Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Home Department

Advertising

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints her Department received about its pilot advertising scheme using the phrase ‘go home or face arrest'. [168124]

Mr Harper [holding answer 9 September 2013]: The pilot has elicited interest from many members of the public. It is being evaluated at present, which includes any complaints received.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which areas her Department's pilot advertising scheme using the phrase ‘go home or face arrest' ran; and for what period of time that scheme ran in each area. [168125]

Mr Harper [holding answer 9 September 2013]: The pilot included the use of two ‘AdVans' in the chosen boroughs of Ealing, Hounslow, Brent, Barnet, Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham between 22 July and 28 July. The AdVans spent approximately two full days in each of the boroughs during that week.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost was of her Department’s pilot advertising scheme using the phrase ‘go home or face arrest’. [168126]

Mr Harper [holding answer 9 September 2013]: The total cost of the entire pilot was just under £10,000. This amount includes the cost of the advertising vans, communication materials, including translation fees, the text message service, adverts in newspapers and shop windows, posters and leaflets. The total cost for the billboard element of the pilot was £4,734.

Even one immigration offender voluntarily departing from the United Kingdom as a result of this pilot would pay for the cost of the pilot in comparison to the same individual being subject to an enforced removal which can cost the taxpayer up to approximately £15,000.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration enforcement staff were involved in her Department's pilot advertising scheme using the phrase, ‘go home or face arrest'. [168263]

Mr Harper [holding answer 10 September 2013]:Two full-time equivalent staff were involved in processing the referrals for the pilot scheme to encourage illegal immigrants to leave the UK voluntarily. Other staff were involved on a less regular basis and are better described as conducting business as usual work, such as interviewing individuals, processing travel documents and arranging flight tickets.

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Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who contacted her Department as a result of the pilot advertising scheme using the phrase, ‘go home or face arrest', were (a) identified as illegal immigrants, (b) deported and (c) left the country voluntarily. [168264]

Mr Harper [holding answer 10 September 2013]: The pilot has elicited a great deal of interest. It is being evaluated at present, including the number of individuals who contacted the Home Office and departed the UK.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people texted her Department during its pilot advertising scheme using the phrase, ‘go home or face arrest'; and what the nationalities were of those who texted. [168265]

Mr Harper [holding answer 10 September 2013]: The pilot has elicited a great deal of interest. It is being evaluated at present, including the number of individuals who contacted the Home Office, the number that departed the UK and their nationalities.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vans were used by her Department for its pilot advertising scheme using the phrase, ‘go home or face arrest'. [168266]

Mr Harper [holding answer 10 September 2013]: Two AdVans were used for this pilot for seven days only.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to roll out her Department's advertising scheme using the phrase, ‘go home or face arrest'. [168267]

Mr Harper [holding answer 10 September 2013]: The Home Office will evaluate fully the results of this pilot and the Government will make a decision on whether it is to be extended in any form.

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department’s ‘Go Home’ van campaign; and what plans her Department has to use the vans in future; [168553]

(2) whether her Department plans to bring its ‘Go Home’ van campaign to Bradford. [168520]

Mr Harper: The AdVans referred to were used in six London boroughs from 22 to 28 July. The AdVans are part of a wider pilot to improve awareness and take-up of voluntary departures and the effectiveness of this pilot will be evaluated before any decisions on future deployment are taken.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) her Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was. [168772]

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James Brokenshire: The total number of individual air flights undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of the Department and its associated public bodies between September 2012 and August 2013, and the total cost to the public purse is provided in the following table.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the cost of policing the pilot badger culls to date; [169529]

Mrs Main: (2) what assessment she has made of the effect on police resources of policing the pilot badger culls. [169530]

Damian Green: We have made no specific assessment of the cost, or effect on police resources, of policing the pilot badger culls to date. However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has agreed to cover any additional costs incurred by the relevant police forces.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what refurbishments to her Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost. [168805]

James Brokenshire: Refurbishments, excluding works solely to increase capacity in Immigration Removal Centres, carried out in the last 24 months are set out in the table placed in the House Library. Consolidating the Home Office into fewer buildings is releasing savings of over £12 million per annum.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many square metres of office space her Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property. [169424]

James Brokenshire: The Department rents 134,469 square metres in London boroughs, including Croydon. This includes the Department's HQ at 2 Marsham street, SW1, which is held via a lease as a public finance initiative asset on the Department's balance sheet at a book value of £187.3 million. All other properties are held as commercial leases.

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Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) her Department and (b) her Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by her Department in that period have been used by her Department's staff for less than four years before a further move. [169465]

James Brokenshire: Office relocations occur frequently both within original buildings and to other buildings both to enable cost savings through estate rationalisation and to meet continually changing operational needs. Their number and overall costs are not aggregated centrally and would incur disproportionate cost to obtain.

Carbon Emissions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by her Department on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide in the last year for which figures are available. [169508]

James Brokenshire: The Home Office spent £3,118 in 2012-13 under the Government's Carbon Offsetting Facility (GCOF II) on accredited offsets for air travel. The Home Office does not participate in any programme to offset energy related carbon emissions for buildings.

Consultants

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much (a) she and (b) officials in her Department spent on external assistance to prepare for (i) appearances before Select Committees and (ii) contact with the media in (A) 2011-12 and (B) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement. [164670]

James Brokenshire: The information is as follows:

The former director general operational systems transformation (Rob Whiteman) attended an external media training course in September 2011; the cost of the course was £698.00. He also attended a National School of Government Course on select committee appearances in October 2011; the cost of the course was £1,995.00.

The former Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Antisocial Behaviour Reduction (Lord Henley) attended a media training course in January 2012. The training was facilitated by a private individual consultant. The cost of this training was £843.60.

The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Equalities and Criminal Information (Lynne Featherstone) attended a half day media and presentation training session in January 2012. This training course was paid for through the Central Civil Service Core Learning Programme fund; therefore the Home Office incurred no direct cost.

The director general for UK Visas and Immigration (Sarah Rapson) attended a half day select committee training session run by the Civil Service Learning—Capita (external provider) in June 2013. The cost of the course was £670.73.

Correspondence

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department within what period of time Ministers of her Department should respond to correspondence from hon. Members. [167357]

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James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers aim to respond to hon. Members within 15 working days of initial receipt.

Firearms: Licensing

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the Government's policy remains that there should be full recovery of the firearms licence fee costs; [169617]

(2) what plans she has to recover the costs of administering firearms licensing; [169631]

(3) when changes to firearms licensing and the cost of licences will be introduced. [169632]

Damian Green: We remain firmly committed to ensuring taxpayers do not continue to bear the burden of subsidising the firearms licensing administration process. We are working with the police to improve the efficiency of the licensing process, in part by moving much of the licensing system online. Once these efficiencies are realised we will be in a position to move to full cost recovery. In the interim we are considering options on how to address the shortfall in part, and in a manner that is fair and proportionate.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimates her Department has made of potential additional costs to police forces and her Department arising from the construction of High Speed 2. [168545]

Damian Green: The Home Office has made no specific assessment of additional costs to police forces arising from the construction of High Speed 2.

Immigration

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she took to inform hon. Members in advance of her Department's recent immigration status checks in their constituencies. [167343]

Mr Harper: Immigration checks such as these have been standard practice since 2008, including under the last Labour Government.

Immigration: Stratford

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria were used by her Department when deciding who to stop when undertaking immigration status checks in Stratford. [167345]

Mr Harper: Immigration Officers did not perform any stops during the operation. British Transport Police colleagues would refer persons they stopped whom they suspected were subject to Immigration Control for Immigration-Officers to conduct checks.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of her Department's recent immigration status checks in Stratford. [167347]

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Mr Harper: The timing of the operation was between 0800 to 1000 hrs during which two arrests for immigration offences were made with limited impact on the department's resources.

Legal Costs

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 28W, on legal costs, if she will provide a breakdown of the sum of £16,584,000 spent on external legal advice by case and project. [169684]

James Brokenshire: The release of information requested would prejudice the Government's commercial interests.

Fraudulent Marriage

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many foreign nationals were found to be engaging in fraudulent marriages in order to receive leave to remain in the UK in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) the first quarter of 2013; [157647]

(2) how many foreign nationals were deported under section 10(b) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for engaging in a fraudulent marriage in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) the first quarter of 2013. [157648]

Mr Harper [holding answer 5 June 2013]: The Home Office began tracking cases linked to marriage abuse and sham marriages from 14 January 2013, with intelligence units, caseworking teams, enforcement and crime teams, flagging cases under investigation on the Case Information Database.

A total of 530 individuals have been linked to sham marriage activities in the period between 14 January and 31 March 2013. A total of 15 removals linked to flagged individuals occurred in the same period.

Data prior to 14 January are only held at the level of co-ordinated paper case files or within the notes sections of the Home Office's databases. Such information is not aggregated in national reporting systems, which would mean these questions could only be answered through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.

Sham marriages and the resulting abuse of the UK immigration system cannot be tolerated. Proactive targeting of sham marriages is part of a wider enforcement strategy to make the UK unwelcoming to those looking to flout immigration laws.

Notes:

1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

2. Figures relate to main applicants and dependents.

3. Figures rounded to nearest five.

Police: Disciplinary Proceedings

Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service have been subject to disciplinary proceedings and subsequently taken up employment with another police force within six months, in each of the last five years; [169630]

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(2) how many police officers have been subjected to disciplinary proceedings and, within six months, taken up employment with another police force in each of the last five years (a) in total and (b) by each police force in England and Wales, excluding the Metropolitan Police Service. [169618]

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally but on 12 February my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, announced a package of measures to improve police integrity. This included a stronger and more consistent system of vetting for police officers and a national register of officers struck off from the police to prevent officers who lose their jobs as a result of misconduct being recruited by other forces.

Police: Mental Illness

Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service have resigned on mental health grounds in each of the last five years; and how many of those officers were subject to disciplinary action prior to their resignation; [169628]

(2) how many police officers in each police force in England and Wales, excluding the Metropolitan Police Service, have resigned on mental health grounds in each of the last five years; and how many of those officers were subject to disciplinary action prior to their resignation. [169629]

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications her private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis. [168702]

James Brokenshire: The office of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary receives the following newspapers on a daily basis (Monday-Friday only):

Financial Times

The Guardian

The Independent

Daily Mail

Daily Express

Daily Mirror

The Sun

The Times

Daily Telegraph

No periodicals or trade profession publications are received.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts. [169322]

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James Brokenshire: The Home Department's contracts require all contractors to comply with the payment of the minimum wage in accordance with the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 which is a legal requirement under employment law.

No assessment is made regarding the payment of a living wage or use of zero hours contracts when tendering public procurement contracts.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to her Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by her Department in each year since 2010. [168788]

James Brokenshire: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which firm was awarded the July 2010 tender for information with regard to covert aerial surveillance services by the Serious Organised Crime Agency; and whether unmanned aerial vehicles are used by that company. [R] [168351]

Damian Green: No firm was awarded the July 2010 tender for information with regard to covert aerial surveillance services by the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the time taken to publish her Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13. [168823]

James Brokenshire: The quarter 2 and quarter 3 Quarterly Data Summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office's Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr. Martin Read's independent report entitled “Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government”. The GIST is an online tool that allows the public to access a breakdown of government expenditure through the gov.uk website.

It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and online system for central accounting and reporting (OSCAR) data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Terrorism Act 2000

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 in each of the last five years. [168929]

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James Brokenshire: Data on the number and type of charges brought under the Terrorism Act 2000 are published in a Home Office statistical release—Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation: Arrests, outcomes and stops and searches, Great Britain. The most recent edition of this release was published on 12 September 2013 and contains data to 31 March 2013.

The number of charges on a 'principal offence' basis under the Terrorism Act 2000 for each of the last five years are:

It should be noted that the Home Office publishes data on the above charges on a 'principal offence' basis. Consequently, only the most serious offence is recorded in the statistical release rather than all offences.

Trillium Group

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008. [169258]

James Brokenshire: The Home Department's expenditure on contracts with Trillium Group and its subsidiaries since 2009-10 is detailed in the following table:

Information on expenditure on contracts with Trillium Group for the financial year 2008-09 is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Northern Ireland

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in her Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case. [168740]

Mrs Villiers: Because of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), my Department does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.

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Details of absence, other than sick absence, are not held centrally. Staff employed by my Department are on Ministry of Justice (MOJ) terms and conditions. In line with MOJ policies, line managers may permit staff to take paid and/or unpaid absence for a range of activities including, for example, to take up volunteering opportunities.

In relation to sick absence, the number of working days lost for the last two complete years and the current 12 month rolling period are as follows:

The NIO monitors sick absence with a view to ensuring it does not exceed the Civil Service average working days lost (AWDL) per person, which currently stands at 7.6 days. The NIO AWDL for the latest 12 month rolling period is 6.1.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010. [168597]

Mrs Villiers: My Department has not incurred any expenditure on external accountants since 2010.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what refurbishments to her Department’s buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost. [168808]

Mrs Villiers: The following refurbishment work has been carried out in my Department over the last 24 months:

Stormont house, Belfast

Work was undertaken to create additional working space and meeting room facilities so as to accommodate the relocation of staff previously based in premises in Belfast city centre. This enabled my Department to end lease arrangements which cost in the region of £50,000 per annum. The total cost of all work undertaken is estimated at £54,000 (final invoices have yet to be received).

Hillsborough castle

Work on interior and exterior redecoration and renovations at Hillsborough castle (a listed building) were undertaken at a cost of £105,452.

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Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012. [168686]

Mrs Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office's Ministerial Private Office did not spend any money on Christmas cards in 2012.

Legal Costs

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on external lawyers’ fees in the last year for which figures are available. [169699]

Mrs Villiers: My Department has not incurred any expenditure for external lawyers’ fees in any year following the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010. Any legal advice required was provided by internal services.

Ministers’ Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in her Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is. [168724]

Mrs Villiers: My Department operates one Private Office function which supports the Secretary of State and the Minister of State.

The total Full Time Equivalent for the Private Office is nine, which is made up of one x band A, three x band C, four x band D and one x band E.

Staff in Private Office are a mix of Home Civil Servants (HCS) employed by the NIO and Northern Ireland Civil Servants (NICS) seconded to the NIO. The salary bands for both categories are set out in the following table.

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Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications her private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis. [168705]

Mrs Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office's Ministerial Private Office does not subscribe to any newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged. [168668]

Mrs Villiers: My Department did not spend any money on external public relations consultants or public affairs consultants in the last three years.

The Northern Ireland Office has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. These bodies may procure services, without prior approval of the NIO, subject to being within approved control limits. Given this level of operational independence from Government you may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters—contact details are set out in the following table:

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to her Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by her Department in each year since 2010. [168791]

Mrs Villiers: Since 2010, my Department has commissioned the following reports:

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Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences. [168632]

Mrs Villiers: In each of the last three years, my Department has spent the following on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences:

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what subscriptions her 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. [168650]

Mrs Villiers: My Department does not have any subscriptions to premium satellite television channels.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in her Department since May 2010. [168615]

Mrs Villiers: Two staff passes were reported lost within my Department since May 2010. No passes have been reported as stolen during the same period.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the reasons are for the time taken to publish her Department’s quarterly data summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13. [168826]

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Mrs Villiers: The quarter 2 and quarter 3 quarterly data summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office’s Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr Martin Read’s independent report entitled “Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government”. Before the last general election, no such comparable data was published at all that allows the public to access a breakdown of Government expenditure through the gov.uk website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons, was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Televisions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by her Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases. [168758]

Mrs Villiers: In the past 24 months, my Department has purchased 17 flat screen televisions at a total cost of £5,903.

Attorney-General

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 1W, on billing, how much was owed to the outstanding creditors listed in that answer. [168111]

The Solicitor-General: The Law Officers' Departments are committed to paying all invoices promptly and since May 2010 have aimed to reduce the numbers of creditor invoices which are paid late. The following tables contain details on the number and value of creditor invoices over £10,000 which were paid more than 30 days after receipt during the past three financial years.

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Crime: Nature Conservation

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Attorney-General whether it is the policy of the Crown prosecution Service to provide wildlife crime training for all generalist prosecutors; and if he will make a statement. [169671]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has comprehensive legal guidance on wildlife offences which is readily available to all prosecutors and provides widespread information on a variety of wildlife crime issues. Although there is no specific training for all prosecutors, the CPS does have specialist Area wildlife co-ordinators who receive wildlife crime training.

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Attorney-General how many training sessions on wildlife crime offences the Crown Prosecution Service has delivered in each of the last 10 years. [169672]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is committed to training its prosecutors and has provided face to face training on prosecuting such cases. It plans to provide further specialist training for CPS area wildlife crime co-ordinators in 2013-2014. It does not however, maintain a central record of the number of training sessions on wildlife crime offences it has delivered in each of the last 10 years.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment the Law Officers' Departments makes of the (a) payment of minimum wage, (b) payment of living wage and (c) use of zero hours contracts when tendering for public procurement contracts. [169312]

The Solicitor-General: In line with Government procurement policy, the Law Officers' Departments all use pre-tendered pan-Government frameworks for the supply of the majority of services. Such contracts will have been awarded following an open competition process led by either the Government Procurement Service or another Government Department.

Where a requirement for services cannot be met through a pan-Government contract services will be tendered for services directly. Tenders would be evaluated on a total value for money basis which includes criteria other than price. Where appropriate this could on occasion include some assessment of the use of zero hours contracts, or payment of the minimum wage and living wage.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Attorney-General how many employees of the Crown Prosecution Service have been trained in sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. [169705]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has developed an online e-Learning course on cyber stalking which was launched in September 2012 and includes training on the relevant offences and their identification, as well as covering other issues which may arise in the prosecution of stalking cases. The course was refreshed in June 2013, when it became mandatory learning for all lawyers. The course has been completed by 604 CPS employees to date.

The CPS is currently developing, further training on the stalking offences, with emphasis on building a strong case, working closely with the police and engaging with victims throughout the legal process.

Electoral Commission Committee

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what latest estimate he has made of likely electoral registration rates in each region of the UK after the introduction of individual registration. [169233]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission has advised me that it does not make estimates of future registration rates. However, the Commission is undertaking a programme of research to monitor the transition to individual registration. This includes an assessment of the accuracy and completeness of the registers before and after the transition and extensive data collection at several points during the period.

Scotland

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case. [168741]

David Mundell: All Scotland Office staff are on assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies, principally the Scottish Government and the Ministry of Justice, which have their own absence management policies and recording processes, that apply to those of their staff working in this Office.

Since 2010, the Scotland Office has local records that confirm that the average working days lost per employee in 2010 was 1.01 days, 2011 was 0.85 days and 2012 was 0.69 days. The Office's senior management keeps sick absence under review and has noted that the rate of absence is low compared to other bodies and that it has declined since 2010.

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Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010. [168598]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has incurred no costs on accountants since 2010.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of his Department in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was. [168775]

David Mundell: The number of flights undertaken by representatives of the Scotland Office within Great Britain in 2012-13 was 789, at a total cost of £132,711.83.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what refurbishments to his Department’s buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost. [168809]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not separately record the expenditure on building refurbishments from the repairs and maintenance costs of maintaining the lease obligations of our landlords. The total cost of repairs and maintenance for our buildings in Edinburgh and London in the last 24 months was £417,147.34.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012. [168687]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office private ministerial office does not separately record the cost of sending Christmas cards from the day to day postage costs.

Employment

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the recent trends in the levels of employment in Scotland. [169595]

David Mundell: The Office for National Statistics publishes official monthly data on regional employment.

Since this coalition came into power in 2010, overall employment in Scotland has risen by 99,000, and is at its highest level since 2008. The number of people employed in the private sector in Scotland has increased by 121,500. Over the last month to August, the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in Scotland fell by 2,900 and over the last year the number of claimants decreased by 15,200.

This rise in employment, together with fewer people claiming jobseekers allowance in Scotland, shows the decisions we are taking to tackle the deficit and build a stronger and fairer economy are working.

8 Oct 2013 : Column 18W

Enterprise Zones: Ayrshire

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from the Scottish Government regarding Enterprise Zone status for (a) Kilmarnock and (b) East Ayrshire. [169686]

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers have regular discussions with the business sector on the need to support economic growth in all areas of Scotland; we have not received representations from the Scottish Government to extend Enterprise Zone status to Kilmarnock or East Ayrshire.

Ministers’ Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is. [168725]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office operates one private office function which supports the Secretary of State and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State.

The total full-time equivalent for the private office is nine, which is made up of one x SCS, one x Band A, one x Band B, one x Band C, and five x Band D.

All staff in the Scotland Office are on secondment type arrangement mainly from the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice. The salary bands for both categories are set out in the following table.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. [168706]

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland’s private office subscribes to the following newspapers on a Monday to Thursday, only during the periods when Parliament is sitting: Daily Record; Guardian; Financial Times; and Times.

Vacher's Quarterly on a quarterly basis.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged. [168669]

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David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not incurred costs on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in any of the past three years.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010. [168792]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office have not commissioned any external reports since 2010.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences. [168633]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office spend on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences in each of the last three years was as follows:

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 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. [168651]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has no subscriptions for premium satellite television channels.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010. [168616]

David Mundell: 10 Scotland Office security passes have been reported lost by staff in the Department since May 2010. As soon as a security pass is reported as lost, it is immediately de-activated before a new one is issued.

Social Security Benefits

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent assessment he has made of the likely effect on families in Scotland of changes to welfare benefits. [169601]

8 Oct 2013 : Column 20W

David Mundell: The Government's reform of welfare will deliver a system that is simpler, fairer and ensures that work always pays. In Scotland, 300,000 households will be better off under universal credit, gaining an average of £162 extra per month.

This year, I have personally met with all 32 local authorities in Scotland, COSLA, and a number of housing associations and third sector organisations to discuss welfare reform and to hear first-hand the measures being put in place to implement the changes. I have also committed to meeting again all 32 local authorities before the end of the year.

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met anti-poverty campaigners in Scotland to discuss the effect in Scotland of welfare reforms; and if he will make a statement. [169602]

David Mundell: Ministers and officials from the Scotland Office meet regularly with organisations who campaign against poverty in Scotland. Organisations I have met with include Citizens Advice Scotland, SCVO and Highland Food Bank where I discussed a wide range of topics including welfare reform.

Where people are able, work is the best route out of poverty and the Government's welfare reforms and employment programmes aim to help people into work. In Scotland, 300,000 households will be better off under universal credit, gaining an average of £162 extra per month. Around 75% of those households will be in the bottom 40% of the income distribution.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department’s quarterly data summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13. [168827]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office is not required to publish quarterly data summaries. The Scotland Office business plan for 2013-14 is published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scotland-office-business-plan-2012-to-2013

Televisions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases. [168759]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office have purchased three flat screen televisions in the last 24 months at a total cost of £611.96.

Vetting

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Deputy First Minister of Scotland on prohibiting businesses who use blacklisting from bidding for further Government contracts; and if he will make a statement. [169606]

8 Oct 2013 : Column 21W

David Mundell: Neither the former Secretary of State for Scotland nor I have discussed with the Deputy First Minister of Scotland prohibiting businesses who use blacklisting from bidding for further Government contracts.

The UK Government is clear that blacklisting is an unacceptable and illegal practice. That is why the Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 prohibit the use of blacklists. Public sector procurers are currently required to comply with EU Treaty principles of openness, transparency and non-discrimination when awarding public contracts. Contracts over certain thresholds are also subject to the detailed rules set out in EU Directives and implemented by the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, which set out in detail how the contract must be conducted. Under existing EU procurement rules, public procurers must exclude suppliers from bidding for public contracts when they have been convicted of certain offences including blacklisting, corruption and fraud.

Wales

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case. [168744]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office formed part of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) prior to 2010 and data for the Department was not recorded separately prior to this.

The Wales Office is reliant on the MOJ for data on absences from 2010 onwards.

The MOJ is able to provide the data requested only at disproportionate cost.

The sickness absence levels for the Wales Office over the last three years are shown in the following table:

The Wales Office uses the MOJ's target for sickness absence levels of 7.5 AWDL. The current AWDL for the whole Civil Service is 7.6.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010. [168601]

Stephen Crabb: Nothing.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of his Department in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was. [168777]

8 Oct 2013 : Column 22W

Stephen Crabb: In 2012-13, the most recent year for which figures are available, one domestic flight was undertaken by Wales Office representatives at a cost of £72.27.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available. [169354]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office uses the Ministry of Justice shared services (Liberata) for the processing of its invoices. In 2012-13, the Ministry of Justice processed 1,428 invoices for the Wales Office.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost. [168812]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has carried out no refurbishment work in the last two years, although work has been undertaken to our London office at Gwydyr House relating to office moves and general maintenance, and to address health and safety, and security concerns.

Carbon Emissions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent by his Department on offsetting costs for energy-related carbon dioxide in the last year for which figures are available. [169510][Official Report, 15 October 2013, Vol. 568, c. 8MC.]

Stephen Crabb: Nil. The Wales Office’s carbon credits are bought by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The Wales Office element of the MOJ’s carbon credits for 2011-12 was 0.02% which equates to £389.64.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012. [168690]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office spent £258 on producing Christmas cards in 2012, and an estimated £116 on their postage.

Legal Costs

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on external lawyers’ fees in the last year for which figures are available. [169700]

Stephen Crabb: In 2012-13, the Wales Office spent £55,690.98 on external lawyers’ fees.

Ministers’ Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is. [168728]

8 Oct 2013 : Column 23W

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office Private Office staffing is a shared resource for all Ministers. However, each Minister in the Wales Office has 2.0 full-time equivalent

8 Oct 2013 : Column 24W

(FTE) staff employed in their private office. The current grade and pay band for each staff member are listed in the following table.

Motor Sports

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government regarding the proposed circuit of Wales. [169702]

Mr David Jones: I have had no discussions with the Welsh Government regarding the proposed circuit of Wales.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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. [168709]

Mr David Jones: None.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged. [168672]

Stephen Crabb: Nothing.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (a) the title and subject, (b) the total cost to his Department and (c) the commissioned author or organisation of each external report commissioned by his Department in each year since 2010. [168795]

Stephen Crabb: Since 2010 the majority of external reports commissioned by the Wales Office relate to the structure of buildings and Health and Safety. Details of these reports are set out in the following table.

In addition, the Commission on Devolution in Wales, established by the Government in October 2011 to review the financial and constitutional arrangements in Wales, reported on the first part of its remit in November 2012. The Commission's costs are published in the Wales Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wales-office-annual-report-published

Printing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences. [168636]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has spent £2,803.56 in 2011, £3,151.86 in 2012 and £1,743.51 in 2013 to date.

8 Oct 2013 : Column 25W

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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. [168654]

Stephen Crabb: None.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010. [168619]

Stephen Crabb: Three Wales Office passes have been reported lost since May 2010.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13. [168830]

Stephen Crabb: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given today by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude).

Televisions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases. [168762]

Stephen Crabb: In the last 24 months the Wales Office has purchased two flat screen televisions at a cost of £727.12.

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Minister of Wales about the potential effects of the provisions of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill on third sector organisations in Wales. [169301]

Mr David Jones: The Bill deals wholly with non-devolved matters. I wrote to the First Minister of Wales on 16 July informing him of the introduction of the Bill, and the then Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North (Miss Smith), wrote on 17 July to set out the main provisions of the Bill.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which third sector organisations in Wales he has consulted about the potential effect on them of the provisions of

8 Oct 2013 : Column 26W

part 2 of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill; and when those consultations took place. [169302]

Mr David Jones: The Government is aware of the concerns raised by charities and voluntary organisations regarding clause 26 of the Bill. Following consultation with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the Government published amendments to this clause, to be debated at Report stage.

Defence

Armed Forces: Domestic Violence

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether domestic homicide reviews are carried out by military police in relation to UK garrisons based overseas; and if he will make a statement. [169408]

Mr Francois: Domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) were introduced on a statutory basis by the Home Office in April 2011. The Ministry of Defence is not listed as one of the statutory bodies to whom the provision of DHRs apply.

A search of records held by the Service Police Crime Bureau did not identify any cases involving domestic violence-related deaths in overseas garrisons over the last 10 years. However, should such a tragedy occur, the Chain of Command would have available to it the means to conduct an appropriate investigation.

Armed Forces: Housing

Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding was allocated for the improvement and maintenance of living accommodation in each category for the (a) RAF, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Army for each financial year from 2009-10; and what funding has been allocated for the next three full financial years. [168326]

Dr Murrison: It will take time to gather this information. I will write to the hon. Member.

Substantive answer from Dr Andrew Murrison to Russell Brown:

I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question of 10 September 2013 (Official Report, column 668-669W) on how much funding was allocated for the improvement and maintenance of living accommodation, both Service Family Accommodation (SFA) and Single Living Accommodation (SLA).

Accommodation is managed on a Tri-Service basis and is not split by individual service. Expenditure in the UK is shown in the following table:

Expenditure on new properties is not included in the figures given above.

8 Oct 2013 : Column 27W

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether UK defence contractors supplying personnel for use in UK defence bases abroad are prohibited from including in the contracts of those deployed in theatre a clause denying the right to report sexual offences; and if he will make a statement. [169406]

Mr Dunne: No.

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many sexual violence perpetrator programmes are available to (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force personnel; where each such programme is made available; and if he will make a statement; [169407]

(2) how many places are available on his Department's domestic violence perpetrator programmes; what the length is of each such programme; how many participants failed to conclude each of the programmes in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [169409]

Mr Francois: The tri-Service Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) in Colchester has a range of offender programmes designed to address detainees’ offender attitudes, thinking and behaviour. These include the newly introduced Domestic Abuse programme delivered by Essex Probation Services. The MCTC does not provide specific sex offender treatment programmes, primarily because detainees generally serve short sentences and are not sentenced for offences which would warrant this type of intervention.

When a service person based in the UK is ordered by a civil court to attend a rehabilitation programme, commanding officers will ensure that the individual is not prevented through their military duties from complying with the order. Any serious impact on the military duties of the individual which result from such an order being imposed is considered during the service’s administrative process that follows court proceedings, and an employment decision is made accordingly. Where appropriate, the service police and welfare services will liaise with Home Office police forces and the Probation Service to assist in the offender management process.

Domestic violence offender programmes have been offered to British forces in Germany since November 2008. It is taking time to collate the details and I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Arms Trade

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he has met Ministers in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to discuss support for and management of UK defence exports in the last year. [169199]

Mr Dunne: Ministers talk to their counterparts in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office frequently about a range of topics including defence exports.

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence further to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 39W, on billing, how much was owed by the outstanding creditors listed in that answer. [168114]

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Mr Dunne: The total amount owed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to creditors with invoices for over £10,000 that were unpaid within 30 days was as follows:

The MOD processes around 5 million invoices each year with a total value in excess of £20 billion.

The MOD ran a major initiative during 2012-13 to convert defence suppliers to a new electronic Purchase2Payment bill paying system. The higher figure in 2012-13 reflects a higher number of incorrectly submitted invoices. We are working with suppliers to help them adapt to the new, more cost-efficient payment process. In 2012-13, 92% of correctly submitted invoices were paid within five days.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property. [169418]

Mr Francois: MOD owns or rents the following buildings in London for office use. Valuations of Main Building and the Old War Office are held on the National Asset Register, which is available at:

http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm70/7022/7022.asp

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11. [169445]

Mr Francois: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the number of office relocations made by staff of (a) his Department and (b) his Department's non-departmental public bodies (i) within the original building and (ii) to other buildings in each year since 2009-10; what the cost of (A) removals and (B) refurbishments related to such moves has been; and on how many occasions offices refurbished by his Department in that period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move. [169459]

Mr Francois: This information is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

8 Oct 2013 : Column 29W

Cybercrime

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what timetable the Defence Cyber Protection Partnership is to report back on its findings and give recommendations on (a) information sharing, (b) development of threat derived standards and measurement framework and (c) communication and awareness in the supply chain. [169201]

Mr Robathan: The Defence Cyber Protection Partnership is due to provide regular updates on all of these areas to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, throughout the programme. The next update is due in November. Public announcements will be made as the programme matures.

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the members of the Defence Cyber Protection Partnership are. [169202]

Mr Robathan: The Defence Cyber Protection Partnership currently includes the Ministry of Defence, Government Communications Headquarters, Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure, British Aerospace, BT, CGI Logica, Cassadian, General Dynamics, Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, QinetiQ, Raytheon UK, Rolls-Royce, Selex ES (part of Finmeccanica), Thales UK, ADS (Aerospace Defence Security) and Intellect. There is an intention for more organisations to be included as work progresses.

Cyprus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much land area in hectares is owned (a) freehold and (b) leasehold by his Department in (i) Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area and (ii) Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area. [169396]

Mr Robathan: The information requested is provided in the following table:

Defence: Procurement

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget for non-lethal force protection equipment is for 2014-15. [169200]

Mr Dunne: Non-lethal force protection has been interpreted as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as helmets and plates, personal load carrying equipment (including webbing, belts and pouches) and CBRN suits. The anticipated expenditure for these purchases for financial year 2014-15 is some £16 million. This does not include Concept and Assessment Phase expenditure for developing new CBRN suits.

8 Oct 2013 : Column 30W

In addition, VIRTUS, which aims to deliver an integrated helmet and torso protection solution (including face, eye, pelvic and knee protection) optimising the whole system capability for service personnel, has a budget of approximately £5 million for financial year 2014-15.

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has commissioned any outside reviews of the proposed new GoCo from (a) Deloitte, (b) Ernst and Young, (c) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (d) KPMG; and if he will place a copy of such advice in the Library. [169264]

Mr Dunne: The Department has not commissioned any of the companies listed to conduct outside reviews of the proposed GOCO option.

Disclosure of Information

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the defence journalist and military historian Sir Max Hastings has been refused, by Ministers, requests made for him to be briefed by serving uniformed Ministry of Defence personnel; whether this decision is part of a wider policy of not giving permission for such briefings to be given extends to (a) all journalists or (b) only particular journalists; whether the policy also applies to briefing by his Department's staff to hon. Members; and if he will make a statement. [167835]

Mr Robathan [holding answer 5 September 2013]: As set out in long-standing Defence Instruction and Notices (DINs), senior officers and senior civil servants in the MOD are required to seek prior approval to communicate in public including contact with journalists and other media representatives. The same system applies to briefings to hon. Members; this principle was applied by previous Governments. These procedures have been put in place to ensure that national, operational and personal security is upheld, and that standards of political impartiality and public accountability are met at all times.

They are consistent with the Civil Service Code and Civil Service Management Code, and the relevant Queen's Regulations for the Armed Forces and departmental civilian regulations.

Decisions to authorise such meetings, briefings and speeches are made on a case-by-case basis, on the advice of the MOD's Directorate of Media and Communication, in consideration of the topics to be discussed, the aim of the engagement and its potential benefits to the Department. The MOD regularly holds media briefings on a wide range of defence topics to which journalists are invited.

Requests for private lunches or dinners with senior officers or senior civil servants are highly unusual and would not normally be agreed. In the interests of transparency I am placing a copy of the current DIN in the Library of the House.

Members: Correspondence

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he intends to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Chesterfield of 13 May 2013 sent on behalf of Mr Fred Roberts. [168456]

8 Oct 2013 : Column 31W

Mr Francois: I responded to the hon. Member on 18 June 2013. However, he chased up his letter on 25 June 2013 as he did not appear to have received my reply and a further copy of my letter was emailed to the hon. Member's office on 28 June 2013. A further letter has now been sent to his office.