Green Deal Scheme

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has received any representations regarding the work of Becoming Green Ltd, with regard to the Green Deal. [175564]

Gregory Barker: The Department has received a number of representations concerning Becoming Green Ltd. The company was authorised as an installer under the Green Deal but voluntarily withdrew from the scheme in May this year.

Office for Unconventional Gas and Oil

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost was of setting up the Office for Unconventional Gas and Oil (OUGO) as at 31 October 2013; how many staff were employed within OUGO on that date; and how many meetings have taken place between staff of OUGO and Ministers in his Department since the issuing of its press notice 13/029 on 20 March 2013. [174947]

Michael Fallon: OUGO was set up within the Department from existing staff. There are presently 9.7 full-time equivalents. Transition costs of setting up the office were covered from existing overhead resources.

DECC Ministers and OUGO staff meet on a very regular basis.

Qualifications

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people employed by his Department hold a (a) bachelor's, (b) master's and (c) PhD-level degree in computer science; and if he will make a statement. [175366]

Gregory Barker: DECC holds details of qualifications only where that qualification was a requirement for the post when it was advertised. These records are held on individual staff files and DECC would incur disproportionate costs in order to obtain the information.

Renewable Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 285, what the evidential basis is for his statement that £31 billion has been invested in clean energy since 2010. [175858]

Gregory Barker: Since 2010, £31.4 billion worth of private sector investment in renewable electricity has been announced.

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These figures are derived by reviewing recorded projects on the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), which is publicly accessible. Only projects over 20 MW, and which have submitted for planning approval since 1 January 2010 or have been determined since then, are included. These are cross-referenced with a range of sources, such as publicly available material and direct contact with developers. Supply chain announcements are not included to avoid double counting.

The REPD database is updated monthly providing a methodical basis for checking the status of each project.

Sellafield

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the decision by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to extend for a further five years the top tier management contract of Nuclear Management Partners for Sellafield; and what discussions his Department held with the NDA in respect of the contract extension prior to it being agreed. [175049]

Michael Fallon: The contract agreed between NDA and NMP in 2008 runs for 17 years. NDA can terminate it at any time, giving 12 months' notice and the contract includes specified points at which overall progress will be reviewed. The decision to continue with the contract, beyond the first review point in 2013-14, was an operational matter for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

The Department has oversight of all NDA activity and given the particular importance of Sellafield, officials have been closely involved throughout. From this we are assured that the NDA reached its decision based on a thorough and independent review of performance in the first period of the contract and consideration of all the options available to it. Ministers have been kept informed and endorsed the NDA Board's decision to extend the contract for a second term.

Visits Abroad

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, his Department has 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. [175476]

Gregory Barker: Cost information is available for all years but it is not possible to establish the number of overseas trips for every year since 2010. The following table shows the data centrally held:

18 Nov 2013 : Column 727W

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of applications for assistance under the warm home discount scheme which were (a) accepted and (b) rejected in 2012-13. [175868]

Gregory Barker: In 2012-13, a total of 1,157,879 pensioners received a core group rebate of £130 under the warm home discount scheme. Of these, 1,079,639 (93%) received the rebate without having to take any action following successful data matching between DWP and participating energy suppliers.

Potential customers who did not receive the rebate automatically were sent a letter asking them to contact a dedicated call centre to confirm their details. There were 78,240 successful claims as a result of this. Inevitably, some people who contacted the call centre were not found to be eligible for the scheme under the rules established through regulations. In 2012-13 there were 14,249 such cases.

We have always ensured that customers of participating energy suppliers who contact the call centre and are found to be ineligible are told they can contact their supplier about potentially receiving a rebate under the broader group element of the warm home discount. This year, customers in private tenure are also given the phone number for the Energy Saving Advice Service to access assistance with heating and insulation measures under ECO Affordable Warmth.

In addition to the core group rebates in 2012-13, 489,494 low income and vulnerable households received a £130 rebate by applying to their energy supplier under the broader group. Suppliers do not report how many people are unsuccessful as part of that process. Furthermore, 966,823 customers received bill support under the legacy spending elements of the scheme.

A full annual report on the operation of warm home discount in 2012-13 has been published by Ofgem and is available at:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/warm-home-discount-annual-report-scheme-year-2

Education

Academies

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many principals academy sponsors replaced in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [175751]

Mr Timpson: Academy trusts are responsible for the appointment of principals in their academies. They do not have to inform the Department for Education of a change of principal, therefore the Department does not hold this information.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many academy sponsors his Department replaced in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [175752]

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Mr Timpson: Since September 2010, the Department's intervention has initiated a change of sponsor in six academies:

(a) In 2010-11, no academy sponsors were replaced;

(b) In 2011-12, the Department's intervention initiated a change of sponsor in two academies;

(c) In 2012-13, the Department's intervention initiated a change of sponsor in one academy;

As of 15 November, three academy sponsors have been replaced in the 2013-14 academic year.

Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list all voluntary-aided academy schools which are currently unable to extend the use of sports or other facilities without incurring a historic VAT liability relating to the construction of their buildings. [175754]

Mr Timpson: When voluntary-aided schools convert to academies they lose their voluntary aided status. There may be instances when governing bodies of voluntary aided schools have entered appropriately into local VAT arrangements with HMRC, which may still exist after the school becomes an academy. Details of those arrangements, if they do exist, are not held centrally.

Academies: Standards

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many academies' performance his Department monitored during (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; [175570]

(2) how many academies' performance his Department currently monitors on academic performance; [175571]

(3) how many academies his Department considered as red-rated in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; [175572]

(4) how many academies his Department currently considers to be red-rated. [175750]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education monitors the performance of all open academies, with a particular focus on those that are below the floor standard, have an inadequate Ofsted judgment or are determined to be at risk of falling below the floor standard or receiving an inadequate Ofsted judgment. In cases of sustained poor academic performance at an academy, Ministers may issue a Warning Notice or Pre-Warning Notice to the relevant trust: These have recently been published on the Department's website¹.

¹https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/improvement-notices- to-academies

Adil Rashid

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to establish the name of the Islamic faith school attended by Mr Adil Rashid. [175542]

Mr Timpson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave in the House on 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 622. I will write to my hon. Friend about a meeting.

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Al-Madinah School

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State for Schools, Official Report, column 890, on Al-Madinah Free School, when he plans to provide an update to the House on the actions taken by his Department to improve Al-Madinah Free School. [175394]

Mr Laws: Lord Nash wrote to the Chair of the Al-Madinah Trust on 8 October, in light of the scale of our concerns, setting out 17 requirements for the Trust to respond. The Trust has now responded to those requirements and the Department is considering carefully those responses. I shall ensure that the House is informed of next steps at the earliest possible opportunity.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish in anonymised form the qualifications held by each member of the teaching staff at the Al-Madinah Free School at the beginning of the current school term. [175402]

Mr Timpson: Lord Nash wrote to the Chair of the Al-Madinah Trust on 8 October, in light of the scale of our concerns, setting out 17 requirements for the Trust to respond, including providing a list of qualifications for staff employed by the Trust. The Trust has now responded to those requirements and the Department is considering carefully those responses. It would be inappropriate to publish any details until the Secretary of State for Education has concluded the next steps in this case.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to close the Al Madinah Free School in Derby. [175848]

Mr Timpson: Lord Nash wrote to the Chair of the Al-Madinah Trust on 8 October, in light of the scale of our concerns, setting out 17 requirements that the Trust must respond to. The Trust has now responded to those requirements and the Department is considering carefully those responses and next steps. It would be inappropriate to go into any further detail at this stage on any of the options available to the Department.

Children and Families Bill

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to bring forward proposals to amend Clause 69 of the Children and Families Bill (HL Bill 32) in relation to the removal of education health and care plans when a child or young person enters a custodial institution. [175843]

Mr Timpson: Clause 70, previously Clause 69, of the Children and Families Bill plays an important function by disapplying duties which would be impractical for a local authority to deliver when a child or young person is in custody. However, as Lord Nash made clear during Grand Committee of the Children and Families Bill in

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the House of Lords on 6 November, we are planning to introduce provisions at Report Stage to improve the support we provide to children and young people in custody with special educational needs. This includes considering how Clause 70 could be amended.

Children in Care

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what the weekly cost of children's homes accommodation is in (a) the private sector, (b) the voluntary sector and (c) local authority-run accommodation; [175329]

(2) how many children's homes are run by (a) the private sector, (b) the voluntary sector and (c) the local authority. [175330]

Mr Timpson: Information about the costs and number of children's homes in England for looked after children can be found in the Children's Homes Data Pack published by the Department for Education in September 2013¹. The average amount spent by local authorities on their own provision is £4,135 per child per week. The average amount spent on private or voluntary provision is £3,860 per child per week. Separate information on the average cost of provision by voluntary and privately run homes is not readily available.

In 31 March 2013, 1,718 children's homes were on the Ofsted register. Of these, 371 (22%) were local authority run and 1,347 (78%) were in the private and voluntary sector. Separate information on the homes in the private and voluntary sector is not readily available.

¹http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/c/childrens%20 homes%20data%20pack%202013.pdf

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many children's homes run by local authorities are in use in England; and how many there were in each of the last five years; [175717]

(2) how many private and voluntary run children's homes there are in England; and how many there were in each of the last five years. [175718]

Mr Timpson: The answers to these questions are provided in the table.

The data on the numbers of children's homes include information about residential special schools that are registered as children's homes.

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Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time equivalent posts are there currently in his Department involved with child protection, broken down by responsibility and grade. [175668]

Mr Timpson: Within the Department, the children’s social care policy family is responsible for developing policy to protect and support the most vulnerable children in society, including those at risk of harm and those in care.

As at end of September 2013, the following staff worked in children’s social care policy family:

These figures include staff who are away from the office on maternity leave or on other forms of long-term leave.

Staff are deployed using a flexible working model meaning they frequently work on more than one project at a time, moving around portfolios according to business need. It is not therefore possible to provide a list of responsibilities on a grade by grade basis.

In addition, there are staff working on issues related to safeguarding in a range of settings, including schools and early years, working in different parts of the Department. It is not possible to disaggregate these figures.

Children's Centres

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Sure Start children's centres have closed in each of the last six years. [174419]

Elizabeth Truss: Seven children's centres closed in 2011, 22 in 2012 and 20 in 2013. Other centres have opened during this time. Only 1.3% of children's centres have closed; there are still more than 3,000 across the country, as well as 2,240 linked sites.

Conditions of Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many direct employees and contracted workers of his Department and its arm's 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. [174975]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education and its executive agencies have no directly employed staff paid below the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. External contractors providing services

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to the Department have confirmed that 126 staff are paid under the living wage. All contracted staff are paid above the minimum wage.

The Department has no direct employees on zero hours contracts.

The Department does not hold relevant data for Ofsted, Ofqual or the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). I have asked Lorraine Langham, chief operating officer of Ofsted, Glenys Stracey, chief executive of Ofqual,

and Anthony Douglas, chief executive of CAFCASS, to write with the information requested.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many times and on what dates a Minister from his Department has attended the inter-ministerial group on Violence against Women and Girls since it was set up. [175719]

Mr Timpson: A Minister from the Department for Education has attended eight of the 11 meetings of this group since it first met on 21 July 2010.

A Minister was present at meetings on 21 July 2010, 19 October 2010, 9 February 2011, 19 October 2011, 14 December 2011, 14 March 2012, 1 November 2012 and 4 June 2013.

When Ministers were unable to attend meetings on 15 December 2010 and 6 February 2013, a senior departmental official attended.

The meeting on 14 June 2011 was the only meeting where the Department was not represented.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with Ofsted on carrying out a thematic inspection of schools in order to report on how they address violence against women and girls; and if he will make a statement. [175744]

Mr Timpson: Ministers have not had any recent discussions with Ofsted about a thematic inspection to report on how schools address violence against women and girls.

When evaluating the leadership and management of a school, inspectors consider the safeguarding arrangements in place to ensure that all pupils are safe. Ofsted guidance to inspectors on behaviour and safety issues asks them to consider how effectively the school addresses bullying and harassment, including prejudice-based bullying related to sex, and other issues such as discriminatory and derogatory language.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many young people received the education maintenance allowance in each of the last three years of the scheme's existence in each region. [174435]

Mr Laws: The education maintenance allowance (EMA) was replaced in 2011/12 by the 16-19 Bursary Fund. The decision to remove the EMA was made because it was a poorly targeted scheme. Research commissioned

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by the previous Government showed that although 45% of 16 to 18-year-olds in education received EMA, only one in 10 in fact relied on it to stay in education. In these difficult times, therefore, it was not possible to justify spending £560 million a year on EMA. That is why we introduced the 16-19 Bursary Fund, which targets financial support towards the young people who need it most.

The numbers of young people in receipt of EMA for the last three years of the scheme's existence in each region are shown in the following table.

The lower take-up shown in 2011/12 is because of the introduction of the 16-19 Bursary Fund in that year. Eligible new starters would have received a bursary instead and only continuing students would have received EMA.

Data are not yet available on how many students received the Bursary Fund in 2012/13.

EU Law

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education to which EU directives within his Department's areas of responsibility the Government have formally opted into in each financial year since May 2010; on what dates each such directive was signed; and if he will make a statement. [175490]

Matthew Hancock: There have been no EU directives within the Department for Education's area of responsibility since May 2010.

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what EU Directives within his Department's areas of responsibility have come into force without the need for an opt-in decision in each financial year since May 2010; on what dates each such directive came into force; and if he will make a statement. [175511]

Matthew Hancock: No EU directives within the Department for Education's area of responsibility have come into force since May 2010.

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many surplus places exist in free schools. [170943]

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Mr Timpson: The most recent data available relates to the position in the first 24 free schools at 1 May 2012. These show that, just 8 months after these schools opened, 3,844 places were filled with 434 places unfilled. The proportion of places that were unfilled in free schools was lower than the proportion of places that were unfilled in local authority controlled schools at that time (10.1% vs. 10.7%).

More recently, proposer groups have self-reported that free schools have proved incredibly popular with parents; those open at the start of the 2012/13 academic year received an average of three applicants per place for this September.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the level of (a) planned and (b) actual expenditure was on free schools in each year since their introduction. [174508]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education's policy is to provide each free school proposer group with a revenue grant to cover essential costs incurred in bringing their free school online. For the first two years of the programme, grants were set for each proposer group following discussion with officials, so varied from group to group. From the third year of the programme, flat rate grants were introduced for all groups opening mainstream schools, to improve efficiency and reduce costs. The pre and post-opening grant allocations made to free schools opening in 2011 and 2012 have already been published.¹ Allocations for schools opening in 2013 will be published once these have been finalised.

Capital funding to establish free schools is also agreed according to the needs of each project, following a value for money assessment. Spend on capital projects are published as they are finalised, the current position is set out on the Department's website.²

Free schools are funded on an equivalent basis to other academies. Details of the funding allocated to free schools opening in 2011 and 2012 for 2012/13 have already been published.³

We set out funding allocations to free schools and academies annually on the Department's website. The figures for 2013/14 will be published when they are finalised next year.

¹ http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/xlsx/f/free%20schools %20revenue%20expenditure_002.xlsx

² http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/xls/l/130530%20capital %20funding%20for%20free%20schools.xls

³http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financial management/efafundingfinance/b00212650/funding/pre-16-funding-allocations-201213

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/funding/fundinga/b00204972/16-19-allocations

Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) location and (b) ownership is of all free schools that have been approved to date; and what public funds each has received. [174778]

Mr Timpson: 174 free schools have opened since 2011. A further 116 free schools have been approved and are due to open in 2014 and beyond. Published location information for all of these schools is available on the Department for Education's website.¹

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Free schools, like all academies, are run by academy trusts which are companies limited by guarantee with charitable status. The academy trust is the proprietor of the school and is the employer of staff and, in most cases, owns the legal interest in the land.

Free schools are funded on an equivalent basis to other academies. Details of the funding allocated to free schools opening in 2011 and 2012 for 2012/13 have already been published.²

We set out funding allocations to free schools and academies annually on the Department's website. The figures for 2013/14 will be published when they are finalised next year.

¹ http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesof schools/freeschools/b00222175/open

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/freeschools/b00222077/pre-opening

² http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financial management/efafundingfinance/b00212650/funding/pre-16-funding-allocations-201213

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/funding/fundinga/b00204972/16-19-allocations

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of free schools he expects to fail. [174953]

Mr Timpson: The Department does not make such forecasts.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what powers his Department has to direct that a free school be closed. [175319]

Mr Timpson: The powers of the Secretary of State for Education to intervene in a free school are specified in the funding agreement between the Secretary of State and the academy trust running the school.

Free school and academy funding agreements are published on the Department for Education's website once the school has opened.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) when was his Department was first made aware that the Al-Madinah Free School (a) had appointed staff who did not have appropriate qualifications and experience, (b) operated without a designated principal in the summer of 2012, (c) was not meeting safeguarding requirements, (d) had not identified which of its pupils had special educational needs and (e) was delivering an unacceptably poor standard of education; [175400]

(2) whether any free school other than the Al-Madinah Free School (a) has appointed staff who do not have appropriate qualifications and experience, (b) operate without a designated principal, (c) is not meeting safeguarding requirements, (d) has not identified which of its pupils have special educational needs and (e) is delivering an unacceptably poor standard of education. [175401]

Mr Timpson: I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Tristram Hunt), on 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 225W and 7 November 2013, Official Report, column 336W.

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Free Schools: Chester

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects his lawyers to complete and sign the lease on the University Cathedral Preschool at Chester. [175356]

Mr Timpson: Lawyers for the University Cathedral Free School Trust are still awaiting a key document and agreement on terms from the landlord. As soon as those documents are received and agreed by the lawyers acting on behalf of the Trust then the agreement for lease can be completed.

Free Schools: Poole

Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on opening a free school in Poole constituency. [175345]

Mr Timpson: My right hon. Friend receives many representations about proposals to open new free schools. There have, to date, been no applications to open a free school in the Poole constituency and no representations.

Further Education

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many visits he has made in his official capacity to further education colleges since May 2010; and what the (a) date and (b) location was of each such visit. [175909]

Matthew Hancock: A comprehensive list of visits made to further education colleges by the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) since May 2010 is not held centrally. The Secretary of State takes every opportunity to engage directly with college leaders and other representatives on key aspects of vocational education.

Further Education: Hampshire

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students in (a) Portsmouth South constituency and (b) Hampshire received financial assistance towards the cost of attending further education in each of the last four academic years. [175598]

Mr Laws: Management information is not routinely collected on the numbers of recipients of the 16-19 Bursary Fund, which is the main source of financial assistance for students in 16-19 education. The 16-19 Bursary Fund is separated into Discretionary Bursary Funding and Vulnerable Bursaries. Schools and colleges receive allocations of Discretionary Bursary Funding and make awards to individual students whom they have assessed against their own scheme criteria.

Further Education: Merseyside

Mr Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students in (a) St Helens local authority area and (b) Merseyside received financial assistance towards the cost of attending further education in each of the last four academic years. [175336]

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Mr Laws: Management information is not routinely collected on the numbers of recipients of the 16-19 Bursary Fund, which is the main source of financial assistance for students in 16-19 education. The 16-19 Bursary Fund is separated into discretionary bursary funding and vulnerable bursaries. Schools and colleges receive allocations of discretionary bursary funding and make awards to individual students whom they have assessed against their own scheme criteria.

Further Education: St Helens

Mr Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average amount of financial assistance received by pupils in St Helens local authority area towards the cost of attending further education was in each of the last four academic years. [175335]

Mr Laws: Management information is not routinely collected on the numbers of recipients of the 16-19 Bursary Fund, which is the main source of financial assistance for students in 16-19 education. The 16-19 Bursary Fund is separated into discretionary bursary funding and vulnerable bursaries. Schools and colleges receive allocations of discretionary bursary funding and make awards to individual students whom they have assessed against their own scheme criteria.

Kings Science Academy

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what discussions his Department had with the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau on that body's decision not to proceed with an investigation into fraud allegations at Kings Science Academy, Bradford reported to the his Department on 5 September 2013; [175192]

(2) whether his Department provided Action Fraud with a full and unredacted internal audit report on Kings Science Academy, Bradford after April 2013. [175193]

Mr Timpson: The Department contacted Action Fraud to inquire about progress on 5 September 2013. Action Fraud then wrote to the Department to say the case had been assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau who had determined there should be no further action.

The Department followed all correct procedures in reporting this incident. Action Fraud has apologised to the Department for an administrative error on their part, which saw the case filed as an information report rather than a crime report. The Department was informed of this error by Action Fraud on 1 November 2013. A police investigation is consequently now under way. The Department is co-operating fully with their inquiries and has provided the police with an unredacted copy of the investigation report.

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what caused his Department to contact Action Fraud on 5 September 2013 regarding Kings Science Academy in Bradford. [175303]

18 Nov 2013 : Column 738W

Mr Timpson: The Department contacted Action Fraud to enquire about progress on 5 September. Action Fraud then wrote to the Department to say the case had been assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau who had determined there should be no further action.

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) for what reasons the full and unredacted audit report by his Department into Kings Science Academy, Bradford, was not passed to Action Fraud for assessment in September 2013; [175403]

(2) whether his Department requested that Action Fraud meet police officers to brief them following his Department's contact with Action Fraud in April 2013 on allegations of fraud at Kings Science Academy, Bradford; [175405]

(3) whether his Department requested that Action Fraud meet police officers to discuss with them why the police had decided not to proceed with an investigation in September 2013; [175406]

(4) for what reasons the full and unredacted audit report by his Department into Kings Science Academy, Bradford, was not passed to Action Fraud for assessment in April 2013. [175413]

Mr Timpson: The matter was referred to Action Fraud by the Department for Education on 25 April 2013. The Department supplied Action Fraud with all the critical information in the investigation report and all the information they requested. Action Fraud did not request a copy of the report.

The Economic Crime Unit of West Yorkshire police was also contacted on 25 April. They confirmed that the Department had taken the correct action in referring the matter to Action Fraud.

Action Fraud wrote to the Department on 5 September to state that the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau had assessed the case but determined not to progress the case further.

It is the responsibility of Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau to decide when it is appropriate for them to meet with police officers.

Action Fraud subsequently notified the Department on 1 November that the information provided had been wrongly classified as an information report rather than a crime report. This error has been rectified by Action Fraud and West Yorkshire police have confirmed they are now investigating. The Department is co-operating fully with their inquiries and has provided the West Yorkshire police with an unredacted copy of the investigation report, on their request.

Action Fraud has apologised to the Department for this error.

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether the lease agreement negotiated with Knight Frank representing the Hartley Group property division for the land which has become the permanent site of Kings Science Academy, Bradford is priced at cost; [175430]

18 Nov 2013 : Column 739W

(2) what change in rent offered for the land owned by the Hartley Group which has become the permanent site of Kings Science Academy, Bradford there has been between its current and previous tenants; [175431]

(3) what assessment of the state of buildings and their lettable potential on the site has become the permanent site of Kings Science Academy, Bradford was made before his Department entered negotiations over the future rent and other lease arrangements of this land with Knight Frank representing the Hartley Group property division; [175432]

(4) what other sites his Department considered for the permanent site of Kings Science Academy, Bradford; [175438]

(5) how long the negotiations were between his Department and Knight Frank representing the Hartley Group property division concerning the lease agreement for the site of Kings Science Academy, Bradford. [175439]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education held initial discussions about the site for Kings Science Academy with Knight Frank in September 2010. Discussions and negotiations continued until the lease for the Hartley Business Park, Northside Road, Bradford, was entered into in March 2012. During negotiations Kings Science Academy and the Department were represented and advised by property, legal and technical professionals.

Kings Science Academy is paying annual rent of £296,960; £2.27 per square foot. An independent report and valuation commissioned by the Department confirmed this as the market rent for the leasehold interest of the site. The valuation reported details of the rent paid by the then tenants on the site. These ranged from £2.77 per square foot to £2.88 per square foot. A further unit was under offer at £3.00 per square foot.

A comprehensive site search was undertaken focussing on the Lidget Green area of Bradford. This established that there were no suitable vacant premises or surplus land in public ownership. The search did, however, identify nine privately owned sites that were available at the time. These were subject to an options appraisal, which concluded that Hartley Business Park was the preferred site, on the basis of location, size, suitability and cost.

The Department's technical advisers first visited the Hartley Business Park to assess its suitability as a site for Kings Science Academy on 27 August 2010. Further visits were undertaken over the following two months to assess the nature and condition of the existing building and to determine the necessary construction work and funding required. External technical consultants were also appointed to carry out a detailed feasibility study. The detailed feasibility work was undertaken between September 2010 and January 2011.

Languages: Poole

Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students chose to take a modern foreign language at (a) GCSE, (b) AS level and (c) A2 level in Poole constituency in each of the last five years for which information is available. [175308]

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Mr Laws: The requested information for GCSE and A level has been provided in the following table. AS level figures can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The English Baccalaureate is reversing years of decline in language learning at secondary school with the proportion of pupils sitting a language GCSE in England this summer reaching a seven year high.

Priority School Building Programme

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have successfully applied for the Priority School Building programme; and in how many schools which have successfully applied for the Primary School Building programme building work has started. [175569]

Mr Laws: This Government are spending £18 billion on school buildings, more than the last Government's first two Parliaments combined. Over 280 schools have been built or refurbished under this Government—projects where construction started after May 2010 and the schools are now open.

Before building works can begin, plans must be drawn up, contracts negotiated and planning permission secured.

Under Building Schools for the Future (BSF) it took three years from first planning for building works to begin. We have cut this to one year under the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP).

Planning work has started with over 200 of the 261 schools in the PSBP, of which construction has started on 12 schools. Had this Government continued with the BSF arrangements, none of these projects would have started yet and it would have been another 18 months before construction began.

We are on track to complete all PSPB schools by the end of 2017. This is two years earlier than was planned when the programme was announced.

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Private Education

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the level of (a) planned and (b) actual expenditure was on former fee paying schools which have become (i) free schools and (ii) academies in each of the last three years. [175222]

Mr Timpson: There is no specific budget for fee paying schools to convert to the state sector. Each application is considered on its merits. Once converted, the funding arrangements for each school are set out in the funding agreements, published on the Department's website.

14 former fee paying schools have converted to academy status over the past three academic years, 11 becoming free schools. They are funded on the same basis as other academies and equivalent to other local authority schools in the area.

Most of these schools received the standard project development grant of £25,000 given to mainstream schools to support them with the costs of conversion, although four received more. All grants agreed since May 2010 are significantly smaller than the level of grants paid to independent schools moving into the state sector prior to May 2010. Between 2007 and 2010, project development grants given to converting independent schools ranged from £620,000 to as high as £1.7 million.

In some cases, the Department for Education has also agreed to fund the existing debts of predecessor schools by securing a charge against the assets such as land and buildings. Consistent with the approach under the previous Government, some projects have also been provided with a contribution towards capital funding for the creation of new places.

Public Expenditure

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the children and families budget was in real terms in each of the last four years. [174503]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education does not have a single ‘children and families' budget and the vast majority of its funding relates to work with children and families, whether that is funding for schools, adoption, early years or special educational needs.

Pupils: Bullying

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to help teachers and parents prevent bullying in schools. [175479]

Elizabeth Truss: All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. It is up to schools to develop their own specific strategies to prevent bullying, as they are best placed to do so in the context of their pupils' needs and Ofsted holds them to account for their effectiveness. Under the current Ofsted framework, introduced in 2012, school inspectors consider how well they prevent bullying, harassment and discrimination.

We have strengthened teachers' powers to discipline pupils for, poor behaviour, which includes bullying. They can now issue same day detentions, confiscate

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banned items, search for and, if necessary, delete inappropriate images on mobile phones which might be linked to cyberbullying.

The Department provides schools with advice on preventing and tackling bullying with links to several anti-bullying organisations on its website for specific advice. In addition, we are providing £4 million of funding over two years from spring 2013 to four organisations: Beatbullying, The Diana Award, Kidscape and NCB, to develop effective strategies to prevent and tackle bullying.

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to provide support for victims of bullying. [175607]

Elizabeth Truss: It is important that schools have measures in place to prevent bullying from happening in the first place, tackle it quickly when it does occur, and provide pastoral support to the victim, particularly to address any psychological or emotional distress.

All schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent bullying, which they are free to develop according to the context of the school. They are held to account for their effectiveness by Ofsted. Since January 2012, inspectors have considered pupils' freedom from bullying, harassment and discrimination.

When bullying does occur, schools have an important role to play in supporting the well-being of their pupils, initially through their in-school pastoral support system. This might involve counselling, peer-to-peer mentoring, buddying and mediation.

Under the Children Act 1989, a bullying incident should be addressed as a child protection concern where there is:

‘reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm'.

Where this is the case, the school staff should report their concerns to their local authority's children's social care team. Even where safeguarding is not considered an issue, schools may need to draw on a range of external services to support the pupil who is experiencing bullying.

The Government are providing £4 million of funding over two years to anti-bullying organisations, including Beatbullying, the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children's Bureau (NCB) to develop strategies to prevent bullying and provide remedial support to victims of bullying. The Diana Award, for example, is providing training to 10,000 young people to act as anti-bullying ambassadors who, among other things, will provide peer-to-peer support to victims of bullying. Likewise the NCB is providing support to young people with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities in around 900 schools, which include measures to develop support and advice for victims of bullying and their families.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will rank all state-funded secondary schools in England in order of the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals, including the school type and local authority. [175629]

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Mr Laws: The information requested has been placed in the House Library.

Qualifications

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people employed by his Department hold a (a) bachelor's, (b) master's and (c) PhD-level degree in computer science; and if he will make a statement. [175365]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not hold information on staff qualifications by subject area or level.

Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to his oral answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 638, how many new local authority schools were set up in the period to which he referred. [175813]

Mr Timpson: Lord Nash wrote to Baroness Jones on 7 November 2013 setting out the detail on this issue. A copy of his letter has been placed in the House Library.

Schools: Admissions

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reason the adoption of a child from a Scottish local authority is not taken into account for school admissions in England; for what reasons the adoption of a child from an English local authority is taken into account for such admissions; and if he will make a statement. [175899]

Mr Timpson: School admission authorities have been required to give looked-after children highest priority for admission since 2006. A looked-after child is defined in the Children Act 1989 as one who is in the care of, or provided with accommodation by, an English or Welsh local authority.

In February 2012, we extended this priority to children who have been looked after but were adopted, or became subject to a residence or special guardianship order. To qualify for this priority, adopted children must have been adopted under the terms of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. As this Act only applies to England and Wales, children adopted in Scotland will not qualify.

We made this change to ensure that looked after children do not lose their priority for admission once they are adopted, and to remove the perverse incentive on adoptive parents to delay adoption until the child has been admitted to school.

However, school admission authorities may, if they wish, give priority for admission to children with a particular social or medical need. It would therefore be possible for a child adopted in Scotland to be given priority for admission to an English school for other reasons.

Schools: Mailing Lists

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether charities, social sector organisations, private companies or any other external organisations

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are given access by his Department to any group mailing lists for schools in

(a)

England and

(b)

the rest of the UK. [175298]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has shared schools' e-mail addresses with: The Schools Network, Freedom and Autonomy for Schools—National Association (FASNA), the Independent Academies Association (IAA), the Examination Officers' Association, Teachers' Pensions (Capita) and Ofsted.

In addition, school e-mail addresses held on EduBase are subject to disclosure and have been released in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI).

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what methods his Department uses to issue group communications to schools in (a) England and (b) the rest of the UK. [175300]

Elizabeth Truss: To issue e-mail communications to schools in England, the Department for Education uses mass-mailing software and its executive agencies use a Customer Relationship Management system. The DfE is not responsible for schools in the rest of the UK.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department holds and uses a group email mailing list for all (a) schools in England, (b) secondary schools in England and (c) primary schools in England. [175301]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not hold e-mail lists for schools. The Department uses the databases of schools it holds and creates a mailing list of the relevant schools when it needs to communicate with them via email.

Schools: Playing Fields

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, column 513W, on schools: playing fields, in which publications the figure of 2,540 was reported; and on what dates such reports were made. [175749]

Mr Laws: The figure of 2,540—or 26 sites a month—was reported by The Daily Telegraph (“Scandal of the vanishing playing fields”), The Guardian (“Association calculates ‘shameful' loss of playing fields”) and the Daily Mail (“Half of school playing fields lost in 13 years”) on 1 August 2005, and the Daily Express (“Losing the battle for our playing fields”) on 2 August 2005.

Secondary Education: Standards

Mr Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of secondary schools were rated (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) satisfactory and (d) inadequate by Ofsted in their most recent inspection in (i) the UK, (ii) East Anglia and (iii) South Suffolk constituency. [175623]

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Mr Laws: This is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Sir Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many private sector employees have been seconded by the private sector to his Department; what the name was of the company from which they were seconded; and whether any of those employees have worked on drafting legislation. [175649]

Elizabeth Truss: According to centrally held records, since 1 January 2011, the Department for Education has seconded in six private sector employees. The organisations from which they were seconded were PricewaterhouseCoopers (2), Veale Wasbrough Vizards (2), Browne Jacobsen and Dickinson Dees. None of these employees were involved in drafting legislation.

Shannon Matthews

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reason he has yet to publish the Serious Case Review into the Shannon Matthews case; and when he will announce whether it will not be published. [175667]

Mr Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) agreed with the former Children’s Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) that the Government would not pursue publication of the Kirklees Serious Case Review.

Special Educational Needs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many special educational needs co-ordinators there are in (a) England, (b) the west midlands and (c) Birmingham; and how many there were in each of the last five years. [175715]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold complete data on the number of Special Educational Needs Coordinators employed by all state-funded schools. Although the annual School Workforce Census does enable schools to report to the Department that they employ staff especially for this role, it is not a mandatory requirement that they do so.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to expand the use of special educational needs co-ordinators in English schools. [175716]

Mr Timpson: All maintained schools are required to have a qualified Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO)—this requirement will not change. Since 2009 we have funded over 10,000 new SENCOs to achieve the master's level SENCO award and will support a further 800 places on this award in 2013/14.

The draft special educational needs (SEN) Code of Practice emphasises the importance of the role of the

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SENCO and sets out clear guidance on the key responsibilities it should have in developing SEN policy and coordination of provision to support individual children with SEN.

Special Educational Needs: Greater London

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will rank all mainstream London secondary state schools by the proportion of students with (a) statements of special educational needs and (b) non-statutory special needs. [175630]

Mr Timpson: The underlying data in the Statistical First Release (SFR), “Special educational needs in England: January 2013”¹, show the breakdown by school and region of the total number of pupils in each school and the number of children with statements of special educational needs and non-statutory special needs. A copy of this SFR has been placed in the House Library.

¹ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-educational -needs-in-england-january-2013

Teachers: Qualifications

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many foreign qualified teachers were teaching in England in each of the last five years. [175270]

Mr Laws: Information on the numbers of foreign qualified teachers working in schools in England is not collected by the Department.

Teachers: Training

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of School Direct allocations for academic year 2013-14 have been filled; and what proportion of School Direct allocations for academic year 2014-15 he expects to be filled. [174890]

Mr Laws: The Department allocated 9,600 School Direct (SD) places for training commencing in 2013/14. Early information based on published acceptance data¹ indicated that 6,370 applicants had accepted a training place. Allocations are not targets and should not be seen as such—this year as in previous years, we over-allocated initial teacher training places above the numbers of trainees required overall.

The actual number of new entrants on a training programme on the census date and the expected number to start a programme in 2013/14 will be published in a statistical first release on 26 November 2013.

¹ http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/careers/trainingand development/b00205704/school-direct

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many postgraduate certificate in education courses have closed since 2010; and how many teacher trainees were accepted in 2009-10 onto courses that have closed since 2010. [175023]

Mr Laws: The Department does not hold this information.

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Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of schools that recruited through School Direct in 2012-13 for trainees to start in 2013 were (a) not rated outstanding in their most recent Ofsted inspection and (b) not partnered with lead schools that were rated outstanding by Ofsted in their most recent inspection. [175025]

Mr Laws: 788 lead schools and academy chains were allocated School Direct places in 2013/14. Of these, 19 did not have an inspection grade at the time that final allocations were published. This is because they were either a new school or an academy chain.

Of the 769 lead schools that had inspection grades as published by Ofsted, 440 were graded outstanding for overall effectiveness in their last inspection.

The Department for Education does not hold information about the schools that have partnered with lead schools for the delivery of School Direct.

Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in Poole constituency are involved in the Schools Direct programme. [175343]

Mr Laws: The latest period for which initial teacher training (ITT) allocation data are available is for the 2013-14 academic year and can be found in the ITT allocations 2013-14 released in November 2012. One lead school in Poole constituency has received School Direct places for 2013-14, Poole high school. Poole high school is a lead school for School Direct and their accredited provider is Wessex Schools Training Partnership School Centred Initial Teacher Training which is based at the school.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) does not hold data on schools within a partnership. This means that although only one lead school in the Poole constituency has received an allocation for 2013-14 other schools in the Poole constituency may be involved in School Direct through partnerships with lead schools in other constituencies.

NCTL will publish a full list of the places allocated for the academic year 2014-15 by lead school and ITT provider in due course.

¹ ITT allocations 2013/14 (November 2012):

http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/xlsx/i/itt%20place%20allocations%20for%20ay%20201314_002.xlsx

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure the sustainability of higher education institution providers of initial teacher training. [175545]

Mr Laws: Universities continue to play a lead role in initial teacher training. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are expected to be involved in 82% of all teacher training places for 2014-15.

As well as 22,900 provider places provisionally allocated to HEIs for the academic year 2014-15, they are also in partnership with schools to deliver seven out of 10 School Direct places, for which they receive funding.

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There are many strong partnerships in place between schools and HEIs, with HEIs providing in-depth subject knowledge and access to research, and schools providing rich placements and opportunities to partner trainees with outstanding teachers.

This provides opportunities for HEIs to maintain or even increase their market share of ITT if they deliver programmes schools want, and work with them to establish high-quality and sustainable courses.

Many HEI providers have already significantly increased their ITT places due to their engagement with School Direct.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of School Direct allocations for 2014-15 he expects to be filled. [175546]

Mr Laws: Allocations are not targets and should not be seen as such—this year as in previous years, we over-allocated initial teacher training places above the numbers of trainees required overall.

The actual number of new entrants on a training programme on the census date and the expected number to start a programme in 2013-14 will be published in a statistical first release on 26 November 2013.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in Portsmouth South constituency are involved in the Schools Direct programme. [175558]

Mr Laws: The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) holds identifying information on all lead schools allocated School Direct places for the 2013/14 academic year. The NCTL does not hold data on schools within a partnership. One lead school in the Portsmouth South constituency has received an allocation for 2013/14 and other schools in the Portsmouth South constituency may be involved in School Direct through partnership with this lead school or lead schools in other constituencies.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 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. [174995]

Elizabeth Truss: We inherited from the previous government three “non-geographic” telephone lines with the prefix 0845, which charged callers at premium rates. This Government have ensured an alternative 0300 number is available, which costs no more than a national call to an 01 or 02 number and counts towards any inclusive minutes in a caller's telephone contract. This Government are also phasing out these three lines and implementing replacement numbers with an 03 prefix. In addition, all new public facing numbers are now either 01, 02, 03 or freephone 080 numbers.

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No telephone lines with the prefix 0844 or 0843 are currently in use, or have been used in the last 12 months.

The following table shows the 0845 lines currently in use, along with the number of calls made to each over the last 12 months and, for comparison, over 2009-10:

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University Technical Colleges

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the university technical colleges operating in the 2012-13 academic year; and how many (a) 14, (b) 15, (c) 16, (d) 17 and (e) 18 year-olds have enrolled at each such college. [173823]

Mr Timpson: In the 2012-13 academic year, five university technical colleges (UTC) were operating. The following tables show the pupil numbers by year group (year groups 10 to 13) in UTCs operating in the 2012-13 academic year in England.

Vocational Training

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many young people have started the 16-19 traineeship programme since its inception; [175908]

(2) how many and what proportion of young people who have started the 16-19 traineeship programme have enrolled at an educational training provider to undertake the English and mathematics component of the programme. [175910]

Matthew Hancock: Data on young people starting traineeships are not yet available. The first data on traineeship starts will be published by the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills at the end of January 2014 in the Statistical First Release, “Further Education and Skills: Learner Participation, Outcomes and Level of Highest Qualification Held”.¹

¹ http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current/

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what financial penalties and other obligations are in place upon providers of the 16-19 traineeship programme to ensure that young people undertake the English and mathematics component. [175922]

Matthew Hancock: Funding conditions on the provision of English and mathematics are laid out in the Education Funding Agency's (EFA) guidance to 16-19 providers. This guidance is for all study programmes, including traineeships. There is a clear policy commitment that the teaching of English and mathematics will become a condition of funding with effect from September 2014.

The EFA is monitoring provider delivery in 2013 to 2014 and is issuing reports where a provider's data indicates that a student should have been offered English and mathematics, but no such provision is in evidence. An advisory note is issued to say that if this occurs in the next academic year (beginning 1 August 2014) the provider will have breached the condition of funding and will lose funding for the trainee.

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Written Questions: Government Responses

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to answer question 170943 from the hon. Member for Cardiff West, tabled on 10 October 2013 for answer on 15 October 2013, on surplus places in free schools. [175804]

Mr Timpson: I have answered the hon. Member's question today.

Young Offender Institutions: Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what education providers provide services in young offender institutions. [175582]

Mr Laws: Three education and training providers hold contracts with the Education Funding Agency to deliver learning and skills in the public sector under-18 Young Offender Institutions. They are The Manchester College, Action for Employment (A4e) and CfBT Education Trust.

Four education and training providers hold contracts with the Skills Funding Agency to deliver learning and skills in the public sector Young Offender Institutions for 18 to 21-year-olds. They are The Manchester College, Action for Employment (A4e), Milton. Keynes College and Weston College.

Home Department

Asylum: Bedford

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum legacy cases in Bedford constituency are outstanding. [175313]

Mr Harper: As of 11 November 2013, there are 37 persons within the Older Live Cases Unit—Asylum Legacy Cohort that have outstanding cases and are recorded as living in the Bedford constituency.

The information has been provided from local management information and has not been quality- assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

Asylum: Syria

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many resettlement places have been made available to Syrian refugees in the UK as part of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Syria resettlement and humanitarian admission programme; and what information her Department holds on how many such places have been made available to Syrian refugees in (a) Australia, (b) Austria, (c) Canada, (d) Finland, (e) Germany, (f) France, (g) Norway, (h) Sweden and (i) the US. [175705]

Mr Harper: The Government share the deep concerns regarding the continuing humanitarian crisis in Syria. However, the Government have no current plans to resettle Syrian refugees either as part of, or in addition

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to, its annual resettlement quota. We continue to believe that the priority should be to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced people in partnership with neighbouring countries and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. The UK has now increased its pledge for the Syrian relief effort to £500 million. This represents the UK's largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis.

The Government do not hold comprehensive information about the resettlement or humanitarian places which other states may set aside in response to the crisis in Syria, which is a matter for their respective Governments to determine.

Breathalysers: Scotland

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when equipment in Scotland to test alcohol levels in drivers will be recalibrated in line with the Scottish Government's new legal limit of 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. [175149]

Damian Green: The testing of devices required for the reduction in the prescribed breath/alcohol limit in Scotland will be completed by the end of September 2014.

Domestic Violence

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many domestic homicide reviews have been undertaken since April 2011; and in how many such cases (a) the perpetrator had an alcohol misuse problem or was drinking at or around the time of the fatal attack and (b) was known to health services as having a mental health problem. [175130]

Norman Baker: Since the introduction of domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) in April 2011 we have had 169 notifications that a review is being conducted.

It is difficult to isolate individual factors from the complex range of circumstances that precede a domestic homicide, and we do not hold the information requested. However the latest published crime survey figures show that 21% of victims of partner abuse report that the offender was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the abuse, and 10% of victims reported that they were under the influence of alcohol at the time.

We will shortly be publishing a ‘lessons learned’ document, identifying the key issues that arise in Domestic Homicide Reviews.

Entry Clearances

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visitor visas were issued in each of the last five years; and how many holders of such visas over-stayed. [174735]

Mr Harper [holding answer 8 November 2013]: The information requested on visitor visas issued is provided in the following table:

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The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visitor visas issued are published in the release Immigration Statistics April to June 2013, table B.04, which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department's website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

In regards to the number of visitors who have overstayed their visa, the Home Office is not able to provide this information. It is not possible to accurately quantify the number of immigration offenders in the UK as by their very nature 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.

The Home Office continues to prevent abuse, pursue offenders and increase compliance with immigration law—our Immigration Compliance and Enforcement teams across the UK target illegal migrants who have no right to live and work in the community.

EU Institutions

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. [173766]

James Brokenshire: Home Office Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of individuals and organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of travel and meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website at:

http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many times the UK has (a) received information from and (b) provided information to other EU member states as a result of Article 16 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA in each of the last five years; and what importance in preventing terrorism such information had in each case; [172087]

(2) how many times UK officers have been provided with protection and assistance by another EU member state as a result of Article 20 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA in each of the last five years; and what the substance and effect of this protection and assistance was in each case; [172088]

(3) how many times the UK has provided officers of another EU member state with protection and assistance as a result of Article 20 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA in each of the last five years; and what the substance and effect of this protection and assistance was in each case; [172095]

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(4) how many times the UK has (a) received assistance from and (b) provided assistance to one or more other EU member state as a result of Article 18 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA in each of the last five years; and what role such assistance played in each case in preventing crime and disorder; [172096]

(5) how many joint operations have been conducted in the UK in each of the last five years pursuant to Article 17 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA; how many officers and officials of other EU member states, and from which member states, took part in each such operation; and what the aims and outcomes of each such operation were; [172115]

(6) how many joint operations have been conducted in another EU member state, pursuant to Article 17 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA involving UK officers or officials in each of the last five years; how many UK officers and officials took part in each such operation; and what the aims and outcome of each such operation were. [172120]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 23 October 2013]:The UK has implemented Articles 16, 18 and 20 administratively but no requests for assistance have been received from other member states and no information has been provided to other member states by the UK.

The UK has not conducted any joint operations in the last five years pursuant to Article 17 of Council Decision 2008/615/JHA. The UK conducts Joint Investigation Teams (JiTs) pursuant to Council Framework Decision 2002/465/JHA.

This measure is included in the set of measures that the Government will seek to rejoin in the national interest.

The Government have been clear that they cannot fully implement all the requirements of the Prüm decisions before 1 December 2014. As the UK has opted out of the Prüm decisions, there will be no risk that the UK will be subject to infraction proceedings by the European Commission as a result.

European Commission

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. [173786]

James Brokenshire: The permanent secretary of the Home Office has made one visit to the European Commission in the last three years. Senior officials regularly visit the European Commission when their duties require them to do so. We do not keep details of such visits.

Hillsborough Independent Panel

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether she has made an assessment on the effect the National Crime Agency will have on the ongoing investigations into the Hillsborough disaster; [170089]

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(2) whether Jon Stoddart will be seconded to the National Crime Agency; and what implications this will have on his investigation into the Hillsborough disaster. [170090]

Mrs May [holding answer 10 October 2013]: My written ministerial statement of 19 December 2012, Official Report, columns 110-112WS, set out the intention to transfer the independent Hillsborough investigation under lead police investigator, Jon Stoddart, from the Home Office to the National Crime Agency (NCA) once it was fully operational. The NCA launched on 7 October 2013. Officials are working through the details of the transfer arrangements.

In order to lead the investigation with police powers while on secondment to the Home Office, Jon Stoddart was initially appointed to the Metropolitan police as an assistant commissioner (a rank equivalent to chief constable). The secondment to the Home Office ensured that independence from the police was maintained.

Now that the agency is operational, it enables final arrangements to be made to transfer the investigation to the NCA. The NCA is a new law enforcement agency and non-ministerial department with a national remit and responsibility for investigating serious crime and organised crime. It is therefore appropriate that Jon Stoddart is transferred to the NCA to complete his independent Hillsborough investigation. Locating the investigation in the NCA will continue to ensure that the management arrangements for the Hillsborough investigation are impartial and independent of any police force.

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the implications of Jon Stoddart's secondment to the National Crime Agency for the Hillsborough investigation; and on what date he is due to be seconded. [171427]

Mrs May [holding answer 18 October 2013]:My written ministerial statement of 19 December 2012, Official Report, columns 110-12WS, set out the intention to transfer the independent Hillsborough investigation under lead police investigator, Jon Stoddart, from the Home Office to the National Crime Agency (NCA) once it was fully operational. The NCA launched on 7 October 2013. Officials are working through the details of the transfer arrangements.

In order to lead the investigation with police powers while on secondment to the Home Office, Jon Stoddart was initially appointed to the Metropolitan police as an assistant commissioner (a rank equivalent to chief constable). The secondment to the Home Office ensured that independence from the police was maintained.

Now that the agency is operational, it enables final arrangements to be made to transfer the investigation to the NCA. The NCA is a new law enforcement agency and non-ministerial department with a national remit and responsibility for investigating serious crime and organised crime. It is therefore appropriate that Jon Stoddart is transferred to the NCA to complete his independent Hillsborough investigation. Locating the investigation in the NCA will continue to ensure that the management arrangements for the Hillsborough investigation are impartial and independent of any police force.

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Immigration Controls

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deployments of UK Border Force personnel were made to arrivals in the UK via (a) General Aviation (private airfields) and (b) General Maritime (private marinas) that were categorised as high risk in 2012-13, in accordance with the compliance obligations summarised in the National Audit Office document, The Border Force: Securing the Border, published in August 2013. [175259]

Mr Harper [holding answer 12 November 2013]: To release the information requested, which is operationally sensitive, would be contrary to the interests of national security.

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms UK Border Force personnel have to verify the accuracy of information given by passengers arriving in the UK via private airfields. [175260]

Mr Harper [holding answer 12 November 2013]: Border Force has a range of intelligence tools and methods to assess the overall risk of the arriving flight including the veracity of the information provided. To release the specific methods would be contrary to the interests of National Security.

Kings Science Academy

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will commission an urgent independent inquiry on why Action Fraud did not investigate allegations of fraud at Kings Science Academy, Bradford, referred to it by the Department for Education in April 2013, until October 2013. [174569]

James Brokenshire: Action Fraud processes more than 18,000 crime reports and 12,000 information reports a month, and has a strict audit process in place to verify these reports. Action Fraud identified that an administrative error took place which led to the Department for Education's report of fraud at Kings Science Academy being categorised as an information report, rather than a crime report. The case is now being investigated by West Yorkshire police.

I do not believe an independent inquiry is necessary; Action Fraud has apologised to the Department for Education for this error and has taken steps to improve staff awareness and training.

Offenders: Mental Health Services

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on steps to ensure there is a safe and appropriate emergency care pathway in place for offenders experiencing mental health issues (a) at the point of arrest and (b) once in police custody. [175141]

Damian Green: If a person is experiencing mental health problems and is arrested and taken to police custody, they will often have access to liaison and diversion services.

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These schemes aim to improve health and justice outcomes for adults and children who come into contact with the criminal justice system, in police custody and courts, by identifying and assessing health needs as early as possible. They aim to link offenders to appropriate treatment and to better inform charging and sentencing decisions as they progress through the criminal justice system.

The Home Office, Department of Health and Ministry of Justice are taking forward work to roll out liaison and diversion schemes in police custody suites nationally. The Government have committed to implement such services nationally subject to approval of a business case.

Police: Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total amount of successful compensation claims made against Sussex police in each of the last five years by value and number is. [175670]

Damian Green: The information requested is not collected centrally; this is a matter for Sussex police.

Prosecutions

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what a non-police prosecuting agency is; and what function it performs; [170904]

(2) if she will list the non-police prosecuting agencies recognised by the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers. [170905]

Damian Green: There is no formal definition of a non-police prosecuting agency (NPPA). There are a number of Government, regulatory or other organisations who pursue prosecutions either under the statutory power granted to them to do so or under a common law power. The Home Office does not hold a central list of non-police prosecuting agencies.