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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

British Nationals Abroad

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support and resources are available to coroners when they are dealing with cases of accidental death overseas. [177141]

Mark Simmonds: In England and Wales, a coroner may request a copy of the post mortem and police reports from the relevant country. This is facilitated by the Coroner's Liaison Officer in Consular Directorate who is based at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Depending on the country involved, obtaining these reports can take time, perhaps running into several months, or even years. Further details of how coroners and the FCO work together on such cases are provided in a joint Memorandum of Understanding, which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/141958/mou-fco-acpo-coroners.pdf

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support is given to relatives travelling overseas when there has been an accidental death or a serious accidental injury. [177143]

Mark Simmonds: Consular Officers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) can meet the families of British nationals and offer support such as information about the local police and legal system, and local services they may need, such as lawyers and interpreters. They also keep families informed of case developments and put them in touch with UK services and organisations who can provide specialist practical and emotional support both overseas and in the UK. Some of these organisations receive direct funding from the FCO.

The FCO will also consider making appropriate representations to the local authorities. For example, if an investigation is not being carried out according to local procedures; if there are justified complaints about discrimination against the person who has died or been injured, or against their family; or if we judge that delays or decisions are causing distress to the victim's family. The full range of support the FCO can provide in the cases of British nationals killed or injured abroad is described in its publication, Support for British Nationals Abroad. This can be found on the Gov.uk website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-british-nationals-abroad-a-guide

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice and guidance is provided to young people going on holiday overseas independently regarding the danger of accidental death or serious accidental injury. [177144]

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Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides travel safety messages to a wide range of audiences, including young people, through its Travel Advice service and the Know Before You Go campaign.

The Foreign Travel Advice pages on the gov.uk website provide country-specific safety and security advice, as well as information and advice about specific overseas sporting and cultural events. Travellers can also ask us questions via email, Twitter and Facebook.

We highlight these services through the Know Before You Go campaign, which advises British nationals on how to better prepare before they go overseas and promotes safe and trouble-free travel once there. Recent campaigns have covered issues such as the use of alcohol, drugs, safety on balconies and the importance of obtaining comprehensive travel insurance—all of which are of particular interest to young travellers. We have also issued safety tips and information to festival-goers, people engaging in winter sports and gap year travellers on the risks they may encounter during their travel.

We work with over 500 industry partners on our campaign activities, including those with a youth focus, and we have a network of Student Brand Ambassadors who disseminate our travel safety messages alongside our own outreach activities at universities and travel shows. We also provide tailored resource materials for schools, and last year launched a travel guide called ‘Plan. Pack. Explore’, which can be downloaded as a mobile phone app.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) accidental deaths and (b) serious accidental injuries were suffered by British holiday-makers overseas in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many such deaths or serious injuries were suffered by people under the age of 30. [177145]

Mark Simmonds: Over the past three years the number of accidental deaths overseas of British citizens amounted to:

2010-11: 397;

2011-12: 363;

2012-13: 330.

The number of British citizens who were hospitalised over the same period amounted to:

2010-11: 3,752

2011-12: 3,744;

2012-13: 3,603.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's case management system does not break down these figures by age group or by whether the hospitalisation was due to serious injury.

China

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the First Minister of Scotland received from officials in (a) the British Embassy in Beijing and (b) consular offices in China during his recent visit to that country. [177382]

Mr Swire: The British embassy in Beijing and the Consulate-General in Hong Kong promote the influence and interests of the UK, and its constituent parts, in China. The embassy's Scottish Affairs Office, which is

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funded by the Scottish Government, managed the First Minister's visit. They were assisted by Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in the wider embassy who secured and attended calls for the First Minister on key Communist Party officials in Beijing and briefed him on arrival. Officials at the Consulate-General in Hong Kong also briefed the First Minister and assisted in securing calls on Special Administrative Region Government officials there. This is an important point and we should highlight it. The visit was another good example of how the UK's diplomatic network, with its high level access around the world, provides a platform for the Scottish Government in delivering their objectives for Scotland.

Kenya

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the Al Shabaab group recruiting from Kenyan refugee camps. [177253]

Mark Simmonds: We are aware of reports, including from the media, that Al Shabaab has sought to recruit from Kenyan refugee camps. The UK provides significant assistance for the protection and security of refugees through our support to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Liberia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has discussed with the Liberian authorities the provision of police training in that country. [176940]

Mark Simmonds: I toured the Liberia National Police Training Academy and had discussions with Ministers, including the Liberian President and the Liberian Minister for Justice who has responsibility for police matters, when I visited Liberia in October.

My department regularly discusses security sector reform with the Liberian authorities. We are providing training for Liberia's Police at UK-administered staff college facilities in Sierra Leone.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to promote economic links and trade between the UK and Liberia. [176941]

Mark Simmonds: I visited Liberia in October to promote trade and prosperity and to formally re-open our embassy in Monrovia, after 22 years.

During the re-opening of our embassy and in meetings with Ministers, including with the Liberian President, I encouraged Liberia to develop an open and fair business environment to support further trade between our countries. Our ambassador in Liberia has established a British Business Group to promote growing UK investment in sectors such as mining and port infrastructure.

Libya

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the assassination of, and assassination attempts on, military and security officials and activists in Benghazi. [177254]

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Hugh Robertson: We are deeply concerned about the continuing assassination campaign and insecurity in Benghazi, and receive regular reports from our embassy and the media. Sadly, the recent attack on Colonel Abdullah Al-Sayti's convoy on 18 November was not an isolated event. On 11 October I condemned the assassination campaign in the east of Libya, and during my recent visit to Libya, on 18 and 19 November, I reassured the Libyan Prime Minister personally of our firm support for the Libyan democratic transition, including in the area of security assistance. We continue to stress the importance of all perpetrators of serious crimes in Libya being brought to justice.

Overseas Aid

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the continuation of funding for the Prosperity Fund beyond 2013-14. [177422]

Mr Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), is committed to using the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's resources to help secure a strong, sustainable and open global economy that creates the conditions for growth in the UK. This will remain a priority beyond the current financial year. The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), the resources that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office needs to meet this and it's other objectives.

Sudan

Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur. [177072]

Mark Simmonds: Recent violent clashes in Darfur and the rise of attacks on African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) peacekeepers show how fragile the situation still is after nearly 10 years of fighting. The increase in inter-tribal fighting, in addition to the conflict between the Government of Sudan and armed rebel movements, is a worrying trend.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs assesses that around 300,000 people have been newly displaced this year due to fighting. All parties in Darfur need to ensure that humanitarian organisations are given full and unfettered access to all areas. It is vital that UNAMID has unrestricted access across Darfur, allowing them to create the right security environment for humanitarian organisations to operate. We regularly raise these issues in bilateral discussions with the Government of Sudan, and with members of the Darfuri rebel movements.

Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made following the recent African Union Peace and Security Council statement insisting rebel movements join the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur process. [177102]

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Mark Simmonds: We fully support the efforts of the African Union/UN Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur to engage the armed movements in the Darfur peace process. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials last raised this with the leadership of those movements at a meeting on 11 November. It is essential that the Government of Sudan meet the commitments they have made under the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur if they are to have any success in attracting armed movements to join the process.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for which offences prosecutions have been brought by the Employment Agencies Inspectorate in each of the last seven years. [177335]

Jo Swinson: All prosecutions are brought under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003, both as amended. More than one offence may have been prosecuted in a particular case. The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has prosecuted the following offences in each of the last seven years:

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Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many inspections the Employment Agencies Inspectorate has carried out in each of the last seven years; how many such inspections resulted in prosecutions; and how many such inspections resulted in convictions. [177336]

Jo Swinson: The following table sets out the number of cases completed by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, the number of prosecutions that resulted from those cases, and the number of successful prosecutions, for the last seven years:

EU External Trade: Japan

Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress has been made on establishing a free trade deal between the EU and Japan. [176003]

Michael Fallon: Negotiations for an EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) were launched in April 2013 and so far three rounds have taken place. Discussions to date have covered every chapter and further progress was achieved at the EU-Japan summit on 19-20 November 2013. A fourth round of negotiations is scheduled for January 2014.

New Businesses: Government Assistance

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many start-up loans have been granted to businesses in each parliamentary constituency in England since the inception of the start-up loans scheme? [177224]

Matthew Hancock: We do not hold data on the number of start-up loans granted to businesses by constituency area. The Prime Minister announced on 20 November 2013 that the Start Up Loans Company had supported over 10,000 entrepreneurs with a value of over £50 million. A breakdown is available by region and can be found at:

http://www.startuploans.co.uk/businesses-backed/

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Post Offices

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to put measures in place to ensure that passport and driving licence applications can be processed in all post offices, including sub-urban and rural sub post offices. [176408]

Jo Swinson: It is an operational matter for the relevant agencies, HM Passport Office and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), to decide how many post offices within the wider network of more than 11,500 branches they require their services to be provided through. These services are governed by the Front Office Counter Services contract, which was awarded to Post Office Ltd following an open and competitive procurement.

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to launch initiatives to encourage more customers to use sub post offices following Royal Mail's privatisation; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the privatisation on the availability of Government front office counter services. [176410]

Jo Swinson: This Government are providing £1.34 billion to maintain and modernise the Post Office network, helping it become more sustainable in the longer-term. Post Office Ltd became a separate company in April 2012, and has a full independent Board able to take decisions in the best commercial interests of the business. Prior to separation, Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail signed a long-term commercial agreement that sees the continued availability of Royal Mail products and services across the network. This legally binding agreement is not affected by the sale of shares in Royal Mail.

The privatisation of Royal Mail also has no effect on the Post Office's ambition to become the Front Office for Government. Since separation, Post Office Ltd has won, in open and competitive procurement processes, a number of key contracts, including the Front Office Counter Services framework contract, which is being used by the DVLA and HM Passport Office for the provision of services through the post office network.

Alongside this, the Network Transformation programme, which rolled out nationally in October 2012, has already seen over 2,000 subpostmasters sign up to convert their branches to new operating models—main and local. Customer satisfaction at converted branches has been consistently over 90% (higher than traditional unconverted branches), with subpostmasters seeing an average 10% increase in post office customers using the branches.

Students: Disability

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people studying in UK universities are registered as disabled. [177478]

Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK higher education institutions. Information is not collected on the number of students who were registered disabled. The performance indicators for higher education use

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the number of students in receipt of disabled students' allowance as a measure of participation by people with a disability, and these are published on the HESA website:

http://www.hesa.ac.uk/content/view/2072/141/

The performance indicators show that 72,150 (6% of) UK domiciled full-time undergraduate students were in receipt of disabled students' allowance in the academic year 2011-12. The equivalent figure for part-time students (who studied at least 50% of the time) was 7,475 (3.4%).

These figures are sourced from the higher education sector and may understate the number of students who were registered as disabled.

Supermarkets: Sales Promotions

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will introduce legislative proposals to improve regulation of the use of special offers by large supermarkets. [177215]

Jo Swinson: The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 outlaw unfair commercial practices to the extent that they are likely to mislead the average consumer. The regime is principles-based and has very broad application. In the Government's view it is broad enough to cover any misleading practice, including misleading price promotions or special offers.

Last year the Office of Fair Trading agreed a set of principles with eight of the large supermarket chains. The principles were designed to provide specific guidance on how supermarket price promotions can comply with the regulations. Retailers breaching the regulations risk investigation and enforcement activity by the Trading Standards Service.

Trade Missions: China

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support the First Minister of Scotland received from UK Trade and Investment during his recent trip to China. [177381]

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) in the British Embassy provided the following support to the First Minister of Scotland:

Support provided to the First Secretary Scottish Affairs and the Country Head, Greater China, Scottish Development International in preparing trade and investment aspects of the programme. This included input into briefing documents and support to secure meetings, where this was needed;

UKTI attended a briefing session between HM Ambassador and the First Minister at the Residence on 3rd November;

HM Ambassador accompanied the First Minister to a meeting with Yang Hua, President of China National Off-shore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), on 4 November;

HM Ambassador accompanied the First Minister to a meeting with Zhang Yaocang, Vice President of Sinopec, on 4 November;

HM Ambassador, the First Minister and UKTI attended a reception for Government officials and Scottish companies on 4 November.

Travel: Insurance

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the (a) tourism and (b) insurance industry

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regarding the provision of travel insurance and safety advice to young people travelling overseas. [177140]

Mrs Grant: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

I have not held any discussions with the tourism and insurance industry regarding the provision of travel insurance and safety advice to young people travelling overseas. However, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides travel safety messages through its Travel Advice service and through the ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign, which has been active since 2001.

The FCO works closely with over 500 industry partners to extend the reach of its campaign activity. This includes representatives of the tourism and insurance industries, from tour operators and travel agents to insurance companies and umbrella organisations such as the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and the Association for British Insurers.

Northern Ireland

Haass Talks

11. David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent progress has been made on the Haass talks. [901234]

Mrs Villiers: Dr Haass and Professor O’Sullivan are approaching their task with great dedication and the UK Government are fully supportive of their work.

I have met all the political parties taking part to hear their views and to encourage them to make progress on finding a solution on the difficult issues under discussion.

Annually Managed Expenditure

12. Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with her ministerial colleagues and Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on the changes to annually managed expenditure and the introduction of the welfare cap. [901235]

Mr Robathan: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers), has had continuing discussions on these matters with ministerial colleagues both in Government and in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Economic Situation

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she last meet the First Minister of Northern Ireland to discuss economic development. [176897]

Mrs Villiers: I regularly meet the First and Deputy First Minister to discuss a range of subjects including economic development. The most recent of these meetings was on 11 November.

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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Greater London

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last met the Mayor of London to discuss air quality; and what the outcome was of those discussions. [177230]

Dan Rogerson: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs met the Mayor of London on 1 May this year and discussed air quality. DEFRA officials are also in regular contact with officials at the Greater London Authority and Transport for London to discuss air quality.

Animals: Imports

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many animals were prevented from entering the UK in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012 for not complying with the (i) Pet Travel Scheme and (ii) Balai Directive 92/65/EEC. [177318]

George Eustice: Responsibility for checking animals for compliance with the pet travel scheme (following EU Regulation 998/2003) is delegated to carriers (ferry, rail and sea operators) who are licensed to carry pets on the basis that they check 100% of animals presented for travel. In 2011 and 2012 these carriers refused travel into Great Britain as follows:

A risk based regime of post-import checks is in place for animals travelling under the Balai Directive (92/65/EEC). Information relating to these checks is not held centrally and therefore could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle have been slaughtered in the UK as a result of bovine tuberculosis in 2013 to date. [177409]

George Eustice: From 1 January to the end of August 2013, 22,512 cattle have been slaughtered solely because of bovine TB in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland there were 5,225 reactors in the same period.

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Marine Conservation Zones

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when his Department expects to complete the Marine Conservation Zones network designation. [177288]

George Eustice: We will be designating two further tranches of Marine Conservation Zones over the next three years, which will aim to complete the English component of the UK's contribution to an ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give the conservation objectives contained in the designation orders of marine conservation zones a statutory basis. [177291]

George Eustice: The designation orders are legal orders allowed for under part 5 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. As such, they provide a statutory basis for the conservation objectives.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what resources he plans to allocate to local regulators of marine conservation zones in order to provide effective monitoring and enforcement within designated sites. [177292]

George Eustice: Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities received additional funding for work on Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) for the spending review period up to 2014-15. Additional funding for MCZ work beyond this period is currently under consideration.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps in addition to designation his Department plans to take to ensure that the Marine Conservation Zone sites will provide the most effective protection to wildlife and are allowed to recover to their full potential. [177294]

George Eustice: The appropriate public authority will determine the best way to regulate Marine Conservation Zones following designation to ensure each site meets its conservation objectives.

Successful management of Marine Protected Areas requires stakeholders to work in partnership and cooperate with each other, with conservation advisers and with regulators. We want to see well managed sites which conserve and protect our important habitats and features, and want all those with an interest to work in partnership to achieve this.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to address the gaps in scientific knowledge which are necessary to designate new Marine Conservation zones. [177299]

George Eustice: Throughout the Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) process we have commissioned additional research and evidence gathering to address gaps in scientific knowledge. We will continue to work with

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delivery partners to gather evidence to support MCZ designation. We have spent over £8 million over the last three years and have identified an additional £2 million this year.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons his Department’s recent consultation on Marine Conservation zones did not quantify the economic benefits of designation. [177300]

George Eustice: Compared to costs, benefits are harder to quantify as there are scientific uncertainties in ecosystem service changes in the marine environment and very little data that allow valuation of these changes. Similarly, positive changes in economic activity (e.g. tourism) are difficult to predict and attribute to Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) due to the many factors that contribute to economic growth in a particular sector. The consultation Impact Assessment explained benefits qualitatively, while the final Impact Assessment included some monetisation of benefits. However, these are illustrative only due to uncertainty and do not capture the full range of benefits that will result from the MCZs. No evidence was provided during the consultation by stakeholders that allowed the quantification of benefits at the national scale.

DEFRA will review the need to fund research to better quantify the benefits of future tranches and examine evidence of economic benefits from the first tranche of MCZs to inform future decisions.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he expects the establishment of a Marine Conservation Zone network to represent a full range of marine features at a national level as well as on a broader bio-geographic level. [177301]

George Eustice: The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 created an obligation on DEFRA and the devolved Administrations to establish a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPA), which is representative of the range of features present in the UK marine area. Marine Conservation Zones will contribute to this network, alongside other types of MPAs established under European and domestic legislation.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will ensure that designation of future tranches of Marine Conservation zones is not solely on a voluntary basis. [177361]

George Eustice: We will use the provision within the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to designate two further tranches of Marine Conservation Zones over the next three years.

Marine Protected Areas created by the exercise of powers in legislation may be supplemented by areas which stakeholders have agreed to treat as protected areas on a voluntary basis.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence his Department holds that Marine Conservation zones will form an ecologically-coherent network capable of protecting functioning communities of marine life. [177362]

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George Eustice: Designation of the first tranche of Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) in November 2013, has made a contribution towards establishing an ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). It was not intended that these sites alone would create an effective network but would instead complement other MPAs and future MCZ designations, including in the devolved Administrations.

We will be designating two further tranches of MCZs over the next three years, which will aim to complete the English component of the UK's contribution to an ecologically coherent network of MPAs. Whether the network is ecologically coherent will be informed by developing OSPAR (Administrator of the Oslo and Paris Conventions for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic) methodologies and reporting requirements.

Plastic Bags

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the risk of food poisoning as a result of a five pence mandatory charge for single use carrier bags. [176507]

Dan Rogerson: As in Wales and Northern Ireland, we propose to exempt plastic bags that are solely used to contain unpackaged food intended for human consumption.

People should continue to be aware of the risk of cross-contamination when placing food in reused bags.

Home Department

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on advertising with (a) The Guardian newspaper, (b) The Guardian website and (c)The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [171156]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 17 October 2013]: The Home Department's spend on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c) The Guardian Media Group in the financial years 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 is as follows:

Advertising spend figures with The Guardian website for 2009-10 is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

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Human Trafficking

Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will (a) create the position of anti-slavery commissioner and (b) take other steps to increase the number of convictions for human trafficking. [177029]

James Brokenshire: The proposed draft Modern Slavery Bill will include provisions on the appointment of an Anti-Slavery Commissioner. The planned Commissioner will play a key role in strengthening the efforts of law enforcement agencies in the UK to secure more modern slavery and human trafficking investigations, prosecutions and convictions. The exact nature of this role is still being developed and will be further reviewed following pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill.

The proposed Modern Slavery Bill will also: increase the maximum sentence available on human trafficking and modern slavery offences from 14 years to life imprisonment; include the offences in the extended determinate sentences regime; and introduce civil orders to restrict the movement of perpetrators.

Revised guidance on effective investigation and prosecution of offences will be issued shortly by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Intelligence Services: Complaints

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the Investigatory Powers Tribunal has upheld a complaint against (a) GCHQ, (b) the Secret Intelligence Service and (c) the Security Service in each year from its foundation to date. [176720]

James Brokenshire: The Investigatory Powers Tribunal has not upheld any complaints against the Government Communications Headquarters, the Secret Intelligence Service and the Security Service.

Investigatory Powers Tribunal

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in each year of its existence the Investigatory Powers Tribunal has held open hearings; and what public body has been the subject of each such hearing. [176456]

James Brokenshire: A list of the open hearings held by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal is set out as follows:

2003-Kennedy, British Irish Watch and Others v. the Security Service, GCHQ, SIS and the Metropolitan Police Service

2004-B v. the Security Service

2006-C v. the Police and the Home Office

2006-National Black Police Association and Others v. the Metropolitan Police Service

2008-Frank-Steiner v. the Data Controller, SIS

2009-Jenny Patton and Others v. Poole Borough Council

2012-Vaughan v. South Oxfordshire District Council

2012-BA and Others v. Cleveland Police

2013-A Complaint of Surveillance

The following hearing was originally closed, but was made open by the release of a full transcript:

2003-Rulings of the Tribunal on Preliminary Issues of Law

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While the tribunal is not obliged by statute to report on its activities the practice has been to publish statistics regularly on the number of complaints considered. The most recent information regarding the complaints made to the tribunal in 2012 is set out on their website at:

http://www.ipt-uk.com/

This states that in 2012 they carried forward 47 cases from 2011, received 168 cases, completed 191 and carried forward 24 cases to 2013.

Kings Science Academy

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2013, Official Report, column 339W, on Kings Science Academy, for what reasons Action Fraud did not request further information from the Department of Education when Action Fraud reported that there was not enough information to progress the case further on 5 September 2013. [176916]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 22 November 2013]: Action Fraud is a reporting channel for crimes of this nature and is not an investigatory body. It records crime and information reports on behalf of the police and forwards all reports to the City of London Police's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). The NFIB assesses reports it receives from Action Fraud and other organisations and makes a decision on whether to disseminate crime packages to law enforcement agencies. The police decide whether to investigate and whether to request additional information from a victim.

Passports: Fingerprints

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans her Department has to introduce fingerprint scanning in the passport application processes. [176409]

Mr Harper: There are no plans to introduce fingerprint scanning into the passport application process.

Police: Dogs

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many working dogs are currently used by the police, in police force area; and what the breed and type is of each such dog in each such area. [177184]

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.

Police: Football

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account her Department takes of the level at which football teams in an area compete when allocating resources to police services for policing football matches. [174449]

Damian Green: The majority of Government funding for the police is allocated using the police allocation formula (PAF). No consideration of the level at which football teams in an area compete is made by the PAF.

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The amount of resource allocated to policing football matches is a local decision for the relevant police and crime commissioner in consultation with the chief constable.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 her 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. [175000]

James Brokenshire: The following table details the use and purpose of non geographic numbers, 0843, 0844 and 0845.

Prime Minister

Domestic Visits

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Prime Minister what the date and venue was of each PM Direct event in which he has taken part since May 2010; what the total cost to the public purse was of those events; and what form of transport he used to travel to each such event. [177506]

The Prime Minister: PM Direct events provide members of the public with an opportunity to raise local, regional or national issues with me directly. Each PM Direct event, including travel, has been arranged in accordance with ministerial and civil service guidelines. Costs have been minimised as far as possible. The cost of any security provided by the police is a matter for the relevant police force. So far this year there have been 10 PM Direct events at a total cost of £44,165.22.

For figures for the previous two years I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Airdrie and Shotts (Pamela Nash) on 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 63W.

27 Nov 2013 : Column 303W

India

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister how many people who accompanied him on his recent visit to India were of British-Indian origin. [177597]

The Prime Minister: My office does not hold this information, but details of ministerial overseas travel are published quarterly and are available on the gov.uk website.

Transport

Biofuels

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Government continue to support a cap of five per cent on the proportion of EU renewable energy transport targets that can be met through food-based biofuels; and what representations he plans to make to other EU member states ahead of the European Energy Council vote on this issue on 12 December 2013. [177059]

Mr Goodwill: The UK Government are actively engaged with representatives of the European Council from all member states, ahead of the 12 December European Energy Council vote.

Negotiations on the proposed directive are ongoing and we continue to make the case for effective action on ILUC, including supporting a 5% cap. We hope that an agreement can be reached as soon as possible.

Cycling

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department allocates to (a) promote cycling, (b) promote cycling safety and (c) provide infrastructure improvements. [176922]

Mr Goodwill: This Government have committed £278 million of funding directly for cycling; along with £535 million investment from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund on projects which include cycling. This funding supports local authorities across England to deliver schemes to promote cycling, such as new and improved cycle routes, improved junctions and crossings; Bikeability cycle training to improve cyclist road sense and safety; increased cycle parking at rail stations; as well as some cycle hire schemes.

We have invested £35 million specifically to deliver safer junctions for cyclists; this includes £15 million for junctions in London. In October we launched our first paid-for THINK! Campaign: THINK CYCLIST “Let's Look Out For Each Other”.

In August this year the Prime Minister announced cycling will be considered at the design stage of all new trunk road schemes which, where possible, will be ‘cycle-proofed' so they can be navigated confidently by the average cyclist. £5 million will be invested initially with a further £15 million in 2015-16 to help cyclists on the trunk road network. In addition we are working with local authorities and Transport for London on trialling innovative schemes to improve cycle safety at junctions.

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Cycling: Essex

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of minor and major cycling injuries in (a) Essex and (b) Chelmsford constituency. [177467]

Mr Goodwill: Table RAS30043 of ‘Reported Road Casualties: Great Britain’, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239774/ras30043.xls

provides the number of pedal cycle casualties by severity (fatalities, casualties killed or seriously injured, and all casualties) in reported road accidents for each local authority in England for 2010 to 2012. The table shows there were 263 casualties and three fatalities in Essex in 2012. Statistics for the Chelmsford constituency show 23 casualties in 2012, with no fatalities, a reduction from 41 casualties in 2011. Statistics for reported road casualties in 2013 will be available in June 2014.

The safety of cyclists is very important to the Government and they have committed £278 million of funding directly for cycling; this funding supports local authorities across England to deliver schemes to promote and improve safe cycling. Included in the funding is £35 million that delivers junction improvements to improve the safety of cyclists; in addition to the continued support of Bikeablity cycle training that aims to improve cyclists' road sense and safety. As well as the funding detailed above, 94 out of 96 Local Sustainable Transport Fund projects include cycling as an element in their delivery programmes; these 94 projects receive a total of £535 million of DFT funding. In October we launched our first paid-for THINK! Campaign: ‘THINK CYCLIST’ “Let's Look Out For Each Other”.

The Government, through the reduction of bureaucracy and supporting changes in regulations, have made it easier for local authorities to implement 20 mph zones, ‘Trixi’ mirrors and highway measures to support cycle safety. In addition we are working with local authorities and Transport for London on trialling innovative schemes to improve cycle safety at junctions; as well as supporting the European Union to improve lorry design standards. The Department for Transport has a Cycle Safety Forum to bring together partners with a shared goal of enhancing cycle safety; members include ACPO, cycling stakeholders, motoring and freight organisations.

Cycling: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the level of safety for cyclists in (a) East London and (b) elsewhere in London. [177122]

Mr Goodwill: Table RAS30043 of “Reported Road Casualties: Great Britain”, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/239774/ras30043.xls

provides the number of pedal cycle casualties by severity (fatalities, casualties killed or seriously injured, and all casualties) in reported road accidents for each local authority in England for 2010 to 2012.

27 Nov 2013 : Column 305W

The table, with figures broken down by London borough, shows that five of the 14 fatalities in London in 2012 were in East London boroughs. Statistics for reported road casualties in 2013 will be available in June 2014.

Cycling in London is growing significantly, with cycling on the Capital's main roads having almost tripled in the last decade. However, the number of cyclists killed on London's roads fell during 2012, compared to 2011 (from 16 to 14 cyclist fatalities). Looking over the longer term, the number of cyclists killed on London's roads in the last five years was 17% lower than in the previous five years.

Taking into account the considerable increase in cycling on London's roads, the number of cyclists killed per journey cycled in London has fallen by 55% in the ten years from 2002 to 2011, the most recent figures available. In addition, the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured (KSI) per journey cycled in London has also fallen, by 22% over the same ten year period.

Both the Government and Transport for London (TfL) have taken steps to increase cycle safety. The Government have committed £278 million of funding directly for cycling; along with £535 million investment from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund on projects which include cycling. This funding supports local authorities across England to deliver schemes to promote and improve safe cycling. Included in the funding is £35 million that delivers junction improvements to improve the safety of cyclists—including £15 million specifically for junctions in London; along with the continued support of Bikeablity cycle training that aims to improve cyclists' road sense and safety. In October we launched our first paid-for THINK! Campaign: THINK CYCLIST “Let's Look Out For Each Other”.

In September TfL, the Mayor of London and DfT announced new proposals to increase cycle safety. The proposed “Safer Lorry Charge” would levy a fee on any HGV which is not fitted with basic safety equipment to protect cyclists. A consultation on this will begin in early 2014. Also announced was an industrial HGV task force of police officers, funded by TfL, to take direct action against dangerous drivers, vehicles and operators.

Cycling: Safety

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of minor and major cycling injuries. [177128]

Mr Goodwill: The safety of cyclists is very important to the Government and we have committed £278 million of funding directly for cycling; along with £535 million investment from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund on projects which include cycling. This funding supports local authorities across England to deliver schemes to promote and improve safe cycling. Included in the funding is £35 million that delivers junction improvements to improve the safety of cyclists; along with the continued support of Bikeablity cycle training that aims to improve cyclists’ road sense and safety. In October we launched our first paid-for THINK! Campaign: THINK CYCLIST “Let's Look Out For Each Other”.

27 Nov 2013 : Column 306W

The Government, through the reduction of bureaucracy and supporting changes in regulations, have made it easier for local authorities to implement 20 mph zones; Trixi' mirrors and highway measures to support cycle safety. In addition we are working with local authorities and Transport for London on trialling innovative schemes to improve cycle safety at junctions; as well as supporting the European Union to improve lorry design standards. The Department for Transport has a Cycle Safety Forum to bring together partners with a shared goal of enhancing cycle safety; members include ACPO, cycling stakeholders, motoring and freight organisations.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was to HS2 Ltd of their Head of Public Affairs distributing to hon. Members a speech given by Lord Heseltine to the Royal Town Planning Institute; and if he will publish the list of those to whom the speech was sent. [177085]

Mr Goodwill: The text of Lord Heseltine's recent speech to the Royal Town Planning Institute was sent by HS2 Ltd to a distribution list of all 650 Members of Parliament. It is not possible to calculate or isolate the cost of sending an individual email, but I am satisfied the cost will have been negligible and that this was the most cost-effective means of distributing the information.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the community forums and meetings organised by HS2 Ltd where travel costs or assistance (a) were and (b) were not offered to participants. [177088]

Mr Goodwill: HS2 Ltd did not offer any financial assistance to attendees of community forums and community meetings. All those attending the community forums and meetings did so in a voluntary capacity. Details of all the community and other engagement forums are listed on the HS2 Ltd website—see following link:

http://www.hs2.org.uk/developing-hs2/forums/community-forums

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the independent study that shows that without the capacity provided by High Speed 2 the main roads linking eight out of 10 of the United Kingdom's largest cities will be overwhelmed. [177089]

Mr Goodwill: The ‘Strategic Case for HS2’ (Department for Transport, October 2013) sets out why the Government consider HS2 to be the best way to address long-term transport capacity pressures, especially on the north-south corridors which link many of our major cities. It makes reference to the Department for Transport's most recent road traffic forecasts, which were published in July 2013 alongside the Command Paper ‘Action for Roads’, and show that by 2040 traffic on strategic roads will have grown by 46% on central assumptions.

The Strategic Case for HS2 also explains why increasing road capacity alone is not the solution. Motorways cannot match the speed of high speed rail and it is difficult to increase the capacity of urban roads, as they are already highly developed and congested.

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Railways: Electrification

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what money has been set aside for electrification of railway lines for 2014-15. [177045]

Stephen Hammond: In the period from 2014 to 2019, the Government's rail investment strategy will deliver over £9 billion of rail enhancement expenditure including the electrification of over 800 miles of route. The delivery of the electrification programme and the level of spending on electrification in 2014-15 is a matter for the rail industry.

Railways: Freight

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail about the acquisition of former British Rail freight sites from freight operating companies; and what his policy is on the transfer process that Network Rail should use in such circumstances. [176987]

Stephen Hammond: I have not discussed this issue with Network Rail, but I am aware that last year Network Rail consulted on a proposal to acquire sites currently held by DB Schenker Rail (UK) Ltd/English Welsh and Scottish Railway International Ltd and this year has been holding discussions with a number of the freight operating companies for a similar purpose.

The transfer process is a contractual matter between Network Rail and the operator holding the leasehold. The mechanism for management of such sites surrendered by the freight operating companies, including their potential safeguarding for future freight purposes, was set out in a Deed of Agreement dated 1 April 1994 (“the 1994 Supplemental Agreement”) between British Railways Board and Railtrack plc as a supplemental agreement to the Railtrack Transfer Scheme made under section 85 of the Railways Act 1993.

Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Railway Line

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate his Department has made of the benefits of electrification of the line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton; [177038]

(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of electrification of the line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton on the local economy; [177041]

(3) what assessment he has made of the effect of electrification of the line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton on commuters. [177042]

Stephen Hammond: The route between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton was not put forward by the rail industry as a priority for electrification and it is not included in the electrification programme for the 2014-19 period. The Department for Transport has therefore made no assessment of the benefits of electrification for this route or of the effect on commuters and the local economy.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what discussions he has had with local businesses on the benefits that electrification of the line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton will bring; [177040]

27 Nov 2013 : Column 308W

(2) what discussions he has had with Shropshire County Council on the electrification of the line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. [177043]

Stephen Hammond: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has had no discussions with local businesses or Shropshire County Council regarding electrification of the line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the electrification of the line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton being included in the Government's further electrification of the rail network. [177044]

Stephen Hammond: Further electrification of the rail network is under consideration by the rail industry. Network Rail is currently updating the industry electrification strategy which will inform future Government decisions on further investment in electrification.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the benefit to the environment of electrification of the line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. [177046]

Stephen Hammond: The route between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton was not put forward by the rail industry as a priority for electrification and it is not included in the electrification programme for the 2014-19 period. The Department for Transport has therefore made no assessment of the benefits of electrification of this route on the environment.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to visit Shrewsbury and assess the benefits of electrification of the line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton. [177047]

Stephen Hammond: Transport Ministers have no current plans to visit but are fully aware of the benefits rail electrification can bring to passengers and the economy.

Defence

Armed Forces: Immunity From Prosecution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to extend the doctrine of combat immunity to cover activities excluded by the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987. [177337]

Dr Murrison: The Government will contest vigorously forthcoming court cases, which it is hoped will provide the necessary clarification on the important issue of combat immunity. The possibility of legislation being required will be considered in the light of their outcome.

Armed Forces: Injuries

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving and former service personnel are recorded as having facial scarring as a

27 Nov 2013 : Column 309W

result of injuries sustained in the performance of their duties. [177286]

Anna Soubry: The Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP) is the source of electronic, integrated health care records for Defence Primary Healthcare and some specialist care providers. As at 22 November 2013, there are no service personnel with “facial scarring” entered in their record on the DMICP.

While a search for records of individuals with facial injuries could be undertaken, it would not be possible in every case to tell from the type of injury those which would have left a scar.

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving and former service personnel are in receipt of a war disablement pension for facial scarring, either solely or alongside other injuries. [177287]

Anna Soubry: As at 31 March 2013 (the latest date for which War Pensions Scheme statistics are available) a minimum of 590 ex-service personnel were in receipt of an ongoing War Pension for facial scarring, burns or lacerations. No specific diagnostic code exists for facial scarring therefore a search of the free-text condition field was carried out to compile the figures. Due to the nature of free-text information it is possible that some records have not been identified and the figure of 590 should be interpreted as the minimum.

Between 6 April 2005 (the start of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS)) and 31 March 2013 (the latest date for which information is available) 240 serving/ex-serving personnel were awarded compensation under the AFCS for facial scarring, burns or lacerations. As at 1 November 2013 (the date of the latest armed forces personnel file) 135 of these individuals were still serving and 105 had left the services.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will commission a follow-up study to the 2006 Equal Opportunities Commission report on sexual harassment in the armed forces; [177191]

(2) what steps his Department has taken to reduce sexual harassment in the armed forces since the Equal Opportunities Commission published its report on that issue in 2006. [177265]

Anna Soubry: The armed forces are an equal opportunities employer and are committed to ensuring a working environment free from harassment, intimidation and unlawful discrimination. This is morally and legally the right thing to do. In addition, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises that operational effectiveness depends on cohesion and teamwork, which are enhanced by treating everyone fairly, with dignity and respect. This commitment has been matched with real and tangible progress since the publication of the 2006 report; for full details I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), on 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1249-52W, to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon).

27 Nov 2013 : Column 310W

In October 2007 the Equal Opportunities Commission became part of a new single equality body, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). While there are no current plans to commission the EHRC to produce a new report, MOD officials are actively engaged in scoping the best way to quantify and measure the improvement in the lived experience of service personnel since the 2006 survey was carried out.

Armed Forces: Training

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel have been trained at US Altus Air Force base since the C-17 has come into service; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of such training. [177252]

Dr Murrison: The information will take time to collate. The Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.

HMS Illustrious

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport about the possibility of preserving HMS Illustrious as a cultural asset following the ship's decommissioning; what his plans for HMS Illustrious are after her decommissioning; and if he will make a statement. [177374]

Anna Soubry: There have been no discussions with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport about the preservation of HMS Illustrious after decommissioning.

I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by the Minister for Defence Equipment Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr Dunne), on 15 October 2013, Official Report, columns 48-9WS.

Human Rights

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on legal advice, representation and support in third party claims brought against the Department under the Human Rights Act 1998 since that Act entered into force. [176239]

Anna Soubry: I will write to the hon. Member with figures on associated spending for the most recent years. Figures are not held centrally in relation to expenditure since 1998.

RAF Police

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops were deployed to Mali from the RAF protection police. [176952]

27 Nov 2013 : Column 311W

Dr Murrison: I have taken the term "RAF protection police" to mean RAF police in this instance. No RAF police personnel were deployed to Mali. However, each air transport aircraft that flew in to Mali contained an aviation security team, which included RAF police personnel.

Treasury

Bank of England

Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the role of the Bank of England as central bank and lender of last resort in contributing to growth and fiscal sustainability in Scotland in the last 10 years. [177194]

Sajid Javid: The independent Monetary Policy Committee's macroeconomic policy tools are designed to affect the economy as a whole, in order to meet the 2% inflation target over the medium term.

If Scotland were to become independent, the Bank of England would be the central bank for the continuing UK. The continuing UK would have to agree to Scotland taking part in the UK's monetary arrangements as part of a currency union and it is highly unlikely that one could be agreed or made to work.

Coal: Concessions

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether delivery of fuel and payment in lieu of coal will be backdated to ensure that former mineworkers and widows have sufficient fuel in the current winter; and if he will make a statement. [176171]

Nicky Morgan [holding answer 21 November 2013]: The Government expect the schemes to be fully restored with all entitlements backdated as soon as possible and all concessionaires to be added to the normal delivery programme by March 2014.

If some individual concessionaires find that they are running out of fuel and require an urgent delivery, they should contact distributors, CPL.

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when delivery of fuel and payment in lieu of coal to former mineworkers and widows will recommence; and if he will make a statement. [176172]

Nicky Morgan [holding answer 21 November 2013]: The Government expect the schemes to be fully restored as soon as possible, with all entitlements backdated and all concessionaires to be added to the normal delivery programme by March 2014.

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to his announcement of 15 November 2013, on the concessionary fuel allowance, what provision he is making for those former miners and widows who had already purchased coal in the belief that their fuel allowance had stopped; and if he will make a statement. [176529]

27 Nov 2013 : Column 312W

Nicky Morgan [holding answer 22 November 2013]: Concessionaries who have purchased fuel since July 2013 will be reimbursed where they are able to provide a receipt or documentary evidence of that purchase.

Financial Services: Taxation

George Galloway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates his Department has made of the increase in revenue from a financial transaction tax on (a) shares and bonds, and (b) derivatives set at levels similar to those now being contemplated by some European Union member states. [176984]

Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him on 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 924W.

Fraud: EU Law

Mr Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish his Department's analysis of the benefits of European Council Framework Decision 2001/413/JHA of 28 May 2001, combating fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment; and if he will make a statement. [173526]

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Council Framework Decision 2001/413/JHA of 28 May 2001, on combating fraud and counterfeiting of non-cash means of payment is one of the measures subject to the 2014 decision. As set out in Command Paper 8671 it is not one of the 35 measures within the scope of that decision that the Government intend to seek to rejoin.

The Framework Decision establishes low level minimum standards of criminal law to ensure that fraud and counterfeiting involving all forms of non-cash means of payment are recognised as criminal offences and are subject to effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions by member states.

This Framework Decision is one of a number of minimum standards measures that we meet and exceed through our domestic legislation. In most cases we met the standards before they were even created. This will continue to be the case and we simply do not need to be bound by this measure. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has committed to providing Parliament with an impact assessment on the final list of measures that the UK will apply to rejoin. This will be done in good time ahead of the second vote on this matter and contain all relevant information.

Infrastructure

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 534W, on infrastructure guarantees, how many prequalified projects have not been disclosed for commercial reasons. [176930]

Danny Alexander: 19 of the 40 prequalified projects have not been disclosed.

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John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 534W, on infrastructure guarantees, what the location is of each of the 40 projects pre-qualified for the UK Guarantees scheme. [176931]

Danny Alexander: The 40 prequalified projects are located throughout the United Kingdom.

The list of prequalified projects that have agreed to be disclosed can be found on the gov.uk website.

Japan Tobacco International

Mr Barron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made representations to the European Anti-Fraud Office over the time taken to investigate allegations about Japan Tobacco International. [176982]

Nicky Morgan: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has made no representations to the European Anti-Fraud Office over the time taken to investigate allegations about Japan Tobacco International.

Remittances

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the membership is and terms of reference are of the Action Group on Cross Border Remittances. [177123]

Sajid Javid: As outlined in my written ministerial statement of 10 October 2013, Official Report, columns 29-30WS, membership of the Action Group and the terms of reference are in the process of being agreed, by the end of 2013. It will include representatives from the private sector, supervisors, civil society and international partners.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made on the cross-departmental plan to secure the future of the UK remittance market. [177124]

Sajid Javid: The Government are taking active steps to help facilitate a comprehensive and durable solution to secure the future of the UK remittance market. In particular, we are in the process of establishing an Action Group on Cross Border Remittances. My written ministerial statement on 10 October 2013, Official Report, columns 29-30WS, outlined the timetable for establishing this group.

The Government steering group has met weekly throughout November to take this forward. Developing a market-led solution to solve the problems in the remittance market and re-build trust with the banks will take time. Officials continue to monitor the situation closely and maintain liaison with relevant stakeholders.

Tobacco

Mr Barron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether it is the Government's position that any tobacco control system should be independent of the tobacco manufacturers. [176983]

Jane Ellison: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.

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The Government believe that any tobacco control system should be the most effective and efficient available to deliver the benefits required and that it will be important to draw on all the expertise available to arrive at the most effective solution.

UK Trade & Investment

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the robustness of (a) Trade Growth Value (TGV) and (b) other measures used by UK Trade & Investment in evaluating that agency's economic impact. [176988]

Nicky Morgan: A wide range of statistics are used to monitor the-performance of UKTI and its economic impact. Several of these have been produced in a consistent way over a number of years. A number of the statistics are produced by independent external economists.

The Treasury supports UKTI's work in producing monitoring statistics and the difficult task of estimating its economic impact. The Treasury recognizes the inherent difficulties in determining what would have happened if UKTI did not exist, and hence a number of assumptions have to be made to estimate the economic impact. The Treasury has assessed the overall approach and judge that the information is fit for the purposes of monitoring trends through time and judging the relative impact of different interventions. Trade Growth Value is a relatively new statistic. The Treasury will assess its usefulness once a longer time series of figures exists.

Video Games: Exports

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of exports from the UK video games industry has been in each of the last five years. [177272]

Mr Vaizey: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Data are currently only available for 2009 and show that the service exports of video games were £78 million. The 2009 data for Video Games (Digital and Entertainment Media) have already been made available in the DCMS Creative Industries Economic Estimates.

DCMS has been consulting on the Creative Industries classification and we intend to produce new Creative Industries Economic Estimates as soon as the final classification has been agreed.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Procurement

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many projects have been rated as (a) green, (b) amber and (c) red by the Gateway Review process in each year since its inception; [177451]

(2) which projects have been rated as red by the Gateway Review process in the last five years. [177449]

Mr Maude: Gateway Reviews commissioned by the Major Projects Authority are not routinely published. In May 2013, the Government published the first ever

27 Nov 2013 : Column 315W

Major Projects Authority Annual Report which sets out the delivery confidence ratings of its major projects.

In line with the practice of successive Administrations, further details on assurance reviews are not normally made public.

Statistics

Mr Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which statistics have been required by the EU in the last 10 years but are no longer required. [177049]

Mr Hurd [holding answer 25 November 2013]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Jil Matheson, dated November 2013:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office which statistics have been required by the EU in the last 10 years but are no longer required. 177049.

Statistics deemed necessary by the Council and European Parliament for the functioning of the EU are called ‘European Statistics’. European statistics required in any particular 5 year period are defined in the multiannual European Statistical Programme (ESP). The Programmes for 2003-07 and 2008-12 defined which statistics were required in any particular 5 year period in the last 10 years:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2003:131E:0068:0071:EN:PDF

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2007:344:0015:0043:EN:PDF

Current requirements are set out in the ESP for 2013-17:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:039:0012:0029:en:PDF

Broad changes in requirements will be reflected in the differences in these documents. More detailed requirements for each year of the ESP are described in Annual Statistical Work Programmes for the relevant year. The annual programmes itemise all new and ongoing statistical requirements, As part of the adoption of each annual programme both efficiency measures and so-called “negative priorities” are identified; that is, those individual statistical outputs that are no longer required for EU policy-making. An analysis of the totality of these negative priorities over the past 10 years has not been possible in the time available to reply to this Parliamentary Question. I will write to you again once that analysis has been completed and also place a copy in the House of Commons Library.

Energy and Climate Change

Energy

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) the National Grid and (b) gas distribution companies on support for (i) their supply chains and (ii) UK manufacturing. [177421]

Michael Fallon: The Department has had a range of discussions with both the National Grid and Gas Distribution Companies including on Security of Supply and EMR, but none specifically on Supply Chains or UK Manufacturing.

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Energy: Essex

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average household (a) gas and (b) electricity bill was in (i) Essex and (ii) Chelmsford constituency in each year since 2010. [177493]

Michael Fallon: Energy bill data are only available at a Public Electricity Supply (PES) region level. Since the county of Essex and the Chelmsford constituency are both within the Eastern PES region, energy bill estimates for that region have been provided in the following table.

These are based on an assumed annual consumption of 3,300 kWh of electricity and 18,000 kWh of gas per year.

These estimates can be found in table 2.2.3 (electricity) and 2.3.3 (gas) of DECC's Quarterly Energy Prices publication:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/annual-domestic-energy-price-statistics

Provisional estimates for average annual energy bills in 2013 will be published on 19 December 2013 in Quarterly Energy Prices.

Flexible Working

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in his Department make use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service's flexible working hours scheme (a) above and (b) below director level. [177394]

Gregory Barker: Compressed hours working is one of a range of flexible working options available to all employees of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

All requests to work flexibly whether informal or formal, including where there is a statutory right to request a flexible working arrangement, must always be balanced with business requirements and priorities.

The Department does not keep a central record of employees who work a compressed week. Line managers are responsible for recording and monitoring working patterns for their teams in line with departmental policy.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assumptions about the Government's carbon price floor policy are built into the contract for the nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. [177298]

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Michael Fallon: Government and EDF have reached commercial agreement on key terms of an investment contract, however, negotiations on the detail remain on-going.

Should a full investment contract be agreed, it would be laid before Parliament and published with confidential data redacted, in accordance with the provisions set out in the Energy Bill which is currently progressing through Parliament. Alongside this, we would also publish summaries of value-for-money assessments which will include information on the carbon price floor assumptions used in our analysis.

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential economic effect of Hinkley Point C on (a) UK manufacturing companies and (b) steel companies in (i) Wales and (ii) the UK. [177420]

Michael Fallon: Assessment of the potential economic effect of the proposed 16 GW nuclear new build programme, which includes Hinkley Point C, was undertaken by the Nuclear Industry Association and, separately, Oxford Economics and Atkins, funded, respectively, by BIS and jointly BIS and DECC.¹ The latter assessment indicated that the UK supply chain has the potential to capture around 60% of the overall value of investment in such a programme. No specific assessments have been made of the economic effect on manufacturing companies, including steel companies, that might be involved in the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station or other projects planned across the UK. Decisions on awarding contracts for the work at Hinkley Point C are a commercial matter for EDF. However, EDF have indicated that around 57% of the construction opportunities at Hinkley Point C could be awarded to UK companies.

¹ ‘N1A Capability Report 2012; The Economic Benefit of Improving the UK's Nuclear Supply Chain Capability Oxford Economics and Atkins, 2013’.

Nuclear Reactors

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the use of mini-nuclear reactors as a solution to the UK's future energy needs; and if he will fund research and development on such reactors. [177196]

Michael Fallon [holding answer 26 November 2013]: The Nuclear Industrial Strategy and its supporting documents considered the potential for small modular reactors (SMRs), both as a possible element of future energy supply and as a means of providing growth opportunities for UK industry. The strategy set out the aim for the UK to be a key partner of choice in commercialising Generation III+, IV and SMR nuclear technologies worldwide.

The Nuclear Rand D Roadmap: Future Pathways also considered the role of SMRs in the UK's energy future and the research needs and decisions necessary to underpin the UK's involvement in SMR development.

Ultimately, it will be for industry to decide which technologies it wishes to develop and deploy, subject to the UK's robust regulatory regime. Government will

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continue to consider opportunities for the funding of research into SMR's alongside other technologies on a case by case basis.

Renewable Energy

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure the UK meets its energy targets under the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive; and what the consequences would be if the UK did not meet this target. [177260]

Gregory Barker: Government are committed to meeting the UK target under the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC which requires 15% of our energy consumption to come from renewable sources by 2020. Actions to help achieve this are described in the UK Renewable Energy Roadmap¹ which was published in 2011, and updated in 2012² and 2013³.

Member states are also required under Article 22 of the Renewable Energy Directive to submit reports to the European Commission every two years on their progress in the promotion and use of energy from renewable sources. The deadline for the UK's first progress report was in December 2011⁴ and the second report is due to be submitted by the end of this year.

If the UK failed to meet its 2020 target under the Renewable Energy Directive, as with any other member state, infraction proceedings could be brought against it in the Court of Justice of the European Union.

¹ UK Renewable Energy Roadmap (2011) at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-energy-roadmap

² UK Renewable Energy Roadmap Update 2012 at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-renewable-energy-roadmap-update

³ UK Renewable Energy Roadmap Update 2013 at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-renewable-energy-roadmap-second-update

⁴ First Progress Report on the Promotion and Use of Energy from Renewable Sources by the UK (2011) at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48264/3992-first-progress-report-on-the-promotion-and-use-of-.pdf

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average time taken to process solar PV feed-in tariff applications to Ofgem is. [177023]

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold data on processing times for FITs applications. The scheme is administered by Ofgem, which maintains a necessarily robust online application process that ensures legislative requirements are met whilst opportunities for fraud are minimised. The time spent processing applications varies considerably on a case by case basis, and is largely driven by the promptness and quality of evidence submitted by applicants in response to Ofgem's queries.

Vacancies

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the churn rate was in his Department in the (a) consumers and households,

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(b)

markets and infrastructure,

(c)

international, science and resilience and

(d)

finance and corporate services service areas in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13. [177185]

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) reorganised its group structure in October 2013. Therefore no data exist for those groups prior to that date.

The current Turnover rate for the DECC groups are set out as follows.

The turnover rate for DECC at 31 March in each of the years requested is set out as follows:

Wind Power

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many TWh of electricity (a) are currently produced and (b) is expected to be in production in 2020 by (i) onshore and (ii) offshore wind power. [177264]

Michael Fallon: In 2012, 12.1 TWh of electricity was generated from onshore wind and 7.5 TWh from offshore wind, see DUKES 6.4, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-sources-of-energy-chapter-6-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

The proportion of electricity generation delivered by any technology in the future is uncertain as it depends on a range of factors—for example, future technology costs. The most recent illustrative scenarios for contributions from different electricity generation technologies between now and 2030 were published in July 2013 as part of the consultation on the draft Electricity Market Reform Delivery Plan. The scenarios include low and high estimates of 23 TWh to 28 TWh¹ of onshore wind in 2020 and 24 TWh to 52 TWh² of offshore wind in 2020. These figures are calculated on a GB (not UK) basis; see table 6.1.4 available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223655/emr_consultation_annex_e.pdf

This analysis will be updated as part of the final EMR Delivery Plan.

¹ Based on high and low technology costs respectively.

² Based on ‘32% renewables in 2020' scenario and ‘high offshore' scenario respectively.

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Culture, Media and Sport

Discrimination

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity have been lodged against employees of her 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. [176567]

Mrs Grant: Our records show there have been no complaints related to pregnancy or maternity lodged against employees of my Department.

The Department does not hold records of complaints against its executive agencies.