Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2013, Official Report, column 355W, on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, when he plans to make specific guidance on human rights issues in overseas markets available on the Overseas Business Risk service website. [170318]

Hugh Robertson: The Overseas Business Risk website already contains a human rights section. We are in the process of developing the country specific pages on the site, including country specific advice to businesses on human rights issues, bribery and security (including terrorism threat).

Pakistan

Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation of the Hazara community in Pakistan. [169387]

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Hugh Robertson: We remain concerned about violence faced by the Hazara population in Pakistan and continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to protect and guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens. The Hazara are mainly located around the city of Quetta in Balochistan and have been the target of attacks by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group who have also targeted the wider Shia community.

On 4 February this year, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), took the House of Commons Adjournment Debate on this issue. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised issues of religious freedom during his visit to Pakistan in July. On 3 September, the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, met with the Chair of the Hazara All Party Parliamentary Group and representatives of the UK Hazara community. Our concerns about the treatment of the Hazara community in Pakistan are expressed in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Annual Human Rights Report.

Palestinians

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the likelihood of the reactivation of the EU Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point. [169295]

Hugh Robertson: The EU stands ready to reactivate EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) Rafah as soon as political and security conditions allow. An EU strategic review of the mission is due to take place by spring 2014 where all further options for the mission will be explored. In the interim, EUBAM Rafah will continue to ensure the mission's readiness to return to the Rafah Crossing Point at short notice, and will continue to liaise with the parties on a regular basis.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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. [169320]

Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to ensuring contracts are awarded on the basis of the best value for money for the British tax payer. We expect our contractors to comply with the law, which in the UK would include employers paying at least the national minimum wage. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not use zero-hour contracts.

Religious Freedom

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the number of attacks on individuals in

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the world where the primary cause is due to the individual's

(a)

atheism,

(b)

humanism or

(c)

lack of religious belief. [170078]

Mr Lidington: We condemn all attacks against individuals, anywhere in the world, on the grounds of their faith or belief (including atheists, humanists or those without religious belief) regardless of the country, faith or belief concerned. We do not ourselves track the number of attacks against specific religious or faith groups but are aware of a reported rise in the number of prosecutions of atheists for alleged criticism of religion on social media. FCO officials meet monthly with the British Humanist Association, the International Humanist and Ethical Union and the European Humanist Federation to understand their current concerns and to examine how we can better work together to promote the universal commitment to the freedom of religion or belief. My noble Friend Baroness Warsi also recently met with the British Humanist Association to discuss the global situation with regards to the freedom of thought or conscience.

Syria

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on whether the United Nations chemical weapons inspection team in Syria (a) discovered and (b) sampled any non-weaponised chemical agents. [169552]

Hugh Robertson: The findings of the UN inspection mission are set out in their report of 16 September 2013. The team had a specific mandate to investigate the allegations of the use of chemical weapons, and the report confirms that chemical weapons were used in the attacks on Ghouta on 21 August 2013. No mention is made in the report of the team having sought, discovered, or sampled any non-weaponised chemical agents.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which laboratories the analysis of possible chemical weapons agents collected in Syria by the UN inspection team was conducted. [169553]

Hugh Robertson: The published letter of 13 September 2013 from Professor Sellstrom to the UN Secretary-General covering the findings of the UN inspection mission indicated that analysis was undertaken in four Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) designated laboratories in Finland, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any UK officials were present during the analysis of the samples of possible chemical weapons material collected in Syria. [169554]

Hugh Robertson: The collection and analysis of material pertaining to the UN inspection mission was carried out in accordance with Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) protocols. No UK officials were present.

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Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of whether the Saudi Arabian Government has supplied some rebel groups in Syria with chemicals that could be weaponised. [169569]

Hugh Robertson: We have seen no evidence that Saudi Arabia has supplied rebel groups in Syria with chemicals that could be weaponised.

Terrorism: Finance

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the financial contribution of the illegal wildlife trade to international terrorism. [170048]

Mark Simmonds: We are working with international partners to understand and assess the links, including financial, between the illegal wildlife trade and terrorist groups, in advance of a London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade to be held in February 2014.

West Africa

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department is giving to improve the operation of the rule of law and standards of law enforcement in West Africa. [169220]

Mark Simmonds: The FCO's Drugs and Crime Fund allocated £317,837.50 to projects in West Africa in 2013-14. FCO is chairing the G8 Friends of the Gulf of Guinea Group to support regional efforts to improve maritime security. FCO is also funding discrete projects that build the capacity of west African countries to improve maritime security and counter terrorism.

In addition FCO works closely with Home Office, Department for International Development (DFID) and Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) (post 7 October the National Crime Agency) to support their activities in this field.

Western Sahara

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Polisario on the new protocol of the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement and the inclusion of the waters off Western Sahara within that protocol. [169645]

Hugh Robertson: British Ministers do not have direct contact with the Polisario Front. The new Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) with the Kingdom of Morocco was negotiated by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union. The FPA between the European Union and the Kingdom of Morocco has not yet been agreed. We expect the European Commission to publish proposals in the near future. Those proposals will be considered by both the Council and the European Parliament prior to adoption.

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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Waste Sites: Fires

10. Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fires there have been at waste sites in England regulated by the Environment Agency in the last five years; and what assessment he has made of the environmental and health effects of those fires. [900351]

Dan Rogerson: Between 2008 and 2012 there were 1,390 fire incidents at regulated waste sites. Of these, 122, or 9%, were recorded as having a major or significant impact on people and the environment. The Environment Agency responds to fire incidents at waste sites and works with the fire service and Public Health England to minimise the impact of fires on people and the environment. Where fires are caused by a breach of the environmental permit, the Environment Agency will take appropriate action.

Flood Protection

12. Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many extra properties will be protected from flooding following the 2013 spending round. [900353]

Dan Rogerson: At this stage, DEFRA estimates that the 2013 spending round settlement for flood and coastal erosion risk management should enable the Environment Agency and other risk management authorities to improve the standard of protection to around 300,000 households in the six-year period to 2021. DEFRA will review this estimate as specific projects come forward into the programme.

RSPB

13. David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much grant funding his Department provided to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the last financial year. [900355]

George Eustice: DEFRA provided funding of £726,075 to the RSPB in the last financial year.

Rural Areas: Broadband

15. Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the importance of broadband to the future of the rural economy. [900357]

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the importance of broadband to the future of the rural economy. [900338]

Dan Rogerson: The Government have commissioned a review of the impacts of broadband on the UK. The UK Broadband Impact Study will cover economic growth, social outcomes and environmental impacts. The findings of a literature review, which forms the first part of the study, were published in February and found a strong

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consensus that broadband has a material positive impact on national economies. We expect to publish an impact report next month.

Animal Breeding

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken to ensure more responsible breeding of dogs and cats. [169977]

George Eustice: The Government are keen to encourage more responsible pet ownership. This includes considering whether there is a need to have your animal neutered. There are currently many charities offering opportunities for low cost or no charge neutering.

The Government announced earlier in the year a package of measures to encourage more responsible dog ownership. Microchipping of all dogs from 2016 will help tackle poor commercial dog breeding practices.

Avian Influenza

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency plans are in place to deal with an outbreak of avian influenza. [169998]

George Eustice: DEFRA's Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Disease of Animals sets out our overarching approach for responding to an outbreak of disease in England and has been published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contingency-plan-for-exotic-notifiable-diseases-of-animals--2

DEFRA monitors animal disease incidence around the world to assess the risk of incursion to the UK, with further domestic surveillance used as an early warning system for avian influenza. This, and our wider strategy for preventing and responding to an outbreak of avian influenza, is covered in our Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69550/pb13701-avian-disease-control-strategy.pdf

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what alternatives to free shooting are being considered to increase the number of badgers culled in the (a) Gloucestershire and (b) Somerset pilot zone. [169884]

George Eustice: Controlled shooting and cage-trapping followed by shooting are the only culling methods permitted under licence from Natural England.

Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the closing dates for the two badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire are. [169528]

George Eustice: The pilot badger cull in Somerset concluded on 6 October and that in Gloucestershire is due to conclude on 7 October and 15 October respectively. As set out by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in a

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written ministerial statement of 9 October 2013,

Official Report,

columns 23-24WS, Natural England is currently considering applications for extensions in both cases.

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether preparations are being made by his Department to assume full control of the culling of badgers in the Somerset and Gloucestershire pilot zones. [170028]

George Eustice: There are no plans for my Department to assume full control of the pilot badger cull in Somerset or Gloucestershire.

Carbon Emissions

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department provides in relation to emission levels where applications are received for new operations in areas breaching air quality management limits. [169955]

George Eustice: DEFRA provides guidance on controlling emissions from the wide range of industrial activities which are subject to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010. This is available through the Government's website. It applies in all locations including Air Quality Management Areas.

Fisheries

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the proposal of the Global Ocean Commission for all high seas vessels to carry an International Maritime Organisation number and a tracking system to help prevent illegal fishing and aid conservation and sustainable fisheries management. [169940]

George Eustice: The UK fully supports the idea that all high seas fishing vessels should carry an International Maritime Organisation number. This is an essential step in the establishment of a Global Record of fishing vessels. We also support the use of satellite tracking systems on such vessels. Both of these would provide important tools in tackling IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing.

Livestock: Transport

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Ports, Harbours and Piers Clauses Act 1847 to allow discretion by individual port authorities to ban or control the live export of animals through a port. [169829]

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the reply the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr Heath) gave to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field) on 15 May 2013, Official Report, column 247W.

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Pesticides

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list (a) the research projects fully funded or partly funded by his Department, (b) the project dates, (c) the report titles and (d) any grants issued for studies into the control of cereal aphids without the use of insecticide sprays or seed treatments since 1997. [169836]

George Eustice: A list of completed DEFRA funded and co-funded studies into the control of cereal aphids without the use of insecticides since 1997 are set out in the following table. In addition, there is a current project being undertaken which includes some investigation of the natural enemies of cereal aphids and other pests. Further information on these and other DEFRA funded science and research projects is available at

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/

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Plastic Bags

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to bring forward secondary legislation to implement the provisions of section 77 of the Climate Change Act 2008 on a plastic bags charging scheme in England. [169925]

Dan Rogerson: The Government have recently announced plans to introduce a charge of 5p on single-use plastic carrier bags in autumn 2015 to decrease their distribution in England.

Potatoes

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential for the non-GM blight resistance potatoes bred by the Sárvári Research Trust to reduce the input of agrochemicals and irrigation water in the production of potatoes in the UK. [169837]

George Eustice: Potato genomic and pathology research on blight resistance (eg by the James Hutton Institute funded by the Scottish Government) included some trialling of potato varieties developed by the Sárvári Trust but DEFRA has not directly assessed any potential reduction of inputs associated with their cultivation.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Business: Government Assistance

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) profitability and (b) productivity of UK businesses. [169986]

Michael Fallon: The Government are helping businesses by taking action to achieve strong, sustainable and balanced growth. Our four ambitions for growth are:

to create the most competitive tax system in the G20;

to make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business;

to encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy; and

to create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.

Work is under way across Government to achieve these ambitions, including delivering more than 235 measures outlined in the plan for growth and autumn statement 2011. Implementing these commitments is a

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priority across Government and delivery is on track, with around two-thirds of measures complete. Significant progress has been made on the remaining measures.

The Government have developed an industrial strategy, setting out a long-term, whole of Government approach to give business the confidence to invest. We are offering a spectrum of support for all sectors, with strategic partnerships in eleven sectors based on size and opportunity for future economic growth and employment, barriers to growth and scope for Government action. We are also acting across four cross-cutting themes: technologies, access to finance, skills and procurement.

We have published the following key sector strategies: Life Sciences in December 2012; Aerospace, Nuclear, and Oil and Gas in March 2013; Information Economy in June 2013; Construction, Professional and Business Services, Automotive, Agri-Tech, and International Education in July 2013; and Offshore Wind in August 2013.

The Government asked my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Heseltine to undertake an independent review of competitiveness to contribute to this work and on how the public sector could work with the private sector to deliver pro-growth policies. The report, “No Stone Unturned”, was published in October 2012. The Government published a full response to my right hon. and noble Friend’s report on 18 March 2013 and have accepted either in full or in part 81 of his 89 recommendations.

Companies House

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if Companies House plans to publish a strategy document on its future role, structure and activities. [169826]

Michael Fallon: A full strategic review of the future role, structure, activities and priorities of Companies House was completed in June 2013. Companies House will publish a strategy document in early 2014.

Sir Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans Companies House has to move towards digital data collection and publishing. [170310]

Michael Fallon: Companies House is actively pursuing a digital by default agenda.

77% of all transactions this year have been filed digitally, with 98% of annual returns and incorporations being submitted digitally. Digital filing has grown by 12.5% in the last year and 93% by volume of filings can now be filed digitally at Companies House.

Additionally, 99% of all searches on the register are carried out digitally.

Sir Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) whether Companies House plans to publish a fully open register, accessible to the general public, without charge; [170311]

(2) whether Companies House plans to become a fully open public register. [170312]

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Michael Fallon: The Companies House register is one of the most open company registers in the world. Information on every company and its officers is available free of charge and all information delivered to the Registrar under the Companies Act is made publicly available—with the exception of directors' residential addresses which are exempt in law from disclosure. Companies House charges to access some information to cover the costs of providing it but, as it has delivered efficiencies and improved its services, it has made more information available for free.

Companies House aims to make the information on the register available in line with the Government's open data strategy and this will be further developed as part of its high level strategy which will be published in early 2014.

Credit: Interest Rates

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many consumer credit firms have been subject to enforcement action relating to use of continuous payment authorities in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [170320]

Jo Swinson: The Government and regulators have made clear their real concerns about the way payday lenders can access money from their customers' bank accounts using continuous payment authorities (CPA). As part of a concerted plan for tackling the key problems in this market, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) have been taking strong action on non-compliant payday lenders as a top enforcement priority. We cannot comment on the specifics of individual OFT enforcement actions, but as a result of them since March we have seen 25 lenders exit the payday lending market.

A report published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 3 October on the payday industry's codes of practice provides additional evidence of poor compliance by lenders in meeting their code commitments on increased transparency for consumers around the use of CPA. The Government therefore welcome tough new proposals announced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)—the new consumer credit regulator from April 2014—to impose a cap of no more than two attempts using CPA to take loan repayment and a ban on part payments to stop lenders ‘fishing’ and clearing out borrowers' accounts.

Higher Education: Finance

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the average annual public cost in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16 of a full-time three year undergraduate course, including public funding for teaching, maintenance and RAB charges for loans. [170190]

Mr Willetts: In 2014-15 the average total public cost, for full-time English undergraduates under the 2012 fee and student finance system that are eligible for and take-up both maintenance and fee loans, will be around £6,500 per year.

This is the result of an expected average maintenance and fee loan outlay of £12,000 at a Resource Accounting and Budgeting charge of around 35%, together with an average maintenance grant of £1,700 and an average

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teaching grant of around £600. These estimates exclude the costs of targeted support such as the Disabled Students Allowance and allocations to institutions for widening participation. The teaching grant estimate is for all full-time undergraduates, rather than just those on three-year courses.

Estimated costs for 2015-16 are subject to final decisions on spending review allocations.

Higher Education: Student Numbers

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of undergraduate students aged under 25 in (a) England, (b) the UK, (c) the USA, (d) Canada, (e) Australia, (f) France, (g) Germany and (h) Japan. [170185]

Mr Willetts: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) collates information in order to make comparisons between international education systems in the annual publication “Education at a Glance”.

OECD uses the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) to differentiate between different levels of study. UK undergraduates broadly equate to ISCED Tertiary Type A. For further information on ISCED levels, visit the following link:

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Glossary:ISCED

Estimates for the proportion of all tertiary Type A enrolments aged under 25 years for the selected countries of study in 2010-11 is provided in the table. Estimates for England are not included in the publication.

Land: Registration

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what notice the Land Registry aimed to give of overriding interests being registered under section 117 of the Land Registration Act 2002 in order to allow appeals against such registrations in advance of the 13 October 2013 deadline. [169783]

Michael Fallon: From 13 October 2013, certain property rights will need to be protected by entries being made in Land Registry registers to make sure that they are not lost when the land concerned is next sold. The most important of these rights are manorial rights and chancel repair liability. This change in the law, and the date it is to take place, were set out in legislation which came into

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force 10 years ago. Many of these property rights have already been registered. They can continue to be registered after 12 October 2013 up until the land is sold.

Land Registry does not generally give advance notice of a register entry being made in response to an application from the person claiming one of these property rights. But it does let the landowner know of the entry after it has been made.

If the landowner disputes that the property right affects their land and the dispute cannot be resolved, Land Registry will refer the matter for judicial determination. Land Registry will continue to act in the same way, and disputes will continue to be referred for judicial determination, after 12 October 2013.

Lord Livingston of Parkhead

Mr Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what safeguards he plans to put in place to (a) avoid any possible conflicts of interest or the perception of such a conflict which might arise from Lord Livingston's BT shareholding and policy responsibilities at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and (b) ensure that Lord Livingston is not involved in decisions and discussions relating to the regulation of the communications industry which could affect BT and its competitors. [170285]

Jo Swinson: Every Minister is bound by the Ministerial Code of Conduct, which expressly states that he or she should ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and private interests. To that end, my noble Friend Lord Livingston will be setting up a blind trust to manage his private interests, including his shareholdings in British Telecom (BT).

As Trade Minister within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my noble Friend Lord Livingston will not have any regulatory role. His remit will be to promote Britain abroad as a place to invest, and to increase exports from British business. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will continue to be the lead Department overseeing matters relating to BT and the telecoms industry.

Manufacturing Industries: Exports

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of British manufacturing exports has been in each year since 2010. [169850]

Michael Fallon: The following table shows the value of UK exports of manufactured products for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012.

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Manufacturing Industries: Wind Power

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many wind turbine manufacturers there are in the UK. [170284]

Michael Fallon: There are no manufacturers of large wind turbines. However, there are UK companies manufacturing turbine components, such as generators and gearboxes, as well as UK companies manufacturing the balance of plant such as foundations, cables and electrical infrastructure.

The Renewable UK report “Working for a Green Britain & Northern Ireland 2013-23” published in 2013 suggested that there are around 600 wind and marine energy employers in the UK. Of these 23% (or around 138) were identified as being directly involved in manufacture or manufacturing design, the remainder covering site planning, construction and maintenance among other support activities.

Met Office

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria exist for the awarding of bonuses to Met Office staff. [169972]

Michael Fallon: The Met Office operates a contribution based reward system linked to improved business performance and the delivery of better services for the public and its customers. This includes annual non-consolidated performance payments which are awarded to staff based on performance either at an individual, team or organisational level. This means that staff have part of their pay at risk which has to be re-earned each year. Targets for performance are set by both customers and the Shareholder Executive and are approved at aggregate level by the Met Office Board which includes independent non-executive directors.

Natural Environment Research Council

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) about (a) NERC's proposal for a new centre for doctoral training in oil and gas and (b) recent progress towards NERC's strategic goal of enabling society to respond urgently to global climate change and increasing pressures on natural resources; and if he will make a statement. [170341]

Mr Willetts: I have regular meetings with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and we have discussed a range of issues. However, an update on the two topics is provided here:

(a) Alongside the move to reduce carbon, the oil and gas sector will continue to be of great importance to the UK. This has been recognised by the Government in our Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy, published in March 2013. With global demand for oil forecast to rise by 28% between now and 2053, the industry expects that it will require an additional 15,000 staff over the next four to five years across a range of disciplines including geoscience.

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The NERC call for an oil and gas centre for doctoral training aims to ensure a continued, highly skilled UK workforce, with skills transferable across the energy sector and wider environment sector.

(b) NERC strategy aims to place environmental science at the heart of the responsible management of the planet. It recognises that we benefit from natural resources, must remain resilient to environmental hazards, and manage environmental change. NERC supports all environmental science that provides the evidence base for society to achieve these goals, and NERC also works to translate the science it funds to contribute to UK prosperity.

New Businesses: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) monetary value of loans given to entrepreneurs based in Wrexham under the start-up loans scheme. [169798]

Matthew Hancock: No loans have yet been made in Wrexham. This Department has authorised the Start-Up Loans Company to work with the Welsh Government to identify providers in Wales and we expect contracts to be agreed shortly.

Prospective entrepreneurs in Wales can apply now via the Start-Up Loans website:

www.startuploans.co.uk

and will be automatically directed to a partner once they become available.

Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 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. [169311]

Jo Swinson: Through the procurement tender process, the Department requires that suppliers comply with all relevant UK legislation including 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. The Department will always award contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer—which includes the low paid.

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.

Royal Mail

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he received from the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland regarding the privatisation of Royal Mail. [170021]

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Michael Fallon: I have not received any representations from the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland regarding the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of privatisation of the Royal Mail on (a) jobs and (b) service provision in rural areas. [170022]

Michael Fallon: After the IPO, Royal Mail will continue to be the UK's designated universal service provider and will be obliged to provide a uniform one price goes anywhere six day a week service throughout the UK to urban and rural areas.

As now, decisions on the number of staff needed to deliver the universal service and non-universal services will be an operational matter for Royal Mail. In public ownership, 50,000 jobs have been lost in the past 10 years.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of funds raised through the sale of Royal Mail will be reinvested in the business. [170069]

Michael Fallon: Proceeds from the sale will go to the Exchequer.

The sale allows Royal Mail to access flexible private sector capital to enable Royal Mail to continue its modernisation programme and to seize opportunities to grow the business such as the increases in parcel volumes due to the boom in internet shopping.

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to page 7 of the Royal Mail plc Summary Prospectus, if he will place in the Library a copy of the relationship agreement. [170304]

Michael Fallon: The Relationship Agreement has been summarised on pages 223 to 225 of the Securities Note that forms part of the Prospectus.

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to page 15 of the Royal Mail summary prospectus if he has decided who he will nominate as non-executive director following privatisation. [170305]

Michael Fallon: Under the Relationship Agreement, the Government will retain the right to appoint a non-executive director to the board of Royal Mail but has decided not to appoint one at the time of the IPO.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the postal address file will be included in the privatisation of Royal Mail. [170338]

Michael Fallon: The postcode address file (PAF) is a fully integrated part of Royal Mail's operations. PAF will remain under Royal Mail's ownership, but subject to existing legislation that safeguards PAF and ensures that it is maintained and made available to anyone who

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wishes to use it on reasonable terms. These legislative protections will continue to apply regardless of Royal Mail's ownership.

Students: Fees and Charges

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what average annual fee income will be received from each student subject to

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regulated fees by English higher education institutions in

(a)

2014-15,

(b)

2013-14 and

(c)

2012-13. [170099]

Mr Willetts: The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) publishes estimates of the average full-time undergraduate tuition fee level at English Higher Education Institutions and Further Education Colleges for people starting their courses in September 2012 or later.

Information on institutional fee levels for all three years is available from:

http://www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2013-04-Access-agreements-2014-15.pdf

http://www.offa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/OFFA-2012.07-access-agreement-2013-14-doc-FINAL-FOR-WEB.pdf

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the average fee to study a part-time degree in (a) 2005, (b) 2010 and (c) the most recent year for which figures are available. [170100]

Mr Willetts: Information on fees for part-time degree courses has not been collected centrally by BIS or other bodies. Last year OFFA collected information on the maximum full-time equivalent (FTE) fee for part-time study and the maximum fee payable in one year. It also collected information on number of part-time students paying above the basic fee level (FTE £6,000 pa) and total income from fees above the basic level.

Some historical information on changes in part-time fees is available in the report ‘Futuretrack Part-Time Higher Education Students—the benefits of part-time higher education after 3 years’ (C. Callender & D. Wilkinson, 2012) which was partly funded by BIS. It also includes the following table on part-time fees in 2012-13 for the following institutions:

Students: Loans

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to review its policy of not having a dedicated budget to market or directly promote 24+ advanced learning loans to potential applicants. [169778]

Matthew Hancock: There has been a full programme of communications activity to inform potential learners about the availability of loans, delivered through colleges and training organisations. We took this approach because our research showed that all learners have contact with a college or training organisation in their journey into further education, so this was the most important route to use in giving messages about loans. We have made available to providers a range of learner communication materials and resources that have been well received by colleges and training organisations.

Information about 24+ advanced learning loans is also directly available to learners on GOV.UK, the National Careers Service website and the Money Advice Service website.

The Department felt that to run a direct marketing campaign for a programme that affects such a small proportion of the overall further education sector may lead to confusion for the vast majority who are not eligible for a loan.

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of graduates commencing their studies in 2013-14 will repay in full their (a) tuition fee loans and (b) maintenance loans. [170098]

Mr Willetts: I expect that 50% to 60% of borrowers who commence their studies in 2013-14 will fully repay their loans. Borrowers have a single balance for all their loans, which means that fee and maintenance loans are usually paid off over the same period.

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Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions Ministers of his Department have had with the Skills Funding Agency regarding the allocation priorities for 24+ advanced learning loans. [170324]

Matthew Hancock: The Skills Funding Agency has started the process of ‘in year' performance and budget management for 24+ advanced learning loans and has already made adjustments to some loan facilities in light of demand so far. They will continue to do this throughout the year to ensure full and effective use of the loans budget in response to learner demand and choice. Providers can contact the agency at any time to discuss adjustments to their facilities.

The Department is currently working with the Skills Funding Agency to agree the allocations process and timetable for 2014/15.

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with further education colleges and independent providers about the suitability of courses being offered for 24+ advanced learning loans. [170325]

Matthew Hancock: 24+ advanced learning loans can be used to support the same qualifications (at Level 3/4) that are eligible for public funding more widely.

The value, rigour and relevance of qualifications is currently the subject of a major review being led by Nigel Whitehead as part of the Government's drive to make the further education system responsive to the needs of employers and the wider economy.

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's statistics on 24+ advanced learning loans applications, published on 26 September 2013, for what reasons and in what categories 645 applications in the period 1-31 August 2013 were deemed ineligible; and what plans he has to reduce the number of ineligible applications in the future. [170326]

Matthew Hancock: The 645 ineligible loan applications are 3.9% of overall applications from 1-31 August 2013. Initial analysis undertaken by the Student Loans Company (SLC) shows that around 36% of cases were deemed ineligible for residency or age; a further 35% were where either the provider or course were not approved for loan funding ; around 23% were related to learning duration/course duplication and the remaining 6% were for arrears on a previous loan.

The SLC is drafting further guidance for learning providers to explain the most common reasons for applications being deemed ineligible to help reduce future cases where possible. The Skills Funding Agency will feed this information back to providers.

Summertime

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on daylight saving time. [170062]

Jo Swinson: The Government have no plans to change the current arrangements on daylight saving time.

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Currently, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time in the winter and is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in the summer (British Summer Time).

Unemployment: Young People

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of young people aged 19 to 25 who are not in education, employment or training have a disability or special educational need. [170177]

Matthew Hancock: The Government do not classify people aged 25 and over as not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Vocational Training

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department allocated for traineeships in 2013-14; and from which departmental funding streams this is to be delivered. [170323]

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) funds skills provision for those aged 19 and over through the Adult Skills Budget (ASB), allocated to providers by the Skills Funding Agency. Providers have the flexibility to use their funding to tailor their provision in response to local demand. Therefore the number of traineeship places funded will reflect the number of employers and education and training providers who choose to offer a place, and the number of eligible young people who wish to take one.

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's announcement on new funding for traineeships scheme on 3 October 2013, whether the extra £20 million funding will be taken from the existing budget for apprenticeships for 2013-14. [170327]

Matthew Hancock: The Skills Funding Agency is making available an additional £20 million for providers to support the expansion of traineeships for 19 to 23-year-olds in 2013/14. This money is additional funding to the Adult Skills Budget therefore it will not impact on the funding allocated for apprenticeships.

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Justice

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010. [168596]

Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice's reporting systems do not identify spend on accountants separately within its staff costs. The information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) his 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. [168774]

Mr Vara: This information is not held by the Ministry of Justice and was requested from our current supplier. A manual check would be required to isolate the data requested and this would incur a disproportionate cost.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost. [168807]

Mr Vara: There is no central record of refurbishments that have been carried out across the Ministry of Justice's estate for the last 24 months. The Department currently occupies more than 1,500 buildings and these details could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property. [169426]

Mr Vara: The following table shows how many metres squared of office space the Department owns and rents in central London.

The Department owns one freehold office property in London. We do not have market valuations for this, however the book valuation which is held for accounting purposes only was listed in the Department's Asset Register as £12.5 million at 31 March 2013.

We will have reduced our central London office estate from 18 buildings in 2010 to six in 2013. This represents a saving to the Department of over £30 million per annum. Our commitment is to further reduce our office estate to a maximum of two properties by 2016 saving a total of £47 million per annum.

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Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [169453]

Mr Vara: There is no central record of total expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) the Ministry of Justice and (b) the Ministry of Justice's non-departmental public bodies. The Department currently occupies more than 1,500 buildings and these details could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [169467]

Mr Vara: The Estates Transformation Programme (ETP) aims to reduce the MOJ administrative estate by 50% and reduce the overall operation cost of running the estate by £47 million a year by 2014-15. By 2014-15 we will have reduced our total administrative property holdings from 185 to 94, including 18 to two in central London. Reductions to date have been achieved through an aggressive approach to the disposal of leases and freehold property and by moving the Department to adopt a flexible desking approach (seven desks to every 10 people) in line with Government Property Unit targets.

Under the auspices of ETP since April 2012 there have been around 100 office moves ranging from small internal moves to emptying entire buildings. Some internal re-stacking moves have been required to better align space for incoming teams and to achieve best use of space as the organisation changes.

The cost of office removals and refurbishment and on how many occasions offices refurbished by the MOJ have been used by the Department's staff for less than four years before a further move, since 2009-10, is not collected centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012. [168685]

Mr Vara: Christmas cards were sent electronically at no additional cost to the Department.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints the Office for Judicial Complaints received in relation to coroners in each category of complaint in each year since 2006. [169516]

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Mr Vara: The following tables set out the complaints received against coroners by category for the last two financial years. This information is only held by the OJC for two years in accordance with its information retention policy. Information for the period 2006 to April 2011 is therefore no longer held.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints were made relating to coroners, coroners' offices or inquests in each coroner district in each year since May 2010. [169560]

Mr Vara: The Office for Judicial Complaints is responsible for handling all complaints about coroner conduct. It is bound by section 139 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the release of information which could lead to identification of individual coroners would be a breach of confidentiality under the Act.

Information is not held centrally on complaints about coroners' offices, their officers or standards of service received in coroner investigations and inquests. Such complaints would normally be directed to the relevant coroner or local authority. A coroner's conclusion at the end of an investigation or inquest can be challenged by way of judicial review or an application to the Attorney-General for a fresh investigation.

Courts: Newport

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many litigants in person there were in (a) civil and (b) family cases at Newport Civil and Family

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Court between (i) April 2012 and April 2013 and (ii) April 2013 and 31August 2013. [170054]

Mr Vara: We do not hold this information on a court by court basis. We do however collate information about representation in family courts at a national level, which is available in table 2.4 at this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/court-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2013

Parties with no legal representation are not a new phenomenon in our courts. Judges are used to helping persons with no legal representation, including explaining procedures and what is expected of them. We have taken steps to help people who either want or have to represent themselves in court, including publishing a revised guide for separating parents and increased training for judges. The link to the guide is:

http://hmctsformfinder.justice.gov.uk/HMCTS/GetForms.do?court_forms_num=cb7&court_forms_title=&court _forms_category=

Courts: Sunderland

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the Answer of 21 July 2010, Official Report, column 322W, on courts: Sunderland, what the cost was of (a) commissioning architects and (b) buying land for the redevelopment of Sunderland City Court. [167225]

Mr Vara: The information is as follows:

(a) Under the previous Government, £1,086,303 was paid to the appointed concept designer for architectural design services.

(b) The cost of buying the land, from Sunderland city council, was £876,353.

In July 2009, the estimated build cost of the proposed justice centre was in excess of £90 million. All major build projects have been reconsidered in light of the Spending Review 2010. It remains the position that no final decisions have been made about the future use of the land.

Fines

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the link between court-imposed fines and payday loans since August 2012. [169526]

Mr Vara: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not have any way of identifying offenders who also owe or have previously owed money on payday loans.

The information HMCTS holds on offenders is provided by the prosecuting authorities, by the offenders themselves, and by using the tracing tools HMCTS has at its disposal, such as the Experian credit reference agency and the Department for Work and Pensions customer information system. The means form that defendants are asked to complete asks them to provide details of loan amounts they are repaying, but as many defendants do not provide financial means information to the court, HMCTS does not know what other financial commitments they have.

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Freehold

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to (a) review and (b) strengthen the rights of freehold property owners who as part of the freehold purchase of their property have a management company imposed upon them. [169664]

Mr Vara: The Government have no plans to review or strengthen the rights of freeholders in these circumstances. We will, however, continue to monitor the situation.

Legal Costs

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available. [168554]

Mr Vara: The information I am providing covers external legal spend by the Ministry of Justice and its Executive Agencies (Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, and the National Offender Management Service). It does not cover spend on external legal advice by the Department's arm’s length bodies.

In answering the question I have assumed that external legal spend in this context means spend on legal advice given to the Department other than the Ministry of Justice Legal Department or the Treasury Solicitor's Department. The Treasury Solicitor's Department conducts the majority of the litigation for the Department and therefore the majority of spend on litigation is not reflected in the following figures.

Total external legal spend by the Ministry of Justice, HMCTS and NOMS, in 2012-13 was £3,802,979.93. This compares to £4,501,861.00 in 2010-11.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what information his Department intends to collect on the use of pre-medical offers in road traffic accident personal injury claims; [169513]

(2) what discussions he has with (a) insurance industry representatives and (b) claimant representatives about pre-medical offers in road traffic accident personal injury claims; [169514]

(3) what steps his Department is taking to discourage the use of pre-medical offers in road traffic accident personal injury claims; [169515]

(4) what steps he plans to take to ensure that medical evidence is required before any compensation is paid in a road traffic accident personal injury claim; [169517]

(5) what assessment he has made of the effect of pre-medical offers on the number of fraudulent and exaggerated whiplash claims. [169531]

Mr Vara: This Government are committed to reducing the number and cost of whiplash claims to help bring down the cost of motor insurance premiums for consumers.

We believe that better medical evidence would help to challenge and reduce the number of fraudulent or exaggerated whiplash claims. Where a claim is genuine,

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we want to see medical evidence play a part in getting honest motorists early compensation for their injuries.

In our recent consultation, “Reducing the number and cost of whiplash claims”, we sought views on improving the current arrangements for diagnosing possible whiplash injuries through the creation of independent medical panels.

During consultation, stakeholders raised a number of issues relating to medical evidence, including the use of pre-medical offers in personal injury cases and their effect on fraudulent and exaggerated claims. A range of views were expressed by respondents, including discouraging such offers and requiring that medical reports are completed before compensation can be paid.

Ministers have had no meetings with stakeholders regarding the issue of pre-medical offers. However, Ministry of Justice officials held meetings with stakeholder groups during consultation when the issue was discussed. These sessions included representatives from both claimant and defendant groups including:

Association of British Insurers

Association of Personal Injury Lawyers

Forum of Insurance Lawyers

Motor Accident Solicitors Society.

The Ministry of Justice is now evaluating the evidence submitted to its consultation, alongside the recommendations of the Transport Select Committee inquiry report on whiplash published on 31 July. The Government will set out the way forward on reducing the number and cost of whiplash claims later this year.

Press: Subscriptions

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [168704]

Mr Vara: The Secretary of State for Justice’s ministerial office subscribes to the following newspapers on a daily basis: Financial Times, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, Daily Mail, Daily Express, The Sun and the Daily Mirror.

Procurement

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons his Department's end user computing and common services contract has been suspended. [163254]

Mr Vara: My Department has terminated the EUC procurement as it intends to procure the services needed using a different process. The Department has determined that changes are needed to the structure of some of the Future IT Sourcing (FITS) Programme's Service Towers and is revising the scope of services to be procured. This amounts to a material change of scope in the End User Computing Tower. The Ministry of Justice remains committed to the FITS Programme and the delivery of the associated benefits and outcomes.

The revised scope, which has been agreed with the Cabinet Office, separates the original requirement into four key areas: Core End User Computing Services,

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Print Services, Workgroup Collaboration and Identity and Access Management. It extracts the data centre component services from the scope of EUC and includes this as part of the Data Centre Facilities procurement, and extracts the provision of Local Area Networks and includes this as part of the Networks WAN/LAN procurement.

This new procurement retains the broad requirement of the original, but encourages greater interest from SMEs and companies with significant volumes of SMEs in the supply chain.

In the event that SMEs are not successful in their own right, SMEs will be given the option of their details being forwarded to qualifying suppliers.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [169324]

Mr Vara: The MOJ undertakes an assessment of relevant tenders submitted by potential suppliers in relation to the use of zero hour's contracts and the legal obligations regarding payment of the minimum wage. The MOJ is sympathetic to the Living Wage campaign and we are currently reviewing how MOJ might introduce appropriate provisions to current and future contracts which take the living wage into account. Any decision must strive for a balance between fairness and value for money for the taxpayer.

Public Buildings: Stoke on Trent

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much his Department paid to the relevant local authority to purchase Fenton Town Hall building; [170017]

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(2) how much in rent for the use of Fenton Town Hall building has been paid by his Department and its predecessor Departments to the relevant local authority during each of the last 25 years. [170018]

Mr Vara: Until 1 April 2005 magistrates courts were the responsibility of locally managed magistrates courts committees and therefore information prior to 2005-06 is not held by the MOJ.

The freehold of Fenton magistrates court was transferred under the Courts Act 2003 at nil cost to the local magistrates courts committee and then to the Department in 2005.

In disposing of surplus assets the Ministry of Justice is required to receive best value in order to safeguard value for the taxpayer. We are currently considering options for the disposal of the property.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [168790]

Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice commissions analysis and research to support departmental priorities and policy development from external organisations where this offers value for money and the relevant expertise is not available in-house. The total spend on research has reduced by more than half since 2009-10.

A list of research commissioned in each year since 2010 where the report has been published by the Ministry of Justice is provided in the following table. The title of the report and the commissioned organisation/authors and total cost of the overall research contract associated with the report has also been given. Future reports will be published in due course, subject to the usual quality assurance checks.

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Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences. [168631]

Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice does not record separately the printing costs for internal and external audiences. To obtain this information manually would incur a disproportionate cost.

Richard III

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent progress has been made on re-burial of the remains of King Richard III; and if he will make a statement. [170322]

Mr Vara: In August a judge granted permission to the Plantagenet Alliance Limited to judicially review the decision of my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice to grant a licence to the university of Leicester to exhume remains which turned out to be those of Richard III. The Secretary of State is vigorously defending the judicial review which is listed to be heard by the Administrative Court on 26 November.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [168825]

Mr Vara: 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 inDr 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 OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Tenants: Evictions

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many tenant evictions for landlord possession took place in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; [169238]

(2) how many tenant evictions for landlord possession took place in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; and how many of those evictions were of (i) social housing and (ii) private sector tenants. [169239]

Mr Vara: The information requested is not available. The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the total number of tenant evictions. Our figures only include the number of repossessions carried out by county court bailiffs which does not equate to the total number of evictions.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of people successfully appealed against a work capability assessment decision in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2011, (c) 2010 and (d) 2009. [169612]

Mr Vara: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA), decisions in which the work capability assessment (WCA) is a key factor, rather than appeals against WCA-decisions themselves. HMCTS does not, therefore, hold the information requested.

Information on appeals against ESA decisions is published by HMCTS in Tribunal Statistics quarterly. The most recent report for the period April to June 2013, which includes the proportion of decisions upheld and in favour of the appellant since 2009/10, can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2013

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Communities and Local Government

Buildings

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the expenditure on office refurbishment by (a) his

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Department and

(b)

his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each year since 2010-11. [169443]

Brandon Lewis: Since May 2010 the Department has significantly reduced the size of its office estate by surrendering unwanted buildings and sub-letting unwanted space to others. The office refurbishments undertaken by the DCLG and its non-departmental public bodies since May 2010 are set out in the following tables:

The savings identified above form part of the Department's drive to reduce the size and cost of its office estate. Since May 2010 the Department has surrendered six leasehold office properties through a combination of lease breaks and expiries, generating net savings in the period of around £7 million per annum.

The Department has also successfully sub-let surplus space across its leasehold office estate during the same period, reducing the overall property costs by around £6.5 million per annum.

Building on this success, in 2013-14 we have already secured additional savings of £1.5 million by sub-letting further space in Eland House.

Most recently, the Department negotiated the early surrender of Eland House, with DCLG scheduled to relocate to share 2 Marsham Street with the Home Office during the summer of 2014, realising annual savings of around £9 million for DCLG and around £24 million for Government.

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This illustrates the scope for local government, and indeed the public sector as a whole, to make sensible savings through better property management.

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 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

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period have been used by his Department's staff for less than four years before a further move. [169457]

Brandon Lewis: Since May 2010 the Department for Communities and Local Government has significantly reduced the size of its office estate by surrendering unwanted buildings and sub-letting unwanted space to others. The Department does not hold details of the number of individual staff moves involved.

The office relocations and refurbishments undertaken by DCLG and its non-departmental public bodies since 2009-10 are set out in the following tables:

A. Removals

DCLG's removal costs

DCLG Non-Departmental Public Bodies removal costs

The removal costs are in addition to the wider refurbishment costs set out and support the achievement of the efficiency savings identified as follows.

B. Refurbishments

DCLG Refurbishment costs