Health: Finance

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each local authority was allocated for public health expenditure in 2013-14; and how much each local authority has spent on public health to date. [179090]

Jane Ellison: We have allocated £2.66 billion to local authorities (LAs) in the year 2013-14 for their public health responsibilities. At the end of June 2013 £542 million had been spent, 20% of the total allocation. The following table shows total LA allocation and related spend at quarter one:

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Healthwatch England

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on whether councillors who sit on a social services authority can also act as members or chairs of Healthwatch. [177904]

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Norman Lamb: Membership and chairmanship are matters for each local Healthwatch organisation.

There are no regulations governing the membership or chairmanship of local Healthwatch but the Government expect that any actual or potential conflicts of interest would be appropriately handled in line with the organisation's policy.

In March 2013 the Local Government Association published a briefing note “Local Healthwatch: Governance and involvement of councillors” setting out a common sense approach to being aware of, and dealing with, any potential conflicts of interest inherent in any such situation. The briefing note is available at:

www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/publications/-/journal_content/56/10180/3899675/PUBLICATION

Heart Diseases: Children

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made on its review of the number of children's specialist heart units in England; and when he expects a decision to be made on this matter. [177437]

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

NHS England is working closely with ail stakeholders to develop, test and revise a proposition for the review and to undertake work to identify a preferred approach to implementation by June 2014.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he (a) has appointed or (b) intends to appoint an enlarged ministerial office. [177517]

Dr Poulter: I refer my hon. Friend to the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), answer of 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 398W.

NHS England: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to reduce the time taken by NHS England's Lancashire area team to respond to correspondence from hon. Members. [177802]

Jane Ellison: This is a matter for NHS England.

We are advised that NHS England Lancashire area team is looking to improve the processes for handling all correspondence to ensure that responses are timely and to the same standard used by the Department.

NHS: Training

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many training posts for (a) nurses and (b) doctors were commissioned in England in each of the last five years. [179089]

Dr Poulter: The following table details the nurse training commissions by year, for the period 2008-09 to 2012-13:

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The national health service is not responsible for commissioning undergraduate medical degrees. The Higher Education Funding Council for England is responsible for agreeing the number of medical degrees at each institution and for monitoring the actual number of students recruited.

Nurses

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many British nationals were registered as a nurse in the NHS in each of the last five years. [177911]

Dr Poulter: The nationality of registered nurses working in the NHS is not collected centrally.

Pregnancy: Influenza

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to encourage take-up of the influenza vaccine among pregnant women. [179091]

Jane Ellison: We are taking a range of measures to encourage uptake of influenza (flu) vaccination of pregnant women. These measures include:

publishing a seasonal flu plan to assist the national health service and local government to plan for flu, including advice to improve vaccine uptake among pregnant women;

providing the NHS and local government with detailed guidance on the flu immunisation programme, including recommendations for close liaison between midwifery services and general practices;

running a targeted national communications campaign to promote improved uptake of flu vaccine in clinical risk groups including pregnant women;

monitoring levels of flu and vaccine coverage in pregnant women throughout the flu season; and

I wrote to all hon. Members on 23 October 2013 with details of the seasonal flu strategy and information about eligible groups.

Public Health England

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the results of the Public Health England staff survey. [179092]

Jane Ellison: Yes. In the coming weeks Public Health England (PHE) will be sharing and discussing the results of the survey with staff. After this internal dissemination has been completed, PHE will publish the results of the Public Health England staff survey on its external website. This will take place by 30 January 2014.

Home Department

Animal Experiments

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animal experiments were conducted in the UK in (a) 2012, (b) 2011, (c) 2010 and (d) 2009; and if she will make a statement. [177094]

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Norman Baker: In Great Britain, there were (a) 4,110,028 scientific procedures performed on living animals in 2012, (b) 3,792,857 in 2011, (c) 3,724,726 in 2010, and (d) 3,619,540 in 2009.

The Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) separately publishes figures for Northern Ireland. DHSSPS plans to publish figures for (a) 2012 in November/December 2013. In Northern Ireland, there were (b) 18,538 scientific procedures performed on living animals in 2011, (c) 18,311 in 2010 and (d) 51,753 in 2009.

Antisocial Behaviour

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance commitments she has given to police forces on the use of the new injunctions to prevent nuisance and annoyance contained in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill and the need not to curtail freedom of religious expression. [177880]

Norman Baker: We published draft guidance for frontline professionals in October. That guidance made clear that the police and other agencies must make proportionate and reasonable judgments before applying for an injunction to prevent nuisance and annoyance and that they should not use it to stop behaviours which have not caused, and are not likely to cause, harm to victims or communities. We are currently seeking the views of frontline professionals to ensure the guidance helps them use the new powers effectively, and will publish a final version in due course.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely change in the number of prison inmates due to the abolition of anti-social behaviour orders; and if he will make a statement. [177279]

Norman Baker [holding answer 27 November 2013]: The published impact assessment estimates that replacing the antisocial behaviour order on conviction with the criminal behaviour order will have a negligible impact on prison places. The impact assessment also judges that replacing the antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) on application with the injunction to prevent nuisance and annoyance will lead to a reduction in the number of prison places, although it is not possible to quantify the reduction at this stage.

The purpose of replacing ASBOs is to tackle antisocial behaviour more effectively, not to increase or decrease prison population numbers.

Crime

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of performance-related pay in the police on the accurate recording of crime; and if she will make a statement. [177653]

Damian Green: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has not made any such assessment.

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The principle of linking pay progression to satisfactory annual performance for police officers has been agreed in the Police Negotiating Board. The College of Policing is now designing this system to reward officers for their level of skill, contribution and professional development.

The Government take crime recording seriously. It is vital that crime is recorded accurately and all officers are expected to act with the highest level of integrity.

Drugs: Misuse

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment her Department has made of the measures recently introduced in New Zealand to reduce the harm caused by legal highs; [177092]

(2) what plans she has to reduce the harm caused by legal highs; and if she will make a statement; [177093]

(3) if she will publish any information which her Department holds on the efficacy of educational projects that resulted in a reduction in the use of controlled drugs in the UK or elsewhere in the last 10 years. [177133]

Norman Baker: We already control hundreds of “legal highs” and are working with law enforcement partners to disrupt the supply of these often dangerous substances. The Home Office has led communications activity to engage young people and students to advise of the risks of “legal highs”. We also regularly update public health messaging on those risks. We are not complacent and continue to look at ways in which we can enhance our response.

We are also building on the 2010 Drug Strategy commitment to “review new evidence on what works in other countries and what we can learn from it” through our International Comparators Study looking at the impact of drug policies in other countries, which includes New Zealand.

The research Centre for Analysis of Youth Transitions is a key Government resource in providing information on services and programmes that support the development of young people, including those aimed at reducing drug and alcohol use. The Home Office evaluated “Blueprint” a large-scale drug education programme which ran between 2004 and 2005. Findings from the evaluation have been put in the public domain.

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many substances have been made subject to a temporary class drug order since 15 November 2011. [177897]

Norman Baker: A total of eleven named substances have been placed under Temporary Class Drug Orders since their introduction in November 2011. This includes methoxetamine in April 2012 and substances from both the NBOMe and Benzofuran groups in June 2013.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department will make additional funding available to cover the costs of enlarging the Independent Police and Crime Commission. [177355]

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Damian Green: The Government intend to transfer resources from police forces to the Independent Police Complaints Commission to enable it to deal with all serious and sensitive cases involving the police.

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy that additional funding for the Independent Police Complaints Commission will not be drawn from the policing budget. [177807]

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 32W.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 32W, on Independent Police Complaints Commission, what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the transfer of funds from the (a) Ministry of Defence Police, (b) Civil Nuclear Constabulary and (c) British Transport Police to fund the expansion of the Independent Police Complaints Commission; [179143]

(2) if she will provide a detailed breakdown of the transfer of funds from each territorial police force in England and Wales to fund the expansion of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. [179144]

Damian Green: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has not discussed with ministerial colleagues transferring resources from those organisations to enable the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to deal with all serious and sensitive cases involving the police.

The Government have not yet made an announcement on the funding of the transfer of resources from police forces to the IPCC. Announcements will be made in line with the police annual settlement process. The Provisional Police Grant Report will be laid in Parliament in December.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish all information held by Action Fraud associated with the crime reference number NFRC130400222669. [179093]

James Brokenshire: When Action Fraud takes a report, the victim or the person reporting is asked to provide as much information as possible concerning the alleged suspect, the victim, how the incident took place, details of any other organisations that the fraud may have been reported to and any transaction or bank account information that is known to the reporter. Given the level of personal and monetary information collected, the contents of reports and phone calls are confidential, but the person who made the report can be provided with a copy of the report which Action Fraud submitted to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau on request.

Metropolitan Police: Uniforms

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on

29 Nov 2013 : Column 477W

future uniforms to be worn by police in London; and what the cost has been of the Metropolitan Police's recent research into its future uniform needs. [177789]

Damian Green: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. With regards to the information on what the cost has been of the Metropolitan Police's recent research into its future uniform needs, this information is not held centrally.

Offences against Children

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures she is introducing to tackle the exploitation of children. [900698]

Norman Baker [holding answer 28 October 2013]: This Government is absolutely committed to tackling child sexual exploitation. Within the progress report and action plan of the National Group on Sexual Violence Against Children and Vulnerable People we have set out a range of measures being undertaken across Government and the police to prevent child abuse from happening, significantly improve support for victims and to bring perpetrators to justice.

Police: Cleveland

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of the 2013 Comprehensive Spending Review's additional grant reduction of £4.8 million on policing in Cleveland. [177806]

Damian Green: The Chancellor of the Exchequer's spending round announcement on 26 June concerned decisions on Government funding for the financial year 2015-16 only.

As a result of the spending round in 2013, the Home Office has committed to resource savings of 6.1 % in 2015-16. However, central Government revenue funding to the police has been prioritised and will reduce by 4.9 % in real terms.

No decision has been made on funding allocations for individual police and crime commissioners in 2015-16. Provisional allocations will be announced as part of the annual police funding settlement process next year.

Police: Disclosure of Information

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of the prohibition on police officers reporting their own constabulary to the Independent Police Complaints Commission under section 29 of the Police Reform Act 2002; and if she will make a statement. [177654]

Damian Green: Police officers may report colleagues from the same force to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) through the dedicated IPCC phone line and e-mail address.

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Sexual Offences

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the allegations made at the Public Administration Select Committee on 19 November 2013 by the Metropolitan Police on the under-reporting of rape and other sexual offence crimes over the last five years. [177121]

Norman Baker: We want to ensure that all victims of rape and sexual violence are treated with dignity, and that police investigations are conducted thoroughly and professionally. Any officer suspected of falsifying crime figures should be investigated and punished if found guilty.

The Government is encouraged that the most recent crime statistics showed an increase in the number of rape and sexual violence cases reported to the police, indicating that more victims are having the confidence to come forward and report these crimes. In addition, the “no crime” rate for rape has fallen year on year from 12.6% in 2009-10 to 9.6% in 2012-13.

As part of its work to ensure the quality of police crime recording and service delivery to victims, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary is inspecting forces to ensure standards are being met and will publish a national thematic report next year.

House of Commons Commission

Pay

Andy Sawford: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff of the House of Commons at each grade have been consulted on pay in the last year. [179138]

John Thurso: In the last year, all staff have been consulted directly about pay on a number of occasions. In particular:

In March 2013 all staff were invited to attend a series of open meetings; to brief them on the pay offer and to provide an opportunity to ask questions and make representations. Over 500 staff in all pay bands attended these meetings, and their questions were subsequently made available to all staff on the parliamentary intranet, together with the answers which were given.

In June and July 2013, following rejection of the pay offer, all staff were invited to take part in a series of exploratory discussion groups on pay. Some 95 staff attended these groups, again representing all pay bands and including both union and non-union members.

In June 2013 we ran our annual staff survey. 1,223 staff (62%) responded to the survey and gave extensive feedback on pay issues. Their responses are available on the parliamentary intranet.

In addition, there have been two full pay negotiations with the recognised trade unions, as well as various more informal meetings and exploratory discussions.

International Development

Central African Republic

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic; and if she will make a statement. [177876]

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Lynne Featherstone: The humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is acute and rapidly changing. The UN estimates that the whole population (4.6 million people) have been affected by this conflict and that 1.6 million people (a third of the population) are in need of humanitarian assistance, including protection, food, health, water and sanitation and shelter. DFID currently has a team in CAR assessing the humanitarian situation together with other agencies.

Conflict Pool

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on the future of the Conflict Pool; and if she will make a statement. [177412]

Mr Duncan: The 2013 Spending Round agreed to build on the success of the Conflict Pool and to increase its size and broaden its scope with a new £1 billion Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) for 2015-16. The CSSF brings together new and existing resources from across Government to prevent conflict and tackle threats to UK interests that arise from instability overseas, including implementing the Building Stability Overseas Strategy. The National Security Council (NSC) will set priorities for the fund, drawing on the most effective combination of defence policy, diplomacy, development assistance, security policy, and intelligence.

Developing Countries: Sanitation

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to increase global access to proper sanitation facilities. [179141]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government have promised to support 60 million people to gain access to sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in the developing world, mainly in Africa and South Asia, by the end of 2015. We are on track to achieve this target through expanding existing projects and by entering into new partnerships with major WASH organisations.

Flexible Working

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in her 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. [177399]

Mr Duncan: As of 27 November 2013, DFID had no employees at director level or above working on a compressed hour pattern. Forty-two employees below director level are using a compressed hour working pattern.

Libya

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) progress has been made on and (b) funding has been allocated to her Department's Security, Justice and Defence Programme for Libya. [177411]

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Mr Duncan: The UK Government are committing up to £62.5 million over the next three and a half years to support the Libyan Government in strengthening the capability, accountability and responsiveness of its security, justice, and defence sectors. This tri-departmental programme began in October 2013.

Justice

Alternatives to Prison

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the restorative justice programme implemented by the West Mercia and Warwickshire police force. [177283]

Jeremy Wright: The Government are committed to ensuring that restorative justice is victim-focused, of a good quality and available at all stages of the criminal justice system across England and Wales. On 19 November we announced plans for at least £29 million recovered from offenders to help deliver RJ for victims over the coming three years. Much of this money will go to police and crime commissioners (PCCs).

I welcome efforts by police forces (including West Mercia and Warwickshire) to help deliver this vision and I expect PCCs to work closely with all relevant organisations at a local level to ensure that RJ is only delivered in appropriate circumstances and is safe and competent.

Courts: Clothing

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice Pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2013, Official Report column 655w, on courts: clothing, if he will request that the Crown Prosecution Service formulate a policy on the wearing of face coverings in court. [901111]

Mr Vara: Guidance on the issue of wearing face coverings in court is a matter for the courts to consider. The Lord Chief Justice, the right hon. Lord Thomas, announced on 5 November 2013 that he intends to issue a practice direction which will give clear guidance on the wearing of a niqab in criminal courts. The Lord Chief Justice intends to hold a public consultation on the guidance in due course.

Trials

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many mistrials occurred (a) in the most recent period for which figures are available and (b) in each of the last five years. [177499]

Mr Vara: The outcomes of trials are not recorded in a way which fits the meaning of a mistrial as it is commonly understood, because the term is not applied as such in the courts of England and Wales. There are a number of reasons why a trial might not reach a conclusion, and sometimes another trial is ordered in as a consequence. Retrials can also be ordered by the Court of Appeal.

Prime Minister

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Prime Minister what his objectives are for his discussions with the Chinese Government during his forthcoming visit. [177785]

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The Prime Minister: In all my international activity my priority is to advance the UK national interest by supporting the security and prosperity of this country.

Transport

Bus Services: North West

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has made available for Better Bus Areas in (a) Cumbria and (b) the North West since May 2010. [177875]

Stephen Hammond: In October this year, the Department announced that a new Better Bus Area would be created in Merseyside after a successful bid from the local transport authority. Funding for this scheme up until 2017 will amount to some £2.7 million.

In 2012, the Department provided the following funding to local authorities in the North West through an earlier Better Bus Area Fund scheme:

The Department has not received any Better Bus Area bids from Cumbria.

East Coast Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in his Department are currently working on the East Coast franchising programme. [179134]

Stephen Hammond: The core InterCity East Coast franchising team consists of 15 officials, who are wholly dedicated to the project. They are supported on an ad hoc basis by relevant officials from across the Department who provide specialist advice.

Flexible Working

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 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. [177404]

Stephen Hammond: The following table details the number of staff who are currently on compressed hours.

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Goring and Streatley Station

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on assessing the cost and feasibility of adding step-free access to Goring and Streatley station. [177866]

Stephen Hammond: Network Rail has provided a cost estimate for the provision of lifts to facilitate step free access.

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had on the ongoing issue of the installation of lifts for disabled passengers at Goring and Streatley station. [177867]

Stephen Hammond: I have asked the electrification programme to fund footbridge and lift works at this station but in parallel I have also asked them to nominate the station for funding through the Access for All programme.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in view of the expected size and length of the Environmental Statement which will accompany the hybrid Bill on High Speed 2, if his Department will place a paper copy of the statement in the Library on the day that it is deposited. [177414]

Mr Goodwill: In line with Private Business Standing Order 27 a hard copy of all Bill documents was deposited in the Private Bill Office on the day of deposit. We understand that the House authorities will make this available in the Library.

In addition, memory sticks with electronic copies of all the documents were provided to the Vote Office at the time of deposit.

Level Crossings

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals aimed at making it cheaper and quicker to close level crossings. [179132]

Stephen Hammond: At the request of the Department, the English and Scottish Law Commissions have considered the legislative framework surrounding level crossings. The Law Commissions have made over a hundred recommendations for change, including proposals for a new dedicated closure process.

The Law Commissions’ report was published on 25 September 2013 and the Department's policy and legal analysis . will closely consider their recommendations in the formulation of its policy.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average cost is of closing a level crossing on (a) public land and (b) private land. [179133]

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold figures for the costs of level crossing closure. However, this information can be obtained from Network Rail:

Network Rail

Kings Place

90 York Way

London

N1 9AG

29 Nov 2013 : Column 483W

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the Law Commission's report on Level Crossings published in September 2013, Cm 8711. [179135]

Stephen Hammond: The Law Commissions' 300-page report contains over 100 recommendations as well as a draft bill and regulations. It represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring the legislative framework surrounding level crossings up to date and make it more responsive to the competing demands often placed on this infrastructure. We need to ensure that any legislation we bring forward utilises this opportunity, requiring detailed policy and legal analysis, which remains ongoing.

We are extremely grateful to the English and Scottish Law Commissions for the significant amount of work they have undertaken since the Department requested them to look at this issue in 2008.

Pedestrian Crossings

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review his Department's guidance on pedestrian crossings. [177442]

Mr Goodwill: The Department's guidance on designing pedestrian crossings, including setting timings, is given in Local Transport Note 1/95: The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings, Local Transport Note 2/95: The Design of Pedestrian Crossings, and Traffic Advisory Leaflet 5/05: Pedestrian Facilities at Signal-controlled Junctions.

The Department is currently undertaking a review of traffic signing legislation, including the Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions. Once this is concluded, the Department will consider the need to update guidance to reflect these changes.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if his Department will make an assessment of the potential effect on motorists of providing an additional three seconds' time to pedestrians at signalised crossings; [177476]

(2) whether his Department has plans to increase the time for pedestrians on signalised crossings. [177477]

Mr Goodwill: Traffic authorities are responsible for ensuring that their pedestrian crossings provide everyone with enough time to cross the road safely. The timings used at each crossing will vary, as they depend to an extent on individual site circumstances. In designing crossings, traffic authorities will also need to assess the impact of the timings on all traffic. The Department provides advice on calculating timings for crossings in guidance, but this is not mandatory.

The Department recommends that where a crossing may be used by a large number of older people or those with mobility issues, for example outside residential care homes, this should be taken into account when setting timings.

Railways: Finance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 977W, on railways:

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finance, when he or his officials have met with

(a)

train operating companies,

(b)

the Association of Train Operating Companies and

(c)

the Rail Delivery Group to discuss reducing flex in 2014. [179142]

Stephen Hammond: The reduction in flex policy was announced as part of the ‘Rail Fares and Ticketing: Next Steps’ report, and there was ongoing liaison and consultation with a wide range of external stakeholders throughout the development of that document, including train operating companies and representative groups.

Railways: Franchises

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which occasions officials in his Department have discussed rail franchising policy with founder members of the Rail Delivery Group since June 2012. [179354]

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 4 November 2013, Official Report, column 45W.

Road Traffic Control

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account his Department takes of evidence of public consultation undertaken by local transport authorities or local highway authorities when considering applications to the local pinch point fund. [177484]

Mr Goodwill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 22 November 2013, Official Report, column 1052W.

Rolling Stock: Lancashire

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with Northern Rail on the provision of modern rolling stock to service East Lancashire. [177846]

Stephen Hammond: The Department has very recently received a proposal from Northern Rail for the introduction of electric rolling stock in north-west England, and for the introduction of a new train service from Manchester to Blackburn via Todmorden, to be funded for its first three years of operation by Lancashire county council. A decision will be taken on whether to accept the proposal in due course. In the longer term, the provision of rolling stock on routes in east Lancashire will be a matter for the new Northern franchise, due to start in February 2016.

Rolling Stock: Manchester-Burnley Railway Line

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 976W, on Manchester-Burnley railway line, if he will require that Northern Rail provides modern and quality rolling stock for the Manchester-Burnley rail route as a condition of accepting the proposal to be considered. [177886]

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Stephen Hammond: It is not the Department's policy to specify age or other characteristics of rolling stock. This is a matter for train operators. It has been proposed that the Manchester-Burnley service will be funded by Lancashire county council for its first three years of operation. If this is agreed, the Department's policy is that it will be for the council to decide whether to accept the terms offered by Northern Rail.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010. [177724]

Stephen Hammond: According to our centrally held records, since 2010, two of the Department's civil servants have been seconded to the private sector.

According to our centrally held records, since 2010, none of the Department's civil servants have been seconded to the trade unions.

Given the very small numbers involved in the request, detailed breakdown of secondments by individual organisation and year cannot be provided.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many secondees from (a) trades unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in his Department since 2010. [177747]

Stephen Hammond: According to our centrally held records, no secondees from trade unions have worked in the Department for Transport since 2010. And, according to our centrally held records, no secondees from the voluntary sector have worked in the Department for Transport since 2010.

Treasury

Co-operative Bank

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many telephone calls were made by the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr Hoban) to the senior management of the Co-operative Bank during his time as Financial Secretary to the Treasury; how many such calls have been made by each other Minister in his Department since May 2010; and if he will publish the transcript and minutes of each such call; [177423]

(2) how many meetings his Department held with the Co-operative Bank between June 2010 and August 2013. [177429]

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when Ministers in his Department have met staff of the Co-operative Bank since 2010. [R] [177352]

Nicky Morgan: [holding answer 26 November 2013]:Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. HM Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Information about all ministerial phone calls and all departmental meetings is not routinely collected and is not held centrally.

29 Nov 2013 : Column 486W

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Help to Buy mortgage guarantee applications have been made for properties worth (a) less than £150,000, (b) £150,001 to £300,000, (c) £300,001 to £400,000, (d) £400,001 to £500,000 and (e) £500,001 to £600,000. [177589]

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

On 8 October, the Government published the scheme rules for the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme. Lenders are now able to sign up to the scheme and originate mortgages that will be eligible for the scheme when it opens in January.

The figures demonstrate that the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme is supporting responsible lending. On average households have asked to borrow around £155,000 for houses worth about £163,000, which is below the UK average price of £247,000.

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

New Towns

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what discussions his Department has had with outside experts and consultants regarding the potential construction of a new town within the boundaries of the Mid-Bedfordshire constituency; [177244]

(2) what discussions his Department has had with experts and consultants on promoting economic growth by building a new town in the south east of England. [177302]

Danny Alexander: The Treasury has regular discussions with outside experts on housing supply. The Government do not currently have any plans to construct a new town.

Work and Pensions

Employment and Support Allowance

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 1019W, on employment and support allowance, if he will take steps to record details of occasions on which decision makers have used powers of supersession. [177786]

Esther McVey: The Department gathers data with regard to the total numbers of decisions made following a Work Capability Assessment, as well as their outcomes

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e.g. which component has been applied. There is no facility to efficiently gather more detailed information regarding the use of supersession powers in each case and the Department has no plans to introduce a mechanism for doing so.

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 1019W, on employment and support allowance, what mechanisms his Department has to monitor the appropriateness of instances of supersession following a repeat work capability assessment. [177787]

Esther McVey: The Department has in place a Quality Assessment Framework which measures the appropriateness of decision outcomes. This ensures that all available evidence has been given due consideration before a decision is made. This check encompasses supersession decisions following a repeat work capability assessment.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2013, Official Report, columns 455-7W, on employment and support allowance, how many claimants of employment and support allowance in each of the main diagnosis groups were referred to the Work programme between 1 June 2011 and 28 February 2013. [177832]

Esther McVey: The latest Work programme information available is to 30 June 2013 and is given in the following table:

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Employment Schemes: Fraud

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to investigate allegations of fraud in the Work Choice contract in West and North London; and if he will make a statement. [177799]

Esther McVey: The Department treats any allegation of fraud by contractors very seriously. Any fraud is completely unacceptable. Where we identify, or are notified of, allegations of contractor fraud, these cases are investigated thoroughly by the Department's professionally trained and experienced investigators to a standard required to support reference to the police whenever evidence of criminal offences is discovered.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to prevent fraudulent manipulation of Work Choice and Work Programme job outcomes; and if he will make a statement. [177800]

Esther McVey: The DWP has robust control and assurance arrangements in place to guard against fraudulent claims being made by providers.

Before payment, every job outcome claim is checked to ensure that the programme participant has left benefit. A sample of claims is further checked to ensure that the participant has not only left benefit but is also in employment. In addition, the Department requires all providers to have robust and effective controls in place to mitigate the risk of internal manipulation, and to operate whistleblower facilities to enable staff to report any concerns. Programme providers are regularly inspected to ensure that their internal processes and controls are operating effectively.

Errors can and do occur in the claims process for legitimate reasons, and the Department will recover any monies paid in these circumstances. However where the Department identifies, or is notified of, allegations of contractor fraud, these cases are investigated thoroughly by DWP's professionally trained and experienced investigators.

Housing Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in housing benefit to families placed by local authorities in temporary accommodation in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 (e) 2012 and (f) January to October 2013. [177801]

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Steve Webb: The total housing benefit expenditure in each financial year between 2008-09 and 2012-13 on claimants in temporary accommodation is shown in the following table:

Industrial Health and Safety: Temperature

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent guidance he has given to the Health and Safety Executive with regard to the monitoring of employers' compliance with their duty under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 to ensure that the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable; and what guidance he has issued on appropriate enforcement measures which should be taken where employers are found to be in breach of that duty. [177662]

Mike Penning: On 3 October 2013, the former Minister for Employment, my hon. Friend the Member for Fareham (Mr Hoban), agreed to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishing a revised Approved Code of Practice and guidance on the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. This contains clear information and guidance on employers' responsibilities to maintain reasonable temperatures in the workplace.

HSE's published Enforcement Policy Statement applies to this area, and I have not issued any specific guidance on enforcement measures in relation to workplace temperatures.

New Enterprise Allowance: Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) referrals, (b) clients engaged, (c) approved business plans and (d) business starts there have been under the National Enterprise Allowance scheme in (i) Mid Sussex constituency and (ii) West Sussex since the inception of that scheme. [177878]

Esther McVey: The Department routinely publishes Official Statistics on the New Enterprise Allowance. These statistics show mentoring starts and allowance starts. NEA participants receive the weekly allowance after their business plan has been approved and their business begins trading. The Department does not publish information on referrals.

The Get Britain Working August 2013 official statistics:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/230333/RESTRICTED_GBW_Official_Statistics_Release_Aug_2013_final.pdf

give the business mentor and weekly allowance starts, broken down by months and demographically, including by region.

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Further geographical breakdowns, by Jobcentre Plus district, local authority and parliamentary constituency, have been published separately:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/230306/gbw-geo-breakdown-_aug-13.xls

Staff

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 1022W, on Jobcentre Plus, how many staff were directly employed in his Department and its agencies in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) January to October 2013; and if he will estimate how many such staff worked in jobcentre operations in (i) 2012 and (ii) January to October 2013. [177881]

Mike Penning: Table 1 shows the number of staff who were directly employed in the Department at the end of each year from 2008 to 2012 and on 30 October 2013. The figures are 'staff in post', ie people counted as a single unit irrespective of the hours they work.

As part of restructuring Jobcentre Plus became part of the core Department, as part of DWP Operations in October 2011. An estimate of the number of staff directly employed in DWP Operations at 31 December 2012 and 30 October 2013, in those areas of work most closely aligned with previous Jobcentre Plus operations functions, is shown in Table 2 as follows. As part of the restructuring a number of non operational support activities undertaken in Jobcentre Plus were subsumed into departmental corporate functions. These are not included in the figures in Table 2.

Universal Credit

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households will receive a maximum childcare component of (a) 70 per cent and (b) 85 per cent once universal credit is fully introduced. [177783]

Steve Webb: Universal credit will provide support towards the costs of child care for 500,000 working families.

200,000 families will benefit from the proposed introduction of an 85% rate of child care support where all parents earn enough to pay income tax.

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Based on current work patterns, less than 50,000 families will receive child care support as part of a UC award which has not been tapered due to earnings. All of these cases would receive child care support at 70%.

However, UC offers a simpler child care arrangement which pays child care support to people no matter how many hours they work, which we believe is the best way of supporting people into work. We therefore expect many more people to enter work at less than 16 hours per week, while taking advantage of child care support, due to the greater flexibility and higher work allowances under universal credit.

Notes:

1. The results of the analysis do not take account of any potential increase in employment as a result of the greater flexibility of child care support under universal credit. This is in line with the Universal Credit Impact Assessment published in December 2012.

2. This analysis has been modelled using the Department's Policy Simulation Model, using data from the Family Resources Survey data, 2010-11. The analysis has been carried out at the Benefit Unit level, which is defined to be a single adult or cohabiting couple, and any dependent children.

Winter Fuel Payments

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received the winter fuel allowance in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England in each of the last three years. [177472]

Steve Webb: The information is available on the internet at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/winter-fuel-payments-caseload-and-household-figures

Cabinet Office

Flexible Working

Mr Gibb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) 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; [177389]

(2) how many officials in the Deputy Prime Minister's Office make use of compressed hours arrangements as part of the Civil Service's flexible working hours scheme (a) above and (b) below director level. [177406]

Mr Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office and is included in this reply.

To deliver public services on a 24/7 basis the civil service, like comparable private sector employers, needs a flexible workforce. Staff in my Department may be

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provided with flexible working options including working compressed hours at the approval of their line managers. It is only authorised when it meets the business need, and like all areas of staffing, is kept under constant review.

Details of such staff working arrangements are not held centrally.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to Sir John Chilcot's letter to the Prime Minister of 4 November 2013, what the role of Sir Jeremy Heywood is in collating and clearing documents included in the 10 requests submitted by the Iraq Inquiry since June 2013. [177779]

Mr Maude: The Minister for the Cabinet Office's role is set out in the protocol agreed between Government and the Inquiry, which is published on the Inquiry's website at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/iraq-inquiry-information-sharing-protocol

Population

Mr Denham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the change in population of each English region was between 2001 and 2011. [177853]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office the change in population in English regions between 2001 and 2011 (177853).

Table 1 shows the population estimate for each region for mid-2001 and mid-2011 together with the derived estimates of absolute and percentage change.