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Written Answers to Questions

Monday 21 October 2013

Wales

Business Advisory Group

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether a per diem allowance is given to members of his Business Advisory Group. [171432]

Mr David Jones: Members of my Business Advisory Group do not receive any form of allowance or reimbursement for their role.

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 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. [171557]

Stephen Crabb: Nil.

National Assembly for Wales

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what amount in block grant the Welsh Assembly will receive from the Government in the next five years; [171474]

(2) what amount in block grant the Welsh Assembly has received from the UK Government in each of the last five years. [171475]

Mr David Jones: The following table shows the block grant for the Welsh Government since 2008-09 and plans until 2015-16. There are no spending plans beyond 2015-16.

Severn Tunnel

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what discussions he has held with Network Rail on the postponement of engineering works requiring the closure of the Severn tunnel on the weekend of 26-27 October 2013; [171332]

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(2) what assessment he has made of the economic impact of the closure of the Severn tunnel on the Rugby League World Cup opening ceremony and the World Music Expo in Cardiff during the weekend of 26 and 27 October 2013. [171630]

Mr David Jones: My Department is in close contact with Network Rail. While it is unfortunate that the work will coincide with the Rugby League World Cup opening ceremony and the World Music Expo, I am reassured that Network Rail has worked closely with stakeholders, including train operating companies, to minimise disruption.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many responses the Government have received to their consultation on the devolution of stamp duty land tax to the National Assembly for Wales to date. [171199]

Mr David Jones: The Government received 40 responses.

Scotland

Ayrshire

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received from the Scottish Government on support for economic development in East Ayrshire. [171482]

David Mundell: Economic development is a devolved issue. While I have had a range of discussions with Scottish Government, local authorities and other interested parties to ensure that the UK Government are giving all support possible following recent job losses in the opencast mining industry, I have so far not had any direct representation from the Scottish Government on economic development in East Ayrshire.

Public Expenditure

Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what Barnett consequentials will follow in funding for Scotland following the extension of free school meals in England. [171178]

David Mundell: Funding for the extension of free school meals will be considered as part of the autumn statement. Barnett consequentials for the devolved Administrations will be determined in the usual way.

Prime Minister

Collective Responsibility

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will list the current areas of policy on which the coalition Government have agreed to suspend the principle of collective responsibility; [171451]

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(2) in what circumstances the doctrine of collective responsibility (a) applies and (b) does not apply, with particular reference to comments made on the record to the media. [171452]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 February 2013, Official Report, column 461W.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Prime Minister who will accompany him on the delegation to the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka. [171709]

The Prime Minister: I will be accompanied by ministerial colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and officials. Details of overseas travel by Ministers are published on a quarterly basis.

Jimmy Savile

Frank Dobson: To ask the Prime Minister if he will take steps to ascertain whether advice was given to Mrs Thatcher by the police or security services about the conduct of Jimmy Savile. [171282]

The Prime Minister: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the statement made by a Cabinet Office spokesman when papers relating to Baroness Thatcher's time in office were recently released under the 30 year rule:

“There is no indication in the papers that anything was known then about the allegations that have subsequently come to light about Jimmy Savile. The honours process was followed in accordance with the system at the time.”

Energy and Climate Change

Cold Weather Payments

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of people eligible for cold weather payments in each region of the UK. [171206]

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

The estimates for the number of people eligible for cold weather payments in each weather station area in the UK will not be available until the end of October. The estimates are produced by a scan of the systems immediately prior to the start of the cold weather payment season, commencing 1 November 2013. The scan is conducted as close as possible to the start of the cold weather season to best represent the most accurate number of eligible customers.

As the weather station areas are based on the climate of the relevant postcodes, they do not align with any standard regional mapping. When the estimates become

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available, I will place a copy in the House of Commons Library, showing the regions that overlap with each weather station.

Mobile Phones

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many smartphone apps his Department has launched. [171592]

Gregory Barker: The Department has not launched any smartphone apps.

Nuclear Power: China

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will (a) place in the Library and (b) publish on his Department's website copies of the agreements he concluded with Chinese nuclear authorities during his recent visit to China in respect of inward investment in the UK nuclear power programme; and which private sector business executives accompanied him on this visit. [171966]

Michael Fallon: During his recent visit to China, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), negotiated a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Government of China on co-operation in the field of civil nuclear energy. This MOU was signed during the visit to China of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne). It can be found on the gov.uk website at the following address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/251211/signed__MOU_EN_130924_ UKSIDE.pdf

The Secretary of State was not leading a trade delegation. No private sector business executives accompanied the Secretary of State on his visit.

Culture, Media and Sport

Television: Licensing

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many businesses in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency hold a television licence. [171483]

Mr Vaizey: The table sets out the number of television licences held by businesses in the UK and in Scotland as at 16 October 2013. TV Licensing does not hold a breakdown of these data by constituency so it is not possible to provide the number of licences held by businesses in Kilmarnock and Loudoun.

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Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her 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. [171552]

Mrs Grant: As part of the drive to attract a wider spectrum of candidates to the boards of our country's institutions and encourage more diverse public appointments process we advertise appointments. In this context, a single payment of £10,698 was made to Guardian news and media in 2011-12.

Transport

High Speed 2

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many consultation requests from local planning authorities have been received by HS2 Ltd pursuant to the Safeguarding Directions for Phase 1 since 9 July 2013; from which local planning authorities such requests have been received; how many such consultation requests are EIA development as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011; how many recommendations for refusal of the grant of planning permission have been made; how many such recommendations are of (a) EIA development and (b) non-EIA development; how many recommendations have been made by HS2 Ltd that conditions be imposed on a planning permission in order to protect the High Speed 2 project; how many of those recommendations are of (i) EIA development and (ii) non-EIA development; how many referrals have been made to him where a local planning authority is minded to approve an application for planning permission against the advice of HS2 Ltd; and what the results of each such referral have been. [R] [171089]

Mr Goodwill: There have been 30 consultation requests from local planning authorities received by HS2 Ltd pursuant to the Safeguarding Directions for Phase 1 since 9 July 2013. The local planning authorities that such requests have been received from are:

Birmingham City Council

Hertfordshire County Council

London Borough of Brent

London Borough of Ealing

London Borough of Hillingdon

Lichfield District Council

London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

North Warwickshire Borough Council

Oxfordshire County Council

Stratford-upon-Avon District Council

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

South Northamptonshire Council

Warwickshire County Council

Westminster City Council

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Four of these consultation requests are for EIA development as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011. Of these, three recommendations for refusal to grant planning permission have been made. Two recommendations are for EIA development and one for non-EIA development.

Two recommendations have been made by HS2 Ltd that conditions be imposed on a planning permission in order to protect the High Speed 2 project. No recommendations are of EIA development and two are non-EIA development.

There have been no referrals where a local planning authority is minded to approve an application for planning permission against the advice of HS2 Ltd.

High Speed 2

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2013, Official Report, columns 191-92W, if he will publish (a) the shortlisted executive search consultants being considered to manage the recruitment of non-executive directors to HS2 Ltd and (b) the date on which the appointment will be made. [171230]

Mr Goodwill: Tenders for this requirement were invited from all 14 executive search firms on Lot 1 of the Cabinet Office Framework for Executive Search and Selection Services (F313). The Department's requirement is the subject of a competitive tender and at this time no firms have been shortlisted.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answers of 9 October 2013, Official Report, columns 193-4W, on High Speed 2 railway line, if he will list all the key stakeholders that attended the meetings with the Board of HS2 Ltd and the names of the board members attending the meetings hosted in Birmingham and Liverpool. [171289]

Mr Goodwill: The members who attended the HS2 Ltd board meetings are as follows:

Board meeting held in Birmingham on 18 July 2013:

Douglas Oakervee;

Alison Munro;

Sir Brian Briscoe;

Richard Brown;

Duncan Sutherland;

Mike Welton;

Andrew McNaughton; and

Beth West.

Board meeting held in Liverpool on 19 September 2013:

Douglas Oakervee;

Alison Munro;

Richard Brown;

Duncan Sutherland;

Mike Welton;

Andrew McNaughton; and

Beth West.

The lists of key stakeholders attending the receptions with the board members in Birmingham and Liverpool are as follows:

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HS2 Ltd board meeting—Birmingham stakeholders attending reception

Arup

Aston University

ATP Industries Group

Birmingham Airport

Birmingham Children's Hospital

Birmingham City University

BT

Centra

Councillor Sir Albert Bore, Birmingham city council

Dains Accountants and Business Advisors

Effigy Blinds

Jerry Blackett, chief executive, Birmingham Chamber

Miller Group

Pinsent Masons

Solihull MBC

Southern Staffordshire Chamber

Squires Sanders Hammonds

The Boots Company plc

The National Exhibition Centre

The Skills Show.

HS2 Ltd board meeting—Liverpool stakeholders attending reception

AIMES Grid Services CIC

Birkenhead Sixth Form College

British Transport Police

Chappelle Construction Solutions

CILT

Councillor Anthony Carr, Merseyside Integrated Transport Authority

CPT Northwestern

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Digital Tachograph

EAME

Earth and Marine Environmental Consultants

Emanysys

FRSA

George Howarth MP

Halton council

IBI Taylor Young Ltd

Institute of Civil Engineers

Invest Sefton

Keppie Massie

Kier Construction Ltd

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce

Liverpool City Council

Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group

Liverpool John Moores University

Merseyrail

Merseytravel

Mint Transport Consultancy

Mott MacDonald

Neptune Developments

Network Rail

North West Active Travel Network

NW Business Leader team

Peel Ports

Royal Haskoning

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The Aspire Trust

The Athenaeum

The Knowledge Group and Discover Liverpool

The Owen Ellis Partnership

Transport for Leigh

TravelWatch NV

University of Liverpool

Weightmans LLP

West Lancashire district council.

High Speed 2

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what criteria were used to select members of the HS2 Growth Task Force; and how many candidates were identified for interview as part of the selection process; [171345]

(2) whether his Department used external recruitment agencies in connection with the appointment of members to the HS2 Growth Task Force. [171346]

Mr Goodwill: Lord Deighton, as chair of the taskforce, approached the members on the basis of their experience and expertise relevant to the taskforce's terms of reference, which can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/policy-advisory-groups/hs2-growth-taskforce

The members are not paid. No external recruitment agencies were used.

Large Goods Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many foreign heavy goods vehicles committed digital tachograph offences in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; and what action was taken in respect of each offence. [171714]

Mr Goodwill: Foreign vehicles offences are recorded as tachograph offences. Data for only digital tachographs are not recorded.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers of foreign heavy goods vehicles were found to be breaking EC Regulations No. 1072/2009 in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; what aspects of the regulations such drivers were in breach of; and what action was taken in respect of each offence. [171720]

Mr Goodwill: EC Regulations No. 1072/2009 relates to cabotage.

The number of foreign vehicle encounters conducted by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) with a cabotage offence recorded in the preceding calendar years were:

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The above offences were for either:

(1) More than three cabotage operations carried out within seven days following the delivery of goods from the incoming international carriage;

(2) Cabotage operations carried out after the expiry of the seven-day period following delivery of the goods from the incoming international carriage;

(3) More than one cabotage operation carried out within three days following the entry of an unladen vehicle into the UK following the initial international journey to a member state other than the UK; and/or

(4) Failure to provide clear evidence of the incoming international carriage and of each consecutive cabotage operation carried out.

For the cabotage vehicle encounters shown VOSA implemented the following sanctions in the preceding calendar years:

Where necessary, VOSA seeks assistance from the police who will consider court action. In cases of repeat or serial offending VOSA will impound and dispose of an operators vehicle(s). VOSA also notifies the competent authority in the defendant's home member state for consideration of administrative sanction.

Roads: Lighting

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department issues guidance to the Highways Agency on the selective switching-off of road lighting on motorways and major trunk roads at night during poor weather conditions and reduced visibility; and if he will make a statement. [171216]

Mr Goodwill: The Department does not issue guidance to the Highways Agency on the switching-off of lighting. It has agreed a performance specification with the agency that seeks a 22% reduction in its carbon footprint by 2015. It is for the agency to decide how to respond to this challenge.

One mechanism the agency uses to meet this challenge is to switch some lights off on motorways for part of the night, mostly between midnight and 5am. Of the 570 miles of lit motorways, the agency operates 62 miles in this way. For these sections, control room operators can prevent the lights from switching off or switch them back on in response to information from on-road patrols, live CCTV images or weather reports. The agency does not switch off lighting on trunk roads or at junctions.

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects on road accident rates of the provision of road lighting. [171217]

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Mr Goodwill: The Highways Agency commissioned a study in 2008 on the effects of the provision of road lighting on road accidents. The agency also conducted an internal assessment into the effects of midnight switch-off in June 2013 on six sites on the strategic road network. Following this, the Highways Agency is currently considering undertaking further research into the effect road lighting has on accidents based on a number of contributory factors.

Ryanair

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of UK air passengers are carried by Ryanair. [171628]

Mr Goodwill: In 2012, 12% of UK air passengers were carried by Ryanair.

International Development

Anti-slavery Day

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what each Minister in her Department will be doing to acknowledge Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2013; and if she will make a statement. [171038]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID takes slavery and human trafficking very seriously. On 10October, I spoke on effective ways of combating slavery and human trafficking in the business supply chain at the Wilton Park Conference, “Combating Human Trafficking, Business and Human Rights”. On 17 October, I will be participating in the inter-departmental ministerial group on human trafficking to discuss the scale of modern day slavery and trafficking, and the proposed Modern Day Slavery Bill.

Burma

Heather Wheeler: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what proportion of her Department's Burma budget will be allocated to (a) sexual and reproductive health and rights and (b) family planning services; [R] [171136]

(2) how she plans to support the Burmese Government in their future provision of (a) family planning, (b) sexual and reproductive health and rights, (c) maternal health and (d) other health services in that country. [R] [171137]

Mr Duncan: On current projections, we estimate that nearly a quarter of the bilateral allocation for DFID's work in Burma between 2011 and 2015 will support access to essential health services for maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and family planning. This is based on our work through the 3 millennium development goal (3MDG) fund, to which the UK has allocated up to £80 million. The 3MDG fund also supports the national response to TB and malaria in Burma and works to strengthen important systems for the delivery of health services. The UK also supports a regional project to help prevent maternal death from unwanted pregnancy, which is active in 14 countries, including Burma.

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Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the principal anticipated health implications are of the findings of Burma's new census. [171176]

Mr Duncan: Improved census data and their analysis can help support more effective financing, planning, human resourcing, and infrastructure for social sectors, such as the health sector. This will enable accurate calculation of important indicators, such as maternal mortality. This information can help more effective planning of aid programmes.

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has to make the contribution of UKAid more visible in Burma. [171177]

Mr Duncan: We ensure that all implementing partners are aware of our requirements to use the UKaid logo on programme communications, including letters, documents, websites, project signs, and at workshops. We will continue to issue press releases on high-level visits and when launching major programmes, and to use the British embassy's internet communications channels to highlight our work.

International Assistance

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she plans to hold with hon. Members on the post-2015 development framework following the UN's review summit in September 2013; and if she will meet relevant all-party parliamentary group officers to discuss their role in any such discussions. [171668]

Justine Greening: The Government welcome the interest and engagement shown by parliamentarians on the post-2015 agenda. Ministers and officials have already had significant engagement with many all-party parliamentary groups and will continue to do so.

Mobile Phones

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many smartphone apps her Department has launched. [171597]

Mr Duncan: None.

Syria

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the UK provides to Syrian refugees. [171815]

Justine Greening: The UK has allocated or is in the final stages of allocating £165 million to support Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. This is providing food for over 130,000 people per month, 70,000 medical consultations and an improved water supply for over 27,000 people.

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The UK is very concerned about the future prospects of a generation of children affected by the conflict—over 3 million children to date, with around 80% of these children being below the age of 14. There are 1 million child refugees from Syria in neighbouring countries, which is the equivalent of more than one-fifth of all primary school children in England.

We are therefore working with UNICEF and NGOs to provide essential humanitarian assistance to Syria and neighbouring countries. Additionally, the UK has recently launched a new £30 million Lost Generation Initiative to provide protection, trauma care, counselling and basic educational supplies for those children who need it. We will also provide child support services in refugee camps. Our help will mean that thousands of children across the region will be better supported and will be able to return to education in a more secure environment.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of how the needs of Syrian refugees will change with colder winter. [171816]

Justine Greening: As winter approaches, needs will increase for improved shelter, heating and warm winter clothes. My officials are finalising negotiations with our key humanitarian partners to ensure rapid and timely assistance to meet these additional needs across the most vulnerable refugee populations in the region.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make representations to the Secretary of State for the Home Department to request permission for Syrian refugees with existing connections to the UK to be assisted in entering and staying in the UK. [171817]

Justine Greening: The UK is leading international efforts to alleviate human suffering in Syria and the region. We are the second largest bilateral donor and are supporting the Regional Protection Programme, which provides help to refugees close to the country of origin. We have no plans to resettle or provide temporary protection to Syrians, and each claim for asylum is considered on its individual circumstances.

War on Want

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department has provided to the War on Want charity in each of the last 10 years. [171566]

Mr Duncan: DFID's central finance system only provides full records of payments made during the last four financial years. Information pertaining to the previous six years cannot be sourced without incurring disproportionate cost. For the periods where information is available the records have identified only one year where payments were made directly to War on Want. During the year ended 31 March 2010 direct payments were made to the charity totalling £119,883.

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in promoting peace and democracy in Eastern Afghanistan following the recent murder of a provincial governor in Puli Alam. [171797]

Hugh Robertson: We condemn in the strongest terms the attack that killed Mr Arsala Jamal, the governor of Logar province, and killed and injured many other Afghans. The provision of security and protection for all Afghan people is the responsibility of the Afghan Government and local law enforcement.

Democracy is vital to the future of Afghanistan, but the achievement of holding elections under the difficult circumstances that face Afghanistan should not be underestimated. Next year's presidential and provincial council elections will be one more step in the process of strengthening democracy in Afghanistan. They will not be perfect, but we are working hard to support the Afghan authorities to make them as credible, inclusive and transparent as possible.

Disclosure of Information

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government’s policy on publication of stolen, classified information. [171449]

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

The unauthorised disclosure or leak of classified UK Government information, whether or not it falls under one of the categories specifically covered by criminal law, can inhibit effective government.

Decisions about whether to investigate possible breaches of the criminal law are made by the police.

Electronic Surveillance

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Tempora and Prism programmes are conducted under statutory authority. [171637]

Hugh Robertson: It is the longstanding policy of successive Governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence. I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to the House on 10 June 2013, Official Report, columns 31-4, which emphasised that the agencies operate fully in accordance with UK law.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the annual cost of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme to UK businesses and embassies in other EU member states. [171526]

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Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has not made any such estimate of costs to business. Embassies are not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) which is targeted at industry. Emissions trading enables carbon reduction targets to be met at least cost to business by enabling those with cheap reduction opportunities to make the investment and sell surplus allowances to others facing higher costs. The EU ETS works on the basis of location of installation rather than the nationality of ownership.

Iran

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports his Department has received on capital punishment in Iran. [171128]

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office receives regular reports on the human rights situation in Iran from a variety of sources. There have been over 240 officially announced executions so far in 2013—the reality is likely to be significantly higher. The UK opposes the use of the death penalty as a matter of principle.

Heather Wheeler: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports his Department has received on political prisoners in Iran. [171135]

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly receives reports about the human rights situation in Iran—including information on political prisoners—from a wide range of sources. The Foreign Secretary has welcomed recent releases of a number of political prisoners in Iran, including human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, on 19 September. We continue to call for the release of all political prisoners in Iran.

Kashmir

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 to date Ministers or senior officials in his Department have discussed the issue of Kashmir with their respective counterparts in (i) India and (ii) Pakistan. [171778]

Mr Swire: Officials from our high commissions in both capitals regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with both Governments and travel to the region, security situation permitting. The last occasion Kashmir was discussed at senior official level was in September 2013. We welcome the fact that the Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India met in New York in September and the commitment they made to maintain a ceasefire on the Line of Control in Kashmir.

The longstanding position of successive British Governments on Kashmir has been that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people.

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Syria

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of reports that Iran has been covertly supplying materials and advice to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria; [171124]

(2) what assessment he has made of recent reports that Iran's Revolutionary Guards are providing military training to Shi'ite militia in Syria. [171125]

Hugh Robertson: Iran is supporting the Syrian regime and affiliated militias through weapons supplies, equipment, financial assistance, and personnel provided by its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This is in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1747, and is prolonging the conflict. We want the Iranian Government to support a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Syria, including by endorsing the 2012 Geneva Communiqué.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of Iranian involvement in the Syria conflict. [171132]

Hugh Robertson: Iran is supporting the Syrian regime and affiliated militias through weapons supplies, equipment, financial assistance, and personnel provided by its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This is in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1747, and is prolonging the conflict. We want the Iranian Government to support a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Syria, including by endorsing the 2012 Geneva Communiqué.

Defence

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide details of the numbers of criminal convictions that have resulted from rape and sexual crimes against military personnel by other military personnel in the armed forces for each year since 2010. [170681]

Anna Soubry: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley of 25 March 2013, Official Report, column 939W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, if he will take steps to find out what UK support is provided to US drone operations at RAF Croughton and RAF Molesworth; and if he will make a statement. [R] [170711]

Mr Francois: The UK does not provide Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) support to the United States Visiting Forces bases at RAF Croughton and RAF Molesworth. The US does not operate RPAS from the UK.

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Communities and Local Government

HMOs

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of planning regulations applying to houses in multiple occupation. [900560]

Kris Hopkins: The planning permissions put in place for houses of multiple occupation by this Government strike the right balance. We have allowed individuals to decide how best to use their property, with appropriate safeguards to address local concerns.

Council Tax Support

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the effects on people on low incomes of council tax support schemes. [900565]

Brandon Lewis: These are local schemes, and it is for local authorities to ensure that the effect on low-income council tax payers is proportionate and fair. We made a £100 million transition grant available in 2013-14 to help councils develop well-designed schemes and maintain incentives to work.

High Streets

Mr Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to promote use of high streets. [900570]

Brandon Lewis: This Government have delivered on a series of initiatives to support town centres and local high streets, as outlined in the Government's response to the Portas review. We are taking forward further steps, including reforms to rules on parking enforcement.

Fire Extinguishers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he last spoke to his fire advisor on the installation of fire sprinklers in domestic properties. [170437]

Brandon Lewis: Ministers have regular meetings with the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser on a range of fire safety matters.

Non-domestic Rates: Swindon

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in North Swindon constituency have taken part in the small business rate relief scheme in each of the last five years. [171133]

Brandon Lewis: As at 31 December 2010, the latest date for which data are available, Swindon reported 1,143 businesses were benefiting from the small business rate relief scheme.

Data were collected as part of the annual national non-domestic rates forecast return completed by all billing authorities in England and are publicly available in tables on the DCLG section of the .gov.uk website:

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https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-communities-and-local-government/series/national-non-domestic-rates-collected-by-councils

Data are collected at billing authority level; we do not collect data at constituency level. The data are collected at a fixed point in time and represent the situation at that time. We do not collect data on the total numbers that have benefited from the scheme over time.

We estimate that approximately half a million business in England are benefiting from the small business rate relief scheme. As the Government have currently doubled the level of small business rate relief, we estimate that approximately a third of a million ratepayers are currently paying no rates at all.

Justice

Employment Tribunals Service

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance has been issued to employment judges on the award of costs in employment tribunals since 2010; whether he intends to introduce further legislative measures to facilitate the recovery of costs incurred by small businesses as a result of having to defend themselves against an unfounded claim; and if he will make a statement. [171340]

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Lord Justice Underhill's 2012 review of the employment tribunal rules of procedure considered the issues of costs and guidance. One of the principal recommendations of the review was that the Presidents of the Employment Tribunal would issue Presidential Guidance to give all parties a better idea of what to expect at various stages of the tribunal process. The Presidents may consider the issue of costs as part of this work, but no specific guidance on costs has been issued since 2010.

The Underhill review also examined the costs regime in detail and concluded that there was no reason to change the substantive criteria for awarding costs or wasted costs. Government have accepted this assessment. However, from 29 July, 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. Also, from April 2014, prospective claimants will need to contact ACAS and consider early conciliation before they are able to proceed to an employment tribunal. Both measures should help to discourage individuals from bringing unfounded claims.

Housing Benefit: Appeals

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many housing benefit appeals were made to tribunal in each quarter since January 2012; [171406]

(2) how many housing benefit appeals excluding local housing allowance were made to tribunal in each quarter since January 2012. [171407]

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Mr Vara: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against local authority (LA) decisions on housing benefit.

The following table shows how many housing benefit appeals were received by the SSCS Tribunal in each quarter from January 2012 to June 2013 (the latest period for which statistics are available).

We do not hold record data specifically relating to appeals against local housing allowance decisions and HMCTS does not therefore hold the information requested.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice to which agencies the victims of human trafficking are referred by his Department. [171211]

Mr Vara: Since 1 July 2011, the Salvation Army has been contracted to the Ministry of Justice to oversee and co-ordinate the provision of support to adult victims of trafficking who have been referred through the National Referral Mechanism.

The Salvation Army is contracted to provide tailored support to victims, taking into account their needs. They have formally contracted the services of 12 non- governmental organisations who collectively provide accommodation and other support services to these victims. One of these is a Salvation Army safe house. The others are:

Ashiana

BAWSO

BCHA

City Hearts

Hestia

The Medaille Trust

Midland Heart

Migrant Helpline Ltd UK

Sandwell Women's Aid

Unseen UK

Riverside

Between July 2011 and June 2013, 928 victims received this vital support in order to help them to start to recover from the terrible ordeal at the hands of their traffickers.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he will issue the commencement order bringing into force the provisions of section 139 chapter 8 part 3 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. [171263]

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Jeremy Wright: The Government are committed to implementing section 139 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, which reforms the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The essential prerequisite for the commencement of the reforms is to put in place a system for producing basic disclosure certificates, which show unspent convictions, which reflects the new rehabilitation periods for England and Wales. Until we do that there will be no way for an individual to obtain an official statement of their unspent convictions under the new rules.

Currently, basic disclosures reflecting the existing rehabilitation periods are only available from Disclosure Scotland and this service is provided to residents of England and Wales as well as Scotland. However, the reforms to the 1974 Act only revise rehabilitation periods for England and Wales, leaving the position in Scotland unchanged under its legislation. This complicates matters and creates two different rehabilitation regimes within the UK, which means that there are significant business and technical issues to work through.

The Government are considering the best option for implementing these important changes with Disclosure Scotland and the Disclosure and Barring Service and aim to have the reforms in place at the earliest possible point.

Probation: Females

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what provision is currently made by the Probation Service for the supervision of female offenders. [171386]

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice recently completed a stock-take of provision for female offenders, focusing on the additional £3.78 million we allocated to probation trusts for this purpose in 2013-14. We will be publishing the report of the stock-take very shortly.

Redundancy

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many staff were made redundant from non-departmental public bodies accountable to his Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many redundancy payments were made in lieu of notice; [170355]

(2) how many staff in his Department were made redundant in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many such staff received payments in lieu of notice. [170373]

Jeremy Wright: Information on the total number of staff that left the Ministry of Justice and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies under redundancy terms, including compulsory redundancy, and received an exit package in the financial years 2010-11 to 2012-13 is on page 106 of the Ministry's Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12 (HC 67) and on page 105 of the Ministry's Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13 (HC 22). These publications can be found at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13

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Information on the number and cost of redundancy payments made in lieu of notice for the Ministry in 201 1-12 and 2012-13 can be found in the following table. There is no information recorded centrally for such payments made in 2010-11.

Excluding probation trusts, redundancy and other departure costs have been made in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, a statutory scheme made under the Superannuation Act 1972. The Civil Service Compensation Scheme was reformed in 2010. Under the previous terms there could be costs extending for up to 10 years from a departure, while under the reformed scheme all of the costs fall within the year of departure.

The reformed scheme allows for greater distinction between voluntary and compulsory exits and is designed to encourage voluntary rather than compulsory departures.

For probation trusts, redundancy and other departure costs have been paid in accordance with the trusts' redundancy policy.

Richard III

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2013, Official Report, column 510W, on Richard III, with which organisations and individuals he has met, consulted or corresponded about the licence to dig for the human remains of King Richard III or on any other matter connected with the remains of King Richard III since they were discovered; when any such meeting was and any such correspondence received; and if he will place copies of all correspondence and an account of each such meeting in the Library. [171644]

Mr Vara: The Secretary of State for Justice has neither met nor consulted any organisations or individuals about the licence to exhume remains which have been confirmed as those of Richard III. His Department has received numerous items of correspondence from MPs and members of the public about the licence.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he intends to answer question number 163254 tabled on 1 July 2013 for answer on 3 July 2013. [169093]

Mr Vara: I understand that you received a response to your question on 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 380W, and I apologise for the delay.

Education

Academies

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department holds information on the overhead cost per pupil of each major academy chain. [171175]

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Mr Timpson: The Department does not hold information on the amount of overhead costs per pupil of each major academy chain.

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the steps that would be necessary to ensure that academies' borrowing counted towards total Government debt. [171563]

Mr Timpson: Any borrowing undertaken by academies is counted in measures used to calculate public sector debt. This is one reason why academies are restricted from borrowing without permission of the Secretary of State for Education. The accounts of academy trusts will be consolidated into the Department for Education group accounts for 2012-13. This will mean that, for the first time, the assets and liabilities of all academy trusts will be collated and presented together.

Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many invoices were processed by his Department in the last financial year for which figures are available. [171197]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department confirms that the total number of invoices paid in financial year 2012-13 was 91,777.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what models he is considering for childminder agencies and organisations; and which childcare providers he and his Ministers have visited in each of the last 12 months. [171115]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department believes that childminder agencies will encourage more childminders to enter the market, support the training and development of childminders, make it easier for parents to find a suitable childminder, and further improve the quality of provision. Within the regulatory arrangements we will be putting in place, it will be for organisations setting up an agency to decide on their business model.

Trials started in summer 2013 to explore how childminder agencies might work and the models which might be established. These are due to continue into 2014. Further information about the trials can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/improving-the-quality-and-range-of-education-and-childcare-from-birth-to-5-years/supporting-pages/childminder-agencies

The most recent official visits to child care settings made by Ministers at the Department for Education are as follows:

I visited the Folkestone Primary Academy (including Kindergarten) on 8 October 2013.

The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), visited Churchill Gardens Children's Centre, London, on 27 August 2013.

The Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mr Timpson), visited Stone Grove Children's Centre, Edgware on 27 November 2012.

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A comprehensive list of all visits made to child care providers by Ministers since May 2010 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Children's Centres

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the proportion of fathers who use children's centres and other services including parenting classes. [171113]

Elizabeth Truss: As part of the “Evaluation of Children's Centres in England”, a research project funded by the Department, a baseline survey of families using children's centres^1,2 in the most disadvantaged areas showed that mothers were far more likely (96%) to use family services than fathers.

CANparent Trial classes are of potential benefit to all carers in helping them engage with their children and build parenting skills. So far, 8.89% of the over 1,000 participants who have taken CANparent classes have been male. Marketing efforts in the summer to increase male engagement with classes have resulted in the proportion of men attending between May and September 2013 increasing to 12.5%.

¹ Maisey, R et al (2013) Evaluation of Children's Centres in England (ECCE) Strand 2: Baseline Survey of Families Using Children's Centres in the Most Disadvantaged Areas. DFE RR260

² The sample in this baseline survey of families is made up of families with a child aged nine to 18 months registered with one of the 128 children's centres that took part in an earlier survey of children's centre managers.

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of groups applying to open free schools in each year since their inception were parents or community-led. [170944]

Mr Timpson: All free schools are set up with the involvement of parents, and all successful applications must show sufficient demand from parents. Only looking at free schools proposers which have self-identified as “parents groups” or “community groups” does not, therefore, provide a full picture of parental or community involvement in the free school programme. The Department received 74 (23%) applications from groups describing themselves as parent and community-led in 2010, 64 (23%) in 2011, 89 (38%) in 2012 and 62 (20%) in 2013. Some other applications—such as those identified as from academy sponsors—may be led by or have significant representation from parent and community groups who have opted to partner with an academy sponsor to bolster their expertise and capacity.

The 73 free schools backed by parent or community groups that have already opened or been approved to open contrast with just four schools opened by groups of parents in the period 2006-10.

The free schools programme has made it easier than ever before for parents to set up schools, with many of those schools opening in little more than a year from the point of approval.

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Mobile Phones

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many smartphone apps his Department has launched. [171591]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has not to date developed any smartphone applications.

National College for Teaching and Leadership

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will publish the minutes of all the advisory group meetings that have taken place at the National College for Teaching and Leadership; [171558]

(2) how many meetings of the advisory group of the National College for Teaching and Leadership have taken place since the appointment of the current Chief Executive. [171559]

Mr Laws: The National College for Teaching and Leadership does not have an advisory group.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans have been made for the 2014 annual conference of the National College for Teaching and Leadership. [171572]

Mr Laws: The National College for Teaching and Leadership's predecessor agencies (the Teaching Agency and National College for School Leadership) ran several conferences each year. NCTL is making plans to engage a range of stakeholders at national and regional events over the course of the year, each of which will be announced in due course.

Pre-school Education

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on participation rates of children in early years settings (a) in London and (b) outside London. [171129]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education's (DFE) annual Early Years Census and School Census collect information on the number and percentage of three and four-year-olds benefiting from funded early education. Table 1 shows these data by region in January 2013.

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The DFE's Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents collects information on the percentage of children aged under 15 using formal child care. Table 2 shows these data by region in 2011, the latest year for which data is available.

Formal child care includes the following: nursery school, nursery class attached to a primary or infants' school, reception class at a primary or infants' school, special day school or nursery or unit for children with special educational needs, day nursery, playgroup or pre-school, child minder, nanny or au pair, babysitter who came to home, breakfast club, after school club and holiday club.

¹https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209045/Local_authority_and_national_tables_SFR23-2013.xlsx

²https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211820/SFR08-2013Text97-03_Updated_Jun13.pdf

Schools: Standards

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will delay changes to the way early entry GCSE results are accounted for in school leagues until a full consultation has been undertaken; and if he will make a statement. [171320]

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has long warned of the damaging effects of early entry. In 2011 the Department published its analysis of the impact early entry has on attainment¹. Ofsted's subsequent report, published in 2012, noted that while some schools use early entry effectively, others:

‘are using high levels of early entry where there is no, or limited, evidence of positive impact on raising standards.'

Data from summer 2013 GCSE examinations show that, despite the evidence, the proportion of early entrants is increasing. 23% of maths entries (170,537 entries) and 10% of English entries (70,134) were from students who were not yet at the end of their Key Stage 4 study. Such a high degree of early entry cannot be in the best interests of students, and it is right that we take action as soon as possible.

¹Note:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/184109/DFE-RR208.pdf

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Work and Pensions

Access to Work Programme

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Access to Work grants were allocated in (a) the Wirral, (b) Merseyside, (c) England and (d) the UK in each of the last three financial years. [171134]

Esther McVey: The following table indicates the numbers assisted by the programme for the areas and periods in question:

Council Housing: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the effect of rent arrears on (a) local authorities in Wales, (b) Cardiff local authority and (c) Vale of Glamorgan local authority. [171670]

Steve Webb: The information is not available.

Disposable Income

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the level of disposable household income of (a) pensioners and (b) families with children in (i) Denton and Reddish constituency, (ii) the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, (iii) the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside and (iv) England in each of the last five years. [171226]

Steve Webb: It is not possible to provide data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS) for Denton and Reddish constituency, the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, or the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside; as the FRS only provides data for a region, country, or for the United Kingdom as a whole. This is to ensure sufficient sample size.

Estimates of household disposable income at the parliamentary constituency and local authority level can be derived from the ONS small area income estimates. However, these estimates are only produced for the overall population of households and no estimates are available at this geographic level for pensioners or families with children.

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The above table provides the median income of households in England containing families with pensioners, households in England containing families with children, and all households in England, from 2007-08 to 2011-12.

Employment and Support Allowance

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether transition taxation rules for those in receipt of invalidity benefit prior to 13 April 1995 and continuing on incapacity benefit since then apply on conversion to the new employment and support allowance. [171214]

Esther McVey: All former invalidity benefit claimants that were entitled to invalidity benefit prior to 13 April 1995, who become entitled to contributory ESA, by virtue of the reassessment exercise, will become liable for income tax on that benefit income.

This means they are placed in the same position as all new claimants to contributory ESA who may also become liable for income tax.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of employment and support allowance who were referred to the Work programme in the 104 weeks from June 2011 had a sight problem as their main impairment; and how many such people secured a Job Outcome in that period. [171775]

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Esther McVey: The information requested is given in the following table.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on employment and support allowance receiving a sanction on the advice of a Work programme provider were classified as belonging to an ethnic minority in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) January to September 2013. [171776]

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what data he has on the prognoses for people in receipt of employment and support allowance who were referred to the Work programme in the 104 weeks from June 2011; and if he will make a statement. [171777]

Esther McVey: The available information requested is given in the following table:

Housing Benefit

Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the entire discretionary housing payment budget has been allocated for 2013-14. [171569]

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Steve Webb: The discretionary housing payment budget for 2013-14 is £180 million of which £160 million has been allocated.

The £180 million includes the extra funding of £35 million that was announced on 30 July 2013, of which £10 million was for transitional payments, £5 million was for the 21 least densely populated areas and £20 million was set aside as a reserve fund.

The reserve fund will be allocated to those local authorities who are able to provide a robust business case to receive extra funds.

Housing Benefit: Scotland

Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (a) how much and (b) what proportion of the discretionary housing payment budget has been allocated to target disabled people who live in significantly adapted properties in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14 in (A) total and (B) each of Scotland's local authority areas. [171560]

Steve Webb: The Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments for 2012-13 was £60 million. Specific amounts for disabled people living in significantly adapted properties were not included in the discretionary housing payment funding for this financial year as the removal of the spare room subsidy did not apply.

For the financial year 2013-14, the Government contribution towards discretionary housing payments is £180 million. Of this, £25 million, about 14%, was included to help those impacted by the removal of the spare room subsidy living in significantly adapted properties.

A breakdown of the amount and proportion of this allocation for Scottish local authorities is set out in the following table.

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While there is an allocation for adapted properties it remains in the domain of the local authority to determine how much of the overall fund is used in relation to significantly adapted property.

Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what payments were made from the discretionary housing payment budget to each of Scotland's local authorities in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14; what proportion of the overall discretionary housing payment budget such payments represent in each local authority area; what such payments have now been allocated by each local authority; and whether an underspend of the discretionary housing payment budget is expected in any of those local authority areas. [171567]

Steve Webb: The figures for the discretionary housing payment allocation to Scottish local authorities for 2012-13 and 2013-14, and the expenditure for 2012-13 are indicated in the tables.

We are unable to provide figures for the 2013-14 expenditure, the local authority spend to date, or ascertain whether local authorities will spend their full allocation. These figures are provided by each local authority when they submit their claims at the end of the financial year.

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