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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 13 September 2013
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) businesses and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises have benefited from the Apprenticeship Grants for Employers of 16 to 24- year-olds scheme to date. [169132]
Matthew Hancock: The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16-24) provides payments of £1,500 to employers, with up to 1,000 employees, taking on new apprentices aged 16-24.
A breakdown of payments made to employers by business size is not available.
Provisional data show that between 1 February 2012 and 30 April 2013, 30,300 employer workplaces received payment to take on an apprentice through AGE 16-24. A further 4,000 workplaces have taken on an apprentice through AGE 16-24 but the apprentice has not yet been in post for 13 weeks for the employer to have been paid the £1,500 grant.
The number of apprenticeship starts through the AGE 16 to 24 scheme are published in a supplementary table to the SFR:
http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4A13E864-E4EB-444F-A80B-C223686AE061/0/June2013_ ApprenticeshipGrantforEmployersScheme_August Update.xls
Arms Trade: Trade Fairs
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment of the compliance of the items being promoted at the Defence Security Equipment International (DSEI) arms fair by (a) Magforce International and (b) MyWay International Trading Co. with the UK's Export Control Order 2008; if he will make it his policy to withdraw his Department's support for the DSEI arms fair; and if he will make a statement. [169108]
Michael Fallon: Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) is a commercial event organised by the company Clarion Events. The Export Control Organisation within BIS has set in place a memorandum of understanding with Clarion which sets out its role and responsibilities, and those of the exhibitor companies, in respect of export control legislation. BIS officials, alongside counterparts from other Government Departments, are working very closely with Clarion to ensure that the exhibitors comply as necessary with export control legislation.
On 11 September Clarion found literature in alleged breach of UK export controls on the exhibition stands of Tianjin Myway International Trading Co. and Magforce
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International. Clarion took swift action to eject these companies from DSEI. The literature in question has been confiscated and passed to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
There are no plans to withdraw Government support for this exhibition which is provided by UKTI Defence and Security Organisation in its role of working with UK industry to support legitimate defence and security exports by UK companies.
Buildings
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost. [168797]
Jo Swinson: The Department spent £7,569,355 (inclusive of VAT) on refurbishment to its buildings in the last 24 months. The cost is for the refurbishment of office floor space including toilets, partitioning works, redecoration, and also includes the fit-out of buildings to enable the space to be reoccupied by other Government Departments.
Business: Government Assistance
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the £250 million GrowthAccelerator fund has been spent so far. [168428]
Michael Fallon: The GrowthAccelerator scheme has a total value of £200 million. At the end of June 2013, the Department had spent £51.5 million on the scheme.
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many individual firms have received support from the GrowthAccelerator fund in each month since its inception. [168429]
Michael Fallon: The GrowthAccelerator scheme provides intensive, expert business coaching and advice to help small businesses that have the potential for rapid growth. To date, 8,348 firms have received support from the scheme. A monthly breakdown is as follows:
| Number | |
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Cycling
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what input his Department provided to the Department for Transport's response to the all-party parliamentary group on cycling report, Get Britain Cycling. [168383]
Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a member of the Department for Transport's cross-Whitehall officials cycling group, the outputs of which informed the response to the all-party parliamentary group on cycling report.
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department provides for cycling infrastructure development. [168388]
Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not provide any funding for cycling infrastructure development.
Employment Agencies
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff in his Department work on enforcement of regulations that apply to employment agencies and employment businesses. [168973]
Jo Swinson: The Employment Agencies Standards (EAS) inspectorate currently has 11 staff responsible for enforcing the regulations that apply to employment agencies and employment businesses.
The Government consulted on this legislation earlier this year, and published our response on 12 July 2013. In that response, the Government indicated that they will be changing the enforcement strategy by moving to a more focused and targeted regime. In the future, the Government will focus resources on helping the most vulnerable workers who need protection, particularly those on national minimum wage (NMW), by moving resources from EAS to HM Revenue and Custom's NMW team. The Government's response can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-reforming-the-regulatory-framework-for-employment-agencies-and-employment-businesses
Equal Pay
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many companies participating in the Think, Act, Report initiative are publicly reporting under its transparency framework on pay measures they are taking to close the gender pay gap; [168511]
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(2) how many female employees of those companies publicly reporting on pay measures to close the gender pay gap under the Think, Act, Report initiative potentially benefit from such measures; [168512]
(3) how many women are employed in those firms which are publicly reporting under the Think, Act, Report initiative; and how many such women are benefiting from measures introduced under that initiative. [168513]
Jo Swinson: Think, Act, Report is designed to drive greater transparency around the role of women in the workplace. Well over a hundred companies are participating in the initiative, collectively employing around 1.85 million people in the UK.
Virtually all of the companies publicly report the measures they are taking to promote gender equality in their work forces.
Figures on exactly how many women are benefitting through the initiative, from which measures, and at which companies, could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Foreign Investment in UK
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much inward foreign direct investment UK Trade and Investment has secured in the year to date. [168344]
Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment publishes results by financial year (April to March) in June of each year. It does not report results on a year-to-date basis.
The latest results, published in June 2013, reveal 1,559 FDI projects landed in the UK in 2012/13, an increase of nearly 11% on 2011/12.
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the return on investment to the public purse from the London UK Trade and Investment office through inward investment and exports. [168358]
Michael Fallon: UKTI calculates the return on investment of its trade and investment related activity on a yearly basis using a range of measures including jobs created and safeguarded, and additional sales and profit generated by export services. However, breakdowns of the data at either regional or service level are not available.
The latest annual report and accounts shows that UKTI spent a total of £316.8 million in 2012-13 (of which £235.6 million were spent in trade support and £81.2 million on inward investment). On the trade side, UKTI supported 29,230 companies in the 12 months to September 2012, with reported additional sales of £49.6 billion, creating or safeguarding over 120,000 additional jobs. For inward investment, UKTI played an active role in attracting 1,322 projects in the UK in 2012-13 creating or safeguarding almost 100,000 jobs.
For further detail on UKTI's measurement systems please see UKTI Trade and Investment Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13:
http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/534440.html
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The latest inward investment results were published in the Inward Investment Report 2012-13:
http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/item/553980.html
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the return on investment from the public purse from UK Trade and Investment's private sector partners through the inward investment they attract into London. [168359]
Michael Fallon: UKTI calculates the return on investment of its trade & investment related activity on a yearly basis using a range of measures, including jobs created and safeguarded. The contribution of private sector partners is subsumed within this activity, and the breakdown of the data by contribution of private sectors partners is not available.
The latest Annual Report and Accounts shows that UKTI spent a total of £316.8 million in 2012-13 (of which £235.6 million were spent in trade support and £81.2 million on inward investment). For inward investment, UKTI, including its private sector partners, played an active role in attracting 1,322 projects in the UK in 2012-13 creating or safeguarding almost 100,000 jobs.
For further detail on UKTI's measurement systems please see UKTI Trade & Investment Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13
http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/item/534440.html
The latest inward investment results were published in the Inward Investment Report 2012-13:
http://www.ukti.gov.uk/uktihome/aboutukti/item/553980.html
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much inward foreign direct investment UK Trade and Investment and its private sector partners attracted into London during the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years. [168360]
Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and its private sector partners attracted:
(A) 540 projects landing in London in financial year 2012/13.
(B) 512 projects landing in London in financial year 2011/12.
Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprise exporters in London contributed to the trade growth value metric by reporting receipt of significant assistance from UK Trade and Investment during the last (a) 12 months and (b) two years. [168361]
Michael Fallon: The trade growth value metric is relatively new and still being embedded. It was designed to record cases where an enterprise has progressed in its pursuit of overseas business opportunities to the point of successfully winning contracts, whereas much of the assistance provided to exporters by UKTI team in London and in the English regions involves help at earlier stages in this export development process. As it often takes a considerable time before contracts are won, the number of enterprises reporting significant assistance and benefit from this support is measured through UKTI's independently administered performance and impact monitoring survey.
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The latest PIMS figures (published in June 2013) show that in the previous four quarters 166 enterprises were supported through Passport, 148 through Gateway to Global Growth and 639 through other significant one-to-one assistance by the London International Trade Advisers. PIMS results published in June 2013 show that 85% of clients reported significant business benefit through the Passport to Export programme, 75% through the Gateway to Global Growth programme; and 44% through other significant assists. In addition, during FY2012/13 six London SMEs completed trade growth value (TGV) forms totalling £14.3 million. Between 1 April 2013 and 31 August 2013, 13 TGV forms have been received with a value of £75.2 million.
Holidays: Prices
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to prevent travel companies significantly raising prices during school holidays. [168997]
Jo Swinson: This Department is taking no steps to influence the price at which businesses choose to offer their services; that is a commercial matter for each business. Pricing in the leisure travel market reflects the peaks and troughs in demand it experiences over the course of a year, and the need to attract consumers in a very competitive market.
Industry
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 517W, on industry, for which sectors he intends to publish (a) strategy documents and (b) strategy documents for an industry-led strategy. [168378]
Michael Fallon: This year Government and business as part of the industrial strategy have jointly developed and published sector strategies for aerospace, automotive, agritech, information economy, professional and business services, education, construction, offshore wind, civil nuclear, and oil and gas. In December 2012 a one-year- on update to the life sciences strategy was published.
In June 2013 an industry-led sector strategy for electronics was published, and a new strategy from the defence growth partnership was launched on 9 September. A chemicals strategy will be published this autumn.
Beyond this, the Government provide a spectrum of support for all sectors of the economy ranging from light-touch engagement, to fully coordinated sector partnerships.
Land Registry
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to launch a public consultation on the future status of the Land Registry. [168982]
Michael Fallon: No decision has been made yet on the future status of Land Registry. If there were to be any proposal for a change in the status of Land Registry, we would embark on a full and careful consultation.
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Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what negotiations are planned to take place between Land Registry employee representatives and the shareholder executive on the outline business case for proposed change of status. [168983]
Michael Fallon: The Government will consult with all stakeholders as part of their decision-making process.
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the timetable for the change of status of the Land Registry before a public consultation on that matter takes place; and if he will make a statement. [168996]
Michael Fallon: No decision has been made yet on the future status of Land Registry. Once a decision has been made, the Government will consult with all stakeholders on timing.
Local Enterprise Partnerships: Rural Areas
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the performance of local enterprise partnerships in rural areas. [169035]
Michael Fallon: The Government do not carry out assessments of performance of local enterprise partnerships. As partnerships of business and civic leaders, local enterprise partnerships are first and foremost accountable to their local community and local businesses.
Minimum Wage
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2013, Official Report, column 551W, on the minimum wage, what the outcome was of the meeting between him, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, and officials from HM Revenue and Customs on enforcement of the national minimum wage; and what further steps will be taken against national minimum wage non-compliance as a result. [169168]
Jo Swinson: Attendees at this meeting confirmed the Government's commitment to increasing compliance with minimum wage legislation through effective enforcement and support for the principle that everyone who is entitled to the minimum wage should receive it.
It was noted in the meeting that the work HMRC does on NMW enforcement is having positive results. In 2012/13 HMRC identified £3.9 million of wages in arrears for 26,519 workers—this represents a 33% increase in the number of workers that HMRC was able to help and a 26% increase in arrears identified compared to 2009/10. HMRC will continue to follow up every complaint referred to it from the Pay and Work Rights helpline (0800 917 2368).
In terms of future steps, the Government are taking action to reduce non-compliance across the board. We are stepping up our communications activity to increase awareness of the minimum wage rules for all employers and workers. We want to help employers avoid falling foul of minimum wage rules unwittingly, and to ensure
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that individuals are well-informed about their minimum wage eligibility. We have already issued NMW posters to our stakeholders asking them to display them where employers and workers will see them.
We have also announced that we will be simplifying the BIS NMW naming scheme to make it easier to name and shame more employers that break NMW law. Bad publicity is an additional deterrent to employers considering paying below the NMW. This is on top of financial penalties which employers already face if they fail to pay NMW. The revised naming scheme will come into effect from 1 October 2013.
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills will continue to work closely with HMRC to ensure that workers receive what they are legally entitled to.
Post Offices
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Royal Mail post offices there were in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years. [168998]
Jo Swinson: Post Office Ltd is responsible for operational matters concerning the Post Office network, which includes the information requested. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Press: Subscriptions
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis. [168692]
Jo Swinson: Subscriptions for the following newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications are arranged for the Department's Ministers:
Daily Mail—Daily
Daily Telegraph—Daily
New Scientist—Weekly
Private Eye—Fortnightly
The Economist—Weekly
The Financial Times—Daily
The Guardian—Daily
The Independent—Daily
The Times—Daily
Times Higher Education—Weekly
Spectator—Weekly.
Summertime
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on retaining British Summer Time throughout the year. [168994]
Jo Swinson: The Government have no plans to change the current arrangement and retain British Summer Time throughout the year.
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Currently, the UK is on Greenwich mean time in the winter and is one hour ahead of Greenwich mean time in the summer (British summer time).
Cabinet Office
Cybercrime
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 768W, on cybercrime, what requests the Government made to (a) Google, (b) Facebook and (c) Microsoft for data in 2012-13 to inform those research studies. [167703]
Miss Chloe Smith: I have no addition to make to my answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 768W.
Death: Weather
Mr McKenzie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many pensioners in Scotland who died in 2012-13 were classified as excess winter deaths; [169113]
(2) how many excess winter deaths there were in Scotland in winter 2012-13. [169114]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions.
Excess winter deaths for Scotland are published annually by the National Records of Scotland as part of the annual 'Winter Mortality' publication which is available to download from the General Register Office for Scotland's website:
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www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/deaths/winter-mortality/index.html
The latest available figures are for winter 2011-12. An estimate of excess winter mortality for pensioners is not available; however there were an estimated 1,190 excess winter deaths among people aged 65 an over in Scotland in 2011-12. There were an estimated 1,420 excess winter deaths among people of all ages in Scotland in 2011-12.
Information about winter mortality in Scotland for 2012-13 will be published at the end of October.
Figures for excess winter mortality in England and Wales are published annually on the ONS website. The latest statistical bulletin includes figures for winter 2011-12:
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health2/excess-winter-mortality-in-england-and-wales/2011-12--provisional--and-2010-11--final-/index.html
Employment: Scotland
Mr McKenzie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many jobs created in Scotland since 2010 are part-time; and if he will make a statement; [169110]
(2) how many jobs created in Scotland since 2010 are in the manufacturing sector. [169112]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013:
In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking, how many jobs created in Scotland since 2010 are part-time (169110) and how many jobs created in Scotland since 2010 are in the manufacturing sector (169112).
Information regarding the number of jobs created is not available. However, the ONS' Workforce Jobs statistics provides estimates on the number of jobs in Scotland, that are part-time and in the manufacturing sector. Net change in jobs between June 2010 and June 2013 has been provided.
| Change in workforce jobs in Scotland since 2010 | ||
| Headcount | ||
| Part-time jobs—not seasonally adjusted | Manufacturing—seasonally adjusted | |
| Note: Estimates of jobs by industry sector are adjusted for seasonal factors. Estimates of jobs by full-time/part-time status are only available without adjustment for seasonal factors. Source: Workforce Jobs, ONS | ||
Low Pay
Jessica Morden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2013, Official Report, column 379W, on low pay, what estimate he has made of the number of people in work who earn below £7.45 per hour in (a) the East Midlands, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber, (c) the West Midlands, (d) the North East, (e) the North West, (f) the South West, (g) the East of England, (h) Scotland, (i) the South East and (j) London; and how many such people are (i) women and (ii) men. [168990]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013:
In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2013, Official Report, column 379W, on low pay, what estimate he has made of the number of people in work who earn below £7.45 per hour in (a) the East Midlands, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber, (c) the West Midlands, (d) the North East, (e) the North West, (f) the South West, (g) the East of England, (h) Scotland, (i) the South East and (j) London; and how many such people are (i) women and (ii) men. (168990)
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The following tables show the proportion of employee jobs with hourly earnings below £7.45 in the regions requested, as at April 2012, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided for male employees, female employees and all employees.
I note that £7.45 is the current rate suggested by the Living Wage Foundation for a UK living wage. The latest ASHE data are for April 2012, at which time the corresponding rate was £7.20. I have therefore also provided an answer which shows the proportions of employee jobs with earnings below £7.20 in April 2012 for the regions specified. In addition, since the Living Wage Foundation suggests a different rate for employees in London, I have also provided estimates of the proportion of employees in London with hourly earnings below £8.30, the living wage rate in April 2012, and £8.55, the current living wage rate.
These estimates are from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is not possible to estimate the number of jobs with hourly pay between specified thresholds using ASHE data, though it is possible to estimate the corresponding proportions of jobs.
| Proportion of employee jobs1 paid less than (a) £7.45 and (b) £7.20 in April 2012 for specified UK regions | |||
| Proportion of employee jobs (per cent) | |||
| Hourly fate <£7.45 | Hourly rate <£7.20 | ||
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| 1 Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay period was not affected by absence. Source: Annual Surveyor Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics. | |||
| Proportion of employee jobs1 paid less than (a) £8.55 and (b) £8.30 in April 2012 in London | |||
| Proportion of employee jobs (percentage) | |||
| Hourly rate <£8.55 | Hourly rate <£8.30 | ||
| 1 Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay period was not affected by absence. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics. | |||
Minimum Wage
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England were paid the minimum wage in each of the last five years. [169002]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013:
In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking, how many people in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England were paid the minimum wage in each of the last five years. (169002)
The Office for National Statistics does not produce estimates for the number of people paid at the national minimum wage. However, you may be interested in the 2013 Low Pay Commission Report, which includes an estimate for the proportion of UK jobs
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that may be considered 'national minimum wage jobs', meaning that they are either below, at, or up to 5 pence above the national minimum wage.
http://www.lowpay.gov.uk/lowpay/report/pdf/9305-BIS-Low_Pay-Accessible6.pdf
(see paragraph 2.5 on page 20)
Communities and Local Government
Council Tax Reduction Schemes
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what proportion of single parents with dependent children are claiming council tax support in each (a) lower tier and (b) unitary local authority in England, as a proportion of all council tax support claimants under the age of 65 in each such area; [168945]
(2) how many lone parents in each local authority area in England are in receipt of council tax support. [168948]
Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities in England take child maintenance into account as income in their council tax support schemes; and in what manner this is being done in each such authority. [168946]
Brandon Lewis: Local councils have a duty to publish their council tax support schemes, and information regarding the treatment of child maintenance will be available on each local authority's website. A comprehensive list is not centrally held.
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been issued by his Department to local authorities regarding the treatment of child maintenance income for council tax support purposes. [168947]
Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government published guidance in May 2012 to help local authorities take account of their responsibilities in relation to vulnerable people including children when designing their local schemes. This guidance is available on the Department's website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/localising-support-for-council-tax-local-council-guidance
Council Tax: Arrears
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool, (c) Merseyside and (d) England are in council tax arrears. [168944]
Brandon Lewis: This information is not held centrally.
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Trade Unions: Conferences
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what estimate his Department has made of the aggregate cost over the last five years of (a) facility time staffing, (b) travel and hotel expenses of facility time users, (c) hospitality by facility time users and (d) paid time off for facility time users to go to trade union conferences; and whether he has taken steps to reduce such expenditure; [167446]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the aggregate cost for its arm's length bodies over the last five years of (a) facility time staffing, (b) travel and hotel expenses of facility time users, (c) hospitality by facility time users and (d) paid time off for facility time users to go to trade union conferences; and whether he has taken steps to reduce such expenditure; [167447]
Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to his Department of trade union subscription check-off arrangements was in the last 12 months; [167822]
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons he took the decision to end the check-off system of payment of union subscriptions direct from wages. [168977]
Brandon Lewis: Ministers in this Department believe that the current subsidies and support given to the trade unions by the public sector are poor value for money and represent an unhealthy relationship between the state and voluntary sector.
Trade union activities and campaigning in local government, and indeed our Department, should be funded by members' subscriptions, not bankrolled by the taxpayer. Greater freedom from state dependency will help ensure that trade union bosses better reflect and respond to the wishes and views of the grassroots members who pay the bill.
The following tables give a breakdown of the assorted costs to taxpayers.
| Facility time staffing costs | |||||
| £ | |||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
| 1 The increase in 2012-13 was not due to an increase in the number of trade union representatives, but rather a combination of higher staff salaries, following the annual pay changes and since trade union representatives in higher grades used more facility time than in the previous years. 2 The costs are based on average salaries across grades. The increase in 2012-13 was due to trade union representatives in higher grades using more facility time than in the previous year. 3 These costs are based on calendar years—i.e. 2008 through to 2012. | |||||
For the five years requested, the estimated spend on facility time in the Audit Commission is £116,984 per year. However, the majority of facility time staff users
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have now left the organisation and the residual body no longer has the time sheet records to allow a more detailed analysis.
The Local Government Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman do not collect comparative facility time or cost information on their trade union representatives.
The following arms-length bodies do not have any trade union representatives: Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Leasehold Advisory Service, the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation, Building Regulations Advisory Committee and the Architects Registration Board.
Figures are not held for the quangos which we have abolished, such as the Government Offices for the Regions, Tenant Services Authority and Standards Board. However, taxpayer savings will have been made as a consequence of their abolition.
| Travel and hotel expenses of facility time users | |||||
| £ | |||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
| 1 Owing to the change over to a new finance system, the Planning Inspectorate do not hold the information concerning travel and hotel costs relating to facility time for 2011-12 and 2012-13. 2 Spending not available. | |||||
Hospitality by facility time users
This is a nil return, based on information centrally held.
| Paid time off for facility time users to 20 to trade union conferences | |
| £ | |
| 1 Prior to April 2013, the Department allowed trade union representatives to attend their conferences from within their facility time allocation, and. we did not collect separate information for this. No paid facility time has since been given to attend the 2013 conferences. 2 Prior to April 2013. the Planning Inspectorate allowed trade union representatives to attend their conferences and it was recorded through their HR systems. In total 46 days were recorded costing £8,007 (salary). | |
Following the Cabinet Office review of the use of facility time and facilities in the civil service, the Department for Communities and Local Government has made further changes to its facility time arrangements. With effect from 1 April 2013, the overall facility allocation has been reduced to 0.04% of the pay bill and all trade union representatives will spend the majority of their time in civil service roles.
The number of full-time trade union representatives has reduced to zero. We have also taken broader steps to prevent what Ministers in this Department consider to be inappropriate use of departmental facilities for campaigning purposes.
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The Department has also strongly encouraged its arms-length bodies to make changes to their facility time arrangements, and has started to collect facility time cost information from the 1 April 2013. The following table shows the estimated costs for 2013-14.
The cost to the core Department of administering the debits from payroll for check-off are currently included in the total overall cost of the managed payroll service we receive from Logica and are not billed as a separate cost. The additional cost of transferring credits to the three recognised unions currently amounts to £329 per annum. In this context, given the total cost will be higher and bundled within the managed payroll service, there is a hidden subsidy to the unions. These figures do not include our arms-length bodies.
As indicated above, this is not an issue of money, but also of the broader principle of taxpayer-funding of trade unions. Ministers in this Department do not believe it is appropriate for public resources to be used to support the collection and administration of membership subscriptions and believe is an outdated and unnecessary 20th-century practice. It is also unsatisfactory that trade unions like PCS collect the political levy via check-off, but make no attempt to inform would-be members that the political levy is optional, or even mention the right to opt out of their membership forms. It is the view of Ministers in this Department that this is a misleading and dubious marketing practice through omission.
Despite a legal challenge by PCS, based on a technical point of law stemming from the wording of the staff handbook introduced during the last Labour Government, it remains Ministers' intention to take the necessary steps to end the check-off arrangements.
In relation to the costs from that legal case, I would also observe that PCS has a larger unpaid bill from two years ago for costs awarded to the Government after PCS's failed judicial review of the civil service compensation scheme reforms.
In total, we estimate that the ongoing savings to facility time may in due course represent up to £400,000 a year of taxpayers' money, as well as delivering a clearer and healthier separation between trade unions and the state.
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Culture, Media and Sport
Boxing
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department issues guidance on the (a) benefits and (b) risks of boxing. [169161]
Hugh Robertson: The Amateur Boxing Association of England is the body which issues guidance on the benefits and risks of boxing. DCMS does not issue such guidance. The Sport England NGB whole sport plan standard terms and conditions in respect of statutory compliance include all relevant health and safety laws, though there is no specific health and safety guidance.
Buildings
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) her Department and (b) her Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11. [169444]
Hugh Robertson: The Department has not carried out any office refurbishments in each year since 2010-11. The Department does not hold information for non-departmental public bodies.
Lotteries
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information her Department holds on the good causes which receive funding from society lotteries. [168419]
Hugh Robertson: DCMS is aware of the wide range of good causes, which receive funding from society lotteries. The Gambling Commission licences society lotteries, on the proviso that these are promoted for the benefit of a non-commercial society; for example for charitable purposes or for the purpose of enabling participation in or supporting sporting or cultural activities. Details about licensed society lotteries can be found on the commission's website:
www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk
Public Libraries: Children
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of children in schools in England who are outside the pilots of automatic library membership, have library cards. [169069]
Mr Vaizey: The specific information requested is not held centrally, however the annual statistics published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy provides detail on the proportion of the local authority population aged 0-12 who are local authority library members. Copies of CIPFA statistics are available in the House Library.
Public Relations
Michael Dugher:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external
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public relations consultants and
(b)
public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged. [168659]
Hugh Robertson: The Department spent no money on public relations and public affairs consultants in financial years 2010-11 to 2012-13. This financial year the Department has spent £5,000 on the development of a strategic communications framework and report for the £1 billion broadband programme that the Department is tasked with delivering.
In respect of the Department's associated public bodies we do not hold this information centrally.
Telecommunications: Direct Selling
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with telecommunications companies on their telephone sales policies. [167592]
Mr Vaizey: No recent discussions of this nature have been held, although in the past year I have held two roundtable meetings with representatives of tele- communications companies, consumer groups and MPs to consider possible measures to tackle the issue of unsolicited sales calls. All companies, irrespective of sector, are required to comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003. These regulations forbid them from making an unsolicited telephone sales call to a consumer whose number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), or if they have previously advised the caller not to make further calls to them. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) enforces the PECR and can issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000 for a breach of the regulations.
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the practice of telephone selling by telecommunications companies. [167593]
Mr Vaizey: While no such assessment has been made, all companies making sales calls must comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003. The PECR does not allow telephone sales calls to a consumer, whose number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), or if they have previously advised the caller not to make further calls. Companies using predictive diallers to generate calls are also required to comply with Ofcom regulations regarding silent and abandoned calls. Companies found in breach of such regulations can face penalties of up to £2 million.
As noted in our recently published strategy paper 'Connectivity, Content and Consumers: Britain's digital platform for growth', we are exploring further options to tackle nuisance calls including telephone sales calls. Further details about our proposals are at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/connectivity-content-and-consumers-britains-digital-platform-for-growth
Trillium
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008. [169251]
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Hugh Robertson: DCMS has incurred no expenditure on contracts with Trillium Group in any year since 2008.
Defence
Cybercrime
Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to prevent internet hackers from accessing sensitive information held by his Department. [169183]
Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence reviews the cyber threats to sensitive information held by the Department regularly. We ensure that such threats are considered fully in the design and use of information systems. Information on the steps we take to secure our systems and to prevent access by unauthorised users is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.
Defence: Procurement
Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent with each company that has indicated an interest in the Government-owned, contractor-operated entity, in each year since 2008. [168066]
Mr Dunne [holding answer 9 September 2013]:Two consortia are competing to run a potential Government- owned, contractor-operated entity for the future management and operation of Defence Equipment and Support. The companies comprising each consortium are:
CH2M Hill, Atkins and Serco; and
Bechtel with PwC and PA Consulting.
Since January 2011, as part of this Government's commitment to increase transparency, central Government Departments have been required to publish information on the contracts they award on the contracts finder. This information is available online at
www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
Expenditure on Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts with these companies in each financial year between 2008-09 and 2010-11 is shown in the following table:
| Expenditure (£ million) | ||||||
| Financial year | CH2M Hill | Atkins | Serco | Bechtel | PwC | PA Consulting |
These figures include expenditure by MOD trading funds, but do not include payments which may have been made on behalf of other Government Departments, by the MOD's executive non-departmental public bodies that lie outside the MOD's accounting boundary, locally by the Department through third parties such as prime contractors or other Government Departments, and in relation to collaborative projects where the payments are made through international procurement agencies or overseas Governments. Payments made by Government procurement card are also not included.
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The invitation to negotiate contains clear statements to bidders of the divestments required to avoid conflicts of interest.
Defence: Research
Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what restrictions he has put in place to limit the transfer of UK military research and development to other countries. [169179]
Mr Philip Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff), on 23 June 2011, Official Report, column 382W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Windsor (Adam Afriyie).
Defence: USA
Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to improve defence technology co-operation between the UK and US. [169180]
Mr Dunne: The strategic defence and security review published on 19 October 2010 emphasised that the US remains the UK's primary strategic collaborator. We are currently strengthening our collaborative engagement with the US by increasing the proportion of our research programme undertaken on a collaborative basis in a number of key areas.
The UK/US Defence Trade Cooperation Treaty was brought into force in 2012 to facilitate closer UK/US cooperation, including between our industries. The treaty simplifies transfer arrangements between the US and UK for certain categories of technology, when destined for UK and US Government end-use, and seeks to improve interoperability and the delivery of capability to our armed forces.
US-UK cooperation on nuclear technology continues to be enhanced through the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement.
Reserve Forces: West Sussex
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reserve force facilities there are for each service in West Sussex; how many reservists attend each such base regularly; and if he will make a statement. [168260][Official Report, 21 October 2013, Vol. 569, c. 1-2MC.]
Dr Murrison [holding answer 10 September 2013]:Detailed in the following table are the names of each reserve force base in West Sussex, the total number of reservists recorded against this group of bases, and the number which attend regularly. Regular attendance figures have been determined by the number of reserve personnel who were eligible to receive their bounty within the 12 months previous to 1 July 2013.
| Army Volunteer Reserve | |||
| Base | Location | Total at base | In regular attendance |
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The figures in the above table have been rounded to the nearest 10 and should be considered estimates.
Army volunteer reserve figures are for trained and untrained Army reserve including groups A, B, C and therefore include mobilised army reserve, officer training corps and non-regular permanent staff. They exclude full-time reserve service, regulars and Gurkhas.
The number of Army volunteer reserves shown includes reserves who may attend bases located throughout the UK, but are recorded against bases in West Sussex because that is where the Unit Headquarters is based.
Scotland
Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether his Department has reviewed its contracts currently held with companies based in Scotland that could, in the event of Scottish independence, be transferred to other parts of the UK; [169181]
(2) if he will estimate the total budget within which his Department would operate in the event of Scotland becoming independent. [169182]
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.
Education
Children: Day Care
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) when each Minister of his Department last visited a child care setting; [169153]
(2) what child care settings he has visited since May 2010. [169154]
Elizabeth Truss: The most recent official visits to child care settings made by Ministers at the Department for Education are as follows:
I visited Chiltern College day nursery, Reading on 12 September 2013;
the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mr Timpson), visited Stone Grove Children's Centre, Edgware on 27 November 2012;
the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), visited Churchill Gardens Children's Centre, London on 27 August 2013.
It is not possible to provide a full list since 2010 as this would fall under disproportionate cost.
These visits do not include political or constituency visits.
Cycling
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what input his Department provided to the Department for Transport's response to the all-party parliamentary group on cycling report, Get Britain Cycling. [168385]
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Mr Laws: The Department for Education did not provide any formal input into the Department for Transport's response to the all-party parliamentary group on cycling report, Get Britain Cycling.
Education: Finance
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his estimate is of the real terms changes (a) in total and (b) per pupil in his Department's budgets for (i) all spending, (ii) spending on schools and (iii) spending on schools capital projects in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement. [166983]
Mr Laws: The Department's gross budgets and schools budgets since 2010-11 in real terms are shown in table 1 as follows. Over the period schools funding has risen in real terms by around 3%, and per pupil funding has been maintained in cash terms.
| Table 1: Department's budget and schools budget (real terms in 2013-14 prices based on March 2013 estimates of GDP deflators) | ||||
| 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | |
| 1 All figures represent budgets and include depreciation. The figures do not represent actual outturn. 2 Figures are calculated using actual numbers of 3-19 year olds in maintained schools and Academies. | ||||
Budgets for schools capital projects since 2009-10 are shown in Table 2 as follows.
| Table 2: Budget for schools capital projects (real terms based on March 2013 estimates of GDP deflators) | |
| Financial year | Total capital allocations1(£ million) |
| 1 Figures exclude PFI credit allocations. 2 Provisional. | |
The Government are spending more in real terms on schools capital in this parliament than the previous Administration did in their first two terms combined.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions he copied emails from his private e-mail account to his departmental e-mail account where information was generated in the course of conducting Government business in the last three months; and if he will make a statement. [169115]
Elizabeth Truss:
The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), ensures that e-mails generated in the
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course of conducting Government business are copied to Government secure intranet accounts. They could be sent to a number of relevant departmental accounts rather than his own.
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to educate girls on foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. [169067]
Elizabeth Truss: Education plays an important role in helping to ensure that young people are equipped with the information they need to make informed, healthy decisions and to keep themselves safe.
Schools are required to teach drug education as part of the national curriculum science key stage 2 and key stage 3. It is a matter for schools to decide whether they want to build on this provision through Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education.
The National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome UK (NOFAS-UK) is dedicated to supporting people affected by foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), and their families and communities. They have developed a range of materials available on their website specifically for teachers.
Pre-school Education
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many nurseries he estimates will open in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015. [169068]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department has not made an estimate of the number of nurseries that will open.
The Government is, however, taking steps to remove the barriers to new providers entering the early education and child care market, and to existing nurseries expanding. We are consulting on removing planning barriers to converting buildings into nurseries, we are making it automatic for good nurseries to offer Government-funded early education places, and we are making it easier for schools to open nurseries.
We also want to see a growth in the number of child minders, which is why we are legislating to enable the creation of child minder agencies which will reduce their paperwork and free them to care for children.
Public Appointments
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the non-executive board members of his Department, the dates on which they were appointed, and the dates on which their terms of office will expire. [167878]
Elizabeth Truss [holding answer 6 September 2013]: The following list details the Department for Education's non-executive board members, the dates of their appointments and the dates their terms of office will expire.
1. Paul Marshall, Lead Non-Executive Board Member— 4 March 2013 to 4 March 2016.
2. Theodore Agnew, Non-Executive Board Member—16 December 2010 to 12 December 2013.
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3. Dame Sue John, Non-Executive Board Member—16 December 2010 to 12 December 2013.
4. David Meller, Non-Executive Board Member—20 June 2013 to 20 June 2016.
5. Jim O'Neill, Non-Executive Board Member—2 September 2013 to 2 September 2016.
Pupils: Housing
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the effect of children having a spare room in which to study on educational attainment. [169157]
Mr Laws: The Department has not made a specific assessment of the effect on children's attainment of having access to a spare room.
Schools: Boxing
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what advice his Department issues on the provision of boxing in schools. [169158]
Mr Timpson: Boxing is not compulsory in the national curriculum. It is for individual schools to decide what sports to offer, based on their assessment of the needs of their pupils.
If a school decides to offer boxing, it should do so in compliance with health and safety law, which would include conducting appropriate risk assessments, ensuring that proper protective equipment is used, and providing close supervision of all bouts.
Written Questions
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his involvement is in authorising releases of responses to written parliamentary questions that have been submitted by the hon. Member for West Bromwich East in which information has been requested in relation to his responsibilities or the functioning of his private ministerial office. [169141]
Elizabeth Truss: Ministers respond to the parliamentary questions relevant to their departmental policy portfolios. By convention, the Secretary of State for Education does not respond to parliamentary questions and has no involvement in authorising his Ministers' answers. To ensure all Members' questions were answered at the end of last parliamentary session, the Secretary of State made an exception to this convention and cleared a small number of questions, which were answered in his name.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bovine Tuberculosis
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many badger carcasses resulting from the pilot badger culls have been disposed of at category 1 waste facilities; and if he will list those facilities; [168332]
(2) how many badgers have been reported killed in the two pilot badger cull areas. [168333]
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Mr Heath [holding answer 10 September 2013]: Badger carcases resulting from the pilot badger culls need to be recorded and disposed of in line with legal requirements as category 1 waste under the Animal By-Products Regulations. The two badger pilot culls are being carried out by companies under licence from Natural England. Detailed operational information will not be published during the pilots. A full report will be published after the end of the culls.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Kashmir
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his overseas counterparts about the recent shelling of the line of control in Kashmir; and what reports he has received of casualties and human rights abuses in that area. [169111]
Mr Swire: UK officials in Islamabad and Delhi regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with both Governments, including incidents on the line of control and concerns about human rights abuses. We encourage India and Pakistan to take further steps to strengthen their relationship, but recognise that a solution to the Kashmir dispute is something that both sides will need to develop.
The long-standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, one which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Syria
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates each of the 14 attacks in Syria using chemical weapons took place; and on what dates the UK Government were informed of each attack. [169102]
Alistair Burt: It is normal practice that we do not comment on intelligence matters. Our assessment of these events in Syria, including the date of any attack, is based upon information gathered from a wide range of sources, not all of which can be disclosed publically.
Visits Abroad
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries he has visited in an official capacity since taking office in May 2010. [169073]
Mr Hague: I have visited a total of 71 countries in an official capacity since 12 May 2010. The countries visited are as follows:
Afghanistan
Algeria
Australia
Bahrain
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
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Brazil
Brunei and Darussalam
Burma
Canada
China
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Denmark
Egypt'
Ethiopia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Grenada
Hungary
India
Iraq
Ireland
Israel/Occupied Territories
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Kenya.
Kosovo
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Lebanon
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Mali
Malta
Mauritania
Morocco
The Netherlands
New Zealand
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Republic of Moldova
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Singapore
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Switzerland
Syria
Thailand
Tunisia
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Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United States
Vietnam
Yemen
Western Sahara
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 578W, on Western Sahara, whether money paid by the EU for fishing opportunities in the waters of Western Sahara will be used for the benefit of (a) the local Saharawi population and (b) Moroccan settlers in the Western Sahara. [168348]
Alistair Burt: The Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco has not yet been agreed. I expect the European Commission to publish proposals in the near future. The agreement as initialled does require Morocco to report on the geographical distribution of European funds for structural support and infrastructure, and to include the impact on jobs and investment.
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have waited longer than four hours for treatment in accident and emergency units in (a) England and (b) the West Midlands in the latest period for which figures are available. [169121]
Anna Soubry: In England, in the week ending 1 September 2013, 17,238 patients in England waited longer than four hours in accident and emergency (A&E) departments (all types) from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. In the West Midlands, 1,909 patients waited longer than four hours (representing 3.9% of patients attending).
Statistics on A&E departments are published weekly on the NHS England website at:
www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ae-waiting-times-and-activity/
Boxing
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department issues on the health benefits of boxing. [169160]
Anna Soubry: The Department has not issued advice on the health benefits of boxing. However, the Department does encourage participation in sport and wider physical activity in view of the important health benefits this can bring, as set out in the four home countries' chief medical officers’ report ‘Start Active, Stay Active’, published in July 2011. A copy has been placed in the Library.
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Cycling
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what input his Department provided to the Department for Transport's response to the all-party parliamentary group on cycling report, Get Britain Cycling. [168387]
Anna Soubry: The Department for Transport has had regular engagement with the Department of Health, as well as with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Education and the Department for Community and Local Government, to ensure an ongoing dialogue about all aspects of cycling policy. As a result, these Departments provided input to relevant sections of the response to Get Britain Cycling.
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department provides for cycling infrastructure development. [168392]
Anna Soubry: The Department has a £1 million fund to be shared amongst the successful city ambition grants to promote walking alongside cycling. This is a revenue allocation (so not necessarily infrastructure) and is still at the bidding stage.
Dermatology
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance his Department gives to clinical commissioning groups on the psychological effects of skin disease to assist them when drawing up a local dermatology service specification for the purposes of a tender; [168991]
(2) to what extent must potential providers of dermatology services demonstrate they have the capacity to address the psychological effects of skin disease when they bid for a service from clinical commissioning groups. [168992]
Norman Lamb: NHS England has responsibility for dermatology services.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on dermatological conditions which includes recommendations on the assessment of the psychological effects of these conditions.
We understand that NHS England is working with NICE and others to ensure NICE guidance and quality standards on dermatological conditions are available to both commissioners and providers.
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to produce a strategy to address foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. [169071]
Anna Soubry: The Government's Alcohol Strategy, published on 23 March 2012, addresses the full range of harm from alcohol.
foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are caused entirely by drinking alcohol during pregnancy and so are completely preventable; and
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FASD can be caused by mothers drinking alcohol even before they know they are pregnant, so preventing them is strongly linked to reducing levels of heavy drinking in the population, especially among women.
We will continue to raise awareness of the need for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive to avoid alcohol, including by increasing the awareness of health professionals.
The Chief Medical Officer is overseeing a review of the Government's alcohol guidelines, including those for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive.
The Department will continue to raise awareness of research needs for FASD, including gaps in our knowledge on whether a 'safe' level of alcohol consumption could
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be identified, how to characterise and diagnose neuro- developmental problems in children with FASD, prevalence of the condition, and effective treatment.
General Practitioners
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the population was registered with a GP in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012. [169133]
Norman Lamb: This information requested is contained in the following table, which suggests that the total number of registered patients is greater than 100% of the population:
| General practitioner (GP) registered patients and population in England | |||||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| 1 GP registered patients: data at 30 September each year. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre, Office for National Statistics. | |||||
The number of registered patients is higher than the total population due to a number of factors, including patients dying or emigrating, as well as patients who relocate and register at a new practice before their registration at their previous practice is deleted.
NHS England is tasked with developing a national strategy for ensuring a consistent approach to data quality of GP patient lists and ensuring that best-practice data quality initiatives are included in standard procedures.
Health and Social Care Act 2012
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the saving to the public purse in 2015-16 as a result of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. [168362]
Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.
The long-term annual efficiency savings arising from the reforms set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 are expected to be £1.5 billion in 2015-16 and beyond, as set out in the impact assessment for the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 and confirmed by the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), in his written statement of 18 July 2013, Official Report, column 125-126WS. These savings in administrative costs will be available for re-investment in front-line health services.
Hospitals: North East
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 10 September 2013, Official Report, columns 45-8WS, on NHS winter planning, for what reasons he did not allocate any additional resources to hospitals in the north east of England. [169163]
Anna Soubry: Decisions on which of the 53 high-risk trusts to concentrate the resources for the upcoming winter were made by NHS England, jointly with Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority.
Funding is being targeted in those areas that have been struggling to manage the increase in attendances at accident and emergency (A&E) in recent months. The fact that hospitals in the north-east are not to receive any additional money is a sign that they are performing well in delivering their A&E services. Nonetheless we are not complacent; each of the 143 urgent care boards have presented specific plans for initiatives to alleviate pressures on local A&E departments, and NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority will be working with hospitals across the whole country to ensure that emergency services are ready for winter.