Wines: South East

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) funding and (b) marketing support the Government provides to the sparkling wine growing industry in the south east. [170555]

George Eustice: The United Kingdom uses its annual support provided under Council Regulation (EC) 1234/07 (€280,000) for its wine and sparkling wine sector in two areas:

We allocate €120,000 (approx. £100,000) annually to the single payment scheme (SPS) to give all vineyards the ability to benefit from payments under this programme.

The remaining amount is transferred annually to the Rural Development Programme. This has enabled, inter alia, the development of a dedicated wine sector training programme (Wineskills) which provides advice on aspects of brand building, marketing and exporting.

We have recently secured places for two wine producers to represent UK wine producers on an EU speciality food trade mission to Japan and South Korea in November. Our sparkling wine producers are already starting to exploit both markets and our attendance on this mission will help to boost our trade links further with this region.

Cabinet Office

Big Society Capital

Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what value of (a) unsecured and (b) secured loans Big Society Capital has (i) committed to make and (ii) paid out in 2012-13; and what value it estimates of (A) unsecured and (B) secured loans it will (1) commit to make and (2) pay out in (aa) 2013-14, (bb) 2014-15 and (cc) 2015-16; and if he will make a statement; [169660]

(2) how many unsecured loans Big Society Capital has (a) committed to make and (b) paid in 2012-13; and how many such loans it estimates it will (i) commit to paying and (ii) pay out in (A) 2013-14, (B) 2014-15 and (C) 2015-16; and if he will make a statement. [169679]

Mr Hurd: Big Society Capital (BSC) is an independent (private sector) company limited by shares. It is governed by the Big Society Trust. Government do not regulate BSC's investment decisions, and so cannot detail its planned investment commitments.

Details of BSC's funding and expenditure can be found in its first annual report. This report set out that £56 million had been committed by BSC in 2012 with the aim to make a further £75 million to £100 million worth of commitments in 2013.

http://bigsocietycapitalblog.com/2013/05/10/big-society-capital-launches-its-first-annual-report/

In May, BSC announced that it is working with a number of intermediaries to get more unsecured lending facilities for social sector organisations.

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Drugs: Misuse

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people died as a result of legal highs obtained from (a) tramadol and (b) mephedrone in the latest period for which figures are available. [170762]

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated October 2013:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many people died as a result of legal highs obtained from (a) tramadol and (b) mephedrone in the latest period for which figures are available (170762).

There is no official definition of the term ‘legal high’. However the Office for National Statistics does monitor deaths from drug-related poisoning, allowing analysis of deaths by specific substances involved.

The table provides the number of drug-related deaths mentioning either tramadol or mephedrone in England and Wales, for deaths registered in 2012 (the latest year available). Please note that more than 60% of these deaths mentioned more than one substance on the death certificate and it is not possible to tell which was primarily responsible for the death. More information on how to interpret data on drug-related deaths can be found in the relevant bulletins on the ONS website.

The number of drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales between 1993 and 2012 are available on the ONS website:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html

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Employment: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were employed in each (a) county and (b) constituency in North Wales in the (i) 2001 and (ii) 2011 Census figures. [170441]

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

Letter from Joe Grice, dated October 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many people were employed in each (a) county and (b) constituency in North Wales in the (i) 2001 and (ii) 2011 Census figures. 170441.

In 1996 all counties in Wales became unitary authorities. I have included an extract from 2001 Census table KS12(a) which shows all people aged 16-74 in employment for the Unitary Authorities and Parliamentary Constituencies of:

I have also included an extract from 2011 Census table KS608EW which shows all usual residents aged 16 to 74 in employment.

The information for the 2001 Census for Parliamentary Constituencies is available to download from the Neighbourhood Statistics website. The 2011 Census information can be downloaded from the NOMIS website. Links to these are shown below:

www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk

www.nomisweb.co.uk

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Energy

Frank Dobson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been invested in new (a) nuclear, (b) gas, (c) coal and (d) oil fuelled generating plant in each year since 2010-11. [170194]

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 Director, Chief Economic Advisor, dated October 2013:

On behalf of the Director General of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your question: how much has been invested in new (a) nuclear, (b) gas, (c) coal and (d) oil fuelled generating plants in each year since 2010-11. [170194]

The Office for National Statistics does not collect data on investment in individual types of electricity generating stations. However, Table 1 shows estimates for the total (net) capital expenditure on plant and machinery by the electricity power generation, transmission and distribution industry, in current prices, for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012. This industry includes nuclear, gas, coal and oil fuelled generating plants.

Private Rented Housing: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) Wales live in private rented accommodation. [169791]

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

Letter from Director, Chief Economic Advisor, dated October 2013:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) Wales live in private rented accommodation. 169791

The figures below have been extracted from 2011 Census table QS403EW, which show all usual residents in households by tenure.

Private rented includes:

Private landlord or letting agency

Employer of a household member

Relative or friend of household

This information is also available for download from the NOMIS website at:

www.nomisweb.co.uk

Redundancy

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many staff were made redundant from non-departmental public bodies accountable to his Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many redundancy payments were made in lieu of notice; [170344]

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(2) how many staff in his Department were made redundant in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many such staff received payments in lieu of notice. [170362]

Mr Maude: After the last general election, the Government comprehensively reformed the civil service compensation scheme, ensuring significant savings for taxpayers. We now expect most compensation payments to be recovered within a year. Compensation payments should be seen in the context of the £2.2 billion we saved the taxpayer last year alone as a result of a 15% reduction in the size of the civil service since 2010.

Information on redundancies and other paid departures are published each year in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/series/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts

The Annual Report and Accounts of the Government Procurement Service and the Big Lottery Fund are available at:

http://gps.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about-government-procurement-service/annual-report-and-accounts

and

http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/about-big/our-approach/corporate-documents

Complete information on payments in lieu of notice relating to redundancies in the Cabinet Office is not held centrally.

Third Sector: Training

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Big Society community organisers have been trained to date; and at what cost. [169542]

Mr Hurd: The total number of Community Organisers trained to date is 1,536. This includes 346 senior Community Organisers.

The Community Organisers programme costs are published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13 at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225980/HC_15.pdf

Wales

Guto Bebb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether his Department provides services to people resident in Wales or usually resident in Wales; [166098]

(2) whether his Department has a current Welsh language scheme; when that scheme was adopted; and whether it has been reviewed since May 2011. [166080]

Mr Hurd: The Cabinet Office manages the gov.uk website, through which UK citizens can access Government information and digital services. The site links to all Welsh-language Government transactions via:

https://www.gov.uk/cymraeg

and has Welsh-language content for a number of commonly-used services, such as information on car tax and bank holidays. The site gives Government Departments

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the ability to publish Welsh-language content in line with the requirements of their individual Welsh language schemes.

The Cabinet Office does not yet have a Welsh language scheme.

Home Department

Agricultural Machinery: Theft

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the cost of theft of farming equipment from farm premises was in each of the last five years; [170015]

(2) what her Department is doing to assist farmers prevent the theft of property and equipment from their premises. [170016]

Norman Baker: The Home Office has not made an assessment of the cost of theft of farming equipment from farm premises. Tackling the theft of agricultural equipment is primarily a matter for police forces, working with the Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit (PANIU). PANIU is a specialist police unit whose primary aim is to reduce plant and agricultural theft across the United Kingdom. It monitors machinery theft from both the construction and farming industries, researches trends and threats, and helps individual police forces to identify stolen equipment and tackle the criminals responsible.

The National Crime Agency will also ensure that partners across the law enforcement community with a role in countering theft of agricultural vehicles and equipment benefits from its coordination, tasking and intelligence arrangements, in particular where this links to serious and organised crime.

Antisocial Behaviour: Merseyside

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were arrested and charged by Merseyside police for anti-social behaviour offences from 2003 to the latest year for which figures are available. [170520]

Norman Baker: I regret that the information requested is not available.

Arrests data are reported to the Home Office on the basis of aggregated offence groupings. From these centrally reported groupings it is not possible to separately identify offences related to antisocial behaviour.

Data on charges are not held centrally.

Asylum: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applicants receiving support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 have been receiving that support for more than (a) two, (b) four and (c) six years; and if she will make a statement. [169647]

Mr Harper [holding answer 8 October 2013]: Section 4 support is provided only to a limited group of failed asylum seekers who have chosen not to leave the United Kingdom. These include cases where the person is applying for a passport from their national embassy to facilitate their return to their country of origin and

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cases where the person has made further representations to be allowed to stay in the United Kingdom (despite already having received a negative decision).

The data requested are set out in the following table. The data are taken from management information systems and are not held in a format compatible with National Statistics protocols; it would be hard to reconcile these data precisely to other published numbers.

Burglary: West Midlands

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries have been committed in the West Midlands in each of the last three years. [170107]

Norman Baker: The data provided relate to all burglary offences committed in the west midlands region in the last three years. They include both domestic and non-domestic burglaries, and are taken from Home Office Police Recorded Crime data. The data show the number of burglaries for each police force area, as well as the overall total for the region.

I am pleased to note that the number of burglaries has fallen in each year.

Crime: Nature Conservation

Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking in conjunction with the devolved Administrations and police forces to tackle crime in habitats affecting wildlife in the UK. [169766]

Norman Baker: The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) leads on tackling wildlife crime in the UK. Every six months the NWCU produces a tactical assessment of wildlife crime in the UK. The tactical assessment is based upon scientific advice and intelligence from the police and other agencies (including Border Force) and uses a risk based approach to identify current, emerging and future threats. The tactical assessment is considered by the UK Tasking and Coordinating Group, which includes the Home Office, devolved Administrations and other agencies.

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Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding her Department is providing to police forces and specialist units for tackling crime in habitats affecting wildlife in the UK in (a) 2013-14 and (b) each of the next two financial years. [169767]

Norman Baker: The Home Office is providing specific funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit of £136,000 for 2013-14. No decisions have so far been taken in relation to funding in 2014-15, or 2015-16.

Total central Government funding to the police in England and Wales in 2013-14 is over £8.7 billion, demonstrating the Government’s continued commitment to protecting the public and tackling all types of crime. In addition, the police continue to receive around a quarter of their total funding from the police precept component of council tax.

Entry Clearances: Africa

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what efforts are made by High Commission staff in Tanzania and Kenya to determine the urgency of individual applications for visitor visas to the UK; and what arrangements are in place in the UK High Commissions in Kenya and Tanzania to expedite applications for visitor visas to the UK deemed to be urgent; [167392]

(2) what the target waiting times for processing visitor visa applications for Tanzanian citizens wishing to enter the UK are; and what proportion of applications from Tanzania have been processed within the target times in the last 12 months. [167393]

Mr Harper [holding answer 4 September 2013]: Visa applications are considered by entry clearance officers in Nairobi. If the applicant considers their visa application to be urgent, they are able to apply for the premium service to expedite consideration. Otherwise all applications are considered in line with our published customer service standards.

Since 1 July 2013, Tanzanian visit visa applicants have been able to use a priority visa service (PVS). The PVS is available to applicants who pay an additional fee to have their visa application placed at the front of the queue. PVS applications are usually decided within three to five working days.

The current customer service targets for visit visa applications are to process 90% of non-settlement applications within 15 working days, 98% within 30 working days and 100% within 60 working days of the application date.

Between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013, 4,242 visit visa applications were made by Tanzanian nationals at the visa application centre in the high commission in Dar es Salaam. 86% of these applications were processed within 15 working days, 100% were processed within 30 working days. On average, a visit visa application made by a Tanzanian national at the visa application centre in the high commission in Dar es Salaam took 8.8 working days to be processed between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013.

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Entry Clearances: Fees and Charges

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what charges are levied for visitor visas on (a) UK passport holders entering each Commonwealth country imposing such a charge and (b) residents of such Commonwealth countries who enter the UK. [169640]

Mr Harper [holding answer 8 October 2013]: The UK does not levy charges for visitor visas on UK passport holders entering Commonwealth countries. The Home Office does not hold information on visa charges levied by Commonwealth governments for UK passport holders entering Commonwealth countries.

For residents of Commonwealth countries who require a visa to enter the UK, the price is £80 for a short-term visit visa, allowing multiple entries within a six-month period.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which education institutions sponsoring non-EEA students under Tier 4 of the points-based system have yet to obtain Highly Trusted status. [168218]

Mr Harper [holding answer 10 September 2013]: The following table shows the names of the 207 education institutions that have yet to obtain Highly Trusted Sponsor status.

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Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on measures to enable international students to obtain visas that allow them to stay longer than the duration of their studies. [168556]

Mr Harper: The UK is keen to attract the brightest and best international talent and has a highly competitive offer for international students who wish to remain in

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the UK after their studies. Those who obtain a graduate level job earning at least £20,300 can remain on a work visa under Tier 2 of the Points Based System.

There is no limit on these places, which are exempt from the cap on economic migrants. Students completing a PhD or other doctoral qualification at a UK university can stay for a year on the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme to gain experience in their chosen field. Graduates who wish to stay to develop a business idea can do so under the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur scheme, the first in the world of its kind. In April this year, we doubled the number of places on the Graduate Entrepreneur scheme, creating an additional 1,000 new places for those who have completed an MBA in the UK or abroad. From October, we will also allow students completing their degree to take up corporate internships in Tier 5, which can also be used to complete periods of professional training.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on measures which enable international students to obtain visas which allow them to remain in Scotland beyond the duration of their studies for the purpose of gaining experience in employment related to their course of study. [169493]

Mr Harper: The UK is keen to attract the brightest and best international talent and has a highly competitive offer for international students who wish to remain in the UK after their studies. From October, new arrangements will enable non-EEA students who graduate in the UK to extend their stay under tier 5 of the points-based system in order to take up corporate internships, including to complete periods of professional training. In addition, the Immigration Rules already provide for non-EEA nationals who complete their studies in the UK and who are offered graduate-level employment earning at least £20,300 to extend their stay under tier 2 of the points-based system without being subject to the limit on numbers of tier 2 migrants. Students completing a PhD or other doctoral qualification at a UK university can also extend their stay for a year under the tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme to gain experience in their chosen field. Graduates who wish to stay to develop a business idea can do so under the tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur scheme, the first in the world of its kind. Immigration is a reserved matter and the Immigration Rules apply to the whole of the UK.

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Foreign Nationals: Health Services

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if her Department will take steps to ensure that overseas visitors who are liable to pay for NHS treatment are made aware of this before they travel to the UK; and if it will encourage applicants for UK visas to take out health insurance. [168443]

Mr Harper: The Home Office general visitor application form, VAF1A December 2012, contains a declaration which is signed by the applicant. The declaration includes the statement

“I am aware that I may be billed for any medical treatment undertaken in the UK...”.

Other visitor application forms for family visitors and business visitors contain the same declaration. The Home Office website also advises applicants that

“if you are not in one of the categories that can receive free treatment, you may be asked to pay for any hospital treatment you receive. You may therefore wish to ensure that you have health insurance to cover your, stay in the UK.”

Overseas visitors from visa countries are accordingly aware that they may be liable to pay for their NHS treatment.

The Home Office has recently concluded a public consultation on measures to better regulate migrant access to the NHS, including proposals regarding health insurance, and is currently considering the responses received.

Human Trafficking: Greater London

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of human trafficking were recorded in the (a) Metropolitan Police District and (b) City of London in each of the last four years; what the nationality was of each of the trafficked victims found during this period; and what type of human trafficking was involved in each such case. [169879]

Mr Harper: The Home Office does not collate such data centrally. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) recorded 673 offences of human trafficking arising from organised criminality between 2009 and 2013, as set out in the tables provided below. The City of London Police recorded no offences of human trafficking between 2009 and 2013.

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Note:

These tables show the total number of the listed offences of human trafficking recorded by the MPS and, separately, an overview of the nationality of the victims associated with such offences. It should be noted that the statistical discrepancy between the two totals is a result of an international policing operation which identified a high volume of offences in the 2012-13 year, as listed under two Crime Records. As a consequence, the high numbers of victims identified by MPS were, with the authority of the Crime Force Registrar, not recorded under usual procedures but instead listed along with the details of separate investigation reports, so would require significant further analysis by MPS to report. In addition, the nationality of victims was not recorded in all cases by MPS, for a variety of operational reasons.

Immigration

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks and safeguards are in place to ensure that all UK Border Agency staff give consistent advice to those applying for leave to remain in the UK. [169284]

Mr Harper [holding answer 8 October 2013]: There are three primary routes for advice—help lines, website and public enquiry offices. Consistency comes from the overarching policy frameworks, from which customer advice is given, and that advice is further checked by quality sampling, audits and reviews of policy and website content. All policy exceptions are also referred to senior caseworkers for clarification or approval. Customer feedback, including complaints, also provides a valuable measure of the consistency and quality of advice provided to customers by UK Visas and Immigration and any commercial partners.

Joint Investigation Teams

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many joint investigation teams the UK has been involved in for each of the last five years. [168496]

Mr Harper [holding answer 12 September 2013]: Central records on the UK's participation in Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) with other EU member states have only been held since October 2010, at which point member states were obliged to notify their national representatives at Eurojust, the EU Judicial Co-operation Agency, when setting up a JIT. Consequently, the figures for 2009 and 2010 may not represent the total number of JITs the UK was involved in, but instead they provide a minimum number. Information provided by Eurojust indicates that the number of Joint Investigation Teams commenced in each of the last five calendar years involving UK authorities is as follows:

There are no central records for UK involvement in JITs with non-EU member states.

Knives: Crime

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the adequacy of sentencing options for those convicted of knife crime. [170565]

Jeremy Wright: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

The Government are sending a clear and unequivocal message that those who use a knife or offensive weapon to threaten another person and cause an immediate risk of serious physical harm to that other person that they are behaving in a wholly unacceptable manner and can expect a custodial sentence.

In the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2013, the Government introduced the new offence of threatening and endangering someone with a knife in a public place or a school which came into force on 3 December 2012.

The Government are already considering whether there is a case for further changes to be made to the sentencing framework for knife possession as part of the knife sentencing review. We have already made it clear that we will be ensuring that cautions cannot be given for knife possession except, in exceptional circumstances. Any changes we make to the sentencing framework will be brought forward in due course.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 8 August 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Odi Harrison. [168894]

Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 11 September 2013.

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to her dated 6 August 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Ms J. A. Neale. [169482]

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Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 17 September 2013.

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 8 August 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Mr A. A. Gbadegesin. [169483]

Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 7 October 2013.

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 8 August 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Mr A. Rahman. [169484]

Mr Harper: My noble Friend (Lord Taylor of Holbeach), Minister for Criminal Information, replied on my behalf on 21 September 2013.

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 15 July 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regards to Mr M. Ax. [169485]

Mr Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 17 September 2013.

Passports

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend current legislation covering passports to allow for the names of parents and legal guardians to be included on children's passports. [167133]

Mr Harper: There are no plans to include the names of parents or legal guardians in a child's passport. The inclusion of parental responsibility details in the passport would not reduce the requirement for border staff to be satisfied with the relationship between the accompanying adult and the child. The inclusion of parental details in the child's passport would only reflect the information provided at the time of the issuing of the passport. Border Force staff would still need to determine whether an entry in the child's passport remained relevant at the time of travel and establish the accompanying adult's relationship with the child. Further advice on travelling with children (under 18 years of age) can be found at:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/customs-travel/Enteringtheuk/arrivingatukborder/child-travel-advice/

Radioactive Materials: Monitoring

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the Cyclamen nuclear monitoring system is in operation at any UK ports; [168901]

(2) whether a contract has been signed with a company allowing them to take on the operation of the Cyclamen nuclear monitoring system. [168528]

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Mr Harper [holding answer 12 September 2013]: Cyclamen is operated by Border Force officers and is in operation within UK ports. In exceptional circumstances, eg during critical incidents, the existing contract with Serco makes provision for the use of appropriately qualified and security cleared contractual staff.

UK Visas and Immigration

Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to receive a reply to her letter of 23 July 2013 to the interim Director General of UK Visas and Immigration on behalf of a constituent, CTS ref M01314/13; and what the reason is for the length of time taken to reply. [168254]

Mr Harper [holding answer 12 September 2013]: The director of UK Visas and Immigration replied on 6 September 2013. We aim to answer letters from hon. Members within the agreed Cabinet Office standard of 20 working days. This target was not met due to the director requesting the initial draft be reworded to be more helpful to the hon. Member.

Defence

Afghanistan

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Gillingham and Rainham, of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 982W, on Afghanistan, what the process is for notifying (a) his Department and (b) the Afghan Government where (i) injuries and (ii) fatalities occur from UK unmanned aerial vehicle strikes in Afghanistan. [R] [170279]

Mr Francois: ISAF forces go to great lengths to minimise the risk of civilian casualties arising from their operations in Afghanistan.

The process for notifying the Afghan authorities of such an incident will vary in practice depending on the circumstances and context. The Ministry of Defence would be notified through normal operational reporting channels.

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 5 September 2013, Official Report, column 480W, on Afghanistan, whether (a) the North Atlantic Council review of the practical implications of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 for the conduct of NATO-led operations and (b) the implementation plan of that review will be made public. [170298]

Mr Francois [holding answer 10 October 2013]: The North Atlantic Council review will be released to the public in both a full and summary version shortly after the NATO Defence Ministers meeting on 22 and 23 October 2013. NATO has yet to make a decision on whether the implementation plan will also be released but it is likely that this will be resolved ahead of the Defence Minister's meeting.

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Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of additional security measures which were given consideration but not adopted at Camp Bastion before September 2012; [170637]

(2) what the annual running cost of providing security at Camp Bastion has been in each year since 2010; [170648]

(3) what additional expenditure his Department has incurred on increased security measures at Camp Bastion since September 2012; [170660]

(4) what discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department had with military leaders responsible for security at Camp Bastion on security measures at the base prior to the attack of 14 September 2012; [170661]

(5) what changes have been made to the security arrangements at the Camp Bastion base since the attack on the night of 14 September 2012; [170662]

(6) how many and what proportion of the guard towers at Camp Bastion were empty on the night of 14 September 2012 immediately prior to the attack on the base; [170663]

(7) what internal investigations his Department will be undertaking regarding the actions of British officers responsible for security at Camp Bastion on the attack on the base on the night of 14 September 2012; [170680]

(8) how many of the British officers responsible for security at Camp Bastion in September 2012 have since been promoted; [170683]

(9) if he will provide details of the current security measures at Camp Bastion. [170684]

Mr Francois: The Chief of Defence Staff is currently reviewing the findings of the U.S. report on the review of security at Camp Bastion. Once this is complete, I will write to the hon. Member with the information he has requested.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department commissioned the report on the implications for the current attitudes to risk of the Joint Operational Concept; what the cost of this study was; what plans were made to release the report publicly; and what plans he has to make use of its findings. [170610]

Mr Francois: The paper on “The Implications of Current Attitudes to Risk for the Joint Operational Concept” produced by the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre (DCDC) was the product of conceptual research to inform the development of the Joint Operating Concept (JOC). The JOC was subsequently re-titled the Defence Joint Operating Concept (DJOC).

The research commenced in May 2012 and was completed on 24 August 2012.

Two analysts worked on the project, for a total of approximately 60 working hours, during that period. There were no additional costs.

The work was never intended for publication but rather to be used, as many other conceptual papers are, as an internal think piece, on this occasion in support of

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the development of the JOC. A key purpose of the DCDC is to produce research which tests and challenges established doctrine; its papers are designed to stimulate internal debate not outline Government policy or positions. As a learning organisation, it is important that DCDC is able to challenge existing thinking to meet the threats that the future may present.

We have no intention of using its findings beyond its original purpose.