Scotland's future economic prospects. [900190]
Michael Moore: I regularly meet with Scottish Government Ministers at events, such as the Scottish employability forum last week, where we discuss economic issues.
This Government recognise the challenges faced by families and businesses, and are focusing on moving the economy from rescue to recovery.
State Pension
9. Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of people in Scotland in receipt of the state pension compared with the rest of the UK. [900191]
David Mundell: As of June 2013 pensioners make up 19.9% of the population in Scotland compared with 19.4% in the rest of the UK.
By 2050 this gap will have increased over fourfold with Scotland’s pensioners making up 23.6% of its population compared with 21.4% in the rest of the UK.
Businesses: UK Benefits
11. John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment his Department has made of the value to businesses in Scotland of being part of the UK. [900193]
Michael Moore: All papers in the Scotland analysis programme underline the value to business of Scotland being part of the UK. Our fourth paper, published in July, set out the benefits to business of being part of the UK’s domestic single market, and the shared framework which underpins this.
15. Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment his Department has made of the value to businesses in Scotland of being part of the UK. [900197]
Michael Moore: All papers in the Scotland analysis programme underline the value to business of Scotland of being part of the UK. Our fourth paper, published in July, set out the benefits to business of being part of the UK’s domestic single market, and the shared framework which underpins this.
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Average Wages
13. Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what change there has been in the level of average wages in Scotland since May 2010. [900195]
David Mundell: According to official statistics, in 2012 the median gross annual full-time earnings in Scotland were £25,792, up from £25,205 in 2010.
Departmental Cost Savings
14. Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what amount of administrative cost savings was made by his Department in 2012-13; and what amount of savings are planned to be made in 2013-14. [900196]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office and Office of the Advocate General had an administrative cost underspend of £220,000 in 2012-13. During 2013-14 the offices have reduced travel costs and the costs of running office accommodation in Edinburgh and London and we also expect to show an underspend at year end.
Wales
Staff
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many posts in his Department have been relocated from London to each other region in each of the last 10 years. [168285]
Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has one office in London and one in Cardiff. When recruiting, we consider whether we have a preferred location for the post being advertised. In many cases a post may be based in either of our offices, and many staff work from both sites.
Northern Ireland
Staff
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many posts in her Department have been relocated from London to each other region in each of the last 10 years. [168282]
Mrs Villiers: Following the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office, my Department does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain them would incur disproportionate cost.
No posts have been relocated from London to other regions since 2010.
Transport
Staff
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many posts in his Department have been relocated from London to each other region in each of the last 10 years. [168284]
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Norman Baker: The Department does not maintain a central record of the posts which have moved outside of London. The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Attorney-General
Police Cautions
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many conditional cautions have been issued by police forces in England and Wales since 2013; and for what offence each such caution was issued. [168053]
The Solicitor-General: The following Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) data show the total number of conditional cautions that were issued following consideration by the CPS during the period from 1 April 2013 to 6 September 2013 for each police force area. Further tables containing a detailed breakdown of data by offence category have been placed in the Library of the House. The data update a previous response provided on 21 May 2013 that gave details of the number of conditional cautions issued for the last five years covering the period to 31 March 2013.
The data showing the number of conditional cautions issued are taken from defendant-based data and not the number of offences committed. The total number of cautions issued will therefore differ from that noted in the breakdown of offence category.
Since 8 April 2013, the police have been able to issue a conditional caution without reference to the CPS in all categories of offences except for indictable-only offences and those categorised as hate crime or domestic violence.
As a result of these revised arrangements, data for conditional cautions issued after 8 April by the police will be reported under the official statistics relating to crime and policing, maintained by the Home Office, and the official statistics relating to sentencing, criminal court proceedings, offenders brought to justice, the courts and the judiciary issued by the Ministry of Justice.
The CPS data will only record those cases where following a request for charging advice, the CPS determined that the case was more suitable to be dealt with by way of a conditional caution and where the police have charged a suspect but a prosecutor on review following charge determines that it is more appropriate to proceed by way of a conditional caution.
| CPS conditional cautions 1 April 2013 to 6 September 2013 | ||
| Conditional cautions | ||
| Pre-charge | Post-charge | |
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Redundancy Pay
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Crown Prosecution Service has spent on severance costs for departing members of staff in each year since 2010-11. [168051]
The Solicitor-General: The amount the Crown Prosecution Service has spent on severance costs for departing staff in each year since 2010-11 is shown in the following table:
| Severance costs (£ million) | |
| 1 2013-14 costs as of 5 September 2013 are provisional | |
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Government legal service has spent on severance costs for departing members of staff in each year since 2010-11. [168054]
The Solicitor-General: The Government Legal Service (GLS) is not a Government Department and does not employ anyone. The GLS is the term used to describe approximately 2,000 employees in the legal teams of 30 Departments of State, regulatory bodies and other Government organisations, which are each separately responsible for any costs incurred.
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Serious Fraud Office
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General if he will publish the review carried out by Peter Mason CBE into how documents related to the BAE Systems case were sent by the Serious Fraud Office to the wrong location. [168047]
The Solicitor-General: Once Mr Mason's review is formally concluded, the director of the Serious Fraud Office will consider publishing the findings.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the cost to the Serious Fraud Office was of recovering the evidence related to the BAE Systems case sent to the wrong location. [168048]
The Solicitor-General: The costs of recovering the material are not recorded separately to the costs of investigating what happened; the cost recorded to 30 August 2013 for both is £10,835. This includes costs for the work carried out to date by Peter Mason in reviewing independently what happened.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether details of the identities of any prosecution witnesses and informants were contained in the evidence related to the BAE Systems case that the Serious Fraud Office sent to the wrong location. [168049]
The Solicitor-General: I understand that the identities of some prosecution witnesses were included within the material that was sent in error. It is the Serious Fraud Office's policy neither to confirm nor to deny the existence of informants on any of its cases.
Witnesses: Children
Ann Coffey: To ask the Attorney-General what information he holds on complaints made about developmentally inappropriate questioning of child witnesses in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [168191]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service currently categorises complaints on the following basis: legal decision making, mixed (legal and non-legal decision making) and non-legal decision making. This does not enable it to separately identify complaints made about the developmentally inappropriate questioning of child witnesses.
House of Commons Commission
Recall of Parliament
Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate he has made of the cost to the House service of the recall of the House on 29 August 2013; and what estimate he has made of the amount of revenue forgone by (a) visitor services, (b) the Jubilee Cafe, (c) other catering services and (d) other services due to that recall. [168228]
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John Thurso: The cost to the House of Commons Service of recalling Parliament for a day is marginal as most operating costs are fixed for the year as a whole and are unaffected by the number and distribution of sitting days. The additional cost is about £24,000.
For 29 August the ticket and retail sales associated with visitor services reduced by around £16,500. Although Jubilee Cafe income was reduced by £2,100 there was an overall net increase of income on catering services of £3,000.
The total cost of the recall was therefore some £37,500.
Defence
Carbon Emissions
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the approximate annual cost to his Department of steps to meet its Greening Government targets by March 2015. [168305]
Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has invested £54.2 million in energy saving measures to date. A further £55 million is programmed to be invested by March 2015.
Information on the cost of implementing the waste and water saving targets is not held.
Armed Forces
Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial support is currently offered to service personnel who leave the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) British Army; and what the total cost of that support has been in the last three years. [168399]
Mr Francois: There are many types of financial support available to service personnel who leave the armed forces but this depends on the reason for their departure. As an example, financial support may be payable from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS), the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) or the War Disablement Pension. In addition there are a variety of grants (eg Resettlement Grant). All of these operate on a tri-service basis. The total expenditure on the AFPS and AFCS for each of the last three financial years is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/armed-forces-pension-scheme-annual-accounts-2012-13
Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) number and (b) proportion of current armed service personnel in the (i) Royal Navy, (ii) Royal Air Force and (iii) British Army who have progressed to the rank of officer, having been recruited into the lowest rank of each service is. [168400]
Mr Robathan: The current number of officers who have been commissioned from the ranks in the naval service and Army are as set out in the following table:
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| Service | As at | Number commissioned from the ranks | Proportion of officer corps (%) |
Information on the number of currently serving RAF officers, who have previously served in the other ranks (OR) could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, since April 2010 some 40 OR have been commissioned each year, and this represents 0.14% of the annual opening OR total.
All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10; numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the number of (a) regular and (b) reserve forces who will leave the UK armed forces following possible changes to Scotland's constitutional status after 2014; and what the size of each branch of the armed forces will be in that event. [168401]
Dr Murrison: The UK Government are not planning for Scottish independence and cannot pre-negotiate the details of independence ahead of the referendum. We are confident that the people of Scotland will continue to support remaining within the UK.
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether existing test and diagnostic equipment will be used in the Warrior CSP upgrade programme. [168149]
Mr Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 16 July 2013, Official Report, column 649W.
Child Maintenance
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects of overseas postings on the parenting responsibilities and liabilities for Child Support Agency payments of absent parents in the armed forces. [168101]
Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to facilitate the direct deduction of child maintenance payments from pay of non-resident parents who are service personnel.
Where a parent asks the Child Support Agency (CSA) to help to obtain appropriate child support from a non-resident parent who is a service person, the MOD will assist the CSA in engaging with that service person. The MOD will implement any deduction from earnings request submitted by the CSA.
The only exception is when the service person is in an operational zone. Under the terms of the MOU, if a service person is committed to operations the commanding officer may delay any engagement with the CSA until
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such time as the non-resident parent is in a position to consider any papers that the CSA may send them and respond appropriately.
Conditions of Employment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff (a) directly employed and (b) indirectly employed through other companies by his Department were employed on zero-hours contracts in each of the last 10 years. [168275]
Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence does not employ people on zero-hours contracts. The terms of employment for individuals indirectly employed through other companies are a matter between the individual and their parent company.
Military Exercises
Mr Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what days and at which locations the October 2013 Exercise Joint Warrior is expected to take place; which nations are expected to take part in that exercise; what overseas visitors are currently expected to observe the exercise and on which days; and if he will make a statement. [168032]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 9 September 2013]: Joint Warrior 13-2 will take place from 6-17 October 2013 in the seas around the east and west coast of Scotland from the Firth of Forth to Clyde approaches; on the Defence training estate of Tain, Spadeadam and Cape Wrath; and in the air space of northern England and Scotland. The nations participating are the UK, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and USA.
A visiting delegation of senior naval officers from Denmark is expected to visit on 7-8 October 2013.
Separately, the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force concept is being exercised at RAF Leeming, with a delegation of senior air force officers from France planned to visit on 15-16 October 2013.
Public Expenditure
Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what savings, in each category of expenditure, his Department has made since May 2010; and what savings are forecast over the next five years. [168325]
Mr Philip Hammond [holding answer 10 September 2013]: As a result of the changes to policy and financial plans announced in and around the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the Department implemented savings of £74 billion over its 10-year programme, as presented in the following table:
| £ billion | |
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During the 2013 spending round, the Ministry of Defence committed to £875 million of further operating costs efficiency savings in 2015-16. These savings will be delivered from contract renegotiations, the centralised procurement of common goods and services, pay restraint, and reductions in the cost of the Department's civilian headcount and allowances.
Reserve Forces: Recruitment
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on recruitment campaigns for the Reserve Force in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 to date. [168403]
Mr Francois: The spend figures requested on recruitment campaigns for the Reserve Forces are set out in the following table:
| Financial year (FY) | Total spend (£ million) |
We are committed to growing the Army Reserve. In July, we set our new offer to potential Reservists and employers with increased incentives and enhanced training opportunities alongside Regulars in the UK and abroad. The way is now clear for a sustained recruitment campaign over the next 12 to 18 months, to build the numbers we need to expand the Army Reserve. Expenditure for FY 2013-14 is therefore likely to be greater than last year as we embark on that campaign, to meet the target set in Future Reserves 2020.
Trident
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral answer of 4 September 2013, on Trident, if he will make an estimate of the additional cost to his Department of bringing forward the main gate decision on the successor submarines to before May 2015. [168094]
Mr Philip Hammond: As my hon. Friend will be aware, major investment decisions are made when programmes are sufficiently mature in terms of design and cost estimates. For the successor submarine we expect this point, the main gate decision point, to be in 2016. Making investment decisions and placing contracts when projects are not sufficiently mature is likely to lead to cost growth and time delays. However, it is not possible, for any individual project, to estimate with any degree of accuracy what those costs and delays might be, precisely because the programme is not yet sufficiently mature.
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Treasury
Children: Day Care
Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse if the new tax-free childcare scheme was restricted to parents earning less than (a) £100,000, (b) £90,000, (c) £80,000, (d) £75,000, (e) £70,000, (f) £65,000 and (g) £60,000 per annum; [168150]
(2) what estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse if the new tax-free childcare scheme was restricted to providing support for up to two children only. [168151]
Sajid Javid: The estimates requested are not available.
Information on Exchequer costs of the new scheme for tax-free child care and numbers of families affected will not be available until the consultation launched on 5 August is complete and the policy details have been fully defined.
Non-domestic Rates
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to remove business rates from former public toilets which are no longer in use. [168258]
Mr Gauke: The Government have no plans to remove business rates from former public toilets which are no longer in use. Any new business rates relief would need to be balanced against the targeted support that is already provided on business rates, such as the temporary doubling of the small business rate relief, and the overriding need to reduce the deficit.
Oil: Prices
Dr Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the conflict in Syria on the price of oil. [167843]
Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
The Department has made no formal assessment. The price of oil is determined by supply and demand factors. Oil prices have been pushed up over the last two months by supply side concerns from Libya, Egypt and Syria, increasing from $103 per barrel in July to around $115 by the end of August. There have also been more marginal demand side influences, driven by variable news on international economic growth rates.
Revenue and Customs
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs (a) has spent under each cost heading in each year since 2010-11 and (b) expects to spend under each cost heading in each year between 2013-14 and 2015-16. [168194]
Mr Gauke: The information is as follows:
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(a) The costs HMRC incurs are shown in the notes to the departmental resource accounts within HMRC's annual report and accounts.
Links to the accounts are provided as follows:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/annual-report-accounts-1011.pdf
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/annual-report-accounts-1112.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13--3
(b) HMRC is currently reviewing its plans for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 as part of its current planning round. It is not possible therefore to break down in a more granular form the budgets for 2014-15 and 2015-16.
HMRC's budgets for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 are:
| £ million | |
| Note: These figures exclude depreciation and capital. | |
Broadly HMRC expects the staffing costs to reduce and the IT costs to increase, in line with its digital programme, within its overall reductions.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of its resources HM Revenue and Customs expects to spend under each cost heading in each year from 2013-14 to 2015-16. [168195]
Mr Gauke: In 2013-14 and 2014-15 HMRC expects to spend its resources as per the information published on page 37 of its business plan for 2012 to 2015. A link to the business plan is provided here:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/business-plan-2012.pdf
HMRC is still working on the implications for 2015-16 following recent announcements.
Staff
Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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. [168016]
Sajid Javid: Following the 2004 Lyons review, which raised the issue of moving civil servants from London and the south-east, the Treasury Group (then consisting of HM Treasury, the Office of Government Commerce, OGCbuying.solutions and the Debt Management Office) committed to relocate 26.5 full-time equivalent posts by March 2008 as part of the 2004 spending review. This number was achieved by March 2007 and was followed by moving another 11.5 full-time equivalent posts in 2007-08.
Tax Allowances: Veterans
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy that payments from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme and guaranteed income payments should be exempt from tax. [168180]
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Mr Gauke: In recognition of the vital role played by the armed forces and their families, many payments under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, in particular those to service personnel or veterans, are already exempt from any liability to income tax. The Government have no plans to change this policy.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Cats: Animal Welfare
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy that local authorities should be required to implement cat care policies to prevent the abandonment of cats in urban areas; and if he will make a statement. [168259]
Mr Heath: It is for local authorities to decide how to prioritise resources relative to the needs of their communities. Owners should consider whether they can take on the responsibility of keeping an animal before acquiring it. If there are circumstances that arise which mean they can no longer look after their pet, they should approach a re-homing centre. Abandonment of an animal in circumstances that are likely to compromise its welfare is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and carries a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment or a fine of £5,000, or both.
Fisheries: Western Sahara
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assurances he has received as to the benefit to the Saharawi population of the new protocol to the EU-Morocco fisheries partnership agreement. [168313]
Richard Benyon: The new protocol to the fisheries partnership agreement between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco has not yet been agreed by the Council and the European Parliament.
The agreement as initialled requires Morocco to report on the geographical distribution of European funds for structural support and infrastructure to include the impact on jobs and investment.
Ragwort
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is planning to take to improve the management of ragwort. [168262]
Mr Heath [holding answer 10 September 2013]: Responsibility for ragwort control rests with land owners and occupiers, who are expected to adhere to the Ragwort Code of Practice (2003). Where the code has not been adhered to, Natural England will investigate complaints and take any appropriate enforcement action. My ministerial colleague, the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Newbury (Richard Benyon), wrote to over 500 public bodies in February this year reminding them of their responsibilities under the code.
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DEFRA is currently working with interested parties to establish what more can be done to encourage ragwort control; this includes improving the current evidence base, as well as considering various options for streamlining the complaint process.
Health
Carbon Monoxide: Poisoning
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support his Department plans to provide to the charity Carbon Monoxide Awareness during national carbon monoxide awareness week in November 2013. [168229]
Anna Soubry: The Department has no specific plans to provide support to the charity Carbon Monoxide Awareness during carbon monoxide awareness week.
Public Health England (PHE) publishes an annual press release to coincide with carbon monoxide (CO) awareness week advising people to have their fossil fuel and wood burning appliances such as cookers, heaters and boilers checked by an appropriate registered engineer before winter. PHE is working with the Department on a Chief Medical Officer letter to remind health care professionals of the signs and symptoms of CO poisoning. PHE is also updating its flowchart to assist general practitioners and emergency physicians in diagnosing CO poisoning which will accompany this letter.
PHE and the Department will provide input into the Cross-Government Group on Gas Safety report which is released in November. This report details the work of its members to reduce deaths and injuries from accidental poisoning from CO.
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support is made available by the NHS to people experiencing long-term chronic health problems as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. [168230]
Anna Soubry: It is recognised that between 10% and 15% of people who have severe carbon monoxide poisoning develop long-term complications such as damage to the brain or heart.
The national health service has prioritised improving outcomes for people and there is a focus on people with long-term conditions. To support this a National Clinical Director for neurological conditions has been appointed and is already working with the newly established strategic clinical networks to support improving the quality of care commissioned by NHS England and clinical commissioning groups. The commissioners will be working closely with local authorities, especially social care.
This will help to ensure that services are:
Quicker and easier to use;
More closely matched to people's needs;
Better co-ordinated so that people do not have to see a lot of different professionals and repeat the same information about themselves;
Provided for as long as people need them, so that treatment continues without the need for a referral every time the person has a new problem;
Better at helping people with neurological conditions and their carers to make decisions about care and treatment;
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Provided by people with knowledge and experience of specific conditions;
Giving people with long-term neurological conditions better results from their treatment;
Planned around the views of people with long-term neurological conditions and their carers;
Able to give people more choice about how and where they get treatment and care; and
Better at helping people to live more independently.
Hospital Corporation of America
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when his Department signed a contract for the provision of gamma knife services with the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) at St Bartholomew's Hospital; who authorised the signing of the contract; and how many patients HCA is contracted to treat each year; [168055]
(2) how many service provision contracts (a) NHS England and (b) his Department prior to 1 April 2013 had with the Hospital Corporation of America; at which hospitals; and what services the contracts covered. [168108]
Dr Poulter: Information concerning existing contracts to provide gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery has been provided by NHS England. NHS England commissions the gamma knife service from Barts and the London NHS Trust through a sub-contract with Health Corporation of America (HCA) at the Harley Street Clinic. It is a cost and volume contract. The contract was signed in 2003 and as a sub-contract was approved by Barts and the London NHS Trust.
The Department does not hold any contracts with the Hospital Corporation of America and its United Kingdom subsidiary for the period up to and including 1 April 2013. NHS England did not exist prior to 1 April 2013.
School Milk
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will publish by the end of 2013 a full response to the consultation on the Nursery Milk Scheme that ended in October 2012. [168336]
Dr Poulter: The Department is conducting a comprehensive analysis of all the responses to the Nursery Milk consultation, the impact assessment and the accompanying survey of child care providers. A Government response on the future operation of the Nursery Milk Scheme will be made after full consideration is given to these and to other relevant information.
Warm Homes Healthy People Fund
Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department will be running a Warm Homes, Healthy People programme for the winter of 2013-14; [168295]
(2) when bids will be invited for the Warm Homes Healthy People Fund in 2013-14. [168393]
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Anna Soubry: The Warm Homes Healthy People fund will not be repeated this year. However, ring-fenced funding of £5.45 billion for 2013-15 has been made available to local authorities to address public health priorities determined at the local level. In setting their priorities local authorities must take into account the Public Health Outcomes Framework which has excess winter deaths as an indicator.
Home Department
Asylum: Finance
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are in receipt of (a) section 95 support for asylum applicants and (b) section 4 support for a failed asylum applicant who cannot return home. [168071]
Mr Harper [holding answer 9 September 2013]: As at end of June 2013, there were 21,423 asylum seekers, including dependants, in receipt of section 95 and 4,472 in receipt of section 4 support for failed asylum applicants who cannot return home.
The data presented above are published in table as16q and table as18q (Asylum data tables Volume 2) of Immigration Statistics: April—June 2013, available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the resources available to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre to combat child abuse online. [167910]
Damian Green: The work of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) in tackling the proliferation of indecent images of children is of utmost importance. That is why we have protected the budget of CEOP compared with budget reductions which have been made elsewhere in law enforcement. CEOP has over 50% more staff now (133 as of 30 August 2013) than it did in November 2010 (85).
As a fully integrated command within the National Crime Agency (NCA), CEOP will be able to do more to protect children. The CEOP command will have a clear remit and be headed by a director, accountable to the NCA director general.
This means that the director of CEOP will have the freedom to direct the specialist resources within their command to reduce the threat or risk of harm to a child.
Being part of the NCA will bring advantages to CEOP, including access to more capacity to deal with complex cases of child sexual exploitation and sexual abuse and more resilience for frontline operational services. CEOP will also be able to draw on support from other NCA specialist functions, such as the agency's enhanced intelligence capability, the National Cyber Crime Unit, and the Border Policing Command (including the international network) as well as greater influence through the NCA's national leadership role across law enforcement.
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Crimes of Violence
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alleged instances of grievous bodily harm were reported to police forces in England and Wales in each year since 2009; and how many such allegations were classified as no crimes. [168064]
Mr Jeremy Browne [holding answer 9 September 2013]:Information on the number of alleged incidents is not available centrally. The available information relates to offences initially recorded by the police and subsequently "no crimed" and the available information is given in the table.
Data for 2012-13 are not comparable with earlier years as grievous bodily harm (GBH) offences were moved into new offence classifications as part of the ONS classification changes. Data provided show the number of crimes recorded by the police for GBH both with and without intent up to 2012-13 and then the broader categories of “assault with injury” and “assault with intent to cause serious harm” which GBH with and without intent now fall into.
| Number of GBH/assault with intent to cause serious harm offences initially recorded as crimes and subsequently no-crimed, 2009-10 to 2012-13—England and Wales | ||
| Number | ||
| Offences initially recorded by the police as crimes | Offences deemed to be “no crimes” | |
| 1 Offences of GBH with and without intent. 2 With effect from 2012-13, GBH with intent was moved into a new classification of “Assault with intent to cause serious harm”. Also with effect from 2012-13, GBH without intent was moved into a new offence classification of “Assault with injury” and such offences cannot be separately identified from other offences recorded in that classification. Source: Police recorded crime, Home Office | ||
Detention Centres
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to expand the immigration detention estate. [167856]
Mr Harper [holding answer 6 September 2013]: The capacity and location of the detention estate is under constant review and we consider any opportunities to rebalance it in order to aid removal of those who have no right to remain in the UK. The conversion of HMP The Verne in Dorset into an Immigration Removal Centre, which will add 580 beds was announced by the Ministry of Justice on 4 September 2013.
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Entry Clearances
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Tier 1 Entrepreneur visas have been granted since 31 January 2013; and how many decisions on such visas are awaiting determination. [167731]
11 Sep 2013 : Column 720W
Mr Harper: According to latest published statistics there were 568 visas issued to main applicants who applied under the Tier 1—Entrepreneur route in the first two quarters of 2013. Latest published statistics for applications for visas and the outcome of applications for Tier 1—Entrepreneur visas (main applicants and dependants) for the first two quarters of 2013 appear in the following table:
| Entry clearance visa applications and resolution by category PBS Tier 1—Entrepreneur, 2013 | ||||||
| Of which: | ||||||
| Applications | Resolved | Issued | Refused | Percentage refused | Lapsed | |
| Notes: 1. Some decisions may relate to applications received in previous quarters. 2. Data are provisional. Source: Immigration Statistics, April to June 2013, Table be_01_q | ||||||
It is not possible to provide figures only from 31 January 2013 for those issued visas under the Tier 1—Entrepreneur route from these published statistics.
The number of applications for entry clearance visas awaiting a decision are not available from these published statistics.
The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in the release Immigration Statistics April to June-2013, which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department's website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many graduates from UK universities have been issued Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) visas since 6 April 2012. [168119]
Mr Harper [holding answer 9 September 2013]: The published statistics on out of country visas to the United Kingdom issued and in country extensions of stay granted to main applicants in the Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) category are provided in the following table:
| Out of country visas to the United Kingdom issued and in-country extensions of stay granted: Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) | ||
| Quarter | Out of country visas issued | In-country grants of extensions |
| Notes: 1. Excludes dependants. 2. Data are provisional. 3. Entry clearance visas issued and grants of an extension of stay should not be summed. Individuals could be counted in both entry clearance visas issued and grants of an extension of stay if the issue and grant occurs within the same year. Source: Immigration Statistics, April to June 2013, table be_01_q and table ex_01_q | ||
It is not possible to determine how many of these main applicants graduated from UK universities without examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
Information published in the short statistical article “Extensions of stay by previous category” shows that in 2012 there were 129 grants of an extension to main applicants in Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) whose previous category was study.
The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas and extensions of stay are published in the release Immigration Statistics April to June to 2013, which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department's website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
A copy of the short statistical article “Extensions of stay by previous category” is available from the Library of the House and at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extensions-of-stay-by-previous-category
Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visas have been issued since their introduction in April 2012. [168127]
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Mr Harper [holding answer 9 September 2013]: The published statistics on out of country visas to the United Kingdom issued and in country extensions of stay granted to main applicants in the Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) category are provided in the following table:
| Out of country visas to the United Kingdom issued and in-country extensions of stay granted to Tier 1—Graduate Entrepreneurs | ||
| Quarter | Out of country visas issued | In-country grants of extensions |
| Notes: 1. Excludes dependants. 2. Data are provisional. Source: Immigration Statistics, April to June 2013. table be_01_q and table ex_01_q | ||
The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas and extensions of stay are published in the release Immigration Statistics April to June 2013, which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department's website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many graduates of UK universities have been issued Tier 2 visas since 6 April 2012. [168129]
Mr Harper [holding answer 9 September 2013]: The published statistics on out-of-country visas to the United Kingdom issued and in-country extensions of stay granted to main applicants in the Tier 2 and the equivalent pre-Points Based System categories are provided in the following table:
| Out-of-country visas to the United Kingdom issued and in-country extensions of stay granted: Tier 2 and pre-PBS equivalent | ||
| Quarter | Out-of-country visas issued | In-country grants of extensions |
| Notes: 1. Excludes dependants. 2. Data are provisional. 3. Entry clearance visas issued and grants of an extension of stay should not be summed. Individuals could be counted in both entry clearance visas issued and grants of an extension of stay if the issue and grant occurs within the same year. 4. In-country extensions include initial and further extensions. 5. PBS = Points Based System Source: Immigration Statistics, April-June 2013, table be_01_q and table ex_01_q | ||
It is not possible to determine how many of these main applicants graduated from UK universities without examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
Information published in the short statistical article “Extensions of stay by previous category” shows that in 2012, there were 2,614 grants of an extension to main applicants in Tier 2 whose previous category was study.
11 Sep 2013 : Column 722W
The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas and extensions of stay are published in the release Immigration Statistics April to June 2013, which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department's website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
A copy of the short statistical article “Extensions of stay by previous category” is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extensions-of-stay-by-previous-category
and will be placed in the Library of the House.
Entry Clearances: Syria
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional resources are being made available to the British Embassy in Lebanon to ensure the swift processing of visas for Syrian nationals wishing to come to the UK on spouse visas. [167966]
Mr Harper [holding answer 6 September 2013]: The extra Syrian spouse applications considered in Beirut as a result of the closure of the Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Damascus are a very small addition to the overall workload of Beirut, and we have not needed to send any additional staff resource to Beirut to deal with them.
The current customer service targets overseas for settlement applications (spouse applications are considered under this service standard) are to process 95% of settlement applications within 12 weeks of the application date and 100% within 24 weeks of the application date. In June 2013, 95% of settlement visa applications made at the VAC in Beirut (Lebanon) were processed within 12 weeks.
Female Genital Mutilation
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding the Government have allocated to tackling the practice of female genital mutilation at home and abroad. [168212]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The Government are absolutely committed to preventing and tackling female genital mutilation (FGM). The Home Office announced on 18 July 2013 that it will provide £15,971 of funding towards a new prevalence study, to be carried out by Equality Now and City University.
Other funding which the Government have allocated to tackling FGM on domestic and international initiatives since 2011 is as follows:
Home Office—£100,000 fund over two years to provide grants of between £2000 and £5000 to frontline organisations supporting work to strengthen the voice of women to speak about FGM and work to abandon the practices; and,
Department for International Development—£35million programme to address FGM, in Africa and beyond. The aim of the programme is to see a reduction in cutting by 30% in at least 10 countries over five years.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in how many cases asylum was granted on the grounds of the risk of female genital mutilation in each year since 2010; [168223]
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(2) in how many cases asylum was applied for on the basis of the risk of female genital mutilation but subsequently rejected since 2010. [168224]
Mr Harper [holding answer 10 September 2013]: The Home Office does not routinely record, on its Case Information Database, information about the grounds on which asylum is claimed. The information requested could be obtained only by a manual search of the files of all asylum claims from women since 2010 and this could be achieved only at a disproportionate cost.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is given to police officers on tackling and prosecuting instances of female genital mutilation. [168231]
Mr Jeremy Browne: Police guidance and training on investigating domestic abuse already includes dealing with cases of female genital mutilation (FGM). Our cross-government action plan, published in March 2013, sets out our clear commitment to work on further guidance and learning programmes for the police on sexual and domestic violence, including FGM, forced marriage, “honour”-based violence (HBV) and stalking.
The Government have also recently reviewed their Multi-Agency Practice Guidelines on FGM, originally published in February 2011, for front-line professionals such as teachers, GPs, nurses and police. The guidelines aim to raise awareness of FGM, highlight the risks that people should be aware of and set out clearly the steps that should be taken to safeguard children and women from this abuse. They are a key development in preventing girls from being harmed by FGM.
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on granting asylum to women and girls at risk of female genital mutilation. [168232]
Mr Harper: An individual who claims that she would, on return to her home country, suffer female genital mutilation may qualify for refugee status if she is able to demonstrate that she has a well-founded fear. This may include evidence that female genital mutilation is knowingly tolerated by the authorities or that the authorities are unable or unwilling to offer effective protection.
Asylum decision-makers examine claims for international protection sensitively and ensure that all evidence relating to an individual's claim is taken into account. Specific guidance and training regarding gender- specific issues, including the risk of female genital mutilation, has been issued to decision-makers.
Immigrants: Detainees
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people held in immigration detention had been held for more than (a) 18 months, (b) 24 months and (c) 36 months on 1 September 2013. [167863]
Mr Harper
[holding answer 9 September 2013]: The requested information is not available. Figures on people held in detention are collated as at the last day of each quarter, on 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December of each year and published in Immigration
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Statistics quarterly releases. The latest figures show that as at 30 June 2013, 27 people were detained for between 18 months and 24 months, 11 for between 24 months and 36 months and one for between 36 months and 48 months.
Data on the length of detention of people in detention are readily available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: April-June 2013, table dt_09_q from the GOV.UK website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release
Figures as at the 30 September 2013 will be published in Immigration Statistics July-September 2013 on 28 November 2013.
Published figures on people held in immigration detention are those detained in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers at short-term holding facilities, pre-departure accommodation and immigration removal centres.
Figures exclude those held in police cells, Prison Service establishments, short-term holding rooms at ports and airports (for less than 24 hours), and those recorded as detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants.
Immigration: Stratford
Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department's recent decision to allocate resources to immigration status checks in Stratford resulted in delay in processing casework in other areas of her Department's work. [168113]
Mr Harper: This operation did not require casework resources. As a result, there was no impact on processing casework in other areas of the Department's work.
Members: Correspondence
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects a reply to be sent to the letter from the hon. Member for Slough of 14 February 2013 on the Employers Checking Service. [166285]
Mr Harper [holding answer 18 July 2013]: I wrote to the hon. Member on 20 August 2013.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration, dated 22 July 2013, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Dr M. Kiche. [167677]
Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 5 September 2013.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her, dated 22 July 2013, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Mr G. A. Rubbani. [167679]
Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 5 September 2013.
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Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to the Minister of State for Immigration, dated 25 June 2013, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Mr M. Ali. [167684]
Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 4 September 2013.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 15 July 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr D O Ogunmulele. [167690]
Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 5 September 2013.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the urgent letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 5 July 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Khwima Msiska. [168087]
Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 4 September 2013.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 25 July 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Simone Small. [168088]
Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 5 September 2013.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a reply will be sent to letters sent by the hon. Member for Harrow West on 13 May and 16 July 2013 to UK Visas and Immigration regarding Mr Khaldoon Atiyah. [168328]
Mr Harper [holding answer 10 September 2013]:UK Visas and Immigration wrote to the hon. Member on 5 September 2013.
Offenders: Deportation
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national offenders have successfully challenged deportation on human rights grounds in the last 10 years; how many of those challenges were under (a) article 3, (b) article 6 and (c) article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights; and how many were on other grounds. [167899]
Mr Harper [holding answer 6 September 2013]: Information on what ECHR article an appeal was successfully challenged on is held at the level of co-ordinated paper case files or within the notes section of the Home Office Case Information Database (CID). Such data are not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean this question could be answered only through a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.
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I can, however, refer you to the answer of my noble Friend Lord Judd on 29 August 2013, Official Report,House of Lords, column WA406, which provides figures for how many occasions in 2012 we were prevented from deporting criminals who were not United Kingdom citizens following the completion of their sentences by rulings of the United Kingdom courts citing article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Passports: Lost Property
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much compensation her Department and its agencies paid as a result of losing (a) passports and (b) other travel documents in each of the last five years for which records are available. [167909]
Mr Harper [holding answer 6 September 2013]: The Home Office does not record payment data in a format which would allow the question to be answered without incurring disproportionate costs.
Police: Pakistan
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) nature and (b) financial value was of counternarcotics assistance given to the Pakistan Government in each of the last six financial years; and what the planned expenditure for each category is in the (i) current and (ii) next financial year. [167191]
Mr Jeremy Browne: The UK provides counternarcotics assistance to a range of international partners, including Pakistan. We do so to tackle the international drugs trade and minimise the threat it poses to the UK. It is important to protect activities which form part of the UK's contribution to the international counter-narcotics effort and to respect the principle that international partners are able to operate in secrecy on matters of national security against organised crime. As such, it is our policy not to disclose details of our counter narcotics work, as to do so risks reducing its effectiveness and damaging international relations.
Rape
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alleged rapes were reported to police forces in England and Wales in each year since 2009; and how many such allegations were subsequently classified as no crimes. [168077]
Mr Jeremy Browne [holding answer 9 September 2013]: Information on the number of alleged incidents is not available centrally. The available information relates to offences initially recorded by the police and subsequently “no crimed” and is given in the table.
| Table: Number of rape offences initially recorded as crimes and subsequently no-crimed, 2009-10 to 2012-13—England and Wales | ||
| Number | ||
| Rape | Offences initially recorded by the police as crimes | Offences deemed to be “no crimes” |
11 Sep 2013 : Column 727W
| Source: Police recorded crime, Home Office | ||
Stop and Search
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were stopped and searched under the Terrorism Act 2000 in each of the last five years. [168296]
Damian Green: The requested data are published each year in Home Office statistical releases. For reference, the table shows the number of stops and searches of persons conducted between (a) 2007-08 and 2011-12 under sections 44 and 47A of the Terrorism Act 2000 by police forces in Great Britain, and (b) 2008-09 and 2011-12 under section 43 of the Terrorism Act 2000 by the Metropolitan Police Service.
Provisional data for 2012-13 are scheduled for publication on 12 September 2013 in the next edition of “Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation: Arrests, outcomes and stops and searches, Great Britain”, available via:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/counter-terrorism-statistics
| Stops and searches of persons1 under sections 44/47a and 43 of the Terrorism Act: 2007-08 to 2011-122 | ||
| Numbers | ||
| Sections 44/47A3,4 | Section 435 | |
| n/a = Data not available. 1 Excludes 'vehicle-only' searches. 2 Data for all years may be revised in future editions of “Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation: Arrests, outcomes and stops and searches”. 3 Includes figures from police forces in England, Wales, Scotland and the British Transport Police. 4 All s44 powers were formally replaced with s47A powers, which have a significantly higher threshold for authorisation than s44 searches, in March 2011. There has, as yet, been no use of stop and search powers under s47A. 5 Searches conducted by the Metropolitan Police Service only. | ||
Travel
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of travel by her was in the 11 months to 1 March 2013. [167496]
James Brokenshire: Details of overseas travel by Ministers are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Cabinet Office website which is available via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-hospitality-gifts-travel-and-meetings-2012-2013
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The costs for Government Car Services are published in Hansard annually as a written ministerial statement and will be available later this year. The latest figures are available via the following link:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm#12122056000216
Records for other travel costs are not held centrally.
The Verne Prison
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the purposes were of the contracts relating to HM Prison The Verne which were awarded by her Department on 7 August 2013 to (a) Aedas, (b) Faithful and Gould and (c) Sweett; and if he will place in the Library a copy of those contracts. [167883]
Mr Harper [holding answer 6 September 2013]: Contracts for services at The Verne were awarded by the Ministry of Justice for assessing the feasibility and delivery of the prison's conversion to an immigration removal centre. The conversion provides an additional 580 detention beds required to aid removal of those not entitled to remain in the UK. The contracts can be found via Contracts Finder at:
https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
by searching Ministry of Justice, HMP Verne.
Work and Pensions
Child Poverty
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of (a) disabled children and (b) children defined as living in poverty living in households whose income is subject to the benefits cap. [168145]
Esther McVey: The information is as follows:
(a) Households who are in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) or personal independence payment (PIP) are exempt from the benefit cap. This includes those that receive this benefit for dependent disabled children. Therefore no dependant disabled children as defined by DLA or PIP rules live in households affected by the benefit cap.
(b) It is not possible to provide this information due to insufficient sample size.
Disability
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of working age adults are currently registered as disabled in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Barnsley, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) England. [168371]
Esther McVey: The Census is the only data source which can provide an estimate of disability prevalence at a local authority level.
From the 2011 Census we can identify respondents whose day to day activities were either limited a lot or limited a little because of a health problem or disability which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months.
The percentage of working age adults who replied in the Census that their activities are limited either a lot or a little by a health condition or disability is:
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| Percentage | |
Information on the Census can be found on the Office for National Statistics website.
Foreign Investment in UK: Japan
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the 100 parliamentary constituencies with the largest amount of Japanese inward investment over the last 30 years. [168245]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated September 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the 100 parliamentary constituencies with the largest amount of Japanese inward investment over the last 30 years. 168245
ONS compiles data on inward investment at UK level only, data for parliamentary constituencies are not available.
Jobcentre Plus
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus officers on allowing claimants to use telephones and computer terminals in Jobcentre Plus premises to access local welfare assistance schemes; and if he will make a statement. [168025]
Mr Hoban: Local welfare assistance schemes and their accessibility are a matter for local authorities to determine. Jobcentre phones or computers can be used by claimants to make claims for local welfare assistance but we expect most people will contact their local authority in person. We encourage claimants to use other means of contact, where possible, so that people wanting to use Jobcentre facilities to search for work can do so.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Scotland
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland are currently waiting for a new jobseeker's allowance claim to be processed; and what the average waiting time is. [168310]
Mr Hoban: In Scotland, 10,629 JSA claims were outstanding at end of July 2013.
During July 2013, the actual average clearance time (AACT) for JSA claims was 10.1 days, which is an improvement of 1.8 days over the AACT for July 2012.
July 2013 data are the most recent information available through the Department's management information system.
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Offshore Industry: Safety
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Health and Safety Executive last conducted a review of the safety reporting procedure in the offshore helicopter sector. [168292]
Mr Simon Burns: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Transport.
The Civil Aviation Authority carried out a detailed review of offshore operations and standard operational procedures in February 2009 following an accident involving a Eurocopter EC 225 helicopter.
The CAA regularly reviews offshore operational practices and standard operational procedures as part of its regulatory oversight and is also currently involved in assisting EASA in formulating the EASA-OPS rule set for offshore operations involved in the exploitation of oil and gas over hostile environments.
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the safety implications for the offshore workforce of the fatal accident in the North Sea on 23 August 2013, involving an AS332 L2 model Super Puma helicopter; and if he will make a statement. [168354]
Mr Hoban: No assessment has been made as this is not the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive. This is a matter for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).
Personal Income
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets his Department has set for reducing income inequality; and what its policy is on the social effect of income inequality. [168309]
Esther McVey: The Government are committed to tackling inequality and ensuring that people can overcome the challenges that mean they are stuck in cycles of poverty. As well as improving education and tackling problem debt, the Government are determined to reform the welfare system to encourage work and help people capitalise on their potential.
The Government are committed to tackling child poverty and to the Child Poverty Act 2010. Relative income poverty, which is a measure of inequality, is one of the targets in the Act. However, while the Government recognise that income is important, income in isolation does not present a full picture of what living in poverty means in the UK. We have consulted on better measures of child poverty that capture its causes. The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty, so that we can ensure we properly tackle the causes. We will publish our response as soon as we can.
The Government are taking action to help the most vulnerable in society, including those in low income. In April 2013, DWP published its report “Social Justice: transforming lives—One year on” which can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203041/CM_8606_Social_Justice_tagged-mw.pdf
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This includes action to help troubled families turn their lives around, make sure that children are properly supported so that they complete their education, and work with the voluntary, public and private sectors to deal more effectively with complex problems.
Satellite Broadcasting
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available. [168655]
Mr Hoban: This information is not centrally collated and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
Cabinet Office
Conditions of Employment
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many people classed as employed (a) only have one hour per week contracts and (b) have worked one hour in the last year in each constituency in the UK; [168026]
(2) how many people resident in Vale of Clwyd constituency are classed as employed but (a) only have one hour per week contracts and (b) have worked one hour in a year. [168029]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated September 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking how many people classed as employed (a) only have one hour per week contracts and (b) have worked one hour in the last year in each constituency in the UK (168026); and how many people resident in Vale of Clwyd Constituency are classed as employed but (a) only have one hour per week contracts and (b) have worked one hour in a year. (168029)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
However, ONS does not produce estimates of contracted hours and are not able to produce estimates of the number of people who have worked one hour in a year in any Parliamentary constituency due to small sample sizes.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and Claimant Count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Government Departments: Temporary Employment
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on the use of the Swedish Derogation in the Agency Workers Directive for staff working in Government Departments; and if he will make a statement. [168134]
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Mr Maude: The circumstances in which Departments choose to engage agency workers, and the agencies used, is a matter for individual Departments to determine.
The Agency Workers Regulations are respected by all Departments. However, where agency workers are permanently employed by an agency, contractual arrangements are a matter between the individual and the agency concerned.
Central Government spending on temporary staff has been reduced by stringent spending controls and has contributed to a saving over £1.6 billion in 2012-13 compared to the level of spending in 2009-10.
New Businesses
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many businesses have opened in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England in the last year. [168372]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated September 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking now many businesses have opened in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England in the last year. (168372)
Data on the number of new businesses started are available in the ONS release on Business Demography at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/business-demography/index.html
The latest data available are for 2011. Data for 2012 will be available in November 2013.
The table below contains the count of new enterprises in the Barnsley Central constituency, South Yorkshire Metropolitan County and England.
| Count of new enterprise “births” in Barnsley Central constituency, South Yorkshire Metropolitan County and England, 2011 | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. The above table has been produced using an extract from the Inter Departmental Business Register. 2. These numbers do not include very small businesses, typically those below the threshold for VAT and PAYE. | |
Social Conditions: Surveys
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent comparative assessment he has made of the UK's position amongst European states in the satisfaction with social life survey; and what steps he is taking to improve the UK's performance in this area. [168027]
Mr Hurd:
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is measuring national well-being. Satisfaction with social life is one of the 40 indicators within the measurement framework. The published well-being statistics are experimental. ONS is planning to make a more detailed assessment of each indicator, particularly how they compare to previous estimates. In the meantime the
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Cabinet Office is working with other Government Departments to make best use of these data in informing policy and recently provided evidence of progress to the Environmental Audit Committee.
Voluntary Work: Young People
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that young people from strong faith and cultural backgrounds have access to the National Citizen Service; [167413]
(2) what assessment he has made of the work of the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade as part of the National Citizen Service in Bury South constituency. [167414]
Mr Hurd: The Cabinet Office is committed to ensuring that all 16 and 17-year-olds can participate in the National Citizen Service (NCS). Mixing NCS participants from different backgrounds remains one of the fundamental principles of the programme. To this end, the Cabinet Office and NCS providers have put in measures to facilitate access for young people from strong faith and cultural backgrounds. These include:
Running single gender programmes;
Delivering programmes that do not take place over weekends so as not to coincide with Jewish or Christian Sabbath;
Catering for different dietary requirements and providing prayer facilities; and
Adapting programmes which take place during Ramadan.
In summer 2012 the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade delivered an NCS pilot in the London borough of Redbridge. The Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade is not currently delivering NCS programmes as a local delivery partner in the area of Bury South. However, all 16 and 17-year-old members of the Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade have the opportunity to take part in NCS programmes in this area, including the autumn programme.