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Telephone Services

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on the use of geographical telephone numbers to allow the public to contact his Department. [172270]

Brandon Lewis: Each of the principle access numbers operated by the Department and its agencies (the Planning Inspectorate and the Homes and Communities Agency) are 030 numbers.

030 numbers were specifically designed for not-for-profit organisations, charities and public sector bodies to offer consumers a single point of contact nationally. Calls cost no more than calls to geographic (01 and 02) numbers and are included in inclusive minutes and discount schemes in the same way.

Deputy Prime Minister

Trident

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 6W, on Trident, what the costs were of publishing and distributing the Government's Trident Alternatives Review. [172639]

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.

The costs of the review were met from within existing departmental budgets; this includes the cost of publication and distribution of the review.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 6W, on Trident, if he will publish (a) timesheets for each of the officials listed as working on the Trident Alternatives Review and (b) the salary and grade of each such official. [172655]

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.

The team within the Cabinet Office coordinating the review consisted of two full-time staff and a senior civil servant.

Experts of various grades and military ranks, primarily from the Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided advice on an as-required basis.

The ranks/grades of those experts and their time spent on consultation are not held centrally.

Justice

Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment she has made of the potential effects of the judgment by the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Allen v. UK 2013 on the legislative proposals set out in Clause 143 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill. [171473]

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Mr Vara: In its decision in the case of Allen v. UK, the European Court of Human Rights accepted that not every person acquitted of an offence is entitled to be compensated, with which we of course agree, and concluded that, provided the language used in declining an application to pay compensation does not cast doubt on the innocence of the applicant, the presumption of innocence is respected. We do not believe that there is any conflict between this view and clause 143 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill. The proposed new test for determining eligibility for compensation does not require the applicant to demonstrate his or her innocence. It focuses on the new fact which led the conviction to be quashed, and whether this new fact shows conclusively that there was a miscarriage of justice.

Child Abuse

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress his Department has made on its review of the criminal law covering child neglect; and whether he will report its findings before 22 November 2013. [170158]

Damian Green: I have asked my officials to undertake a targeted consultation with the relevant experts to explore the adequacy of the existing offence of child cruelty.

I have asked them to report to me before the end of the year.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of child abuse were brought before the courts in 2012-13; and how many such cases resulted in a custodial sentence. [171218]

Damian Green: Child abuse spans a wide range of harmful behaviour which can be prosecuted under a number of different criminal offences. Of those found guilty, a higher proportion are given immediate custodial sentences now than in 2010.

The Government are absolutely committed to keeping children and young people safe from all forms of abuse and to doing everything we can to prevent the horrific crime of child abuse.

That is why the Prime Minister has asked me to lead the work of the National Group into Sexual Violence Against Children and Vulnerable People, bringing together a panel of experts from across Government, delivery agencies, the police and voluntary sector experts. The group will co-ordinate and implement the learning from recent inquiries into historical sexual abuse and current sexual exploitation cases and issues around sexual violence more widely, including child abuse.

I launched a progress report and action plan at a stakeholder summit on 24 July, together with early findings into multi-agency safeguarding approaches. These work to help local areas to put in place more effective arrangements to help victims and prevent abuse happening in the first place.

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Courts: Hearing Impairment

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to deaf people during court appearances. [172199]

Mr Vara: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) recognises the importance of removing the barriers that D/deaf and hearing impaired people face, where they might otherwise be at a substantial disadvantage compared to the way others access services.

HMCTS regularly reviews and updates its internal guidance and training to ensure that the legal requirements of the Equality Act 2010 are met. Examples of support available include the provision of hearing systems in some courts, or providing British Sign Language interpreters, lip speakers or speech to text reporters on request.

Criminal Proceedings: Complaints

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people complained about any element of the performance of the criminal justice system in 2009-10 and 2011-12. [171986]

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Damian Green: Complaints about the performance of the criminal justice system in 2009-10 and 2011-12 are not held centrally by any one agency.

The information held by the Ministry of Justice about complaints is given as follows, broken down by agency:

Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS)

HMCTS publish figures on the number of administrative complaints received in annual reports, which are available on the Ministry of Justice website at the address

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/hmcts

The complaint figures are not broken down to identify complaints against criminal court jurisdictions.

Office for Judicial Complaints

The annual reports for the Office for Judicial Complaints show that they dealt with 1,571 complaints for the financial year 2009-10 and 1,615 complaints for the financial year 2011-12.

National Offender Management Service (NOMS)

NOMS do not collate central figures about the number of complaints made concerning the performance of Her Majesty's Prison Service or Probation Trusts.

Prisoners and those under the supervision of probation services can make complaints to the Prison and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) if they are unhappy with their treatment. For the financial year 2009-10 the PPO received 4,538 complaints and for the financial year 2011-12 the PPO received 5,159 complaints.

Criminal Proceedings: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales and (b) the Chief Constable of North Wales on the delivery of criminal justice in North Wales. [170941]

Damian Green: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has not met with the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales and the Chief Constable of North Wales.

However, the Secretary of State did meet with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners on 10 September, and I meet regularly with police and crime commissioners to discuss criminal justice issues. The Department publishes quarterly transparency data on meetings between Ministers and all external organisations on the .gov.uk website.

Enduring Power of Attorney

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, under the Mental Health Act 1983, if a sole property owner lost mental capacity and had not made an Enduring Power of Attorney, who could lawfully administer their property and affairs. [171444]

Mr Vara: This issue would fall to the Court of Protection. The Court of Protection deals with some of the most vulnerable people in society and it is responsible for making decisions about the personal health, finance and welfare on behalf of people who do not have the mental capacity to decide for themselves. It can also

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appoint deputies to act on behalf of people who are unable to make decisions about their personal health, finance or welfare.

Previously, under Part VII of the Mental Health Act 1983, if a sole property owner lost mental capacity and had not made an Enduring Power of Attorney, an application would have been made to the Court to appoint a ‘receiver' to lawfully administer the individual's property and affairs. The Court would listen to all the necessary representations before making the decision in the best interest of a person who lacks capacity. Receivers could be members of the individual's family or legal professionals.

If, however, the property was subject to a legal charge, most mortgage deeds include the power for the lender to appoint a receiver under the Law of Property Act 1925. The powers of a receiver appointed under this Act extend only to the property over which the legal charge was made and not to the individual who is the borrower. On 1 October 2007, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 was implemented, repealing Part VII of the Mental Health Act 1983 and creating a new jurisdiction for the Court of Protection, as well as introducing ‘deputies'—the new name for receivers. If a similar situation arose today, an application would be made to the Court under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, to appoint a deputy.

Energy

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what costs were incurred by his Department's estate in respect of (a) gas and (b) electricity supply in the 2012-13 financial year. [172415]

Mr Vara: In the 2012-13 financial year the Department spent £27,681,300.81 on gas and £43,221,333.66 on electricity across its entire estate.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Mrs Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) nationality and (b) gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in August 2013; in which (i) region, (ii) county and (iii) parliamentary constituency each of the suspected victims was found; and which agency referred each case to the scheme. [170706]

Damian Green: In August 2013 there were 59 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army. In the interests of victim safety only the region in which the victim was encountered is provided, and not the county or parliamentary constituency. Details are as follows:

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Legal Ombudsman

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria he used to decide on the deadline for complaints to the Legal Ombudsman; and if he will make a statement. [172156]

Mr Vara: It is not for the Lord Chancellor to determine the time limits for the Legal Ombudsman.

The Legal Ombudsman was established in October 2010. In 2012 the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) undertook a review of its scheme rules and consulted

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on proposed changes, including extending time limits. As a result of this review, the OLC recommended changes to the time limits for people complaining to the Legal Ombudsman.

In making their recommendation, the OLC considered their experience of complaints. They found that existing time limits were very restrictive and only allowed the Legal Ombudsman to accept cases which exceeded the relatively tight time limits under exceptional circumstances. Often, people had legitimate but not exceptional reasons for not complaining within the existing time limits.

In addition, the OLC considered it appropriate to harmonise the Legal Ombudsman's time limits as much as possible with the courts and other ombudsman schemes, particularly the Financial Ombudsman Service.

As a result, changes to the scheme rules, including extending time limits, were recommended by the OLC and approved by the Legal Services Board (LSB) and Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor in line with the Legal Services Act 2007 requirements is required to approve changes made under section 136 (charges payable by respondents) only. The LSB are able to approve a rule change for altering time limits. In deciding to approve the other details of the scheme rules changes such as the removal of the free case fees the Lord Chancellor considered the details of the recommendation and LSB approval.

Performance Appraisal

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2012-13. [170464]

Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice, across its business areas, is working to ensure that equality of opportunity and diversity are a normal part of everyday business. As an employer, the Ministry aims to ensure that its policies are fair and accessible to all, and as a provider of services, that this is done in a way that complies with the aims of the public sector equality duty in the Equality Act 2010.

The information requested on performance markings for 2012-13 for disabled and all other staff employed by the Ministry of Justice is not yet available. This information will be published in the Ministry of Justice Diversity Report 2012-13 in the first quarter of 2014, excluding the Legal Aid Agency, whose functions were performed by a non-departmental public body (the Legal Services Commission) in the reporting year 2012-13.

Prison Service

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison staff are currently employed in prisons in England run by G4S. [172455]

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not collected centrally and could not be obtained within the timescale. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

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Prisons: Closures

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much in annual running costs his Department expects to save by closing (a) HMP Blundeston, (b) HMP Reading, (c) HMP Dorchester, (d) HMP The Verne and (e) HMP Northallerton; [172260]

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(2) when the last prisoners will leave (a) HMP Blundeston, (b) HMP Reading, (c) HMP Dorchester, (d) HMP The Verne and (e) HMP Northallerton. [172261]

Jeremy Wright: The anticipated annual running costs saved by the Ministry of Justice following the closure of HMPs Blundeston, Dorchester, Northallerton, Reading and The Verne are set out in the following table:

The Verne is being re-roled as an immigration removal centre and will open early in 2014. The income the Ministry of Justice will receive from the Home Office to provide this function will reduce the net running costs by around £11 million annually. We anticipate that all prisoners will have left these establishments by 31 December 2013.

Prisons: Education

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours of education per week young people are receiving in each prison and young offenders' institution. [172458]

Jeremy Wright: We are currently collating the requested data. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many judges in England and Wales have been given training on sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. [168980]

Damian Green: The responsibility for judicial training lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College. The Judicial College provides regular updates to judges on significant changes to the law via a jurisdictional electronic internal newsletter and did so in respect of these provisions in June 2012.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) men and (b) women aged (i) 16 to 18 years old and (ii) 19 years and above started an apprenticeship in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13. [172629]

Matthew Hancock: Table 1 shows the number of Apprenticeship programme starts by age and gender. Final data are shown for 2010/11 and 2011/12 and provisional data are shown for the 2012/13 academic years.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprentice assessors there were in each year for which figures are available since April 2010. [172688]

Matthew Hancock: Assessment of apprenticeships in terms of competence and technical knowledge is carried out by awarding organisations and training providers. We do not hold information on the number of assessors employed to carry out this role.

Copyright

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2013, Official Report, column 395W, on copyright, what information his Department holds on (a) which countries which have introduced private copying exceptions and (b) which such countries have introduced more broadly defined exceptions which meet the criteria set out in options 2 and 3 of his Department’s impact assessment. [172656]

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Jo Swinson: Various reports and studies have been published setting out the national laws of other EU member states implementing the copyright directive. An overview of research, case law and legislation has been compiled by the University of Amsterdam’s Institute for Information Law and is available in English at:

http://www.ivir.nl/files/implementation_2001_29_EC/index_eng.html

This website includes a link to a paper by the Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute, which sets out which countries’ private copying exceptions permit the sharing of copies among friends and family, and which countries have wider exceptions, for instance permitting copying from illegal sources.

Since the website was last updated, there have been developments in domestic and EU case law as well as in national legislation, which are also available on public record.

Electronic Surveillance: Exports

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions Ministers or officials of his Department, including the UK Export Control Organisation, have had with their EU counterparts on the unlicensed export of intrusion software from UK-based companies. [172205]

Michael Fallon: The Export Control Organisation in BIS is responsible for strategic export control legislation and for assessing export licences for strategic goods against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are responsible for the enforcement of strategic export controls and for conducting investigations where unlicensed exports may have occurred. Questions relating to unlicensed exports should properly be directed to HMRC.

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers, (c) officials in his Department and (d) the UK Export Control Organisation has had with their EU counterparts on the unlicensed export of Finfisher intrusion software from the UK. [172210]

Michael Fallon: Neither I, my BIS ministerial colleagues nor my officials have discussed with our EU counterparts the unlicensed export of Finfisher intrusion software from the UK. The Export Control Organisation in BIS is responsible for strategic export control legislation and for assessing export licences for strategic goods against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are responsible for the enforcement of strategic export controls and for conducting investigations where unlicensed exports may have occurred. Questions relating to unlicensed exports should properly be directed to HMRC.

Energy

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what costs were incurred by his Department’s estate in respect of (a) gas and (b) electricity supply in the 2012-13 financial year. [172645]

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Jo Swinson: The following costs were incurred by the Department in respect of gas and electricity supply in the 2012-13 financial year:

Higher Education: Admissions

Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the evidential basis is for the identification of certain A-level subjects as facilitating subjects that increase a university applicant's chances of success. [172522]

Mr Willetts: Facilitating subjects are a group of subjects that the Russell group of universities identified in their Informed Choices publication that are usually considered to be helpful and/or required for particular courses at their universities. This openness and transparency by universities can help applicants and advisers understand the prior qualifications needed or preferred by applicants to specific courses.

Universities are independent and autonomous organisations and as such are responsible for their own admissions decisions.

Minimum Wage

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that employers comply with minimum wage legislation. [172532]

Jo Swinson: The Government are committed to the national minimum wage and its effective enforcement. We are absolutely clear that anyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it.

The Government are taking a multi-pronged approach that includes targeted communications to raise awareness and help employers to comply, as well as targeted enforcement action with civil and criminal proceedings reserved for the most serious cases.

HMRC investigates every complaint made through the free and confidential pay and work rights helpline. In addition, HMRC conducts risk-based enforcement in sectors or areas where there is a higher risk of workers not getting paid the legal minimum wage. If HMRC investigates an employer that is breaking NMW law, the employer will have to pay back the arrears owed to workers, face a financial penalty and be publicly named and shamed under the NMW Naming scheme.

HMRC’s work is producing results: in 2012/13 HMRC identified £3.9 million in arrears of wages for 26,519 workers.

Anyone who thinks they have not been paid the minimum wage that they might be entitled to should call the pay and work rights helpline on 0800 917 2368 for free, confidential advice. Information available at:

https://www.gov.uk/pay-and-work-rights-helpline

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New Businesses

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) men and (b) women have benefited from the Start-Up Loans Scheme in each month since January 2012. [172626]

Matthew Hancock: The following start-up loans have been drawn down to (a) men and (b) women since September 2012. No loans were made before this date.

Regional Growth Fund

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many winning bidders under round two of the Regional Growth Fund have not yet received a final agreed offer; and what the monetary value is of each such bid. [172487]

Michael Fallon [holding answer 25 October 2013]: There are no bids that have not yet received a final offer and therefore the monetary value is zero.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses owned by (a) men and (b) women have received grants from the Regional Growth Fund to date. [172628]

Michael Fallon: The information requested is not collected.

Royal Mail

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 49W, on Royal Mail, whether the refund of application monies has been completed. [172485]

Michael Fallon [holding answer 25 October 2013]: For all applicants in the direct retail offer, bank instructions for any applicable refunds were made or, where relevant, refund cheques were issued, by the end of last week. The Government are not responsible for refunds to applicants in the intermediaries offer.

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Telephone Numbers

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's policy is on the use of geographical telephone numbers to allow the public to contact his Department. [172271]

Jo Swinson: The Department provides 03 prefix numbers for all new public facing contact points. All existing public facing numbers will be changed to 03 numbers by January 2014. The cost of calling 03 numbers is no higher than calls to geographic numbers (01 and 02).

Energy and Climate Change

Fuel Poverty

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the estimated number of people affected by fuel poverty was in each month since June 2010 in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) England, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland. [172521]

Gregory Barker: Data on fuel poverty are only available on an annual basis and are measured at the household level. The following table shows estimates for the number of households in fuel poverty in 2010 and 2011, split by country:

These figures are calculated using the 10% measure of fuel poverty, which is the headline measure used in countries other than England, whereby a household is said to be fuel poor if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel to maintain an adequate level of warmth.

Under the new Low Income High Cost indicator a household is considered fuel poor if they have above average fuel costs and were they to spend that amount on fuel, they would be left with a residual income below the official poverty line. The number of households in fuel poverty using the Low Income High Costs measure is only available for England.

The latest year with data available is 2011. Total UK figures have been rounded to nearest 0.25 million, due to the uncertainty associated with the estimates by country.

These estimates were published in the ‘Fuel poverty report: annual report on statistics 2013’:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuel-poverty-report-annual-report-on-statistics-2013

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England were in fuel poverty in the latest period for which figures are available. [172533]

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Gregory Barker: In July of this year, the Government announced their intention to adopt the low income high costs definition of fuel poverty, based on the recommendations from Professor Hills' independent review. Statistics on fuel poverty under this indicator were published in August. The estimated number and proportion of households in fuel poverty in 2011 for (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the west midlands and (d) England under the low income high costs definition are given as follows:

Green Deal Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people in (a) Doncaster, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) the UK have received a discount under a Green Deal plan on the most recent date for which figures are available. [172508]

Gregory Barker: I believe the right hon. Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) is referring to the cashback scheme. The Department's latest monthly Green Deal/ECO statistical release, published on 17 October 2013, showed that 6,512 Cashback vouchers had been paid to households in England and Wales by the end of September 2013.

Our latest quarterly Green Deal/ECO statistical release, published on 19 September 2013, showed that, of the 3,449 Cashback vouchers paid to households in England and Wales up to the end of June 2013, 68 had been to households in South Yorkshire, of which four had been to households in Doncaster.

The latest monthly statistical release can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-statistics

The latest quarterly statistical release can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-january-june-2013-statistics

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what security vetting will be applied to employees and executives of (a) EDF Energy, (b) AREVA, (c) China General Nuclear Corporation and (d) China National Nuclear Corporation during their work on the Hinkley C nuclear plant; and who will pay the costs of such security vetting. [172352]

Michael Fallon: In the UK, all employees in the civil nuclear industry and contractors must be vetted to a level of clearance commensurate with their access to nuclear material and/or sensitive nuclear information or technology in accordance with the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003.

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Agreed standards and processes are applied in accordance with the UK's national security vetting policies and all vetting costs are recoverable from industry.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change under what conditions the agreed strike price for electricity generated at Hinkley Point C nuclear plant may be revised upwards in future. [172476]

Michael Fallon: The key commercial terms agreed for a proposed investment contract for Hinkley Point C include arrangements whereby the strike price could be adjusted in relation to:

operational and certain other costs (including balancing and transmission charges and business rates) at certain fixed points;

certain future changes in law (including in respect of specific nuclear taxes, and uranium and certain generation taxes);

arrangements whereby Hinkley Point C would be protected from being curtailed without appropriate compensation;

increases in nuclear insurance costs as a result of withdrawal of HMG cover or in certain circumstances where market cover in the nuclear insurance market is no longer available.

The strike price of £89.50/MWh is fully indexed to the consumer price index. This price benefits from an upfront reduction of £3/MWh built in on the assumption that EDF will be able to share the first of a kind costs of the EPR reactors across the Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C sites. If EDF does not take a final investment decision on Sizewell C, the strike price for Hinkley will be £92.50/MWh.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's press release of 21 October 2013 on Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, what the evidential basis is of his statement that 57% of the Hinkley C project's construction value could be spent in the UK. [172477]

Michael Fallon: The estimate of 57% is based on EDF's extensive research into the project and provides the most accurate estimate we have on the project's construction value that could be spent in the UK.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to prevent cost overruns in construction of the Hinkley Point C nuclear project. [172479]

Michael Fallon: It is for the developer to ensure that construction is delivered within budget and to schedule. Should construction costs overrun beyond the agreed maximum cost provided for in any investment contract that is offered to the developer, it is the developer that is liable for these costs. The costs of these overruns will not be remunerated through the investment contract.

Natural Gas: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of homes in Barrow and Furness constituency that do not have access to a mains gas supply. [172622]

Michael Fallon: The exact number of homes that do not have access to the gas network is not held centrally.

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Estimates have been produced based on information from the Gemserv database on the location of electricity meters, and data from Xoserve and independent gas transporters on the location of gas meters, which are used to produce the Department’s sub-national energy statistics. Subtracting the number of gas meters from the number of electricity meters produces a broad estimate of the number of homes that do not have access to the gas network. It should be noted that these estimates will overestimate the number of homes due to some homes having more than one electricity meter, and also that the statistics may include non-domestic gas meters. Meter point consumption data are available at a local authority level, and not by constituency. The number of homes that do not have access to a mains gas supply in the Barrow and Furness constituency can be estimated by combining figures for Barrow-in-Furness and South Lakeland local authorities.

It is estimated that, for 2011, 15,802 homes in the Barrow and Furness constituency did not have access to the gas network; this represents 18.3% of homes in the area.

The underlying data on the number of gas and electricity meters in each local authority are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sub-national-electricity-consumption-data

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sub-national-gas-consumption-data

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research programmes have been supported by resources from his Department's budget on (a) nuclear waste management, (b) nuclear plant decommissioning and (c) plutonium disposition since May 2010. [171969]

Michael Fallon: The Department has contributed to a number of research programmes and projects since May 2010 including: the creation of the National Nuclear User Facility; the construction of the international Jules Horowitz Research Reactor; and a range of smaller studies to consider the prospects for advanced reactor systems and fuel types.

These programmes and projects have the potential to contribute towards future research in waste management, plant decommissioning and plutonium disposition, as well as a range of other related topics.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, who are funded from the Department's budget, also engages in research, both directly and through its wider estate in these areas.

Petrochemicals: Grangemouth

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the importance to the UK's fuel supply chain of the INEOS refinery at Grangemouth. [172680]

Michael Fallon: The Grangemouth refinery accounts for 14% of UK refining capacity. The Government are working with the downstream oil sector to review how our demand for refined oil products is likely to be met in the coming decades. Conclusions from the DECC review will be published around the turn of this year.

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Petrochemicals: Industry

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the state of the UK's petrochemical sector; and what assessment he has made of the effects of the decision to close the Grangemouth site on this sector. [172681]

Michael Fallon: The chemical industry is the UK’s leading manufacturing exporter and has significant growth potential. The chemical industries growth strategy published on 22 October sets out a trajectory for gross value added (GVA) to increase by more than 50% by 2030 (from £195 billion to £300 billion), providing priority issues can be addressed. When the strategy was published, I and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), met industry leaders who have formed the Chemical Growth Partnership to discuss these prospects, and how the issues can be addressed by the industry, working with government where needed. A copy of the industry-led growth strategy can be found at the Chemical Industries website:

http://www.cia.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Growth%20 Strategy%20FINAL.PDF

I am delighted that INEOS announced on Friday 25 October that their Grangemouth petro-chemical plant would remain open, following assurances given by the Unite union, and that major new investment will go ahead. This is a very positive outcome. Grangemouth is important to the Scottish economy and the UK economy, and closure would have been a huge blow for the local community. Some 800 jobs at risk in the plant have been saved and significant potential knock-on effects averted for jobs in the local economy and wider supply chain.

Radioactive Waste

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who will be responsible for paying costs above the cap established on the cost of managing nuclear waste under his Department's Radioactive Waste and Decommissioning Financing Arrangements. [172478]

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. 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 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.

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Renewable Energy

Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what provision he is making for the cancellation or re-allocation of contracts for difference allocated by investment instruments in the event of delay or non-performance by the body holding the instrument in providing the power underwritten by the contract for difference. [172311]

Michael Fallon: It is our intention that investment contracts for all low carbon technologies will include a provision for cancellation in certain circumstances.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many unplanned episodes of maintenance there have been on offshore wind turbines in each of the last three years. [172330]

Michael Fallon: The Department does not hold this information.

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment is made of the effect on (a) marine and (b) terrestrial wildlife during the approval process of offshore wind farms. [172466]

Michael Fallon: For nationally significant offshore wind farms in English and Welsh waters, potential environmental effects are considered in the Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1)¹ and the National Policy Statement for Renewable Energy Infrastructure (EN- 3), which were designated under the Planning Act 2008 in July 2011.

At a project level, applications for development consent are considered in an open process by an independent examining authority, taking into account all relevant issues raised by interested parties, including the Government's statutory nature conservation advisors. Decisions on nationally significant energy applications are informed by the examining authorities' reports, including its conclusions on environmental impacts.

Decisions are published on the National Infrastructure Planning Portal:

http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/

¹ EN-1 and EN-3 set the policy context for nationally significant energy infrastructure, including offshore wind farms of greater than 100MWcapacity.

Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: Young People

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the criteria for funding from her Department to arts institutions include maximising access for children and young people. [172876]

Mr Vaizey: DCMS provides Government funding and Lottery funding for the arts via the arm’s length body, Arts Council England. In agreement with Ministers, the Arts Council has set out its strategy for investing these funds: ‘Achieving Great Art for Everyone’.

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This strategy includes a clear goal for every child and young person to have the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts. Complementary to this, DCMS requires the Arts Council's decisions on Lottery funding to take account of the need to inspire children and young people, awakening their interest and involvement in the arts.

The Arts Council's network of 10 ‘bridge' organisations are using their experience and expertise to connect children and young people, schools and communities with art and culture.

My Department in partnership with the Department for Education and other partners is implementing the ‘National Plan for Music Education and Cultural Education’, which sets out this Government's plan for cultural education in England, summarising opportunities open to schools and teachers.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on young people's access to the arts, heritage and creative sector. [172877]

Mr Vaizey: Ministers and officials at DCMS have regular discussions with the Department for Education on supporting young people's access to high quality artistic and cultural experiences. I jointly chair, along with the Under-Secretary of State for Education and Childcare (Elizabeth Truss), the Cultural Education Board, which oversees this Government's investment of £292 million, up to 2015, in cultural education.

National Media Museum

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department in taking to secure the future of the National Media Museum in Bradford. [172652]

Mr Vaizey: Following the outcome of the spending review in July 2013, the reduction in resource and capital grants for the national museums sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport was limited to 5% in 2015-16. In addition, a package of operational and financial freedoms has been granted to national museums and galleries which will help them act more strategically, increase revenues from their commercial operations and attract more philanthropic donations. In the light of this settlement, the Science Museum Group confirmed that all of its museums will remain open.

The Minister with responsibilty for culture, communications and creative industries held a round table meeting on 16 September at the National Media Museum in Bradford, to discuss plans for securing a sustainable future for that museum. In attendance were local MPs, and representatives of the Science Museum Group, Bradford city council, the university of Bradford, Bradford college, Bradford academy, and the Chamber of Commerce.

Sports: Chelmsford

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding she plans to provide to improve sporting facilities in Chelmsford. [172526]

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Mrs Grant: Through Sport England, we have already invested significantly to improve sporting facilities and increase the provision of sporting opportunities in Chelmsford. Since 2010, Sport England has invested over £400,000 as follows:

Sport England continues to welcome applications for further funding from community sports clubs and other organisations in Chelmsford which can demonstrate how investment in a project will meet local need.

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on sport in Chelmsford. [172527]

Mrs Grant: The legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games has had a positive effect on local communities around the UK. The percentage of people who play sport regularly in Chelmsford has increased by 6.7% since 2005 when we won the games. Currently 44.3% of people in Chelmsford play sport regularly which compares favourably to the national average of 35.2%. There has been over £400,000 investment in Chelmsford sports projects, sport makers and facilities since 2010.

Television: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment her Department has made of the level of television licence evasion in Northern Ireland; what steps she is taking to reduce such evasion in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement. [172609]

Mr Vaizey: The BBC produce statistics relating to evasion rates in the UK using a model that compares the number of licences in force to external statistics on the number of households and other licensable places in the UK.

In order to give an estimated figure by nation, the BBC use a calculation referred to as “crude evasion”. The crude evasion rate is calculated using a process which estimates the number of unlicensed sites as a percentage of the “licensable universe”, where the licensable universe is the total number of sites, adjusted by an

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estimate of those that are unoccupied on the TV licensing database. Using this crude evasion calculation gives a figure of 8.10% for Northern Ireland for 2012-13.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many television licences were purchased in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [172611]

Mr Vaizey: The BBC does not report on the exact number of licences in force below the level of UK (except in Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man for which exact figures are held). However, the BBC receives a monthly report which lists licences in force excluding accommodation for residential care concessionary licences. The total licences in force figure (excluding the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) is then apportioned to the figure of licensed premises in the British isles by region, giving an approximation of licences in force by UK nations. The same apportionment has then been used to approximate licence fee income by nation.

Using the criteria set out above, the following table sets out the number of television licences purchased in Northern Ireland in the last five years.

Work and Pensions

Food Banks

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2013, Official Report, columns 489-90W, on food banks, what criteria Jobcentre Plus branches use in deciding when it is appropriate to signpost a person to a food bank. [172608]

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus staff will assess an individual's circumstances and signpost them to the most appropriate help which is available to them.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Birmingham

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency receive jobseeker's allowance (JSA); how many people in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency have been sanctioned and had their JSA stopped in the last year for which figures are available; and how many job vacancies there were in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency in that year. [172272]

Esther McVey: Statistics on how many people in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency receive jobseeker's allowance (JSA) can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp

Guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

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Statistics on how many people in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency have been sanctioned and had their JSA stopped in the last year for which figures are available are given in the following table:

Statistics on how many job vacancies there were in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency between June 2011 and May 2012 can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp

Guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people applied for jobseeker's allowance at Sparkhill Jobcentre Plus in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what proportion of those individuals were sanctioned in each year; and what proportion of all UK claimants were sanctioned over the same period. [172282]

Esther McVey: Information on how many people applied for jobseeker's allowance (JSA) at Sparkhill Jobcentre Plus and what proportion of those individuals were sanctioned is not available.

Information on what proportion of JSA claimants were sanctioned in Great Britain is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The information requested for Northern Ireland is not available.

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Mesothelioma

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps the Government is taking to support mesothelioma sufferers who were exposed to asbestos; [172677]

(2) what support the Government have provided for those mesothelioma sufferers whose employers ceased trading, who were unable to trace their insurers and who therefore did not receive compensation; [172678]

(3) if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that mesothelioma sufferers who were negligently exposed to asbestos who have not been compensated receive full compensation. [172679]

Mike Penning: On 9 May 2013 the Mesothelioma Bill was introduced to the House of Lords. The Bill provides for a scheme to be established to make payments to eligible people with diffuse mesothelioma. This applies to people who were exposed to asbestos either negligently or in breach of statutory duty by their employer in the United Kingdom and who are unable to bring a claim for damages against a relevant employer or their employers' liability (EL) insurer. Claims may also be brought by eligible dependants.

The Bill provides that the Scheme, when it commences, will be open to applicants who are diagnosed with diffuse mesothelioma on or after 25 July 2012. The level of scheme payment will be made in accordance with a tariff related to a percentage of the average damages awarded in the civil courts.

The provisions in the Mesothelioma Bill, in addition to on-going work across Government, will ensure people who develop diffuse mesothelioma as a consequence of their employment will be able to either access the compensation they deserve or a payment from the Scheme as quickly as possible.

The Bill received its first reading in the House of Commons on 29 August 2013. The Bill is awaiting a date for its Second Reading.

New Enterprise Allowance

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women have benefited from the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme in each month since January 2011. [172630]

Esther McVey: The numbers of men and women starting New Enterprise Allowance since its introduction in April 2011 are shown in the following table.

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Unemployed People: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on refunding the cost of travel by jobseekers in Barrow and Furness constituency in each of the last three years. [172621]

Mike Penning: The cost of refunding travel by jobseekers in the Barrow and Furness constituency since April 2011 is:

The above response for PQ/13/172621 includes expenditure in refunding costs of travel by jobseekers to job interviews, skills training, sector based work academies and work trials, in addition to expenditure in refunding costs of jobseekers travel to interviews with Jobcentre Plus Advisers regarding work focussed interventions or benefit related queries.

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department gives on work capability assessments governing those who are terminally ill and have (a) 18, (b) 12 and (c) 6 months to live. [172145]

Mike Penning: Once identified, those who are terminally ill and have six months or less to live, have their cases handled under fast track rules, which mean their claim must be processed as soon as possible. These claimants will be placed in the support group and receive the higher rate of benefit immediately without undergoing a face-to-face work capability assessment.

Everyone else will be treated under normal work capability assessment rules.

Transport

Buildings

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much funding his Department made available for new buildings in the local authority areas of (a) East Cambridgeshire and (b) Fenland in each year for which data are available. [172157]

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not allocate funding at the district level with funds directed to the local highway and local transport authorities, in this case both Cambridgeshire county council. It would be for the county to determine how this funding is spent across the Cambridgeshire districts.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will instruct HS2 Ltd to commission KPMG to analyse the potential scale, range and distribution of regional economic impacts of alternatives to High Speed 2. [172419]

Mr Goodwill: The Government have no current plans to instruct HS2 Ltd to commission KPMG to undertake the work suggested.

Previous work conducted for the Department to assess the rail alternatives to HS2 concluded that further enhancements of the existing network cannot produce the same level of benefits as HS2. It would provide only a fraction of the additional capacity released by HS2, and only at the cost of hugely disruptive engineering works on lines that are intensively used by passengers

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day in, day out. Building a new high speed network is the best way to provide the extra capacity that is required on our railways.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will direct HS2 Ltd to commission research on the effects on small businesses in the Culcheth and Rixton area of Warrington of road closures and other disruption resulting from the building of the High Speed 2 line on the initial preferred route. [172625]

Mr Goodwill: We are currently consulting on a proposed Phase Two route and detailed proposals for highway modifications and construction have not yet been developed. Once the public consultation is complete and a preferred route is chosen, an environmental impact assessment will be undertaken at which point the necessary surveys will be conducted.

Construction impacts will be managed through the implementation of a code of construction practice which will set out the key principles to be followed to avoid, reduce or manage the construction effects associated with HS2.

Attorney-General

Domestic Violence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many domestic violence courts were operating in England and Wales in each year since 2005; and what plans the Crown Prosecution Service has to (a) open new domestic violence courts, (b) close existing domestic violence courts, (c) cancel the opening of new domestic violence courts and (d) re-open domestic violence courts closed since 2010. [171493]

Mr Vara: I have been asked to reply.

The information requested is as follows:

(a) The National Steering Group is in the process of accrediting two specialist domestic violence courts (SDVCs). Following this accreditation exercise, due to finish in 2014, there will be 137 SDVC systems. HMCTS works in partnership with local Authorities, police, Crown Prosecution Service and local support services where there are local needs for an SDVC where there is not one.

(b) There are no plans to close existing SDVCs.

(c) There are no plans to cancel the two new SDVCs that are currently going through the accreditation process.

(d) There are no plans to reopen the nine SDVCs closed as a result of the court closures announced in 2010. The majority of domestic violence cases from these closed courts were moved to other existing SDVC schemes. Three new SDVCs were planned to deal with work from SDVCs that closed after the 2010 consultation and where there was not an accredited SDVC to which the work could move. One of these has already been accredited.

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