Students: Finance
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) UK and (b) English-domiciled students in receipt of (i) maintenance grants and (ii) maintenance loans were (A) living at home and (B) living away from home in each year since 2001. [171023]
Mr Willetts: Statistics on the number of English domiciled students who were awarded maintenance loans and grants by whether they were living with their parents or elsewhere are shown in the following tables. The figures are provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC). Data relating to non-English domiciled students are available from the respective administrations.
The data include students at all types of higher education provider designated for student support, which includes further education colleges and alternative providers of higher education. Statistics prior to 2004-05 are not available.
Statistics on student support awards and payments are published annually by the Student Loans Company. Final figures for the academic year 2012-13 will be available from November 2013.
| Maintenance loan awards1 to student support applicants by term time residency: English domiciled applicants academic years 2007-08 to 2011-12 | |||||
| Number of applicants (thousand) | |||||
| Academic year | Living with parents | Living elsewhere | Combined | Unknown | Total |
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| 1 Data refer to Awards recorded by October 2013 and are therefore higher than the awards statistics presented in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’, which makes mid-academic-year comparisons of student support awards. Source: Student Loans Company | |||||
| Maintenance grant awards1 to student support applicants by term time residency: English domiciled applicants academic years 2007-08 to 2011-12 | |||||
| Number of awarded applicants (thousand) | |||||
| Academic year | Living with parents | Living elsewhere | Combined | Unknown | Total |
| 1 Data refer to awards recorded by October 2013 and are therefore higher than the awards statistics presented in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’. Source: Student Loans Company | |||||
Students: Loans
Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what RAB charge will be applied to (a) tuition fee loans and (b) maintenance loans for students commencing their studies in 2013-14. [171022]
Mr Willetts: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 565W.
UK Export Finance
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to UK Export Finance's Annual Report and Accounts for 2012-13, how many of the 138 transactions listed in that report are covered by the Recommendation of the Council on Common Approaches for officially supported export credits and environmental and social due diligence (The Common Approaches) that governs the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development export credit agencies; and if he will make a statement. [170220]
Michael Fallon:
It is the Government's policy that UK Export Finance (formally the Export Credit Guarantees Department) applies international agreements that relate to the operations of Export Credit Agencies (ECAs). This includes the OECD Recommendation of the Council on Common Approaches for Officially
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Supported Export Credits and Environmental and Social Due Diligence (the “OECD Common Approaches”) in regard to the potential environmental, social and human rights (ESHR) impacts of projects it is asked to support that fall within the ambit of that agreement. The OECD Common Approaches requires that applications made to ECAs for support for such projects should be screened to determine whether they should then be categorised and reviewed for their ESHR impacts against the relevant international standards.
In 2012-13, the number of export transactions that were screened by UK Export Finance which fell within the OECD Common Approaches, and where the application related to projects in fixed locations, was 13.
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much was provided in (a) financial guarantees and (b) other support for UK exports through UK Export Finance in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [170233]
Michael Fallon: UK Export Finance supports exports principally by providing (a) financial guarantees on loans made by banks to overseas buyers of UK exports, and (b) insurance to UK exporters against the risk of not being paid by an overseas buyer.
The amount of business supported through (a) financial guarantees and (b) insurance is detailed in UKEF's Annual Report and Accounts, which are available in the House Library. The figures for the last four years are reproduced here:
| £ million | |||
| Financial guarantees | Insurance | Total business supported | |
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available. [169854]
Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change spent £8,292.80 offsetting its 2011-12 official and ministerial air travel through the Government Carbon Offsetting Facility.
Energy Companies Obligation
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish an audited valuation of expenditure in connection with the Carbon Saving Obligation and the Affordable Warmth Obligation by energy companies which excludes any match funding from customers. [170978]
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Gregory Barker: The obligated energy companies are required to report to Ofgem on what it is costing them to deliver under all elements of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). While this information is commercially confidential, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change wrote to all obligated companies last week requesting that they agree to greater transparency around the publication of ECO cost information, both at supplier level and in aggregate form.
Energy: Prices
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme on household energy prices. [169796]
Gregory Barker: DECC's latest assessment of the impact of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills was published on 27 March 2013 and is available online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/172923/130326_-_Price_and_Bill_Impacts_Report_Final.pdf
Tables E1-E3 in Annex E of the report estimate that in 2013 the costs of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) add around £2 per MWh (real 2012 prices) to electricity prices for households and also those non-domestic energy users who purchase electricity from an electricity supplier. This impact is based on an EU ETS price of around £6 per tonne of CO2 (real 2012 prices), although it should be noted that current prices are trading below this level.
EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Cement
Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the additional cost to the UK cement industry of the cross sectoral correction factor for Phase III of the EU Emissions Trading System. [170260]
Gregory Barker: The Government have not made such an estimate. However UK industrial sectors—including the cement sector—will receive over 510 million free allowances over the course of Phase III (2013-20) of the EU Emissions Trading System, worth over £2.5 billion at the current allowance price of around €5/tCO2. This level of allocation is after the application of the Cross Sectoral Correction Factor, which will be applied uniformly to all non-electricity generating installations across the EU.
The Government recognise the risk of carbon leakage within the EU ETS, and supports the proportionate free allocation of allowances as a tool to mitigate this, without raising barriers to international trade. However, we have expressed concern to the European Commission that those most at risk may not be compensated sufficiently in the future if current rules are not reformed to ensure that free allowances are better targeted to those sectors genuinely at significant risk. We continue to monitor and evaluate the impact of the EU ETS on the competitiveness of UK industry, and have commissioned research to investigate this issue further. The cement industry is folly involved in the conduct of that research via the Mineral Products Association.
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Green Deal Scheme
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal assessments have (a) taken place, (b) been followed through to completion in each parliamentary constituency since January 2013. [170907]
Gregory Barker: The number of Green Deal Assessments lodged by parliamentary constituency, from January to June 2013, has been published in Table 1b of "Domestic Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation in Great Britain, Statistical report: January-June 2013":
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-september-2013
The number of Green Deal Assessments lodged by parliamentary constituency, from January to September 2013, will be published in the next release of this statistical series, on 19 December. The Department will provide other detailed breakdowns of Green Deal activity as more data become available.
Insulation: Cannock Chase
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many homes in Cannock Chase constituency were fitted with insulation under programmes of his Department in (a) 2012, (b) 2011 and (c) 2010. [170915]
Gregory Barker: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 25 June 2013, Official Report, column 221-222W.
Performance Appraisal
Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13. [170452]
Gregory Barker: The proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by the Department who received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13 is detailed in Table 1 for staff employed in civil service grades AO to Grade 6 and Table 2 for staff employed in the senior civil service (SCS).
| Table 1: Performance ratings for Staff in Grades AO to Grade 6. | ||
| Staff have declared a disability (%) | ||
| Performance rating | Yes | No |
| Table 2: Performance rating for staff in SCS grades | ||
| Staff have declared a disability (%) | ||
| Performance rating | Yes | No |
Due to the small number of SCS who declared a disability, performance ratings for these staff cannot be disclosed to ensure individuals are not identifiable.
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At the time of these results 32% of staff had not declared their disability status, the performance ratings for both groups of staff whose disability status is unknown has not been included in these results.
Full findings of the diversity analysis for the 2012-13 performance year will be published in January 2014 as part of DECC's wider diversity information publication.
Redundancy
Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 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. [170349]
Gregory Barker: The Department has responsibility for four non-departmental bodies:
Committee on Climate Change
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Civil Nuclear Police Authority
Coal Authority.
The number of redundancies in the Committee on Climate Change and the number of payments in lieu of notice made are shown in the following table:
| Type | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 1012-13 |
The number of redundancies in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the number of payments in lieu of notice made are shown in the following table:
| Type | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
The number of redundancies in the Civil Nuclear Police Authority and the number of payments in lieu of notice made are shown in the following table:
| Type | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
The number of redundancies in the Coal Authority and the number of payments in lieu of notice made are shown in the following table:
| Type | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 |
Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will re-examine his Department's estimate that 379,600 renewables would be installed by 2012 under the renewable heat incentive scheme. [170832]
Gregory Barker:
The Department has not estimated that there would be 379,600 renewable heat installations by 2012. 379,600 installations is the estimate made for
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the total number of domestic renewable heat installations supported by the domestic RHI scheme by 2020 in our September 2012 Domestic Consultation document.
Our final domestic impact assessment published in July 2013 revised this estimate to a total of 745,000 domestic renewable heat installations being supported by the scheme by 2020-21.
As of 31 August 2013, 1,497 installations have received payments as part of the non-domestic RHI scheme. We intend to launch the domestic scheme in spring 2014.
New estimates of future installation numbers for the non-domestic scheme will be published in autumn 2013 as part of the Government's response to recent consultations on changes to the scheme.
Wind Power
Mr Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what subsidy has been provided to compensate for inactive wind turbines over the last 12 months for which figures are available. [170003]
Gregory Barker: The Government have made no payments to wind farms to compensate for inactivity.
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what onshore wind energy generation capacity (a) had been installed, (b) had gained planning consent and (c) was seeking planning permission on 1 October 2013. [170959]
Michael Fallon: This information is publicly available within the monthly extract of the Department's Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), which tracks all renewable projects through the planning system:
https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract
As of 18 September 2013, the date of the latest REPD update, the figures for onshore wind in the UK were:
| GW | |
Not all projects receiving and/or applying for planning consent will be constructed.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bovine Tuberculosis
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the illegal gassing of badgers. [171018]
George Eustice:
There have been no recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), on this specific issue. Unlicensed culling of badgers or interference with their setts is illegal under the Badger Protection Act 1992, as it may increase the risk of perturbation, and may, therefore, increase the likelihood of geographical spread of bTB to cattle and
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other badgers. Unlicensed taking of, possession or selling of badgers is also illegal. Evidence of any such wrongdoing should be brought to the attention of the police.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy that gassing not be used as a method of culling badgers. [171019]
George Eustice: As set out in the recent consultation exercise on a draft strategy for achieving officially bovine TB free status for England, further research into alternative population control methods (e.g. sett-based culling methods and non-lethal methods) is under consideration. This includes a potential investigation into the use of anoxic gas or gas-filled foam as a sett-based means of humane culling.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to his oral answer of 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 284, on Bovine Tuberculosis, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) safety, (b) humaneness and (c) effectiveness of gassing as a method of culling badgers. [171025]
George Eustice: Further research into alternative population control methods (eg sett-based culling methods and non-lethal methods) is under consideration. This includes a potential investigation into the use of anoxic gas or gas-filled foam as a sett-based means of humane culling. The research is not yet at a stage at which the essential matters of safety, humaneness and effectiveness can be assessed.
Carbon Emissions
David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available. [169892]
George Eustice: It is core DEFRA's policy to invest in energy efficiency and carbon reduction initiatives rather than on carbon offsetting. Core DEFRA has not spent any money on energy-related carbon offsetting in the last financial year (2012-13).
Dairy Farming
Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dairy farms in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK have ceased to operate in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [170701]
George Eustice: DEFRA does not collect figures on the number of farm businesses leaving the dairy sector each year. Figures from the June Survey of Agriculture only indicate activity on registered holdings in England at June each year and therefore show net change only.
The number of commercial holdings1 where dairy is the predominant activity are shown in the following table for 2009-12 in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire and
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England. We are unable to provide comparable figures for 2008 due to a database maintenance and updating exercise.
1 Commercial holdings are those with significant levels of farming activity. These significant levels are classified as any holding with more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| Source: June Survey of Agriculture | ||||
Data for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the devolved Administrations.
Horses
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of recent trends in fly-grazing of horses in (a) East Hampshire constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England. [170938]
George Eustice: The Government have not conducted research to establish precise trends in the illegal activity of fly-grazing. However, I share the concerns of landowners and horse welfare organisations about people who graze their horses on other people's land without their permission. I understand the frustrations of landowners who consider that the law does not allow action to be taken quickly enough and I support the call for enforcement bodies to share best practice on how to deal with perpetrators. The new measures designed to tackle antisocial behaviour, in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill which is currently before Parliament, will also be available to use against people who fly-graze their horses.
Marine Conservation Zones
Damian Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to report the results of his consultation on the creation of new marine conservation zones. [170920]
George Eustice: Over 40,000 responses were received to the Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) public consultation. A summary of responses that focused on generic issues raised during the consultation was published in July. We aim to announce the designation of the first set of new MCZs shortly, along with a summary of site-specific issues raised in the consultation.
Performance Appraisal
Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13. [170453]
George Eustice: Core DEFRA's Performance Management system uses three categories to assess and rate the level of performance of its staff. These are 1 ‘Excellent’, 2 ‘Good’ and 3 ‘Must Improve’.
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The following table shows the 2012-13 end of year performance ratings received in each category by (a) disabled and (b) all other staff below SCS:
| Percentage achieved by rating | ||||
| Disabled | ‘1’ | ‘2’ | ‘3’ | Total no. of staff below SCS |
The ‘Unknown’ staff group relates to individuals who have not recorded their disability status on the Department's online self-reporting system.
Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has examined the possibility of installing CCTV cameras in an attempt to prevent animal torture in abattoirs. [170162]
George Eustice: Compulsory CCTV at slaughterhouses was considered earlier this year as part of the implementation of EU Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing in England. The Government are currently unconvinced of the need for further legislation, but will be keeping the need for CCTV under review in the context of the new monitoring requirements required under Regulation 1099/2009.
Trout
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to protect ferox brown trout in the UK. [170738]
George Eustice: All the devolved Administrations manage predatory or ferox brown trout as part of the wider brown trout population, rather than as a separate species.
Fishing for trout, including ferox brown trout, is highly regulated. Measures include annual close seasons when fishing is not allowed, requirements to obtain a licence to fish, and byelaws regulating fishing methods and the minimum size of fish that can be taken.
Regulation of the movement or introduction of fish into and between waters is also undertaken. This protects against interbreeding between native and introduced trout, which can lower the survival chances of native wild trout, and helps maintain and protect local populations of different types or subspecies of brown trout.
Brown trout and their prey species also benefit from the work undertaken to protect and improve the water environment to meet the requirements of the Water Framework Directive.
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Education
Adoption: Northumberland
Mr Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in care for whom Northumberland Social Services has responsibility have been put up for adoption in the last two years. [170767]
Mr Timpson: In 2012-13, there were 35 children with adoption decisions in Northumberland local authority; this compares to 30 in 2011-12. An adoption decision is the point at which the local authority (LA) agency decision maker makes a formal decision that adoption is in the best interests of a child. The LA may then place the child with adoptive parents once either the consent of the birth parents is obtained or, where this is not given, the court makes a placement order to do so. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
The 2012-13 Children Looked After Statistical First Release includes information on adoption and further local authority breakdowns1.
1https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption
Education Endowment Foundation
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many meetings there have been between Ministers or officials of his Department and EEF since May 2010. [170946]
Elizabeth Truss: This information is not held centrally and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.
Grace Academy Coventry
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on the relationship and sex education policy of Grace Academy in Coventry; and what steps his Department plans to take in response. [170838]
Mr Timpson: The Department has received a number of representations about the Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) policy of the Grace Academy in Coventry. As a result, we have contacted the school which has removed its existing policy from its website and agreed to review it.
Languages: GCE A-level
Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK have studied A-level Mandarin in each of the last five years. [170894]
Elizabeth Truss: It is not possible to identify pupils entered for Mandarin from the Department's data.
The Department for Education produces statistics on England only. The responsibility for education statistics in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales lies with each devolved Administration.
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Pre-school Education: Staffordshire
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who will be eligible for free nursery care in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Cannock Chase constituency in (i) 2014 and (ii) 2015; [170897]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who are currently receiving free nursery care in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Cannock Chase constituency. [170898]
Elizabeth Truss: We estimate that around 1,466 two-year-olds in Staffordshire are currently eligible for a funded early education place, and that in 2014 and 2015 around 3,700 two-year-olds will be eligible. We do not have information on the number of two-year-olds currently receiving a funded place. All three and four-year-olds are entitled to a funded place. Statistics collected in January 2013 showed that there were, at that time, 18,290 three and four-year-olds in Staffordshire benefitting from funded early education.
No data are available on the number of children likely to be eligible for a funded place in each individual constituency.
School Meals
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to maximise the use of locally (a) grown and (b) supplied foods in schools; and whether the introduction of universal free school meals in infant schools will include requirements or incentives to utilise such products. [170408]
Elizabeth Truss: In July 2013, the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), published the School Food Plan, the outcome of a 12-month independent review of school food. The plan's ‘Headteacher checklist' recommends that schools use local and seasonal suppliers. We are testing, and will consult on, a set of revised food-based standards. The draft published in the plan says that wherever possible foods should be prepared from fresh, locally-sourced ingredients.
We are currently considering our policies in light of the Deputy Prime Minister's announcement on free school meals for all infant pupils.
Teachers
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of teachers are currently neither qualified nor in training. [170210]
Mr Laws: The full-time equivalent proportion of teachers in service in publicly funded schools in England that did not have qualified teacher status (QTS) and were not on an employment-based route to QTS was 2.9%1 in November 2012. The source of the information is the School Workforce Census, November 2012 and is the most recent available.
1 This percentage represents the proportion of the teaching workforce size.
This is down from 3.3% in 2010 and 4.3% in 20052.
2Source:
618g Survey, January 2010 and 618g Survey, January 2005
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Health
Accident and Emergency Departments
Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to respond to the NHS Confederation report, Urgent and Emergency Care: An accident waiting to happen?; and if he will make a statement. [170451]
Jane Ellison: We welcome the recent NHS Confederation report on Urgent and Emergency Care which provides a valuable contribution to the debate around urgent and emergency care, and in particular to Sir Bruce Keogh's review into Urgent and Emergency Services. There are no plans for a formal response; however, much of the work we are currently undertaking to provide short and long-term solutions to the pressures faced by accident and emergency (A&E) are in line with recommendations set out in the NHS Confederation report.
In the short term, as announced on 10 September, we have allocated £250 million of funding to NHS England to help cope with winter pressures (with another £250 million for 2014-15). This money will be distributed by NHS England to the areas that need it most in 2013-14 and to be targeted as follows:
£221 million for the 53 NHS areas identified as high risk;
£15 million to help pay for extra capacity for NHS 111, with the aim of lessening pressure on A&E; and
£14 million as a contingency.
Longer term, under our vulnerable older people's plan, we are looking to improve care for the more frail and elderly through better primary care and integration of health and social care. The £3.8 billion Integration Transformation fund will focus on joining up health and care services, helping some of the most vulnerable patients to stay healthier and treating them closer to home.
In addition, the Department's arm's length bodies are engaged in addressing the issues highlighted by the report. For example, Monitor is currently consulting on changes to the marginal tariff and Health Education England is addressing work force shortages in emergency medicine.
Allergies
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which recommendations of the Royal College of Physicians report entitled, Allergy: the unmet need, published in 2003, have been implemented. [170846]
Norman Lamb: Following the publication of the Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) report into allergy services in 2003, the Department worked with national health service stakeholders to review the available data and research on allergy conditions and services. The Department published the results of that work in July 2006 in: A Review of services for allergy: The epidemiology, demand for and provision of treatment and effectiveness of clinical interventions, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
This report accepted in principle many of the recommendations of the original RCP report, in particular the principle that any solutions to problems around allergy provision must be local, and based on need.
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Since April 2013, it has been the responsibility of local commissioners to determine the need for allergy services in their area.
In the Mandate, NHS England is being asked to make measurable progress towards making the NHS among the best in Europe at supporting people with ongoing health problems to live healthily and independently, with much better control over the care they receive. This objective includes people with allergies. It is the role of NHS England to give serious consideration as to how they will support the commissioning system to deliver these outcomes.
Ambulance Services: Greater Manchester
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Greater Manchester with non-urgent hospital appointments have waited for over two hours for an ambulance since April 2013. [170217]
Jane Ellison: The information is not available centrally.
Information on performance can be obtained from the local commissioners, Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Blackpool CCG leads on the commissioning of ambulance services on behalf of the 33 CCGs across the north-west.
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients in Greater Manchester with non-urgent hospital appointments have been taken to hospital in a taxi because no ambulances were available since April 2013; [170218]
(2) how much has been spent by Greater Manchester Ambulance service on taxis for patients since April 2013. [170223]
Jane Ellison: The information is not available centrally. Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) may hold the relevant information.
Blackpool CCG leads on the commissioning of ambulance services on behalf of the 33 CCGs across the north-west.
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints about Arriva Transport Solutions have been received by Greater Manchester Ambulance service in each month since April 2013. [170219]
Jane Ellison: This information is not available centrally. Blackpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) may hold the relevant information.
NHS England advise that Blackpool CCG works closely with Arriva to performance manage the contract and address any concerns.
Ambulance Services: Liverpool
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ambulances have been in operation in the Liverpool city-region in each of the last five years. [170495]
Jane Ellison: This information is not available centrally. The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) provides ambulance services in the Liverpool area, and the information may be obtained from NWAS directly.
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Cancer
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the sub-group of the specialised cancer CRG which is scoping out current indications for molecular testing in patients will be (a) appointed and (b) operational. [170422]
Jane Ellison: NHS England's Molecular Diagnostic Testing Group has been appointed and is operational. The group is currently scoping their work and identifying priorities.
Cardiovascular System: Diseases
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to raise awareness of temporal arteritis. [170240]
Norman Lamb: The Government recognise that the early recognition and diagnosis of temporal arteritis, also known as giant cell arteritis (GCA), is paramount.
The importance of prompt diagnosis of GCA is underlined in both the undergraduate medical curriculum and in post-graduate training for general practitioners (GPs) and relevant hospital specialists.
To support additional awareness of the condition, there are a number of clinical guidelines that are available on GCA, including the Royal College of Physicians guideline on GCA. This provides a framework for disease assessment, immediate treatment and referral to specialist care.
Furthermore, both the British Society for Rheumatology and the British Health Professionals in Rheumatology published guidelines on the management of polymyalgia rheumatica, a related condition, for GPs and rheumatologists. The guidelines encourage the prompt diagnosis and urgent management of GCA, therefore minimising vision loss.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Clinical Knowledge Summaries service also provides primary care practitioners with a readily accessible summary of best practice in respect of GCA.
Both the NHS Choices and Patient UK websites provide information including the signs and symptoms of the condition for patients.
Care Quality Commission
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid by the Government in severance packages to former Care Quality Commission executives since May 2010; when such payments were made; and who authorised each such payment. [170241]
Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England.
The CQC has provided the following information:
Since May 2010, the CQC has paid a combined total of £782,571 to four executive directors who have left the organisation. For the purpose of this response, the CQC has calculated ‘severance’ to include all redundancy and payment in lieu of notice payments. No ex gratia payments have been made to departing executive directors
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during this period. Pension costs, or payment in lieu of contractually accrued annual leave, have not been included in this calculation.
The payments were made within a month of the date of departure of each of the executive directors. Those were Gary Needle in June 2010, Louise Guss and Amanda Sherlock in June 2013, and Philip King in September 2013.
All of the payments were authorised by the Department of Health.
Charcot Marie Tooth Disease
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people were diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in the UK in each of the last three years; [170751]
(2) whether specific funding is ringfenced for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. [170752]
Norman Lamb: NHS Choices estimates that there are 23,000 sufferers in the United Kingdom. We are unable to identify the number of people with a diagnosis of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease in the UK in each of the last three years. The reason for this is that the data collected are grouped under ‘Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy', which includes but is not limited to CMT disease. Arrangements for the development and operation of the neurology dataset will be matters for NHS England to determine. It has committed to working with the service to increase the amount of data flowing within the NHS to support clinical commissioners in driving continuous improvements in quality in both secondary and primary care.
There is currently no specific funding ring-fenced for the treatment of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
Continuing Care
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the costs to the NHS of people on long-term warfarin having to attend regular GP or hospital appointments for simple blood tests; [170545]
(2) what assessment he has made of the potential annual cost savings to the NHS of people with diabetes being able to self-monitor their blood glucose levels; [170546]
(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that all clinical commissioning groups have policies in place allowing people on long-term warfarin to (a) self-test their INR levels and (b) self-manage their warfarin therapy if they choose to do so. [170547]
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps will be taken to encourage greater use of and support for self-monitoring in clinical commissioning groups across England. [170266]
Jane Ellison: No assessment has been made by the Department or NHS England of the costs to the national health service of people on long-term warfarin having to attend regular general practitioner or hospital appointments for simple blood tests or of the potential annual cost savings to the NHS of people with diabetes being able to self-monitor their blood glucose levels.
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Responsibility for determining the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes from health care services lies with NHS England.
It is for individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to commission treatment and services for patients on long-term warfarin or other medications which require monitoring, as they are best placed to identify what is needed in their local areas. It is the responsibility of NHS England to support CCGs and ensure that they are safely and effectively discharging their commissioning responsibilities, and are making progress in delivering outcomes. This support may include providing supportive commissioning resources, tools or guidance.
Gabapentin
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the availability of the drug gabapentin at UK pharmacies. [170886]
Norman Lamb: There are currently some shortages of some strengths of gabapentin in the United Kingdom. However, we understand that stocks are generally available and that manufacturers have further deliveries due this week.
General Practitioners
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the costs to GP practices of informing patients of the disclosure of data and their rights to withhold information under the care.data arrangements. [170434]
Dr Poulter: General practitioners (GPs), as data controllers, have legal responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998 for ensuring that patients are aware of how their information is used and shared. This is not a new requirement or cost for GP practices. Making sure patients understand about how their information is used and the benefits is an issue of good practice.
NHS England has been working closely with the Information Commissioners Office and will shortly be making an announcement about further national awareness raising plans to help raise patient awareness and to support GP practices.
Health Services
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether NHS England has the authority to transfer a patient's care from one NHS provider to another if the patient is satisfied with his or her current provider; [170414]
(2) what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the decision of NHS England to transfer brain tumour patients undergoing treatment at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery to another provider with his Department's policy on patient choice. [170420]
Jane Ellison:
Brain tumour patients requiring stereotactic radiosurgery or stereotactic radiotherapy services may access treatment from any provider with whom NHS England holds a contract for stereotactic radiosurgery (including Gamma Knife) services. In London this includes
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the BUPA Cromwell Hospital and Barts Health NHS Trust. Referring consultants have been advised that they can refer patients to either of these providers or an alternative choice of contracted and accredited provider for stereotactic radiosurgery as appropriate.
NHS England has developed a range of clinical commissioning policies outlining its routine commissioning position for a range of stereotactic radiosurgery treatments. These are available on NHS England's website at:
www.england.nhs.uk/resources/spec-comm-resources/npc-crg/group-d/d05/
Patients have a legal right to choice over hospital and consultant team (as long as they provide the service the patient is being referred for) when referred for their first out-patient appointment. After that they should be involved in decisions over their clinical care but do not have the same legal right of choice that exists in the first referral unless they are not treated within 18 weeks (or seen within two weeks for suspected cancer referrals).
Hospitals: Food
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to maximise the use of locally (a) grown and (b) supplied food in NHS hospitals. [170407]
Dr Poulter: National health service trusts have responsibility for setting their own policy of food procurement and sourcing. Under the current regulations governing public procurement, it is not permitted to discriminate against suppliers on the grounds of geographic location.
However, NHS organisations are central to their communities and have a role to play in stimulating local economic growth and jobs. It is important that opportunities exist for local enterprises to compete for business, and that the NHS considers the social, economic and environmental benefits when contracting for public services.
The Department actively promotes the use of Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (Food GBS) which include advice on sustainable food procurement. Currently, 50% of all hospitals report that they are fully compliant with Food GBS, with a further 25% actively working towards compliance.
In 2012, of fresh produce supplied to the NHS through NHS Supply Chain contracts, 64.5% was produced in the United Kingdom, and this proportion is forecast to increase for 2013.
In addition to this, ‘Sustainable Food: A Guide for Hospitals' provides guidance for trusts on procurement.
Medical Records: Databases
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to publicise the implications for patients of the introduction of the care.data system. [170503]
Dr Poulter: NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre are supporting general practitioners with awareness raising on care.data through a range of regional and national activities.
Resources and guidance including patient information materials;
Digital media, for example, dedicated patient support pages on the NHS Choices website, including a lead article on the front page signposting citizens to information. The site receives over 20 million hits a month; and
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Provision of information to 350,000 charities and voluntary groups who have been asked to cascade the information to their members.
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultation he has undertaken with the public and GPs over the introduction of the care.data system. [170505]
Dr Poulter: NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre have worked closely with the British Medical Association and with the Royal College of General Practitioners during the process of developing proposals for care.data. NHS England has published joint guidance and materials for GP practices as a result.
Information about the programme has been sent to over 350,000 patient groups, charities, and voluntary organisations. In addition, NHS England has held a series of meetings with patient groups and other interested parties. Meetings have been held, for example, with the Association of Medical Research Charities, Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation. This is an on-going exercise and further meetings will be held with patient groups and charities to seek their views on the design and implementation of care.data.
Mental Illness: Housing Benefit
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will commit to greater investment in housing-related support for people with mental health problems. [170687]
Norman Lamb: The Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund announced by the Department in July 2012 is intended to support and accelerate the development of the specialised housing market including investing in specialised housing for people with mental health conditions. In Phase 1 of the scheme, £131 million has been allocated to build 3,500 specialised homes nationally and includes a number of examples for people with mental health conditions, including a scheme in Hackney for people with mental health conditions who need on-going support after a period in hospital or residential care. The scheme provides tenants with personalised care and support, provided by a range of services, and has a strong focus on promoting independence.
We are currently working to develop how future allocations of the fund will work, including how we will ensure a greater inclusion of specialised and suitable housing for people with mental health conditions.
NHS: Cost Effectiveness
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department takes to ensure that no NHS trust cost improvement plan is implemented without a full quality impact assessment having been conducted. [170831]
Jane Ellison: The NHS Trust Development Authority seeks assurance that cost improvement plans for national health service trusts have been quality impact assessed and that finance, activity, work force and quality information have been considered together to help ensure any decisions taken on efficiency savings do not adversely affect the quality of care provided for patients, or the ability for staff to do their job effectively.
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Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with NHS England and other groups on quality impact assessments of trust cost improvement plans. [171014]
Jane Ellison: This is not a matter for NHS England but for the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA). The NHS TDA works with trusts to ensure that cost improvement plans have been quality impact assessed and that finance, activity, work force and quality information have been considered together to ensure any decisions taken on efficiency savings do not adversely affect the quality of care provided for patients, or the ability for staff to do their job effectively.
Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical commissioning groups have completed a quality impact assessment of their NHS trust cost improvement plans in each region. [171015]
Jane Ellison:
These data are not collected centrally. NHS England would expect area teams to have been overseeing this and provider contract improvement plans will have been reviewed as an integral part of contract
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negotiation by each clinical commissioning group (CCG). Area teams work with CCGs to ensure that they are meeting the planning guidance as part of their oversight role.
Obesity
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished admission episodes involving patients with an obesity-related illness there were in each of the last three financial years; and what the (a) gender and (b) age group of each such patient was. [170533]
Jane Ellison: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has provided a count of finished admission episodes1 with a primary diagnosis of obesity2 by gender and by age for 2009-10 to 2011-12. This information is provided in the following tables.
| Gender | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| Age group | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| 1 A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 2 The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. Notes: 1. Assessing growth through time (in-patients). HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 2. Data quality. HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. HSCIC liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. | |||
Obesity: Surgery
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in each (a) socio-economic, (b) ethnic and (c) age-group underwent weight-loss operations in each of the last three financial years. [170534]
Jane Ellison: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has provided a count of finished admission episodes1 with a primary diagnosis of obesity2 and a main or secondary operative procedure3 of bariatric surgery by index of multiple deprivation (IMD) decile4, patient ethnic group and patient age group for 2009-10 to 2011-12. This information is provided in the following tables.
| IMD decile group (patients living in the least deprived 10% of the country through to those living in the most deprived 10%) | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
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| Ethnic group | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| Age group | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
| 1 A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 2 The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002- 03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 3 The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. 4 The socio-economic group used is derived from the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). IMD is a measure of multiple deprivation which ranks the relative deprivation of each area of England in a number domains (such as crime and income) and then combines the individual scores to produce a . composite score for each area. The patient's residential postcode is then mapped to one of these areas, and summarised into 10 groups for presentation. Further information is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-indices-of-deprivation-2010 Note: Assessing growth through time (in-patients): HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 2. Data quality. HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. HSCIC liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. | |||
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people under the age of 18 had each type of surgical treatment for obesity in each of the last five financial years; [170535]
(2) what the youngest age of a patient who underwent surgical treatment for obesity was in each of the last five years. [170536]
Jane Ellison: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has provided a count of finished admission episodes1 with a primary diagnosis of obesity2 and a main or secondary operative procedure3 of bariatric surgery by procedure group for patients aged under 18 at time of admission and the age of the youngest person to be admitted for 2007-08 to 2011-12.
| 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | |
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| 1 A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider: FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 2 The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 3 The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and four prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a HES record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. Notes: 1. Assessing growth through time (in-patients), HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. 2. Data quality. HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. HSCIC liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. | |||||
Prosthetics
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) military and ex-military primary amputees, (b) civilian primary amputees, (c) military and ex-military established amputees and (d) civilian established amputees there are in England. [170231]
Dr Poulter: The Ministry of Defence (MOD), Department of Health and NHS England do not hold information on the number of veterans who have had an amputation since leaving the armed forces and do not hold information on primary and established amputees who have left the service. MOD advises that for the period October 2001 to June 2013 there have been 365 service personnel who have suffered a traumatic or surgical amputation. Of these 217 are still in service of which 185 are primary amputees and 32 established. 148 of the 365 are now veterans, the breakdown between primary, and established amputees is not known.
Data on the number of civilian amputees are not held centrally.
Suicide: Armed Forces
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the number of suicides amongst service personnel and veterans. [170754]
Dr Poulter: Ministers from the Department of Health and Ministry of Defence meet on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues relating to the health and wellbeing of service personnel and veterans (including mental health issues). The issue of suicides has been discussed.
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Every suicide is a tragedy and our thoughts remain with the families of all those who have sadly taken their own lives. Suicide among members of the armed forces remains extremely rare and is lower than comparative rates in the civilian population.
Medical experts and clinicians working in our armed forces and across the national health service are committed to providing the best possible care for all those who have served their country and to ensuring a smooth transition from the armed forces into civilian life for those who leave. This includes improving the transfer of medical records on discharge to provide better continuity of care for veterans, and providing mental health assessments prior to their discharge. Letters are also included in NHS medical notes stating when personnel have been under military medical care, and these remain visible in NHS systems when the NHS takes over responsibility for their care as veterans.
The implementation of the recommendations contained within the Murrison report ‘Fighting Fit’ has assisted in the significant and long-term effort to raise awareness of a broad range of mental health issues and providing mechanisms through which, both serving personnel and veterans can seek assistance.
Communities and Local Government
Affordable Housing
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps he is taking to prevent financial viability assessments being used to circumvent local authority affordable housing targets; [170154]
(2) what assessment he has made of the use of financial viability assessments by construction companies to circumvent local authority affordable housing targets. [170155]
Nick Boles: Across the country there are stalled development sites that are unable to bring forward much needed local growth and housing, including housing at an affordable level. To facilitate the release of such sites, the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 brought in measures to enable developers to apply to local authorities to review the affordable housing requirements of any Section 106 agreement where this is a critical factor in site viability. The review must be based on robust evidence of economic viability and can only address the affordable housing requirements of the planning consent. Where a Section 106 agreement pre-dates April 2010 or is over five years old, an application may also be made to modify the agreement. Appeal processes are in place where applications to amend Section 106 agreements are refused, or not determined in due time. Appeals are a measure of last resort if local authorities and developers have been unable to voluntarily renegotiate agreements.
As part of the National Planning Practice Guidance, the Government have provided clear guidance to developers and local authorities on this issue, which can be found at:
http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/blog/guidance/
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Section 106 agreements should be directly related to the development and fairly and reasonably related in scale and in kind. Unrealistic and financially unviable Section 106 agreements result in no development, no regeneration and no community benefits: a sensible review can result in more housing and more affordable housing.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that local authority affordable housing targets are met. [170267]
Kris Hopkins: There are no top-down housing targets any more. Councils have an obligation to assess and meet housing need including affordable housing. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that Councils should assess the scale and mix of housing and the range of tenures that the local population is likely to require, including the need for affordable housing. Councils should then use this evidence base to ensure that their Local Plan meets the full, objectively assessed needs for market and affordable housing, as far as is consistent with the policies set out in the Framework.
Local authorities, when negotiating affordable housing contributions to Section 106 agreements, should take into account the overall viability of the scheme to ensure that the proposed development can be delivered on the ground. This contributes to local economic growth and housing delivery, including at an affordable level. Unrealistic Section 106 agreements result in no development, no regeneration and no community benefits; a sensible review can result in more housing and more affordable housing.
Over 150,000 affordable homes have been delivered in England over the last three years. Over 84,000 homes have already been delivered under the current Affordable Homes programme which invests £19.5 billion of public and private funding on affordable housing over this spending review period. A further £23 billion will deliver 165,000 new affordable homes between 2015 and 2018. This is the fastest annual rate of building for at least 20 years.
Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with officials and Ministers in the Welsh Government in the last 12 months of the Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011. [170436]
Brandon Lewis: Ministers have had no direct discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government on this matter in the last 12 months. However, officials from my Department and those from the Assembly are in regular contact on a range of technical and procedural matters including those associated with the Domestic Fire Safety (Wales) Measure 2011.
I would add that a copy of a letter from the Secretary of State to Ann Jones AM on regulation of the housing market in Wales is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203574/Ann_Jones_MP.pdf
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Fire Services: Retirement
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects of the proposed changes to the retirement age of firefighters on their ability to fulfil an operational, on the pump, role up to retirement age; what roles will be undertaken by firefighters aged 55 to 60 who are no longer able to crew frontline appliances under those proposals; and what redeployment opportunities exist across the Fire Service for such firefighters. [170835]
Brandon Lewis: An independent review into the Normal Pension Age for firefighters, conducted by Dr Tony Williams, found:
“Based on current practices of setting a standard of 42 mL.kg.min-1 VO2max but allowing firefighters to remain operational at a 35 mL.kg.min-1 VO2max would ensure that 100% of firefighters who remain physically active will still be operational at age 60 assuming they remain free from injury and disease.”
Paragraph 11.2.3, Normal Pension Age for Firefighters: A Review for the Firefighters' Pension Committee.
A Normal Pension Age of 60 has existed since 2006 for new recruits to the fire and rescue service. Currently one in three firefighters already has a retirement age of 60.
Redeployment of firefighters to other roles is the responsibility of individual fire and rescue authorities.
Fracking
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reason he proposes to change the regulations for onshore oil and gas planning applications to remove the duty to notify people under whose land developers propose to drill. [169935]
Nick Boles: The Government have not proposed removing the duty for applicants to notify landowners about underground operations under their property. However, we have proposed changing how applicants are required to give notice. This is in recognition the different nature of underground operations for exploration and extraction of oil and gas. More detailed information is set out in the proposals paper published on 2 September, which may be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/revised-requirements-relating-to-planning-applications-for-onshore-oil-and-gas
Shale gas has the potential to provide the UK with greater energy security, growth and jobs. As the shale gas industry develops, we want to ensure an effective locally led planning system is in place. The technical changes we have been consulting on will provide greater clarity in law, give certainty to councils and encourage investment.
Housing: Construction
Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers he has to ensure that local planning authorities' estimates of the need for additional houses in their area are based on accurate estimates of that need; and what steps he is empowered to take if such estimates are found to be inaccurate. [169745]
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Nick Boles: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that local planning authorities should prepare a Strategic Housing Market Assessment to ensure that their local plan meets the full, objectively assessed needs for housing.
The Local Plan is subject to a public examination in front of an independent inspector. This will include testing any housing numbers proposed in the plan and checking that the council's proposals are supported by a robust evidence base. Following the examination, the inspector reports either that the plan is sound and can be adopted or that the plan is unsound and should be withdrawn.
An updated and clear methodology for assessing development needs for housing is contained in our new online planning guidance suite, launched in test mode for public comment on 28 August.
Incinerators: Planning Permission
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will extend to prospective waste incinerator developments the package of measures and planning guidelines announced in connection with onshore wind farm applications in his statement of 6 June 2013, Official Report, columns 113-5WS, on onshore wind (local planning). [170952]
Kris Hopkins: We have made clear our intention to introduce compulsory pre-application consultation for the more significant wind farm applications. We are keeping under review the case for using the powers introduced by the Localism Act for other types of development, and encourage pre-application consultation with local communities for waste management facilities.
My Department is also reviewing waste planning policy and accompanying guidance to provide a positive planning framework to enable local authorities to put forward planning strategies that deliver new waste management facilities of the right type, in the right place and at the right time. We want to provide an easily understood policy framework which can be followed by local authorities, waste developers and local communities alike.
As outlined in the written statement of 29 July 2013, Official Report, House ofLords, column WS162, the updated policy proposes to strengthen protection of the Green Belt and take into account the abolition of top-down Regional Strategies.
Non-domestic Rates: North West
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) the North West were liable to pay business rates in the last financial year. [170224]
Brandon Lewis: The information is as follows:
(a) The number of hereditaments on the rating list on 30 September 2012, the latest date for which we have information, for each of the 10 metropolitan districts comprising the Greater Manchester area are given as follows.
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| Metropolitan district | Number of hereditaments on the rating list on 30 September 2012 |
Please note that not all of these hereditaments will be paying full national non-domestic rates as some will be receiving rate relief.
The data are taken from the 2013-14 National Non-Domestic Rates 1 (NNDR1) forms completed annually by billing authorities in England and returned to the Department for Communities and Local Government. The data are publicly available to download in the Statistics section of the DCLG website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-domestic-rates-collected-by-local-councils-in-england-forecast-for-2013-to-2014
(b) As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 32WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by Government office region. Local authority figures from which regional estimates can be calculated can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/80245/NNDR1_2013-14_Drop_Down.xls
Piers
Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funds his Department makes available to refurbish privately-owned seafront piers. [170425]
Brandon Lewis: The Department does not provide funds specifically for the refurbishment of privately-owned seaside piers. They may be eligible for support from the Coastal Communities Fund provided they can show that any improvements will deliver economic growth and job creation and not breach EU State Aid rules. Hastings Pier and Clevedon Pier were successful in securing grants from the Fund earlier this year. The Fund's next bidding round is due to open in early 2014.