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DCLG Non-Departmental Public Bodies refurbishment costs

To date, no offices were occupied for less than four years.

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.

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

Council Tax

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the value of uncollected council tax in each of the last three financial years in (a) England and (b) each local authority area. [169430]

Brandon Lewis: In England, in each of the last three financial years, the amount of council tax not collected by the end of the year in which it is due is as follows:

In our best practice document, “50 ways to save”, we listed improving council tax collection rates as a key way of making sensible savings to help keep overall council tax bills down and protect frontline services. In 2012-13, the best authorities collected 99.5% of council tax owed, but the worst collected just 92.1%. Every penny of council tax that is not collected means a higher council tax for the law-abiding citizen who does pay on time.

It is important that councils are sympathetic to those in genuine hardship, are proportionate in enforcement and do not overuse bailiffs. However, these figures show that there is a significant source of income for councils, which councils could use to support frontline service or cut council tax bills.

The equivalent information for local authorities in England can be derived from statistical releases on council tax collection rates published on the DCLG part of the gov.uk website by comparing the total amount due for collection (the net collectable debit) and the amount collected.

Local authority data for 2010-11 can be found in table 7 of the 2010-11 release:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2010-to-2011

Local authority data for 2011-12 and 2012-13 can be found in table 4 of the 2012-13 release:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2012-to-2013

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The figures in the releases show the amount of council tax collected up to 31 March of the year in question. The collection of council tax continues after this date so the final amount not collected in respect of the years shown may be lower than that shown.

The data are as reported by all billing authorities in England on the annual quarterly collection rates of council tax return.

Housing: Overcrowding

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many and what proportion of households which are in (a) social housing, (b) private rented accommodation and (c) owner occupation are deemed to be overcrowded in each local authority; [169240]

(2) what the percentage change has been of the number and proportion of households in (a) social housing, (b) private rented accommodation and (c) owner occupation deemed to be overcrowded in each English local authority in the last 10 years. [169241]

Kris Hopkins: The Department for Communities and Local Government measures overcrowding using the English Housing Survey.

Between 2002-03 and 2011-12, the overcrowding rate in the social rented sector in England increased from 5% to 7% (from 216,000 to 249,000 households). In the private rented sector, the overcrowding rate increased from 4% to 6% (from 80,000 to 207,000 households). The overcrowding rate in the owner occupied sector remained steady at 1% (204,000 households in 2002-03; 187,000 in 2011-12).

The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect local authority level data on overcrowding; these statistics were collected by the Office for National Statistics for the first time in the 2011 census.

This Government are committed to reducing overcrowding, by increasing the supply of affordable housing and enabling councils and other social landlords to make better use of the existing stock.

We have delivered over 150,000 new affordable homes over the past three years thanks to the wider affordable homes programmes. Over 84,000 homes have already been delivered under the current programme which invests £19.5 billion of public and private funding in affordable housing over this spending review period between 2011-12 and 2014-15. In additions, a further £23 billion of public and private investment will deliver 165,000 new affordable homes between 2015 and 2018. The rate of affordable house-building will soon be at the highest level for two decades.

Our reforms to social housing allocations, homelessness, mobility and tenure give councils and landlords the tools they need to tackle overcrowding, while our statutory allocations guidance encourages councils to use a modern measure of overcrowding, the ‘bedroom standard’, when assessing whether families in crowded homes should have priority for social housing.

Our social housing reforms, together with the removal of the spare room subsidy, will encourage a more efficient and flexible use of social housing.

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Local Government: Allowances and Pay

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the payment of market supplement allowances to senior local authority officials. [170143]

Brandon Lewis: Local government pay decisions are ultimately a matter for local authorities. However, in our best practice document, “50 ways to save”, we have made clear that reducing senior pay bills is a key way to deliver sensible savings to protect frontline services and keep council tax down.

Through the Localism Act and the local government Transparency Code we have taken a series of steps to increase local accountability and local transparency on the setting of senior pay, so that elected local councillors take the decisions in an open manner and are held to account for the decisions they make. This includes decisions about local policies on increases and additions to the remuneration of senior officers.

In my own Department, we are currently reviewing and reducing the number of allowances that we have inherited from the last Administration. Since May 2010, Ministers have taken a 5% pay cut and frozen their pay for five years, to lead by example in cutting senior pay.

Local Government: Fraud

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of money lost to local authorities in England through fraud in each of the last three financial years; and what steps he plans to take to tackle such losses. [169431]

Brandon Lewis: The Department does not collect or estimate this information. The National Fraud Authority publishes an Annual Fraud Indicator and its assessment this year is that non-benefit fraud against local government is £2.1 billion.

Fighting Fraud Locally, local government's strategy, was published in April 2012. Developed by local government for local government, it provides a blueprint for how local government can reduce its vulnerability to fraud, realise cash savings, and work together to prevent future fraud losses. The Department for Communities and Local Government has been actively involved in this work.

In my Department's best practice document, “50 ways to save”, we identified tackling fraud as a key way that councils can make sensible savings to protect frontline services and keep council tax down.

Non-domestic Rates

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the value of extending rate relief for small businesses. [169399]

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 8 October 2013]: The Small Business Rate Relief scheme is funded from within the business rates system through a higher multiplier for larger premises. Since October 2010, this has been temporarily doubled to provide 100% relief to premises

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valued below £6,000 and tapering to 0% for premises valued below £12,000 benefiting approximately half a million ratepayers, with approximately a third of a million businesses paying no rates at all. The cost of this temporary doubling has been met by the Exchequer and it was estimated to cost £475 million for the financial year 2013-14 in Great Britain, as set out at autumn statement 2012. The total amount of small business rate relief given out has trebled from £333 million in 2009-10 to £900 million in 2012-13.

Public Relations

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged. [168658]

Brandon Lewis: The information is as follows:

External public relations

The core Department has spent nothing on external public relations from 2010-11 to 2012-13. This compares with the last Administration which spent nearly £1.1 million in 2009-10, on top of employing over 100 in-house communications staff, as outlined in my answer of 13 June 2013, Official Report, columns 386-87W.

The Homes and Communities Agency spent approximately £1,000 on external public relations in 2010-11, but this was a late invoice for 2009-10 activity.

The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre does undertake some public relations spending in its capacity as a commercial trading fund to generate sales leads for the venue. It does not have an in-house press office. It spent £39,000 in 2009-10 and in 2010-11, and £36,000 in 2011-12 and in 2012-13. This spending is fully covered by the revenues from commercial bookings.

Public affairs consultancy

My Department has spent nothing since 2010-11 on public affairs consultancy. Ministers in this Government in May to July 2010 instructed all our arm’s length bodies to cancel all such contracts, and there should have been no further expenditure other than the termination of those contracts during 2010-11, as outlined in the answer to my question of 14 December 2010, Official Report, column 676-77W.

To place this in context, taxpayers' money in the last Administration was being spent on the likes of:

LLM Communications by DCLG to run a “sock puppet” campaign in favour of Regional Spatial Strategies;

Chelgate by West Northamptonshire Development Corporation with a remit including the goal of securing “additional funding” from DCLG;

Mandate by Ordnance Survey, which included lobbying the Conservative Party in opposition behind Labour Ministers' backs;

APCO Worldwide by the Tenant Services Authority, which included the executive agency asking the lobbyists to arrange meetings with Labour Ministers;

Connect Public Affairs and London Communications Agency and Euro RSCG Apex Communications by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation;

Connect Public Affairs and London Communications Agency by Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation;

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Communique by the Homes and Communities Agency;

Four Communications by the Fire Service College;

APCO Worldwide by the Housing Ombudsman; and

Connect Public Affairs by the Audit Commission to “combat the activities of Eric Pickles” (arguably, one of the least successful lobbying campaigns in history).

Information is not otherwise held for DCLG arm’s length bodies which have been abolished over this period.

Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2013, Official Report, column 908W, on rented housing: electrical safety, what progress he has made with the review of licensing; what steps he intends to take as a result of this review; and if he will make a statement. [170064]

Stephen Williams: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 8 October 2013, Official Report, columns 142-3W.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what consideration he has given to the introduction of (a) exclusion zones and (b) minimum separation distances between large scale groups of wind turbines and the nearest residential properties; [169060]

(2) what consideration he has given to the introduction of exclusion zones for wind turbines in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty. [169061]

Kris Hopkins: The National Planning Policy Framework expects local councils to design their policies to ensure that adverse impacts from renewable energy developments are addressed satisfactorily and makes clear that a planning application for renewable energy should be approved only if the impact is, or can be made, acceptable. The National Planning Policy Framework also makes clear that great weight should be given to conserving landscape and scenic beauty in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

To help implement the framework, we published new planning practice guidance for renewable and low carbon energy. The guidance is clear that the need for renewable energy does not automatically override environmental protections and the planning concerns of local people. It also underlines that in shaping local criteria for inclusion in local plans, and considering applications in the meantime, proposals for wind turbines in areas close to national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty will need careful consideration where there could be an adverse impact on the protected area.

The guidance explains that local planning authorities should not rule out otherwise acceptable renewable energy developments through inflexible rules on buffer zones or separation distances. This is because other than when dealing with set back distances for safety, distance of itself does not necessarily determine whether the impact of a proposal is unacceptable. Distance plays a part, but so does the local context including factors such as topography, the local environment and

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nearby land uses. This is why it is important to think about in what circumstances proposals are likely to be acceptable and plan on this basis.

Culture, Media and Sport

Carbon Emissions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available. [169864]

Mrs Grant: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not spent any money towards the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework.

Civil Partnerships

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on civil partnerships for heterosexual couples. [170191]

Mrs Grant: Civil partnership was created to enable same sex couples to obtain legal recognition of their relationship and equivalent rights and responsibilities to marriage. We currently have no plans to open civil partnership to opposite sex couples, as this recognition and these rights and responsibilities are available to them through marriage and there is no evidence that significant numbers of opposite sex couples want a civil partnership. However as part of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 we are currently reviewing the future and operation of the Civil Partnership Act 2004.

Telecommunications

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to ensure that purchasers of new-build housing have timely access to telephone and broadband services. [170047]

Mr Vaizey: The Government are confident that communications providers are working effectively with developers and house builders to provide telephone and broadband services in new-build housing. Progress is being driven by the growing demand for these services, as consumers are increasingly making decisions to buy or rent property based on broadband availability.

The market is also supported by the Government sponsored Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 2016, published in December 2010, which sets out best practice for developers and house builders installing digital communications infrastructures to and within new-build housing.

A copy of the PAS 2016 can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pas-2016-2010-next-generation-access-for-new-build-homes-guide

Deputy Prime Minister

Electoral Register

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent assessment he has made of the readiness of local authorities to implement individual electoral registration. [169909]

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Greg Clark: The Government intend to assess the readiness of local authorities to implement individual electoral registration (IER) later in the year, which will inform our decision on a timetable for introduction of IER.

Members: Conduct

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the statement of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 103WS, on recalls of MPs, whether he expects to publish his proposals for recall of hon. Members by their constituents before the Christmas recess. [169928]

Greg Clark: The Government believe a recall system is necessary to close the gap in current parliamentary procedures for MPs who have committed serious wrongdoing.

The Government remain committed to introducing provisions setting out a recall mechanism which is transparent, robust and fair and will introduce a Bill when parliamentary time allows.

Primary Elections

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow 200 all-postal primaries. [170031]

Greg Clark: The Government are continuing to consider the detail of how to take forward this measure. However the political parties can choose all-postal primaries where they want to without requiring this to be funded by the taxpayer, or requiring primary legislation.

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

Hywel Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what formal assessment he has made of the potential effect of the provisions of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill on the functioning of the National Assembly for Wales. [168964]

Greg Clark: As the provisions for a statutory register of lobbyists relate only to lobbying of the UK Government, we do not anticipate any impact on the functioning of the National Assembly for Wales.

Part 2 of the Bill impacts third parties that campaign in elections, including those elections to the devolved legislatures; it does not however impact on the functioning of the National Assembly for Wales.

The provisions within Part 3 of the Bill do not impact on the functioning of the National Assembly for Wales.

Voluntary Work

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the financial value of volunteering and unpaid care by staff of his Office. [170439]

The Deputy Prime Minister: No such assessment has been made.

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Voting Rights

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research or reports have been (a) commissioned and (b) assessed by the Government on the voting rights of Commonwealth citizens; and what the recommendations of those reports were. [170042]

Greg Clark: The Government have not commissioned or assessed research on the voting rights of Commonwealth citizens.

The right of resident Commonwealth citizens to vote in UK elections reflects our close and valued historical ties with the Commonwealth countries.

On those occasions when it has considered this issue, Parliament has taken the view that the existing rights of groups which have entitlement to vote should not be changed.

Cabinet Office

Average Earnings

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average weekly gross earnings of full-time

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employed

(a)

men and

(b)

women in (i) Wrexham constituency, (ii) North Wales and (iii) England were in (A) cash terms and (B) constant prices in each year since 2006-07. [169736]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average weekly gross earnings of full-time employed (a) men and (b) women in (i) Wrexham constituency, (ii) North Wales and (iii) England were in (A) cash terms and <B) constant prices in each year since 2006-07. (169736)

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures are not available for North Wales since this does not correspond to any standard statistical geographic area, but figures for Wales are available.

The tables show estimates of median gross weekly earnings in Wrexham constituency, Wales and England from 2006 to 2012, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided for full-time male employees and full-time female employees and are given separately in cash terms and in 2012 prices.

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British Nationals Abroad: Mauritius

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many UK citizens visited Mauritius in each of the last five years. [169811]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many UK citizens visited Mauritius in each of the last five years [169811].

I am able to report estimated visits to Mauritius made by UK citizens or nationals who are resident in the UK. Estimates are derived from the International Passenger Survey and are provided separately from 2008 to 2012.

Please note that if more than one country was visited during a trip abroad only the main country visited is recorded. This means that if a UK national residing in the UK visited Mauritius and another country in the same visit and Mauritius was stayed in for longest, only Mauritius would be recorded in the estimates.

The IPS is a sample survey and is subject to sampling errors. The 2012 annual 95 per cent confidence interval relating to overseas travel and tourism visits from the UK is approximately +/-13.6 per cent of the estimate for “Other African” countries such as Mauritius.

Buildings

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many square metres of office space his Department (a) owns and (b) rents in London; and what the value is of that property. [169415]

Mr Maude: Since the general election, my Department has disposed of a net 13,444 square metres of office space. The sale of Admiralty Arch alone, which was under-occupied and costing the taxpayer £4.3 million to maintain a year, has raised £60 million for the public purse. Working across Government, my Department's Efficiency and Reform Group has supported Departments in making savings of £620 million last year from property.

The Cabinet Office currently owns 9,675 square metres and rents 12,825 square metres of office space in London. 8,583 square metres of the rented property is in the Treasury building on 1 Horse Guard's Road which is now co-occupied by Cabinet Office staff.

Information for previous years on property is as follows:

The value of the property is published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available in the Library.

Carbon Emissions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) 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; [169503]

(2) how much money his Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available. [169865]

Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office seeks wherever possible to drive down its energy use and associated carbon emissions and costs; it does not currently offset energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from its estate,

The Department does, however, offset carbon emissions arising as a result of air travel. This is done through the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF). In the 2012-13, the cost for doing this was £782.

Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals

James Wharton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) when the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals will next meet; [170213]

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(2) what recent representations he has received on the frequency of meetings of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals. [170214]

Mr Maude: No date has yet been fixed for the next meeting of the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals. I have received no representations on the frequency of the Committee's meetings.

Consultants

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much his Department and its associated public bodies spent on (a) external public relations consultants and (b) public affairs consultants, in each of the past three years; and for what purposes such consultants were engaged; [168657]

(2) with what consultancy firms his Department has contracted to provide advice relating to property and estates in the last 24 months. [168872]

Mr Hurd: Government spend on consultancy has fallen dramatically since the May 2010 general election, saving the taxpayer £1.023 billion last year alone. Since the election the Cabinet Office has spent far less each year than it did, for example, in 2006-07, the year in which the Leader of the Opposition was first appointed as a Cabinet Office Minister. Last year alone we saved the taxpayer £5,214,000 by reducing consultancy spend.

As was the case under the previous Administration, spend on PR consultants is not separately tracked within the Cabinet Office accounts.

Our work to rationalise the Government's property estate has resulted in the disposal of 401 buildings in 2012-13, saving the taxpayer £620 million last year alone. Within the last 24 months as we have pursued this agenda, we have drawn on property and estates consultancy advice from: Deloitte, Jones Lang Lasalle, Savills, Valuation Office Agency, IDEA, WSP, Gerald Eve, Neller Davies, Lambert Smith Hampton, and Strutt and Parker.

Departmental Co-ordination

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what consideration he has given to expanding the cross-departmental committee model, as used to deliver the London 2012 Olympic Games, to other areas of Government policy. [170046]

Mr Letwin: Various Cabinet Committees already exist to co-ordinate Government policy across both the domestic and international agendas.

A list is available on the Cabinet Office website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-cabinet-committees-system-and-list-of-cabinet-committees

Immigration: Commonwealth

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK have not become British citizens. [170041]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

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Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK have not become British citizens [170041].

The Office for National Statistics collects data on residents of the UK from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which is the Labour Force Survey (LFS) plus various sample boosts. It is a household survey and so does not include people living in most types of communal establishment.

The latest estimates that are available are derived from the APS for the 12 month period of January to December 2012. The estimated number of Commonwealth citizens resident in the UK (and hence the number that have not become British citizens) is 1,336,000 with a corresponding margin of error of +/- 50,000.

The margin of error refers to the 95 per cent confidence interval and is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample.

Immigration: Mauritius

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Mauritians are currently resident in the UK. [169812]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many Mauritians are currently resident in the UK [169812].

The Office for National Statistics collects data on residents of the UK from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which is the Labour Force Survey (LFS) plus various sample boosts. It is a household survey and so does not include people living in most types of communal establishment.

The latest estimates that are available are derived from the APS for the 12 month period of January to December 2012. The estimated number of Mauritian born residents in the UK is 46,000 with a corresponding margin of error of +/- 9,000. The estimated number of Mauritian nationals resident in the UK is 19,000 with a corresponding margin of error of +/- 6,000; this estimate is lower because some people born in Mauritius will be, or will have become, UK nationals, or will be nationals of other countries.

The margin of error refers to the 95 per cent confidence interval and is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample.

Legal Costs

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available. [169698]

Mr Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) on 6 June 2013, Official Report, columns 1275-76W.

Minimum Wage: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) Wales were paid only the minimum wage in each of the last five years. [169801]

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Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) Wales were paid only the minimum wage in each of the last five years. (169801)

The Office for National Statistics produces estimates for the number of people paid below the national minimum wage but does not produce estimates for those paid at the national minimum wage.

However, you may be interested in the 2013 Low Pay Commission Report, which includes an estimate for the proportion of UK jobs that may be considered ‘national minimum wage jobs', meaning that they are either below, at, or up to 5 pence above the national minimum wage.

http://www.lowpay.gov.uk/lowpay/report/pdf/9305-BIS-Low_Pay-Accessible6.pdf

(see paragraph 2.5 on page 20).

Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many appeals cases for employment and support allowance have been logged with the Department's tribunals service in the past two years; and what the appeals success rate in (a) England and (b) Bradford was; [170070]

(2) how many employment and support allowance (ESA) applicants are signed-off ESA before their appeals are heard by the tribunals service in (a) England and (b) Bradford in each of the last 12 months. [170071]

Mike Penning: Information on (a) how many appeals cases for employment and support allowance (ESA) have been logged with the Tribunals Service and what the appeals success rate was and (b) how many ESA applicants are signed off ESA before their appeals are heard by the Tribunals Service is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Food Banks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department has issued to Jobcentre Plus staff on signposting people to food banks. [170063]

Esther McVey: To reflect changes to local welfare provision in April 2013, guidance was updated accordingly. We continue to signpost claimants to foodbanks where appropriate.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the consequences for his Department's policies on spare rooms and social sector size criteria of the ruling of a tribunal chaired by Simon Collins QC in September 2013 on the size of a bedroom. [170295]

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Esther McVey: First-tier tribunal decisions do not set a precedent, nor can they be used to determine other cases with similar circumstances. Decisions made at this stage relate only to the individual cases brought before the tribunal.

The Department has however requested the tribunal's statement of reasons in relation to two of the eight cases heard where the judge appears to have misapplied statutory overcrowding legislation.

The Department's next steps will be assessed once the full facts for the decisions are available. In the meantime additional guidance has been issued to local authorities.

Long Term Unemployed People

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants who have been out of work for more than 12 months. [169806]

Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants who have been out of work for more than 12 months. (169806)

ONS compiles statistics on the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus Administrative System. Information on the duration of a claim is available for computerised claims, which currently make up 99.8% of all claims.

In August 2013 the seasonally adjusted proportion of JSA claimants who had been claiming over 12 months was 29.7%.

A wide range of other labour market data for parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are also published on the Office for National Statistics' Nomis website:

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Occupational Pensions

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to make employees aware of the requirement for their employer to automatically enrol them in a pension scheme. [169943]

Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions has been running a national advertising campaign aimed at informing employees since just before the automatic enrolment policy was launched in October 2012. To date, this has included four bursts of television advertising, radio, press and digital display advertising, social media and ‘out of home' advertising. The latest published tracking research (from March 2013)¹ shows that 68% of all working age adults were aware of automatic enrolment, rising to 76% among those who recognise the ad campaign. Meanwhile more than two-thirds of the working age population report seeing the adverts.

The campaign is supplemented by a range of online information hosted on Gov.uk, including a guide to workplace pensions and information about the staging

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process (ie when your employer is likely to be affected). There has also been a focus on stakeholder communication, and the Department has made a range of communications materials available to employers to help them to talk to their staff about workplace pensions.

¹ Tracking research from July 2013 is due to be published later this month.

Social Security Benefits

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what policies his Department is pursuing to ensure that claimants are informed of their eligibility for short term benefit advances before being referred to food banks. [170076]

Steve Webb: Short term benefit advances (STBA) are only payable in very specific circumstances at the start of a claim or where there has been a change of circumstances resulting in a significant increase in benefit. STBAs are not payable in any other circumstances, including where the claimant says they have had their money stolen or say they have lost it. Where benefit cannot yet be paid and the claimant satisfies the conditions for receiving an STBA, including that they are in financial need, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will consider an STBA. DWP does signpost claimants to other services (including foodbanks) if it cannot help, but will always consider whether it has provision (including through STBAs) first.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training or information has been provided to medical assessors of (a) employment and support allowance or (b) personal independence payments about applicants suffering from Hidradenitis suppurativa. [170334]

Mike Penning: Entitlement to both employment and support allowance and personal independence payment does not depend on the condition itself but on the disabling effects of the condition. This concept forms the basis of health professional training.

No specific training material has been provided to health professionals who carry out assessments for employment and support allowance or personal independence payment in relation to Hidradenitis suppurativa. However, HCPs would be expected to use approved additional material to inform themselves of conditions with which they are unfamiliar.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will confirm what recent assessments his Department has made of the suitability of the criteria for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment for those applicants who suffer from Hidradenitis suppurativa. [170335]

Mike Penning: Entitlement to both employment and support allowance and personal independence payment does not depend on the condition itself but on the disabling effects of the condition.

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The criteria for employment and support allowance are subject to regular and ongoing review. DWP has a statutory commitment to independently review the work capability assessment annually for the first five years of its operation. Dr Paul Litchfield has been appointed to carry out the 4th review and his report is due to be published before the end of 2013. In addition, the Department is currently undertaking an evidence based review of the work capability assessment. With input from relevant representative organisations and external experts, the review is due to report before the end of 2013.

The criteria for personal independence payment were developed in collaboration with a group of independent specialists in health, social care and disability, including representatives from RADAR, who subsequently merged to become Disability Rights UK, and Equality 2025. DWP also has a statutory commitment to lay before Parliament two independent reports on the operation of assessments within two and four years respectively.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the detailed recommendations made by the Universal Credit reset team, referred to in paragraph 2.5 of the NAO Report Universal Credit: early progress?, published on 5 September 2013. [170328]

Esther McVey: The information sought is not intended for disclosure, as it contains sensitive information for the purpose of providing an objective analysis of the costs, benefits and risks presented, and as such, it will not be placed in the Library.

Defence

Armed Forces

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the harmony guidelines have been breached for each of the three services in the last year. [168160]

Anna Soubry [holding answer 9 September 2013]: Harmony guidelines are used by the services to strike a balance between deployment, training and time with families. Individual harmony guidelines are different for the three services, equating to no more than 660 days away from home over a rolling three year period for the naval service, no more than 415 days away in a 30 month rolling period for the Army and no more than 280 days away in the previous 24 months for the Royal Air Force.

Breaches of harmony are measured in percentages. As at quarter 1 of 2013-14, 0.8% of naval service personnel, 4.7% of Army personnel and 3.5% of RAF personnel were in breach of harmony guidelines.

To put these figures in context quarters in previous years show: for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2010 the RAF had 3% in breach, between 1 October 2008 and 31 March 2011 the Army had 5.2% in breach and between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2010 the Navy had 1.4% in breach of harmony guidelines.

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Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of instances of breaches of harmony guidelines in the armed forces in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date. [170057]

Anna Soubry: Harmony guidelines are used by the services to strike a balance between deployment, training and time with families. Individual harmony guidelines are different for the three services, equating to no more than 660 days away from home over a rolling three-year period for the naval service, no more than 415 days away in a 30-month rolling period for the Army and no more than 280 days away in the previous 24 months for the Royal Air Force.

Breaches of harmony are measured in percentages. The following tables show the extent of breaches of harmony guidelines over the last four years for each service. The percentages are for trained UK regular forces.

As at 1 July 2013, 0.8% of naval service personnel, 4.7% of Army personnel and 3.5% of RAF personnel were in breach of harmony guidelines.

To put these figures in context quarters in previous years show: for the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2010 the RAF had 3% in breach, between 1 October 2008 to 31 March 2011 the Army had 5.2% in breach and between 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2010 the Navy had 1.4% in breach of harmony guidelines.

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of morale amongst service personnel in each of the services in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date. [170058]

Anna Soubry: It is a key function of the chain of command to know their people, including levels of morale and performance. Each of the services has mechanisms in place to ensure that issues are identified and acted upon.

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In quantitative terms, the principal means of monitoring changes in morale within the services is the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS). The findings of the AFCAS are used extensively in shaping policy for terms and conditions of service. The results of the 2013 survey were published on 25 July 2013 and the full survey can be found at the following address:

http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/other/surveys/armed-forces-continuous-attitude-survey/2013

In the 2013 survey, 39% of military personnel described their morale as “high”, 32% as “neutral” and 29% as “low”. The recommendations of the Strategic Defence and Security Review have necessitated a series of difficult decisions, including reshaping our armed forces as we move towards “Future Force 2020”. While issues such as headcount reductions and pay restraint have inevitably had an impact on morale, I continue to be impressed by the absolute dedication of our military personnel.

A breakdown of the AFCAS data by service over the years requested is as follows. Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding:

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the level of domestic abuse incidents amongst armed forces families. [170059]

Anna Soubry: For our most recent assessment of the numbers of allegations of domestic violence made by service personnel and their families as recorded by

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either the service police or Ministry of Defence police, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 June 2013,

Official Report,

column 982W, to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon).

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what recent assessment he has made of the level of unemployment amongst armed forces spouses and families; [170060]

(2) what recent assessment he has made of the level of underemployment amongst armed forces spouses and families. [170061]

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses data from the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) to assess the level of employment among the spouses and partners of armed forces personnel. The AFCAS 2013 survey indicated that 72% of service personnel partners or spouses were in employment. This included 22% who classed their spouses or partners as part-time workers, but there are no data to indicate the extent of any underemployment. No data are collected on other family members.

The MOD appreciates that the mobile nature of service life can create a particular difficulty for working partners who may have to give up their own jobs to accompany service personnel on postings. The Armed Forces Covenant recognises that families should not face disadvantage compared to other citizens, and Government measures taken to ensure this include working with Jobcentre Plus Armed Forces champions to assist service families find employment, and changes to rules for accessing Jobcentre Plus benefits and services.

As part of the New Employment Model, the MOD is looking to support domestic stability and support partners' employment. The impact of service careers on family personal life and their partner's employment are consistently cited in the AFCAS as the top two reasons that increase the service person's intention to leave. In April 2013, the MOD started a two-year partner employment project to better understand the issues surrounding partner employment and to develop proposals to support it.

We continue to work closely with the Families Federations and others to ensure partner employment initiatives are appropriate and make a real difference to spouses of service personnel.

Armed Forces: Coroners

Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many inquests have been held into the deaths of service personnel who have died overseas in circumstances where the family of the deceased were based in Scotland in each of the last three years; [170180]

(2) how many fatal accident inquiries have been held into the deaths of service personnel who have died overseas in circumstances where the family of the deceased were based in Scotland in each of the last three years. [170181]

Anna Soubry: The place of residence of the families of deceased service personnel is not recorded centrally. However, records show that the numbers of armed forces personnel who died on operations overseas and were buried in Scotland in each of the last three years were as follows:

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The 2009 Coroners and Justice Act allows military families based in Scotland to request that an investigation into an operational death overseas be transferred to Scottish jurisdiction for a fatal accident inquiry. Since the implementation of the relevant section of the Act on 17 September 2012, there have been no fatal accident inquiries into the deaths of service personnel who have died overseas.

Armed Forces: Dogs

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many and what proportion of military working dogs were (a) put down and (b) re-homed at the end of their service in the last 12 months; [169814]

(2) for what reasons military dogs were put down at the end of their service in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement; [169815]

(3) what provisions are made for military working dogs that are (a) healthy, (b) have an illness and (c) injured at the end of their service; [169816]

(4) what options are considered before deciding to put down military working dogs at the end of their service and if he will make a statement; [169817]

(5) who within his Department takes the final decision to put down military working dogs at the end of their service and if he will make a statement; [169818]

(6) if he will investigate the number of military working dogs put down at the end of their service; and if he will make a statement; [169819]

(7) what legal framework is currently in place to control the number of military working dogs that are put down; what plans he has to amend this framework; and if he will make a statement. [169820]

Anna Soubry: Military working dogs and their handlers provide a valuable range of specialist roles worldwide. When they reach the end of their military service life, it is the Department's policy to re-home all suitable military working dogs, often with someone closely associated with the dog while it was serving. Members of the public can also apply to re-home retired military working dogs and there are currently around 150 people waiting for a suitable dog to become available.

There are currently 1,110 military working dogs in service within the Ministry of Defence. The number of dogs re-homed between January 2010 and 7 October 2013 is as follows:

It is deeply distressing for all concerned if a dog has to be put down. However, this decision is only taken by a veterinarian officer after all other possible avenues

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have been exhausted and only ever when it is the most humane option for the dog or where there is a considered risk to public safety.

There is no legislative requirement for a legal framework to control the number of military working dogs that are put down, and there are no plans to implement one.

Information on the number of military working dogs that have been put down since 2010, and the reasons for doing so is provided in the following tables:

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Armed Forces: Housing

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the occupancy rates are of each type of single living accommodation; and what proportion of occupied accommodation is graded for charge at tier (a) 1, (b) 2, (c) 3, (d) 4 and (e) below 4. [169916]

Anna Soubry: This information is not held. The Department is currently developing a robust single living accommodation allocation and management system which will be available in 2014.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what processes are in place to support and encourage those under-18s recruited to the armed forces to report (a) sexual harassment, (b) sexual assault and (c) rape by (i) an instructor, (ii) another recruit and (iii) a senior officer; and if he will make a statement. [169737]

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence does not tolerate sexual harassment or any form of sexual assault by any member of its staff, service personnel or civilian. Where service personnel under the age of 18 are concerned, the commanding officers of those units are required to hold induction briefings attended by staff and recruits/trainees, including those under 18. These briefings are tailored to ensure that personnel are aware of what constitutes unacceptable behaviour and the mechanisms for reporting it, including the complaints process.

Coleshill Auxilliers

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration he has given to awarding service recognition to members of the Coleshill Auxilliers. [170049]

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Anna Soubry: There are no plans to institute a specific award for those who were members of the Coleshill Auxilliers. The auxiliary units were listed as Home Guard units, and, as such, members who completed three years service in the United Kingdom qualify for the Defence Medal. In addition surviving members may apply for the Armed Forces Veterans Badge.

Greenock

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made in discussions between his Department and the preferred bidder for his Department's building at Greenock formerly used by the coastguard. [170083]

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence is disposing of the building at Greenock in accordance with Treasury guidelines. A preferred bidder has been identified but it is inappropriate to comment further while this process is ongoing.

Guided Weapons

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what missile systems can be fired from the Sylver Vertical Launching System; what plans he has to procure other missile systems for its use; and if he will make a statement. [169952]

Mr Dunne: The Royal Navy's Type 45 Destroyers fire the Sea Viper missile system from their Sylver Vertical Launching Systems (SVLS). There are currently no plans to procure other missile systems for the SVLS.

Marchwood Military Port

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the security of the continuing Sea Mounting Centre at Marchwood will be maintained following the sale of the freehold of the site; what measures will be taken to create an adequate safety-zone between any munitions (a) held at and (b) passing through the Sea Mounting Centre, and any commercial enterprise set up on part of the site; whether any civilian port facilities on the site will be (i) entirely separate from or (ii) permitted to overlap with the continuing military port facilities; and if he will make a statement. [170067]

Mr Dunne: The requirements for the Marchwood sale are being finalised. This includes the arrangements for on-site security, munitions handling and the establishment of civilian port facilities at Marchwood, along with developing the commercial proposition to take to the market within the spending review period.

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made in planning for the sale of the freehold of the site of the Sea Mounting Centre at Marchwood; what recent consultations have taken place with representatives of the local community about the (a) future of the site and (b) impact on the local community of any sale of the freehold to Associated British Ports; when a recommendation will be made about which bidder for the freehold to select; and whether the local community

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will be given the opportunity to make representations once a preferred bidder has been identified and before a final decision is made. [170068]

Mr Dunne: Work continues to prepare the site for sale but it is too early to say who will participate in any competition for Marchwood. The Ministry of Defence has committed to engaging with the local authority and the other community representatives as the project goes forward. Any applications to change the activities at Marchwood significantly would go through the usual process that allows time for local comments to be incorporated.

National Service: Medals

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will introduce a National Service Medal for those individuals who performed a period of national service. [170034]

Anna Soubry: The Prime Minister has asked Sir John Holmes to include the issue of medallic recognition for all military service, including national service, in his review. The Government will give full consideration to any recommendations made by Sir John.

Prime Minister

Legal Costs

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Prime Minister how much his Office spent on external lawyers' fees in the last year for which figures are available. [169697]

Mr Maude: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) on 6 June 2013, Official Report, columns 1275-76W.

Education

Academies: Sponsorship

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what due diligence procedures his Department has for placing an organisation on the academy sponsor list; [170292]

(2) what criteria his Department uses for approving academy sponsors. [170293]

Mr Timpson: The Department requires all potential academy sponsors to submit a formal application in order to demonstrate their suitability.

This includes:

1. the educational aims and objectives of the organisation;

2. their understanding of the role of an academy sponsor as a leader and challenger, accountable for progressive and sustainable improvement;

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3. evidence of their capacity and capability to deliver their aims and objectives, including any previous experience of working with an underperforming school/schools to raise standards; and

4. their track record of success in their sector.

We work closely with applicants and where we have concerns about the suitability of individuals within these organisations we have robust processes in place to undertake assessment of whether they are appropriate to become an academy sponsor. The Department rejects applications from those organisations it considers not to have the capability or capacity to raise and maintain standards in our schools.

Education: Finance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how closely matched schools and sixth form colleges funding will be once the transitional protection period for the policy changes from the Spending Review 2010 finishes in 2014-15. [170137]

Mr Laws: We are committed to delivering our vision as stated in the White Paper ‘The Importance of Teaching’, published on 24 November 2010. This set out the Government's commitment to end the disparity in funding for 16 to 18-year-olds so that from the academic year 2015-16, schools and colleges will be funded at the same level as one another for like-for-like provision. We moved schools on to the same national funding rate as colleges in the academic year 2011-12 and put in place transitional protection for four years, to give schools time to adapt to the new funding regime. The transitional protection will cease at the end of 2014-15, and funding for institutions offering similar provision to similar students will then be the same.

Families: Disadvantaged

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the financial saving of social workers working with families to retain their children rather than taking them into care; and how many troubled families are supported in England and Wales in this manner. [169973]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education has not made such an estimate.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is. [168716]

Elizabeth Truss: The annual cost of staffing Ministers' private offices in the Department for Education has been reduced by more than £440,000 under this Government. The number of staff employed on each grade in the private ministerial office of each Minister is as follows:

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The Minister for Skills and Enterprise, my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matthew Hancock) works jointly at the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. One EO grade member of staff working in his ministerial private office is employed by the Department for Education. London pay bands applicable to the posts above in 2012-13 are as follows:

National Curriculum Tests

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) for what reasons pupils who enter the country for the first time in either reception year or in year 1 and who leave the country before taking key stage 1 SATS and return during key stage 2 count in the combined L4+ English and mathematics target when they are not included in the progress target; [170301]

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(2) for what reasons pupils who enter the country for the first time in years 3 and 4 count in the combined L4+ English and mathematics target when they are not included in the progress target. [170302]

Elizabeth Truss: Published attainment measures include every child at the end of key stage 2. Schools can ask the Department to discount children who have recently arrived from overseas (in the last two academic years) and who do not have English as a first language from all performance measure calculations. For additional information, we also publish accompanying measures showing attainment and progress of those pupils who have been in the school throughout years 5 and 6.

Most children without key stage 1 teacher assessment data are excluded from the expected progress measure. Exceptions are where it can clearly be seen from a child's end of key stage 2 results whether or not they have made at least two levels of progress, e.g. a pupil achieving level 6 cannot have failed to have made expected progress as level 4 is the highest key stage 1 level at which they can be assessed. Guidance on the expected progress measure can be found at the Department's website.¹

¹Note:

www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/primary_12/documents.html

We are currently consulting on the future of primary school accountability measures, including progress measures. Details of the consultation, which ends on 11 October, can also be found on the Department's website.²

² Note:

www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-national-curriculum-primary-assessment-and-accountability