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Written Answers to Questions

Monday 11 November 2013

Defence

Afghanistan

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors he will take into account when determining the future use of the Watchkeeper unmanned aerial vehicle in Afghanistan after 2014. [R] [174262]

Mr Francois: We have yet to determine the precise nature and contribution of UK armed forces in Afghanistan post 2014, beyond our firm commitment to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy. Therefore, no decisions have yet been taken on the composition of our military capability, including the use of unmanned aircraft systems.

Armed Conflict

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what comparable assessment he has made of the average number of civilians killed in air strikes by drones and fixed wing strikes. [173891]

Mr Francois: No such assessment has been made as UK Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) are operated no differently from fixed wing aircraft. The Rules of Engagement which govern the use of conventional military aircraft equally apply to RPAS and any strikes, from any platform, are prosecuted in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict.

Armed Forces

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel there were in each of the last three years. [174441]

Anna Soubry: The following table details the number of full-time trained and untrained armed forces personnel as of 1 April in each of the last three years.

All services figures comprise all UK regular forces, Ghurkhas and all full-time reserve personnel.

When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

As at 1 July 2013 the number of full-time trained and untrained UK armed forces personnel was 173,980.

The Department's Quarterly Personnel Report is available from the Defence Statistics website at the following link:

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http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/personnel/military/quarterly-personnel-report

This provides more detail on the number of trained personnel, by service, gender and rank.

Army: Germany

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2013, Official Report, column 473W, on army: Germany, if he will provide further information on the expected positive effects on the local authorities in which (a) Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, (b) Kendrew Barracks, Cottesmore and (c) Imjin Barracks, Gloucester are situated; and what formal work the Department has undertaken in this area. [174491]

Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has undertaken no formal work in this area. However, the increase of military numbers in these areas is expected to have a positive impact on the local economy.

Defence: Netherlands

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on pooling and sharing with NATO allies military platforms such as the Dutch joint logistic support ship which is to be sold as part of Dutch defence spending reductions; and if he will make a statement. [174314]

Dr Murrison: The UK actively participates in NATO Smart Defence and EU Pooling and Sharing initiatives as we seek to maximise resources and capabilities. We examine our participation in these projects on a case-by-case basis to establish if they would benefit the UK and offer value for money. I wrote to the hon. Member for York Central (Hugh Bayley) on 11 September 2013 to outline the extent of our current involvement; a copy of the letter is available in the Library of the House. The Dutch Government have recently confirmed that they intend to operate their supply ship nationally as a replenishment tanker and to consider pooling and sharing arrangements for the ship with international partners. Should it become part of the Smart Defence and Pooling and Sharing initiatives, we will examine our position accordingly.

Devonport Dockyard

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises supported by HMNB Devonport; [174411]

(2) what estimate his Department has made of the contribution to the Plymouth economy of HMNB Devonport. [174412]

Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not maintain statistics on the extent to which individual defence sites support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), or the impact of defence activities on local or regional economies. We recognise, however, that SMEs make a valuable contribution to defence, both as direct suppliers and as sub-contractors on major programmes. In addition, defence activities such as those undertaken at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport, and the adjacent

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dockyard, have a positive impact on the local and regional economies employing more than 4,500 naval service personnel.

We are actively pursuing a number of measures to increase the opportunities for SMEs to contribute to defence and in 2012-13 some £1.1 billion was spent directly with some 12,000 SMEs. We have recently published details of expenditure with SMEs over the last three years, this is available at the following link:

http://www.dasa.mod.uk/index.php/publications/finance-and-economics/MOD-contracting-with-small-and-medium-sized-enterprises/financial-year-2012-13

EU Institutions

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) 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; [173759]

(2) 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. [173779]

Dr Murrison: Since 2010 there has been one such visit by a Ministry of Defence (MOD) Minister. I spoke to members of the European Parliaments Sub-Committees on Security and Defence and Foreign Affairs during April 2013.

There have been no visits to the European Commission by the Ministry of Defence Permanent Secretary or the four next most senior civil servants from 2010 to date.

While contact with the European Parliament and European Commission is infrequent the MOD is actively engaged on EU issues. Working through the UK Representation to the EU, MOD personnel are engaged in work relating to the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy on a daily basis. MOD Ministers, senior officials and senior military staff attend a number of EU meetings each year with MOD officials engaged on Common Security and Defence Policy matters on a permanent basis.

Germany

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2013, Official Report, column 740W, on army: Germany, what additional expenditure his Department incurred in providing basing for these additional units at (a) Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, (b) Kendrew Barracks, Cottesmore and (c) Imjin Barracks, Gloucester, by category of expenditure. [172593]

Dr Murrison: It will take time to gather this information, I will write to the hon. Member.

Substantive answer from Dr Murrison to Mr Kevan Jones:

I undertook to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Question on 29 October 2013 (Official Report, column 449W) on additional expenditure incurred as part of the rebasing of the Army from Germany. The information is provided in the following table:

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In addition the Department has leased additional housing for families based at Imjin Barracks at an annual cost of £2.5 million.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to make an announcement on an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft Main Gate 4 decision. [174861]

Mr Dunne: A decision on Main Gate 4 for the Joint Strike Fighter programme is planned for the coming months.

Military Intelligence

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 34W, on military intelligence, for what reason Crossbow capability is only delivered from RAF Marham in Norfolk by personnel of the RAF Tactical Imagery-Intelligence Wing using RAF Tornados and not by UK unmanned aerial vehicle operations. [R] [174453]

Mr Francois: RAF Marham is the home base of the service's tactical air imagery analysis specialists and Crossbow has been located with the most appropriately qualified and experienced personnel. The Crossbow capability conducts near real time imagery analysis of Full Motion Video collected by a range of UK and USAF Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) assets.

This corrects the answer given by my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 34W.

Oil: Exploration

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what representations his Department has made to the then Department of Energy on oil exploration in the Firth of Clyde in the 1980s; [174306]

(2) what records his Department holds on oil explorations in the Firth of Clyde in the 1980s. [174307]

Mr Francois: The Department does not hold any information relating to oil explorations in the firth of Clyde.

Serco

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts his Department has with Serco; and what the (a) monetary value and (b) length is of each such contract. [174490]

Mr Dunne: A list of the current contracts, which commenced prior to January 2011, that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and its Trading Funds have with Serco is in the following table. Under long-standing convention,

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the list includes contracts with AWE, a Government Owned Contractor Operated company in which Serco has a third share. The list does not include contracts where Serco provides goods and services under subcontract to other defence suppliers. Contracts which commenced after January 2011 can be found on the contracts finder website:

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www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk

In some instances the contract end date is in the past. This could either be because outstanding payments are still to be made under the terms of the existing contract, or the contract has been extended and the database has not yet been updated to reflect this.

Sovereignty: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have had with their counterparts in the Scottish Government regarding the Scottish Government's White Paper on Independence. [174386]

Dr Murrison: None. Engagement with the Scottish Government on issues where the reserved matter of defence touches devolved matters continue as normal and is not affected by the independence referendum or the debate around it.

World War II: Military Decorations

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will commission a commemorative campaign medal for veterans of Dunkirk who were left behind by Operation Dynamo. [174821]

Anna Soubry: The nation owes a huge debt of gratitude to all those who served at Dunkirk, whether they were evacuated, were unable to reach or leave the beaches and became prisoners of war, or made the ultimate sacrifice.

Medals recognising military service are awarded to those who have met the criteria for eligibility, and those veterans will have received the appropriate medals during or after World War Two. It is not the practice to commission commemorative campaign medals, although some commercial ventures have been undertaken on the understanding that the medals should not be worn along with official medals.

Northern Ireland

Conditions of Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many direct employees and contracted workers of her Department and its arms

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lengths bodies are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage; and how many direct employees are on zero hours contracts. [174983]

Mrs Villiers: No direct employees or contracted workers in my Department or its arm’s length bodies are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage, and no direct employees are on zero hours contracts. All direct employees are on civil service pay scales.

EU Institutions

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many visits Ministers from her Department made to either the European Commission or the European Parliament in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement. [173769]

Mrs Villiers: I met the Commissioner for Regional Policy and a number of MEPs during a trip to Brussels in April. There are no records of other Northern Ireland Office Ministers visiting the European Commission or the European Parliament between 2010 and 2013.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate she has made of the possible financial implications of opting out of each of the police and criminal justice measures in the third pillar of the EU treaties; and if she will make a statement. [173634]

Mrs Villiers: On 9 July 2013, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department announced to Parliament that the Government intended to exercise the UK's opt-out under the Lisbon treaty and seek to rejoin a package of 35 police and criminal justice measures which are in the UK's national interest, Official Report, columns 177-80. Following debates and votes in both Houses of Parliament the Prime Minister wrote to the President of the Council of Ministers on 24 July to provide formal notification that the Government have decided to exercise its right, provided for by article 10(4) of protocol 36 to the treaties, to opt out of all pre-Lisbon police and criminal justice measures.

The Secretary of State for the Home Department has committed to providing Parliament with an impact assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin. This will be done in good time ahead of the second vote on this matter and contain all relevant information.

European Commission

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many visits the Permanent Secretary and the four next most senior civil servants in her Department made to the European Commission in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if she will make a statement. [173789]

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Mrs Villiers: No comprehensive records exist of such meetings. Two meetings between a senior civil servant and the Commission are known to have taken place in 2011 and 2012, and two senior civil servants accompanied me when I met the Commissioner for Regional Policy in April this year.

Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission spent on (a) salaries, (b) travel and (c) subsistence in each year since 2010. [174898]

Mr Robathan: This information can be found in the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House or on the NIHRC website:

www.nihrc.org

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new staff her Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010. [174465]

Mrs Villiers: My Department has employed one new member of staff under a fixed-term contract since May 2010. This was for the period August 2011 to June 2012. No new staff have been employed under short-term contracts since May 2010.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how often her Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was. [174406]

Mrs Villiers: My Department has not used the facilities at Sunningdale Park since May 2010.

Scotland

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many new staff his Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010. [174466]

David Mundell: Since May 2010, the Scotland Office has employed four new staff on fixed-term contracts, and no new staff have been employed on short-term contracts. Three of the fixed-term contracts have since ended.

Sovereignty

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions (a) he and (b) his ministerial colleagues have had with their counterparts in the Scottish Government regarding the Scottish Government's White Paper on Independence. [174391]

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David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers have not held discussions with the Scottish Government regarding their White Paper on Independence.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how often his Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was. [174407]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not used Sunningdale Park for any civil service events since May 2010.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case. [175004]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not operate or sponsor any (a) 0845, (b) 0844 or (c) 0843 numbers.

Wales

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many new staff his Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010. [174469]

Stephen Crabb: Since May 2010, the Wales Office has recruited (a) three staff on fixed-term contracts and (b) no one on a short-term contract.

Home Department

Animal Experiments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 432W, on animal experiments, when she expects her Department's inspectors to complete the investigation into allegations of cruelty and bad practice at Imperial College, London, and to make recommendations; and if she will place in the Library the findings of that investigation. [174245]

James Brokenshire: Home Office inspectors have been investigating the allegations against Imperial College and we intend to publish a report later this year.

My noble Friend Lord Taylor has met with the Imperial College establishment licence holder and other relevant senior individuals to discuss the independent investigative report that they have commissioned and agreed to publish. They have provided strong assurances of a rigorous inquiry.

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It is imperative that lessons learned and broader issues for the wider community are taken from this incident. We have therefore requested the Government's independent expert advisory body, the Animals in Science Committee (ASC), to review both the inspectorate's report and Imperial College's independent report, when both are available, and to provide me with advice.

The ASC report will also be made public. Copies will be placed in the House Library.

Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals to repeal section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. [174196]

James Brokenshire: We are presently reviewing section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).

Central to our work on openness and transparency is the review we are undertaking of section 24 which provides for the protection of confidential information provided in connection with our regulatory activities under ASPA. A breach of section 24 can result in criminal sanctions. The requirements of section 24 are now out of step with our policy on openness and transparency and with the approach taken in other legislation, such as the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The solution we develop must improve the overall transparency surrounding research using animals while protecting personal identities and intellectual property and commercial competitiveness.

Asylum: Sexuality

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress her Department has made in investigating claims that the UK Border Agency asked lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender asylum seekers to prove their sexuality. [174658]

Mr Harper [holding answer 8 November 2013]: Asylum applicants are afforded ample opportunity to establish the reasons they fear persecution, including where that fear is based on the grounds of their sexuality. Asylum decision makers are trained to make sensitive and appropriate enquiries to explore the sexual orientation of an applicant where that is relevant to a claim. But the Home Office does not require evidence of an explicit nature to support asylum claims based on sexual orientation.

COE Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to her Department's publication Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan, published in November 2011, what plans she has to take further action in order to ensure the UK is compliant with the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. [172550]

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Norman Baker: The UK signed the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse in May 2008. An initial examination suggests that the UK is compliant with the vast majority of the Convention's articles, but there are a small number of articles which require further assessment before the UK is in a position to ratify the Convention. In addition to work on the Convention, the Government has set out a comprehensive programme to tackle sexual violence in the action plan of the Sexual Violence Against Children and Vulnerable People National Group.

Corruption

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which areas of policy relating to corruption and bribery (a) she and (b) the UK Anti-Corruption Champion will have responsibility. [172180]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 24 October 2013]: The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, published on 7 October, made it clear that the Home Office will take on a new lead role in co-ordinating all domestic bribery and corruption policy. Ministerial responsibilities remain unchanged.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will share joint responsibility for all aspects of domestic anti-corruption efforts with the UK's Anti-Corruption Champion. [173332]

James Brokenshire: The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, published on 7 October, made it clear that the Home Office will take on a new lead role in co-ordinating all domestic bribery and corruption policy. Ministerial responsibilities remain unchanged.

Criminal Investigation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many employees of her Department under criminal investigation are suspended on full pay; and what the pay bands are of the employees suspended; [169600]

(2) what the grounds are for the criminal investigation awaiting proceedings against nine employees of her Department. [169605]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 8 October 2013]: The Secretary of State for the Home Department expects the highest levels of integrity and professionalism from Home Department staff. We can confirm there are various individual grounds for the criminal investigations, but as these are on-going investigations it would not be appropriate to comment further while criminal investigations are continuing.

In cases of alleged serious or gross misconduct; or where a risk is posed to others or property; or an ongoing investigation; or it is otherwise in the public interest to do so, a period of suspension would be considered based on the facts of the individual case. As a precautionary suspension in itself is not a form of misconduct sanction, generally staff are suspended on full pay.

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We would not comment specifically on pay bands of those suspended as this could lead to individuals being identified who are the subject of on-going investigations.

Drugs: Misuse

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the amount of legal highs in each region of the UK. [172473]

Norman Baker: No estimate has been made of the amount in each region of the UK of legal highs containing new psychoactive substances which are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

However, both the Government and our independent drug experts, the Advisory Council in the Misuse of Drugs, continue to monitor the emergence of new psychoactive substances (a broader term which includes both legal and illegal emerging drugs) through UK and EU drugs early warning systems. These include the Home Office's Forensic Early Warning System which identifies and monitors emerging such substances (controlled and non-controlled) in the UK.

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there has been a delay in publication of an evaluation framework for the national drugs strategy; and what the nature of any such delay is. [172728]

Norman Baker [holding answer 29 October 2013]: The publication of the Drug Strategy Evaluation Framework has been delayed to enable publication alongside the second Annual Review. This will provide an overall update on progress towards delivering the 2010 Drug Strategy. Both the Evaluation Framework and Annual Review will be published shortly.

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate she has made of the number of head shops selling legal highs in (a) the UK and (b) each local authority area; [172971]

(2) what estimate she has made of the total value of legal highs sold in the UK (a) by head shops, (b) online and (c) by other outlets. [172972]

Norman Baker [holding answer 29 October 2013]: It is difficult to make an accurate estimate of the total value of 'legal highs' given the fast-changing market and the fact that a good proportion of so-called legal highs actually contain controlled substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Tackling the dangers arising from new psychoactive substances is a high priority for the Department.

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which countries import the largest volume of legal highs to the UK; and what recent discussions she has had with law enforcement bodies of those nations on preventing such imports. [173307]

Norman Baker [holding answer 31 October 2013]: The Home Office assesses China to be one of the most significant importers of legal highs (containing new psychoactive substances which are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971) to the UK. This assessment

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is referenced in the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, published on 7 October 2013, copies of which are available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/serious-organised-crime-strategy

and in the Library of the House.

The most recent engagement on the issue with Chinese law enforcement was conducted through the UK/China Annual Working Conference on organised crime which was held on 14-15 October 2013. UK officials were able to meet with senior Chinese officials from the Ministry of Public Security to discuss working with multinational institutions, exchanging information on supply routes and sharing progress on demand reduction.

Emigration

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will record numbers of those people leaving the UK. [174740]

Mr Harper [holding answer 8 November 2013]: The Government have made a commitment to introduce exit checks by 2015.

Using advance passenger information, we already conduct electronic checks on a substantial number of people who leave the UK.

We are exploring how best to make this coverage more comprehensive.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the visa requirements are for foreign students coming to the UK to study for longer than six months; and if she will make a statement. [173640]

Mr Harper: The Government have overhauled the student visa route with a package of measures designed to tackle abuse of the route while continuing to attract the brightest and best students to our world-class universities. International students coming to the UK to study for longer than six months require a visa under Tier 4 of the Points Based System. Tier 4 requirements are set out in detail in Part 6A of the Immigration Rules which can be found at:

www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/policyandlaw/immigrationlaw/immigrationrules/

A copy is available in the Library of the House.

Our reforms have resulted in the total number of Tier 4 visas issued falling by a third since 2010, while visa applications from university students continue to increase.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the UK will remove the conditions of Statutory Instrument 2001, No. 3948 establishing the National Analysis Centres, assuming that the UK ceases to be bound by Council Decision 2001/887/JHA under Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; [170997]

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(2) how many reports were made to Europol by UK authorities under the requirements of Council Decision 2001/887/JHA in each of the last five years; and what the cost was to UK public funds of such reporting in each of the last five years; [171000]

(3) whether the Government intend to continue to report analyses of suspected counterfeit euros and information on investigations into euro counterfeiting to Europol, assuming that the UK ceases to be bound by Council Decision 2001/887/JHA under Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; and whether this reporting will continue to be possible. [171006]

James Brokenshire: Following consideration, the Government will not remove any of the conditions of Statutory Instrument 2001, No.3948.

The UK continues to communicate details of currency seizures to Europol in line with current practices. Data on the number of reports made and the cost of making them are not held centrally.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the Government intend to retain without change existing provisions of UK law and practice required by Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/ JHA, if the UK ceases to be bound by those Decisions pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; [172091]

(2) which provisions of UK law and practice implement requirements of Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA; [172093]

(3) whether the Government intend to retain unchanged the co-operation and information exchange with other EU member states established by Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA if the UK ceases to be bound by those Decisions pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; if so, how such co-operation and information exchange would be maintained; and what assessment she has made of whether this would be at least as efficacious as UK participation in those Decisions; [172094]

(4) whether the UK currently implements all the requirements of Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA; and if not (a) which requirements it does not currently implement, (b) what she estimates the cost to UK public funds would be of implementing these requirements and (c) whether the Government intend to implement these requirements if the UK ceases to be bound by Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties. [172119]

James Brokenshire: UK law has not been changed to implement the provisions of Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA.

The UK has not implemented Chapter 2 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA were implemented through administrative means. No changes to practice were required to do so.

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We believe that, via existing Data Protection legislation and guidance, the UK meets the requirements of Chapter 6 of 2009/315/JHA. However the UK has not yet been evaluated on whether we meet the requirements as required under Article 25(2).

In 2007, the costs of fully implementing all provisions of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA were assessed to be £31 million. No individual assessment of implementing Chapter 2 of 2008/615/JHA is available.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse has been in each of the last five years of (a) all co-operation and information exchange resulting from Council Decisions 2008/615/JHA and 2008/616/JHA and (b) preparation for and initial implementation of these Decisions. [172092]

James Brokenshire: No costs have been incurred to the public purse as a result of co-operation and information under Council Decision 2008/615/JHA and Council Decision 2008/616/JHA.

In excess of £900,000 has been incurred to the public purse assessing the steps required to implement fully these decisions. It is not possible to provide costs for each of the last five years.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the cost to the public purse has been of UK participation in Council Decision 2009/902/JHA in each of the last four years; [172604]

(2) what measures (a) the EU, (b) other EU member states and (c) the UK has taken in their efforts to prevent crime in each of the last four years as a result of UK participation in Council Decision 2009/902/JHA; [172605]

(3) whether the Government would seek to continue co-operation and information exchange with the EU and other EU member states that was the same in content as that facilitated by Council Decision 2009/902/JHA if the UK ceases to be bound by that Council Decision pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions Annexed to the EU treaties; how this co-operation and information exchange would then be conducted; and what assessment she has made of whether this would be at least as efficacious as UK participation in the Council Decision; [172606]

(4) whether the UK would co-operate with the European Crime Prevention Network under Article 8 of Council Decision 2009/902/JHA if the UK ceases to be bound by that Council Decision pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties. [172607]

James Brokenshire: The costs incurred to the public purse in each of the last four years for UK participation in Council Decision 2009/902/JHA are minimal. These relate to the development and running costs of the EUCPN website and UK attendance at board meetings.

The role of the network established by Council Decision 2009/902/JHA is to promote the sharing of best practice on the prevention of crime. The Government are not, however, aware of any specific measures that the EU or other EU member states have taken to prevent crime as a result of UK participation in the Council Decision in

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the last four years. We are also not aware of any specific measures that have been taken in the UK as a result of this.

The Government could continue co-operation and information exchange with the EU and other member states in the crime prevention field if required. The Government believe that alternatives will be at least as efficacious as the existing practice mandated by the Council Decision.

The Government will continue co-operating with EU partners to share best practice on the prevention of crime but this does not need to occur under the European Crime Prevention Network heading. Article 8 provides that the network may co-operate with other entities competent in the field of crime prevention where it is relevant to meeting its objectives. The UK will cease to be a member of the network on 1 December 2014 and thereafter will have no role in decisions on future co-operation.

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the cost to the public purse has been in each of the last five years of UK compliance with Council Decision 2008/852/JHA; [173050]

(2) what measures (a) the EU, (b) other EU member states and (c) the UK have taken to prevent and combat corruption in each of the last five years as a result of UK participation in Council Decision 2008/852/JHA; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of such measures in preventing and combating corruption; [173051]

(3) how many times in the last five years, as a result of Article 3 of Council Decision 2008/852/JHA, representatives of UK authorities have met other members of the network established by that Council Decision; and what the outcome of each such meeting has been; [173052]

(4) whether the Government would seek to continue co-operation and information exchange with other EU member states and EU bodies that was the same in content as that which currently occurs as a result of Council Decision 2008/852/JHA if the UK ceases to be bound by that Decision pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; how this co-operation and information exchange would then be conducted; and what assessment she has made of whether this would be at least as efficacious as UK participation in the Council Decision. [173053]

James Brokenshire: Figures for the cost of UK compliance with Council Decision 2008/852/JHA are not held centrally.

The Government are not in a position to state what measures the EU or other EU member states have taken to prevent and combat corruption as a result of UK participation in the Council Decision. The Government recently published our Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, which set out a range of activity it is taking to strengthen the policy and operational response to corruption.

Article 3(2) of the Decision states that “the members of the network shall, for the accomplishment of their tasks, meet at least once a year”. Information on how many times in the last five years representatives of UK

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authorities have met other members of the network established by Council Decision 2008/852/JHA, and the outcome of those meetings, is not held centrally.

The Government are committed to co-operating with EU partners to share best practice on combating corruption, but this need not occur under the heading of the “network against corruption”. The Government could continue co-operation and information exchange with the EU and other member states to combat corruption through the National Crime Agency and other agencies if required. The Government believe that alternatives will be at least as efficacious as the existing practice mandated by the Council Decision.

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the possible financial implications of opting out of each of the police and criminal justice measures in the third pillar of the EU treaties; and if she will make a statement. [173632]

James Brokenshire: On 9 July 2013 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department announced to Parliament that the Government intended to exercise the UK's opt-out under the Lisbon treaty and seek to rejoin a package of 35 police and criminal justice measures which are in the UK's national interest. Following debates and votes in both Houses of Parliament the Prime Minister wrote to the President of the Council of Ministers on 24 July 2013 to provide formal notification that the Government has decided to exercise its right, provided for by Article 10(4) of Protocol 36 to the Treaties, to opt out of all pre-Lisbon police and criminal justice measures.

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has committed to providing Parliament with an Impact Assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin.

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish her Department's cost-benefit analysis of opting back into European Commission Decision 2009/724/JHA of 17 September 2009; and if she will make a statement. [173682]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 4 November 2013]:Commission Decision 2009/724/JHA is a measure subject to the UK's 2014 JHA Opt-out decision. This measure is not included in the set of 35 measures that the Government has announced that it will seek to rejoin.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has committed to providing Parliament with an Impact Assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin.

EU Nationals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of nationals in countries with no current freedom of labour rights to work in the UK who also have joint Romanian and Bulgarian citizenship. [173567]

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Mr Harper: The Home Office has made no estimate of the number of Bulgarian and Romanian citizens who also hold the nationality of a country whose nationals are subject to immigration control.

Football: EU Law

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish her Department's analysis of the costs and benefits of European Council Decision 2002/348/JHA of 25 April 2002, concerning security in connection with football matches with an international dimension; and if she will make a statement. [173527]

James Brokenshire: Council Decision 2002/348/JHA is a measure subject to the UK's 2014 JHA Opt-out decision. This measure is included in the set of 35 measures that the Government have announced that we will seek to rejoin in the national interest.

The Home Secretary has committed to providing Parliament with an impact assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin.

Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice she has given to organisations who receive money from her Department to provide care for victims of trafficking about how they can contribute to the Government's proposed draft modern slavery bill. [174445]

James Brokenshire: The Salvation Army and its sub-contractors have been encouraged to contribute to the evidence sessions, being led by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field), on development of the modern slavery Bill.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to ensure that organisations currently being paid by the Government to provide services to victims of human trafficking will be free to comment on current provisions and policies as part of the consultation on draft legislation on modern-day slavery without prejudice to their future contractual relationship with the Government. [174925]

James Brokenshire: The Salvation Army and its sub-contractors have been encouraged to contribute to the evidence sessions, being led by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr Field), on the development of the modern slavery Bill.

Participation in this activity and opinions expressed will have no bearing on their future relationship with Government.

Illegal Immigrants

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the number of illegal immigrants currently in the UK. [174731]

Mr Harper [holding answer 8 November 2013]: It is not possible to accurately quantify the number of immigration offenders in the UK as by their very nature

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those that deliberately evade immigration control to enter and stay in the country illegally are not officially recorded until they come to light and are arrested.

Immigration

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Romanian and Bulgarian nationals who choose to live in the UK have the means to support themselves and their families. [174637]

Mr Harper: Any EU national who wishes to reside in the UK for longer than three months must be exercising treaty rights as a worker, or self-employed person, a self-sufficient person or a student.

Those EU nationals who are not working in the UK, but who come here to study or in a self-sufficient capacity, are required to have comprehensive health insurance and sufficient resources to ensure that they do not to become a burden on the UK social assistance system.

An EU national's right to reside in the UK is conditional upon continuing to meet these requirements. The Home Office will undertake checks to ensure the requirements remain satisfied with each application for residence documentation.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter dated 2 September 2013 to the Minister for Immigration from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs Munkhtuya Sukhbaata. [170859]

Mr Harper: My noble Friend, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, Minister with responsibility for criminal information, replied on my behalf on 14 October 2013.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials at what grades are employed to provide direct support to special advisers in her Department. [174057]

James Brokenshire: Two officials work directly to the special advisers in administrative or middle-management roles. At the time of the last general election, three officials provided support to the then special advisers.

National Crime Agency

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many (a) National Crime Agency (NCA) officers and (b) NCA specials are designated with the power of (i) constable, (ii) immigration officer and (iii) customs officer; [171933]

(2) how many employees there are at the National Crime Agency; [171934]

(3) how many National Crime Agency specials there are; and how many are planned to be recruited. [171935]

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James Brokenshire: So far over 2,000 National Crime Agency (NCA) officers have been designated with one or more powers of a constable, a customs officer and/or an immigration officer. No NCA specials have been designated with the powers of a constable. NCA specials cannot be designated with customs or immigration powers.

Not all NCA officers will require operational powers, a number of the NCA's vital crime-fighting functions are appropriately carried out by officers without specific powers, for example intelligence functions.

4,437 officers transferred into the NCA.

So far 10 NCA specials have been recruited. There is no fixed number of specials that are planned to be recruited.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish details of the expected format and regularity of reporting on bribery and corruption that will be undertaken by the new National Crime Agency as detailed in the Serious and Organised Crime Strategy; and when the first report is expected. [173331]

James Brokenshire: The process and format of this reporting is currently being designed by the National Crime Agency. Further details will be available in due course.

Offences against Children

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made by (a) the police and (b) the Crown Prosecution Service on his Department's Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan, published in November 2011. [172588]

Norman Baker: The Department for Education published progress reports in July 2012 and in November 2012, setting out the progress made by all agencies, including the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. The Home Office assumed responsibility for leading the response to child sexual exploitation in April 2013. The National Policing lead has developed a further plan of action for the police to tackle child sexual exploitation which sets out measures all forces need to take to effectively tackle this issue. This plan has been published on the Association of Chief Police Officers website. The College of Policing and the Director of Private Prosecutions launched a public consultation on revised guidance for sexual violence victims on 11 June which ran until September. The new guidance is designed to ensure that victims are listened to, and that consideration by the police and others should focus on the credibility of the allegation, rather than the credibility of the victim.

We have improved the experience of victims in the criminal justice system by launching a new criminal justice strategy and action plan including significant measures to improve the court process for victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. This follows the announcement on 11 June to pilot measures for recorded pre-trial cross-examination of vulnerable and intimidated witnesses.

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Overseas Visitors: EU Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals of each EU nationality who have previously been served with an anti-social behaviour order within the UK have been refused entry to the UK in each year since 2010. [170539]

Mr Harper [holding answer 201314 October]: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of (a) Romanian, (b) Bulgarian, (c) Polish and (d) Lithuanian nationals who enter the UK by air and leave within 24 hours of arrival; what proportion of such people commit criminal offences while in the UK; and what security checks are in place at airports to prevent foreign nationals from entering the UK for this purpose. [170540]

Mr Harper [holding answer 14 October 2013]: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new staff her Department has employed under (a) fixed-term and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010. [174462]

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has employed 745 new staff on fixed term/short term contracts since May 2010.

Schengen Agreement

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the cost to UK public funds has been in each of the last five years of UK participation in SCH/Com-ex (99)6 on the Schengen acquis relating to telecommunications; [173047]

(2) whether she intends that actions required of the UK by SCH/Com-ex (99)6 will continue to be carried out, in the same way, if the UK ceases to be bound by that measure pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties; [173048]

(3) what assessment she has made of how co-operation with other EU member states will be affected if the UK ceases to be bound by SCH/Com-ex (99)6 on the Schengen acquis relating to telecommunications pursuant to Article 10 of the Protocol on Transitional Provisions annexed to the EU treaties. [173049]

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has incurred no costs in relation to this instrument over the last five years.

This instrument is purely technical and aims to achieve greater interoperability of EU communications systems. The UK Emergency Services use Tetra, a technology standard available across Europe. There are no operational benefits to the UK remaining bound.

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Co-operation with other EU member states will be unaffected.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how often her Department has used Sunningdale Park for Civil Service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost of each such event was. [174403]

James Brokenshire: The Home Department has not held any civil service events at Sunningdale Park since May 2010.

Terrorism Act 2000

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the National Security Council has discussed the use of Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 (a) between May 2010 and July 2013 and (b) since July 2013. [172425]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 25 October 2013]: The National Security Council regularly considers terrorism and counter-terrorism matters. We do not comment publicly on the details.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions her Department has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential effects on countering terrorism in Northern Ireland of disclosures of classified material in newspapers. [173661]

James Brokenshire: To date there have been no such discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Theft: Motor Vehicles

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will give consideration to utilising the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to compensate victims of vehicle theft for recovery charges they incur. [172552]

James Brokenshire: Under section 130 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000, a court may award compensation to the victim for each offence of which the offender was convicted. Payment of the compensation order is made first from any criminal profits collected under a confiscation order made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Verne Prison

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the monthly costs of running HM Prison the Verne as an immigration removal centre; and what the detention capacity of HM Prison the Verne will be after it is converted into an immigration removal centre. [175067]

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Mr Harper: An annual resourcing cost of £15.76 million has been agreed with the Ministry of Justice to run The Verne as an immigration removal centre with capacity for 580 male detainees.

Visits Abroad

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, her Department made in each year since 2010; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip. [174858]

James Brokenshire: The information on the number of overseas trips and the total cost of the trips made by the Department in each year since 2010 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

International Development

Charities

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department has taken to make it easier for small, UK-based development charities to obtain support and match- funding for their work. [174723]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID's Global Poverty Action Fund, a central fund for civil society, ring-fences £4 million per year for small, UK-based charities (with income of under £1 million per annum). Small charities get help applying for funds. The recently extended UK Aid Match programme, which match-funds public donations to selected charity appeals now has a proportion of funds ring-fenced for smaller organisations. We expect that some 50% of all UK Aid Match grants over the three-year scheme will go to smaller charities.

EU Immigration

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had about increasing EU support for refugees from North Africa and Syria arriving in Italy and Malta. [173596]

Mr Harper [holding answer 4 November 2013]: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.

The Government continue to have regular discussions with our EU partners in order to ensure that all member states operate effective asylum and border management systems. This includes the UK's participation in the new EU Task Force established following the recent deaths off Lampedusa.

We strongly support practical co-operation initiatives to build capacity of the member states who may be under particular migration pressures or have other support needs and see the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) as the key agency for co-ordinating and delivering this support.

In June 2013 EASO signed a special support plan with Italy which provides for assistance in a number of priority areas including operation of the Dublin system for determining the member state responsible for considering

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an asylum claim, reception arrangements and the development of emergency capacity. The plan runs until the end of 2014. Should Malta make a similar request, we will encourage EASO to respond positively.

Recruitment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many new staff her Department has employed under (a) fixed-term contracts and (b) short-term contracts since May 2010. [174463]

Mr Duncan: DFID has employed 109 staff on Home Civil Service (HCS) fixed-term contracts since May 2010.

DFID has also engaged 112 people on DFID's professional training programme Direct Entry Scheme for Advisers (DESA) and DFID Graduate scheme during the same period. They are engaged on limited-term contracts. There were no other types of short-term contracts issued.

Sudan

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the humanitarian consequences of Government air strikes in Sudan's Darfur region in the last 12 months. [175094]

Lynne Featherstone: The increasingly complex security situation in Darfur has seen humanitarian needs continue to grow. The United Nations estimate over 400,000 Darfuris have been displaced this year—more than the last two years combined. We continue to provide life-saving support to those in need.

Sunningdale Park

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how often her Department has used Sunningdale Park for civil service events since May 2010; what the nature of each such event was; and what the cost was of each such event. [174404]

Mr Duncan: DFID has not used Sunningdale Park to deliver any central DFID learning and development events or training courses since May 2013. It is possible that DFID staff may have attended externally hosted training courses or meetings there, but our systems do not allow us to identify training events or meetings by venue, and DFID is not aware of any such events.

Energy and Climate Change

Energy

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to ensure energy companies remove the financial penalties incurred by customers locked into fixed-term contracts seeking to switch before their contracts expire. [174234]

Michael Fallon: Ofgem has recently completed a thorough review of the retail energy market and introduced reforms so consumers face simpler tariff choices, receive clearer information and are treated fairly.

Under Ofgem's new rules suppliers will have to include key information about tariffs in a tariff information label, which will include any termination

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fee that suppliers charge on fixed term contracts. The tariff information label will appear on customers' bills and annual statements and marketing material about the tariff. Clearer information on termination fees will allow consumers to take them into account when they are considering switching.

Energy: Billing

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the number of people who pay their energy bills by direct debit in each (a) region and (b) constituent part of the UK. [174924]

Michael Fallon: The Department runs a quarterly survey known as the Domestic Fuels Inquiry, whereby all the major energy suppliers and a number of smaller energy suppliers provide data directly at a tariff level.

The following table shows the proportion of consumers who paid their energy bills by direct debit, in quarter two of 2013, split by Public Electricity Supply (PES) region.

Data are only available at the PES region level. Gas data are not published for Northern Ireland. These figures are made available through the DECC publication Quarterly Energy Prices, in tables 2.4.2 (standard electricity), 2.4.3 (economy 7) and 2.5.2 (gas):

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-price-stastics

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to encourage energy companies to continue with discounts for customers who pay their bills by direct debit. [174959]

Michael Fallon: Suppliers must operate under the regulatory framework set by Ofgem. Ofgem is in the

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process of introducing new rules to simplify tariffs through its retail market reforms, including standardising the way discounts are applied.

Under Ofgem's rules suppliers will be limited to four core tariffs per fuel. Suppliers will be allowed to vary the cost of the tariff depending on the payment method used by the customer, provided that the differential between payment methods is cost reflective.

As direct debit customers cost less to serve than customers who pay on receipt of bill and customers who have pre-payment meters, we would expect direct debit customers to continue to benefit from lower charges.

Energy: Meters

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of households using pre-payment electricity meters in (a) Wirral, (b) Merseyside and (c) the UK in each of the last five years. [175093]

Michael Fallon: The following table shows the proportion of customers using pre-payment electricity meters, in each of the last five years.

Data are only available at the Public Electricity Supply (PES) region level of geography. Both the Wirral and Merseyside are within the Merseyside and North Wales PES region. These data are available within the DECC publication Quarterly Energy Prices, table 2.4.2:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-price-stastics

Green Deal Scheme: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in Barrow and Furness constituency have received finance under the Green Deal since January 2013; and what the total amount of such finance was. [175089]

Gregory Barker: The Department currently publishes information on different aspects of the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) in our monthly Official Statistics series:

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

The Department also publishes more detailed breakdowns on the Green Deal and ECO via the quarterly series, “Domestic Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation in Great Britain, Quarterly report”:

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

The latest available information covers January-June 2013 including some statistics for the Barrow and Furness constituency.

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Currently the Department does not break down information on finance under the Green Deal to the level of geographical detail requested but we are considering the further information that can be included in future quarterly releases as the available data increase.

Nuclear Power: Subsidies

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make it his policy to subsidise nuclear power on the same basis as (a) fossil fuels and (b) solar PV. [172141]

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), statement to Parliament on 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 23-25, confirmed—as set out to Parliament in October 2010 and again in February this year—that new nuclear will receive no support, unless similar support is also made available more widely to other types of generation.

Power Stations

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to reduce barriers to the UK energy market for independent power generators. [174296]

Michael Fallon: The Government's Electricity Market Reform programme will deliver important changes to the electricity market which will reduce barriers to the UK energy market for independent power generators.

Contracts for Difference (CfD) will reduce barriers to the UK energy market for independent renewable generators by reducing long-term price risk from the generator. Reducing this risk will make it easier to provide long-term contracts for independent generators' power. Under the CfD, when buying power, companies will not need to provide a “price floor” to generators and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) will not need to cover generators' Renewable Obligation Certificates so the contracts will become simpler. This will make it easier for a wider range of companies to offer PPAs, improving competition and encouraging new entrants to the market, which should provide a better deal for independent renewable generators. We are also working with stakeholders to prepare the market for the introduction of the CfD, by considering contracting approaches and a code of practice for the PPA market which will also ensure that a broad range of generators are able to access the CfD.

The Offtaker of Last Resort proposal will provide eligible independent renewable generators with a guaranteed backstop contract for their power at a set discount to the market price. Together with the CfD this will provide investors and lenders with more certainty over revenue for eligible generators, allowing for greater investment in independent renewable generation and freeing up generators to use innovative routes to market, including shorter-term PPAs.

The Department's design of the Capacity Market aims to reduce barriers to the UK energy market for independent power generators that are not receiving low carbon support, by providing a steady revenue stream in place of dependence on volatile scarcity prices, allowing greater certainty for investors. Longer-term contracts will also be offered to new plants to enable

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them to spread their cost of capital over a longer period. This is particularly important to independent players as they rely on securing project finance, rather than financing from their balance sheet.

The Department is also backing Ofgem's work to improve wholesale market liquidity so that it is sufficient to support the market entry of independent power generators. We are doing this by taking backstop powers in the Energy Bill to take action to improve wholesale market liquidity should Ofgem's ambitious package of reforms be delayed or frustrated.

Renewable Energy

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the aggregate costs of the renewables obligation in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; what estimate he has made of such costs in the current financial year; and whether each annual aggregate cost falls within the limits set out by the Levy Control Framework. [174302]

Michael Fallon: The costs of the renewables obligation (RO) for 2011-12 and 2012-13, and the corresponding annual spending review envelope, are shown in the table. In both years, RO costs were within the annual Levy Control Framework envelopes for the scheme.

These figures are inclusive of the administrative costs to Ofgem of the renewables obligation. They have been calculated by multiplying the annual buy-out price and the out-turn obligation for the given year, based on data supplied by Ofgem.

The estimated cost of the RO in 2013-14 is £2,583 million against a spending review envelope of £2,556 million. Across the three years, aggregate RO expenditure is currently forecast to be £430 million (7%) below the aggregate spending review envelope for the same period.

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to internalise the cost of the negative externalities of (a) wind power and (b) biomass combustion identified in his Department's report revised draft national policy statement for renewable energy infrastructure. [174539]

Michael Fallon: The draft national policy statement on renewable energy infrastructure (EN-3) was consulted on between November 2010 and January 2011. The final national policy statement (NPS) was approved by Parliament on 18 July 2011 and designated by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on 19 July 2011. It sets out how Government policy should be applied by decision-makers when considering applications for Development Consent Orders for major energy infrastructure. The NPS sets out a number of

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potential effects of renewable energy infrastructure that should be considered and indicates possible mitigation to remove or minimise significant adverse impacts.

Renewable energy projects will only be built where the impacts are, or can be made, acceptable. In relation to biomass sustainability, the Government will be introducing mandatory requirements through the Renewables Obligation and the Renewable Heat Incentive.

Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2013, Official Report, column 371W, on renewable energy, if he will set out the form he envisages the provision for cancellation will take; and under what circumstances the provision for cancellation will be applied. [174664]

Michael Fallon: The draft CfD published in August this year set out the situations in which a CfD might be cancelled. These situations include:

Insolvency of the generator

Non-payment of difference payments

Breach of key obligations

Credit support default

Breach of metering obligations.

We continue to develop these in light of stakeholder feedback and an ongoing analysis of the CfD. The draft CfD and the Explanatory Notes published alongside them (which explain how the clauses in the draft CfD take effect) can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/227071/CfD_contract__amended.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/226888/Final_Form_Explanatory_ Notes_06_08_2013.pdf

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department will publish its response to the consultation on Renewable Heat Incentive: Expanding the non-domestic scheme; and if he will make a statement. [175202]

Gregory Barker: I am currently finalising the details of the expansion of the non-domestic RHI scheme alongside the response to the tariff review consultation, and have committed to confirming the way forward later this autumn.

Sellafield

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department first obtained a copy of the report “The PBO model at Sellafield: Performance to 31 May 2013”, commissioned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority from KPMG; and what factors underpinned the decision of his Department not to make a copy of this report available to (a) the Public Accounts Committee PAC and (b) the National Audit Office prior to the PAC hearing on assurance of reported savings at Sellafield held on 4 November 2013. [175050]

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Michael Fallon: The Department received a copy of the draft KPMG report on 26 July and the final version on 13 September 2013 when they were circulated by the NDA to its Competition Programme Board, on which the Department is represented by the Shareholder Executive, alongside representatives of the Treasury and Infrastructure UK.

The KPMG report provides an independent review of performance during the first five years. It was commissioned by the NDA to inform its decision on contract extension. The report does provide independently collated performance data but does not provide advice to the NDA. The report, its use and disclosure are the responsibility of the NDA.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case. [174996]

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not operate or sponsor any 0845, 0844 or 0843 telephone numbers.

Wind Power

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the recent increases in consumer electricity prices is estimated to be the result of grid reinforcement and system management costs caused by wind power. [174308]

Michael Fallon: Grid reinforcement and system management costs form part of overall network costs which are, in part, charged to energy suppliers and feed through to consumer bills. In announcing the recent price rises, energy suppliers have listed wholesale prices, cost of environmental and social schemes, and network costs as the main drivers for the increases. However, none of them has given proportions to these elements.

There are no data available on the proportions of network costs due to wind power. Most expenditure on network reinforcements benefits more than one type of generation and has multiple purposes. For example, reinforcements are needed to replace ageing assets, to maintain network reliability and to ensure electricity reaches customers throughout the country.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on the Offshore Wind Component Technologies Development and Demonstration scheme. [174328]

Michael Fallon: The DECC-Technology Strategy Board Offshore Wind Component Technologies Development and Demonstration scheme was launched in November 2011 with a budget of up to £15 million to provide grant support for testing and demonstration of devices and innovation in component technologies for large offshore

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wind systems. The scheme is intended to develop technologies which can reduce the cost of offshore wind energy.

Since November 2011, there have been four calls on the scheme and DECC has committed funding of more than £13 million to 17 projects to date. These include projects including: wind turbine generators and drive

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trains; concrete, steel and floating foundations; fabrication techniques; offshore access, subsea cabling and turbine testing. Summary information about the projects which have been announced so far is given in the following table. DECC will announce details of the further projects to be supported by the scheme once the detailed grant offer arrangements have been finalised.

Attorney-General

Antisocial Behaviour Orders: Cleveland

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Attorney-General how many people in the Cleveland Police area were prosecuted for breaches of antisocial behaviour orders in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013 to date. [174966]

The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. Offences of breaching an antisocial behaviour order or interim antisocial behaviour order can be charged under section 1(10) of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. From 1 January 2009 to 7 November 2013, the number of these offences prosecuted by the CPS in Cleveland was as follows:

No central records of the prosecution outcomes of offences are held by the CPS. To obtain details of the number of people prosecuted for these offences would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

Offences against Children

Helen Goodman: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions there have been for the offence of a parent or guardian showing their child obscene material in the years (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [174332]

The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences, in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of cases or defendants prosecuted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.

Offences relating to showing children obscene or indecent material may be prosecuted under section 12 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003which creates an offence of causing a child to watch a sexual act.

The following table shows, in each of the last three years, the number of offences prosecuted for causing a child aged 15 or under to look at an image or to watch sexual activity for the purpose of sexual gratification of the offender.

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It is not possible to disaggregate these figures to show separately the number of offences relating to parents or guardians as opposed to other adults. To do so would require a manual exercise to review individual files and this would attract a disproportionate cost.