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Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what proportion of deputy district judges working in magistrates' courts were (a) male, (b) female, (c) black, Asian and minority ethnic, (d) educated at the university of Oxford or university of Cambridge, (e) educated at other Russell Group universities, (f) educated at all other universities, (g) solicitors, (h) barristers and (i) Queen's counsel in each year since 2003; [173101]
(2) what proportion of district judges working in magistrates' courts were (a) male, (b) female, (c) black, Asian and minority ethnic, (d) educated at the university of Oxford or university of Cambridge, (e) educated at other Russell Group universities, (f) educated at all other universities, (g) solicitors, (h) barristers and (i) Queen's counsel in each year since 2003; [173102]
(3) what proportion of deputy district judges at a county court level were (a) male, (b) female, (c) black, Asian and minority ethnic, (d) educated at the university of Oxford or university of Cambridge, (e) educated at other Russell Group universities, (f) educated at all other universities, (g) solicitors, (h) barristers and (i) Queen's counsel in each year since 2003. [173103]
Mr Vara: A more diverse judiciary is important in retaining the public's confidence and trust in justice, and better reflecting the society it serves. This Government have made a number of changes through the Crime and Courts Act 2013 that we believe will promote judicial diversity. We have introduced part time working in the senior courts, including the Supreme Court, we have enabled the equal merit provision for judicial appointments to allow protected characteristics to be taken into account where two applicants are of equal merit, and a statutory duty for the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice to encourage judicial diversity.
The data on the gender, ethnicity and professional background of the Judiciary are held and published by the Judicial Office. (Information on previous professional background was not published before 2007.)
http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview
http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/publications-and-reports/statistics/diversity-stats-and-gen-overview/archived-diversity-stats
Information on the education or Queen's counsel status of the judiciary is not published by the Judicial Office.
Prison Service
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of prison officers in England have received training in mental health in each of the last five years. [172294]
Jeremy Wright: Training in mental health awareness is available to all prison officers. The training officers undertake depends on their role in their prison.
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During the last five years mental health training provided to NOMS staff has changed, and has been recorded in different ways using a number of different systems.
Currently, centrally recorded information about training completed cannot be provided by grade. In this instance to provide you with accurate information would involve identifying and contacting sources of information in many different locations and would thus incur disproportionate cost.
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of prison officer trainees have received training in mental health as part of their basic training in each of the last five years. [172296]
Jeremy Wright: Since April 2008 all of the 3,040 prison officers who have successfully completed their initial operational training received training in mental health awareness. This awareness course provides officers with an understanding of mental health disorders and how to respond effectively to prisoners experiencing mental ill health. The number of prison officers who competed this training in each of the last five years is shown in the following table:
| Number of officers completed Initial training | |
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment has been made of the availability of mental health training for prison officers since the publication of the Bradley Report in April 2009. [172333]
Jeremy Wright: The Department of Health (DH) oversaw a progress review in January 2013 of all recommendations outlined in the Bradley Report (2009). In respect of Recommendation 53, that awareness training on mental health must be made available for all prison officers, DH stated that this recommendation was complete.
Prisoners: Foreign Nationals
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) which foreign countries provide how much funding to the cost of keeping their nationals jailed in the UK; [172771]
(2) how much the UK pays to each foreign country for UK nationals jailed in its prisons. [172799]
Jeremy Wright: The cost of detaining prisoners in custody for the duration of a prison sentence is the responsibility of the state imposing the sentence and in which the offender is detained. The United Kingdom makes no contribution to other countries towards the cost of detention of British nationals imprisoned overseas, nor do other countries contribute towards the costs of detention of their nationals imprisoned here.
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Registered Intermediaries
Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations she has received on the number of Registered Intermediaries appointed for children. [900707]
Damian Green: Representations were received on this subject in the form of PQs 158562 and 170443 on 12 June and 15 October 2013 respectively, both of which were tabled by the hon. Member.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to answer question 170056, tabled on 7 October 2013 for answer on 10 October 2013. [172320]
Mr Vara: I understand that my hon. and learned Friend has now received a response to his parliamentary question and I apologise for the delay.
Work and Pensions
Child Maintenance
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's publication entitled Departmental Child Maintenance Arrears and Compliance Strategy, published in January 2013, what conclusions he has reached regarding coming into force of section 40 of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008. [172545]
Steve Webb: We are exploring bringing into force powers laid out in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008, providing for the disclosure of payment information to credit reference agencies. This would be subject to a public consultation before any regulations were laid in Parliament.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's Child Maintenance Arrears and Compliance Strategy for 2012-17, published in January 2013, what (a) collection initiatives and (b) innovative approaches are being undertaken by his Department to tackle historical child maintenance arrears. [172586]
Steve Webb: In addition to exploring the potential for disclosing information to credit reference agencies, which will be subject to a public consultation if this is to be pursued, the Child Maintenance Service is also keeping under review the use of powers to accept part payments of child maintenance in lieu of the full amount owed. These powers were introduced in December 2012, and are currently only used where a client requests it. The use of these powers may be expanded in the future, with the Child Maintenance Service proactively offering the option of a part payment during debt negotiations.
Additionally, and as noted in the arrears strategy, the Child Maintenance Service aims to act within 72 hours of a missed payment, and is seeking to make better use
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of data held by credit reference agencies to obtain more information about the financial circumstances of indebted parents.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what trials are being conducted by his Department to encourage and help separated parents liable for child maintenance payments to keep making these payments; and what evaluation of the outcomes of such trials has been undertaken; [172587]
(2) with reference to his Department's Child Maintenance Arrears and Compliance Strategy 2012-2017, published in January 2013, what progress his Department has made on a trial to help caseworkers better identify clients with child maintenance arrears who are genuinely unable to make the payments required of them and negotiate debt repayment plans; and whether he plans to publish the outcomes of that trial. [172638]
Steve Webb: The Child Maintenance Service is taking forward a programme of trials to specifically tackle arrears, whether supporting those who report they are unable to pay or those that are unwilling to accept their responsibilities to pay for child maintenance. The trials apply behaviour change principles and range from changing how the Child Maintenance Service communicates with clients at points when payments usually break-down, to sign-posting support to help clients better manage essential household expenditure. These trials either aim to help clients avoid missing payments, support clients who feel unable to pay to make payments, or ensure that clients who are unwilling to pay are compelled to make payments.
Trialling begun in April 2013 and this programme will conclude in April 2014. Full evaluation will be undertaken when the programme concludes with successful trials considered for full implementation, and unsuccessful trials investigated and adapted if required to inform a new programme of trials for 2014-15. The Child Maintenance Service will publish the findings of successful trials at this point and share lessons learned if appropriate.
Electrical Safety: Publicity
Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to raise awareness of electrical fires in workplaces in (a) Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency, (b) Renfrewshire, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK. [173043]
Mike Penning: Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance on electrical safety on its website and in a number of publications with the aim of preventing fires, electric shocks or burns in the workplace. HSE inspectors may raise electrical safety matters where relevant during investigations and inspections.
There are no specific initiatives aimed at Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency, Renfrewshire or Scotland.
Energy
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what costs were incurred by his Department's estate in respect of (a) gas and (b) electricity supply in the 2012-13 financial year. [172634]
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Esther McVey: The Department for Work and Pensions spent £8,748,531 on gas and £20,706,132 on electricity in the 2012-13 financial year.
Health and Safety Executive
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many safety inspectors worked full-time for the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 2008. [173017]
Mike Penning: The information requested is provided in the following table:
| As of 31 March each year unless stated | Number of inspectors |
Hearing Impairment
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Government Departments currently use NRCPD-registered communication professionals to support deaf people accessing their services. [173083]
Mike Penning: It is not possible to comment on the work of other Departments, however each Government Department has arrangements in place to provide interpreters for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired and who need to use its services. The Department for Work and Pensions has contracts in place with two providers to supply a face to face British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting service. Local arrangements with “off contract” suppliers can be used where they meet the required standards, offer value for money and/or where the customer has an established or trusted relationship with the interpreter.
BSL interpreters supplied by the providers (and those used off contract) are qualified to NVQ Levels 1 to 4 (or equivalent) in BSL and are registered as a member with the National Register of Communication Professionals working with Deaf and Deafblind people (NRCPD) or have equivalent registration with other organisations.
Housing Benefit
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which councils have applied for a share of the £20 million extra discretionary housing payment; when he will announce which council is successful; and how much each such council will receive. [172536]
Steve Webb: The following councils have applied:
South Lanarkshire
South Northamptonshire
Southwark
Swindon
West Dunbartonshire
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It should be noted that bids are being received on a rolling basis and it is not practical to make continual announcements relating to each bid. To simplify the process a panel is meeting monthly to discuss the outcome of bids and each council will be notified as soon as practically possible after those meetings have been held.
The amount awarded will vary according to the extent to which bidding councils have demonstrated that the criteria for an award have been met.
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which councils are to receive a share of the £10 million of extra transitional discretionary housing payments; and how much each such council will receive. [172544]
Steve Webb: On 3 September 2013 the Department published information detailing a list of the councils that are to receive a share of the £10 million transitional funding, this was in addition to the £180 million of DHP funding made available this year.
The information was published in DWP Circular S5/2013 and can be accessed at Gov.UK to which there is a link as follows. This document will be placed in the Library.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/236632/s5-2013.pdf
In-work Credit
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Wrexham constituency, (b) Wales and (c) the UK claimed in-work credit in each of the last five years. [172887]
Esther McVey: Statistics on the number of individuals who started to receive in-work credit in Great Britain, Wales and Wrexham constituency in each of the last five years are provided as follows:
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | January 2013 to March 2013 | |
| 1 The Department does not posses data on the number of in work credit starts in Northern Ireland, so the answer is only available for Great Britain. Notes: 1. Wrexham figures rounded to the nearest five, Wales and GB figures to the nearest 100. 2. The data for 2013 cover the period between January and March 2013, March 2013 are the latest data currently available. Source: Resource Management system | |||||
Industrial Health and Safety: Construction
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many construction sites were visited by a Health and Safety Executive safety inspector in each year since 2008. [173014]
Mike Penning: This information is not available in the form requested.
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The number of visits carried out by inspectors in the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Construction Division since 2010-11 is provided in the following table:
| Number of visits | |
| 1 Prior to 2011-12, numbers of inspection visits were not required as part of HSE's performance measures and were not recorded. Estimated inspection visits are included this 2010-11 figure based upon data collected at that time but are not available for previous years. 2 In-year figures are provisional. | |
These figures reflect records of proactive inspections, reactive investigations and complaints followed up. This is not the same as the number of sites visited but provides the best available picture. Some sites may have been visited more than once within these figures. Figures focusing on the numbers of sites visited are not part of HSE's performance measures and are therefore not currently collated.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many construction sites (a) in total and (b) in London were issued with a prohibition notice by the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 2008. [173015]
Mike Penning: The number of construction sites visited by the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Construction Division since 2008-09, which resulted in the issue of a prohibition notice, is provided in the following table:
| Number of sites visited resulting in the issue of a prohibition notice | |
| 1 In-year figures are provisional | |
The number of construction sites in London visited by HSE's Construction Division since 2008-09, which resulted in the issue of a prohibition notice, is provided in the following table:
| Number of sites visited resulting in the issue of a prohibition notice | |
| 1 In-year figures are provisional | |
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many construction sites in London were visited by a Health and Safety Executive safety inspector in each year since 2008. [173016]
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Mike Penning: This information is not available in the form requested.
The number of visits carried out by inspectors in the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Construction Division in London since 2010-11 is provided in the following table:
| Number of visits | |
| 1 Prior to 2011-12, numbers of inspection visits were not required as part of HSE's performance measures and were not recorded. Estimated inspection visits are included this 2010-11 figure based upon data collected at that time but are not available for previous years. 2 In-year figures are provisional. | |
These figures reflect records of proactive inspections, reactive investigations and complaints followed up. This is not the same as the number of sites visited but provides the best available picture. Some sites may have been visited more than once within these figures. Figures focusing on the numbers of sites visited are not part of HSE's performance measures and are therefore not currently collated.
Jobseeker's Allowance: Wrexham
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many such people in Wrexham constituency receive jobseeker's allowance (JSA); how many people in Wrexham 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 Wrexham constituency in that year. [172881]
Esther McVey: Statistics on how many people in Wrexham 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
The last year for which JSA sanctions figures are available by parliamentary constituency is from 1 June 2011 to 31 May 2012. The information requested linking the JSA recipients to the available JSA sanctions data is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, from statistics we do have available, the number of people in Wrexham constituency who have been sanctioned in the last year for which figures are available is given in the following table:
| Number of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants with a sanction applied: 1 June 2011 to 31 May 2012 | |
| Parliamentary constituency | Total |
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| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Sanctions applied: The number of sanctions applied is the number of varied, fixed length and entitlement decision sanction referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. 3. Parliamentary constituency: Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. Boundaries are as at the reference date. More information and a map can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/maps/index.html 4. Data are up to and including the 31 of May 2012, which this is the latest data available by parliamentary constituency. 5. Varied length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for leaving employment voluntarily without just cause, refusing employment without good cause, or losing employment through misconduct. The actual period in each case is at the discretion of the adjudication officer who makes the decision. 6. Fixed length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for refusal, without good cause, to attend an employment programme or carry out a jobseeker's direction. Payment of benefit continues in full pending the adjudication officer's decision on a sanction question. 7. Entitlement decisions: These are questions on which entitlement to JSA depends. For example, if there is doubt around whether the jobseeker's agreement (JSAg) is suitable, whether they are actively looking for work or making themselves available for work. In most cases payment of JSA will be suspended by benefit processing until the doubt is resolved. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database. |
Statistics on how many job vacancies there were in Wrexham 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
Mental Illness
Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps his Department is taking to encourage employers to sign up to the Time to Change initiative to end mental health discrimination; [172756]
(2) what discussions he has had to encourage employers taking advantage of the Youth Contract to sign up to Time to Change to end mental health discrimination. [172757]
Mike Penning: The Government are currently developing a new Employment Strategy for disabled people and those with health conditions which will be published before the end of the year. The strategy will recognise the crucial role that employers have to play in enabling disabled people and people with health conditions to realise their employment aspirations. It will seek to improve the support available to all employers (including those taking advantage of the Youth Contract) to recruit, retain and enable people with disabilities and health conditions (including mental health conditions) to progress. Changing attitudes and removing stigmas is central to this. We have publicly signalled our commitment to the Time to Change (TTC) initiative and are currently progressing the associated action plan with relevant TTC representatives.
At the Disability Employment Conference, on 18 July 2013, the then Minister for Disabled People launched the Disability Confident Campaign. The two year campaign takes forward initiatives to support businesses to become more disability confident at recruiting, retaining and
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enabling disabled people to progress as well as informing employers of what support is available. This campaign will include nine regional events held across the United Kingdom at which employers are invited to contribute and share good practice. The first event is in Birmingham on 21 November. The role of employers in promoting employment of disabled people and breaking down stigma and barriers is central to the Disability Confident Campaign.
Occupational Pensions
Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to help small and medium-sized enterprises comply with their legal obligations under auto-enrolment; and if he will make a statement. [172668]
Steve Webb: The Pensions Regulator (TPR) compliance strategy for automatic enrolment is based on establishing a pro-compliance culture. In doing so they are focusing on educating and enabling employers of all sizes to ensure they are aware of automatic enrolment and understand what they have to do. Throughout the initial roll out of automatic enrolment TPR has been assessing the impact of their communications and updating their products to ensure they meet the needs of the changing audience, from the UK's largest employers with thousands of workers, through to those with a small work force.
The regulator sends out a series of letters and emails to employers from 12 months prior to their staging date. As their staging date approaches each e-mail informs the employer what stage they should be at and also signposts the relevant guidance and tools provided by the regulator. The tools available on the regulator's website include an interactive planning tool to assist employers in getting ready, a staging date tool to find out your staging date, and detailed guides. They have also established a customer support centre for employers to discuss any question they may have. An employer advertising campaign is underway to raise awareness and guide employers to the regulator's website to help them in their preparations.
The regulator is also working with intermediaries such as software developers, payroll bureaux and trade body groups to make sure they are able to provide suitable tools, guidance or support if employers require it.
Poverty: Children
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children were classed as living in poverty in each parliamentary constituency in the UK in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the number of such children in each of the next three years. [172888]
Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.
The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have been taken into account).
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Estimates of these are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. This information is captured using the Family Resources Survey.
Information at constituency level is not available as the sample size of this survey is not sufficient to provide robust estimates. The lowest geography at which poverty estimates are reported is regional level.
Three-year averages are used to report statistics by region, as single-year estimates are subject to volatility. The latest figures for relative and absolute low income at regional level covering the last five years (up until 2009-10 to 2011-12) can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201112
Relevant figures can be found in Table 4.6db (on page 115) for the latest relative low income proportions, Table 4.17ts (on page 136) for relative low income for the last five years and Table 4.23ts (on page 142) for absolute low income for the last five years.
The Government have not produced forecasts of the number of children living in income poverty for the next three years. The number of children in poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted, including the median income.
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Income matters but considering this in isolation fails to properly reflect the reality of child poverty in the UK today. We want to develop better measures of child poverty which include income but provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty. Our consultation on how best to measure child poverty closed on 15 February. A large volume of responses was received and all of these are being read and analysed to ensure that all important points are captured and used to help Ministers decide on the next steps.
Social Fund
Dame Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what rate of repayment was achieved for crisis loans and budgeting loans in the four years prior to changes to the Discretionary Social Fund in 2013. [172542]
Steve Webb: There is no time limit for Crisis Loans and Budgeting Loans to be repaid. Loans remain outstanding until the full amount has been paid back and they can, in some cases, take many years to be recovered fully. Tables 1 and 2 show the proportion of Crisis Loan and Budgeting Loan expenditure made in each financial year between 2009-10 and 2012-13 that has been recovered in the following years up to and including 2012-13. Please note that these figures do not represent total recoveries made by the Social Fund scheme in each year as there will have been additional repayments from loans made in earlier years.
| Table 1: Crisis Loan expenditure between 2009-10 and 2012-13 and the proportion recovered in each year up to 2012-13 | ||||||
| Percentage recovered in each following year | ||||||
| Year loan paid out | Expenditure (£) | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | Total paid back by 2012-13 |
| Table 2: Budgeting Loan expenditure between 2009-10 and 2012-13 and the proportion recovered in each year up to 2012-13. | ||||||
| Percentage recovered in each following year | ||||||
| Year loan paid out | Expenditure (£) | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | Total paid back by 2012-13 |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all parliamentary questions using Official/National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official/National statistics and there are some issues with the data; for example, these amounts do not include expenditure or recoveries from applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System. 2. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £100,000 and percentages are rounded to the nearest whole percentage point. Source: DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information System | ||||||
Social Rented Housing: Housing Benefit
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements are in place for parents with joint custody of children eligible to pay the under occupancy penalty. [172967]
Esther McVey: A child is taken into account in the housing benefit assessment when the claimant or partner has primary responsibility for them. This will be the person that the child normally resides with or where the child spends an equal time in different households, the person in receipt of child benefit.
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This reflects a general principle of domestic social security law that prevents double provision.
Social Security Benefits
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in benefit payments went unclaimed in each region of the UK in 2012. [173280]
Mike Penning: Estimates of how much in benefit payments went unclaimed in each region of the UK in 2012 are unavailable.
The most recent data are reported in the statistical publication ‘The Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up’, which covers Great Britain for the financial year 2009-10. It provides caseload and expenditure estimates of take-up for income support and employment and support allowance (income-related), pension credit, housing benefit (including local housing allowance), council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based). This report can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/income-related-benefits-estimates-of-take-up--2
Universal Credit: Wales
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how many people in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) each other constituency in Wales will be affected by the changes in universal credit payments on and after its introduction as each increase in the personal income tax allowance planned by the Government takes effect; and what the average change per month in universal credit payments would be for any such people in (i) Wrexham constituency and (ii) each other constituency in Wales. [172882]
Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.
Work Capability Assessment
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work capability assessments made of people diagnosed with a mental health condition were refused since February 2010; and how many such decisions were subsequently overturned on appeal. [172309]
Mike Penning: The information requested, for new claims to employment and support allowance (ESA), is shown in the following table.
| New claims—Outcomes of appeals heard on fit for work decisions in initial functional assessment for those in the condition group of mental and behavioural disorders, Great Britain: February 2010-May 2012 | |||
| Appeal heard | |||
| Total case load with a fit for work decision in the condition group for mental and behavioural disorders | DWP decision upheld | Decision in favour of appellant | |
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| Notes: 1. Figures are for initial assessments only and numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Data on appeals include ESA claims up to the end of May 2012 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in the publication) where the person claiming has been assessed to be fit for work, they subsequently appeal the Department's decision and the appeal has been heard by Tribunals Service. 3. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard. Therefore these figures should be treated as emerging findings rather than final at this stage. 4. Condition groups are based on the International Classification of Diseases (2010). Source: Department for Work and Pensions benefit administration dataset. |
The information requested for appeals heard on fit for work decisions in the functional assessment for repeat claims to ESA and incapacity benefit (IB) reassessments is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work capability assessments received (a) zero points on initial assessment and (b) between zero and six points but were passed on appeal since August 2011. [172313]
Mike Penning: The information requested, for initial assessment new claims to employment and support allowance (ESA), is shown in the following table.
| New claims—Outcomes of appeals heard on fit for work decisions in initial functional assessment by points scored, Great Britain: August 2011-May 2012 | |||
| Appeals heard | |||
| Total case load with a fit for work decision | DWP decision upheld | Decision in favour of appellant | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are for initial assessments only and numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Data on appeals include ESA claims up to the end of May 2012 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in the publication) where the person claiming has been assessed to be fit for work, they subsequently appeal the department's decision and the appeal has been heard by Tribunals Service. 3. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard. Therefore these figures should be treated as emerging findings rather than final at this stage. Source: Department for Work and Pensions benefit administration dataset. | |||
The information requested for appeals heard on fit for work decisions in the functional assessment for repeat claims to ESA and incapacity benefit (IB) reassessments is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Work Capability Assessment: Carmarthenshire
Simon Hart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants of employment and support allowance in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituency have been found capable of work as a result of a work capability assessment since February 2010; what proportion of such people who appealed against work capability assessments were successful; how many appeals against
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the outcomes of work capability assessments have been made from people in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire constituency since August 2009; and how many such appeals were successful. [172310]
Mike Penning: The information requested by parliamentary constituency is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Work Capability Assessment: Wales
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Wales who failed a work capability assessment had the decision overturned on appeal since November 2010. [172307]
Mike Penning: The information requested, for new claims to employment and support allowance (ESA), is shown in the following table.
| New claims—Outcomes of appeals heard on fit for work decisions in initial functional assessment, Wales: November 2010-May 2012 | |||
| Appeals heard | |||
| Total case load with a fit for work decision | DWP decision upheld | Decision in favour of appellant | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are for initial assessments only and numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. Data on appeals include ESA claims up to the end of May 2012 (the latest month where we have sufficient volumes of appeals heard to include in the publication) where the person claiming has been assessed to be fit for work, they subsequently appeal the Department's decision and the appeal has been heard by Tribunals Service. 3. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard. Therefore these figures should be treated as emerging findings rather than final at this stage. Source: Department for Work and Pensions benefit administration dataset. | |||
The information requested for appeals heard on fit for work decisions in the functional assessment for repeat claims to ESA and incapacity benefit (IB) Reassessments is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Work Programme
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK who have been referred to the Work Programme have found part-time employment that lasted (i) more than and (ii) less than six months; [172807]
(2) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK who have been referred to the Work Programme have found (i) full-time employment, (ii) full-time employment that lasted less than six months and (iii) full-time employment that lasted more than six months; [172808]
(3) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK who have been referred to the Work Programme have found part-time employment; [172809]
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(4) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have been referred to the Work Programme; [172810]
(5) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK who have been referred to the Work Programme have found any type of employment that lasted less than six months; [172811]
(6) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK who have been referred to the Work Programme have found any type of employment that lasted more than six months; [172812]
(7) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK who have been referred to the Work Programme have found employment to date. [172814]
Esther McVey: Information on job starts from the Work Programme is not available, as job outcome payments to providers are only made when participants have been in work and off benefit for a sustained period; in the majority of cases at least 26 weeks, but 13 weeks for those in certain categories. Work Programme participants must work sufficient hours to come off benefit for their employment to count as a job outcome, but beyond that information on part-time versus full-time employment is not available.
The available information on job outcomes is shown in the following tables:
| 1: Work Programme job outcomes for payment groups 1, 2 and 9, where job outcomes are defined as in work and off benefit for at least 26 weeks, as at 30 June 2013 | |
| Area | Total |
| 2: Work Programme Job outcomes for payment groups 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, where job outcomes are defined as in work and off benefit for at least 13 weeks, as at 30 June 2013 | |||
| Employment duration | |||
| Area | Total | 13 weeks up to 25 weeks | 25 weeks and over |
Statistics on how many people in Jarrow parliamentary constituency, South Tyneside, the North East and Great Britain have participated in the Work Programme since its inception can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool#benefit-caseloads
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has funded to Work programme providers in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK. [172813]
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Esther McVey: The total paid to Work programme providers in the UK is £736 million from the start of the programme through to 31 March 2013, the period covered by the 27 June 2013 Statistical Release. Due to commercial in confidence considerations we are not able to release financial data below the national level at this time.
Health
Children
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will investigate ways to support children's early development, particularly the first 1,001 days from conception; [172838]
(2) if the Government will investigate ways to identify families that require additional support to ensure children are protected in the first 1,001 days from conception. [172839]
Dr Poulter: The Healthy Child Programme—Pregnancy and the First Five Years of Life, sets out a universal service for children and families, with the goal of promoting the health and well-being of children, as part of an integrated approach to supporting children and families. It includes development reviews, screening and immunisation, health promotion and support to parents. This universal programme led by health visitors allows the early identification risks and issues and provides early support and additional help for those who need it. The Government have commissioned a review of the evidence for the Healthy Child Programme to ensure that it remains evidence based.
The new, four tier health visiting service model (ranging from universal action with communities and families through to more targeted support) will further help to identify families who require additional help.
We are increasing the number of health visitors, trained nurses or midwives with specialist training in family and community health, by 4,200, who will provide women with professional support during pregnancy and after birth. Also, the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme, which gives support to young, at risk, first time mums, will expand to 16,000 places by 2015.
Continuing Care
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress his Department has made on proposals to offer enhanced services to help patients with long-term conditions monitor their health; [172636]
(2) what steps his Department plans to take to encourage greater use of and support for self-monitoring by clinical commissioning groups. [172637]
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance he gives to clinical commissioning groups on consistency in the long-term use of warfarin; [172497]
(2) if he will take steps to make national collection of data of (a) how many warfarin patients are offered self-monitoring technology and (b) the financial incentives given to GPs in issuing anticoagulation tests. [172498]
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Jane Ellison: Responsibility for determining the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes from health care services lies with NHS England. Support for people with long-term conditions is covered in the NHS Outcomes Framework and in the mandate to NHS England. Through the mandate we are monitoring how well the national health service is performing in supporting people to look after themselves.
It is for individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to commission treatment and services for patients on long-term warfarin or other medications which require monitoring, as they are best placed to identify what is needed in their local areas. It is the responsibility of NHS England to support CCGs and ensure that they are safely and effectively discharging their commissioning responsibilities, and are making progress in delivering outcomes. This support may include providing supportive commissioning resources, tools or guidance.
Under its Diagnostics Assessment Programme, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is developing guidance on self-monitoring coagulometers for self-testing or self-managing coagulation status in patients with atrial fibrillation or heart valve disease for whom long-term vitamin K antagonist therapy is intended. NICE expects to issue guidance in July 2014. NHS England advises that it will then consider what action, if any, is required, taking this guidance into account.
NHS England advises that information on the number of patients who are on warfarin long-term and use self-monitoring technology is not collected as it is difficult for accurate and meaningful information to be gathered and reported. This is due to the way in which self-monitoring technology is available to patients via CCGs or purchased privately. The Department has no plans to collect these data.
Hospitals: Liverpool
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of reports published by the Care Quality Commission into Alder Hey Children's Hospital in April 2013 and University Hospital Aintree in January 2013. [173090]
Norman Lamb: No assessment has been made.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. The CQC is responsible for assessing whether providers are meeting the registration requirements. It has a wide range of enforcement powers available where the provider is not compliant.
All providers of regulated activities have to register with the CQC and meet its safety and quality requirements.
Infant Mortality
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to raise awareness of stillbirth and neonatal death; what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of stillbirths; and what investment his Department plans in research on prevention of stillbirths and neonatal deaths. [172717]
Dr Poulter:
The Government have made reducing perinatal mortality, including stillbirth, an improvement area under domain one of the NHS Outcomes Framework.
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Information on stillbirth, including the known causes and advice on prevention, is available on the NHS Choices website at:
www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Stillbirth/Pages/Definition.aspx
The Department is currently working in partnership with Sands (the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death charity) and a range of key organisations, including NHS England, Public Health England, the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, to take forward a stillbirth prevention work programme. Part of this programme involves identifying and agreeing the key messages that can be used to raise awareness among both pregnant women and health professionals of the risk factors for stillbirth and the actions that can be taken to minimise these risks.
The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of research relating to causes, risk factors and prevention of stillbirth and neonatal death. Both the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre have on-going programmes of research on women's health, including research relevant to the prevention of stillbirth and neonatal death.
In addition, the NIHR Health Technology Assessment is funding a £6.0 million trial of an intelligent system to support decision making in the management of labour using the cardiotocogram, a £1.4 million trial of nicotine replacement therapy in pregnancy led by the university of Nottingham, and a £1.2 million trial of physical activity as an aid to smoking cessation during pregnancy led by St George's, university of London.
Midwives
Mr Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to encourage people to pursue a career in midwifery. [172706]
Dr Poulter: There are a record number in excess of 5,000 midwives currently in training and 75 more new training places this year than in 2010.
As part of its mandate commitments, Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for ensuring that national health service staff are available in the right numbers with the right skills, values and competencies to deliver both excellent clinical outcomes together with patient-centred care.
NHS Careers, part of HEE, actively promotes all healthcare careers, including midwifery. Careers information, advice and guidance about a career in midwifery are available through its website, literature and helpline. This includes information about the education and training needed to become a midwife, entry routes and training opportunities, cadet schemes and apprenticeships.
There has been a reduction in the midwife-to-birth ratio from 2008 to 2012.
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Mr Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average age of (a) a midwife and (b) a midwifery student is in (i) Suffolk, (ii) East Anglia and (iii) the UK. [172707]
Dr Poulter: We do not collect data in the format requested.
Latest midwifery data, 2012, show that the average age of midwives within the England and the East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) remain stable at around 43 years as shown in the following table.
Data about midwifery students are collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency and requests will attract a fee. The HESA website is available at:
www.hesa.ac.uk
| NHS hospital and community health services: Registered midwives in England, the East of England Strategic Health Authority area and each specified organisation by average age as at 30 September | |||
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| Notes: 1. Average ages are rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. Of the organisations that cover the Suffolk and East Anglia area (Suffolk Coastal Primary Care Trust (PCT), Suffolk PCT, North West Anglia Healthcare NHS Trust, Mid Anglia Community Health NHS Trust, Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust and West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust), only Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust and West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust employ registered midwives. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census | |||
Mr Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the average age of (a) a midwife and (b) a midwifery student in (i) Suffolk, (ii) East Anglia and (iii) the UK has increased over the last 10 years. [172708]
Dr Poulter: There are a record number in excess of 5,000 midwives currently in training and 75 more new training places this year than in 2010, however we do not collect these data in the format requested. Midwifery data for the past decade show that the average age of qualified midwives in England and East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has increased by one year over the last 10 years.
Data about midwifery students are collected by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and requests will attract a fee. The website is available at:
www.hesa.ac.uk
| NHS hospital and community health services: Registered midwives in England, the East of England SHA area and each specified organisation by average age as at 30 September | ||||||||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
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| Notes: 1. Average ages are rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. Of the organisations that cover the Suffolk and East Anglia area (Suffolk Coastal Primary Care Trust (PCT), Suffolk PCT, North West Anglia Healthcare NHS Trust, Mid Anglia Community Health NHS Trust, Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust and West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust), only Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust and West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust employ registered midwives. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census | ||||||||||
Mr Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many qualified midwives leave the profession before retirement age in (a) Suffolk, (b) East Anglia and (c) the UK; [172709]
(2) whether the number of qualified midwives who leave the profession before retirement age in (a) Suffolk, (b) East Anglia and (c) the UK has increased over the last 10 years. [172710]
Dr Poulter: We do not collect this data at a local level.
Midwives may chose to leave the profession for a number of reasons, for example to return to nursing, undertake additional training or for personal reasons.
There are currently 21,443 full-time equivalent qualified midwives, with an overall increase of 1,311 since May 2010. There are also over 5,000 midwifery students in training.
Mr Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve midwife retention rates. [172738]
Dr Poulter: It is the responsibility of individual employers to have policies in place to develop and support the midwifery work force.
Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for ensuring sufficient midwives and other maternity staff are trained to provide necessary care and support for expectant women and new mothers. Local Education Training Boards (LETBs) work with HEE to provide local delivery and leadership. LETBs are the forum for providers and professionals to work collectively to improve the quality of education and training in their local area and to meet needs of service providers, patients and the public.
Universities will be using the ‘values based recruitment’ model, to ensure the right choices are made early, ie that students are right for midwifery and midwifery is right for them. By ensuring the intake of student midwives comprises people best suited to this type of career choice, it is more likely they will complete training and stay longer in post, thus increasing retention rates.
‘Compassion in Practice’, the three year vision and strategy for nursing and midwives, (launched December 2012 by NHS England), requires organisations to publish their staffing levels and use an evidence based tool to calculate them. ‘Birth Rate Plus’ is an example of a tool that organisations could use for this purpose.
‘Compassion in Practice’ is available from NHS England's website:
www.england.nhs.uk/nursingvision/
Neurology
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) elective and (b) emergency admissions took place in each (i) primary care trust and (ii) clinical commissioning group area for patients with (A) primary and (B) secondary diagnosis of a neurological condition, as defined under Diseases of the nervous system in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision, in each of the last five years for which data are available; [172580]
(2) how many emergency re-admissions within 28 days took place for patients in each (a) primary care trust and (b) clinical commissioning group area with a (i) primary and (ii) secondary diagnosis of a neurological condition, as defined under Diseases of the nervous system in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision, in each of the last five years for which data are available. [172581]
Norman Lamb: A count of finished admission episodes for a primary and secondary diagnosis of a neurological condition, ICD10 codes G00-G99, by primary care trust, of treatment for the years 2007-08 to 2011-12 has been placed in the Library. It is not possible to provide this information by clinical commissioning group area.
Information on readmissions within 28 days for patients in each primary care trust and clinical commissioning group area with a primary and secondary diagnosis of a neurological condition is not collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.
Organs: Donors
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to address the disparity between supply and demand for organ donations in England. [172840]
Jane Ellison: In July 2013 NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) published the United Kingdom strategy “Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020” to further increase donation and transplantation rates. NHSBT worked closely to develop this strategy with stakeholders in the transplant community and the wider public.
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The new strategy builds on work undertaken to increase deceased donation rates by 50% between 2008 and 2013. It aims to provide the UK organ donation and transplantation community with what it needs to match the best deceased organ donation and transplantation rates in the world over the next seven years. To achieve this, both the evolution of national health service services, and a revolution in public attitudes to consent, are required.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to use advertising campaigns and education in schools to promote organ donation. [172847]
Jane Ellison: In partnership with the Cabinet Office and the Department of Health, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has been developing an approach to prompt people to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register (ODR) via Government owned channels such as applying for a driving licence and paying car tax online. The trials are promising and results should be available in the new year.
NHSBT also co-ordinates a number of national initiatives such as National Transplant Week—using media publicity, social media, and community engagement programmes—to raise awareness of organ donation and encourage people to join the ODR and tell their family and friends of their donation wishes. NHSBT will be reviewing its social marketing strategy in the coming months as part of addressing the challenge in tackling family refusal rates for organ donation.
NHSBT has existing programmes in place to support education about organ donation and transplantation for school age children. They have developed a national education programme called ‘Give and Let Live', which is aimed at promoting awareness of bone marrow, blood, tissue, cord blood and organ donation among 14 to 16-year-old pupils.
Within the United Kingdom strategy “Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020” published in July 2013, the possibility of incorporating donation and transplantation into schools' curricula will be explored.
Passive Smoking
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, columns 71-72W, on passive smoking: children, if he will publish the findings from the independent evaluation of the 2013 marketing campaign on smokefree homes and family cars. [172507]
Jane Ellison: Public Health England publishes details and top-line evaluation results from all campaigns on the Smokefree Resource Centre at:
www.smokefree.nhs.uk/resources
The evaluation results from the recent Smokefree Homes and Cars campaign will be published in December.
Sepsis
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department has taken to ensure that all emergency departments successfully implement a sepsis pathway; [172594]
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(2) if he will urge emergency departments to treat a patient with sepsis as an urgent priority, ensuring relevant treatment within one hour of arrival; [172595]
(3) if he will take steps to ensure that all emergency departments provide blood gas machines that can measure lactate for the early recognition of sepsis. [172596]
Dr Poulter: The Department is already taking steps to prevent all avoidable deaths, including those from sepsis. This includes setting objectives in the NHS Mandate requiring the NHS to provide a high quality of patient care and ensuring that the NHS Outcomes Framework for 2013-14 includes patient safety outcomes and corresponding indicators.
We understand that NHS England is also collaborating with Dr Ron Daniels, who was instrumental in developing the Sepsis Six protocols for treating sepsis, to embed awareness of these protocols in NHS practice. The protocols include essential treatment measures, such as the delivery of high-flow oxygen, the measurement of serum lactate, and the need for delivering these health care measures within one hour of the initial diagnosis of sepsis.
The recognition and management of sepsis is also part of a clinical audit of emergency departments by the College of Emergency Medicine, which will be concluded by 31 January 2014. This audit is listed in the Department's Quality Accounts for 2013-14, which requires providers in England to report on their participation in national clinical audits.
Suicide
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce incidence of suicide in (a) Peterborough and (b) England; and if he will make a statement. [172745]
Norman Lamb: Much of the planning and work to prevent suicides will be carried out locally. It will be for local agencies working through health and well-being boards to decide the best way to achieve the overall aim of reducing the suicide rate.
‘Preventing suicide in England: A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives’ was published on 10 September 2012 to coincide with the International Association for Suicide Prevention's World Suicide Prevention Day. We will shortly be publishing the first annual report on the strategy. The strategy outlines a number of effective interventions that local agencies could choose to adopt.
Alongside the strategy, the Government initiated a Call to Action for suicide prevention, facilitated by Samaritans, to engage the support of over 50 national organisations with a role to play in preventing suicide. We are now further supporting that group to develop into a National Suicide Prevention Alliance.
In addition to work funded through the National Institute for Health Research we also allocated £1.5 million of funding over three years through the Policy Research Programme for research to support the suicide prevention strategy. The funded projects will be announced shortly.
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We are developing a Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator on self-harm to increase the focus on the issue. The Government's commitment in the spending review 2013 to ensure that every accident and emergency department will have constant access to mental health professionals will ensure that people with mental health problems get the best possible care.
Additionally, the Care Quality Commission is carrying out a review of emergency mental health care, following recent concerns about access to appropriate treatment for people with mental health problems.
Finally, new measures announced by the Prime Minister will ensure that all internet customers will be given the opportunity to install free and easy to use filters which can block access to harmful websites such as those promoting suicide and self-harm. Through discussions with the internet service providers we are aware that they are all currently working on the specific categories that parents and consumers will be able to block, including suicide sites.
Tobacco: Packaging
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress his Department has made on introducing standardised packaging for cigarettes; and if he will make a statement. [172700]
Jane Ellison: The Government have decided to wait before making a decision on standardised packaging. This policy remains under active consideration.
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Winter: Deaths
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of excess winter deaths in England and Wales in winter 2013-14. [173087]
Jane Ellison: The causes of excess winter deaths are complex and interlinked not just to the weather but also to the wider determinants of health. This makes excess winter deaths difficult to predict in advance.
The Office for National Statistics compares observed winter deaths with non-winter deaths retrospectively and we are awaiting its estimate for last winter (2012-13) which is due for publication next month.
However, Public Health England has published the Cold Weather Plan for England to avoid preventable deaths in winter by setting out a series of actions for organisations, communities and individuals to take throughout the year.
Deputy Prime Minister
Royal Family
Andrew George: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with members of the Royal Family on their role in the legislative process. [900785]