A proven reoffence is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period resulting in a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow-up. Following this one year follow-up, a further six month waiting period is allowed for the offence to be proven in court.

Victim Support

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times he has met with police and crime commissioners to discuss the changes to Victim Support. [173647]

Damian Green: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice met with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners on 10 September to discuss a range of issues. I also meet regularly with Police and Crime Commissioners, as Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims.

The Department publishes quarterly transparency data on meetings between Ministers and all external organisations on the gov.uk website.

www.gov.uk

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Young Offender Institutions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of young offenders receive family visits. [174561]

Jeremy Wright: The Government recognises the importance of young people receiving family visits to support their rehabilitation. Information on the proportion of young offenders that receive family visits is not held centrally. All three sectors of the youth secure estate have a legal requirement to support and promote family contact which includes making arrangements for visits.

Treasury

Employee Ownership

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse to 1 April 2017 of the Employee Shareholder legislation up to 1 April 2017; how many companies will make use of this legislation by 1 April 2017; and what estimate he has made of the number of employee shareholders by 1 April 2017. [174584]

Mr Gauke: Estimates of the cost of the tax reliefs associated with the employee shareholder status are set out in the table and include the cost of both the IT/NICs and the CGT exceptions.

A breakdown of the cost and background information can be found at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tiin/emp-shareholder-status.pdf

It is expected that by 1 April 2017, around 50,000 to 80,000 individuals a year may benefit from the employee shareholder status.

The current estimate of take-up of the employee shareholder status is around 6,000 companies. The employee shareholder status is a new employment status that is optional for companies to use. Therefore, take-up estimates of this new and voluntary status are uncertain.

Detailed background of the above figure can be found in the impact assessment published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in December 2012.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/68907/12-1350-growth-and-Infrastructure-Bill-Clause-Impact.pdf

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Nia Griffith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider using EU Emissions Trading Scheme revenues to fund research, development and innovation projects in the steel sector. [173820]

Mr Gauke: The Government's spending priorities are not, in general, determined by the way in which the money is raised. Revenues raised from the auctioning of EU Emissions Trading System allowances are used to fund general expenditure. Assigning individual revenue

8 Nov 2013 : Column 390W

streams to fund specific spending programmes reduces Government's flexibility to manage the public finances efficiently, reducing value for money for taxpayers.

At autumn statement 2011 the Chancellor of the Exchequer also announced a package of measures worth £250 million to help energy-intensive industries adjust to the low-carbon transformation while remaining competitive. This package was extended to 2015-16 at Budget 2013. It includes compensation for the indirect costs of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

European Commission

Mr Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many visits the Permanent Secretary and the four next most senior civil servants in his Department made to the European Commission in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [173792]

Mr Gauke: Officials make a number of visits during the year to European institutions in Brussels, including the European Commission, as a matter of course for Treasury business.

Income Tax: Scotland

Mike Crockart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many residents in Scotland paid the 20p income tax rate in each of the last five years; [174668]

(2) how much income tax did not accrue to the Exchequer from taxpayers resident in Scotland due to changes in the base rate in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and what estimate he has made of such figures in 2013-14. [174677]

Mr Gauke: Estimates of the number of taxpayers by region and country are published in HMRC's National Statistics table 2.2 which is available on the internet at the following address:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-2.pdf

The number of taxpayers in Scotland is shown at the bottom of page 3. The estimate of those liable at the basic rate of 20p on earnings is shown in column 4.

There were no changes to the basic rate of income tax during 2011-12, 2012-13, or 2013-14.

International Monetary Fund: World Bank

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on proposals to merge the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. [174730]

Sajid Javid: The Government support the work of the IMF and the World Bank to ensure stability in the international system and to promote economic development. The IMF and World Bank already work closely together in areas of shared responsibility. While the Government support the need for effective coordination between the two institutions, there are no active policy discussions to merge the two institutions.

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International Monetary System

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on securing the adoption of the International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Right as the principal reserve assets in the international monetary system; and if he will make a statement. [174732]

Sajid Javid: The current purpose of Special Drawing Rights is to supplement member countries' official reserves, and there are no active policy discussions aimed at promoting SDRs as the principle official reserve asset. The composition of reserve assets are a matter for individual countries.

Mortgages

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mortgages have (a) been applied for, (b) been agreed in principle and (c) been refused in (i) Ribble Valley constituency, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the UK in each of the last five years. [174764]

Sajid Javid: The Government do not collect or publish data on mortgages that have been applied for, been agreed in principle, or been refused. A number of organisations including the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority, and the Council of Mortgage Lenders collect data on mortgages, which they make available publically.

Overseas Residence: Landlords

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the total liability of non-UK resident landlords to the Exchequer; and what proportion of this figure was collected by HM Revenue and Customs in the most recent tax year; [174687]

(2) how many non-UK resident landlords are registered with HM Revenue and Customs under his Department's non-resident landlord scheme; [174689]

(3) how many non-UK resident landlords have registered with HM Revenue and Customs under his Department's non-resident landlord scheme in each of the last five years for which figures are available; [174690]

(4) how much revenue the Exchequer has received in income tax payments from non-UK resident landlords in each of the last five years; [174692]

(5) what assessment he has made of the number of non-UK resident landlords who let property in the UK. [174693]

Mr Gauke: All tax liabilities for participants in the non resident landlord scheme are reported and collected via the self assessment (SA) system. The data requested under questions 174687 and 174692 could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

There are 537,237 live records for NRLs, which is broken down into 509,833 individuals, 24,972 companies and 2,432 trusts.

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The number of applications, which will vary slightly from the actual number that are registered, that have been made to HMRC for the NRL scheme for the last five tax years are:

Revenue and Customs

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that people and businesses who have their tax affairs formally investigated by HM Revenue and Customs and are not found to have breached the rules do not pay the costs of such investigations; and if he will make a statement. [174581]

Mr Gauke: HMRC is responsible for the collection and management of the taxes it administers. HMRC carries out checks into returns to make sure that taxpayers are paying the right amount of tax at the right time and receiving the right allowances and tax reliefs. HMRC does not reimburse the normal day to day costs people incur in complying with their legal obligations. This includes the cost of normal communications, of clarifying or verifying matters, and preparing returns and the costs arising from inquiries and interventions. HMRC has no plans to change these arrangements.

Energy and Climate Change

Energy

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the number of people who have incurred charges from energy companies when they choose to move to another supplier; and if he will make a statement. [174698]

Michael Fallon: The Department does not hold information on the number of people who have incurred charges from energy companies when they choose to move to another supplier.

Energy Company Obligation

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received from energy companies regarding the cost to them of the Energy Company Obligation. [174303]

Gregory Barker: The Department has regular monthly meetings with all obligated energy suppliers about their costs of delivery and we are committed to the ongoing monitoring of the actual costs of ECO. Initial estimates made by my Department indicate that the ECO can be delivered at around the estimated cost shown in last year's impact assessment.

8 Nov 2013 : Column 393W

The Department recently published an analytical paper on Energy Company Obligation (ECO) delivery costs, available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-company-obligation-eco-delivery-costs

Energy: Conservation

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to improve the energy efficiency of low-income households. [174291]

Gregory Barker: Improving the energy efficiency of low income households is a priority. In July this year, the Government announced its intention to adopt a new fuel poverty target focused on improving energy efficiency standards in fuel poor homes.

Our main policy for improving energy efficiency standards is the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation. Under the Energy Company Obligation, we expect to provide assistance to 230,000 low income households per year, representing expenditure worth £540 million per year. Delivery data for ECO, which has been operational since January 2013, show that more than 167,000 energy efficiency and heating measures have already been installed under the Affordable Warmth and Carbon Saving Communities elements of the scheme. This includes more than 60,000 new boilers in low income households.

Households wishing to access support through ECO can call the Energy Saving Advice Service (ESAS) on 0300 123 1234. A referral system is in place to ensure that those eligible for Affordable Warmth support can access a minimum package of support from an energy supplier. To date, nearly 23,000 such referrals have been made.

EU Institutions

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many visits Ministers from his Department made to either the European Commission or the European Parliament in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [173761]

Gregory Barker: During 2013, to date, a total of five visits have been made by Ministers from the Department of Energy and Climate Change to the European Commission.

The information for the years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 is not held centrally, and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Fuel Poverty

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the Government's amendments to the Energy Bill on levels of fuel poverty. [174292]

Gregory Barker: The Government's amendments to the Energy Bill will amend the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 and place a duty on the Government to put in place a new target to tackle fuel

8 Nov 2013 : Column 394W

poverty in England and publish a strategy to achieve that target. The strategy will set out the new definition of fuel poverty. Under this definition, there were 2.4 million households in fuel poverty in England in 2011.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will produce a new definition of fuel poverty that captures all households. [174293]

Gregory Barker: In July this year the Government announced our intention to adopt a new definition of fuel poverty, moving away from the 10% indicator of fuel poverty that Professor Hills's review of fuel poverty found to be flawed and focusing instead on those who have a low income and high energy costs (LIHC). In England, in 2011, there were 2.4 million households in fuel poverty under the LIHC indicator.

Green Deal Scheme

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on marketing the Green Deal to date; and how many Green Deal measures have been installed to date. [174143]

Gregory Barker: Departmental expenditure on marketing campaigns and communications material for the Green Deal programme from April 2011 to end July 2013 was £3.74 million (including VAT). Around 300,000 measures have been installed through energy efficiency schemes to end of September.

Green Deal Scheme: Liverpool

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal apprentices in the Liverpool city region have (a) begun and (b) completed their training to date. [164778]

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold this information.

Renewable Energy

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Energy Bill on providing incentives for businesses to invest in low carbon generation in the UK. [174295]

Gregory Barker: The Energy Bill will implement Contracts for Difference (CfDs), which will provide a stable financial incentive scheme for low-carbon electricity development. CfDs provide low-carbon generators with a robust private-law contract and largely remove their exposure to the volatile wholesale price, bringing greater certainty for investors and bringing forward investment at lower cost to consumers.

CfDs will help incentivise the estimated £110 billion of investment needed in electricity infrastructure in the period to 2020 alone.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Totnes of 9 July 2013, Official Report,

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column 193W, on land use: agriculture, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of conflict between planning applications for onshore wind infrastructure and those parts of the National Planning Policy Framework which underline the recognition of the character and beauty of the countryside. [173910]

Gregory Barker: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley (Kris Hopkins), on 6 November, 2013, Official Report, column 214W.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Climate Change

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding National Climate Change Capability received in each year since 2008; and how much funding he estimates it will receive in each year up to 2015. [173901]

Mr Willetts: The figures in the following table represent the total spend since 2008 and estimated spend up to 2015:

National Capability funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is as follows:

The R&D science projects included in the DECC expenditure estimates include, for example, the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme and the AVOID (Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change) Programme.

Education: Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many hours a week of education services (a) have been contracted to be and (b) have been delivered in each prison in England and Wales in each month since May 2010. [174770]

Matthew Hancock: I am replying as Minister responsible for prison education in England.

I have asked the interim Chief Executive of Skills Funding to write to the right hon. Member with details

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of prison education services that have been contracted and delivered in England, and I will place a copy of that letter in the Libraries of the House.

In Wales, education in the public sector prisons is delivered through funding from the Welsh Government.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many hours a week providers are contracted to deliver education services in each prison in England and Wales. [174774]

Matthew Hancock: I am replying as Minister responsible for prison education in England.

The latest round of prison education contracts let by the Skills Funding Agency do not require providers to deliver a specific number of hours. Instead, contractors are commissioned to deliver a curriculum that is determined at prison level by prison Governors, working in partnership, with payment based on completion and achievement by prisoner learners.

In Wales, education in the public sector prisons is delivered through funding from the Welsh Government.

Engineering

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which recommendations in Professor John Perkins's review of engineering skills published in November 2013 he has accepted; and what arrangements he is making for their implementation. [174582]

Matthew Hancock: I warmly welcome Professor Perkins's review. Engineering has a vital role to play in the future of UK industry. It is important that we act now to ensure businesses have access to the skills they require to enable them to grow: this is a long-term challenge that requires action by Government, but also by employers, educators and the engineering profession.

In support of Professor Perkins's recommendations, on 4 November the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills announced £18 million for a new elite training facility at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, and up to £30 million for a call in the new year for innovative proposals from employers to develop engineering skills in sectors suffering acute shortages. We are providing funding of £250,000 for Tomorrow's Engineers to accelerate a nationwide rollout of an employer engagement programme, so that young people can lean about engineering from engineers themselves, and £45,000 for the Daphne Jackson Trust to develop their fellowship model to support people returning to professional engineering after a career break.

The Government will play our part, but we are also calling on employers, educators and the engineering profession to work together, to inspire the next generation of engineers and make sure they have the cutting edge skills they will need to compete in the economy of the future.

Higher Education: Admissions

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the recent trends in the number of students

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from the most deprived backgrounds

(a)

applying to and

(b)

being accepted by (i) Oxford and Cambridge and (ii) other Russell Group universities. [174553]

Mr Willetts: The latest information for Russell Group institutions is shown in the table. Comparable data for 2013 will not be available from UCAS until January 2014. Figures for Oxford and Cambridge universities are not available centrally. UCAS does not routinely release data for individual institutions at this level of detail. UCAS is an organisation independent of Government.

Cambridge has released information on their website showing the social background of their students using HEFCE's POLAR measure at:

http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/publications/docs/admissionsstatistics2012.pdf

Oxford has released data based on residual household income at:

http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/facts_and_figures/undergraduate_admissions_statistics/household_income_and.html

Overseas Students

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the income received by UK universities from international students in each of the last five years. [174742]

Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes data on the sources of income for all publicly-funded higher education institutions in the UK on an annual basis. The latest available data cover the 2011-12 academic year and was published on 7 March 2013:

http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2712&ltemid=161

The following table shows the fee income received by all publicly-funded UK higher education institutions from international students over the past five years. This includes income from both EU and non-EU students.

8 Nov 2013 : Column 398W

BIS recently published ‘Privately funded providers of higher education in the UK’ (BIS Research Paper 111, June 2013). Findings from this research indicate that international students paid a further £270 million to alternative providers in 2011-12. However, data on alternative providers are not available for earlier years.

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the value to the economy of international students studying in the UK. [174743]

Mr Willetts: Analysis undertaken for the International Education Strategy estimated that international students studying in the UK contributed £13.5 billion to the UK economy in 2011. This figure includes estimates of both fee income and living expenses from students studying at school, further education and higher education level, as well as from those studying English language courses in the UK. The strategy was published in July 2013 and can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-education-strategy-global-growth-and-prosperity

International students also bring wider benefit to the UK through the longer-term business, research, social and other links that can follow study, strengthening the UK's influence and the way we are viewed internationally. However, the monetary value of these wider benefits cannot easily be estimated.

Post Offices

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with Post Office Limited on the progress of the Post Office Locals Transformation plan; and if he will make a statement. [174733]

Jo Swinson: The Government are providing £1.34 billion this Parliament to maintain a Post Office network of at least 11,500 branches, and to modernise thousands of branches under the Crown and Network Transformation programmes. Officials and I both hold regular discussions with senior management of Post Office Ltd on a wide range of matters, including the Network Transformation programme. As of 1 November 2013, 698 branches had signed binding contracts to convert to the Local operating model, with 507 having already converted. In total, at the same date, 2,113 branches have signed contracts to convert under the modernisation programmes, with 1,274 having converted.

8 Nov 2013 : Column 399W

Defence

Afghanistan

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 369W, on Afghanistan, how many incidents of civilian casualties have been reported to UK forces to investigate in Afghanistan to date. [174046]

Mr Francois: I have nothing further to add to the reply given by the previous Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 601W.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 494W, on Afghanistan, how many ex-gratia payments have been made in Afghanistan, by (a) location, (b) type of incident and (c) amount, since 31 May 2013. [174125]

Mr Francois: A further 175 payments amounting to £198,621 have been made to Afghan civilians in the period from 31 May 2013 to 31 October 2013. As before payments have been made in respect of deaths, road traffic injuries, other injuries, crop damage, and other property damage, occurring within Helmand Province and in Kabul.

Aircraft Carriers

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the cost to completion of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. [173341]

Mr Dunne: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 251-254, following the agreement of a new Heads of Terms for the aircraft carrier programme between the Ministry of Defence and the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, the programme has been rebaselined at £6.2 billion.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate how much the contract overruns in the Aircraft Carrier Alliance cost the public purse to date. [175047]

Mr Dunne: The Major Project Report 2012 reported the cost of the Queen Elizabeth class carriers at £5.46 billion. As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence on 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 251-254, following agreement of a new Heads of Terms for the programme between the Ministry of Defence and the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, the programme has been rebaselined at £6.2 billion. The original (2009) approval for the programme under the previous Administration was £3.6 billion.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Heads of Terms signed with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance. [175079]

Mr Dunne: As we are yet to finalise formal contracts, I am withholding this information at this time, as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

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Aircraft Carriers: Portsmouth

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to decide on the infrastructure needed for the two new aircraft carriers to be based in Portsmouth; and when he expects the work for that infrastructure to commence. [173902]

Mr Dunne: Preparing Portsmouth for the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers involves significant new investment in the naval base, including the dredging of the harbour and its approach, the strengthening of jetties, installing new power supplies and other infrastructure changes. This work has already commenced and will continue to expand. To support this level of activity, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 251-254, an investment of more than £100 million, over the next three years, in new infrastructure in Portsmouth to ensure that the carriers can be properly maintained and supported. The initial capability will be completed in time for the arrival of the first of class, HMS Queen Elizabeth, at her home port.

Depending on the outcome of the strategic defence and security review in 2015, which will consider the deployment of the second vessel, preparatory work is expected to continue until the end of the decade. Based on the revised programme agreed between the Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to enter Portsmouth in early 2017.

Devonport Dockyard

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed in each service in HMNB Devonport. [174414]

Mr Dunne: UK regular forces stationed at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport on 1 July 2013 comprised 4,530 naval service and 10 Army personnel. This figure includes naval service personnel on sea service, where Devonport is the home port of their ship.

Military Exercises

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets and how many personnel are taking part in Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of this exercise. [174557]

Mr Francois [holding answer 7 November 2013]:The UK national contribution to Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 is the naval vessel HMS Ledbury and 52 Royal Navy personnel. The total estimated cost is £56,000. This cost includes travel and subsistence, fuel and port visit costs but excludes any manpower, asset or equipment costs.

Patrol Craft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the agreement in principle for three offshore patrol vessels with BAE Systems. [175078]

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Mr Dunne: As we are yet to finalise formal contracts, I am withholding this information at this time, as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Rescue Services: International Co-operation

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions since 10 March 2012 the Government received a request for assistance from a neighbouring state under section 3.1 of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue; and which search and rescue assets provided assistance on each such occasion. [174205]

Mr Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Sir Nick Harvey), on 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 466W, and 23 November 2010, Official Report, column 255W.

Since 10 March 2012 the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre has had no direct requests for assistance from any neighbouring states.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times his Department has provided top-cover fixed wing search and rescue assets for a search and rescue mission in each of the last three years; and what aircraft were used in each case. [174207]

Mr Francois: Information on the occasions when Ministry of Defence (MOD) aircraft have provided top-cover fixed wing search and rescue (SAR) assets in the last three years is provided in the following table:

Aircraft provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency or overseas Governments may also be tasked by MOD to participate in rescue missions.

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel who have been made redundant from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers since 2010 have since joined the Army Reserve. [174477]

Mr Francois [holding answer 7 November 2013]:In accordance with Government statistics policy, I can inform my hon. Friend that fewer than five personnel who have been made redundant from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers since 2010 have since joined the Army Reserve. The battalion has yet to be disbanded, but will be removed from the Order of Battle in the coming months.

Sweden

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets Sweden has offered to the NATO Response Force for upcoming rotations. [174204]

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Mr Francois: The UK welcomes Sweden's offer of forces to the next four iterations of the NATO Response Force (2014-17). However, declaration of precise force elements is a matter for the Government of Sweden.

Cabinet Office

Housing: Prices

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average house price was in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in each of the last five years. [174763]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average house price was in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in each of the last five years (174763).

ONS does not produce house price data below a regional level. Figures available for the UK are shown in table 1 below for each year from 2008 to 2012.

Working Hours

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of UK workers worked more than 48 hours per week in each of the last 30 years for which information is available. [174416]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for work and pensions what proportion of UK workers worked more than 48 hours per week in each of the last 30 years for which information is available. 174416

Information regarding people working more than 48 hours per week is not available seasonally adjusted from the Labour Force Survey. Seasonally adjusted estimates are only available for an upper band of 45 hours or more.

Seasonally adjusted estimates provide the most accurate measure of hours worked over time; and therefore the number & proportion of UK workers working more than 45 hours per week have been provided in the table. Estimates for the last 30 years are not available but have been provided since 1992.

Estimates of hours worked are published monthly as part of the Labour Market Statistical Bulletin, found via the following link:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/index.html

8 Nov 2013 : Column 403W

8 Nov 2013 : Column 404W

Transport

Cycling

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on how many cycling officers were employed by local authorities in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [174777]

Mr Goodwill: The Department does not hold these figures.

Local authorities employ staff that work on cycling in consideration of their wider transport strategy and staffing resources.

Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written answer dated 29 October 2013, Official Report, columns 455-7W, on employment and support allowance, how many sustained job outcomes had been achieved by claimants on the Work programme in each ICD disease code by February 2013. [174683]

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

8 Nov 2013 : Column 405W

Employment: Autism

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department is working with employer organisations to promote employment of people with autism. [173896]

Mike Penning: The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to ensuring that all disabled people, including those with autism, have the opportunities, chances and support that they need to get a job and remain in employment and there is a range of provision to help them. Employers are key to the Department's aim to increase the numbers of disabled people who enter and remain and progress in employment. Many of the Department's existing programmes include support for employers to enable employment of disabled people, with a number of specific initiatives which are specifically beneficial for people with autism.

Under the Autism Strategy, led by the Department of Health, the Department for Work and Pensions had several commitments in relation to autism and employment. The Department's Ministers are very committed to the autism strategy. Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform, is passionately committed and set up a Round Table group with employers to look at this. Working with the National Autistic Society and others, this work included the publication of ‘Untapped Talent’, a guide to spread the benefits of employing someone with autism.

Progress has been made on delivering the commitments from the strategy, through both mainstream services and through a suite of additional specialist employment services. We will continue to explore the best ways for the Department to support the aims of the autism strategy and contribute to ongoing initiatives.

We made a commitment to engage with employers and help them in overcoming the barriers they face in employing people with autism. In partnership with employers, the Department held a ground breaking conference on 18 July 2013 at which the Prime Minister launched the two-year Disability Confident Campaign. The campaign aims to remove barriers, increase understanding and make sure that disabled people and those with health conditions have the opportunities to realise their potential. We are holding a number of further events across the country, where employers can learn from each other about employing disabled people. The first event is in Birmingham on 21 November. We are doing this in partnership with business and will provide campaign materials for employers and organisations to use. Some employers are already aware of the particular strengths of employing people with autism for certain tasks, the challenge is to expand this knowledge and to a wider range of employers.

The Department also committed to ensure that our employment programmes work for young disabled people with autism and that the support they are offered meets their specific needs. One of the key programmes is Access to Work. Access to Work gives additional support

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for individuals whose health or disability affects the way they do their job. It provides individuals and their employers with advice and support with extra costs which may arise because of an individual's needs. Access to Work is now available to support young disabled people undertaking voluntary work experience under the Youth Contract offering a job coach through the programme. We are extending Access to Work to provide more pre-employment activities such as work experience and Supported Internships, which will help young disabled people for whom traditional recruitment methods do not always work to showcase their talents to employers.

The Department for Work and Pensions is currently developing a new strategy for disability employment which will be published before the end of this year. The strategy will set out actions to improve the position of disabled people in the labour market and to support disabled people prepare for, get into, stay in and progress in work. In developing the strategy we are building on what disabled people told us about employment issues during the ‘Fulfilling Potential’ discussion, which can be found here:

http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/docs/fulfilling-potential/fulfilling-potential-discussion-so-far.pdf

as well as working with disabled people, employers, disability charities, ambassadors from disabled people user led organisations (DPULO) and other experts.

Food Banks

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many food banks there were in the UK in (a) 2007 and (b) 2010; and how many there were on the latest date for which figures are available. [174695]

Esther McVey: Food banks do not form part of the benefit system and DWP does not hold data on their numbers.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in which Jobcentre Plus (a) districts and (b) offices lone parent advisers operate. [174652]

Esther McVey: We provide services to lone parents through all of our jobcentres.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parent advisers were working for Jobcentre Plus in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012. [174654]

Mike Penning: The number of lone parent advisers working in Jobcentre Plus during the requested periods was as follows:

Data for 2011-12 and 2012-13 are not available and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

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From 2011-12 the income support (IS) advice category includes all IS advisers, which would include carers, therefore lone parent adviser activity cannot be separately identified.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people claiming jobseeker's allowance were sanctioned resulting in the loss of benefit in each constituency in the UK (a) in 2012-13 and (b) to date in the current financial year. [174697]

Esther McVey: The information requested for (a) 2012-13, is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The information requested for (b) the current financial year up to June 2013, is not readily available. It is feasible to provide the statistics but this will take some time. I will write to the hon. Member when they become available.

Statistics for Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Department for Social Development and can be found at:

http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10, (d) 2010-11, (e) 2011-12 and (f) 2012-13. [174653]

Steve Webb: Annual expenditure on Support for Mortgage Interest, from 2007-08 to 2012-13, is provided in the following table:

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to respond to the consultation Support for Mortgage Interest launched in December 2011. [174684]

Steve Webb: We have no plans to publish a formal response to the Call for Evidence on support for mortgage interest. We said in the Call for Evidence that we would consider the responses carefully in developing policy proposals.

The most radical proposition in the Call for Evidence was that, in the longer term, we would look to recover payments for mortgage interest from equity when the property is sold, effectively turning the support from a

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benefit into a loan. This would ensure that we continue to support people to remain in their homes but in a way that provides better value for money for the taxpayer. A majority of respondents to the Call for Evidence indicated their support for this proposal.

Details of how a proposed scheme would operate will be announced in due course.

Pensions

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's announcement entitled, Don't Lose Out on Your UK pension or benefit payments”, published on 17 October 2013, what steps he has taken to prevent the fraudulent use of the information which his Department will require to illicitly acquire personal bank account and bank identification code details from UK citizens living overseas. [173851]

Steve Webb: The Department takes its responsibilities to protect personal data extremely seriously. British expatriates who are currently receiving pensions and benefits are being contacted by the Department to confirm their international bank details so as to comply with new EU-wide regulations coming into force next year which aim to make payments between member states faster and more secure.

The Department already holds the relevant data for the vast majority of existing claimants. In a minority of cases, the Department has written to the affected individuals and has asked for the information to be sent by post or telephone directly to the Department.

Because the data are being collected in this secure manner, there is no question of third parties being able to obtain this information by illicit means, or to use it for fraudulent purposes.

Social Rented Housing: Housing Benefit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) disabled people and (b) single parents he expects to be affected by the under-occupancy penalty in each region of the UK. [174436]

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available, as sample sizes are too small to provide a reliable estimate of these sub categories at a regional level.

The estimated number of disabled people affected in Great Britain is 420,000. Disabled people are defined in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

The estimated number of single parents, under 60, affected in Great Britain is 150,000.

These figures are available in the equality impact assessment at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/174973/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf

Social Security Benefits

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the benefit sanctions introduced under the Jobseekers (Back to Work) scheme 2013. [174691]

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Esther McVey: Under the Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Act 2013, Matthew Oakley has been appointed to carry out an independent report into the operation of benefit sanctions. He will present his report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions as soon as reasonably practicable after the 26 March 2014.

Work Capability Assessment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the pilot offering employment and support allowance applicants the option to have their work capability assessments audio

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recorded will end; and when an evaluation report of this pilot will be published. [174659]

Mike Penning: There are no plans to change current audio recording arrangements until after results of the evaluation are completed and published.

A revised form, informing claimants about audio recording, went live from the start of August and as part of its evaluation the Department is currently assessing the impact this has had. This has meant that it has been necessary to further extend the evaluation period which will now run until the end of the year, with a report due thereafter.