Education

Academic Year

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consultation his Department has carried out on schools choosing their own holidays and the effect of such a policy on families whose children attend different schools. [177480]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has consulted informally with head teachers and local authorities, as well as a wide range of organisations including teacher and head teacher unions, the Local Government Association, the Family and Childcare Trust, Netmums and Mumsnet. There was support for the proposal for all schools to be able to vary their school year. Around 48% of pupils already attend a school that can already do so. Schools have told us that they would continue to co-ordinate term-dates to avoid unnecessary disruption to parents or teachers.

Academies: Finance

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the report of the Education Funding Agency investigation into Kings Science Academy published in October 2013, whether he plans to bring forward amendments to the Academies Financial Handbook. [176444]

Mr Timpson: The Academies Financial Handbook sets out all areas of HM Treasury's “Managing Public Money” that directly apply to academy trusts, as public bodies, including those operating free schools. It also incorporates the relevant requirements arising from academy trusts' status as companies and charities.

This framework of financial accountability has been in place since the beginning of the academies programme. The framework is more extensive and robust than that which applies to local authority maintained schools as academy trusts are required to take full control of their financial affairs and must ensure regularity, propriety and value for money in their management of public funds. Trusts must ensure trustees and managers have the skills, knowledge and experience to run the academy trust; prepare financial plans so as to secure the academy trust's short-term and long-term financial health; have in place sound internal control and risk management processes; ensure trustees and managers monitor the academy trust's current and forecast financial position; be able to show that public funds have been used as intended by Parliament; and prepare annual financial statements which are audited by a registered auditor. Trust auditors are also required to provide an independent audit report on regularity.

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Animal Welfare: Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will consider making it compulsory to teach children about animal welfare. [177483]

Elizabeth Truss: The new national curriculum programmes of study for science at key stages 1 and 2 include frequent references to animals and their environment. For example, in year 1 pupils should use the local environment throughout the year to explore and answer questions about animals in their natural habitat. They should also understand how to take care of animals taken from their local environment and the need to return them safely after study. In addition, pupils can learn about caring for animals in personal, social, health and economics education.

It should be left to schools and teachers to decide what further topics and activities they offer to meet the learning needs of their pupils.

Children’s Centres

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many (a) paid and (b) unpaid staff are currently working in children’s centres; [177273]

(2) how many children’s centres have reduced their opening hours since 2010; [177274]

(3) which children’s centres have reduced their opening hours since 2010; [177275]

(4) how many children’s centres were within a 20 minute walk from their target users in (a) 2010 and (b) 2013. [177276]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not hold the information in the format requested.

Discrimination

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints resulted in disciplinary action. [176604]

Elizabeth Truss: Neither the Department nor its executive agencies received any complaints of age discrimination or harassment in any of the last five years.

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action. [176708]

Elizabeth Truss: Neither the Department nor its Executive Agencies received any complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination in each of the last five years.

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Free School Meals

Mel Stride: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how the costs of (a) additional staff, (b) kitchen adaptations and (c) other expenses required for the provision of universal free school meals for infants will be funded. [177028]

Mr Laws: Since the Deputy Prime Minister's announcement in September, departmental officials have held a number of discussions with schools, local authorities, representative organisations and other stakeholders in order to assess the challenges that primary schools will face in implementing this policy. We are also taking into account the experience of those primary schools that presently offer universal free school meals, as well as the evidence available to us from previous pilots of universal free school meal provision to inform our thinking about how the Department can best support schools.

We expect to announce further details in due course.

Grammar Schools: Admissions

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which Minister in his Department is responsible for the oversight of admissions testing for grammar schools. [177203]

Mr Laws: I am the Minister responsible for school admissions policy in relation to state funded schools. However, responsibility for the oversight of admissions testing for grammar schools sits with the school's admissions authority. Grammar schools, like all state schools, are accountable through the Schools Admission Code 2012 for ensuring that testing arrangements are fair, objective and transparent.

The School Admissions Code can be found online, paragraphs 1.31 and 1.32 provide the requirements for test selection:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schooladmissions/a00195/codes-regs

Hamzah Khan

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will establish a fully independent inquiry into the circumstances leading to the death of Hamzah Khan in Bradford in 2009 and the changes that need to be made in public services following his death. [176890]

Mr Timpson: There is already an established statutory process, through serious case reviews, to establish what happened in such cases, why it happened and any changes that need to be made as a result. We expect reviews to provide full answers so that lessons can be learned and the public can hold their professionals agencies to account.

On 13 November, Bradford Safeguarding Children Board published its serious case review into the tragic death of Hamzah Khan. I had serious reservations about the published review, which missed significant elements of what happened. That is why I wrote to the Independent Chair of the Bradford Safeguarding Children Board setting out 10 important questions that need to be answered and put in to the public domain. I have placed a copy of my letter of 13 November in the House Library.

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Schools: Admissions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many state-funded primary schools were operating at or above full capacity in each year since 2009-10. [176804]

Mr Laws: The information requested is in the following table:

The data for May 2013 are currently being finalised and will be published later in the year.

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the safeguards in place to ensure admissions testing is fair for students with learning difficulties. [177206]

Mr Laws: The Schools Admissions Code 2012 sets out for schools the requirements for admissions testing. Tests for all forms of selection must be clear and objective and give an accurate reflection of the child's ability or aptitude, irrespective of sex, race or disability. Additionally, schools must ensure that tests are accessible to children with special needs and disabilities, having regard to the reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils required under equalities legislation.

Children with a special educational need statement that names a particular school on the statement must be admitted regardless of the outcome of any testing arrangements in place.

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The School Admissions Code can be found online. Paragraphs 1.31 and 1.32 provide the requirements for test selection:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schooladmissions/a00195/codes-regs

Schools: Fraud

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on a principal remaining in post after they have been interviewed under caution by the police regarding an alleged fraud at their school. [177237]

Mr Timpson: In a maintained school, the governing body is responsible for the general conduct within the school, including dealing with any disciplinary matters. In an academy or free school, the academy trust is responsible for these matters, including the handling of any disciplinary action.

Schools: Standards

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many (a) converter academies and (b) maintained schools achieved an annual increase in the proportion of students achieving five GCSEs A* to C than in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; [176798]

(2) how many (a) converter academies and (b) maintained schools achieved an annual increase in the proportion of students achieving five GCSEs A* to C including English and mathematics (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13. [176800]

Mr Timpson: The requested information for the 2010/11 and 2011/12 academic years has been provided in the following table.

Data for the 2012/13 academic year will only be available once the performance tables have been published in January 2014.

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Secondary Education: Standards

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of concerns expressed by the governing body of Immanuel College in Bradford on the proposed changes to the 2014 Key Stage 4 performance tables. [175979]

Mr Laws: We will respond directly to the concerns raised by the governing body of Immanuel college in Bradford about the changes to the way qualifications will be counted in performance measures.

The Government had little option other than to take swift action to tackle the increasing use of early entry by some schools. The analysis we published in 2011, and Ofsted's report on early entry that was published in 2012, present compelling evidence that some schools are using high levels of early entry where there is limited or no evidence of the positive impact on standards.

The Department's most recent research shows that, in 2012, only 62% of pupils with an initial C grade in GCSE mathematics retook their exams, whereas 98% of pupils with an initial D grade took their exams again. This same trend is seen in English, where 53% of pupils with an initial C grade retook their exams, compared to 96% of pupils with an initial D grade. This clearly demonstrates that many schools do not re-enter students with an initial C grade later on in the year, denying them the opportunity to improve their grades. This practice of ‘banking' a C grade is clear evidence of schools not acting in the best interests of their pupils.

Schools such as Immanuel college Bradford can continue to enter pupils early if they believe they are adequately prepared to gain the best possible result.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of regional teaching supply needs before the publication of the current provisional initial teacher training allocations. [177013]

Mr Laws: The Department estimates the number of trainee teachers required nationally each year.

The Department builds in a 9% over-supply to ensure a competitive labour market and regional coverage across the country.

Travel

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the cost of travel within the UK was for his Department in each year since 2010; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence. [176825]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education's financial systems record travel data at a top line level only and do not sub-categorise travel data to the level of granularity requested. Expenditure at this level is set out in the table.

Data for 2011-12 are not comparable to data for earlier years and data for 2012-13 are not comparable to data for 2011-12 or for earlier years. This is because the Department has brought arm's length bodies (ALBs) within the Department over this period, with part of their remit transferring to the Department.

Treasury

Banks: Loans

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress is being made against the targets set for the Funding for Lending scheme; how many loans have been made in excess of £100 million under the scheme to date; and what proportion of funding under the scheme has been granted to each industrial sector. [177267]

Sajid Javid: The funding for lending scheme has contributed to a transformation of the bank funding environment and banks are now passing these on through improved credit availability and cheaper credit to the real economy including to small businesses.

As part of the monitoring of the funding for lending scheme, the Bank of England publishes the net lending data of individual banks on a quarterly basis. The Bank

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does not hold details of individual loans, which are a commercial decision for providers, or breakdowns for different industrial sectors.

Corporation Tax

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the penalty notices issued to companies as a result of their failure to submit a corporation tax return on time in each of the years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13 were withdrawn as a result of successful appeals by the companies to whom they were issued; what value of penalties was waived as a result of such appeals in each such year; and if he will make a statement. [174035]

Mr Gauke: The information requested is not centrally collated and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Discrimination

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against his Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against his Department; [176562]

(2) how many complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) current employees and (b) prospective employees in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176579]

(3) how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176613]

(4) how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176630]

(5) how many complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176683]

(6) how many complaints of disability discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176700]

(7) how many complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action. [176717]

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Nicky Morgan: The Treasury has had no upheld complaints or employment tribunals regarding discrimination or harassment lodged against it over the past five years.

Environment Protection: Taxation

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on green levies; and if he will make a statement. [173889]

Nicky Morgan: The Prime Minister announced a review of green levies at Prime Minister's questions on 23 October 2013. This will report by the autumn statement.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to improve mobile connectivity in constituencies affected by the proposed route for HS2. [176981]

Danny Alexander: As announced in the autumn statement 2012, the Government have included powers in the High Speed 2 Hybrid Bill to provide the capacity for a fixed communications network to be provided alongside the railway in the future, maximising the potential value for public investment.

Members: Correspondence

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the hon. Member for Thurrock will receive a reply to her letter of 11 October 2013, addressed to Nick Lodge, Director-General HM Revenue and Customs, in respect of her constituents' tax credits. [176977]

Nicky Morgan: HM Revenue and Customs replied to my hon. Friend on 7 November 2013.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what proportion of Help to Buy applicants to date were aged 39 and over; [176479]

(2) how many people have had their application for a Help to Buy mortgage accepted in principle in (a) Birmingham, (b) Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency and (c) the West Midlands; [176480]

(3) what proportion of applicants to the Help to Buy scheme to date have not been first-time buyers. [176481][Official Report, 2 December 2013, Vol. 571, c. 11MC.]

Sajid Javid: The Government are committed to making the aspiration of home ownership a reality for as many households as possible. The Government want current and future generations to experience the benefits of owning their own home, in the same way their parents were able to. Since the financial crisis, larger deposit requirements and falling equity values mean many credit-worthy households cannot get a mortgage, or are trapped in their existing homes unable to take the next steps.

In the one month since the publication of the scheme rules on 8 October, more than 2,000 people have put in applications to lenders under the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme totalling £365 million of new mortgage lending. Lenders will submit details of their loans to the scheme when it opens in January.

More than three quarters of the applicants are first time buyers and many in their early thirties, demonstrating

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that the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme is helping hardworking people realise their home-owning aspirations.

Once the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme opens in January, the Government will collect data on mortgages covered by the guarantee, and will report in due course.

Non-domestic Rates

Dr McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward legislative proposals to freeze business rates. [176902]

Mr Gauke: The Chancellor keeps all taxes, including business rates, under review.

Pensions: Scotland

Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the effect on the sustainability of (a) state and (b) private pensions in Scotland in the event of Scottish independence. [177375]

Esther McVey: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

It will be for the Scottish Government to assess the sustainability of state and private pensions in the event of Scottish independence.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies recently highlighted that the outlook for public borrowing in future is less favourable for Scotland than for the UK as a whole because of demographic pressures, including on the cost of pensions and pensioner benefits.

The Scottish Government published their proposals for pensions on 23 September 2013 in Pensions in an independent Scotland, and has also published their White Paper this morning, which the UK Government are considering.

Public Sector Debt

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the UK's level of debt within the G7 in (a) May 2010 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available by percentage of GDP. [176460]

Mr Gauke: In 2010 this Government inherited the largest deficit since the second world war, with the IMF forecasting the UK to have the largest budget deficit, and the fourth highest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7.

In response, the Government set out a long-term sustainable economic plan to reduce the deficit. In the three years since 2009-10 the deficit has been reduced by a third as a percentage of GDP.

The IMF's latest forecasts show the UK net debt level as a percentage of GDP falling below the G7 average by 2017.

Railways

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about the benefits to the economy of good wi-fi and mobile connectivity across the UK rail network. [176978]

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Danny Alexander: Government Ministers and officials exchange routine correspondence as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such exchanges.

The rail industry has agreed to fund and improve mobile services for passengers travelling by rail from mid-2014. Network Rail is leading industry co-ordination.

Furthermore, as announced in the autumn statement 2012, the Government have included powers in the High Speed 2 Hybrid Bill to provide the capacity for a fixed communications network to be provided alongside the railway in the future, maximising the potential value for public investment.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the consequences for the UK economy of mobile not spots across the UK's rail network; [176979]

(2) what representations he has made to rail companies on the need for investment in wi-fi technology and mobile connectivity across the UK's rail network. [176980]

Danny Alexander: The Department for Transport lead on the Government's engagement with the rail industry and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport lead on the Government's engagement with the mobile network operators. The rail industry has agreed to fund and improve mobile services for passengers travelling by rail from mid-2014. Network Rail is leading industry co-ordination.

Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what proportion of employees in his Department are (a) female and (b) male, by each Civil Service pay grade; [176596]

(2) what proportion of employees in his Department is (a) white British and (b) black, Asian and from other minority ethnic groups, by each Civil Service pay grade; [176648]

(3) what proportion of employees in his Department have a physical or learning disability, by each Civil Service pay scale. [176666]

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury publishes information on the proportion of its employees by gender, ethnicity and disability by each civil service pay scale. The most recent information, March 2013, is in HM Treasury's Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13, page 43, available on the Treasury's external website.

Tax Allowances: Reservoirs

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to the public purse of introducing a tax relief for landowners on the capital cost of constructing a reservoir; and when his Department last made such an estimate. [177342]

Mr Gauke: The Department has made no estimate of the cost to the Exchequer of a tax relief for landowners on the capital cost of constructing a reservoir.

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International Development

Developing Countries: Females

Mrs Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to establish and increase partnerships with faith groups to tackle violence against women and girls. [R] [177025]

Lynne Featherstone: Faith and faith groups play an important role in international development. In June 2012, the coalition Government launched the “Faith Partnership Principles Paper” to strengthen and guide DFID's future collaboration with faith groups on international development. DFID is now working with a joint Working Group of faith groups to operationalize the principles.

DFID is already collaborating with faith groups in our programming which tackles violence against women and girls. For example, in 2011, DFID-funded World Vision to launch 15 new projects, helping to protect 200,000 vulnerable girls from such harmful practices as child marriage in Malawi and sexual abuse in DRC. In Ethiopia, DFID is funding a programme to end early and forced marriage for 200,000 girls in the Amhara region. As a part of this programme, religious leaders are speaking out about the harmful effects of early and forced marriage in order to spearhead social change in their communities.

As part of DFID's programme to tackle female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), we have provided support to the UN Joint Programme on FGM/C. The programme has prompted 4,095 religious and traditional leaders in 15 African countries to make public declarations de-linking FGM/C from religion, including 1,070 leaders in Somalia, where an estimated 98% of women have undergone FGM/C.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on including universal health coverage in the post-2015 millennium development goals. [177204]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government welcomed the Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, including the emphasis it placed on improving access to health services through universal health coverage, which is seen as a benefit in itself as well as a means to improved health outcomes.

Developing Countries: Maternity Services

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to increase provision of maternal health services in low and middle income countries. [177205]

Mr Duncan: DFID is investing in a broad range of cost-effective interventions to reduce maternal mortality in the poorest countries. Our programmes address care from pre-pregnancy to early childhood.

Examples of our work include investments in family planning; antenatal, pregnancy and postnatal care; and vaccines, disease management and health systems

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strengthening. Our water, sanitation hygiene, nutrition, education and livelihoods programmes also contribute to achieving the millennium development goal on improving maternal health; We also work in partnership with others to improve value for money from combined global efforts for example through the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

Disabled Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of employees in her Department have a physical or learning disability, by each Civil Service pay grade. [176661]

Mr Duncan: The information is as follows:

Discrimination

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of her Department or its non-departmental public body by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176608]

(2) how many complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of her Department by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176712]

(3) how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against her Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against her Department; [176557]

(4) how many complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity have been lodged against employees of her Department or its non-departmental public body by (a) current employees and (b) prospective employees in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176574]

(5) how many complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of her Department or its non-departmental public body by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action. [176678]

Mr Duncan: None.

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Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of her Department by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action. [176625]

Mr Duncan: Fewer than five formal grievances alleging racial discrimination have been lodged against employees of DFID in the last five years to 31 October 2013. No complaint resulted in disciplinary action.

We are withholding the precise number of allegations raised each year under section 40 (2) (Personal information) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Releasing these details would breach the legitimate expectation of an individual's right to the protection of their personal information.

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many complaints of disability discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of her Department and non-departmental public body by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action. [176695]

Mr Duncan: Fewer than five formal grievances alleging disability discrimination have been lodged against employees of DFID in the last five years to 31 October 2013. No complaint resulted in disciplinary action.

We are withholding the precise number of allegations raised each year under Section 40 (2) (Personal information) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Releasing these details would breach the legitimate expectation of an individual's right to the protection of their personal information.

Overseas Aid

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate her Department has made of the amount of money donated by the public for international aid causes and projects in the last year. [176451]

Mr Duncan: DFID survey a representative sample of UK NGOs to estimate the amount of private flows on international development which in 2012 totalled £849 million. This is estimated from the responses received from NGOs and is based on their own assessment of expenditure that is ODA-eligible.

Pay Television

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether offices of (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public body have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service; and what the cost to the public purse is in each case. [176434]

Mr Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Barnsley East (Michael Dugher), on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 127W.

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Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of employees in her Department is (a) white British and (b) black, Asian and from other minority ethnic groups, by each Civil Service pay grade. [176643]

Mr Duncan: The information is as follows:

Staff: Gender

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of employees in her Department are (a) female and (b) male, by each Civil Service pay grade. [176591]

Mr Duncan: At 18 November 2013 the proportion of female and males within DFID are shown in the following table:

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the gender ratio is of staff of each grade in the Civil Service. [177436]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the gender ratio is of staff of each grade in the Civil Service. 177436

Please find as follows a table taken from the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey March 2013, with the breakdown of gender ratio of staff of each grade in the Civil Service.

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Discrimination

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against his Department on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against his Department; [176548]

(2) how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against his Office; [176552]

(3) how many claims at employment tribunals have been lodged against No. 10 Downing Street on the grounds of pregnancy or maternity discrimination in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were found against No. 10 Downing Street; [176559]

(4) how many complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) current employees and (b) prospective employees in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176565]

(5) how many complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity have been lodged against employees of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

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by

(a)

current employees and

(b)

prospective employees in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176569]

(6) how many complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity have been lodged against employees of No. 10 Downing Street by (a) current employees and (b) prospective employees in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176576]

(7) how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176599]

(8) how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176603]

(9) how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of No. 10 Downing Street by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176610]

(10) how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176616]

(11) how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176620]

(12) how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of No. 10 Downing Street by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176627]

(13) how many complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176669]

(14) how many complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176673]

(15) how many complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of No. 10 Downing Street by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176680]

(16) how many complaints of disability discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies

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by

(a)

employees and

(b)

other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176686]

(17) how many complaints of disability discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176690]

(18) how many complaints of disability discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of No. 10 Downing Street by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176697]

(19) how many complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of his Department or its executive agencies by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176703]

(20) how many complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [176707]

(21) how many complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of No. 10 Downing Street by (a) employees and (b) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action. [176714]

Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office and the Deputy Prime Minister's Office are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.

In the last five years fewer than five formal complaints have been lodged in the Cabinet Office on any of the grounds questioned.

None resulted in disciplinary action. In line with the practice of successive Administrations, when numbers are five or fewer, exact numbers are not usually disclosed to protect individual privacy.

No employment tribunal cases have been lodged on grounds of pregnancy or maternity related discrimination.

Electoral Register: Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were fined following a prosecution for electoral registration fraud in each of the last 10 years. [176814]

Greg Clark: The Government do not collect or hold these data.

Local Government: ICT

Dr Phillip Lee: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if he will make it his policy that local authorities should permit employees to use their own personal technology devices in order to access non-sensitive information remotely, in accordance with the Public Services Network Code of Connection; [176306]

(2) if he will reduce the administrative burden imposed on local authorities of obligatory security checks, including the Baseline Personnel Security

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Standards, which will be instigated as part of the Public Services Network accreditation applications by 2015; [176307]

(3) if he will take steps to enable public sector bodies to sign up to the Public Services Network Code of Connection, and in cases where applications are refused, allow the public body to amend or provide suggestions for improvement on the aspects of their application which do not comply with the relevant standards, rather than having to re-submit the whole application. [176308]

Mr Hurd: PSN is a key part of the UK Government's ICT strategy and is at the heart of our shared services and cost reduction agendas. It provides a single more capable and open network enabling government to safely share services and collaborate in new ways that are more effective and efficient than ever before. It will also ensure that these public service networks have an appropriate level of protection.

The Government support in principle any action that delivers a more efficient and joined-up public sector, as long as they do not breach the statutory obligations and legal requirements on information handling or damage the Government's objective to make the UK one of the most secure places in the world to do business.

Officials from the Cabinet Office are currently engaged with local authority officials and their representative bodies and have agreed revisions to the Public Services Network compliance regime. They have written to councils outlining the range of measures available to support organisations that demonstrate a genuine appetite and realistic plans to achieve compliance.

Mesothelioma

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many people have been (a) diagnosed with and (b) died from mesothelioma in each (i) parliamentary constituency and (ii) region in each of the last five years; [177371]

(2) how many (a) men and (b) women have (i) been diagnosed with and (ii) died from mesothelioma as a result of secondary exposure in each of the last five years; [177372]

(3) how many people have been (a) diagnosed with and (b) died from mesothelioma by (i) gender and (ii) age decile in each of the last five years. [177373]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office:

1. How many people have been (a) diagnosed with and (b) died from mesothelioma in each (i) Parliament constituency and (ii) region in each of the last five years. [177371]

2. How many (a) men and (b) women have (i) been diagnosed with and (ii) died from mesothelioma as a result of secondary exposure in each of the last five years. [177372]

3. How many people have been (a) diagnosed with and (b) died from mesothelioma by (i) gender and (ii) age decile in each of the last five years. [177373]

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Table 1 provides the number of newly diagnosed cases of mesothelioma (incidence) in each region in England for each year from 2007 to 2011 (the latest year available). Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with mesothelioma, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one primary mesothelioma although this is rare. The release of data on cancer incidence, particularly for small geographical areas and less common cancers, is constrained for reasons of confidentiality, to prevent the disclosure of patient information. Consequently it is not possible to provide incidence data for mesothelioma by parliamentary constituency.

Table 2 provides the number of deaths from mesothelioma in each parliament constituency in England for each year from 2008 to 2012 (the latest year available). A copy of Table 2 has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Table 3 provides the number of deaths from mesothelioma in each region in England for each year from 2008 to 2012 (the latest year available).

Table 4 provides the number of newly diagnosed cases of mesothelioma (incidence) by sex and-age deciles for each year from 2007 to 2011 in England (the latest year available). Lower age deciles have been aggregated to prevent disclosure of patient information.

Table 5 provides the number of deaths in England from mesothelioma by sex and age decile for each year from 2008 to 2012.

It cannot be determined how many men and women have (i) been diagnosed with or (ii) died from mesothelioma as a result of secondary exposure as this information is not routinely recorded on the cancer registration record.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, while nearly all mesothelioma cases are caused by exposure to asbestos, a small number of cases occur in people with no history of exposure. There is evidence to suggest that these 'spontaneous mesotheliomas' comprise up to 5% of total cases. Further information can be found at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/mesothelioma/index.htm

It is not possible to exclude spontaneous mesotheliomas from the figures provided.

The latest published figures on cancer incidence in England are available on the National Statistics website at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition-tcm%3A77-302299

Pay Television

Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether offices of (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service; and what the cost to the public purse is in each case. [176424]

Mr Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Barnsley East (Michael Dugher) on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 170W.

The Government Procurement Service does not have access to Sky Sports or an equivalent premium sports television service.

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Public Sector: Procurement

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions since 2006 a company has been debarred from public sector procurement contracts in the UK as a result of (a) bribery, (b) fraud, (c) money laundering and (d) terrorism. [177349]

Mr Hurd: The information requested is not held centrally. It is the responsibility of individual contracting authorities to exclude suppliers in accordance with Public Contracts Regulations 2006.

Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what proportion of employees in his Department are (a) female and (b) male, by each civil service pay grade; [176582]

(2) what proportion of employees in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are (a) female and (b) male, by each civil service pay grade; [176586]

(3) what proportion of employees in No. 10 Downing street are (a) female and (b) male, by each civil service pay grade; [176593]

(4) what proportion of employees in his Department is (a) white British and (b) black, Asian and from other minority ethnic groups, by each civil service pay grade; [176634]

(5) what proportion of employees in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is (a) white British and (b) black, Asian and from other minority ethnic groups, by each civil service pay grade; [176638]

(6) what proportion of employees in No. 10 Downing street is (a) white British and (b) black, Asian and from other minority ethnic groups, by each civil service pay grade; [176645]

(7) what proportion of employees in his Department have a physical or learning disability, by each civil service pay grade; [176652]

(8) what proportion of employees in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have a physical or learning disability, by each civil service pay grade; [176656]

(9) what proportion of employees in No. 10 Downing street have a physical or learning disability, by each civil service pay grade. [176663]

Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office and the Deputy Prime Minister's Office are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.

The following table sets out the proportion of employees in my Department who are (a) female and (b) male by civil service grade:

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Figures for ethnicity and disability by grade are not available. Cabinet Office does not compel staff to declare against workforce diversity indicators, including ethnicity and disability.

Unemployment: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the long-term youth unemployment rate was in each of the last 30 years. [176737]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the long-term youth unemployment rate was in each of the last 30 years. 176737

Information regarding youth unemployment is available from the Labour Force Survey. The number and proportion of 16 to 24 year olds who have been unemployed for over 12 months are included in the table. Estimates on a comparable basis prior to 1992 are not available.

Health

Neuromuscular Care Advisers: West Midlands

18. Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the provision of neuromuscular care advisers and consultants in the West Midlands. [901275]

Norman Lamb: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised services, including neuromuscular services, and published the service specification ‘Neurosciences: Specialised Neurology (Adult)’ in July

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2013. This directs that care is provided for patients with neuromuscular disorders via “multidisciplinary and cross organisational working”. This multi-disciplinary team includes neuromuscular care co-ordinators.

NHS England is working with providers to ensure compliance.

GP Surgeries: Extended Opening

19. Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the number of GP surgeries offering extended opening hours since May 2010. [901276]

Norman Lamb: The most recent general practitioner (GP) patient survey results (for July 2012 to March 2013) show that 77% of patients say their surgery is open at times that are convenient for them.

Through the GP contract, from April 2014, we are promoting greater innovation in how practices offer extended access. This could be, for example, through networks of practices offering shared clinics at evenings and weekends.

In addition, a £50 million fund has been set up to support innovative GP practices in improving services and access for their patients to include seven day per week opening and evening opening hours.

Congenital Hearth Disease Review

20. Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made on the Congenital Heart Disease review. [901277]

Jane Ellison: NHS England is responsible for conducting the new review of congenital heart disease services.

We understand that NHS England aims to work closely with all stakeholders to develop, test and revise a proposition for the review and to undertake work to identify a preferred approach to implementation by June 2014.

Integrated Care Pioneer Projects

21. David Rutley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the integrated care pioneer projects. [901278]

Norman Lamb: Following over 100 expressions of interest and a rigorous selection process, we announced the final 14 integration pioneer sites on 1 November. These sites will receive dedicated support from national partners in integration to help them break down barriers and deliver integrated care at scale and at pace.

Long-term Chronic Conditions: GP Prescribing

24. Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on prescribing by GPs for people with long-term chronic conditions. [901282]

Norman Lamb: The Department has received a number of representations from hon. Members, noble Lords, patient groups, patients and the public on a number of issues relating to the prescribing of medicines for people with chronic long-term conditions.

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Accident and Emergency Departments

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many higher trainee ST4 posts in emergency medicine were (a) available and (b) filled in (i) 2013-14 to date, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2010-11. [175466]

Dr Poulter: In emergency medicine the number of higher trainee ST4 posts available and filled for the dates requested are:

The entry point into emergency medicine changed in 2008 from ST1 to ST4. This explains the increase in the number of ST4 posts available in 2011.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many locums were used to fill vacant consultant posts in the NHS emergency departments in England in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [175528]

Dr Poulter: The number of locums used to fill vacant consultant posts in NHS emergency departments in England is not collected centrally.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole time equivalent consultants, excluding locums, were working in NHS emergency departments in England in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 (c) 2012-13. [175595]

Dr Poulter: The annual NHS work force census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), shows the number of consultants, excluding locums, working in NHS accident and emergency (A&E) departments in England as at 30 September each year. The September 2013 data will be published in March 2014.

The numbers of full-time equivalent consultants, excluding locums, working in NHS A&E departments in England in 2010, 2011 and 2012 are shown in the following table:

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Beef: Horsemeat

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the location is of each meat firm (a) prosecuted and (b) closed for selling horsemeat as beef. [176892]

Jane Ellison: This issue relates to an ongoing complex criminal investigation by the police and as such we are unable to provide further information until the investigations conclude.

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of people mis-selling horsemeat as beef are outstanding. [176893]

Jane Ellison: This issue relates to an ongoing complex criminal investigation by the police and as such we are unable to provide further information until the investigation concludes.

In connection with the testing of beef products for horse DNA carried out by industry and local authorities in the wake of this incident, we can confirm that there are no cases outstanding. All positive results for horse DNA are published on the Food Standards Agency's website. The latest set of industry test results was published on 7 October. Of the 9,588 new results no horse meat/DNA at or above the 1% reporting threshold was detected.

Breast Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of recent research reported to indicate that multivitamins can improve the chances of older women surviving breast cancer. [176963]

Jane Ellison: The Department has made no specific assessment of recent research reported to indicate that multivitamins could improve the chances of older women surviving breast cancer.

Cancer: Drugs

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Portsmouth received funding through the cancer drugs fund in each of the last three years. [176831]

Norman Lamb: Information on the number of patients who have had cancer drugs funded by South Central strategic health authority (SHA) for the period October 2010 to end March 2013 is shown in the table.

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Information on patients funded through the Cancer Drugs Fund is not collected at city level.

NHS England took responsibility for the fund from April 2013 and is collecting data on the use of the fund from four regional teams. We are advised that between 1 April and end of September 2013, 2,089 patients in the South of England area were funded.

Dementia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with dementia in (a) England and (b) Wales by age group in each of the last three years. [176959]

Norman Lamb: The number of people recorded on practice disease registers with dementia in England is shown in the following table. The data are not available by age groups.

Diagnosis for dementia in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administrations.

Electronic Cigarettes

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people who have stopped smoking tobacco cigarettes in favour of electronic cigarettes in the last year for which figures are available; [176523]

(2) what assessment he has made of demand for electronic cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy; and if he will make a statement. [176524]

Jane Ellison: The Smoking Toolkit Study is a national study of smoking and smoking cessation in England. The most recent data from the survey suggest that electronic cigarette use by tobacco smokers for any purpose has increased from around 2% in 2011 to around 14% in August 2013. If this trend was reflected across the United Kingdom it would translate to around 1.4 million smokers who have used electronic cigarettes. The data do not distinguish between use for quitting or partial substitution, nor do they allow for estimates of duration of use. It is not possible to differentiate the proportion of those who have stopped smoking tobacco cigarettes. What data are available on use of electronic cigarettes in quitting suggests that these are about as effective as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in

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supporting quit attempts. Electronic cigarettes are being used in approximately 20% of quit attempts, which is similar to the use of NRT.

Food

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of research into the long-term effects of low carbohydrate, high protein diets on cardiovascular disease. [176734]

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) has not made any recent assessment of research on low carbohydrate, high protein diets and cardiovascular disease. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is currently reviewing the evidence on carbohydrates and health, including cardiovascular disease. A draft report is expected to go out to public consultation in mid-2014. Following this, SACN will consider the responses and finalise their report. Once PHE has received SACN's advice and final report, we will consider whether our advice on carbohydrate intake requires updating.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2013, Official Report, column 320W, on food, what assessment he has made of the average number of calories burnt each day by (a) males and (b) females in each year for which data are available. [176784]

Jane Ellison: No national data are available on average daily calories burnt (energy expenditure).

Energy expenditure includes energy used by the body to stay alive (e.g. in breathing) and in physical activity. Physical activity is the most variable part of energy expenditure, and obtaining quantitative estimates of population activity levels over time is subject to considerable inaccuracy and bias because measures are largely based on self-reported data, observational studies or indirect measures (e.g. heart rate monitoring).

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey assesses energy expenditure using doubly labelled water in a small sub-sample of participants in order to assess the quality of the dietary assessment method. This is the most accurate way to estimate energy expenditure by free-living people, but the number of participants in this study is not sufficient to estimate energy expenditure by the population as a whole.

General Practitioners

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what continuing professional development and training GPs are required to undertake in relation to new techniques for cancer diagnosis. [176512]

Dr Poulter: Medical revalidation, which commenced in December 2012, requires all doctors with a licence to practice medicine in the United Kingdom, to provide evidence, through their annual appraisals, of how they have kept their knowledge and skills up to date, including the latest techniques, technologies and research. These would naturally include those related to cancer diagnosis and treatment.

General practitioners (GPs) have to demonstrate that they are actively maintaining their skills through continual professional development and are aware of new clinical

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guidelines which are regularly published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and disseminated to GPs.

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number and cost of missed GP appointments to the NHS. [177075]

Dr Poulter: The Department does not collect data centrally on numbers of general practitioner appointments, nor on those missed or rescheduled.

The NHS constitution emphasises patients’ responsibilities, stating that patients

“should keep appointments or cancel within reasonable time”.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of full-time equivalent GPs per 1,000 patients in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [177209]

Dr Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) General and Personal Medical Services Statistics show the number of general practitioners (GPs) per 1,000 registered patients at 30 September each year. The latest available statistics are as at 30 September 2012. The HSCIC will publish headcount numbers of GPs per 1,000 patients as at 30 September 2013 in the NHS annual workforce census in March 2014 and full-time equivalent figures will be available on request after that date.

The number of full-time equivalent GPs per 1,000 registered patients in 2010 to 2012 is shown in the following table.

General Practitioners: Northamptonshire

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent per capita in each general practice in Northamptonshire in the last year for which data are available. [176508]

Dr Poulter: Information is not available in the format requested.

General practitioner (GP) practices hold contracts with NHS England to undertake work for the national health service. Funding for payments to GP practices is included in the general allocation made to NHS England by the Department.

Information supplied by NHS England on per capita expenditure for general practices in Northamptonshire for 2012-13 is shown in the following table:

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