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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 17 October 2013

Prime Minister

Commonwealth

Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Canadian Prime Minister on (a) the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Colombo in November 2013 and (b) the role of the Commonwealth in promoting human rights. [171243]

The Prime Minister: I have spoken to the Prime Minister of Canada about the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Colombo on a number of occasions including when we met on 13 June, following his address to both Houses of Parliament. We have discussed the shared values of the Commonwealth and reaffirmed the importance we attach to the Commonwealth adhering to those core values. The UK firmly believes that the Commonwealth can continue to be a force for good around the world, promoting freedom, democracy and human rights. The meeting in Colombo will turn the spotlight on Sri Lanka. I will take a very tough message to the Sri Lankan Government: that they are to make progress on human rights.

Ministers: Official Secrets

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Prime Minister what mechanisms are in place to ensure that an individual whom it is proposed to appoint to sensitive ministerial positions is screened for reliability in the handling of classified information; and if he will make a statement. [170487]

The Prime Minister: Ministers are bound by the strict duties of confidentiality and propriety set out in the Ministerial Code, and are subject to the Official Secrets Act. They are briefed by security specialists within their Departments about how to handle sensitive information on appointment.

Sri Lanka

Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Prime Minister when he last discussed (a) human rights in Sri Lanka and (b) the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission with Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa. [171242]

The Prime Minister: I have raised human rights in Sri Lanka and the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission with President Rajapaksa previously and will do so again during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The Government continue to regularly raise our concerns on human rights at both ministerial and official levels.

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Transport

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available. [171195]

Stephen Hammond: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 336W.

Blue Badge Scheme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people previously in possession of a Blue Badge have been rejected since the introduction of the new guidelines set by his Department. [170929]

Mr Goodwill: I am unable to provide this figure. Accurate data could be provided only by individual local authorities, although it is unlikely that they would be able to distinguish whether a rejection was on the basis of revised guidance or the introduction of independent mobility assessors, which are both now in operation. The Government have not changed the underlying eligibility criteria but have sought to ensure that the statutory regulations are applied fairly so that badges go to those with the greatest difficulty in walking. The final decision on all applications rests with the local authority.

First Great Western

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what public subsidy has been paid to First Great Western Ltd for the Great Western passenger rail franchise in each year that this train operating company has held that contract; [170868]

(2) what public subsidy was paid to First Great Western Ltd for the Great Western passenger rail franchise in each year of that company’s previous contract. [170878]

Stephen Hammond: Details of the aggregate level of Government financial support to, and income from, the rail industry dating back to 1985-86, is published on the Office of Rail Regulation's (ORR) website at:

http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/

In addition, detailed historic information on franchise payments and premiums in respect of individual train operating companies dating back to 1999-2000 is also available on the ORR's website.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the estimated total value will be to (a) the public purse and (b) First Great Western Limited of the planned investment in (i) rolling stock on Thames Valley routes, (ii) capacity on the existing high- speed train fleet and (iii) smart ticketing on the Great Western line between October 2013 and September 2015; and if he will make a statement. [170872]

Stephen Hammond: The announcement of 3 October 2013 said that the Department for Transport would work with First Great Western on these three matters “over the next two years”. At this stage the value of these matters has not been estimated.

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Great Western Railway Line

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the cost was of negotiations between his Department and First Great Western Limited on the extension to 20 September 2015 of the rail passenger service contract for the Great Western line; whether he expects further costs to arise; and if he will make a statement; [170869]

(2) whether his Department employed external consultants to work on the negotiations with First Great Western Limited for the extension to 20 September 2015 of the rail passenger service contract for the Great Western line; what the cost was in each case; and if he will make a statement. [170870]

Stephen Hammond: The franchise agreement entered into in respect of the period to September 2015 is a new agreement, not an extension of an existing agreement. The Department for Transport has employed legal, technical and financial advisers in connection with the negotiations of the new franchise agreement. To date, the cost for advisers is £475,265.00. The costs of departmental time have been met from the Department's existing budget.

The negotiations were completed prior to the signing of the new franchise agreement.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the comparative value to the public purse of awarding Directly Operated Railways the extension of the contract for rail passenger services on the Great Western line; and if he will make a statement. [170871]

Stephen Hammond: No such assessment has been made. Directly Operated Railways (DOR) undertook the preparatory measures necessary to commence operation in the event that we were unable to conclude the negotiations successfully with the incumbent operator, and this included an assessment of resource requirement.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average increase in passenger rail fares on the Great Western line has been in each year since March 1998; and what comparative assessment he has made of such a change and that of (a) other operators of inter-city passenger services and (b) the national average in each such year. [170873]

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold information about the average increase in rail fares in each year.

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) publishes a rail fares price index which provides a measure of the change in the prices charged by train operating companies (TOCs) to rail passengers. This is available on ORR's website data portal

http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/

ORR's fares index does not break down the figures by individual TOC but by sector. First Great Western and the other inter-city operators are included in Long-distance Operators.

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John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the punctuality score for passenger rail services on the Great Western main line has been in each year since 1997-98; and what comparative assessment he has made of such figures and that of (a) other operators of inter-city passenger services and (b) the national average in each such year. [170874]

Stephen Hammond: Details of the operational performance of each train operator are published on the Office of Rail Regulation's (ORR) website at

http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/

The Secretary of State for Transport uses these statistics to inform his understanding of rail performance.

The comparison of operational performance does not take into account the complications resulting from unique line-specific conditions.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultation he has undertaken with (a) passenger groups and (b) trade unions over the content of the contract extension negotiated between his Department and First Great Western Limited for passenger services on the Great Western line; and if he will make a statement. [170875]

Stephen Hammond: A full consultation exercise was carried out in respect of the Great Western franchise competition, commencing with the publication of a consultation document on 22 December 2011. The Secretary of State for Transport said on 31 January 2013 when he announced the direct award to First Great Western that the aim was to

“ensure wherever possible that the benefits for passengers previously sought in new substantive franchise agreements are not delayed”.

The public consultation garnered 1,144 responses, of which one was from a trade union.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the increase in passenger revenue over the life of the contract extension to September 2015 agreed between his Department and First Great Western Limited for rail passenger services on the Great Western line; and if he will make a statement. [170876]

Stephen Hammond: The Franchise Agreement entered into in respect of the period to September 2015 is a new agreement, not an extension of an existing agreement. The estimated passenger revenue is commercially confidential.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in which contractual circumstances his Department would activate contingency for further extension of the rail contract agreed with First Great Western Limited for passenger services on the Great Western line; and if he will make a statement. [170877]

Stephen Hammond: The EU legislation under which the new franchise agreement, starting on 13 October, was entered into does not permit that agreement to exceed two years. The agreement therefore does not contain provisions in relation to extension. The overall term of 33 months included in the franchising programme

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published on 26 March 2013 is planned to be achieved through the entering into of a second direct award franchise agreement.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value will be to (a) Network Rail and (b) First Great Western Limited of the planned improvements to (i) on-train Wi-Fi coverage and (ii) stations on the Great Western line to be undertaken between October 2013 and September 2015; and if he will make a statement. [170879]

Stephen Hammond: The Department has secured a commitment with First Great Western to fit more trains with free wireless internet services. Priority for this upgrade will be given to long-distance trains, and we will continue to work with the operator to deliver improvements to services and stations through the life of the direct award; the exact details are yet to be finalised.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the value to First Great Western Limited is of the contract extension agreed between his Department and that company for rail passenger services on the Great Western line; what steps he has taken to protect the public purse; and if he will make a statement; [170880]

(2) what the estimated level of (a) public subsidy, (b) premium payments and (c) revenue support will be during the contract extension to September 2015 agreed between his Department and First Great Western Limited for rail passenger services on the Great Western line; and if he will make a statement; [170881]

(3) what the value of the contract extension to September 2015 agreed between his Department and First Great Western Limited for rail passenger services on the Great Western line is; and if he will make a statement. [170883]

Stephen Hammond: The Office of Rail Regulation routinely publishes premium and subsidy payments with regard to each operator. These are published annually in arrears. Additionally, compensation to each Train Operating Company will be published annually by the Department for Transport as required by Regulation 1370/2007.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether First Great Western Limited will abide by existing collective bargaining agreements with recognised trade unions for the period covered by the contract extension for the Great Western line; and if he will make a statement. [170882]

Stephen Hammond: Industrial relations are for First Great Western to manage. This is the case with all franchises.

High Speed 2

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the increase in capacity that will be created by the electrification of the Midland Main Line will be included in the next update of the economic case for the Y route of High Speed 2. [171102]

Mr Goodwill: The next update to the economic case for HS2 will accommodate a range of enhancements,

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including updates to our assumptions about the planned improvements to transport infrastructure in England and Wales included in the ‘without-HS2' comparator.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with officials in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the employment of workers on zero-hours contracts in safety critical roles in the shipping industry. [171222]

Stephen Hammond: I have had no discussions with officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on the employment of workers on zero-hours contracts in safety critical roles in the shipping industry.

Peel Holdings

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what grants and loans have been made by his Department and the bodies for which it is responsible to projects in which Peel Holdings is a significant beneficiary in each of the last five years. [170993]

Stephen Hammond: The requested data are not available. The Department records direct recipients of grants and loans which it makes, but does not maintain records of other parties involved in projects funded by these grants.

Public Transport

Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission an assessment of the hyperloop system as an alternative to high speed rail as a means of high-speed transportation. [170825]

Mr Goodwill: The Government believe that high- speed rail offers the most suitable approach to promoting economic growth and providing the long-term transport capacity our country needs. It utilises proven technologies, while untested systems, such as hyperloop, risk delay to delivery and cost overruns.

Railways: Nottingham

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what forecasts his Department has made of journey times from Nottingham city centre to central London via High Speed 2 and an electrified Midland Main Line in 2033. [171101]

Mr Goodwill: The forecast journey time between Nottingham Midland to London Euston on HS2 is 1:08 hours, a saving of 36 minutes from the current times, as published in ‘High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain's Future—Consultation on the route from the West Midlands to Manchester, Leeds and beyond’, July 2013.

The Department looks to Network Rail to determine a detailed journey time between Nottingham and London via an electrified Midland Mainline. Network Rail is funded to electrify the route by 2019 and is working with the rail industry to establish the benefits, such as shorter journey times, that can be incorporated.

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Railways: Tickets

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Government's proposed trial of single-leg ticketing will cost; and when he anticipates that the trial will begin. [170988]

Stephen Hammond: The details of the trial are still being decided, although we expect it to begin in the next financial year.

The cost of the trial will depend upon a number of factors, such as the number of routes upon which single-leg pricing will be trialled, details of which will be decided in due course following further discussion with train operators.

Shipping: Training

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his Department's policy to collate information on the number of training roles for UK ratings in the previous year for inclusion in the annual Seafarer Statistics publication. [171219]

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Lady to my answer of 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 535W.

Speed Limits

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on compulsory speed adapters. [170737]

Mr Goodwill: I have not had occasion to discuss speed adaptation with EU counterparts. There has been some preliminary discussion at official level of intelligent speed adaptation as part of the ongoing EU-wide dialogue on road safety issues.

Health

Abortion

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) under what circumstances abortions can be performed on the grounds that the foetus is female; what the form and timescale is of the investigation into reports of abortions being performed on the grounds that the foetus is female; whether that investigation will cover all abortion clinics in the UK; whether the relevant police forces and prosecuting authorities have been informed of those reports; whether doctors suspected of having falsified abortion referral forms or having performed abortions on the grounds that the foetus is female will be referred to the General Medical Council and the relevant police authorities; and if he will make a statement; [169754]

(2) what further steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take in each of the next 12 months regarding cases of sex-selection abortions; and if he will make a statement; [170115]

(3) what progress he has made with his Department's investigation of allegations that gender abortions are taking place in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [170140]

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Jane Ellison: Both the Secretary of State for Health and the Attorney-General are of the view that termination of a pregnancy oh the grounds of gender alone is both illegal and grossly unethical. However, sex-linked inherited medical condition could be relevant to whether one of the lawful grounds under the Abortion Act 1967 is met. The Department has, and continues to, refer any doctors suspected of having acted unlawfully to the appropriate authorities to investigate.

The Department has taken a number of steps regarding sex-selection abortions. These include writing to the relevant police forces and requesting that all the allegations which appeared in February 2012 be investigated. A letter was also sent from the chief medical officer (CMO) on 23 February 2012 to all abortion services highlighting legal requirements under the Abortion Act 1967, including gender selection.

In addition, at the request of the Council of Europe, we undertook a detailed analysis of births by gender from 2007 to 2011. The data were published in May this year and showed that the United Kingdom gender ratio is 105.1 male births to 100 female and is well within the normal boundaries for populations. When broken down by the mother's country of birth, no group is statistically different from the range that we would expect to see naturally occurring.

We now intend to issue further guidance. First there will be a further letter from the CMO that will cover sex- selective abortions, pre-signing of abortion certification forms and the information that doctors need to make a decision in good faith. Departmental officials will also be working closely with professional bodies, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the British Medical Association and the General Medical Council, to discuss what further support and guidance clinicians might need.

Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation

Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what process members are appointed to the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. [170867]

Dr Poulter: The Department, NHS England and the chair of the committee regularly review the balance of expertise on the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. As required, the Secretary of State for Health and NHS England invite individuals to take up an appointment.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Rehabilitation

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost per individual, per week is of NHS residential drug and alcohol detoxification units. [171121]

Jane Ellison: Information on the average cost of national health service residential drug and alcohol detoxification units is not collected centrally.

The available cost figures for inpatient detoxification cover treatment provided by both the NHS and voluntary organisations. They are aggregated figures and it is therefore not possible to identify the cost of NHS treatment alone. The figures cover NHS general hospital

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psychiatric units and specialist drug misuse inpatient units in hospitals, as well as voluntary, sector residential settings.

Ambulance Services: North West

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the North West Ambulance Service on response times. [171256]

Jane Ellison: No Ministers in the Department have held such discussions with the North West Ambulance Service.

Cancer: Staffordshire

Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Staffordshire have received funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund in each of the last three years. [170912]

Jane Ellison: Information on the number of patients who have had cancer drugs funded by West Midlands strategic health authority (SHA) for the period October 2010 to end March 2013 is shown in the following table.

Information on patients funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund is not collected at county level.

NHS England took responsibility for the Fund from April 2013 and is collecting data on the use of the fund from four regional teams. We are advised that between 1 April and end of June 2013, 1,253 patients in the Midlands and East area were funded.

Dementia

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency hospitals admissions in England were for patients with a diagnosis of dementia in each of the last five years. [171247]

Dr Poulter: Data on a count of finished admission episodes where there was an emergency admission method and a primary or secondary diagnosis of dementia for the years 2007-08 to 2011-12, is shown in the following table.

It should be noted that this is not a count of people, as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion.

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ICT

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) iPads and (b) iPhones have been purchased by (i) his Department and (ii) his Department's non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three years. [171272]

Dr Poulter: Information about the number of iPads and iPhones procured by the Department and the Department's non-departmental public bodies for each of the last three years is available in the following table. There were no iPads or iPhones procured in previous years. The iPad was only launched in mid-2010 and the iPhone was not available for use within Government until more recently.

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NHS England

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS England has spent on public relations and communications staff since its inception. [171269]

Jane Ellison: NHS England advises that it has spent the following sums on public relations and communications staff since it was established as an executive non- departmental public body in October 2012:

Public Health England

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which staff positions at Public Health England are currently unfilled. [171268]

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) is currently recruiting for 364 vacancies—for a whole-time equivalent (WTE) of 357.68.

49 out of the 364 posts are medical and dental- qualified staff or senior civil servant posts.

The remaining 315 represent a cross-section of the PHE workforce as a whole: nurses, biomedical scientists, clinical scientists, laboratory staff, quality assurance staff, emergency planners, scientific and technical staff, epidemiologists, statisticians, corporate services staff (business managers, finance, information technology, procurement and human resource professionals) and data analysts.

As a proportion of total PHE WTE percentage this represents 6.3%.

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c)The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [171155]

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Dr Poulter: These figures represent advertising expenditure relating to public appointments and public health campaigns, and to other expenditure recorded by the Department's Business Management System. To provide fully comprehensive data could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what number and proportion of badgers killed in the current culling programme have been identified as carrying active bovine TB. [171056]

George Eustice: There were no plans to test badgers culled for infection with M. bovis. This was one of the elements investigated during the randomised badger culling trial, giving us evidence on the typical prevalence of TB in badgers in areas of high TB incidence, and it has not been repeated during the pilots.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent estimate he has made of the costs relating to carrying out post mortems on badgers; and how such costs will be funded following the recent extension granted in Somerset; [171250]

(2) what recent estimate he has made of the costs relating to humaneness monitoring; and how such costs will be funded following the recent extension granted in Somerset; [171251]

(3) what recent estimate he has made of the costs relating to sett monitoring of the badger culls; and how such costs will be funded following the recent extension granted in Somerset; [171252]

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(4) what recent estimate he has made of the costs relating to licensing of the badger culls; and how such costs will be funded following the recent extension granted in Somerset; [171253]

(5) what recent estimate he has made of the cost of policing the badger culls; and how such costs will be funded following the recent extension granted for the badger cull trial in Somerset. [171254]

George Eustice: The 2011 Impact Assessment is the most recent estimate prepared on the cost of the pilots:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measures-to-address-bovine-tuberculosis-in-badgers-impact-assessment

When the current badger control policy was published, we recognised the uncertainties around costs and benefits which provided an additional reason to proceed with two pilots initially. As planned, costs will be reviewed after the conclusion of the pilots when all the information is available.

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what regard he gave to Section 10(c)(i) of his Department's guidance to Natural England on the licensing of killing or taking badgers for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine TB when he extended the current cull of badgers. [171296]

George Eustice: As the designated licensing authority, it is for Natural England to consider and grant applications for badger control licences, having regard to the relevant guidance provided by the Secretary of State.

Compost

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2013, Official Report, column 263W, on compost, when his Department intends to publish the findings of the study entitled Monitoring Bioaerosols and Odour Emissions from Composting Facilities. [171290]

Dan Rogerson: The findings of the Monitoring Bioaerosols and Odour Emissions from Composting Facilities project are due to be published later this month.

Rivers

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has produced a standard set of criteria for identifying and classifying a waterway as a chalk stream; and if he will list all those chalk streams it has identified as flowing in England. [171265]

Dan Rogerson: The UK Chalk Rivers Steering Group has identified 161 chalk rivers across England. A copy of this list will be placed in the House Library. The Group was chaired by the Environment Agency and comprised of Government and representatives of interested organisations.

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The Environment Agency has a standard set of criteria for identifying and classifying a chalk stream which was published in full in its ‘State of England's Chalk Streams Report’, 2004. The key characteristics are that the river is dominated by rain-fed groundwater percolating through chalk. The river water is normally very alkaline and relatively constant in temperature as a result of the water's underground journey through the chalk.

A standard set of criteria for defining a chalk stream as a habitat, in terms of flora and fauna, is provided by the Habitats Directive, Annex 1, section 3260 in which chalk rivers are recognised as a priority habitat.

Rural Areas: Financial Services

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the availability of commercial loans to businesses and individuals operating in the rural economy; and if he will make a statement. [170406]

Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.

The Government are committed to improving the flow of credit to small businesses, and are taking action to help small businesses access the finance they need in order to grow.

The funding for lending scheme has contributed to a transformation of the bank funding environment and banks are now passing this on to the real economy, including to small businesses, while the Business Bank and the Business Finance Partnership is developing the sources of non-bank finance available to smaller businesses.

The Government are taking a number of other actions to support the rural economy, by improving competitiveness and skills, investing in rural tourism and supporting micro-enterprises. This includes investing £150 million to improve mobile coverage for up to 60,000 rural premises across the UK that currently cannot receive any signal; and establishing the five pilot rural growth networks (RGN) to tackle barriers to economic growth in rural areas, such as a shortage of work premises, slow internet connectivity and fragmented business networks.

Decisions about whether to lend to specific individuals or businesses remain commercial decisions for banks and building societies.

Energy and Climate Change

Electric Cables

Mr Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Minister of State for Energy plans to respond to the joint signatories of a letter to him regarding overhead transmission lines, dated 18 July 2013. [171191]

Gregory Barker: The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon), replied to my hon. Friend and each of the other seven signatory MPs on 2 August 2013. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

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Electricity: Prices

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent comparative assessment he has made of electricity prices for industry in the UK and in other EU member states. [900526]

Mr Davey: I am aware that electricity prices for industry in the UK are higher than in some other EU member states. This is why the Government have put in place compensation for the indirect costs of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and, subject to state aid approval, are introducing compensation for the cost of the Carbon Price Floor and an exemption for Energy Intensive Industries from the costs of Contract for Difference.

Energy Company Obligation

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the Energy Company Obligation budget will be spent on homes classified as being in fuel poverty. [171053]

Gregory Barker: The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) sets in legislation a carbon and notional bill savings target for March 2015. The obligation is expected to cost participating suppliers around £1.3 billion per annum to deliver. Our impact assessment suggests some £540 million of this, or 42% of the total budget, will be spent through the Affordable Warmth and Carbon Saving Communities Obligation programmes. These elements of ECO are targeted at low-income and vulnerable households and households living in low-income areas. It is likely that some low-income and vulnerable households will also receive assistance under ECO's main carbon obligation.

It is not possible to develop accurate estimates of the number of fuel-poor households receiving assistance under ECO overall, as specific households in fuel poverty change year on year. However, an energy efficiency scheme of this nature targeted at low-income and vulnerable households can be expected to make a significant contribution to fuel poverty objectives. Delivery data show that by the end of August, 244,882 energy efficiency and heating measures had been installed through ECO:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-statistics

This includes more than 167,000 measures under the Affordable Warmth and Carbon Saving Communities parts of ECO.

Energy: Billing

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to help households with their energy bills. [900515]

Mr Davey: I am taking many steps to help that come under three broad categories. First, direct help for millions of people, with money off their bills and money to help pay their bills—warm home discount, winter fuel payments, cold weather payments. Secondly, energy efficiency, to help people cut their bills by wasting less energy—the energy company obligation, the Green Deal, Smart Meters. Thirdly, competition. I am intervening to make

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electricity and gas markets in the UK ever more competitive, so energy companies cannot exploit people through market power.

Energy: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received from the Scottish Government regarding (a) business and (b) household energy bills in Scotland. [171152]

Michael Fallon: DECC Ministers and officials have had a number of discussions with the Scottish Government about a range of energy issues.

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last met the Scottish Government's Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism. [171138]

Gregory Barker: DECC Ministers have regular engagement with Ministers in the Scottish Government to discuss a range of issues. As has been the case with successive Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Energy: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average proportion of household expenditure on energy bills for households in North Wales in the latest period for which figures are available. [171341]

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold data on household expenditure in Wales below national level.

At the national level, the average proportion of household expenditure on energy bills in Wales was 5.4%, over the period from 2009 to 2011. In terms of pounds and pence, this is an average spend of £21.50 per household, per week.

These figures include expenditure on electricity, gas and other household fuels, but exclude expenditure on petrol and diesel. They are based on data from the Living Costs and Food Survey, which is run by the Office for National Statistics. Due to the small number of households in Wales within the survey each year, results are averaged across a three-year period and cannot be produced for sub-regions of Wales.

Fuel Poverty

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to reduce fuel poverty this winter. [R] [900532]

Gregory Barker: This year the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation have already transformed the homes of (174,000) low income and vulnerable households, cutting bills and keeping people warm.

Additionally, this winter our Warm Home Discount scheme will pay out to 2 million households—including over 1 million of the poorest pensioners.

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This Government have also permanently increased cold weather payments to £25 per week. And all pensioners will receive the winter fuel payment.

Treasury

Co-operative Bank

Graham Stringer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority about the provision of independent advice to retail investors in securities issued by the Co-operative Bank about the recapitalisation of that bank; [170842]

(2) what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) about the suspension of interest payments to holders of Co-operative bank accounts; and if he will request that the FCA ensures that such investors receive independent advice from a competent firm on the proposed capital reconstruction. [170843]

Mr Gauke: The Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) operate independently of Government.

The Government have frequent discussions with both regulators, at ministerial and official level, about the full range of firms and across a range of issues. It would not be appropriate to comment on the details of discussions about individual firms.

Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the FCA, wrote to Lord Myners on 13 August 2013 setting out the FCA's views. The letter was placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The letter noted the Co-op's announcement, on 12 July 2013, that the coupon on the 13% perpetual subordinated bonds (PSBs) scheduled for July 31 2013 would be deferred and paid at the time of the successful completion of the exchange offer.

The letter also noted that Co-op's announcement of 17 June 2013, that it is

‘considering the manner in which it can facilitate the provision of independent financial advice to retail holders at the Bank's cost.'

The letter stated that the FCA is satisfied that the Co-operative Bank is progressing this work and will continue to engage with the firm on the issue as the exchange offer develops.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Graham Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether officials in his Department are monitoring the geographical allocation of mortgages arranged under the Help to Buy scheme. [170931]

Mr Gauke: The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme is available throughout the UK. The scheme will support potential borrowers who can afford the 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 up to £130 billion of high loan-to-value mortgages across the UK.

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Prudential Regulation Authority

Graham Stringer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy that the Prudential Regulation Authority issues warnings to bond markets about capital shortfalls in banks. [170844]

Mr Gauke: On 20 June 2013, the PRA published the results of its assessment of the capital adequacy of eight major banks and building societies, including the level of capital shortfalls of each institution against the risk-weighted capital ratio based on the Basel III definition of at least 7%. The results are available on the Bank of England website:

www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/news/2013/pracaprec.pdf

The PRA has informed all of the firms of the requirements and has produced PRA plans to meet them, with the vast majority of these actions to be completed by the end of 2013.

Under the Banking Consolidation Directive (BCD), the PRA is prohibited from publishing confidential regulatory data about individual firms. However, PRA rules made in accordance with the BCD and the Market Abuse Directive require firms themselves to disclose information about their capital position, as well as other market-sensitive information, including information which could affect the pricing of their debt.

Public Sector: Pay

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the research report “Pay Progression in the Public Sector” August 2013 by Incomes Data Services; [171108]

(2) what his policy is towards pay progression in the public sector; [171109]

(3) what analysis of different pay progression models his Department has undertaken. [171110]

Danny Alexander [holding answer 16 October 2013]: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that Departments will be putting in place plans to end automatic time-served progression pay in the civil service by 2015-16. In addition, substantial reforms to progression pay will be taken forward or are already underway for other parts of the public sector.

In providing advice on pay reform, the Treasury continues to take into account a range of evidence and information, including information about existing pay systems in place in public sector workforces and the civil service.

Public Sector: Pensions

Mr Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of total net public service pension expenditure was spent on final salary defined benefit pensions in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13. [171262]

Danny Alexander: In unfunded public service schemes there is no investment pot into which member and employer contributions are paid. Instead, pensioners' benefits are treated as if they were financed from the contributions of current members and employers with any shortfall being met by the Exchequer.

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Table 2.18 of the Supplementary Fiscal Tables to the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) March 2013 Economic and Fiscal Outlook provides figures for Exchequer—or ‘net'—expenditure on the unfunded public service pension schemes in 2011-12 and 2012-13. The schemes covered are final salary defined benefit schemes, with the exception of the Nuvos section of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme, and the GP section of the NHS Pension Scheme, both of which are career average defined benefit pension schemes. These schemes are administered by the Cabinet Office and Department for Health respectively, and HM Treasury does not hold the information required to determine from the OBR figures the split in Exchequer expenditure between final salary and career average public service pension schemes.

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c)The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [171158]

Nicky Morgan: The Treasury has advertised on The Guardian's website including:

www.jobs.guardian.co.uk

and The Guardian newspaper. However, as this is arranged via the Treasury's advertising agency TMP, any detailed information on spend broken down by separate media is not held centrally by the Department and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Home Department

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the cost to UK public funds has been in each of the last five years of complying with Joint Action 97/339/JHA; [170804]

(2) with which EU member states the UK does not have bilateral or multilateral agreements on matters covered by Joint Action 97/339/JHA; and whether the UK would seek to establish such agreements with these member states upon opting out of this measure. [170805]

James Brokenshire: Police forces in the UK use other more practical bilateral and multilateral agreements for sharing information with all other member states.

As the UK has opted out of this measure, from 1 December 2014 the UK will have the power to change our practice in line with the needs of law enforcement. At this moment the UK has no plans to change policy or practice and will fall back on other practical agreements without impacting cooperation.

There have been no costs to UK public funds over the last five years for complying with this Joint Action.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the importance of Joint Action 96/610/JHA in counter-terrorism co-operation between the UK and other EU member states; [170806]

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(2) how many times UK authorities have made use of the directory under Joint Action 96/610/JHA in each of the last five years; [170807]

(3) what the cost to the UK public funds has been of complying with Joint Action 96/610/JHA in each of the last five years. [170808]

James Brokenshire: To the best of our knowledge, Joint Action 96/610/JHA has not been used by UK authorities and there are no costs associated with complying with this measure.

As the UK has opted out of this measure, from 1 December 2014 the UK will have the power to change our practice in line with the needs of law enforcement.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what alternative arrangements, if any, will be required to enable the transmission of controlled substances upon opting out of Council Decision 2001/419/JHA; what her policy is on putting in place such alternative arrangements and whether they should differ from the provisions of the Council Decision; and what assessment she has made of whether these arrangements would be put in place; [170809]

(2) what the cost to the UK public funds has been of transmissions carried out under Council Decision 2001/419/ JHA in the last year; and what the purpose was of each of these transmissions. [170810]

James Brokenshire: There have been four transmissions carried out in the last year in accordance with the procedures set out in Council Decision 2001/419/JHA. Two of these related to amphetamine samples for EU profiling projects and two related to the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI) Drugs Working Group Proficiency Testing. These exchanges could have happened lawfully without this instrument and alternative arrangements will not be required upon opting out.

Information on costs of these transmissions is not collected centrally.

As the UK has opted out of this measure, from 1 December 2014 the UK will have the power to change our legislation on this matter in our Parliament. At this moment the UK has no plans to change operational practices but the UK will have the power to do so if required.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether co-operation which is undertaken under the provisions of Joint Action 98/699/JHA will be maintained following a UK-opt out from that Joint Action; and what the cost has been to UK public funds in each of the last five years of this co-operation; [170811]

(2) whether the UK complies with the obligations relating to judicial training under Joint Action 98/699/JHA; [170812]

(3) what assessment she has made of the cost of producing and maintaining the guide required by Joint Action 98/699/JHA. [170813]

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James Brokenshire: Currently co-operation with other member states to identify, freeze or confiscate assets is principally based on the 1990 Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime, not on Joint Action 98/699/JHA. As part of the 2014 Decision the UK intends to rejoin Council Framework Decision 2006/783/JHA of 6 October 2006 on the application of the principle of mutual recognition to confiscation orders and Council Framework Decision 2003/577/JHA of 22 July 2003 on the execution in the European Union of orders freezing property or evidence, and these measures will also provide a basis for future co-operation in this field.

Judicial training is a matter for the judiciary but the Government are satisfied that the UK meets the obligations as set out in Article 6 of Joint Action 98/699/JHA.

The UK Central Authority, based in the Home Office, maintains guidance relating to all elements of mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, including those covered by Article 2 of Joint Action 98/699/JHA. This can be found on the European Judicial Network website and at:

www.gov.uk/mutual-legal-assistance-mla-requests

The costs of maintaining this guidance are met from the overall Home Office budget and are nominal.

As the UK has opted out of this measure, from 1 December 2014 the UK will reclaim the power to change our legislation on this matter in our Parliament. At this moment the UK has no plans to change operational practices but the UK will have the power to do so if required.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether existing policy and practice in matters covered by Joint Action 97/372/JHA, including co-operation with other member states, will alter as a result of the UK opting out of the Joint Action. [170814]

James Brokenshire: The UK has not used Joint Action 97/372/JHA to share intelligence or information for joint customs operations and relies on the provisions of the Naples II Convention. Opting out of this measure will not impact on our existing policy and practice in this area, including co-operation with other member states.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the cost to UK public funds has been in each of the last five years of co-operation with other member states undertaken under the provisions of Joint Action 96/750/JHA; [170815]

(2) whether existing policy and practice in matters covered by Joint Action 96/750/JHA, including co-operation with other member states, will alter as a result of the UK opting out of this measure; [170816]

(3) what steps the UK has taken to assure the EU that the UK is compliant with Joint Action 96/750/JHA; [170817]

(4) what UK legislative or operational measures, if any, would be necessary to satisfy the requirements of Joint Action 96/750/JHA that do not accord with existing policy or practice; [170818]

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(5) which provisions of Joint Action 96/750/JHA do not accord with existing UK policy or practice. [170819]

James Brokenshire: The EU Council Joint Action 96/750/JHA concerns the approximation of the laws and practices of the member states of the European Union to combat drug addiction and to prevent and combat illegal drug trafficking.

The UK Government have worked at a practical level with international partners to tackle the threats from drug trafficking for many years. The Government are confident that they comply with all the obligations set out in this measure through other mechanisms.

The information requested on the cost to UK public funds associated with co-operation with other member states is not held centrally.

As the UK has opted out of this measure, from 1 December 2014 the UK will have the power to change our legislation on this matter in our Parliament. At this moment the UK has no plans to change existing policy or operational practices but the UK will have the power to do so if required.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) through what means, if any, the information currently exchanged through Joint Action 96/699/JHA will be exchanged with other member states assuming that the UK ceases to be bound by this Joint Action; [170820]

(2) how many prosecutions have been facilitated in the UK through Joint Action 96/699/JHA; [170778]

(3) how frequently information exchange involving the UK is conducted on the basis of Joint Action 96/699/JHA; and what the cost has been to UK public funds in each of the last five years of such information exchange. [170779]

James Brokenshire: The information requested on frequency and cost of transmission of information on the chemical profiling of drugs or related prosecutions is not collected centrally in the UK.

The EU Council Joint Action 96/699/JHA concerns the exchange of information on the chemical profiling of drugs to facilitate improved cooperation between member states in combating illicit drug trafficking.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) transmitted these data on behalf of the UK forensic science laboratories, and the National Crime Agency (NCA) will now undertake this function. The UK will continue to exchange forensic drug information with other member states and EU partners through a variety of other means including direct to law enforcement, by forensic providers and through other networks, such as the European Drug Profiling System and Europol analysis work files.

As the UK has opted out of this measure, from 1 December 2014 the UK will reclaim the power to change operational practices and policy. At this moment the UK has no plans to change existing policy or operational practices but the UK will have the power to do so if required.

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Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government intend to retain unchanged the provisions of UK law and practice required by Council Framework Decision 2002/474/JHA, as amended, assuming that the UK ceases to be bound by the Framework Decision under Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties. [171001]

James Brokenshire: No record of Council Framework Decision 2002/474/JHA can be found and this is not a measure subject to the UK's 2014 opt-out decision. Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA on combating terrorism was amended by Council Framework Decision 2008/919/JHA. It is assumed that your question relates to these measures.

The UK goes further than the requirements of Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA in most respects. There are no plans to amend UK legislation which is compliant with this measure and domestic practices will not be altered as a result of the UK's decision to opt out.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the information exchange between the UK and EU bodies that occurs under Council Decision 2005/387/JHA will continue if the UK opts out of that Decision; and what the cost to UK public funds has been in each of the last five years of such information exchange. [171030]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 15 October 2013]: The UK Government have worked at a practical level with international partners on drugs issues for many years. Co-operation and information exchange with other member states and EU bodies will not change as a result of opting out of this measure. The marginal costs associated with the UK’s participation in the information exchange mechanism are subsumed within the existing responsibilities of the UK National Focal Point on Drugs based at Public Health England, the UK’s Europol National Unit.

As the UK has opted out of this measure, from 1 December 2014 the UK will have the power to change operational practices and policy. At this moment the UK has no plans to do so.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy that non-warranted holders of the position of HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary should not wear ceremonial uniform while conducting their duties; and if she will make a statement. [171107]

Damian Green [holding answer 16 October 2013]: The HM chief inspector of constabulary (HMCIC) and HM inspectors do not hold warrants. It is for the HMCIC to decide the public engagements at which they wear the uniform to which they are entitled.

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Ministers

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Ministers in her Department have (a) responsibility for and (b) access to classified information in connection with the Security Service; and if she will make a statement. [170258]

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has responsibility for the Security Service and is accountable to Parliament, and to the public, for the work they do.

Government Ministers may have access to classified information where it is necessary and relevant to their ministerial responsibilities.

Police: Training

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the effect of the introduction of compulsory paid-for Certificate in Knowledge of Policing courses as a requirement for applying to become a police officer on (a) the demographic composition of police forces and (b) how representative police forces are of the communities they serve; [170864]

(2) which police forces offer bursaries or other financial assistance to pay fees for Certificate in Knowledge of Policing courses to applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds; [170865]

(3) which police forces require potential applicants for police officer roles to have completed a Certificate in Knowledge of Policing prior to application. [170866]

Damian Green: The Certificate in Knowledge of Policing is not a requirement for entry to any force. It is one of a number of routes and is designed to increase access and inclusion and to build the profession of policing. The College of Policing is monitoring take up of the new qualification, including the demographic data of candidates. It is too early to give an informed response of its effect, as the certificate is in its infancy and recruitment in forces outside the Metropolitan Police Service is low.

No forces have established bursary schemes for students undertaking the Pre-Join programmes but a number are considering doing so.

Young Offenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of children aged 17 and under who were detained overnight in police cells in each of the last three years were subsequently charged with a criminal offence; [171054]

(2) what the (a) offence type, (b) gender and (c) reason for detention was of each child aged 17 and under who was detained overnight in police cells in each of the last three years. [171055]

Damian Green: The requested information is not available from data collected centrally by the Home Office.

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Electronic Surveillance

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the cost of reprogramming equipment and other security changes made at GCHQ and other establishments as a direct consequence of the recent actions of Edward Snowden. [171105]

Hugh Robertson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Foreign and Commonwealth affairs.

It is the long-standing policy of successive Governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Electronic Surveillance

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the cost of reprogramming equipment and other security changes at intelligence-gathering establishments as a direct consequence of the recent actions of Edward Snowden; [171104]

Hugh Robertson: It is the long-standing policy of successive Governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence.

Iran

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of Iran's support for Hamas. [171130]

Hugh Robertson: We continue to have serious concerns about Iran's support for terrorist groups, including Hezbollah's military wing and Hamas. Iran provides the military wing of Hezbollah with significant financial resources, military equipment, and training. Iranian support for Hamas reportedly continues, although at a lower level since Hamas decided not to support the Syrian regime. Iran's support to such groups is unacceptable, is in direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1747, and undermines prospects for peace and stability in the middle east.

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of Iran's relationship with Hezbollah. [171143]

Hugh Robertson: We continue to have serious concerns about Iran's support for terrorist groups, including Hezbollah's military wing and Hamas. Iran provides the military wing of Hezbollah with significant financial resources, military equipment, and training. Iranian support for Hamas reportedly continues, although at a lower level since Hamas decided not to support the Syrian regime. Iran's support to such groups is unacceptable, is in direct contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1747, and undermines prospects for peace and stability in the middle east.

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Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to enforce economic sanctions against Iran. [171149]

Hugh Robertson: The EU has imposed a comprehensive set of economic sanctions against Iran, which are detailed in a series of EU Regulations. Member states are required to apply penalties for infringement of the Regulations. The UK has statutory instruments which set out these penalties.

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of reports that Iran is producing plutonium at its Arak facility. [171150]

Hugh Robertson: I am not aware of such reports. Although Iran continues construction of a Heavy Water Research Reactor at Arak—in contravention of its UN Security Council obligations—the IAEA's August report made clear the facility is not yet operational. If it becomes operational, this reactor could produce plutonium that could be reprocessed for use in a future nuclear device.

Kieron Bryan

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when British consular officials in Russia have visited Kieron Bryan since his detention on 19 September 2013; how long each such visit lasted; and when the next such visit will take place. [171142]

Mr Lidington: British consular officials visited Kieron Bryan on 24 September and again on 3, 9 and 11 October. During each visit, which varied in length, they were able to discuss welfare issues with Mr Bryan and follow up on these with the relevant Russian authorities, as well as pass messages to and from family members. Consular officials intend to visit Mr Bryan again later this week.

Religious Freedom

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will develop a strategy to prevent attacks on individuals throughout the world where the primary cause is due to the individual's atheism, humanism or lack of religious belief. [170845]

Mr Lidington: Freedom of religion or belief is one of the Government's international human rights priorities. Protecting the rights of atheists, humanists and the non-religious is an important component of this. We condemn all instances of violence and discrimination against individuals motivated by their religion or belief, regardless of the country, faith or belief concerned.

We have a strategy to strengthen our promotion of the right to freedom of religion or belief through bilateral work with affected countries, using multilateral institutions, and through targeted programme and project funding, including internal capacity-building initiatives. We are currently reviewing the effectiveness of our strategy. This review is taking into account the reports of

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International Humanist Ethical Union and the particular threats faced by atheists, humanists and the non-religious identified by the British Humanist Association.

Russia

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of whether any of its new ballistic missile systems have put Russia in breach of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty; and if he will make a statement. [170968]

Hugh Robertson: The 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty is a bilateral treaty between the USA and the former Soviet Union, and any determination of whether or not it has been breached is a matter for the parties. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not made an assessment on whether Russia is in breach of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty.

Sri Lanka

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had regarding the UK’s attendance at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka in November 2013. [171052]

Mr Swire: The UK is attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) because we believe it is the right thing to do for the Commonwealth. We will take a very tough message to the Sri Lankan Government: that they need to make concrete progress on human rights, reconciliation and political settlement, and that we expect unrestricted access for media and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) attending CHOGM. As Minister for the Commonwealth, I have discussed CHOGM with a wide range of interlocutors recently, including with hon. and right hon. Members, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Ministers from other Commonwealth Governments, and the high commissioner for Sri Lanka.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Sri Lankan Government regarding full implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission; and what assessment he has made of progress by the Sri Lankan Government on implementation. [171144]

Mr Swire: We regularly raise the importance of the Sri Lankan Government making concrete progress on the implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission recommendations at both ministerial and official level. This was raised most recently by the UK's high commissioner to Sri Lanka, at ministerial level this week. In September, the former Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), also outlined to the Sri Lankan high commissioner in London the importance that the UK attaches to the Sri Lankan Government making progress against commitments made to the Sri Lankan people. I also made this point in my statement at UNGA to other Commonwealth Foreign Ministers during CFAMM.

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We have been clear that there has been some progress in areas such as demining, internally displaced persons (IDP) and resettlement and infrastructure development. However, much more work is needed to achieve reconciliation in Sri Lanka. As the Deputy Prime Minister stated on 15 May, too many Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations have not yet been implemented.

The UK co-sponsored the Sri Lanka resolution passed in the Human Rights Council in March, and we welcome its adoption with the support of a majority of Council members. We look to the Sri Lankan Government to implement the recommendations contained in the resolution, including the implementation of LLRC recommendations, and to comply with their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what conditions his Department set in relation to human rights in Sri Lanka before confirming the attendance of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo in November 2013. [171145]

Mr Swire: The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka as the Commonwealth is too important to be set aside because of the location of CHOGM. However, we have been very clear that the CHOGM host should demonstrably embody our shared Commonwealth values. We believe that the attendance of many world leaders and the global media will help to shine a light on what is going on the country, either highlighting progress made or drawing attention to a lack of it.

We continue to urge Sri Lanka to make progress on human rights concerns and on the implementation of Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations, which Sri Lanka set up in 2010, and to allow unrestricted freedom of movement for Commonwealth Heads, media and non-governmental organisations attending CHOGM in November. We will support and welcome tangible signs of progress. Equally, we will not hesitate to highlight negative developments or lack of progress against commitments.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has received from the Sri Lankan Government regarding (a) media freedom and (b) access for non-governmental organisations during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo in November 2013. [171146]

Mr Swire: We welcome the Sri Lankan Government's public assurances confirming their commitment to provide full media access to journalists at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Although the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised this with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Peiris recently in New York, we are concerned about recent statements to the contrary from some representatives

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of the Sri Lankan Government. The UK Government believe it vital that the media are able to travel to Sri Lanka and to report freely. We will continue to press the Sri Lankan Government to honour their public assurances.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have an important role to play during CHOGM including through attending events such as the People’s Forum. The UK Government believe it is important that the Sri Lankan Government ensure that NGOs are able to participate in CHOGM and travel freely during the event.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assurances he has received from the Sri Lankan Government about the safety and rights of human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers meeting international visitors during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo in November 2013. [171147]

Mr Swire: The British Government have repeatedly sought and received assurances at all levels from the Government of Sri Lanka that journalists and non-governmental organisations will be allowed free access to Sri Lanka during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. We have urged the Government of Sri Lanka to take decisive action to guarantee freedom of expression by investigating infringements of human rights and ensuring those responsible are brought to justice.

We continue to have concerns about human rights in Sri Lanka, including on freedom of expression. We welcomed the oral update of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), Navi Pillay, to the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council following her visit to Sri Lanka in August. The update noted that Ms Pillay had received complaints about the continuing high levels of harassment and intimidation meted out to human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists and outlined concern that people who had been in contact with the UNHCHR were subsequently questioned about the content of their conversation.

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan Government regarding the (a) military presence in the north of that country, (b) acquisition of private land by the Sri Lankan military and (c) role of the military in (i) education, (ii) tourism and (iii) agriculture in Sri Lanka. [171148]

Mr Swire: Officials at our high commission regularly raise with the Sri Lankan Government the issue of the military presence in the north of the country. Though military drawback is evident in some areas, we are concerned at military involvement in commercial and other civil activities, such as education, tourism, and agriculture, and the occupation of land in high security zones. We have raised this issue at both ministerial and official level with members of the Sri Lankan Government, and will continue to press the need for the military not to partake in civil activities.

Land rights are challenging in most post-conflict situations involving internally displaced people or refugees. In Sri Lanka, multiple displacements of different groups and individuals have occurred over many years resulting in competing claims on the same land. Our most recent

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Human Rights Report update states that there are also increased reports of land takeovers in Tamil areas. However, we understand that the Sri Lankan Government have recently given assurances that the military would return some private land in the north within the next three months. Our high commission in Colombo has raised with the Government of Sri Lanka the need to resolve land disputes through a fair and accountable process.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterpart following the demonstrations in Weliweriya in August 2013; and what representations he has made in support of an independent investigation into the protestors' deaths and the army's conduct during those demonstrations. [171249]

Mr Swire: We understand that investigations by the police and the National Human Rights Commission are continuing into the deaths which followed the violent disruption of peaceful protests by Sri Lankan security forces in Weliweriya. My hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, noted our serious concern about the deaths in a statement on 6 August. He urged the Sri Lankan authorities to conduct a swift and transparent investigation into the shootings and ensure the right to peaceful protests is protected.

The European Union Delegation also issued a statement in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission in Sri Lanka. It noted that the right to freedom of peaceful assembly is fundamental to democratic societies and should be protected by the state, and looked to the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure justice through speedy, impartial investigations and to enable all Sri Lankans to exercise their human rights freely.

Officials at our high commission in Colombo have raised these concerns with members of the Sri Lankan Government. It is important that the Sri Lankan authorities conduct transparent investigations into all human rights abuses, ensuring the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which individuals and organisations from the UK will attend the (a) business summit, (b) youth summit and (c) civil society summit at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Colombo. [171255]

Mr Swire: Individuals and organisations from the UK taking part in the Commonwealth Business Forum, Commonwealth People's Forum and Commonwealth Youth Forum in the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting are required to register with each event's organiser. We do not hold a comprehensive list of participants. The Government have yet to finalise their plans for attendance.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights following her visit to Sri Lanka on sexual harassment and abuse in that country; and if he has discussed his Department's Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative with his Sri Lankan counterpart. [171270]

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Mr Swire: The Government welcomed the oral update from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) to the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council following her visit to Sri Lanka in August, and share many of her concerns. This update outlined her concern on the vulnerability of women and girls to sexual harassment and abuse, including at the hands of military personnel in Sri Lanka. We look forward with interest to the submission of the full written report during the March 2014 session of the UN Human Rights Council.

We continue to be concerned at reports of a culture of impunity for rape and sexual violence and the lack of support for victims in Sri Lanka. Tackling sexual violence is central to conflict prevention and peace-building worldwide, as recognised in the Preventing Sexual Violence initiative (PSVI) by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). My hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), the former Parliamentary-Under-Secretary of State, raised the PSVI declaration in his meeting with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 25 September. We have encouraged Sri Lanka to endorse the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, launched by the Foreign Secretary on 24 September, and we will continue to do so when opportunities arise.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Prime Minister about UK Government attendance at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka. [171271]

Mr Swire: The Prime Minister and I are in regular contact about the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. We will continue to work closely together in the run-up to the meeting.

Sudan

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of reports of violence in Khartoum; and if he will make a statement. [171261]

Mark Simmonds: As I made clear in my statement of 30 September, I was shocked and saddened by reports of Sudanese security forces' use of excessive force against protesters in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities. These events demonstrate the importance of all parties in Sudan engaging in a meaningful comprehensive national dialogue to build a more prosperous, stable and peaceful Sudan. The UK is committed to helping Sudan work towards this vision.

Tamils

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings Ministers in his Department have held with representatives of (a) the British Tamil Forum and (b) the Global Tamil Forum since 2012. [171051]

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Mr Swire: Ministers in my Department have held three meetings at which British Tamils Forum representatives were present since 2012. Two of these meetings included wider Tamil community or all-party group on Tamils attendees.

No ministerial meetings have been held with the Global Tamil Forum leadership since 2012. However, members of the British Tamils Forum automatically hold membership of the Global Tamil Forum. A Foreign Office Minister delivered a speech at the third anniversary conference of the Global Tamil Forum in Parliament in February 2013.

International Development

Burma

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what policy objectives her Department aims to achieve by supporting Myanmar’s forthcoming census. [171106]

Mr Duncan: A census is an essential tool that enables effective government. DFID judges it sensible to support Burma's census including to advise on the content of the questions. This will help ensure it provides the most accurate and useful data possible to inform development policy.

Coltan

Mrs Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what practical steps the Government plan to take to make the trade in coltan conflict-free. [171266]

Lynne Featherstone: Through DFID's Extractive Programme (ProMines) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) we are funding a study on certification arid traceability systems in Eastern DRC with a view to supporting the scaling-up of conflict-free initiatives in a cost-effective way. The same programme is also supporting the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region mineral certification process.

At the international level, the UK Government are working closely with several initiatives to break the links between minerals and conflict in Eastern DRC.

Developing Countries: Taxation

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to provide assistance to developing countries to increase the effectiveness of their tax authorities; and what steps it is taking to help such countries increase their capacity to utilise tax data shared as a result of the agreement at the G8 summit in June 2013. [170199]

Justine Greening: Leaders at the G8 summit June 2013 agreed to support developing countries' efforts to collect the taxes owed to them. The Government have already set up the Developing Countries Capacity Building Unit, which I announced in March 2013. This is based in Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and funded by DFID to support developing countries' tax authorities.

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In September 2013, the G20 asked the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Global Forum to produce a roadmap showing how developing countries can overcome obstacles to participating in the new standard of automatic exchange of information agreed at G8 summit.

Defence

Armed Forces: Discounts

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies offer what discounts under the Defence Discount Service. [168402]

Anna Soubry [holding answer 11 September 2013]: The Defence Discount Service, managed for the Ministry of Defence by Blue Light Card Services, offers a very wide range of discounts from leading high street and online retailers. These include Vodafone, KFC, Vue Cinemas and a number of major supermarkets, clothing stores and technology companies. Discounts are available on, among other things, cars, laptops, supermarket shopping, holidays and mobile phones.

The full range of discounts is accessible to members of the scheme, which is open to regular and reserve members of the armed forces, veterans, service family members, Ministry of Defence civil servants, cadet forces (over 16 years of age) and NATO personnel serving in the UK.

The right hon. Gentleman will appreciate that to publish a full list of the companies participating, which now numbers over 1,000, and the discounts they offer, could impact on the commercial interests of those companies and their willingness to continue participating. We also owe a duty of confidence to the contractor we hired to draw up the list and obtain the discounts. The scheme operates as a ‘closed-group' website and the information requested is therefore not in the public domain.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many sexual violence perpetrator programmes are available to (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force personnel; where each such programme is made available; and if he will make a statement; [169407]

(2) how many places are available on his Department's domestic violence perpetrator programmes; what the length is of each such programme; how many participants failed to conclude each of the programmes in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [169409]

Mr Francois: The tri-service Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) in Colchester has a range of offender programmes designed to address detainees’ offender attitudes, thinking and behaviour. These include the newly introduced Domestic Abuse programme delivered by Essex Probation Services. The MCTC does not provide specific sex offender treatment programmes, primarily because detainees generally serve short sentences and are not sentenced for offences which would warrant this type of intervention.

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When a service person based in the UK is ordered by a civil court to attend a rehabilitation programme, commanding officers will ensure that the individual is not prevented through their military duties from complying with the order. Any serious impact on the military duties of the individual which result from such an order being imposed is considered during the service’s administrative process that follows court proceedings, and an employment decision is made accordingly. Where appropriate, the service police and welfare services will liaise with Home Office police forces and the Probation Service to assist in the offender management process.

Domestic violence offender programmes have been offered to British forces in Germany since November 2008. It is taking time to collate the details and I will write to the hon. Lady shortly.

Substantive answer from Anna Soubry to Madeleine Moon:

In my predecessor's (Mark Francois) response to you on 8 October (Official Report, column 27W) he promised to write on perpetrator programmes in the UK. I am now in a position to respond fully.

From November 2008 British Forces in Germany (BFG) were able to draw on a voluntary one-to-one programme for domestic violence offenders, known as the Individual Domestic Abuse Module (IDAM). This programme, which was offered by the BFG Probation Service, consisted of 16 one-hour sessions. Between November 2008 and June 2011, IDAM received 34 referrals. Of these 34 referrals, 10 were assessed as suitable candidates and five completed the full programme.

During Financial Year (FY) 2011-12, the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme (Managed Intervention Domestic Abuse Service (MIDAS)) was developed. It was then implemented across the BFG area during FY 2012-13 by Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen Families Association on a contractual basis. MIDAS is a voluntary one-to-one modular offender management programme which is run over a 12 to 16-week period. In FY 2012-13 MIDAS received a total of six referrals, and of these, five candidates completed the full programme. So far in FY 2013-14, MIDAS has received two referrals, and of these one has completed the programme and one is in progress.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide details of the numbers of reported instances of rape and sexual crimes against military personnel by other military personnel in the armed forces for each year since 2010. [170682]

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence takes allegations of sexual offences very seriously. The following table shows the information readily available in respect of investigations of rape by military personnel against other military personnel for each year between 2010 and 2012. It relates to cases where the Service Police have jurisdiction and the investigative lead.

For allegations in respect of sexual assault and assault by penetration, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers given by my predecessor on 10 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1126-1127W, and 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1252-I253W, to the hon. Member for

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Bridgend (Mrs Moon), which relates to allegations that have been made by serving members of the armed forces.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available. [171193]

Anna Soubry: In financial year 2012-13, the Ministry of Defence processed 4,048,336 invoices through the defence bills system.

Data Protection

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the nature was of each of his Department's loss of personal data incidents in 2012-13. [168323]

Anna Soubry [holding answer 10 September 2013]: The number and type of personal data incidents reported in financial year 2012-13 are contained in the following table. These figures include both confirmed and potential losses. Potential losses are incidents where evidence from the investigation indicates that an accounting error has taken place (for example, a failure to properly record a document's destruction), rather than a genuine loss. Even where documents are simply recorded as lost, investigations into the incidents indicate that in the majority of cases there is no evidence that the documents are not within Ministry of Defence premises.