16 Oct 2013 : Column 721W

16 Oct 2013 : Column 721W

Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Transport

High Speed 2

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost of constructing High Speed 2 adjacent to existing transport corridors and not tunnelling the route. [170669]

Mr Goodwill: HS2 Ltd published a review of route alignments for HS2 Phase One in January 2012, in particular reviewing the case for an alignment in the Chiltern Line and M40 corridors and an alignment in the M1 corridor. These were found to cost £3 billion and £2.2 billion more than the consultation route respectively. Neither route could be built to the same design speed as HS2 with both options therefore producing fewer economic benefits than the consultation route.

The route for Phase Two is currently the subject of a public consultation. On the eastern leg a significant proportion of the route runs in existing transport corridors (the M42 and the M1). The options report published by HS2 Ltd reviewed a short listed alternative alignment in the M6 corridor rather than the WCML corridor that is the subject of the consultation.

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether High Speed 2 will be used for freight. [170678]

Mr Goodwill: The new HS2 infrastructure is expected to be built to accommodate the larger ‘GC’ gauge trains associated with high speed railways so it may be technically possible for high speed freight trains such as the CAREX air freight trains to operate over HS2 subject to capacity on the line to accommodate such trains.

The HS2 scheme design does not make provision for any associated rail freight facilities.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what maximum reduction in value of a property negatively affected by High Speed 2 his Department considers acceptable. [171077]

Mr Goodwill: The market value of buildings scheduled for demolition in order to build HS2 will be greatly reduced. Owners of those buildings will be entitled to compensation according to the terms of the Compensation Code. The Government are currently consulting on proposed discretionary policies to provide further support to property owners around the HS2 Phase One route. One of the aims of those proposals is to encourage normal local property market conditions where possible. We will consider respondents' views before taking final decisions.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 722W

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings his Department has had with the (a) British Bankers Association, (b) Council of Mortgage Lenders and (c) Association of British Insurers on compensation and blight related matters prior to the launch of the recent consultation on compensation relating to High Speed 2. [171078]

Mr Goodwill: Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd officials met the Council of Mortgage Lenders as part of a multilateral group of interested organisations, and those meetings have included discussion of the emerging proposals. No meetings on this subject have been held with the British Bankers Association or the Association of British Insurers.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the cost of constructing High Speed 2 is intended to be used for compensation for (a) private households and (b) businesses on the route of Phase 1 of High Speed 2 up until the beginning of train services on that route. [171079]

Mr Goodwill: It is not possible to provide this information in the form requested. We do not expect to be able to estimate the costs of purchasing land from owner-occupiers to this level of detail until we have concluded the current consultation and decided our approach to discretionary compensation, and we do not expect to be able to estimate the costs of compensation for businesses to this level of detail until after the passage of the proposed Hybrid Bill.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many households will experience a diminution in value of their property due to the proximity of High Speed 2. [171086]

Mr Goodwill: We do not hold this data. It would be impossible to construct such a forecast because the predicted effect of the railway in a given location is only one factor that influences confidence in the housing market. We are currently consulting on discretionary purchase schemes to enable those most affected by generalised blight to sell their homes to the Government at unblighted values through purchase schemes or via a property bond.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many households are within (a) one mile of the line and (b) 250 metres of a tunnel for (i) Phase 1 and (ii) Phase 2 of the proposed route for High Speed 2. [171087]

Mr Goodwill: The information is in the following tables:

16 Oct 2013 : Column 723W

Parking: Fines

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made a decision on the application by the Local Government Association to raise the level of parking fines outside London to the same levels as inside the capital. [171100]

Mr Goodwill: No decision has yet been taken. This matter remains under consideration.

Treasury

Banks: Pay

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on HM Treasury's approval of bonuses paid to employees of Lloyds Banking Group and the Royal Bank of Scotland. [170264]

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury does not approve the bonuses of employees at Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). This is a decision for the banks' Remuneration Committees.

The Government's investments in RBS and LBG are managed by UK Financial Investments (UKFI) on an arm's length and commercial basis.

UKFI engages with the Remuneration Committees of both banks to assess whether reasonable judgment in relation to their approach to directors' remuneration has been exercised in line with UKFI's objective of protecting and creating value for the taxpayer.

The Government have been clear that banks must act responsibly in setting their bonuses.

Bonus pools at almost all major UK banks declined during the last bonus round, with an even more significant decline when compared to 2010: for example, the bonus pool at Royal Bank of Scotland's investment bank was 20% lower this year than last year, and almost 70% lower than 2010. Overall bonus pools in the financial sector have also declined significantly: the Centre for Economics and Business Research has estimated that this year's City bonuses will be less than half of what was paid out last year and 85% lower than was paid out in 2007.

Carbon Emissions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available. [169894]

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury did not make any payment via the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available (2012-13).

16 Oct 2013 : Column 724W

Convention On the Protection of the European Communities' Financial Interests

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how the requirements of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests are implemented in the UK; and whether the Government intend to retain these implementing measures unchanged assuming that the UK ceases to be bound by the Convention under Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions Annexed to the EU treaties; [170970]

(2) in how many cases in the UK in each of the last five years instruments, proceeds or property of equivalent value to proceeds of the acts, the UK is required to criminalise under the Convention on the protection of the European Communities’ financial interests and its Protocols were seized or confiscated; and what the value was of such instruments, proceeds or other property in each case; [170999]

(3) how the First Protocol to the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests in the UK is implemented; and whether the Government intend to retain these implementing measures unchanged assuming that the UK ceases to be bound by the Protocol under Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; [171002]

(4) which requirements of the First Protocol to the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests have not been implemented in the UK; [171003]

(5) which requirements of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests are not implemented; [171004]

(6) which of the requirements of the Second Protocol to the Convention on the protection of European Communities' financial interests have not been implemented in the UK; [171007]

(7) how the requirements of the Second Protocol to the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests are implemented in the UK; and whether the Government intend to retain these implementing measures unchanged assuming that the UK ceases to be bound by the Protocol under Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; [171008]

(8) in how many cases in each of the last five years UK authorities co-operated with authorities of another EU Member State due to the provisions of Article 6(2) of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests, including Article 6(2) as it is extended by the First Protocol and Second Protocol to the Convention; and what the substance and outcome of the co-operation was in each case; [171009]

(9) whether the Government intend to maintain unchanged the co-operation required by Article 6 of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests, including Article 6 as it is extended by the First Protocol and Second Protocol to the Convention, assuming that the UK ceases to be bound by the Convention under Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; and what assessment he has made of whether that co-operation will continue; [171031]

16 Oct 2013 : Column 725W

(10) in how many cases Article 6 of the Second Protocol to the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests has enabled or required co-operation between the UK and one or more other EU member states that would not otherwise have occurred in each of the last five years; [171172]

(11) in how many cases authorities in the UK have (a) provided and (b) received information as a result of Article 7(2) of the Second Protocol to the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests in each of the last five years; what the cost to UK public funds has been of such an information exchange; what assessment he has made of the usefulness of this information exchange for the fight against the offences in question; whether the Government intend to maintain this information exchange unchanged if the UK ceases to be bound by the Second Protocol pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; and how the Government intend to maintain this information exchange in future; [171209]

(12) what specific actions have been undertaken (a) by and (b) in relation to the UK as a result of Article 7(1) of the Second Protocol to the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests in the last five years; what the frequency of such actions has been; what the cost to UK public funds has been of such co-operation; what assessment he has made of the usefulness of this co-operation for the fight against the offences in question; whether the Government intend to maintain this co-operation unchanged if the UK ceases to be bound by the Second Protocol pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; and how the Government intend to maintain this co-operation in future; [171210]

(13) in how many cases in each of the last five years UK authorities co-operated with the authorities of another EU Member State due to the provisions of Article 6(1) of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests, including Article 6(1) as it is extended by the Frist Protocol and Second Protocol to the Convention; and what the substance and outcome of the co-operation was in each case. [171029]

Nicky Morgan: The UK is compliant with all the requirements of the Convention, First Protocol and Second Protocol on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests via the Theft Act 1968, Criminal Justice Act 1993, the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, Fraud Act 2006, and the Bribery Act of 2010. The Government have no plans to repeal this legislation and cooperation will continue as it does under current practice.

The Government do not hold data relating specifically to the protection of the European Communities' financial interests. However, the Commission's estimates of irregularities reported as fraudulent in their latest Fight Against Fraud report can be found here:

http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/about-us/reports/communities-reports/index_en.htm

and the European Anti-Fraud Office Report:

http://ec.europa.eu/anti_fraud/about-us/reports/olaf-report/

both published online annually.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 726W

Electronic Surveillance: Exports

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions Ministers or officials in his Department have had with their EU counterparts on the unlicensed export of Finfisher intrusion software from the UK. [171073]

Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) works under a strict rule of confidentiality in its dealings with individuals and businesses, and I can neither confirm nor deny that any of its officials have had discussions with their EU counterparts on this matter.

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether HM Revenue and Customs is conducting an investigation into the unlicensed export of Finfisher intrusion software from a UK company to countries outside the EU. [171097]

Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) works under a strict rule of confidentiality in its dealings with individuals and businesses, and I can neither confirm nor deny that HMRC is conducting an investigation into this matter.

Energy: Prices

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to reduce the effects of decarbonisation policies on domestic fuel bills. [170283]

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

The policies that we are putting in place to improve energy efficiency will, on average, more than offset the costs of policies supporting low carbon generation and energy efficiency investment—which currently comprise only around 9% of the average consumer's energy bill.

The main driver behind energy bill rises is wholesale energy costs—between 2010 and 2012 they have caused at least 60% of the increase in household bills.

We have recently published a detailed report on the impact of policies on energy prices and bills, which is accessible at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/172923/130326_-_Price_and_Bill_Impacts_Report_Final.pdf

Financial Services: Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of all legal challenges by the Government to plans to introduce a cap on bonuses paid to workers in the financial services sector. [170315]

Mr Gauke [holding answer 10 October 2013]:The Government launched a legal challenge to the bonus cap and related provisions in the EU capital requirements directive 4, and capital requirements regulation in September 2013. Costs are expected to be in line with the information presented in the House of Commons EU Scrutiny Committee report (HC671) “Subsidiarity—monitoring by national parliaments: challenging a measure before the EU Court of Justice”, in September 2013.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 727W

Means-tested Benefits

Andy Sawford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the level of administration associated with means-tested benefits being claimed by those with variable hours earning from week to week. [169905]

Esther McVey: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

DWP does not gather information in relation to this question. The process to do so is expensive and prone to error which is why we are progressively introducing universal credit. This makes use of the Real Time Information from HMRC which provides information on earnings.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Graham Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether officials in his Department are monitoring the average prices of mortgages purchased under the Help to Buy scheme. [170926]

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

Renewable Energy: Government Assistance

Mr Binley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of annual (a) direct and (b) indirect subsidy supplied to support UK renewables is. [170010]

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

As the Government have explained in their written evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), there is no single definition of ‘subsidy':

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmenvaud/writev/61/energy.pdf

The amount of market support available to levy-funded policies supporting low-carbon electricity investment, which includes policies supporting UK renewables, have been set by the Government at up to £7.6 billion (real 2011-12 prices) in 2020. Non-levy funded support must be provided from within agreed departmental spending limits.

Tax Allowances: Older People

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to introduce partial tax exemptions for those of retiring age who choose to carry on working. [170974]

Nicky Morgan: Individuals who choose to carry on working after retirement age currently benefit from an exemption from employee national insurance contributions.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 728W

The Government therefore have no current, plans to introduce further exemptions for individuals in these circumstances.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to tackle tobacco smuggling in Northern Ireland. [170746]

Nicky Morgan: HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) strategy to tackle tobacco smuggling includes a wide range of complementary measures. In Northern Ireland, HMRC treats tobacco fraud as one of its top priorities and conducts proactive criminal investigations into organised criminal groups involved in tobacco smuggling. Working collaboratively with a range of partner agencies in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, HMRC gathers and responds to intelligence concerning tobacco smuggling in order to seize illicit tobacco and, where appropriate, arrest those involved. HMRC uses a range of criminal and civil powers to deny and recover the proceeds of crime, and seize vehicles used in the smuggling of tobacco.

Communities and Local Government

Affordable Housing: Cannock Chase

Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new properties have been made available (a) in the affordable rented sector and (b) via shared ownership in Cannock Chase constituency in each of the last 15 years; and how many such properties received direct Government support. [170913]

Kris Hopkins: Statistics on additional affordable housing delivery are not available by constituency but are available by local authority district. Additional intermediate housing (which includes shared ownership properties) provided in Cannock Chase local authority since 1991-92 can be found in live table 1007 at:

www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

Local figures on additional social rent dwellings can also be found in live table 1006.

Affordable rent was introduced in 2011-12; Homes and Communities Agency statistics show that the first 27 affordable rented properties under this programme were completed in 2012-13 in the Cannock Chase local authority area.

The Department's statistics include additional affordable housing delivered both with and without Government support. Figures for additional affordable housing delivered with Government support only are not available at a local authority district level.

Fire Services: Pay

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has issued guidance to (a) fire brigades and (b) fire authorities on the awarding of pay rises to senior officers since May 2010. [170095]

16 Oct 2013 : Column 729W

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 10 October 2013]: Fire and rescue authorities are independent employers and, as such, are responsible for management of their own workforces. This includes decisions relating to the remuneration of senior staff. Ministers have been clear that, in making these local decisions, authorities should demonstrate restraint and ensure that senior pay and reward delivers value for money for local taxpayers.

In addition, the Government have taken steps to increase transparency and accountability of local decisions on senior remuneration. Through the Code of Recommended Practice of on Local Authority Transparency, the Government have ensured that all authorities publish details of senior salaries. Measures introduced in the Localism Act 2011 require authorities to publish annual pay policy statements articulating their policies on a range of pay matters, including increases and additions to the remuneration of senior staff. Such statements must be agreed by full council or a meeting of members in the case of specific Fire and Rescue Authorities.

In preparing their pay policy statements, authorities must have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State. Such guidance was published in February 2012 and February 2013, copies of which are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/making-local-councils-more-transparent-and-accountable-to-local-people/supporting-pages/publishing-details-of-local-council-pay-and-jobs

In that guidance, the Secretary of State made clear that full council or a meeting of members should have an opportunity to vote on large salary packages and severance payments, particularly those of £100,000 or more.

Growing Places Fund

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the Growing Places Fund was allocated to each Local Enterprise Partnership area in each quarter from November 2011 to September 2013. [170674]

Kris Hopkins: The £730 million Growing Places Fund was allocated to Local Enterprise Partnerships in February and March 2012. The amount received by each Local Enterprise Partnership is set out in the following table:

16 Oct 2013 : Column 730W

Homelessness: Cornwall

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding has been allocated to Cornwall council to tackle homelessness since May 2010. [170863]

Kris Hopkins: Cornwall county unitary authority has been allocated Homeless Prevention Grant in each of the following years funding to tackle homelessness:

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Westminster North (Ms Buck) on 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 506W. A spreadsheet was placed in the Library of the House which shows the amount allocated to each English local authority in Homelessness Prevention Grant or its predecessor in each of the last five years, and also in 2013-14.

We also provided £165,601 in 2011-12 to help Cornwall prevent repossessions. The Homelessness Prevention Grant totals provided are the baseline figures and exclude funding that has previously been rolled into the grant to cover under occupancy and tenancy fraud.

From 2013-14 the Homelessness Prevention Grant has been rolled into the Business Rate Retention scheme.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 731W

Land Drainage

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to encourage householders to offset the effect of additional surface water run-off and promote the use of (a) water butts, (b) green roofs and (c) porous materials for hard surfacing. [170914]

Dan Rogerson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) can use rainwater harvesting, green roofs and porous materials, alongside other methods, to mimic natural drainage.

DEFRA is implementing schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 which contains requirements for SuDS in new and redeveloped sites in England. Building regulations require infiltration to be used except when impracticable, and allow the use of rainwater harvesting.

Householders do not need planning permission to pave-over their front gardens with porous materials. Those who wish to put down an impermeable surface of more than five square metres must obtain specific planning permission.

Some water companies offer free water butts to individuals and groups who wish to harvest rainwater. This contributes to meeting water efficiency targets set by Ofwat.

Private Rented Housing

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people lived in private rental accommodation in England in September (a) 2012 and (b) 2013. [170748]

Kris Hopkins: The Department publishes estimates each year on the number of households in the private rented sector in England, through its annual English Housing Survey. The latest report shows 3.8 million households in the private rented sector in England for 2011-12 compared to 3.6 million in 2010-11. The Department does not produce annual estimates for Wales.

The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates from the 2011 Census for the number of households in the private rented sector in England and Wales, which are available online in table KS402EW at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/index.html

Census 2011 estimates for the number of households in the private rented sector are 3.72 million households in England, and 0.18 million households in Wales, as at 27 March 2011.

Procurement

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2012, Official Report, columns 24-26W, on procurement, what expenditure on procurement his Department has contracted to (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c) large businesses in each month since August 2012. [167744]

16 Oct 2013 : Column 732W

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 5 September 2013]: Despite the ongoing savings we are delivering to our Department's administration costs, the DCLG Group's overall spend with small and medium sized enterprises for the first four months of 2013-14 has increased from £19 million to £19.3 million compared to the same period last year.

While precise figures will fluctuate from month to month, over 25% of our group spending is now with small and medium suppliers, compared with the starting point of 12% in 2010 (based on DCLG central spend). This meets the Cabinet Office's aspiration for Government Departments to spend 25% with small and medium sized enterprises by the end of this Parliament. We are currently the third highest performing Department within Whitehall.

The following table sets out the detailed expenditure on small, medium and large organisations from September 2012 for my Department and its arm’s length bodies:

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 250W, on social security benefits: EU nationals, whether local authorities are obliged to grant access to the new council tax reduction scheme to EU nationals residing in the UK as jobseekers. [168941]

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 13 September 2013]: Local authorities in England are not obliged to grant access to a council tax reduction scheme to jobseekers from the European economic area residing in the UK.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 733W

Business, Innovation and Skills

Aerospace Industry

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to enable each region of the UK to export aeronautical expertise and products to developing markets overseas. [170730]

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) supports companies with a range of services, including missions and trade fairs which are available to companies throughout the UK, including the devolved Administrations. Working with trade associations in the sector these missions and trade fairs are strategically planned to match identified opportunities.

Support in the form of grants and promotional activities is available to small and medium-sized enterprises who wish to promote their products or services at aerospace exhibitions overseas through UKTI's Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP).

Employment Tribunals Service

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment of the effect of vexatious employment tribunal claims on the employment intentions of small businesses. [170710]

Jo Swinson: The Government have made a number of changes recently to the employment tribunal system to address weak or vexatious claims and their effect on all businesses, including smaller companies. Following Lord Justice Underhill's review of the employment tribunal rules of procedure, judges now have enhanced powers to apply deposit orders on weak elements of claims. An initial sift process, conducted by judges, has also been introduced to help identify and manage weak claims earlier in proceedings. In addition, claimants now have to pay a fee to bring an employment tribunal case. Fees will help claimants consider whether alternative forms of dispute resolution, such as the free conciliation service provided by ACAS, would be more appropriate for resolving their workplace disputes. From next year, claimants will be required to contact ACAS in the first instance and consider early conciliation before being able to proceed to an employment tribunal.

The changes to the employment tribunal process were implemented on 29 July this year. Early conciliation will be introduced on 6 April 2014. Government will assess the effect of these changes on the intentions of all parties, including small businesses, before considering any further action.

Exports: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprise exporters in London contributed to the Trade Growth Value metric through reporting receiving significant assistance from UK Trade & Investment during (a) the last 12 months and (b) the last two years. [170788]

16 Oct 2013 : Column 734W

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 13 September 2013, Official Report, columns 873-4W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield North (Nick de Bois).

Foreign Investment in UK

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much inward foreign direct investment UK Trade & Investment and its private sector partners have secured so far this year. [170800]

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield North (Nick de Bois) on 13 September 2013, Official Report, column 872W.

Foreign Investment in UK: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) with which foreign companies, investors, sovereign wealth funds and governments UK Trade & Investment worked to secure inward investment into London during (a) 2011 and (b) 2012; [170796]

(2) which foreign companies, investors, sovereign wealth funds and/or governments UK Trade & Investment and its private sector partners are currently working with to secure inward investment into London. [170797]

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 270W, my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield North (Nick de Bois).

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what the return is on investment that taxpayers in London are getting from UK Trade & Investment's private sector partners through the inward investment they attract into London; [170798]

(2) how much inward foreign direct investment UK Trade & Investment and its private sector partners attracted into London during (a) the last 12 months and (b) the last two years. [170801]

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield North (Nick de Bois) on 13 September 2013, Official Report, column 873W.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the return on investment taxpayers in London are getting from the London UK Trade & Investment office through inward investment and exports. [170799]

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield North (Nick de Bois) on 13 September 2013, Official Report, columns 872-73W.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 735W

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many members are on the board of each local enterprise partnership; how many such members are women; and how many such members are of Black or minority ethnic origin. [170672]

Michael Fallon: This information is not collected. Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) have been established as voluntary partnerships of local business and public sector leaders and board membership is a matter for LEPs themselves.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the annual spend of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) was in each (a) LEP and (b) region in each year since the formation of LEPs. [170673]

Michael Fallon: The Government do not hold information on the annual spend of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs). LEPs are responsible for a number of local economic development programmes that are funded by Government, and which are individually monitored by the relevant Government Department.

Music: Licensing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if she will establish a music licensing and collections agency for the devolved regions. [170417]

Jo Swinson: Collecting societies in the UK are privately-controlled entities, usually set up by rightsholders and owned and controlled by them. It is a matter for the rightsholders concerned to decide whether to set up any new societies.

Postal Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what safeguards exist to protect the Royal Mail's six-day-per-week delivery service. [170731]

Jo Swinson: The Government are committed to securing the future of the universal postal service provided by Royal Mail, which is so important to local communities, our wider society and the UK economy.

The Postal Services Act 2011 (PSA) sets down the minimum requirements of the universal postal service in law. These minimum requirements include the collection of letters every Monday to Saturday and deliveries to all addresses in the United Kingdom at uniform and affordable prices. Any change to these minimum requirements would require the approval of both Houses of Parliament.

Under the PSA, Ofcom, as the independent regulator for postal services, has the primary duty to secure the provision of the universal postal service in the UK. The Act provides Ofcom with the power to intervene if the

16 Oct 2013 : Column 736W

provision of the universal service is at risk and regulatory tools to ensure that the service is maintained throughout the country.

Regardless of ownership, Royal Mail, as the UK's designated universal service provider, will continue to be required to provide letter deliveries to all UK addresses six days a week in accordance with the statutory obligation and Standards set by Ofcom.

Royal Mail

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish a list of the new shareholders of Royal Mail. [170732]

Michael Fallon: Royal Mail shareholders will be entered onto Royal Mail's register of members. This register belongs to the company and it is for the company to maintain.

The Government are not able to disclose it. However, we sought to ensure that the allocation favoured long-term investors during the sale process.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people were unsuccessful in their application for shares in Royal Mail. [171111]

Michael Fallon: The retail element of the Royal Mail Share Offer was seven times subscribed. 690,000 people received shares; around 40,000 retail applicants—approximately 5%—did not receive any allocation of shares.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department is doing with the deposits paid by people who made an unsuccessful application for shares in Royal Mail. [171112]

Michael Fallon: The policy on the refund of application monies was set out in the Terms and Conditions of the Direct Retail Offer, included in the Prospectus and provided with the Summary Prospectus. Cheques will be posted or bank refund instructions will be made no later than 21 October 2013.

Students

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of students in UK universities were born in (a) the UK, (b) the EU, (c) the Commonwealth, (d) the USA and (d) China. [170896]

Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on enrolments at UK higher education institutions (HEIs).

Information on students' country of birth is not held centrally. However, data on student nationality are available and have been provided as an alternative. Where a student has dual nationality including British, they appear as a British national. If they hold dual nationality, not including British, but including a non-British EU country, then they appear as an EU national. Data are not collected on the nationality of students at Northern Irish HEIs.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 737W

Information on the proportion of students by nationality at English, Scottish and Welsh HEIs in the academic year 2011/12 has been provided in the following table.

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the percentage of undergraduates aged under 25 in (a) England, (b) the UK, (c) US, (d) Canada, (e) Australia, (f) France, (g) Germany and (h) Japan. [170995]

Mr Willetts: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 366W.

Telephones: Fraud

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to tackle the effects of dial through telephone fraud on UK businesses; and if he will make a statement. [170649]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 14 October 2013]: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.

Small and medium sized businesses often use ‘Private Branch Exchanges' for internal and external communications. These systems are targeted by criminals who exploit the technology by committing what is known as 'dial-through fraud', where the exchange is hacked into allowing calls to be routed through the system to high rate international/premium rate numbers.

Fraud of this type can be exacerbated by ineffective access security measures that protect against unauthorised access. If companies suspect that they are vulnerable,

16 Oct 2013 : Column 738W

they should take the appropriate steps to make their systems as secure as possible. Advice on protection from dial-through fraud is available from the getsafeonline website.

If companies have experienced dial-through fraud they should report the matter to Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting centre, telephone 0300 123 2040, website:

www.actionfraud.police.uk

Reports to Action Fraud are reviewed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). If, on the basis of the information reported, enforcement is assessed as being viable the NFIB will present a comprehensive case to the most appropriate police force or organisation to investigate.

UK Trade & Investment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the depth and range of data collected on regional UK Trade & Investment offices. [170794]

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 8 October 2013, Official Report, columns 284-5W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski).

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that the impact of regional UK Trade & Investment offices is accurately measured and monitored. [170795]

Michael Fallon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 284W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski).

Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Rossendale

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 201W, Broadband: Rossendale, how many premises in Rossendale and Darwen constituency are included in the 1,800 premises passed to date; and what proportion of the premises in Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen are in Rossendale and Darwen constituency. [170619]

Mr Vaizey: The Department does not have premises level information, or at the level of constituency for premises passed at this time. The local project team in Lancashire would be the best source for information at that level.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on disclosure by local authorities of the postcodes that will benefit from the Rural Community Broadband Fund as led by Broadband Delivery UK. [171041]

16 Oct 2013 : Column 739W

Mr Vaizey: It is a matter for local authorities and BT to publish their roll out plans under the Rural Broadband Programme and I wrote to the local authorities in July encouraging them to publish information on the expected coverage from their projects.

Internet

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will review the regulation of the process for domain names registration in the light of the dominant position held by Nominet. [170774]

Mr Vaizey: Nominet is a private not-for-profit business with a public purpose agenda, and any surplus generated by the company is donated to the Nominet Trust. While Nominet is responsible for the domain name registration process in the .uk space, UK internet users are able to choose from over 20 alternative Top Level Domain names including com, .net, .eu, and .org, as well as .uk and over 250 other country codes. Additionally, users will soon be able to choose from over 1,400 generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) names as a result of ICANN's gTLD programme. This provides a highly competitive market, offering businesses, and individuals, choice.

Defence

Air Force

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what involvement RAF Careers had with the making of the Channel 5 documentary series Billion Dollar Wreck Hunt; and if he will make a statement. [170777]

Anna Soubry: RAF Careers had no involvement in the making of the Billion Dollar Wreck Hunt. RAF Careers sponsored the series as part of a larger sponsorship package on Channel 5, which includes a number of adventure-related programmes. This is a nine month agreement, due to complete in April 2014.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to paragraph 3.6 of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and US regarding the assignment of UK military personnel to the 432nd Wing, what other written agreements are in place to permit and facilitate UK personnel activities in the territory of a third party; and if he will place copies of any such agreements in the Library. [R] [170717]

Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) utilises a number of written documents to support the deployment of personnel to third party countries. These can be legally binding agreements or treaties, which are bilateral or multilateral documents signed between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) (on the MOD's behalf) and a foreign counterpart. Legally binding agreements relating to MOD activity can be found at the FCO treaty website at:

http://treaties.fco.gov.uk/treaties/treaty.htm

16 Oct 2013 : Column 740W

on GOV.uk, the National Archives or in the Library of the House. There are also non-legally binding, although politically and morally binding, arrangements which take various forms, including: memoranda of understanding (MOU), Defence Co-operation Arrangements (DCA) and Letters of Intent (LoI).

A significant number of legally and non-legally binding arrangements are in place with bilateral partners which permit and facilitate UK personnel activity in the territory of a third party. MOUs are drafted and negotiated by many areas of the Department depending on the subject matter they are dealing with.

These cover all aspects of international defence co-operation, such as detailing the general arrangements for organising, deploying or hosting international training and exercises; the exchange of personnel and units; equipment and research collaboration; and the protection of classified information.

The UK has signed MOUs with over 100 countries on all aspects of international defence co-operation over the last 60 years. However, as comprehensive records of MOUs have never been held centrally by the Department, and it is estimated that there are over 3,000 extant MOUs, copies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Germany

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where each Army unit that has been withdrawn from Germany is being re-based. [170679]

Dr Murrison: Details of the Army units that have been withdrawn from Germany and their location in the UK are shown in the following table:

Details of the Army units that have been withdrawn from Germany but not to the UK are shown in the following table:

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the recent decision by the Dutch Supreme Court to hold the Dutch government to account for the actions of their peacekeepers at Srebrenica, what assessment he has made of the implications of that decision for the deployment of members of HM Forces in support of UN missions. [170764]

16 Oct 2013 : Column 741W

Mr Francois: My right hon. Friend is right to note the potential significance of this judgment, which we are studying carefully.

Defence: Procurement

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to ensure that any overlaps in procurement are kept to a minimum thus ensuring a joined-up approach to defence procurement. [170789]

Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has in place a range of policies and processes to ensure that all defence expenditure is managed in a joined-up manner.

As part of the Levene Reforms we have established the Financial and Military Capability Organisation within the Head Office which acts as the capability coherence authority for the Department. It discharges this function by examining the plans generated by the front line commands, to ensure the combination of all submitted plans is coherent and aligned, and above all affordable through Strategic Balance of Investment. This includes identifying potential overlaps in those plans.

For the procurement of goods and services, the Department has been working with the Government Procurement Service to transition appropriate common goods and services to centralised procurement, creating opportunities for savings through rationalisation and economies of scale. Last year £1.7 billion of MOD expenditure was managed in this way.

Devonport Dockyard

Mr Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to secure the release of South Yard, HM Dockyard Devonport to the Homes and Community Agency; and by when such a transfer will take place. [170591]

Dr Murrison: Ministry of Defence officials are working with the Cabinet Office and Plymouth city council on the release of South Yard. It is too early to say when a transfer will take place.

Iraq

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the health problems in Iraq arising from the use of uranium-depleted munitions and the nerve agent Sarin during the first and second Gulf wars; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle such health issues in an effective and appropriate way. [170685]

Mr Francois: On the use of depleted uranium ammunition, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 14W, and on 18 January 2013, Official Report, column 964W, and on 4 February 2013, Official Report, column 78W, to the hon. Member for Cambridge (Dr Huppert),

On the nerve agent Sarin, I am not aware of any evidence that it was used in the first or second Gulf war.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 742W

Lost Property

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to tackle lost property in his Department and the armed forces. [170736]

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has an ongoing security improvement programme which through education, awareness and training seeks to improve our performance in this area by drawing on existing policy and guidance, our knowledge of the evolving threat faced by Defence and evidence derived from incidents involving the loss or theft of Defence assets.

Despite these efforts, in both the public and private sector, losses or thefts of equipment will still occur. To reduce the security impact, the MOD has a number of measures in place to minimise the risk of compromise of information.

Examples of these include encrypting most laptops and removable media to ensure the data they contain are extremely difficult to access; and a corporate telephony service (Blackberry Enterprise Service) that requires all devices to be password protected and which have the ability to be remotely wiped and isolated from the system.

Mali

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has plans to provide training on drones to African-led International Support Mission to Mali. [R] [170713]

Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence has no plans to provide training on Unmanned Aircraft System to the African-led International Support Mission to Mali.

Marchwood Military Port

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the additional capacity of the port of Southampton to improve the resilience, capacity and capability of the army's sea mounting operations following the sale of Marchwood. [170994]

Mr Dunne: In developing the business case for the proposed sale of Marchwood, consideration is being given to the advantages that access to the additional capacity of other ports, including Southampton, might bring in improving the resilience of the Ministry of Defence's sea mounting operations. It is envisaged, as part of any tender process, that bidders will have the opportunity to address this in their responses.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions power to a nuclear submarine's reactor cooling systems has failed when in port in each submarine base in the last 20 years. [170726]

Mr Dunne [holding answer 14 October 2013]: Nuclear submarines have a diverse range of reactor cooling systems, including a dedicated system that is not dependent on electrical supplies.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 743W

There have been four events in the last 20 years involving the loss of electrical power to a nuclear submarine's reactor cooling systems when in port: two while at Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde, one at HMNB Devonport and one at Rosyth Dockyard.

In all four events there was no disruption to reactor cooling owing to the loss of electrical supplies.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to increase safety on nuclear submarines. [170735]

Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) applies a process of continuous improvement across all elements of the submarine programme, consistent with best practice in safety management and the requirements of regulators. This takes close account of lessons learned from incidents in the civil nuclear industry and in other areas of Defence.

In seeking safety improvements, the MOD works closely with industry, recognising the critical role of the UK's nuclear submarine supply chain in delivering safe submarines.

Submarine safety is also being driven forward through an initiative known as NavySafe. A key element of this is improving the reporting of safety events, to allow lessons to be drawn more effectively from past experience.

Engineering improvements are continually being incorporated into in-service submarines, with major refits providing a valuable opportunity to incorporate improvements to key submarine systems.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2013, Official Report, column 38W; on unmanned aerial vehicles, if his Department will develop trauma risk management strategies specifically tailored for drone operators. [R] [170716]

Mr Francois: I have nothing further to add to my predecessor's answer of 25 February 2013, Official Report, column 38W, however, the Ministry of Defence continues to monitor its trauma risk management strategies for pilots and will develop a specific strategy for RAF Reaper operators should the need arise.

Deputy Prime Minister

House of Lords

Mr McCann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy that the House of Lords be reduced in number. [900478]

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on House of Lords reform. [900481]

The Deputy Prime Minister: The Government remain committed to an elected House of Lords with a reduced number of members.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 744W

However, in the absence of wider reform there are some straightforward and common-sense changes that could help to manage the ever increasing size of the House of Lords and the Government are willing to consider how such changes could be achieved.

Local Growth Committee

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many times the Local Growth Cabinet Committee has met in the last 12 months. [168911]

The Deputy Prime Minister: We do not comment on the frequency of Cabinet Committee meetings.

Urban Areas

Mr Streeter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities have taken part in City Deals to date; and what freedoms and funding have been given as part of each such City Deal. [170590]

Greg Clark: The Government concluded City Deals with the eight largest cities in England outside London in July 2012. These deals offered a range of funding and flexibilities to the various City Regions, including: greater control over the skills and apprenticeship system locally; joint work with Government to maximise the value of public sector land assets; greater control over long term transport funding; powers and flexible funding to create single investment funds; powers to share the proceeds of future economic growth with Government; support to help business grow and to attract inward investment; and a more flexible approach to planning locally. Each City Deal was bespoke, and was negotiated according to the needs of each city.

The local authorities involved in Wave 1 City Deals were:

Birmingham

Birmingham City Council

Solihull Council

Bristol

Bristol City Council North Somerset Council

South Gloucestershire Council

Bath and North East Somerset Council

Leeds City Region

Leeds Council

Bradford Council

Wakefield Council

Calderdale Council

Kirklees Council

Craven Council

Selby Council

Harrogate Council

York Council

Liverpool City Region

Liverpool Council

Halton Council

Knowsley Council

Sefton Council

St Helens Council

Wirral Council

16 Oct 2013 : Column 745W

Greater Manchester

Manchester Council

Salford Council

Trafford Council

Tameside Council

Stockport Council

Bury Council

Oldham Council

Rochdale Council

Wigan Council

Bolton Council

Newcastle

Newcastle Council

Gateshead Council

Northumberland Council

Sunderland Council

Durham Council

North Tyneside Council

South Tyneside Council

Nottingham

Nottingham City Council

Nottinghamshire County Council

Sheffield City Region

Sheffield Council

Rotherham Council

Barnsley Council

Doncaster Council

Chesterfield Council

North East Derbyshire Council

Bolsover Council

Bassetlaw Council

Derbyshire Dales Council

A full list of the commitments agreed in the Wave 1 City Deals can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/city-deals-wave-1

In addition, the Government are currently negotiating Wave 2 City Deals with a further 20 cities in England. These are the next 14 largest cities by population, as well as the six cities with the fastest growing populations. The Preston City Deal, which involved Preston City Council, South Ribble District Council and Lancashire County Council, was signed in September 2013, while the remaining 19 City Deals are currently being negotiated by Government.

Education

Academies

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to reduce bureaucracy in (a) new and (b) established academies; and if he will make a statement. [170616]

Mr Timpson: The Government are committed to reducing bureaucracy for all schools so that they are able to concentrate on raising standards.

All academies benefit from a range of freedoms and flexibilities that give them more power to make their

16 Oct 2013 : Column 746W

own decisions in a range of areas, including the budget, curriculum, staffing, teachers' pay and conditions and the length of terms.

We are continuing to reduce bureaucracy for academies by improving our model funding agreements for new academies and enabling established academies to switch to a new agreement if they wish to do so.

Dame Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the annual budget of the Academies Show Team is. [170906]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education and the Education Funding Agency have supported the Academies Show since it started in May 2012. The Academies Show is organised by Partnership Media Group and has a number of commercial sponsors.

Neither the Department for Education nor the Education Funding Agency has a budget for the Academies Show; suppliers pay to exhibit at the show which is free to delegates.

Free Schools: Teachers

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers in free schools have had Criminal Records Bureau checks on their suitability to work with children. [171098]

Mr Timpson: All teachers and other staff members in free schools must be checked using the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly Criminal Records Bureau). This requirement is contained in the school funding agreement.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers work in free schools; and what their (a) age and (b) qualifications are. [171099]

Mr Timpson: In November 2012, the annual School Workforce Census¹ showed that a total of 682 full-time equivalent teachers, (a headcount of 736) were employed in 64 Free Schools.

¹Note:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2012

The average age of the teachers working in Free Schools was 38. This compares with an average age of 40 for teachers in all publicly funded schools in England.

Data on each qualification held by each teacher are not collected.

GCSE

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children of Pakistani ethnicity achieved five or more GCSEs at grade C or above, including mathematics and English, in schools in (a) London and (b) England, excluding London. [170930]

Mr Laws: The following table provides information as requested for the percentage of Pakistani pupils achieving five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs¹ for pupils^2,3 in London and England (excluding London) in 2011/12⁴. Coverage is for all state-funded schools (including academies and CTCs) in England.

16 Oct 2013 : Column 747W

16 Oct 2013 : Column 748W

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of 15 year old pupils were classified as disadvantaged in (a) Tower Hamlets, (b) Westminster (c) Barking and Dagenham, (d) Wokingham, (e) Buckinghamshire, (f) Hampshire, (g) West Berkshire, (h) Kingston-upon-Thames and (i) Trafford in 2012; and what percentage points attainment gap existed between such pupils and those not classified as disadvantaged in pass rates of five or more GCSEs at grade C or above including mathematics and English. [170939]

Mr Laws: The information requested is provided in the following tables:

16 Oct 2013 : Column 749W

16 Oct 2013 : Column 750W

Pupils: Languages

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in (a) Year R, (b) Year 6 and (c) Year 11 had English as an additional language in (i) London and (ii) areas outside London in the last period for which figures are available. [170671]

Mr Laws: Information on the number of pupils in year 6 and year 11 by first language for regions in England is shown in the following table. Information for reception pupils is not available as first language is only collected for pupils of compulsory school age and above.