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East Anglia Railway Line

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what has been the increase in passenger numbers on the London Liverpool Street and Chelmsford service between 2002 and 2012. [172030]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport does hold some of the requested information. However, statistics at a service or route level are commercially confidential to the train operator and so cannot be released.

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to increase capacity on the London Liverpool Street to Chelmsford line. [172031]

Stephen Hammond: Network Rail's strategic business plan for control period 5 (2014 to 2019) includes a plan for capacity improvement on the Great Eastern Main Line. The proposed scope of works includes the provision of turnback facilities in the Chelmsford area. We await details from Network Rail about where and how these turnback facilities will be provided.

Railway Stations

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of UK railway stations have steps but no lift access. [172082]

Stephen Hammond: We understand from the Association of Train Operating Companies, which holds the data about facilities available at stations, that 452 out of 2,533 UK railway stations have step free access via lifts or ramps to all platforms.

Railways

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) on which railway lines increased capacity has been observed as a result of the upgrading of track gauges and associated works; and what the increased capacity on such lines was for each of the last 30 years; [172116]

(2) what the cost of upgrading track gauges and associated works was on each railway line where such work has been undertaken in each of the last 30 years. [172117]

Stephen Hammond: Data are not available on an annual basis, or for the past 30 years.

The Government have made available over £600 million since 2009 for rail freight infrastructure upgrades:

Productivity—Transport Innovation Fund (P-TIF) schemes, 2009-12: £150 million.

Strategic Freight Network (SFN) Schemes funded 2009-14: £200 million.

A further £55 million of funding for the SFN was announced in the Chancellor's 2011 autumn statement.

Another £200 million ringfenced for SFN Scheme funding 2014-19 in England and Wales for CP5—and £30 million specifically for Scotland.

Major schemes that have been, or are being, funded since 2000 to allow enhancement to at least W10 loading gauge are:

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Felixstowe, Tilbury and Harwich to London—finished 2004.

Southampton to West Coast Mainline (Nuneaton)—finished February 2011.

Peterborough to Nuneaton—finished April 2011.

Southampton to West Coast Mainline diversionary route—finished June 2013.

Water Orton to Doncaster—scheduled to be completed in March 2014.

Peterborough to London via Hertford—forecast to be completed during 2013-14.

Doncaster to Berwick—scheduled to be completed by March 2014.

Berwick to Carstairs—forecast to be completed during the funding period 2014-19.

Peterborough to Doncaster via Lincoln—forecast to be completed November 2014.

Syston to Stoke—forecast to be completed during the funding period 2014-19.

All the gauge schemes are now taken forward by Network Rail as part of the strategic freight network portfolio of gauge and capacity schemes using funding from the available sources on behalf of the industry; the final cost of each individual scheme is a matter for Network Rail. Freight gauge schemes do not increase capacity in their own right but they allow for more efficient use of existing capacity by allowing more containers to be conveyed within the same train length.

Railways: Edinburgh

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Scottish Government, (b) Transport Scotland and (c) Network Rail on the Dalmeny Chord rail link; [171899]

(2) what assessment he has undertaken of the plans for the Dalmeny Chord rail link; [171900]

(3) what his policy is on building the Dalmeny Chord rail link. [171901]

Stephen Hammond: The Dalmeny Chord rail link is a matter for the Scottish Government. Therefore I have had no meetings with the Scottish Government or with Transport Scotland, and the Department for Transport has undertaken no assessment.

Defence

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what his estimate is of the cost of removing equipment installed on Warthog vehicles for use in Afghanistan; and what equipment will replace it; [171726]

(2) how many Warthog vehicles will be operated by 32 and 47 Regiment's Royal Artillery. [171856]

Mr Dunne: The future of vehicles such as Warthog, and the equipment installed on them, bought through the urgent operational requirement process for operations in Afghanistan is currently being considered. We are reviewing which of these vehicles we might retain in service once they are no longer required on operations in Afghanistan. A range of factors, including requirement,

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security and cost will be taken into account, as will the future Army structure and the Department's armoured vehicle programme. Until that work is complete it is too soon to comment on estimated costs or equipments which will be operated or replaced.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any pilots testing the Joint Strike Fighter have suffered spatial disorientation using the helmet mounted display. [171724]

Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence is not aware of any pilots suffering from spatial disorientation, as a result of using the helmet mounted display system.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the ability of the helmet mounted display for the Joint Strike Fighter to (a) match the acuity of the human eye and (b) enable the pilot to view directly behind them during flight. [171725]

Mr Dunne: The helmet mounted display system (HMDS) is still within the development test phase. The HMDS design is undergoing flight testing, and where necessary will be improved to meet all mandated design and performance specifications for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The F-35's distributed aperture system streams real-time imagery from cameras mounted at positions around the aircraft to the HMDS, allowing F-35 pilots to “look through” the air frame, providing 360-degree awareness. This includes the ability for the pilot to view directly behind them during flight.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what live armaments have been used by the Joint Strike Fighter to date. [171728]

Mr Dunne: Weapons trials are an ongoing element of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter development test programme. The weapons trials programme for the partner nations is on track. To date there has been no live explosive armament testing. Only inert armaments have been released.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of reports of cracks in the bulkhead of the F-35B aircraft fleet; and how many times bulkheads in the UK's test aircraft have been replaced since their introduction. [171855]

Mr Dunne: The recent report of cracking in the bulkhead of the F-35B is in relation to a test model specimen, which is not part of the active F-35B fleet. This model is being used to assess the airframe's fatigue life. The cause of this crack is under investigation by the US, with full UK engagement, and has no short or medium term impact on the UK fleet. A repair solution will be developed once the root cause has been established. Fatigue testing of this kind is part of routine certification activity and is undertaken in order to identify these types of issue.

There has been no replacement of bulkheads in UK F-35 test aircraft.

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Military Aircraft: Accidents

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions spatial disorientation of a pilot has resulted in (a) damage or (b) total loss of an airframe in each of the last 10 years. [171723]

Mr Francois: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Exercises

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) which large-scale training exercises have been undertaken by the Royal Marines since 2000; what the total cost was of each such exercise; how many Royal Marines personnel were involved in each such exercise; and which of the UK's international partners took part in each such exercise; [171164]

(2) which future large-scale training exercises are scheduled for the Royal Marines; and which such exercises will be conducted alongside French forces. [171165]

Mr Francois: Royal Marines (RM) large-scale (above Company level) training exercises since 2000 are shown in the following table. The scope of these exercises varies with length, location, objective and numbers of personnel participating.

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Financial information prior to financial year 2010-11 is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Since 2000 there has been an annual naval deployment (now Cougar) that includes a number of smaller-scale RM exercises with partner nations. These have not been included in the table.

Future scheduled RM large-scale training exercises are shown in the following table.

None of these involve French forces but two smaller-scale RM exercises involving French forces are scheduled for late 2013 and 2014 with live firing tactical training and environmental jungle training.

Territorial Army: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average attendance at each TA training centre in north Wales has been in each of the last 12 months. [170923]

Dr Murrison: I will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Substantive answer from Andrew Murrison to Hywel Williams:

I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question about attendance at Territorial Army (TA) centres on 17 October 2013 (Official Report: Column 839W).

The table provides details of the total number of personnel attending each TA centre in North Wales in each of the last 12 months. Due to the way that attendance is recorded, there are no separate statistics for Caernarfon (as it is a detachment of Colwyn Bay) or Queensferry (as it is a detachment of Wrexham). The figures in the table for Colwyn Bay and Wrexham therefore include the detachments as well. The figures show individuals' training based on the TA Centres they regularly attend, although they may on occasion go to another TA centre for some training.

You will also note that the numbers have been rounded in accordance with Government statistical conventions.

I hope this explains the situation.

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Type 23 Frigates

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he estimates the fitting of the Sea Ceptor naval defence system to the Type 23 Frigates to be completed. [171870]

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Mr Dunne: The Sea Ceptor missile defence system will be installed on Type 23 Frigates as part of their long-term refit programme, which is due to start in 2015 and be completed by 2021.

Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in Ashfield constituency were homeless in the latest period for which figures are available. [169000]

Kris Hopkins: Although the Department does not collect homelessness statistics for the areas of parliamentary constituencies, figures are available for the areas covered by local authorities. Part of the Ashfield constituency is within the area of Ashfield district council and the rest is within the area of Broxtowe borough council. The latest figures for these two areas are as follows:

Between 1 April and 30 June 2013, nine households were accepted as being unintentionally homeless and in priority need in the Ashfield local authority, area, and none within the Broxtowe local authority area;

On 30 June 2013, there were 11 households in temporary accommodation in the Ashfield local authority area and one within the Broxtowe local authority area.

Homelessness in England is around half the average level it was under the last Administration. Homelessness acceptances remain lower than in 27 of the last 30 years.

We are investing £470 million in homelessness prevention over four years of the spending review period—funding going to all local authorities and the voluntary sector. We are continuing to support local authorities to raise their game with an additional £1.7 million over two years (2012-13 to 2013-14), for a new Gold Standard support and training scheme across the country to deliver the best possible service to those at risk of homelessness.

Housing: Construction

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many self-build homes were (a) started and (b) completed in each of the last three years. [171174]

Kris Hopkins: As my predecessor explained to the right hon. Member in the answer he gave to him on 23 October 2012, Official Report, column 773W, the Department does not compile official statistics on this.

To assist the policy-making process and policy development on encouraging self-builders, the Department is currently examining how best to quantify and support the take-up of self-build.

Pedestrian Areas: Accidents

Dame Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the number of accidents in pedestrianised precincts that have taken place in the last five years. [171611]

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Brandon Lewis: This Department does not hold the information requested.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010. [168605]

Brandon Lewis: Based on the records held by my Department, the following number of passes were reported as lost or stolen in the last three financial years:

Detailed records before this point are not held due to a change in facilities management provider. However, to place these figures in context, as outlined in the answer of 22 October 2008, Official Report, column 350W, a total of 235 passes for London offices of the core Department were reported lost or stolen in the first three years of the last Parliament.

The Department takes the loss of passes very seriously and immediate action is taken to cancel the passes in line with departmental security procedures. None of the passes have the name or address of the building, department or organisation to which it refers, on them.

The Department assesses all cases of lost or stolen passes to determine any increased vulnerability to security. Additional controls and procedures are introduced as necessary and all staff are regularly reminded of the importance of effective building security and security pass management.

Social Rented Housing: Housing Benefit

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the availability of smaller accommodation for rent by households who move because their current property is subject to the under-occupancy penalty. [170667]

Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Member to the answers of 21 October 2013, Official Report, columns 13-14.

Energy and Climate Change

Arctic

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Arctic Policy Framework published on 17 October 2013, of which environmental risks associated with oil, gas and mining activities in parts of the Arctic the UK is very aware; and if he will publish the details of what constitute the highest environmental and drilling standards in the Arctic advocated by the UK. [172140]

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Michael Fallon: All drilling and mining activities need to be properly regulated to minimise the risk of damage to the local environment. The extremes of the Arctic climate and the huge variation in conditions in different onshore and offshore locations present particular challenges which need to be dealt with appropriately, but for which there can be no single standard.

Those best placed to assess and respond to such risks and variations, and to determine how to minimise them are those with experience of the relevant conditions, primarily the Arctic states themselves. The United Kingdom is ready to provide advice where this is sought.

Energy: Prices

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what change there has been to average (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in (i) Wales and (ii) each other region of the UK since May 2010; [171874]

(2) what assessment he has made of the reasons for differential gas and electricity prices across the UK; and what assessment he has made of the differing effects of price increases in each region of the UK. [171875]

Michael Fallon: The following tables show average annual domestic gas and electricity bills over each of the last three years, split by public electricity supply (PES) region.

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Wales is covered by the Merseyside and North Wales, and South Wales PES regions (a small number of Welsh postcode districts also fall into the East Midlands PES region).

These bills assume an annual gas consumption of 18,000kWh and an annual electricity consumption of 3,300kWh. Energy bill estimates are made on a calendar year basis. Bills presented are a weighted average of credit, direct debit and PPM payment methods, and home and non-home suppliers. DECC does not hold data on gas bills in Northern Ireland. These data are taken from Quarterly Energy Prices, tables 2.2.3 and 2.3.3:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics

Energy prices vary regionally. Network costs, which account for 20% of a dual fuel bill, include the cost of building, maintaining and operating the local gas pipes and electricity wires and the high pressure gas and high voltage transmission networks which deliver energy directly to the home. Suppliers are charged for this service and pass on the costs to the consumer. The cost of this varies according to region, therefore the costs to the consumer will depend upon the area in which they live.

Ofgem, the independent regulator, sets price controls which limit the total amount of revenue that distribution and transmission companies can earn.

Fracking

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's study, “Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Shale Gas Extraction and Use”, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the potential effects of greenhouse gas emissions associated with shale gas extraction and (b) the global warming effect of methane associated with shale gas extraction. [171967]

Michael Fallon: Drawing on a recent study from the university of Texas, the potential greenhouse gas emissions from a shale gas well in the UK would likely be between 745 to 865 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent per year. The largest proportion of these emissions is likely to be as methane. It is unrealistic at present to estimate the

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total emissions in the UK from shale gas operations as it is not possible to predict the number of shale gas production wells likely to be developed. However, the proportion of the UK greenhouse gas emissions, resulting from shale gas extraction, is likely to be a very minor part of the total UK emissions of the basket of six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol, which is provisionally estimated to be 571.6 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent in 2012. The UK's emissions are 1.3% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, so the direct global warming effect of shale gas operations in the UK is likely to be very miniscule. To put these numbers into context, the US estimated their greenhouse gas emissions in 2011, resulting from shale gas extraction, to be less than 0.25% of their total greenhouse gas emissions.

Nuclear Power

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of the new nuclear programme including costs arising from (a) development, (b) strike price provisions and (c) future decommissioning. [171903]

Michael Fallon: Nuclear developers and their investors will be responsible for funding all of the project development costs for new nuclear power stations in the UK.

Payments to generators under investment contracts and CfDs will be funded by a levy on suppliers, and ultimately sourced from bill payers. No funding is made from general taxation.

The Energy Act 2008 requires operators of new nuclear power stations to have arrangements in place, before construction begins, to meet the full costs of decommissioning and their full share of waste management and disposal costs. There is therefore not expected to be any cost to the public purse resulting from the decommissioning of new nuclear power stations.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost to the public purse has been of financial contributions to (a) Euratom, (b) European Commission Joint Research Centres, (c) the ITER nuclear fusion project, (d) the International Atomic Energy Agency and (e) the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nuclear energy agency since May 2010. [171992]

Michael Fallon: EU member states contribute to the EU budget as a whole and not to individual spending programmes within it. There are not, therefore, specific contributions made directly to Euratom, joint research centres or the EU funding towards the ITER project.

The UK Government contribute to a number of separate programmes within the International Atomic Energy Agency. These include the regular budget (subscription), the technical cooperation fund, the UK Support Programme to IAEA Safeguards and other voluntary contributions to the Nuclear Security Fund. Over the period from May 2010 these come to around £74 million.

The UK contributions to the OECD's nuclear energy agency since May 2010 are just over £1.1 million, although these have significantly reduced since 2012 as costs are shared between the Government, regulators and industry.

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Radioactive Waste

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential cost to the public purse if management costs for management of radioactive waste from new build nuclear plants exceed the cap on costs included in the nuclear waste and decommissioning financing arrangements for new nuclear plants. [171965]

Michael Fallon: The terms on which the Government will take title to and liability for higher activity waste from a new nuclear power station for disposal in the planned geological disposal facility will be set out in a waste contract with the operator. The price that the Government will charge the operators for this service, the waste transfer price, will be determined in accordance with the Government's published waste transfer pricing methodology.

The waste contract will, at the outset, set a cap on the level of the waste transfer price and the published methodology sets out how this cap will be determined. The cap will be set at a level that reflects the Government's current analysis of risk and uncertainty around waste disposal costs and gives a very high level of confidence that actual cost will not exceed the cap. The Government accept that, in setting a cap, the residual risk that actual cost might exceed the cap is being borne by the Government. Therefore the Government will charge the operator an appropriate risk fee for this risk transfer.

The Government's methodology, which includes worked examples, can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/42629/3798-waste-transfer-pricing-methodology.pdf

Renewable Energy

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the reasons for changes in investment in clean energy; and if he will make a statement. [171337]

Gregory Barker: Like all sectors of the economy, clean energy suffered as a result of the global financial crisis. Deal flow across the sector is now beginning to accelerate once more; there have been a number of oversubscribed renewable flotations this year. On the supply side, there are indications that the market for the supply of generation is consolidating around larger offtakers and the Government are acting to improve the situation as part of the electricity market reform process.

Justice

Courts: Security Guards

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has exercised his powers under the Court Security Officers (Designation) Regulations 2005 to designate persons as court security officer. [171351]

Mr Vara: The powers under the Court Security Officers (Designation) Regulations 2005 to designate persons as Court Security Officers (CSOs) have been exercised.

These powers have been undertaken by way of a delegated authority. The power has been delegated to Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS)

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chief executive, to act on my behalf. Prior to this, powers were delegated to the chief executive of Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS).

Knives: Crime

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many sentences were issued for carrying knives in each of the last five years. [170980]

Jeremy Wright: The Government take the view that knives on our streets are a social scourge and that steps need to be taken to prevent it. Unlawful possession of a knife or offensive weapon is already a serious criminal offence which carries a maximum four-year custodial sentence. We want to send a clear and unequivocal message that those who use a knife or offensive weapon to threaten another person and cause an immediate risk of serious physical harm to that other person are behaving in a wholly unacceptable manner and can expect an automatic custodial sentence.

In the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2013, the Government introduced the new offence of threatening someone with a knife in a public place or a school as set out, which came into force on 3 December 2012. This offence carries a minimum sanction of six months custody for adults and a four- month detention and training order for juveniles.

The Government are also considering whether there is a case for further changes to be made to the sentencing framework for knife possession as part of the knife sentencing review, and have recently announced that simple cautions will no longer be available for possession of a knife.

The number of court sentences handed down for possession of a knife since 2008 is available in the excel file which accompanies the knife possession sentencing brief April to June 2013 bulletin which was published on 19 September 2013 and available on the GOV.UK website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/243775/knife-possession-stats-tables-q2-2013.xls

Annual figures are available by adding together the respective quarterly figures for each disposal category, excluding cautions, in "Table 1 time series" in the worksheet labelled "Annex Table 1".

Legal Aid Scheme

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of his Department's total procurement expenditure on small and medium-sized enterprises was spent on legal aid providers in (a) the third quarter of 2011-12, (b) the fourth quarter of 2011-12 and (c) each quarter of 2012-13. [168844]

Mr Vara: The Government are on the side of people who work hard and want to get on. SMEs are the lifeblood of our economy. Our intention is to ensure legal aid firms are delivering quality assured legal aid services to clients who need it and cannot afford to pay for it themselves.

Under the proposals published for consultation on 5 September, firms of any size will be able to get a contract to deliver legal aid services provided they can show they meet the necessary quality standards. However the legal aid market is not sustainable in the long term in its current size and structure—a view shared by the

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Law Society. The consultation proposes a model which would encourage the market to explore opportunities for consolidation and more efficient working.

The proportion of our total procurement expenditure on small and medium-sized enterprises that was spent on legal aid providers in the periods in question is shown within the following table.

Translation Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on interpreters and translation services in each month from January 2012 to August 2013. [170097]

Mr Vara: The previous system for booking interpreters was flawed and did not provide value for money. Over the first year of the contract with Capita Translation and Interpretation (starting January 2012) the Department has saved over £16 million in the provision of interpretation and translation services.

The following tables set out the monthly spend through the Capita contract; during this period courts and tribunals have also been using off-contract. During the early months of the contract, off contract bookings were more prevalent—this has decreased significantly as Capita’s transition has completed (and therefore spend with Capita has increased). Spend information on off-contract bookings is not centrally available.

The months of October and November 2012 were billed as a single combined invoice, as are January and February.

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Cabinet Office

Innovation

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to ensure that Government procurement supports British innovation. [171852]

Mr Hurd: The Government recognise that innovation and research are essential to competitiveness, and are putting them at the heart of their growth agenda.

Our approach to procurement is to seek maximum value for money for the taxpayer. Value for money comprises both cost and quality, and so companies that offer innovative solutions stand a stronger chance of winning business with Government.

We know that many of the most innovative British companies are SMEs. Historically many of these were excluded from Government procurement, including by overly bureaucratic processes. Our reforms to procurement are designed to ensure a level playing field and already business with SMEs is substantially up.

Last summer the Cabinet Office piloted the Solutions Exchange website which enabled businesses to pitch their innovative goods and services directly to Government buyers. We are currently examining the results of that pilot.

Education

Children: Genetics

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the influence of genetics on a child's (a) intellectual development and (b) social mobility. [171974]

Mr Timpson: The Department is committed to evidence-based policy but has not made a formal assessment of this issue.

The leading expert in this area is Professor Robert Plomin of KCL, who has briefed officials on this topic.

Child Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of poverty on the early cognitive development of a child. [171807]

Mr Timpson: The Government are aware of a substantial amount of research on the links between poverty and child outcomes. This Government commissioned the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field), to review the evidence on poverty and life chances, and the hon. Member for Nottingham North (Mr Allen), to review

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the impact of early intervention. We are also considering the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission's report on the state of the nation published on 17 October.

We are now preparing the next child poverty strategy, which will outline the Government's strategy to 2017.

Research¹ has found that a high-quality early education can help to reduce attainment gaps. That is why the Government are extending funded early learning places to around 260,000 children from the lowest income homes from September 2014.

The Department for Education's statistical first release on the early years foundation stage profile² by pupil

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characteristics shows the attainment of children at age five by the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI).

Table 1 shows the achievement in the 2011 early years foundation stage profile teacher assessment by IDACI decile of pupil residence.

Notes:

¹ http://www.ioe.ac.uk/End_of_primary_school_phase_report.pdf

² https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years- foundation-stage-profile-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics-academic-year-2010-to-2011

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the influence of poverty on a child's (a) intellectual development and (b) social mobility. [171973]

Mr Timpson: The Government commissioned the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field) to review the evidence on poverty and life chances, and the hon. Member for Nottingham North (Mr Allen) to review the impact of early intervention, and are also considering the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission's report on the state of the nation published on 17 October.

We are now preparing the next child poverty strategy, which will outline the Government's strategy to 2017 and will continue to demonstrate how the Government are working to ensure a highly-educated society in which opportunity is more equal for children and young people, no matter what their background or family circumstances.

Free Schools

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether Ofsted has expressed concern about any free schools to his Department. [172079]

Mr Timpson: Ofsted has found there to be two inadequate free schools—Al-Madinah School and Discovery New School. In 2012-13, more than 400 state schools across the country were given the same rating.

Some 75% of the free schools which opened in 2011 were rated good or outstanding. This is higher than the 64% of all state schools which have achieved the same ratings under the new, tougher Ofsted framework.

Pupils: Languages

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2013, Official Report, columns 750-1W, on pupils with English as an additional language, if he will supply the equivalent figures for Year 1. [172037]

Mr Laws: Information on the number of pupils in year 1 by first language and region is shown in the following table.

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Schools: Buildings

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department expects to begin consultation on the building design standard for school premises first announced in November 2011 in respect of (a) guidance on fire sprinklers in particular and (b) other matters. [171890]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education carried out a public consultation on proposed changes to the school premises regulations from November 2011 to January 2012. The consultation document did not contain any questions on fire sprinklers. The revised regulations for local authority maintained schools came into force on 31 October 2012. Identical requirements for independent schools, including academies and free schools, were included in the revised independent school standards, which came into force on 1 January 2013.

The Department's guidance on fire safety in schools, Building Bulletin 100, is currently being reviewed. It has not yet been determined whether a consultation will be necessary.

Schools: Construction

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many new school buildings were built in each of the last 10 years using funds other than or in addition to local authority funding; and how much was spent by his Department on new school buildings in each of the last 10 years. [171636]

Mr Laws: The information requested about new school buildings is not held centrally. The majority of school capital funding is allocated to local authorities, which means decisions for investment in existing and new school buildings are taken locally. The total capital budget for school buildings in each of the last 10 years is as follows:

This Government are spending more on school buildings in this Parliament than the previous Government did in their first two Parliaments combined.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve engagement between schools and local employers. [171842]

Matthew Hancock: The Government published an Inspiration Vision statement on 10 September, which outlines the importance of schools having closer links

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with employers and a clearer view of the local labour market. Please find a link to the Inspiration Vision statement here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-inspiration-vision-statement

A copy of the Inspiration Vision statement has been placed in the House Library.

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department is doing to promote careers in construction to young people in schools. [171843]

Matthew Hancock: Schools should ensure that young people consider a wide range of careers and understand the breadth of opportunities available in industries such as construction. To meet their statutory duty to secure independent careers guidance, we expect schools to work in partnership with employers as appropriate. This can inspire pupils to consider options they may not previously have thought about.

The Department for Education published an action plan on 10 September, detailing steps we are taking to support schools to meet their statutory duty on careers. Please find a link to the careers guidance action plan below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-action-plan

A copy has been placed in the House Library.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that Hazara women are able to sustain their current level of education following the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan in 2014. [171624]

Hugh Robertson: The UK will continue supporting girls' education in Afghanistan until at least 2017 and has committed £47 million to the DFID Girls Education Challenge Fund between 2013 and 2016 to help 250,000 girls access quality schooling in Afghanistan. This approach is inclusive of all girls in Afghanistan and does not distinguish between ethnic groups. The UK also contributes to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, a multi-donor fund run by the World Bank which supports the Afghan Government's costs and administering of programmes, including for education.

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the threat to the Hazara community following the withdrawal of foreign troops in Afghanistan in 2014; [171625]

(2) what discussions he has had with his US counterpart regarding the security of the Hazara people following the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in 2014; [171626]

(3) what discussions he has had with President Karzai of Afghanistan to ensure the security of the Hazara people following the withdrawal of foreign troops from that country in 2014. [171627]

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Hugh Robertson: At the Tokyo Development Conference last year, the Afghan Government made a pledge to ensure that the human rights of all Afghan people, including minorities, are protected and promoted, as enshrined in Article 22 of their constitution. We discuss progress against commitments made at the Tokyo Conference, including on human rights, with the Afghan Government and will continue to do so with the new Government following elections next year.

Hazaras are an integral part of Afghanistan's political and decision-making arenas. There are Hazara representatives in senior Afghan Government positions, and within both Houses of Parliament and the High Peace Council. However, as with other ethnic groups in Afghanistan, challenges remain for the Hazara community. Our British embassy Kabul staff will continue to meet Hazara community representatives to discuss minority issues.

In June, the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), supported by the international community, took the lead responsibility for the security of all Afghan citizens. The UK will contribute £70 million per year from 2015 to help sustain the ANSF. The UK Government are in continuous discussion with the Afghan Government and International Security Afghanistan Forces counterparts, including the US, at all levels on the security situation in Afghanistan to support close co-operation on this vital issue.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he will open discussions with the US Government on the re-negotiation of the 1966 UK-US agreement on British Indian Ocean Territory; and whether such discussions will include resettlement of Chagossians in their homeland. [171929]

Mark Simmonds: No date has been set for discussions between the UK and the US on the extension of the 1966 agreement on the British Indian Ocean Territory. Though the Government are supportive of the long-term use of Diego Garcia as a shared strategic asset for the UK and US, we do not anticipate formal discussions with the US on this issue until the review of our policy on resettlement has been concluded.

Iraq

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff are employed, in what capacity, at the (a) UK embassy in Baghdad and (b) UK consulate in Erbil. [171708]

Hugh Robertson: Twenty seven UK based staff are employed at the British embassy in Baghdad. This includes the ambassador and Deputy Head of Mission. A breakdown of the capacity in which other staff are employed cannot be provided, as operational and security reasons prevent us from providing information where there are five or fewer members of staff in a role. Due to these reasons we cannot provide the number and capacity of UK based staff employed at the British Consulate General in Erbil either. Forty-one locally engaged staff at our embassy in Baghdad and eight locally engaged staff at our Consulate General in Erbil are employed in support and corporate service roles.

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Middle East

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on a two state solution in the Middle East. [171975]

Hugh Robertson: The British Government's policy on a two state solution is that we want to see a negotiated agreement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a just, fair and agreed solution for refugees.

Sean Emmett

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to ensure the return of Sean Emmett to the UK. [172123]

Hugh Robertson: Consular officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the British embassy Dubai are aware of Mr Emmett's case and continue to provide him with consular assistance. However, we cannot interfere with the local laws and legal proceedings of another country, just as we would not accept such interference in the UK's laws and legal processes.

Sri Lanka

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many reports he has received about UK citizens being detained whilst visiting Sri Lanka in the last year. [171656]

Mr Swire: In the past year we have had 19 new cases of UK citizens being detained while visiting Sri Lanka. We have provided consular assistance to all individuals who were detained.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received on the Government's representation in Sri Lanka to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in December 2013. [171657]

Mr Swire: Since the Government announced their decision to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), we have explained our position whenever we have been asked to do so. We have discussed and corresponded on the matter with hon. and right hon. Members and others including the media, civil society organisations and individual members of the public. I have explained our position to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Commonwealth. We do not keep a total of all these types of representations.

We continue to urge Sri Lanka to make progress on human rights concerns and on the implementation of Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission 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

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will support and welcome concrete progress. Equally, we will not hesitate to highlight negative developments or lack of progress against commitments.

Health

Abortion

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department takes to ensure that certification for abortion on the grounds of risk to the woman's mental health is evidence-based; [171649]

(2) what assessment he has made of the implications of the findings of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in paragraph 5.5 of its report on induced abortion and mental health, published in December 2011, that when a woman has an unwanted pregnancy, rates of mental health problems will be largely unaffected whether she has an abortion or goes on to give birth, for the interpretation by practitioners of ground C in the certification of abortions. [171650]

Jane Ellison: The chief medical officer (CMO) wrote to all doctors on 23 February 2012 to remind all those involved in providing and commissioning treatment for termination of pregnancy of the need to fully comply with all the requirements of the Abortion Act 1967 (the Act).

The letter highlighted that:

“a pregnancy may only be terminated if two registered medical practitioners have certified that they are of the opinion, formed in good faith, that at least one and the same ground for abortion in section 1(1) of the Act exists. The certification takes place in the light of their clinical judgement of all the particular circumstances of the individual case. If there is evidence that either certifying doctor has not formed the opinion in good faith, then the doctor performing the termination is not protected by section 1(1) of the Act and has potentially committed a criminal offence by terminating the pregnancy. It is also possible that the doctor could be acting contrary to their professional duties.”

Further guidance will be issued by CMO shortly.

The findings of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges are an interesting, though not conclusive, addition to the scientific literature around abortion. The report itself recognises that there is substantial limitations to the review, and there are great difficulties in carrying out research in this area. Furthermore, the conclusions are based on research that includes mental health outcomes for women denied an abortion of an unwanted pregnancy or those unable to access abortion. Therefore, while doctors may be aware of this report, they must still make decisions based on their clinical knowledge and the case in front of them.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Crimes of Violence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency staff in hospitals in each region were assaulted while on duty in each of the last three years. [171918]

Dr Poulter: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Information on the number of reported physical assaults against national health service staff in England for the last three years is contained in the documents ‘Tables showing the number of reported physical assaults on

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NHS staff in 2009-10, broken down by NHS trust/PCT’ and ‘Tables showing the number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff in 2010-11, broken down by NHS trust/PCT’, which have already been placed in the Library, and in the document ‘Tables showing the number of reported physical assaults on NHS staff in 2011-12, broken down by NHS trust/PCT’ which has been placed in the Library.

This information in these tables does not indicate the professional category of staff, the Department where they work or whether they were on duty or not at the time of the reported assault. The information is not grouped by region.

A summary of the number of reported physical assaults against NHS staff in acute and foundation trusts in England for the last three years for which information is available is in the following table:

Mental Illness

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to reduce the stigmas associated with mental health issues since 2010. [172041]

Norman Lamb: The Department is funding the Time to Change campaign with up to £16 million between 2011-12 and 2014-15. Time to Change is a vital campaign to change attitudes, and behaviour towards mental health and people with mental health problems. The Time to Change programme works to support and empower people to talk about their mental health problems and to tackle the discrimination they face.

The funding will allow Time to Change to reach 29 million members of the public and increase the confidence of 100,000 people with mental health problems to challenge stigma and discrimination.

NHS 111

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what quality and performance standards are in place for the NHS 111 Service; and whether it has met them in (a) London and (b) Brent; [171700]

(2) with respect to the service specification metrics of the NHS 111 Service, how many calls have not been (a) answered, (b) referred to a clinician or trained nurse within the appropriate timescale or (c) in receipt of a call-back from an appropriate clinician within 10 minutes to date. [171701]

Jane Ellison: There are two national Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for NHS 111—(i) over 95% calls answered in under 60 seconds, and (ii) under 5% calls abandoned after 30 seconds. Local commissioners are responsible for performance management of NHS 111 services, and set their own performance targets for services.

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Brent is part of the North West London NHS 111 Service. Data up to and including August 2013 for the two KPIs are shown in the following table:

Data on calls that have not been (a) answered, (b) referred to a clinician or trained nurse within the appropriate time scale or (c) in receipt of a call-back from an appropriate clinician within 10 minutes to date, are not available in the format requested. Data that are available (covering the whole of England) are displayed in the following table, up to and including August 2013:

Social Services

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has had discussions with commissioners and providers of social care services regarding procurement practices and the effectiveness of 15-minute social care visits. [172078]

Norman Lamb: The Department has had significant contact with both commissioners and providers of adult social care as part of consultation on the White Paper ‘Caring for our Future’ and as part of wider stakeholder engagement about the Care Bill currently being considered by Parliament.

We recognise that there is concern about very short care visits to people's homes, and believe that 15-minute care visits are in most cases incompatible with high- quality care. However, there may be certain circumstances where a short visit is appropriate, for example, checking that someone has taken their medication.

The Care Bill sets out a new duty on local authorities to promote diversity, quality and sustainability of local care services to meet the needs of local people. This will require local authorities to consider the impact of their commissioning decisions on the quality of the services that people receive. Following debate at Committee Stage in the House of Lords, we have amended the Bill to clarify that local authorities must consider, in making commissioning decisions, the importance of promoting individuals' wellbeing. This amendment sends a clear message to local authorities, on the face of the Bill, that commissioning services without properly considering the impact on individuals' wellbeing is unacceptable.

The Department will work with stakeholders to produce statutory guidance about this issue, and is working with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to develop standards for commissioning that will support continuous improvement in commissioning practices.

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Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the interest on the Government's deferred payment agreements will count towards the cap on social care costs introduced by the Care Bill. [172084]

Norman Lamb: Interest on deferred payment agreements will not count towards the cap on care costs. As set out in the Care Bill and the consultation on funding reform, the cap provides people, including those who make use of deferred payments, with protection from the unlimited care costs they currently face. The interest rate on deferred payments will be subject to regulations to ensure that it is affordable.

The total cost of meeting a person's eligible needs—whether this is met by the individual the local authority or both—will count towards the cap. This amount will be calculated on the basis of what it costs or would cost the local authority to meet the individual's eligibility as set out in the personal budget or independent personal budget.

International Development

Afghanistan: Women's Rights

6. Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress her Department has made on its projects promoting women’s rights and empowerment in Afghanistan. [900648]

Justine Greening: DFID's programmes to promote women's rights in Afghanistan, including strengthening civil society, increasing women's political participation and getting more girls into school, will support their empowerment in Afghanistan now and in future generations.

Cyclone Phailin

7. Mrs Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the impact of Cyclone Phailin in India; and if she will make a statement. [900649]

Mr Duncan: I was in India last week immediately after the cyclone. Thanks to the prompt action of the Government there, nearly a million people were moved to safety in the 48 hours before the cyclone struck. Only 44 people died compared with 10,000 in 1999. The next challenge, however, is the problem of destroyed homes and livelihoods.

Arab Partnership Economic Facility

8. Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been disbursed from the budget of her Department’s Arab Partnership economic facility to date. [900650]

Mr Duncan: DFID has so far spent £36 million of the £70 million allocated to the Arab Partnership Economic Facility, focusing on Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.

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Humanitarian Emergency:

Protection of Women

11. Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to ensure that girls and women are protected in humanitarian emergencies. [900653]

Justine Greening: The Call to Action I launched in March aims to ensure that women and girls are protected from violence from the outset of a humanitarian emergency—whether a natural disaster or a conflict. I am convening a high-level meeting of Governments and humanitarian leaders on 13 November to drive commitment to these life-saving issues from the first phase of an emergency.

Ending Aid Dependency

12. Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the contribution of economic development to ending aid dependency. [900655]

Justine Greening: Economic development is fundamental to poverty reduction. It creates jobs and raises incomes. It gives developing-country Governments the resources to provide for the welfare of their own citizens. Economic development is the only long-term option that has enabled people and countries to escape from poverty.

Women's Literacy

13. Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to improve women’s literacy in developing countries. [900656]

Justine Greening: DFID’s approach to tackling women’s literacy in the countries where we work involves, where appropriate, investing in programmes that include a focus on the empowerment of marginalised groups and prioritising quality basic education for all so that fewer children become illiterate adults.

Misuse of Aid

14. Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department makes of the likelihood of corruption in recipient countries when apportioning financial aid. [900657]

Justine Greening: DFID conducts detailed analyses of fiduciary risk and corruption before providing financial aid. A commitment to fighting corruption is one of the UK’s partnership principles, and financial aid is only provided when there is robust evidence that funding will be used for the purpose intended.

Burma

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding is allocated to multi-faith initiatives and for preventing communal violence in Burma. [172083]

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Mr Duncan: DFID does not have any specific programmes which promote inter-faith and religious tolerance in Burma. However the Department is working with a range of partners, including faith-based organisations, to support peace and reconciliation. Through the British embassy's small grants programme, the UK is funding an initiative in Northern Shan state to promote a better understanding of different religions and respect for human rights. The UK Government encourage the Burmese Government to do all that they can to reduce inter-communal tensions.

Syria

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the viability of the humanitarian situation in Syria's neighbours and the flow of refugees into those countries. [171654]

Justine Greening: Two thirds of the refugees currently in neighbouring countries have fled Syria since the start of 2013. The UN predicts there will be over 1 million refugees in Lebanon alone by the end of the year—roughly a two-fold increase since July. This is putting neighbouring countries under increasing pressure, and we recognise their generosity in keeping their borders open. It is essential that the international community steps up to

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deliver essential humanitarian and development support to these refugees and the host communities.

Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of her Department's funding for the Syria emergency is currently being used for (a) gender-based violence prevention, (b) gender-based violence case management and (c) sexual and reproductive health in (i) Syria and (ii) neighbouring countries. [171764]

Justine Greening: In Syria and the region, the UK is providing £500 million to meet urgent needs, targeting the most vulnerable people affected by the Syria crisis, including girls and women and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. It is not possible to detail accurately the overall amount of funding that has gone to these activities as in most cases they are integrated within wider programmes providing health-care, livelihoods support and protection.

As an example, DFID is providing £10 million to one partner to provide a wide-range of support in Syria and the neighbouring countries including a strong focus on the prevention and case-management of gender-based violence. In addition, DFID has provided £1.6 million to another partner to provide clinical care, psychosocial support, case management and financial assistance for some 12,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, including girls and women who have experienced gender-based violence.