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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 10 October 2013

House of Commons Commission

Carbon Emissions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the House of Commons Commission spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available. [169853]

John Thurso: The House of Commons participates in carbon emission offset auctions, which is part of the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework. No payment has been made in the past year, but the House expects to participate in the next auction, which is scheduled for November 2013, to cover official air travel undertaken by Members and staff booked via the Parliamentary Travel Office in the years 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Parliament: Visits

Luciana Berger: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much (a) the House of Commons and (b) Ticketmaster UK earns for each ticket sold for tours of the Houses of Parliament through the Ticketmaster website. [170053]

John Thurso: Paid-for tours of Parliament are available during the summer recess and on Saturdays throughout the year. Tickets are sold in advance via the Ticketmaster website. Tickets on the day of entry are bought at the ticket office.

The standard prices are £16.50 for adults and £14.00 for concessions. One child under 16 is free with each paying adult. Tours are a shared service with the House of Lords. Ticketmaster charges vary depending on the delivery method; the revenue for a standard ticket bought online and collected at the ticket office is split as follows:

The contract for commercial ticketing is currently being re-tendered.

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Church Commissioners

First World War Commemorations

7. Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church Commissioners are giving to the centenary commemorations of the outbreak of the first world war. [900321]

Sir Tony Baldry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 July 2013, Official Report, column 620W. The Church of England is intending to play a full part in the commemoration of the centenary of world war one in a number of ways:

The bishops intend to join local commemorations that reflect events significant to the local area's experience of the war.

The Dean of Salisbury, the Very Reverend June Osborne, is on the Government's Advisory Group.

The Liturgical Commission of the Church of England is designing resources for use in parish churches for their own local commemorations, including the recognition of the many war memorials which are either in churches or in their churchyards.

The Church of England is also working in partnership with HOPE, an interdenominational organization, to encourage and resource all churches to come together as they facilitate and serve their communities at this important time of national commemoration.

Dioceses will encourage schools to visit the first world war battlefields to promote greater understanding of the war.

All parish churches are being encouraged to join with Westminster Abbey in the vigil on Monday 4th August 2014 designed as a day for prayer, of remembrance and for peace in our own time. This will conclude with a candlelight vigil ending at 11.00 pm 100 years after war was declared which will close with the candles being extinguished; reflecting Sir Edward Grey's famous remark that “the lamps are going out all over Europe”.

Bishops: Females

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress the Church has made on enabling women to be bishops. [900320]

Sir Tony Baldry: The General Synod initiated a new legislative process in July and will be giving first consideration to the necessary draft measure and amending canon this November. The intention is that the process should be completed significantly faster than was the case with the legislation that failed to secure the necessary approval last November.

Despite this progress, the constitution of the Church imposes a number of requirements, including a mandatory reference to diocesan synods. This timetable should enable final approval to be achieved in 2015 at July or November Synod.

Richard III

Hugh Bayley: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what representations the Church of England has made to the Secretary of State for Justice about Mr Justice Haddon-Cave’s judgment in relation to the Secretary of State’s decision on the reburial of King Richard III. [900314]

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Sir Tony Baldry: The Church of England has not made any representations to my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice in relation to the judicial review to be heard in the High Court in October and brought by the Plantagenet Alliance. The ecclesial authorities are not the subject of the review, which relates to the public consultation duties of the Ministry of Justice. The university of Leicester holds the license for the remains of King Richard III from the Secretary of State for Justice. The judicial review is not concerned with the final resting place of King Richard III.

Home Department

Carbon Emissions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available. [169898]

James Brokenshire: The Home Office purchased £3,118 of high quality Certified Emissions Reduction credits in 2012-13 under the Carbon Offsetting Facility (GCOF II) for business related travel. There are no other associated costs.

Crime: Sussex

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported (a) violent and (b) non-violent crimes there were in (i) Brighton, Kemptown constituency and (ii) Sussex in each of the last five years. [169212]

Norman Baker: Information for the Brighton Kemptown constituency is not collected centrally. The available information relates to offences recorded by the police in the Brighton and Hove Community Safety Partnership area and is given in the table along with figures for the Sussex police force area.

Domestic Violence

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will build detailed domestic homicide reviews on the basis of garrison communities within community safety partnerships; and if she will make a statement. [169401]

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Norman Baker [holding answer 8 October 2013]: If there is a domestic homicide within a garrison community we would already expect the relevant community safety partnership to establish a Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) panel and for the relevant military personnel to participate.

Firearms: Licensing

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to ensure that firearms licensing fees are representative of the true cost to police forces of issuing and tracking licences. [170082]

Damian Green: We remain firmly committed to ensuring there is an appropriate balance between the fee paid and the licence service provided. We are working with the police and other members of the shooting community 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 reassess fee levels.

Homophobia

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many homophobic hate crimes were reported in (a) Brighton, Kemptown constituency, (b) Brighton and Hove and (c) Sussex in each of the last five years; [169213]

(2) what steps her Department is taking to tackle homophobic hate crimes. [169214]

Norman Baker: Tackling hate crime, including hatred on the grounds of a person's sexual orientation, is an issue the Government take very seriously.

We are meeting the coalition commitment to improve the recording of such crimes, and working with the police and other partners to encourage more victims to come forward. There are specific laws in place to protect victims and deal with offenders, and the Law Commission recently consulted on the case for extending existing hate crime legislation, including whether to introduce aggravated offences for crimes motivated by hostility towards a person based on their sexual orientation. We will consider the Commission's findings when it reports next year.

Data on the number of hate crimes recorded by police forces in England and Wales are collected centrally by police force area, and are not broken down by town or city. In 2011/12, 111 hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation were recorded by Sussex Police, although not all of these will be homophobic hate crimes. Further details of the data are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hate-crimes-england-and-wales-2011-to-2012--2

Pathology: South West

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's future plans are for forensic paediatric pathology services in the south west. [169471]

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Norman Baker [holding answer 8 October 2013]: Paediatric pathology is generally the responsibility of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health.

The Home Office maintains the Home Office Register of Forensic Pathologists.

Home Office registered forensic pathologists are independent of the police, coroners and the Home Office, and group practices are currently structured so that pathologists working within them may be self-employed or employed by a university hospital or a hospital trust.

There are currently 37 forensic pathologists on the Home Office Register, working in six group practice areas around England and Wales, who provide a service to police and coroners in their geographical areas of operation, to assist in the investigation of violent and suspicious death cases.

The West & South West forensic pathology group practice currently consists of five self employed forensic pathologist consultants' none of whom are 'forensic paediatric pathologists', but who may rely on the services of a hospital paediatric pathologist from time to time for assistance with investigations into homicide or suspicious death cases involving an infant or child.

This department is involved in providing criminal justice training for pathology specialists (including paediatric pathologists) in collaboration with the College of Policing, but has no official remit in respect of paediatric pathologists, apart from the one dual qualified (paediatric/forensic) member of the Home Office Register.

The Home Office Forensic Pathology Unit is not aware of a specific ‘forensic paediatric service' operating in the South West.

Police: Safety

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to improve the safety of police officers. [170113]

Damian Green: The management of health and safety in the police service is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997: Kent

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will request that Kent Police publish information on the number of persons (a) arrested, (b) charged, (c) convicted and (d) jailed under (i) Section 2a and (ii) Section 4a of the Protection from Harrassment Act 1997 since that Act's implementation. [169089]

Norman Baker: Responsibility for the publication of information by police forces sits with the Chief Constable. Offences under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 Act (as amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012) came into force on 25 November 2012. However, data relating to the numbers of persons convicted of and given custodial sentences for offences under the 1997 Act are held by the Ministry of Justice. Between 25 November 2012 and 31 December 2012 (the latest available data), there were no offenders convicted in Kent of the new offences introduced by Sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

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Attorney-General

Prosecutions

Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Attorney-General what the policy of the Crown Prosecution Service is on (a) the taking over of private prosecutions and (b) the payment of a defendant's costs following a failed prosecution in (i) the Crown court and (ii) magistrates' courts. [170055]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) policy on the taking over of private prosecutions is published on the CPS website and can be found at

http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/p_to_r/private_prosecutions/

The policy sets out the circumstances under section 6(2) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 in which the Director of Public Prosecutions will take over a prosecution in order either to continue it or to stop it. The policy also sets out when the CPS would not take over a private prosecution.

Where a private prosecution has been taken over and prosecuted by the CPS and is unsuccessful, the CPS will not routinely pay the defendant's costs for cases dealt with in the Crown court or in magistrates' courts. However, the CPS will pay costs ordered by the court under the limited circumstances set out in sections 19 and 19A of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. The CPS does not routinely collate data on the number or value of such costs awards.

International Development

Afghanistan

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 460W, on Afghanistan, what support her Department provides to partner organisations that fund national shelter programmes for women in Afghanistan; and which organisations receive such support. [170299]

Mr Duncan: DFID provides funding to NGOs who work to protect women and girls from violence in Afghanistan. The UK recognises the important role of protection services and supports our partners in funding national shelter programmes. DFID funding is not earmarked for particular activities, so it is not possible to say how much of this contributes to the funding of shelters.

Female Genital Mutilation

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in which countries he assesses female genital mutilation to be (a) widespread and (b) tolerated by the authorities. [170081]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID's assessment draws from a recently published UNICEF report on female genital mutilation (FGM) in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where the practice is concentrated. According to the UNICEF data, the highest prevalence countries are Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti and Egypt (over 90%),

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Eritrea, Mali, Sierra Leone and Sudan (just under 90%), and Gambia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mauritania and Liberia (60-80%). In Nigeria, the prevalence of FGM is 27% which amounts to just under 20 million women and girls.

FGM is also practised in countries in other regions, most notably Indonesia and Malaysia, and by some members of diaspora communities from practising countries who live in Europe, North America and Australia.

Of the 29 African and Middle Eastern countries covered by the UNICEF report, 24 have enacted decrees or legislation banning FGM. Gambia, Liberia, Mali and Sierra Leone are high prevalence countries which have not done so.

Nepal

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on consolidating the Great Himalaya Trail Development Programme into the Nepal Market Development programme; and if she will make a statement. [169896]

Mr Duncan: The UK's Great Himalaya Trail Development Programme has been supporting tourism in Nepal since 2011. UK support has helped to provide skills training to 749 tourism entrepreneurs in five remote regions of Nepal, 47% of whom are women. Approximately 2,000 medium and small enterprises have benefited from tourism-related business that has supported better incomes and livelihoods for poor people in remote mountainous regions.

I am pleased to confirm that the UK will continue support to the Great Himalaya Trail for the next two years through DFID's Nepal Market Development Programme. DFID will continue supporting Nepal's tourism sector to ensure that the economic benefits of tourism are benefiting the poorest people.

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which projects her Department is funding in Nepal; and which non-governmental organisations are involved in each such project. [169897]

Mr Duncan: Details for projects funded through our Nepal programme and the partners involved are available on website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237274/Nepal-portfolio-review-2012-13.pdf

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 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. [169323]

Mr Duncan: Through the procurement tender process, DFID requires suppliers to comply with all relevant UK legislation which includes the requirement to ensure that payments to their employees meet the requirements of the national minimum wage. It is for workers and employers to decide the level of wages above the minimum wage based on individual circumstances. DFID will always award contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer—which includes the low paid.

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The UK labour market is one of the most flexible in the world because we allow individuals and businesses to agree patterns of work that suit them. We do not regulate the minimum number of hours people can work and we allow people and companies freedom to agree these terms themselves.

Leader of the House

Members: Correspondence

Mr Crausby: To ask the Leader of the House when he plans to respond to the letter of the hon. Member for Bolton North East dated 30 July 2013 on his policy for responding to e-petitions that have passed 10,000 signatures. [170448]

Mr Lansley: My Office has no record of receiving a letter from the hon. Member for Bolton North East dated 30 July 2013. However, as I explained in my written ministerial statement of 13 September 2012, Official Report, column 16WS, e-petitions that receive more than 10,000 signatures will receive a written response from Government.

Health

Complementary Medicine

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in regulations governing the availability of the GUNA Physiological Regulating Remedies on (a) patients and (b) practitioners. [170023]

Norman Lamb: There have not been any changes to medicines regulations affecting the availability of imported, unlicensed medicines such as GUNA Physiological Regulating Remedies. The exemptions from the requirement for medicinal products to have a marketing authorisation or certificate of registration have certain conditions; this includes the need for imported unlicensed products to be notified to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. These conditions, which apply to all imported unlicensed medicines, whether homeopathic or non-homeopathic, have been in place since 1999.

Drugs: Poisoning

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2013, Official Report, column 1667W, how many (a) men, (b) women and (c) children have been admitted to hospital for drug poisoning showing ICD10 codes T36-T50 separately at a five character level in each of the last six years. [169573]

Dr Poulter: When a hospital codes the admission episode of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider (called an ‘finished admission episode’) it is only mandatory to input diagnosis codes up to the fourth character and while some hospital providers do code to the fifth character, many do not, which means that the resulting data are not of a sufficient quality to use. The information requested, to a four character level, has been placed in the Library.

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Health Services Commissioners Act 1993

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Health Services Commissioners Act 1993 to include the General Dental Council as a body subject to investigation under Clause 2. [170336]

Dr Poulter: There are no plans to do this. The Health Service Commissioner's role is to investigate complaints that individuals have been treated unfairly or have received poor service from the national health service in England. The General Dental Council is not an NHS body.

Health Services: Weather

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations his Department received from North East NHS trusts regarding his recent allocation of winter funds; [169533]

(2) what guidance his Department used to calculate allocation of winter funds to NHS trusts. [169534]

Dr Poulter: Decisions on which high risk trusts to concentrate the resources for the upcoming winter were made jointly by NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA). There were no representations made to the Department from North East National Health Service trusts regarding the recent allocation of winter funds.

Decisions were made on the basis of a number of factors including risk to delivery of the accident and emergency (A&E) standard, challenging local circumstances and the needs of local populations. This gave a picture of those facing the greatest compound risk and identified the trusts thought most likely to benefit most from additional funding.

The money will be targeted at the local systems that will benefit most from the extra funding. If a trust has not been identified to receive a share of these winter monies it 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 TDA will be working with hospitals across the whole country to ensure that emergency services are ready for winter.

Heart Diseases

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to better identify and address the needs of patients with undiagnosed atrial fibrillation. [169654]

Dr Poulter: As set out in the Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy, published in March 2013, atrial fibrillation is a priority for this Government and NHS England will work to support primary care to provide good management of people with or at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including atrial fibrillation-related stroke.

Responsibility for improving clinical outcomes from health care services lies with NHS England.

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NHS England is developing its overall approach to delivering reduced premature mortality, in line with the NHS Outcomes Framework. As one of the major causes of premature mortality, reducing cardiovascular-related mortality is expected to form a significant element of NHS England's work to support primary care, including providing good management of people with or at risk of CVD.

The Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCGs) Outcome Indicators Set for 2013-14 will be used to measure improvement in the quality of services and health outcomes achieved by CCGs through commissioning. This includes indicators on CVD, which covers atrial fibrillation.

In line with this overall aim, NHS Improving Quality's (NHS IQ's) strategic priorities for 2013-14 include public awareness and early diagnosis and a major drive to increase general practitioner engagement in stroke.

Prior to the formation of NHS IQ, NHS Improvement implemented the national roll out of Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation (GRASP-AF), as part of a wider programme aimed at improving the management of atrial fibrillation in stroke prevention. This tool is for use in primary care to help with stroke risk assessment and the management of atrial fibrillation.

NHS IQ will continue to promote these tools.

Meat Products

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made on banning desinewed meat in Europe. [169991]

Dr Poulter: The Food Standards Agency advise that issues around desinewed meat (DSM) arose in 2012 due to a difference in interpretation of the definition of mechanically separated meat (MSM) in European Union Food Law between the United Kingdom and European Commission. This was identified by the Commission's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) during a routine programmed audit of UK official controls on MSM. The UK DSM moratorium was introduced in spring 2012 to align UK policy with the Commission's interpretation.

As regards the position in the rest of the EU, the FVO carried out audits of MSM controls in Italy, Germany, France and the Netherlands during the remainder of 2012, and in Denmark, Spain and Poland in spring 2013. The reports of these audits, with the exception of that undertaken in Poland, have been published. The reports reveal that the FVO identified instances of mislabelled poultry and pork MSM which, in one member state, was the result of a centrally-agreed approach. The reports also show that the FVO found no evidence of the production of MSM from the bones of cattle, sheep or goats which is prohibited under EU Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy legislation.

Since introducing the DSM moratorium, the Government have continually pressed the European Commission to ensure a level EU playing field and to take the same approach to dealing with any non-compliance identified by the FVO in other member states as they did with the UK. The Commission has maintained that it would act to address non-compliance and avoid distortion to the EU market in exactly the same way as it did in

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relation to the UK and has stated that it has done so in relation to the labelling issues identified by the FVO in other member states.

Mental Health Services

Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding mental health services in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Haringey have received in each of the last four years. [170317]

Norman Lamb: The Department does not allocate funding to mental health services and we do not have the information requested. However, the following three tables provide information on reported investment in mental health services covering the areas requested. Prior to 2013-14, primary care trusts were responsible for commissioning services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations, taking account of national and local priorities.

Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the additional £500 million allocated to accident and emergency departments most under pressure will be allocated to mental health crisis services in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Haringey. [170339]

Norman Lamb: As announced on 10 September, we have allocated £250 million of funding to NHS England to help cope with winter pressures (with another £250 million for 2014-15). This money will be distributed by NHS England to the areas that need it most in 2013-14 and to be targeted as follows:

£221 million for the 53 high risk trusts;

£15 million towards securing a reliable NHS 111 service throughout the winter period; and

£14 million as a contingency for use for final settlements for trusts to use in the winter.

Decisions on which trusts to concentrate the resources for the upcoming winter were made jointly by NHS England, Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority.

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The Department does not hold any information on how much of this money may be allocated to mental health crisis services in England, London and Haringey. Money will be spent in line with locally agreed plans.

Mental Health Services: Haringey

Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his policy is on increasing bed capacity within mental health treatments in Haringey; [170316]

(2) what assessment he has made of the August 2013 CQC report on St Ann's Hospital, Haringey and its finding of bed shortages in the hospital. [170337]

Norman Lamb: Mental health and well-being is a priority for this Government. The overarching goal is to ensure that mental health has equal priority with physical health, and that everyone who needs it has timely access to the best available treatment.

We will hold the national health service to account for the quality of services and outcomes for mental health patients through the NHS Outcomes Framework.

However, the policy for bed capacity within mental health units is matter for the local NHS.

The NHS Trust Development Authority has advised us that Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust has taken action to address the shortage of beds as identified in the recent Care Quality Commission Report. We understand that the trust has opened an additional 14 bedded adult acute mental health ward and employed a dedicated bed management team to meet current demand.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many fitness to practice cases received by the Nursing and Midwifery Council before January 2011 are still active; [170035]

(2) what average time is taken by the Nursing and Midwifery Council to (a) investigate and (b) adjudicate on fitness to practice cases; [170036]

(3) how many fitness to practice cases currently open with the Nursing and Midwifery Council have been investigated by a person who is not a fully qualified solicitor or barrister; [170037]

(4) what the current average time taken by the Nursing and Midwifery Council to resolve a fitness to practice case is. [170065]

Dr Poulter: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the regulator for nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom working in the public interest to safeguard the health and well-being of the public.

The NMC is an independent body and responsible for matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties, including pursuing fitness to practice (FtP) investigations against its registrants. Statistical information about NMC FtP cases is not routinely collected or held centrally. However, departmental officials have contacted the NMC and the following information has been provided.

As at 30 September 2013, there were 56 FtP cases received by the NMC before January 2011 that were still active.

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As at August 2013, the average time taken by the NMC to (a) investigate FtP cases was 8.4 months and (b) adjudicate FtP cases was 7.1 months.

The NMC reports that FtP cases are investigated by both legally qualified and non-legally qualified case investigation officers and external law firms. The NMC does not hold statistical information on whether FtP cases are investigated by fully qualified solicitors or barristers.

As at September 2013, the average time taken by the NMC to resolve a FtP was 15 months.

School Milk

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential need for contractors administering the nursery milk scheme to sub-contract deliveries in certain areas. [170029]

Dr Poulter: The Department has set out possible options for the operation of the nursery milk scheme, including how an option of central supply by a contractor or consortium of contractors might deliver the scheme, in its consultation ‘Next Steps for Nursery Milk’, published in 2012. An impact assessment accompanying the consultation was published at the same time. A copy of the consultation document has already been placed in the Library.

A decision on the future operation of the nursery milk scheme will be taken after full consideration is given to the final impact assessment, the consultation responses and other relevant information.

South London Healthcare NHS Trust

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish his grounds of appeal against the judgment issued by Mr Justice Silber on 31 July 2013 in the High Court regarding the South London Healthcare Trust and Lewisham Hospital. [170340]

Norman Lamb: As we are pursuing an appeal against the judicial decision of the High Court, it would not be appropriate to make public the specifics of the case before it is heard in the Court of Appeal.

Warfarin

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reasons information on the number of patients who are on long-term warfarin and use self-monitoring technology is not collected; [169584]

(2) if he will estimate the number of people on long-term warfarin who do not self-monitor their own condition due to the cost of buying the necessary self-monitoring devices; [169585]

(3) if he will take steps to ensure that International Normalised Ratio self-monitoring technology is available on NHS prescription and accessible to all eligible patients. [169586]

Dr Poulter: NHS England has advised that information on the number of patients who are on warfarin long-term and use self-monitoring technology is not collected as it is difficult for accurate and meaningful information to

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be gathered and reported. This is due to the way in which self-monitoring technology is available to patients via clinical commissioning groups or purchased privately.

Neither the Department nor NHS England has made an estimate of the number of people on warfarin who do not self-monitor their own condition due to the cost of buying the necessary self-monitoring devices. However, we understand that the charity Anticoagulation Self-Monitoring Alliance has a number of case studies highlighting instances where this has occurred.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently undertaking an assessment of the self-monitoring technology and will be reporting on its clinical and cost effectiveness in the summer of 2014. Depending on the outcome of this assessment, further evaluation will be taken at the time to determine what action, if any, is required.

Transport

A303

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the statement by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 27 June 2013, Official Report, column 465, on Investing in Britain's Future, when he expects the study into the dualling of A303 to be completed. [169328]

Mr Goodwill: The Department is undertaking six feasibility studies as part of the process of identifying and funding solutions to tackle some of the most notorious and long-standing road hot spots in the country. The studies include work on the problems on the A303/A30/A358 corridor.

We expect all the studies to have reached conclusions by spring 2015, if not earlier, in order to align with the completion of the Highways Agency's route based strategy process and to inform future investment planning processes.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available. [169352]

Stephen Hammond: During the last 12 months (April 2012 to March 2013) the Department for Transport and its agencies processed 227,847 invoices. This information, together with further details, is available on the Government website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prompt-payment-statistics

The details are set out beneath the 30 Working Days chart.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property. [169427]

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Stephen Hammond: As part of the Government's Transparency Agenda information about Department for Transport properties is published on the data.gov.uk website. The information the hon. Member has requested at (a) and (b) above is available from the following link:

http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims

Information on the value of property in London is not centrally recorded and this information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Caravans: Testing

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has to introduce a road worthiness test requirement for caravans; [170019]

(2) what assessment he has made of the European Commission's proposal to introduce an MOT test requirement for caravans. [170020]

Mr Goodwill: The Department has no plans to introduce roadworthiness test requirements for caravans. Additionally the Department does not support the European Parliament's Transport Committee proposals to introduce such testing as the road safety benefits are considered negligible. We are yet to make a substantive assessment of the costs as the proposal is subject to significant change in scope. Moreover it is my intention that we will continue to strongly oppose such a measure. The police conduct roadside checks on caravans if they have concerns as to their roadworthiness.

Cycling: South Downs National Park

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to promote cycling in the South Downs National Park. [169196]

Mr Goodwill: In June 2012, the Government announced £3.81 million of funding from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund between 2012 and 2015 for a partnership bid between the South Downs and New Forest National Parks to significantly improve access to and within both national parks, through encouraging visitors to travel by sustainable modes, including cycling.

In August 2013, the South Downs National Park was successful in securing an additional £3.81 million contribution from the Department for Transport specifically for cycling.

Great Western Railway Line

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what report he has received from First Great Western on the reasons for 500 passengers being kept on a stranded train in Wiltshire for nearly six hours on 5 August 2013; and if he will make a statement. [170043]

Stephen Hammond: This was a serious issue that affected many passengers. Operational matters of this nature are, in the first instance, a matter for the train operator and Network Rail. First Great Western are conducting a full investigation with a view to learning lessons from this incident. We have received verbal updates from First Great Western.

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GRS Facilities Support Services

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many formal complaints his Department has received relating to GRS (Support Services) in each month of the last three years. [170038]

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is shown in the following table:

London-Brighton Railway Line

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps (a) his Department and (b) Network Rail are taking to improve the train service between Brighton and London. [169195]

Mr McLoughlin: The principal improvement in the Department's rail investment strategy is the completion of the Thameslink programme which will increase capacity between Brighton and London and offer frequent services to the City of London and St Pancras International.

Network Rail is carrying out a study to assess the potential for further capacity improvements to be made to the Brighton main line in Control Period 6 (2019 to 2024).

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his 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. [169325]

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not make assessments 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.

However, our model contract document terms and conditions make clear that suppliers are expected to perform their obligations under the contract in accordance with the law. The payment of minimum wage is a legal requirement.

Railways: Tickets

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to require rail companies to replace lost or stolen weekly train tickets when the owner of the ticket can produce a valid receipt of purchase. [169365]

Stephen Hammond: This is not a matter for the Secretary of State to consider but one for the train operating companies. The arrangements for replacing lost or stolen rail season tickets are set out in Condition 34 of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage.

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Trillium Group

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008. [169261]

Stephen Hammond: The level of expenditure by the Department on contracts with Telereal Trillium, in each year since 2008, is shown as follows.

These figures are exclusive of VAT.

Walking: Children

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what activities his Department undertook to support walk to school week in May 2013. [169497]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport supports walk to school week as an excellent opportunity for schools to engage with children and parents and encourage walking to school. The then Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), spoke at the parliamentary launch of walk to school week this year and met children from a number of schools that had achieved success in making it easier to walk to school.

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how his Department is working with the Department for Education to encourage more children to walk to school. [169498]

Mr Goodwill: Since 2010, Department for Transport and Department for Education Ministers and officials have met regularly to discuss matters of shared interest, including sustainable travel.

Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average proportion of household expenditure on energy bills in Wales in the latest period for which figures are available. [170207]

Gregory Barker: Over the period from 2009 to 2011, the average proportion of household expenditure on energy bills in Wales was 5.4%. In terms of pounds and pence, this is an average spend of £21.50 per household, per week.

These figures include expenditure on electricity, gas and other household fuels, but exclude expenditure on petrol and diesel. They are based on data from the

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Living Costs and Food Survey, which is run by the Office for National Statistics. Due to the small number of households in Wales within the survey, results are averaged across a three year period.

Green Deal Scheme

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to lower the interest rate on Green Deal finance packages. [169788]

Gregory Barker: The interest rate offered by The Green Deal Finance Company (6.96%) is competitive and realistically reflects the risk of lending. The rate is available to over 80% of the population, and remains fixed for loan lengths up to 25 years. Alternative unsecured loan products, at such a low rate, for such durations, are not accessible to the vast majority of the population.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reasons his Department introduced version three of the Green Deal code of practice and revoked the previous version that was issued on 25 January 2013. [170052]

Gregory Barker: The code of practice is a key part of the Green Deal framework and all authorised participants must adhere to it. It sets out detailed operational requirements for authorised participants and therefore requires updating as the Green Deal and the market evolve to ensure it is fit for purpose.

The third version included a number of changes, including clarifications around requirements for advertising, handling of complaints, the production of advice reports, issuing financial statements in relation to Green Deal plans and insurance backing for guarantees. The Green Deal Oversight and Registration Body has a summary of the changes on its website:

http://gdorb.decc.gov.uk/code-of-practice

Natural Gas: Imports

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of gas imports to the UK come from each country. [170051]

Michael Fallon: Data on gas imports are published in Table 4.4 of Energy Trends and are available on the DECC website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gas-section-4-energy-trends

Data for 2012 UK imports of natural gas are published as follows:

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Power Stations

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2013, Official Report, column 824W, on power stations, what recent steps have been taken by his Department to offer incentives to the owners of such power stations not to dismantle them; whether an examination has been made of the emergency generating potential of Fawley Power Station; and if he will make a statement. [169930]

Michael Fallon: DECC, National Grid and Ofgem have been working together to explore options to provide additional safeguards against the increased risk to mid-decade security of electricity supply.

To this end, National Grid is currently consulting on new system balancing services which, if approved by Ofgem, would enable National Grid to procure additional capacity in the winter of 2014-15 and 2015-16. To ensure economic efficiency the amount of capacity needed would be procured through a competitive process. This would offer opportunities for plant which might otherwise have closed or which is currently mothballed, but does not seek to target or favour any one particular plant.

In addition, the Capacity Market will be initiated in 2014, subject to state aid approval. This will ensure sufficient capacity is available in the medium term, and will also seek to incentivise participation of the most economically efficient plant, which could include plant that is currently mothballed.

RWE closed its Fawley oil-fired plant in March 2013. The current generating potential of the power station is a matter for the company.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what provisions of the Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment 2 apply to offshore wind energy sites developed in the Round 3 tranche. [169773]

Gregory Barker: The UK Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment (OESEA), published in January 2009, concluded that there were no overriding environmental considerations to prevent the achievement of up to 33 GW of offshore wind capacity in UK waters. This conclusion was subject to mitigation measures being implemented to prevent, reduce and offset significant adverse effects. On this basis, the level of development in the Round 3 offshore wind programme was deemed to be acceptable.

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In 2011, a further strategic environmental assessment reinforced the conclusions of the previous assessment.

While the overall impacts of additional offshore wind capacity have been assessed at a strategic level as part of the OESEA, any proposal to build an offshore wind farm is still subject to project level assessment, including environmental impact assessment, which will address location-specific effects.

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what guidance his Department has issued on the distance that offshore wind farms should be placed from the coast. [169775]

Gregory Barker: The Department has not issued guidance on the distance that offshore wind farms should be placed from the coast.

Issues relevant to the siting of offshore wind farms in English and Welsh waters are considered in the Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) and the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (EN-3), which were designated under the Planning Act 2008 in July 2011. EN-1 and EN-3 set the policy context for the development of nationally significant energy infrastructure, including offshore wind farms of greater than 100 MW capacity. Relevant issues will be considered as part of the application process for any offshore wind farm projects that come forward.

Scotland

Business

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many small businesses in Scotland have stopped trading since 2010. [170306]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: Figures obtained from Companies House show that for all registered companies in Scotland (not split by size) during the financial year 2010-11, 18,800 companies were dissolved, this figure came down to 17,300 in 2011-12, and to 16,300 during 2012-13.

The full Companies House data referred to may be accessed at:

http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/pdf/companiesRegActivities2012_2013.pdf

There is no requirement for unregistered business to report if they stop trading.

According to Scottish Government, ONS figures, the overall number of Registered Enterprises in Scotland, employing fewer than 50 people was 149,130 in 2010. This number had increased to 153,695 by 2012.

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many small business start-ups there have been in Scotland in the latest period for which figures are available. [170307]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: The latest data compiled by the Committee of Scottish Bankers reported that the number of new businesses in Scotland was 13,856 for the year ending 2012. The figures for quarter 1 of 2013 are 2,974 and for quarter 2 of 2013 are 3,143.

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The full CSBC data referred to may be accessed at:

http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/media/new_business_stats_full_year_2012.pdf

According to Scottish Government, ONS figures, the overall number of Registered Enterprises in Scotland, employing fewer than 50 people, was 149,130 in 2010. This number had increased to 153,695 by 2012.

Legal Costs

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available. [169701]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: The Scotland Office spent £2,930 on external lawyers' fees in 2012-13.

Northern Ireland

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Coleraine

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking in conjunction with the Secretary of State for Transport to ensure the retention of Northern Ireland's Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency office at Coleraine; and if she will make a statement. [169286]

Mrs Villiers: I have had a number of discussions with Department for Transport colleagues on this matter who have assured me that they will consider carefully all the relevant factors before reaching a decision. I met the Northern Ireland Minister for the Environment today and we discussed the matter further.

The supplementary consultation into the future of the Driver Vehicle Agency in Northern Ireland closed on 11 September and responses are being analysed. This is a matter for the Department for Transport and it is not for me to prejudge the outcome of the consultation.

Northern Ireland Government

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate she has made of the overall cost to the public purse of hosting the Haass talks in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement. [169289]

Mrs Villiers: The All-Party Group chaired by Dr Richard Haass is an initiative of the five political parties which make up the Northern Ireland Executive. This process is being funded by the Northern Ireland Executive rather than directly by the UK Government.

We do not therefore hold the information sought.

Treasury

Alternative Investment Market

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on alleged manipulation of the AIM share market. [169189]

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Sajid Javid: The Treasury has received a very small number of representations regarding alleged manipulation of the AIM share market.

AIM is currently subject to the UK's Market Abuse regime which implements, but also goes beyond, the requirements of the EU-wide Market Abuse Directive (MAD). The UK measures capture both market manipulation and insider dealing.

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he will take to monitor the benefits to consumers of current account switching. [169590]

Sajid Javid: The Independent Commission on Banking (ICB), set up by this Government, recommended the introduction of a new current account switching service to tackle the lack of competition in this market. The Government moved quickly to implement this recommendation, securing a commitment from the Payments Council, on behalf of the banking industry, to deliver a new switching service by September 2013. The banks have met this commitment, launching a seven day current account switching service last month. This service has been designed to meet all of the ICB's concerns, covers nearly 100% of the competitive current account market, and is free and quick to use.

The Government are closely monitoring the seven day switching service to ensure the banks continue to deliver on their commitment. It has asked the Payments Council to publish data on volumes of switching, levels of awareness, and confidence in the service on a quarterly basis.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to establish minimum standards for basic bank accounts. [169663]

Sajid Javid: The Government are committed to improving access to financial services for individuals.

The Government noted the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards recommendation that the major banks should come to a voluntary agreement on minimum standards for basic bank accounts. The Government are taking forward discussions with the banking sector and will provide further detail in due course.

Financial Services: Regulation

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the response to his Department's consultation, A new approach to financial regulation: transferring consumer credit regulation to the Financial Conduct Authority, will be published. [169655]

Sajid Javid: The response to the consultation regarding the transfer of consumer credit regulation to the Financial Conduct Authority was published on 27 June of this year.

Income Tax

Andrew Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals no longer pay income tax in (a) the smallest geographical area including Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency for which information is

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available and

(b)

England as a result of the increase in the personal income tax allowance since May 2010. [169237]

Mr Gauke: The cumulative effect of the Government's increases in the personal allowance for those aged under 65 years (born after 5 April 1948 from 2013-14 tax year) since 2010-11 take 2.4 million people out of the income tax system by April 2013 and 2.7 million people out of the income tax system by April 2014.

(a) The smallest geographical area for which reliable estimates can be provided is at Government Office Region (GOR). Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency is within Yorkshire and the Humber GOR. The number of individuals in Yorkshire and the Humber who no longer pay tax is 208,000 by April 2013 and 230,000 by April 2014.

(b) The number of individuals in England who no longer pay tax is 2.0 million by April 2013 and 2.2 million by April 2014.

These estimates are based on the 2010-11 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14 and 2014-15 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.

Estimates at the parliamentary constituency level are not published.

Minimum Wage

Mr Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average sum in wage arrears in respect of cases where HM Revenue and Customs has taken action to enforce the provisions of national minimum wage legislation was in the (a) hospitality, (b) retail, (c) social care, (d) cleaning, (e) leisure, (f) hairdressing, (g) food processing, (h) agriculture, (i) textiles, (j) security and (k) construction sectors was in the latest period for which figures are available. [167512]

Mr Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC reviews every complaint that is referred to it, investigating the complaint and, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW. HMRC targets and fast tracks those complaints that involve the most vulnerable workers such as interns, apprentices and migrant workers, and those relating to the riskiest sectors such as cleaning, retail, hairdressing and social care, in order to ensure that workers receive the wages to which they are entitled.

HMRC records information by Standard Industry Codes. The table shows the average sum in wage arrears for 2012-13 broken down by the closest Standard Industry Code (SIC) for the hospitality, retail, construction and agriculture sectors. HMRC does not have specific breakdowns for the other sectors. Activities commonly understood to be in those sectors fall into a number of other broader SICs.

HMRC contacts every employer whom it finds has paid workers below the national minimum wage to confirm that they have paid the identified arrears to the workers. In addition, where it has found arrears for five or fewer workers it will contact all the workers to confirm payment by the employer. In cases involving

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arrears for more than five workers it will contact a minimum sample of five workers to confirm payment by the employer.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the share of demand for the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme that will come from applications for properties in (a) Greater London and (b) the rest of England; and if he will publish the expected regional demand for the scheme throughout its lifetime. [170025]

Sajid Javid: The Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme is available throughout the UK to potential home owners who can afford repayments on a high LTV mortgage, but are unable to save up for the large deposits currently required in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The Government have made £12 billion of guarantees available, which is sufficient to support £130 billion worth of mortgages across the UK.

Poppy Mitchell-Rose

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions Ms Poppy Mitchell-Rose has been registered as a visitor to his Department's main building since November 2012. [169402]

Sajid Javid [holding answer 8 October 2013]:The information requested has been withheld under section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act, as the information constitutes personal data relating to a third party that they would not expect to be made public.

Disclosure of this information is likely to breach the first data protection principle in schedule 1 to the Data Protection Act, which relates to the fair and lawful processing of personal data.

Poverty: Children

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish any assessment he has made of the effects on child poverty of changes in levels of public expenditure between 2009-10 and 2014-15. [169555]

Sajid Javid: The Government have protected poor and vulnerable groups as far as possible while urgently taking action to tackle the deficit it inherited.

Work remains the best and most immediate way out of poverty and the Budget took action to support families and make the tax and welfare system fairer, including further increasing the income tax personal allowance to take 2.7 million people on low incomes out of tax altogether.

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In addition, the Government have sought a wide range of views as part of a consultation on better measures of child poverty which include, but go beyond, income to provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty. The consultation has now closed and the Government will respond in due course.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his 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. [169326]

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury fully complies with EU procurement directives and awards contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer. Nevertheless, we have encouraged contractors to commit to paying a living wage and expect all employers to pay at least the national minimum wage.

The Government have encouraged contractors by publicly expressing support to paying the London living wage where it is possible to do so.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is undertaking a review of zero hours policy and practice and in the light of this work the Cabinet Office will determine whether any changes need to be made to UK procurement policy. HM Treasury will comply with any Government policy that may be implemented and promoted post this review.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences. [168635]

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury has spent £127,737.32 on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences from January 2013. The Treasury only prints documents when required by Parliament to produce hard copies. The Treasury is unable to provide an estimate on expenditure on documents prior to January 2013 as records do not distinguish between print and other associated costs, and so are not readily available. To provide such information would involve disproportionate costs.

Since October 2010 the Treasury has significantly cut down what it prints as opposed to making available online, focusing printing only on meeting constitutional duties to Parliament. The Treasury has shifted to making greater use of more cost-efficient communications channels.

Revenue and Customs

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many staff took HM Revenue and Customs to tribunal in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; [170044]

(2) how many claims of mismanagement were received by HM Revenue and Customs from staff in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [170045]

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Mr Gauke: The number of employment tribunal claims received by HMRC from staff in the calendar years from 2007 to 2012 are as follows:

Data on the number of claims of mismanagement received by HMRC from staff could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 12 September 2013, Official Report, column 824W, on HM Revenue and Customs, what his Department's current plans are for full-time equivalent numbers at HM Revenue and Customs in each area of its activity on 31 March in each year between 2014 and 2016. [170296]

Mr Gauke: Following the spending review (SR) 2013 announcement in June, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is currently engaged in detailed planning and impacting activity around its workforce plans for each area of activity up to 2016.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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. [168653]

Nicky Morgan: The Treasury does not subscribe to premium satellite services.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of uprating pensions in line with inflation for UK pensioners living in non-EU countries. [169336]

Sajid Javid: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 159W.

Taxation: Bingo

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the implications of a reduction in bingo duty on (a) jobs and (b) the wider economy. [169587]

Sajid Javid: The Government keep all taxes, including bingo duty, under review.

Taxation: Housing

Mr Clappison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has carried out into the effects of a mansion tax in reducing property values;

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whether any such research was taken account of in the estimate of average mansion tax liability of £36,000; and if any estimate has been made of reduction in revenue arising from

(a)

stamp duty level tax and

(b)

inheritance tax as a result of the introduction of a mansion tax. [169392]

Mr Gauke: The Treasury and HMRC have not carried out in depth research into the effects of a mansion tax in reducing property values; however it is expected that the imposition of a new annual levy would reduce the price of properties within scope of the tax.

A mansion tax would be expected to depress stamp duty land tax and inheritance tax yields. The exact impact would be dependent on the rates and bands chosen.

Taxation: International Co-operation

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the agreement made at the G8 Summit in June 2013, what steps he is taking to introduce a legal and operational framework to underpin information exchange. [170329]

Mr Gauke: In anticipation of much greater levels of automatic tax information exchange the legislation in the Finance Act 2013 to implement the UK's automatic exchange agreement with the US already provides for future similar agreements. The OECD has now been asked to develop the new standard on automatic exchange by February 2014. Once this is complete we will assess what further legislative underpinning is required.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the agreement made at the G8 Summit in June 2013, which information he now expects to be exchanged between states on preventing tax evasion. [170330]

Mr Gauke: The OECD was asked to produce a report for the Prime Minister, as president of the G8, on setting a new standard in the automatic exchange of information between tax authorities to tackle offshore evasion. The G8 firmly backed the report.

The report made clear that the new automatic information exchange standard will include details of financial accounts held offshore, such as details of the account holder's name, address, date of birth, account number, account balance and details of payments made into the account. This will provide a step change in the international community's ability to tackle tax evasion. The G20 has now asked the OECD to finalise the standard by February 2014.

Trillium Group

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on contracts with Trillium Group in each year since 2008. [169262]

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury has incurred no expenditure on contracts with Trillium Group in any year since 2008.

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Welfare Tax Credits

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the costs incurred by HM Revenue and Customs in administering tax credits; and what estimate he has made of the costs incurred in correcting errors. [169982]

Nicky Morgan: The annual costs involved with administering the tax credit system are presented in the following table.

No information is held centrally on the costs incurred in correcting errors.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the annual savings resulting from use of the Feast system for automated detection of fraud and error in tax credit applications. [170331]

Mr Gauke: I refer the right hon. Member to Figure 7 on page 21 of the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, “Tackling tax credits error and fraud”, published on 14 February 2014.

http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Tax-credits-errors-full-report.pdf

FEAST is currently on track to deliver against the original business case.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bahrain

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with the Bahraini government the treatment in custody of Rihanna Al Mosawi. [169536]

Hugh Robertson: Rihanna Al Mosawi was charged with activities relating to terrorism following her arrest on 20 April 2013 at the Grand Prix circuit. On 16 July the main opposition party in Bahrain issued a statement regarding Rihanna Al Mosawi, in which it was detailed that the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) had started an investigation into allegations she had been mistreated while in detention. Part of the investigation included being checked by a forensic doctor. We believe the SIU investigation is now closed, and there have been no further allegations of mistreatment. The UK takes all allegations of mistreatment against detainees seriously. We expect the Government of Bahrain to meet all of their human rights obligations and adhere to international standards.

Buildings

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by

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(a)

his Department and

(b)

his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11. [169449]

Mr Lidington: The information requested is as follows:

(a) I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 42W, regarding the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) refurbishment expenditure for the period 2011-13.

During the period 2010-11, the FCO completed the following refurbishments to its buildings:

The figures show the spend in year only not total project cost.

There will have been other small refurbishments in overseas offices which will have been funded by the respective embassy or high commission budget. To gather details on these would represent disproportionate cost.

(b) During this period, the FCO non-departmental public bodies completed the following refurbishments:

British Council:

The British Council holds 250 commercial properties in 112 countries, predominantly leaseholds. The majority are offices and centres either for teaching or for the supervision of exams. Any decisions on refurbishment across the commercial estate are determined locally, on a range of criteria that includes business needs, security issues and cost-effectiveness. Data on the costs of refurbishment across the whole global estate could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.

FCO Services:

FCO Services spent the following on office refurbishments in each year since 2010-11:

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2010-11: £262,948.89—Spend on refurbishment of Hanslope Park (HP) 15, HP23, HP70 and HP71 (first floor).

2011-12: £628,658.38—Spend on refurbishment of HP15 and HP20.

2012-13: £20,982.00—Release of cost provisions on agreement of final accounts for HP15 and HP20.

Five buildings were refurbished during these years, enabling workshops to be relocated to more appropriate and accessible space on the site. Restoration work was also undertaken on a grade 2 listed building including the removal of partitions and the replacement of windows to enable the space to be used for a wide variety of functions. Where work was carried out, it was to improve work flows, lighting levels, and seating capacity, as well as to address some health and safety issues.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has raised the case of Daw Bawk Ja with his Burmese counterpart. [170192]

Mr Swire: Officials from the embassy in Rangoon raised Daw Bawk Ja's case with senior members of the Burmese Government in August. We continue to follow her case closely and remain in touch with local Burmese organisations that support her and the many other political prisoners that remain detained.

As I set out to the House, we welcome the release of over 50 political prisoners announced on 8 October. This is a further step towards fulfilling the commitment, made by Burmese President Thein Sein during his visit to London in July, to release all remaining political prisoners by the end of this year.

We continue to call on the Government to ensure that democratic activists are able to voice their opinions freely and without fear of arrest. We have also urged both the Government and the Parliament to repeal all existing laws which are not in line with democratic standards. Repealing these repressive laws will be vital for Burma as it continues on its path to greater democracy.

Carbon Emissions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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. [169506]

Mr Lidington: In its 2012-13 accounts, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) set aside £26,419 for purchasing estimated carbon offsets for 2012-13. This figure includes an adjustment to reconcile estimated emissions in the fourth quarter of 2011-12 and also an estimate for 2012-13 fourth quarter flight emissions. The figure is based on an estimated carbon offset price.

The FCO intends to purchase Government carbon offsetting facility offset credits in order to offset carbon emissions from flights originating in the UK taken by FCO staff who are travelling on official business.

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Commonwealth

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Commonwealth countries (a) grant and (b) do not grant resident British citizens the right to vote in general elections in those countries. [170040]

Mr Swire: British citizens are eligible to vote in national elections in:

Dominica, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and Grenadines (after residing there for one year);

Barbados (after residing there for three years);

Antigua and Barbuda, Malawi (after they have been resident for seven years);

Trinidad and Tobago (after they have permanent residential status).

British citizens cannot vote in national elections in:

Australia, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, the Gambia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to integrate the preventing sexual violence in conflict initiative in Democratic Republic of Congo. [169224]

Mark Simmonds: Tackling the issue of sexual violence in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is central to resolving the conflict, building peace in the region, and tackling the culture of impunity. This was highlighted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs during his visit in March this year. The UK is working on the ground in DRC with other donors and the UN Mission to integrate the PSVI into health and security sector programmes. Specific examples are an expert in a hospital in eastern DRC and funding to teach new Congolese army recruits about human rights, including the fight against sexual violence and impunity. We are also pressing for a strengthened Sexual Violence Unit within the UN Mission to lead the UN wider effort in country to tackle sexual violence. However, it is vital that the DRC leads the efforts to tackle sexual violence. To that end, we welcome the DRC's endorsement of the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, launched by the Secretary of State at the UN General Assembly last month. The Declaration has been endorsed by 132 countries.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the implementation of the Peace, Security and Co-operation Framework for eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. [169226]

Mark Simmonds: My most recent discussions with my international counterparts on implementation of the Peace, Security and Co-operation Framework for

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eastern Democratic Republic of Congo were held in New York in the margins of the UN General Assembly from 23-27 September. We welcomed the commitments made at the recent meeting of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region on 13 September. We also encouraged the early involvement of the international donor community in drafting the benchmarks that would underpin and measure progress in implementation of the Peace, Security and Co-operation Framework.

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Congolese Government regarding oil exploration in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [170074]

Mark Simmonds: The UK embassy in Kinshasa has raised oil exploration in the Virunga National Park at various levels in the Democratic Republic of Congo Government. We have made clear to them that we oppose oil exploration in this world heritage site on UNESCO's “in danger” list.

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on drilling for oil in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [170075]

Mark Simmonds: The UK continues to oppose oil exploration in the Virunga National Park. The park is a world heritage site listed by UNESCO as being “in danger”.

European Union

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the Balance of Competences review. [170077]

Mr Lidington: The Balance of Competences Review is part of the coalition agreement to analyse and examine the UK's relationship with the European Union (EU). It is an analytical, transparent and evidence based process that will provide an informed and objective analysis of what EU membership means for the UK. It will look at the EU's competences, how they are used and what that means for Britain and our national interest. This extensive piece of work has never been attempted before and requires time to do justice to the complexity of the issues and interests at stake. Substantive consultation and reflection by Departments involved began in autumn 2012 and the overall review will conclude by the end of 2014.

My right hon. Friend Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs set out the scope and objectives of the review in his statement of 12 July 2012, Official Report, column 468.

The review is on track. The first group of reports covering an overview of the single market, health, development co-operation and humanitarian aid, foreign policy, animal health and welfare and food safety, and taxation were published on 22 July 2013. These received a good range of high quality evidence from a broad spectrum of contributors, including business, think tanks, civil society organisations and other bodies with experience of what our EU membership means in practice. The

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reports analysed the EU's ability to act in specific areas, including the impact on the national interest and future challenges. By bringing together all the evidence in one place, they are designed to broaden and deepen public understanding but are not intended to pre-judge future policy making and so are not asked to make specific recommendations. It will be for political parties and others to decide what policy conclusions to draw from the evidence presented in the reports.

Calls for evidence for the next nine reports closed at the end of the summer and have attracted a similarly high level of contributions. These reports will be published this winter. Calls for evidence and reports relating to the remaining 17 competence areas will be published during the course of 2013-14. Once complete, the exercise will provide the most extensive analysis of the impact of EU membership on the UK ever undertaken—an analysis which is currently absent. It will ensure that our national debate is grounded in knowledge of the facts and will provide a vital aid for policy making. Published reports and calls for evidence can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/review-of-the-balance-of-competences

Israel

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has received reports by Military Court Watch dated (a) 20 May, (b) 25 June, (c) 25 July and (d) 28 August 2013. [169219]

Hugh Robertson: I can confirm that Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have seen the reports referred to in the question.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the ages of Palestinian children held in Israeli prisons. [169299]

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold the information requested.