Football

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will establish a licensing system to regulate football clubs in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement. [177161]

Mrs Grant: Regulation of football clubs in England and Wales is a matter for the respective football associations. In England, we continue to press the football authorities to introduce a licensing system for clubs which deals effectively with issues such as financial sustainability and supporter engagement.

Gambling: Crime

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment her Department has made of effectiveness of the Gambling Act 2005 in preventing gambling from being (a) a source of crime or disorder, (b) associated with crime or disorder or (c) used to support crime. [176778]

Mrs Grant: In monitoring the licensing objectives of the Gambling Act 2005, which include keeping crime out of gambling, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport looks to the Gambling Commission for advice. To ensure the licensing objectives are met the Commission places obligations on gambling operators and works closely with law enforcement agencies to tackle gambling-related crime such as corrupt sports betting and money laundering. Evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee (as part of their 2012 report on the Gambling Act 2005, “A Bet Worth Taking”) indicated that gambling related crime is being controlled. The Committee concluded that the Gambling Act has not led to any significant change in the levels of crime and disorder associated with the gambling industry.

Internet: Suicide

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to ensure that internet companies block material online that encourages suicide. [176908]

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Mr Vaizey: Government favour a multi-stakeholder approach to the internet, rooted in self-regulation; it is not for Government to tell media organisations whether they can publish certain content, beyond that what is illegal.

However, where websites include content which may encourage suicide, Government expect those websites to act responsibly, for example by having robust processes in place for addressing content which contravenes acceptable use policies and by listening, and responding, to the concerns of their users.

In addition, the Prime Minister announced, following his summit of 18 November, that the four largest internet service providers will shortly be delivering network-level family-friendly filters. Categories giving parents the opportunity to filter suicide or self-harm content will be offered by the majority of the ISPs.

Sports: Females

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what comparative assessment her Department has made of the performance of comparable countries in increasing and maintaining the participation of girls in sport; and what steps her Department is taking to deploy international best practice in this area in the UK. [176504]

Mrs Grant: Standardised physical activity data will be available for countries across Europe for the first time in 2014. This will help us review our progress in relation to other countries. In addition, from 2014, sports participation data for EU member states will be collected through the European Health Interview Survey.

Travel

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of travel within the UK was for her 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. [176260]

Mrs Grant: The Department spent the following amounts on travel and subsistence within the UK, including use of the Government car service and other car services:

By way of context, this compares with the following figures in the years immediately prior:

The increased costs in 2012-13 are largely as a result of the costs incurred by the Government Olympic Executive, during preparations for and delivery of London 2012. These figures also include functions transferred from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills

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from 2011-12 but do not include costs relating to the Government Equalities Office, which transferred to the Department in April 2013.

Further detail could be provided only at disproportionate cost due to the way that these records are stored in the Department's financial systems.

Justice

Atos Origin

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on contracts with Atos in each year since 2008. [176361]

Mr Vara: The MOJ contracts with Atos are:

1. To support HMCTS ICT Systems—this includes desktop provision and support, wide area and local area networks, network integration, hosting of application technology including Data Centre plus applications development and support.

2. The provision of Occupational Health Services (OHS) and Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).

The Department has spent the following amounts on contracts with Atos for each (financial) year since 2008:

The spend figures reflect that the MOJ has one of the largest workforces and estates in Government to support. However, the reduction in spend since 2012 is the result of us making our estate smaller and more efficient.

By reducing the size of our estate, the Ministry of Justice is contributing to cross-Government savings and ensuring that we get best value for taxpayers.

Community Orders

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent progress he has made on improving community sentences. [169790]

Jeremy Wright: The Government have made good progress in ensuring that community sentences are more effective and are committed to ensuring that they both punish and rehabilitate offenders. We have already given courts the power to impose longer and more intensive curfews, as well as greater flexibility to impose programme and treatment requirements. Community payback now starts as soon as possible when a sentence is passed, and unemployed offenders are sent to work for four out of five days. Provisions in the Crime and Courts Act 2013 will in future ensure that all community orders contain a punitive element, and give courts a new power to track offenders' whereabouts.

As part of our Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, low and medium-risk offenders serving community sentences will be supervised by a wide range of possible rehabilitation providers across all sectors, from SME

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and larger private sector organisations to potential mutuals and organisations in the VCSE sector. Providers will have the tools they need to address offenders' needs and require them to engage.

Provisions in the Offender Rehabilitation Bill will introduce a new Rehabilitation Activity Requirement for community orders and suspended sentence orders which, where it has been imposed by the court, will give providers discretion to require offenders to participate in rehabilitative activities.

Community Orders: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) if he will publish data on monthly performance targets and outcomes for the Community Payback scheme operating in London since Serco took over the contract for that scheme; [175960]

(2) how many complaints have been received against the Community Payback scheme in London since Serco's contract to operate the scheme began. [175967]

Jeremy Wright: The information requested could not be obtained within the time scale. I will write to the right hon. Gentleman in due course.

Crime: Victims

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of progress in implementing the requirements of the European Directive on Victims Rights by December 2015. [174250]

Damian Green: The Government are making progress in implementing the requirements of the EU Victims' Directive. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given on 4 November 2013, Official Report, column 53W.

The Government are making a full assessment of the EU Victims' Directive prior to its implementation date in November 2015. The Government wrote to the Reducing Regulation Committee in November 2012 with an early transposition plan. A full impact assessment and transposition table will be completed closer to the implementation date. The directive will be transposed in line with domestic policy aims through changes to national law through secondary legislation and statutory codes. This includes transposing part of the directive in the new victims' code. Further information about how the directive is reflected in the new victims' code can be found in the accompanying impact assessment and Government response document:

https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/code-victims-crime

Domestic Violence

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many perpetrators of domestic violence received a police caution in each year since 2010; and what proportion of domestic violence incidents resulted in a caution in each such year. [175235]

Damian Green: Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice extracted from the police national computer does not include the circumstances behind each case beyond the description provided in the statute. It is not possible to separately identify from this centrally

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held information cautions given to perpetrators for the offence of domestic violence from other cautions given for offences of assault and violence against the person. As such, this information is available only at disproportionate costs. Guidance published by the Ministry of Justice makes it clear that simple cautions should not be ordinarily used to dispose of offences involving domestic abuse.

Employment Tribunals Service

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employment tribunal fee remission applications have been (a) granted in full, (b) partially granted and (c) refused since the introduction of the scheme; and how much total remissions have cost to date. [177207]

Mr Vara: Data concerning outcomes of fee remission applications made, in employment tribunal cases and in other court and tribunal jurisdictions, are not routinely published. To obtain the information requested requires interrogation of the employment tribunals' fees and remission database, and quality assurance checks on that data to ensure they are accurate, reliable and in a form suitable for publication. I have asked my officials to undertake this work, and I will write to the hon. Gentleman as soon as I am able.

Human Rights

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [176241]

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice deals with a large number of cases every year and litigants may rely on arguments based wholly or partly on the Human Rights Act 1998. In most cases, the 1998 Act is relied on in addition to other claims.

The Treasury Solicitor's Department's records do not historically distinguish between cases where the 1998 Act is invoked from cases where it is not. Consequently, it is not possible to indicate how much the Department has spent on legal advice, representation and support in such cases.

Intestacy

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many extensions to family provision claims have been granted by the courts in each of the last five years. [176993]

Mr Vara: Family provision claims are made in the county courts providing the limit for the claim does not exceed the county court threshold. They can also be made in the Chancery Division or the Family Division of the High Court. These claims are made in accordance with the Civil and Family Procedure Rules and claimants are required to apply using the standard claims procedure depending on the remedy sought. The information requested is not held by MOJ because there is no legal or business requirement to do so and such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

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Magistrates Courts: Wrexham

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he has met the Chair of Wrexham magistrates court bench in the last 12 months. [176026]

Mr Vara: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has not met with the Chair of Wrexham magistrates court in an official capacity.

National Offender Management Service

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons the National Offender Management Service is not providing details of the terms of conditions of (a) staff at HM Prison Northumberland, (b) their union representatives and (c) Sodexo Justice Services; and if he will make a statement. [177217]

Jeremy Wright: NOMS does not hold an exhaustive list of each member of staff's terms and conditions and the agency is not required to do so under the Transfer of Undertakings: Protection of Employment (TUPE) Regulations. Ultimately it is for the courts to determine what is or is not a contractual obligation, and the fact that there is no definitive list of terms and conditions (express and implied) for every member of staff does not diminish in any way the protections provided by the TUPE Regulations.

Parole

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders currently in the multi-agency public protection arrangements system are considered (a) high risk, (b) medium risk and (c) low risk. [176994]

Jeremy Wright: Information about the risk levels of offenders currently under MAPPA is not collected and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

The MOJ publishes data on MAPPA annually. The bulletin includes figures on the numbers of offenders who are managed at each of the three levels of MAPPA management. There is no direct link between the level at which an offender is managed under MAPPA and the offender's assessed level of risk of harm. Offenders will be managed at level 1 where the risk does not require co-ordination at multi-agency meetings, at level 2, where the complexity of the case requires multi-agency representation and at level 3 where the complexity requires senior representation from various agencies.

The most recent report was published on 31 October 2013 and may be found at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-reports

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have been released by the Parole Board in each of the last five years. [176997]

Jeremy Wright: The numbers of releases directed by the Parole Board in each of the last five years for which figures are available are shown in the following tables.

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Releases of indeterminate sentence prisoners (ISPs) are published annually and quarterly in MOJ statistical publications. ISPs may be released only once they have completed the minimum period of imprisonment for the purposes of punishment and deterrence set by the court and only where the Parole Board is satisfied that it is no longer necessary, on the grounds of public protection, for them to be detained in custody.

The most recent annual table may be found at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offender-management-statistics-quarterly--2

Releases of determinate sentence prisoners that the Parole Board has responsibility for considering are published in their Annual Report. This may be found at the following web address:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/corporate-reports/parole-board/parole-board-annual-report-2012-2013.pdf

Prisoners

Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average annual cost per prisoner is (a) for each prison and (b) in total. [175340]

Jeremy Wright: As part of the Government's Transparency Agenda, the Department routinely publishes full details of average costs per prisoner and place, based on actual net resource expenditure for each private and public sector prison and in summary form for the whole of the prison estate in England and Wales after the end of the financial year. The information for financial years 2012-13 is published as an Addendum to the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts and is available on the Department's website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201213

Copies of all previous similar information are also placed in the House Library.

The Government are committed to delivering reform in our public services. The Prison Competition Phase One Programme will deliver efficiency savings, in line with other public sector prisons, over the next four years.

Prisoners: Rehabilitation

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department takes to ensure that prisoner rehabilitation does not affect the safety of the general public. [175324]

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Jeremy Wright: Our Transforming Rehabilitation strategy, published on 9 May, sets out our plans for transforming the way in which offenders are managed in the community in order to bring down reoffending rates.

Public safety remains our top priority. The new National Probation Service will have responsibility for protecting the public from the most dangerous offenders, and will be responsible for risk-assessing all offenders who are supervised in the community.

New providers of rehabilitation services will be expected to work in partnership with the National Probation Service and local partners to contribute to public protection and reform offenders.

We are taking a phased approach to implementation of the new system and are working closely with probation trusts to minimise any disruption to the work they do to protect the public.

Prisons: Education

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) on which occasions he and Ministers in his Department have met counterparts from the Department for Education to discuss prison education since May 2010; [174773]

(2) when he and his ministerial colleagues have met representatives of the Skills Funding Agency to discuss education in prisons since May 2010. [174775]

Jeremy Wright: I work closely with ministerial colleagues on the issue of education and skills in prisons, which I regard as a high priority in supporting our rehabilitation reforms. This includes meetings with ministerial colleagues on the following dates:

My predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Reigate (Mr Blunt), also held meetings with ministerial colleagues on the following dates:

The Department publishes quarterly meetings between Ministers and all external organisations. Quarters from 2010 to September 2013 can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications

Probation

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that private providers of probation services will still be accountable to Parliament, local authorities and other elected representatives of communities. [173619]

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Jeremy Wright: As is currently the case, the chief executive of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will be accountable to Parliament for providers’ delivery of probation services. The reformed system will be regulated and held to account through a combination of independent inspection, audit and account management by NOMS.

The independent Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation will inspect services delivered by both the National Probation Service and contracted sectors. The National Offender Management Service will hold the new Community Rehabilitation Companies to account and ensure the overall system performs in line with the objectives and priorities set out by Ministers and the Department.

Providers will need to engage with statutory and non-statutory partnerships and the NOMS account management function will monitor local partnership working as part of its role in obtaining assurance of the delivery of services, liaising with Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and other relevant partners as necessary.

In terms of value for the taxpayer, future providers will only be paid in full if they actually reduce reoffending.

Public Bodies: Appeals

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to ensure that independent appeal procedures are in place in respect of all decisions taken by public bodies. [176972]

Mr Vara: Different forms of recourse are appropriate for different types of decision and the Government seek generally to ensure that appropriate recourse is in place in accordance with legal requirements. The Government is not proposing any particular steps in the context of this question.

The resolution of disputes between the citizen and the state falls under the umbrella of administrative justice. The Government's approach to administrative justice is set out in the Administrative Justice Strategic Work Programme, which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/administrative-justice-and-tribunals-a-strategic-work-programme-2013-16

UK Membership of EU

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the costs and benefits of a decision for Britain to leave the EU in his Department's area of responsibility; and if he will make a statement. [173747]

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East (Emma Reynolds), on 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 709W. It is not the policy of this Government to leave the EU. The Department has not made any plans for the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Victim Support Schemes

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much he intends to spend on each type of victim's service in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; [175962]

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(2) how much his Department spent on each type of victims service in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13. [175969]

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice currently provides more than £50 million funding for services supporting victims of crime. Victim Support receives £38 million of this funding with the remainder distributed to support a range of specialist services including rape support centres, services for adult victims of human trafficking and homicide support.

From 2014-15 onwards more money than ever before will be available for victims' services, with a current

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forecast spend of at least £75 million. From October 2014 police and crime commissioners will start to commission the majority of services for victims and witnesses, including victim-led restorative justice, based on local priorities and consistent with the requirements of the Victims' Code.

The following table shows spend on each type of victims' service by the Ministry of Justice since 2009-10. The column for 2013-14 is based on our current financial forecast, with a potential future total budget of up to £100 million:

Young Offenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number of cautions received by a young offender was before receiving a custodial sentence in each year since 2009-10. [176386]

Damian Green: The Government introduced a rationalised youth out-of-court framework in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. This consists of the youth caution and the youth conditional caution and came into effect for offences committed from 8 April 2013. The youth equivalent of a caution prior to this date was a reprimand or warning as reflected in the table.

The average number of previous cautions for those young offenders sentenced to custody for the first time has decreased by 18%. On average, 1.07 previous cautions were received by an offender prior to their first custodial sentence in the 12-month period ending March 2013, compared with 1.3 previous cautions in the same period ending March 2009.

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Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the current occupancy rate is in young offender institutions. [177153]

Jeremy Wright: In the data supplied in the following answer we have separated the capacity of those (i) young-offender institutions holding solely young offenders aged 15-18 years old and (ii) young-offender institutions holding solely young adults aged 18-21 years old, as we do not mix these age groups for purposes of security and protection.

Where young-offender institutions operate a dual function; ie in holding a mixture of young people (aged 15 to 18 years old) and young offenders (aged 18 to 21 years old) in separate accommodation, these capacities have been accordingly separated in the following tables.

At sites that perform a dual function holding young offenders (aged 18 to 21 years old) alongside adults, the information for these prisons has not been included.

Table 1 details the occupancy levels of young offender institutions on 25 October 2013 where the sole function is to hold in custody young people aged 15 to 18 years old.

Table 2 details the occupancy levels of young offender institutions on 25 October 2013 where the sole function is to hold in custody young adults aged 18-21 years.

The operational capacity is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold, taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. It is determined by senior operational prison managers on the basis of operational judgement and experience.

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Young Offenders: Reoffenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what early intervention measures he has introduced to reduce young offending since May 2010. [174589]

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice is fully committed to preventing young people from committing offences and to supporting cross-Government initiatives to provide families and young people with the support they need to achieve this. This includes supporting the families of offenders in order to reduce inter-generational crime.

We work closely with other Government Departments to prevent young people entering the system, including through the Troubled Families programme, which aims to turn around the lives of 120,000 of the country's most troubled families by 2015.

Youth Offending Teams: South West

Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Bournemouth and Poole Youth Offending Service. [176070]

Jeremy Wright: The YJB monitors YOTs against performance outcome indicators using youth first-time entrants (FTEs) to the youth justice system and proven re-offending data. The latest published figures can be found on the GOV.UK website:

FTEs:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-june-2013

Proven re-offending:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/254188/proven-reoffending-jan11-dec11-tables.xls

(Table 17 A1)

YOTs are also inspected by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation (HMI Probation), an independent, Ministry of Justice-funded, inspectorate. Previously HMI Probation inspected every YOT on a three-year rolling basis. However, HMI Probation has recently moved to a risk-led approach in inspecting YOTs. The most recent inspection of Bournemouth and Poole Youth YOT by HMI Probation took place in 2012, the report for which can be accessed here:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmiprobation/youth-inspection-reports/core-case/bournemouth-poole-cci.pdf

Communities and Local Government

Allotments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what help his Department provides to people who want to start an allotment. [176943]

Stephen Williams: Local authorities have a specific responsibility for the management and provision of allotments in their area, ensuring those who want to start an allotment can do so.

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However, the Government have introduced a range of measures to help communities who want land to grow fruit and vegetables. Through the community rights, communities have increased opportunities to protect existing allotments from development and increase provision of green spaces. In Thame, in Oxfordshire, the new Neighbourhood plan will create an additional hectare of allotment land. Allotments have also been listed as assets of community value. We have also published guidance for community groups wanting to find land to grow fruit and vegetables. This is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/space-for-food-growing-a-guide

More information about the community rights can be found in ‘You've Got the Power’, available to download at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/youve-got-the-power-a-quick-and-simple-guide-to-community-rights

Guidance about establishing community orchards and other spaces for food growing can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/helping-to-meet-a-growing-demand-new-guide-to-help-community-orchards-blossom

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/planting-the-seeds-for-community-grown-food

Council Housing

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what comparative assessment his Department makes of the quality of service delivery by local authority arms-length management organisations and other forms of ownership and management of council housing. [177459]

Kris Hopkins: The Department makes no comparative assessment of the quality of service delivery between arms-length management organisations and other forms of management of council housing. We have strengthened the ability of social tenants to hold their landlords to account locally and in so doing drive improvements in the quality of service they receive. For example, the Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard has been strengthened to ensure landlords offer opportunities to tenants to scrutinise landlords' performance, and agree with tenants the information they need to hold landlords to account.

Councillors: Business Interests

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what guidance his Department gives on the obligations on local councillors not to engage in potentially financially profitable contracts with the local authorities of which such councillors are members; [175946]

(2) what information his Department holds on which local authorities have codes of conduct for councillors which restrict or prohibit purchases of property or land by local councillors from the councils of which they are members where that land or property is not intended to be lived in by that councillor but would be rented or sold on. [176926]

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Brandon Lewis: The Department has published a plain English guide for councillors on ‘Openness and transparency on personal interests’ which is available online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/openness-and-transparency-on-personal-interests-guidance-for-councillors

Whilst councillors may enter into contracts with their local authority, the Localism Act 2011 provides that (unless they have been granted an explicit dispensation, as outlined under the Act) they must not take part in the business of the authority relating to such contracts as this would be a conflict of interest. It is a criminal offence for a councillor to knowingly or recklessly provide false or misleading information on their disclosable pecuniary interests, or to participate in the business of their local authority where that business involves a disclosable pecuniary interest.

The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold copies of councils' local codes of conduct, but councils are required to make them publicly available, and we would expect them to be accessible on councils' websites.

My Department published an illustrative code to assist local councils in drawing up their local codes. Based on the seven principles of public life, we suggested that the code could contain a provision that councillors ‘must act solely in the public interest and should never improperly confer an advantage or disadvantage on any person or act to gain financial or other material benefits for yourself, your family, a friend or close associate' and also ‘when carrying out your public duties you must make all choices, such as making public appointments, awarding contracts or recommending individuals for rewards or benefits, on merit.'

Councillors should be aware of the provisions of the Bribery Act 2010, which incorporate rules on the prevention of corruption and ‘improper performance' by public officials. In that context, councillors, in the circumstances that the hon. Gentleman outlines in his questions, would be wise to be keep to the letter and spirit of these principles of public life.

Homelessness: Foreign Nationals

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of households receiving assistance from local authorities in London under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1996 in 2012-13 were foreign nationals; and what the reasons were for their eligibility for such assistance. [174336]

Kris Hopkins: The information requested is set out in the following table.

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I note that separate CHAIN data has indicated that the majority of London's rough sleepers are foreign nationals.

These figures—and almost a third of those households accepted as homeless in London are foreigners—endorse the need for strong controls on immigration and back up the Government's agenda of addressing the ‘pull' factors that previously led to unsustainable impacts on this country.

My Department's activities have included education campaigns led by the voluntary sector warning those coming here without appropriate support about the dangers of ending up destitute and sleeping rough on our streets.

Homeswap Direct

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people have (a) visited the HomeSwap Direct website and (b) moved home through using HomeSwap Direct in each month since April 2012. [177446]

Kris Hopkins: HomeSwap Direct, the national home swap scheme, was launched in October 2011 to increase opportunities for tenants who wish to move home through a mutual exchange by allowing them to see details of every available property. The scheme has operated very successfully since its launch, with tenants carrying out over 10 million searches of the property data held on HomeSwap Direct.

Details of the number of moves that have taken place under the HomeSwap Direct scheme in England are not held centrally.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the number of households subject to the under-occupancy penalty in (a) Liverpool and (b) Liverpool Riverside constituency that have fallen into rent arrears since the introduction of that policy. [177119]

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Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Lady to my answer today, PQ 176300.

Housing: Electrical Safety

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department is collecting on the effect of the changes made to Part P of Building Regulations covering domestic electrical work adopted in April 2013. [177026]

Stephen Williams: The Department's estimates of the effects of the changes made to Part P of the Building Regulations are set out in detail in the Impact Assessment. This is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-regulations-part-p-electrical-safety-in-dwellings

In due course we plan to review trends in electrical accident rates in dwellings by analysing fire data collected by the Department, electric shock fatality data published by the Office for National Statistics, and data collected by the NHS on attendances at accident and emergency departments. We shall also look at other indicators, including the numbers registered with Part P competent person schemes.

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that household electrical installation work undertaken by trades people meets the minimum safety standards. [177027]

Stephen Williams: All electrical installation work undertaken by a trades person, or any other person, must comply with Part P of the Building Regulations, which sets out minimum safety standards. These requirements are enforced by local authorities.

Installers registered with a competent person scheme are authorised to self-certify their work as compliant with the Building Regulations. Scheme operators monitor the competence of their registered installers by carrying out periodic assessments of their work, in line with the Department's conditions of authorisation for such schemes. These can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/competent-person-schemes-conditions-of-authorisation

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will review the household awareness of electrical safety of changes to Part P of Building Regulations covering domestic electrical work in April 2013. [177084]

Stephen Williams: The Department recently issued updated guidance for householders on building work. This draws attention to the benefits of using competent person schemes including those covering electrical safety and is available at:

www.gov.uk/building-work-replacements-and-repairs-to-your-home

The Department's new conditions of authorisation require competent person scheme operators to promote awareness of their schemes. The Department also continues to work with electrical safety bodies on raising awareness of the importance of electrical safety and advantages of using competent installers.

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Housing: Hampshire

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many social housing units have been built in Hart District Council area in each of the last three years; [177223]

(2) how many council houses were built in East Hampshire District Council area in the last three years until August 2013; [177226]

(3) how many council houses were built in Rushmoor Borough Council area in the last three years until August 2013; [177227]

(4) how many council houses were built in Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council area in the three years until August 2013; [177228]

(5) how many council houses were built in Hart District Council area in the three years until August 2013; [177229]

(6) how many social housing units have been built in each of the last three years in Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council area; [177561]

(7) how many social housing units have been built in each of the last three years in East Hampshire District Council area; [177562]

(8) how many social housing units have been built in each of the last three years in Rushmoor Borough Council area. [177563]

Kris Hopkins: The Department publishes annual figures covering additional housing for social rent (table 1006) and affordable rent (table 1006b) by local authority area. These tables can be used to estimate the delivery of social housing and can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

These data include delivery by both local authorities (council housing) and by private registered providers (housing associations). They include both newly built and acquired social housing.

Local Government: Property

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether local authorities are obliged to accept the highest bidder for property they wish to sell; [175948]

(2) what guidance his Department gives to councils on advertising publicly property they wish to sell; [175949]

(3) what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on the disposal of property they wish to sell. [175950]

Brandon Lewis: It is for local authorities to decide how to make best use of their assets, including whether to dispose of under-utilised assets. Local authorities might judge that by reducing their asset base they can reduce running costs (and hence reduce the need for council tax rises for residents), help pay off debt or fund new infrastructure investment.

In disposing of assets, local authorities should have regard to the statutory best value guidance. Local authorities are not always obliged to sell assets to the highest bidder.

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In certain circumstances they are free to accept a lower offer where the lower price is offset by wider public benefits, such as preserving local amenity. Local authorities must always act reasonably, though, and with due regard to their general fiduciary duty to taxpayers.

As part of my Department's transparency agenda, my Department actively encourages councils to post contracts and tenders online, as well as its property asset register. Publicising surplus property for sale may certainly help councils achieve a better price and deliver value for money for taxpayers.

New Towns: South East

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions his Department has had with outside experts and consultants on a part solution to the housing crisis in the south east of England by building an entirely new town. [177243]

Kris Hopkins: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 981-982W. In contrast to the last Administration, my Department has no plans to impose new towns on any part of the country. We are supporting locally-led development, both large and small, as I outlined in my answer.

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many businesses in (a) Portsmouth South constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England are currently awaiting a determination from the Valuation Tribunal. [176829]

Brandon Lewis: As was the case under the last Administration, business rates appeals are listed in accordance with the Valuation Office Agency's programming protocols for dealing with appeals. The Valuation Tribunal Service lists for hearing those business rates appeals that have not been settled by the target date set by the Valuation Office Agency; this is the point when the negotiation period between the ratepayers and the Valuation Office Agency should end.

The table shows the total number of appeals that the Valuation Tribunal Service is aware of after that target date. Before the target date, the Valuation Office Agency may still be in discussion with the appellant with a view to resolving the issue.

Figures are not recorded by parliamentary constituency, but by billing authority area.

The postponement of the 2015 rates revaluation has allowed the Valuation Office Agency to allocate more resources to clearing appeals. The agency cleared 24% more appeals than in the previous year (224,000 in

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England in 2012-13, up from 181,000 in 2011-12). The number of outstanding rating appeals has fallen in six successive quarters.

Three quarters of all appeals to the 2010 list which have been decided to date have resulted in no change to the rateable value.

Notwithstanding the extra resources being allocated to tackle the backlog thanks to the postponement of the 2015 revaluation, this Government want to improve transparency in the valuation system, including improving the system for challenging rateable values. We are currently considering how best to do this, and will consult as appropriate.

Sheltered Housing

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people have been housed in sheltered accommodation in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in each of the last five years. [176032]

Kris Hopkins [holding answer 21 November 2013]: The number of households taking up supported housing tenancies in each district in Lancashire and nationally are shown in the following table for 2008- 2009 to 2012- 2013. Data are not available at constituency level.

Supported housing is defined as housing with special design facilities or features, or designated for a particular client group. The majority—around 60%—of new lettings of supported housing in Lancashire are of supported housing designated for older people.

Social Rented Housing

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many additional (a) bungalows, (b) one-bedroom houses, (c) two-bedroom houses and (d) three-bedroom houses have been listed as vacant by each registered social landlord in England and Wales since April 2013. [176298]

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Kris Hopkins: My Department publishes information on the number of vacant local authority and private registered provider properties annually. The latest information by local authority district is on my Department's website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/49764/20130111_Live_table_615.xls

The next update is due in February 2014.

Information on vacant properties by private registered provider is published by the Homes and Communities Agency on its website:

http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/news/second-statistical-data-return

The latest release was published in August 2013.

I would note that the number of vacant housing association (general needs) dwelling in England has fallen from 33,451 in 2009 to 25,530 in 2012. The number of vacant local authority dwellings has similarly fallen from 34,555 in 2009 to 25,899 in 2012.

This reflects the broader trend under this Government of more empty homes being brought back into productive use.

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated cost of rent arrears accrued by each registered social landlord in England and Wales was in (a) April, (b) May, (c) June, (d) July, (e) August and (f) September 2013. [176300]

Kris Hopkins: The 2012 Global Accounts of Housing Providers, published by the social housing regulator in March 2013, show that private registered providers' tenant arrears at the end of the 2011-12 financial year were 4.8% in England:

http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/sites/default/files/our-work/global_accounts_2012_full.pdf

This is an improvement in performance on arrears compared to 2010-11, when they were 5.1%. The overall financial performance of the sector has also improved compared with the year before. The regulator will publish the Global Accounts for 2012-13 in spring 2014.

The social housing regulator, the Homes and Communities Agency, publishes quarterly reports based on a survey of larger providers. I note that its latest report notes the removal of the spare room subsidy and states:

“there is no indication of significant adverse performance in arrears, voids and rent collection compared with business plans for the majority of providers... two thirds of the providers report current tenant arrears below 5%; the sector average based on the latest annual accounts data is 4.8%. Over three-quarters report void losses of lower than 2% and the sector average is 1.75%. Rent collection figures show that over four fifths of providers report rent collection for the year to date to be in excess of 95%”.

(Homes and Communities Agency, Quarterly Survey of Private Registered Providers 2013/14 Quarter 2, September 2013).

Statistics are published annually on the total value of local authority social housing rent arrears, and were most recently published on my Department's website for 2011-12:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/73210/lahs-data-returns-for-2011-12.xls

(Tab H of the spreadsheet)

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Data for 2012-13 will be available at the end of this year.

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated annual income loss for each registered social landlord is in England and Wales as a consequence of the introduction of the spare room subsidy in 2013-14. [176301]

Kris Hopkins: The Department has not collected or made any such estimates.

International Development

Afghanistan

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2013, Official Report, column 268W, on Afghanistan, what the total costs incurred by her Department investing in the Bost Airfield was. [177096]

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers' money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame.

From August 2009 to October 2013, a total of £4.56 million was spent on the Bost Airfield project.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2013, Official Report, column 321W, on Afghanistan, how many local businesses met officials of her Department prior to the completion of the park; and how many local people subsequently opened a business on the agri-park. [177097]

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers' money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame.

DFID does not hold a record of the number of local businesses that met officials in relation to this project. However DFID has been working closely with the Helmand National Investors' Association (previously the Helmand Business Association), which represents 20 local businesses, throughout the life of this and other projects.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2013, Official Report, columns 267-8W, on

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Afghanistan, what proportion of the cost of that road-building programme was met by the

(a)

US and

(b)

UK; and what the total amount spent by her Department on the UK's contribution to the programme was. [177098]

Justine Greening: The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original timeframe and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers' money I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame.

DFID spent £0.75 million on road building. DFID is not able to provide details of US spending on this programme.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how she plans to spend the money pledged at the Nutrition for Growth summit over the next three years; [176989]

(2) how much of the money pledged by the Government at the Nutrition for Growth summit has been spent; what the details of that expenditure are; and if she will make a statement. [176990]

Justine Greening: The Department for International Development is reviewing its nutrition portfolio to ensure that new programmes are complementary with existing spend, maximise results and impact and are good value for money. DFID spend on these commitments will be reported on an annual basis from 2014.

Somalia

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress she has made on the cross-departmental plan to develop new mechanisms for the UK-Somalia money-transfer market. [177125]

Justine Greening: The HMG Action Group on Cross Border Remittances is being established in accordance with the written ministerial statement laid down in Parliament on 10 October 2013, Official Report, columns 29-30W, by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid). It will incorporate a working group tasked with developing a safe corridor pilot to ensure the continued flow of remittances to Somalia through secure, legitimate and accessible channels.

Progress is on track against the one-year timetable set out in the written ministerial statement.

Health

Ambulance Services

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of ambulance performance at clinical commissioning group level of administration. [177139]

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Jane Ellison: The information requested is not collected centrally. The NHS England Ambulance Quality Indicators Data are not collected at clinical commissioning group level.

Asthma

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to reduce deaths from asthma; [177086]

(2) what estimate his Department has made of the annual number of preventable deaths from asthma. [177087]

Jane Ellison: Through the Mandate, we have asked NHS England to make measurable improvements in reducing mortality for people with respiratory diseases, including asthma. Deaths from asthma have plateaued at between 1,000 and 1,200 deaths a year since 2000 and it is estimated that 90% of deaths are associated with preventable factors.

To improve outcomes for asthma patients, in July 2011 we published, ‘An outcomes strategy for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma in England’, which set out the ways in which we will meet our aim of delivering health-care outcomes for people with COPD and asthma as good as anywhere in the world.

The strategy set out an objective to: ensure all people with asthma are free of symptoms because of prompt and accurate diagnosis; ensure that they are involved in shared decision-making regarding treatment; and ensure that they receive on-going support as they self-manage their own condition and so reduce need for unscheduled health care and risk of death. The strategy can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216139/dh_128428.pdf

In May 2012 we published the NHS Companion Document to the Outcomes Strategy. This uses the framework of the five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework to describe the actions and interventions that the national health service can take to meet the objectives in the Outcomes Strategy for COPD and Asthma. Under each domain, the evidence for change to make improvements in outcomes is presented and the key actions that the NHS can take are given.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid in compensation in maternity cases by Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust in each of the last five years; and how many claims are outstanding. [177073]

Dr Poulter: The total amount of compensation paid in maternity cases by Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust consists of three elements:

Payments made under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) for claims settled in-year:

Payments made under the CNST for claims where the trust has an ongoing obligation; and

Payments made under the Existing Liabilities Scheme (ELS) where the trust has an ongoing obligation for incidents prior to 1 April 1995.

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The number and amount of payments made by the trust under CNST for claims settled in-year during each of the last five years are shown in the following table:

The number and amount of payments made by the trust under CNST for claims where the trust has an ongoing obligation during each of the last five years are shown in the following table:

The total amounts paid under ELS by the trust in each of the last five years are shown in the following table.

We are advised that a total of 52 cases are currently listed as ‘open'. We understand that this figure may include cases where the trust has processed damages but has some elements of costs still to be resolved, as well as claims where the case is resolved but where the patient is receiving an annual sum of damages for the rest of their life under a Periodic Payment Order.

Benzodiazepines

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of people who are addicted to the use of benzodiazepines; and what information his Department holds on their sources of supply. [177091]

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.

Information about the use of tranquillisers, including benzodiazepines, is available from “Drug misuse: findings from the 2012 to 2013 Crime Survey for England and Wales” where it was reported that 0.4% of 16 to 59-year-olds reported taking tranquillisers in the last year, of whom 30% had used them more than once a month.

Information about the treatment of benzodiazepine dependence is available from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System which records that in 2012-13 1,146 people who were treated for drug dependence cited benzodiazepines as their primary drug.

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The Government have commissioned advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on the diversion and illicit supply of medicines, including the prevalence of misuse of medicines obtained through these means.

Care Homes

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2013, Official Report, Column 76W, on social services, what assessment he has made of the (a) conclusion in the recently published report by Independent Age entitled “Care home top-up fees: the secret subsidy” that many councils are breaking existing national guidance on top-up fees in residential care and (b) recommendations in that report; and if he will make a statement. [177500]

Norman Lamb: We are aware of the concerns raised in the Independent Age report on local authority practices with regards to the use of top-up payments. We are currently in the process of introducing a single, modern legal framework for social care and as part of that have recently consulted on a reformed system for how people pay for their care and support. The consultation closed on 25 October 2013 and the responses are currently being considered.

The current guidance clearly states local authorities' responsibilities and remains in force.

Cleft Palate

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were born with a cleft palate in Great Britain in each of the last five years; and how many such people have received surgery to correct that condition. [176938]

Dr Poulter: The following tables give the number of births (birth episodes) in England the last five years and the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with the main or secondary procedure being the correction of deformity of the palate by age in each of the last five years in England.

Count of (a) birth episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis of cleft palate and (b) FCEs with a main or secondary operative procedure of correction of deformity of palate for the years 2008-09 to 2012-13.

Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector:

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Doctors

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the judgment in favour of midwives Mary Doogan and Concepta Wood in the Scottish Court of Appeal on 24 April 2013, whether he has spoken to the General Medical Council about the need to update its guidelines to doctors on the scope of conscientious objection. [177018]

Jane Ellison: We understand that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has appealed against the earlier judgment and this case is therefore still ongoing. It would be premature to have any discussions with the General Medical Council until the final conclusion of this case.

Electronic Cigarettes

Mr Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many companies manufacture e-cigarettes in the UK; and what assessment he has made of the effect on the profitability of such companies from the imposition of medicinal regulation on e-cigarettes; [175441]

(2) what estimate (a) his Department and (b) the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has made of the cost of medicinal regulation to e-cigarette companies operating in the UK; [175442]

(3) what estimate his Department has made of the effect of medicinal regulation on the price of e-cigarettes; [175443]

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(4) what estimate he has made of the effect of reduced product choice on demand for e-cigarettes; [175444]

(5) what comparative assessment he has made of the toxicity of (a) e-cigarettes and (b) tobacco cigarettes; and if he will make a statement; [175445]

(6) what estimate he has made of the effect of medicinal regulation of e-cigarettes on demand for tobacco products. [175446]

Jane Ellison: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published an impact assessment (IA) on the regulation of nicotine-containing products (NCPs), including electronic cigarettes, on 12 June 2013, which provided estimates of the costs associated with medicinal regulation of NCP. A copy of the IA has been placed in the Library and is available on the MHRA website at:

www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/comms-ic/documents/websiteresources/con286834.pdf

The IA estimates that there are several hundred companies offering e-cigarettes for sale in the United Kingdom. One company in the UK is known to be developing UK manufacturing capability and there is growing interest amongst other companies. Regulating these products as medicines would likely result in short term transitional losses for some stakeholders, not least any current importers of unlicensed products unwilling to invest in gaining the necessary authorisations and licenses. In the long term, however, we would not expect owners of the capital invested in the manufacture and supply of NCPs to suffer losses.

The IA makes the assumption that it is likely that manufacturers, European Union marketing authorisation holders, and all other participants in the supply chain would seek to pass their incremental costs onto their buyers, and ultimately to consumers. The extent to which UK consumers would bear the incremental costs is unclear. Pricing of NCPs seems to be constrained at the upper bound by the pricing of tobacco products. The IA suggests that NCP consumers would be unlikely to suffer from substantial price increases if these products were regulated as medicines.

The UK Government's position is that the right form of regulation will support and stimulate the NCP market.

The available evidence is that electronic cigarettes are likely to be substantially less harmful than smoking tobacco cigarettes. However, there remains a paucity of scientific evidence on the long-term health effects of using these products. The value of the health gains associated with a single successful quit attempt is very substantial—the Department estimates it to be £74,000. The orders of magnitude of estimated compliance costs suggests that a policy of licensing e-cigarettes would have to create very few additional successful quit attempts for the benefits to justify its costs. It is estimated that implementing policies to reduce smoking prevalence by 1% per year for 10 years in the UK would prevent over 57,000 deaths in that period.

Health Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which health projects have been rated as red by the Gateway review process in the last five years; and what subsequent action was taken in each case; [177450]

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(2) what assessment was made by all Gateway reviews into NHS property services to date; and what action was taken following such reviews. [177452]

Dr Poulter: Since 2009-10, there have been five Gateway reviews which have been set up by the Department where the delivery confidence rating (DCA) has been red. Information is not held centrally on individual action plans arising from individual Gateway reviews. It is the responsibility of the senior responsible owner (SRO) concerned to determine the actions required to meet the recommendations arising from Gateway reviews. Where a review results in a red or amber/red DCA the review team leader will agree with the SRO if an assurance of action plan would be beneficial.

The Department has not set up any Gateway reviews in relation to NHS Property Services Ltd.

Information on the Government's major projects, some of which include those for the Department and its arms-length bodies can be found in the annual report of the Major Projects Authority. This can be found at:

http://engage.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/major-projects-authority/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2013/07/MPA-Annual-Report-final-pdf.pdf

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2013, Official Report, columns 377-8W, on health services: reciprocal arrangements, what the outstanding balance is for each European nation for all EHIC pensioner and all other categories of reciprocal health-care systems in total. [177056]

Jane Ellison: The United Kingdom provides the European Commission with reports of the total outstanding amounts for all years owed to the UK at the end of each calendar year. The latest figures are for claims for all categories outstanding at 31 December 2012. The total for each country, covering all health-care categories, is shown in the following table:

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