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Unemployment: Young People

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the total cost in welfare payments to young people who were unemployed in each region in each year between 2005 and 2010. [177599]

Esther McVey: The information requested is shown in the following tables. Young people who were unemployed have been classified as people aged under 25 claiming jobseeker’s allowance. Housing benefit expenditure data split by region is not available prior to 2008-09.

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Universal Credit

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many hours each week (a) a single parent or (b) a second earner in a couple will have to work at the minimum wage to be eligible for the 85 per cent rate of childcare costs support under universal credit; and if he will make a statement. [179218]

Esther McVey: In the 2013 Budget the Government announced their intention to increase childcare support within universal credit in 2016 to provide up to 85% of childcare costs for a household where the lone parent or both parents in a couple are working and paying income tax.

Once fully rolled out, universal credit will provide support towards the costs of child care for around 500,000 working families. Around 200,000 families would benefit from the proposed introduction of the 85% rate of child care support. It is estimated that a lone parent, or a second earner in a couple, would need to work 31 hours a week at the national minimum wage to be eligible for the 85% rate of child care support under universal credit.

Notes:

1. This analysis is based on the current national minimum wage and the income tax personal allowance of £10,000 per year that will be introduced in April 2014.

2. We have assumed that the lone parent or second earner is aged 21 or over and gets the current national minimum wage rate of £6.31 an hour.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what penalties his Department is able to impose for non-delivery under the contracts of IT suppliers working on the universal credit IT system; and if he will make a statement. [179276]

Mike Penning: All the IT being delivered for universal credit is being sourced via robust contracts with IT suppliers. Each of these contracts enables the Department to impose penalties for non-delivery and poor performance. The specific remedies differ according to the terms of each contract, however a range of options is available to the Department, including delay payments for failure to achieve pre-defined delivery milestones, service credits for poor performance against service levels, rights of refund related to failure to meet specific milestones, rights of step-in by the Department or its appointed third party representative (which can be exercised where certain performance or other triggers are met), and ultimately termination rights for breach of contract, where there has been a significant failure to comply with contract obligations.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department

2 Dec 2013 : Column 529W

has had with the Cabinet Office over implementation of the universal credit IT system; and if he will make a statement. [179326]

Esther McVey: The Department and Cabinet Office have many and frequent discussions on the implementation of the universal credit IT system. In particular the Government Digital Service, has played a key role in shaping the delivery of the new digital solution for universal credit and will be supporting the Department in mobilising the right team to develop it further to a full solution.

Winter Fuel Payments

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will revise the eligibility for higher winter fuel payments to allow people turning 80 after 22 September 2014 to receive a higher entitlement. [179204]

Steve Webb: Since winter 1999-2000, the qualifying week for winter fuel payments has been set in legislation as the third full week in September. Payment is made according to people's circumstances in that week. We use this date in order to establish entitlement and make payments before Christmas. The process to establish the entitlement of over 12 million pensioners takes six weeks and the first payments, to the poorest pensioners, are sent in early November. Payments continue to be sent through to December.

The winter fuel payment is a simple to administer scheme. Introducing separate eligibility rules for people age 80 and over would make the scheme more complex. The process of establishing the amount of entitlement in individual cases would delay payments, and add significant expense.

Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria are currently used to trigger winter fuel payments; and if he will make a statement. [179352]

Steve Webb: The main winter fuel payment qualifying conditions are that people must have reached state pension age for women and be ordinarily resident in Great Britain during a legislatively defined qualifying week (the week beginning on the third Monday in September for any year). There is no need to be in receipt of a social security benefit in order to qualify.

Over 95% of winter fuel payments are made automatically, without the need to claim, based on information held in DWP records. The remaining 5%, primarily men who have reached women's state pension age and who are not getting a DWP-administered benefit, need to make a claim if they want to get a winter fuel payment.

Home Department

Neighbourhood Policing

21. Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to achieve safer and better policed neighbourhoods; and if she will make a statement. [901353]

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Damian Green: This Government have freed the police from central control. By slashing red tape and sweeping away central targets we have empowered chief constables, in association with their Police and Crime Commissioners, to respond to the needs of their communities.

These reforms are working. Crime is down and victim satisfaction is up.

Animal Experiments

22. Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animal experiments were conducted in the UK in 2012. [901354]

Norman Baker: In 2012 there were 4.1 million (4,110,028) procedures undertaken on animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act. Nearly half (48%) of these related to the breeding of genetically modified animals, mainly mice and fish.

Domestic Violence

23. Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the use of legally owned firearms in domestic violence incidents. [901355]

Norman Baker: The coalition Government shares concerns about perpetrators of domestic violence legally owning firearms. This is why we have brought in new, detailed guidance for the police on firearms and domestic violence. This guidance makes it clear that evidence of domestic violence will generally indicate that a person should not be permitted to possess a gun.

Organised Crime

25. Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tackle organised crime. [901357]

James Brokenshire: The new National Crime Agency has been operational since October. It has new powers, capabilities and a stronger mandate to lead the fight to cut serious and organised crime. Our new Serious and Organised Crime Strategy focuses on the relentless disruption of organised criminals by bringing the full force of government, law enforcement and our private sector partners to bear.

Visa and Immigration System

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that the visa and immigration system works in the national interest. [901335]

Mrs May: The Government have been working to build an immigration system that works in the national interest, supporting growth, investment and jobs in the UK that will benefit hard-working people, while still deterring those who have no right to be here. We are reforming immigration routes, tackling abuse and improving customer services.

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Immigration Offences

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of trends in the number of people arrested for immigration offences. [901339]

Mr Harper: Arrests for immigration offences have been increasing since 2010. Trends in arrests do change, mainly related to the types of enforcement activity, rather than identifying specific problems. The rise in arrests reflects the Home Office's intent to use intelligence effectively, taking robust action to target criminals profiting from illegal migration.

Relocation Powers

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's relocation powers. [901349]

James Brokenshire: The TPIMs Act allows subjects to be moved within their local area and to be excluded from particular locations as part of a powerful range of restrictive measures. David Anderson, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, has reported that in terms of security, the TPIM regime continues to provide a high degree of protection.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the review carried out by Action Fraud in relation to its handling of the reporting to them by her Department of the outcome of its investigation into the Kings Science Academy, Bradford. [177764]

James Brokenshire: The National Fraud Authority is taking steps to improve staff awareness and training across the service. In addition to this work, the current audit programmes are under a more detailed review to establish if more audits or call monitoring would be beneficial and whether such activity would be cost effective. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy in the Library when this work is complete.

Offences against Children

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when information on Project Spade was passed to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA); and whether SOCA was involved in Project Spade; [177415]

(2) whether information relating to Project Spade was passed from the Serious Organised Crime Agency to the National Crime Agency; [177416]

(3) whether any investigation relating to Project Spade is taking place in the UK; [177417]

(4) whether any suspects implicated by Project Spade are living in the UK; [177418]

(5) whether any child victims are living in the UK whose status as victim has been revealed to the authorities as a result of Project Spade. [177419]

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Damian Green [holding answer 27 November 2013]: In July 2012 the Child Exploitation and On-line Protection Centre (CEOP) received information, via Interpol, from the Toronto Police as part of Project SPADE (a Toronto Police investigation into the distribution of child abuse imagery, videos and DVDs).

The information was not passed to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) as, while CEOP was affiliated to SOCA, it operated independently.

All the intelligence and information held by CEOP, including in respect of previous investigations involving CEOP, transferred to the National Crime Agency (NCA) on 7 October.

Responsibility for such matters now rests with the NCA.

The NCA CEOP Command has undertaken additional assessment of the data provided by the Canadians and information was provided to police forces on 26 November 2013.

As the enquiries are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment on suspects or victims linked to this investigation.

Organised Crime: Currencies

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions the National Crime Agency has had with (a) HM Treasury and (b) the Financial Conduct Authority about the potential use of distributed virtual currencies for serious and organised crime. [177661]

James Brokenshire: The potential criminal use of virtual currencies is highlighted for action in the new Serious and Organised Crime Strategy and is an issue which the National Crime Agency (NCA) is taking seriously. The Economic Crime Command (ECC) within the NCA is in discussions with a range of partners—both in the UK and overseas, including HM Treasury and the Financial Conduct Authority—on the criminal use of virtual currencies and work to tackle it.

Police: Information

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued on the repeat issuing of police information notices to the same person on the basis of similar allegations. [179230]

Damian Green: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 12 November 2013, Official Report, column 547W.

Deputy Prime Minister

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he (a) has appointed or (b) intends to appoint an enlarged ministerial office. [177512]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 398W.

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Attorney-General

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether he plans restrictions on the power of the CPS to dispose of an offence, whether summary, indictable-only or triable either way, with a simple caution. [179101]

The Solicitor-General: The recent review of simple cautions published by the Ministry of Justice on 14 November 2013 reinforced the need for the police to refer any decision to issue a simple caution for an indictable only offence to the CPS.

The police may make the decision to offer a simple caution for any summary only offence or either way offence without reference to the CPS.

Harassment: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases of harassment have been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by the police in each of the past seven years. [179297]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of the number of cases of harassment referred to it for a charging decision. This information could be obtained only by examining all of the files sent to the CPS for charging advice, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Policing and Crime Act 2009

Helen Jones: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted under Section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 in each year since the Act came into force. [179332]

The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences, in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.

Section 14 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 inserted a new offence of paying for the sexual services of a prostitute who had been subjected to force, under section 53A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The following table shows the number of these offences charged and reaching a first hearing in each of the last three years since the Act came into force.

The CPS does not hold a record of the number of people arrested for this offence. The official statistics on crime and policing are maintained by the Home Office.

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Protection From Harassment Act 1997

Helen Jones: To ask the Attorney-General how many Crown prosecutors have received training on sections 2 and 4 of the Protection From Harassment Act 1997. [179312]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has developed an online e-Learning course on cyber stalking which was launched in September 2012 and includes training on the relevant offences and their identification, as well as covering other issues which may arise in the prosecution of stalking cases. The course was refreshed in June 2013 and has been completed by 1,472 CPS employees to date.

The CPS is currently developing further training on the relevant offences, with emphasis on building a strong case, working closely with the police and engaging with victims throughout the legal process.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General (1) how many of the Law Officers' Departments civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010; [177706]

(2) how many secondees from (a) trades unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in the Law Officers' Departments since 2010. [177729]

The Solicitor-General: Since 2010 only the Crown Prosecution Service has seconded employees to (a) the private sector. No staff have been seconded to a trade union. Details on these secondees are contained in the following table.

Two staff members in the Treasury Solicitor's Department have also been seconded out of the UK civil service since 2010; one to a public corporation from December 2008 to August 2011, and one to a charity in the voluntary sector from September 2008 to August 2013.

During this same period the Law Officers' Departments have had no external secondees from either trade unions or the voluntary sector.

Sentencing

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Attorney-General if he will make an assessment of the reasons for which unduly lenient sentences are handed down. [179377]

The Solicitor-General: In broad terms, the test that is applied in all cases is whether the sentence falls outside the range which a judge, taking into account all relevant considerations, could reasonably consider appropriate and is a gross error.

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In the last year for which figures are available 88 cases were sent by the Attorney-General and I to the Court of Appeal. Leave to refer as unduly lenient was granted in 73 cases. The sentence was quashed and an increased sentence passed in 62 cases.

International Development

Africa

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Investment Climate Facility for Africa; and what her policy is on creating a similar programme for other continents. [177566]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID conducted an Annual Review of the Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF) in 2013 and assessed that the ICF was performing well and on track to meet its targets for 2014, the final year of its current phase. The Annual Review found that 90% of partner Governments were satisfied with the quality, speed and results of ICF projects.

At this point, DFID has no plans to establish an Investment Climate Facility for Asia or other continents. However, DFID does fund a portfolio of programmes that work at the national level to improve the investment climate. In South Asia, for example, DFID supports the Bangladesh Investment Climate Facility, the Nepal Investment Climate Reform Programme, and the Pakistan Alternative Dispute Resolution Project. These programmes work with national partners to support legal, regulatory and institutional reforms that reduce the costs of doing business in these countries, in turn generating much needed investment and jobs.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what impact the ceasefire has had on the humanitarian situation. [179316]

Lynne Featherstone: The M23 leadership announced a cessation of violence on 5 November, but no formal ceasefire was agreed during talks in Kampala. The military defeat of M23 should therefore be greeted with cautious optimism. The Kampala process needs to be brought to a successful conclusion. All signatories to the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework need to ensure its effective implementation to address the causes of conflict, thereby bringing sustained peace. We continue to monitor the humanitarian situation in North Kivu with concern. Armed groups remain active in parts of the province and challenges remain to resolve the humanitarian situation.

Developing Countries: Rape

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department takes to ensure that non-discriminatory healthcare is provided to survivors of rape in conflict. [179515]

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Lynne Featherstone: In conflict situations UK-funded medical care is provided through humanitarian organisations. These organisations work according to humanitarian principles including the provision of non-discriminatory aid, provided according to need alone.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she (a) has appointed or (b) intends to appoint an enlarged ministerial office. [177519]

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

Pakistan

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support her Department gives to the promotion of animal welfare in Pakistan. [177619]

Justine Greening: The UK Government support the proposed Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) as an important means of raising awareness of this issue.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of her Department's civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010. [177719]

Mr Duncan: Since 2010 there has been one outward secondment to the private sector and none to trade unions.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many secondees from (a) trades unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in her Department since 2010. [177742]

Mr Duncan: Since 2010 there have been five such secondees from the voluntary sector and none from trade unions.

Cabinet Office

Defence: Procurement

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what external advice was sought by his Department during the drafting of the joint report to the Secretary of State for Defence on the Viability of the Materiel Strategy Procurement. [177631]

Mr Hurd: The review was conducted by a Crown Commercial Lead in the Cabinet Office, and Commercial Operations Director in the Ministry of Defence, both of whom have external commercial backgrounds.

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The reviewers consulted widely among parties involved in the GoCo procurement and the Ministry of Defence's operations.

ICT

Mrs Moon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed within centralised ICT departments or teams in his Department; and if he will make a statement. [179161]

Mr Maude: As part of the transparency agenda, my Department publishes an organogram and structure charts twice each year. The latest organogram may be viewed at:

http://data.gov.uk/organogram/cabinet-office

and structure charts, where you will find more detailed information on junior posts, are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-as-at-31-march-2013

The organogram and structure charts will next be updated in December 2013.

Immigrants

Mr Denham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate the number of migrants into each English region since 2004 from (a) other English regions and other parts of the UK, (b) the EU and (c) outside the EU. [177812]

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 (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate-the number of migrants into each English region since 2004 from (a) other English regions and other parts of the UK, (b) the EU and (c) outside the EU. [177812]

The tables provide estimates for the years ending June 2004 to June 2012.

With regards to the number of migrants into each English region from other English regions and other countries within the UK, estimates are derived from the National Health Service Central Register administrative data.

With regards to the number of long-term migrants into each English region from the EU and from outside the EU, estimates are derived from International Passenger Survey (IPS) data. The IPS is a continuous voluntary sample survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics and therefore is subject to sampling variability. This is shown in the tables by confidence intervals.

Confidence intervals provide an estimated range within which the true value of a population is likely to fall. The confidence intervals around the IPS estimates in the table are 95 per cent confidence intervals; this means that this range is expected to contain the true value of the number of migrants around 95 per cent of the time. Caution should be exercised when using an estimate which has a large confidence interval.

A copy of the table will be placed in the Library of the House.

Local Government

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed by private and voluntary sector providers of local government services in the UK. [179195]

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

Letter from Caron Walker, dated November 2013:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed by private and voluntary sector providers of local government services in the UK. 179195.

ONS does not hold this information.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) 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; [177707]

(2) how many of his Office's civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010; [177711]

(3) how many of No. 10 Downing street's civil servants have been seconded to (a) the private sector and (b) trades unions in each year since 2010; [177722]

(4) how many secondees from (a) trades unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in his Department since 2010; [177730]

(5) how many secondees from (a) trades unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in his Office since 2010; [177734]

(6) how many secondees from (a) trades unions and (b) the voluntary sector have worked in No. 10 Downing street since 2010. [177745]

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

Five or fewer civil servants in my Department have been seconded to the private sector in each year since 2010, and none has been seconded to trade unions.

In line with the practice of previous Administrations exact numbers are not usually disclosed to protect individual privacy when the numbers are five or fewer.

Since 2010, my Department has employed no secondees from trade unions and nine from the voluntary sector.

The Cabinet Office secondment and interchange policy encourages individuals from outside the civil service to bring expertise, knowledge and skills generally unavailable within the civil service for a set period of time, providing an opportunity for knowledge transfer. I would like to see the number of secondments increase.

Education

Adult Education: Carers

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what steps he is taking to help young adult carers continue their education; [177843]

(2) what assessment he has made of the ability of (a) schools and (b) local authorities to identify young adult carers; and what assessment he has made of the support available for young adult carers. [177844]

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Mr Timpson: The Government are committed to protecting young people from excessive or inappropriate caring roles that could impact on their own health, education or well-being.

Evidence from the National Young Carers’ Coalition suggests that only around a third of identified young carers undergo any local authority assessment and only a third of those then get sufficient support to address their needs. As part of the Children and Families Bill the Government have put forward a clause that will make it easier for young carers to get an assessment. Local authorities will have to carry out an assessment of a young carer's needs for support—on request or on the appearance of need.

We are also joining up a young carer's support with the assessment of adults being introduced under provisions in the Care Bill. Our aim is to ensure that the support needs of the person being cared for are met. The provision of these services will protect young carers from having to undertake or continue in a potentially harmful caring role.

On school identification of young carers, the picture is mixed. There are some excellent examples of good practice in schools, such as having a nominated lead teacher. However, we know that good practice is not universal. That's why the Department for Education has worked with the Children's Society and the Carers Trust since 2011 to share existing tools and good practice, including an e-learning module for school staff that we developed to increase awareness in schools of young carers' issues. The Department of Health has recently started training school nurses to be champions for young carers. They will speak up on their behalf and help head teachers and governors decide how best to support them at school.

As part of the Children and Families Bill and the Care Bill we are also strengthening the legislative framework on duties to support young carers with their transition into adulthood, so that they can continue to access the support they need to have good health and educational outcomes.

Bristol University

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will release the data requested by the university of Bristol in their Freedom of Information request of 6 June 2013 which was used in the document, A comparison of GCSE results and AS level results as a predictor of getting a 2.1 or above at university which was published in May 2013. [177354]

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education has no express legal powers to share individual student data owned by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), unless work is being done directly on behalf of the Department.

Officials are working with colleagues in the HESA and Higher Education Funding Council for England on a solution that will open up access to this data and enable independent third parties, such as the university of Bristol, to apply for access. Our current plans are to launch this service in due course.

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Children: Hyperactivity

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effects of attention deficit disorders on educational attainment. [179107]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education makes no specific assessment of the effects of attention deficit disorders on educational attainment but we publish extensive information on special educational needs (SEN) annually.

Pupils can face multiple issues. We are currently consulting on a new SEN Code of Practice. This makes it clear that schools should seek to identify underlying causes for behaviour problems, including any attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, in deciding what SEN provision to put in place, working with families and, where necessary, specialists to identify desired outcomes and appropriate interventions.

Priority School Building Programme

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will meet the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland and representatives of Handale Primary School to discuss the Priority School Building Programme. [179235]

Mr Laws: Yes.

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools were (a) initially informed they would and (b) subsequently informed they would not receive funding for under three provision from the Priority School Building Programme by the Education Funding Agency. [179261][Official Report, 10 December 2013, Vol. 572, c. 2MC.]

Mr Laws: I am not aware of any school that has been informed that they would receive funding for under three provision from the Priority Schools Building Programme. However, we have allocated £200 million to local authorities for this specific purpose, and we expect them to contribute a proportion of this funding where they wish to provide under three places.

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) free schools, (b) academies and (c) maintained schools will receive funding from the Priority School Building Programme; and what total funding each such category of school will be allocated under this programme. [179263]

Mr Laws: 261 schools were successful in their applications to the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) and a full list is available on the Department's website.

In the PSBP there are 62 academies; 199 community, foundation, voluntary aided and voluntary controlled schools; and no free schools.

These figures are accurate as of 22 November 2013. It should be noted that when some of these schools applied they were not academies—they have since converted to academy status.

We cannot currently provide the total funding that each of the categories will be allocated under this programme. A feasibility study is carried out at each of the 261 schools in order to define exact costings and this process has not yet been completed on all schools.

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Science: Education

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are in place for organisations who have received funding from his Department for education and outreach in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; [179259]

(2) what monitoring his Department undertakes of awareness in schools of projects promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics and their engagement with such projects; [179260]

(3) which organisations have received funding from his Department for education and outreach in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in each of the last three years. [179322]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department monitors and evaluates the performance of projects through regular contract or grant management meetings. The regularity of the meetings varies according to need. Certain contracts include provision for independent evaluation, where deemed appropriate and proportionate.

Contract and grant managers ensure that the reports provided by the organisations give clear indications of the involvement of schools, evaluations of the impact of their projects and any other relevant information, such as responses to questionnaires.

The Department also has regular meetings with representatives of relevant bodies, such as Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI), the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM), Science Community Representing Education (SCORE), the National Science Learning Centre and STEM NET, where the engagement of schools is discussed.

The following organisations have received funding from the Department for Education in respect of Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics education and outreach in the last three years:

Science/Technology/Engineering

2011-12

British Computer Society

British Science Association

The Design and Technology Association (DATA)

Engineering UK

Institute of Physics

The Meteorological Office

Myscience.co Ltd

Royal Academy of Engineering

The Royal Society

Smallpeice Trust

STEMnet

2012-13

British Computer Society

British Science Association

The Design and Technology Association (DATA)

Engineering UK

Institute of Physics

The Meteorological Office

Myscience.co Ltd

The Open University

Prolog

Royal Academy of Engineering

2 Dec 2013 : Column 542W

The Royal Society

STEMnet

University of Cambridge

2013-14

Bloodhound SSC

British Computer Society

British Interplanetary Society

British Science Association

Engineering UK

Institute of Physics

Janet Network

The Meteorological Office

Myscience.co Ltd

Royal Academy of Engineering

The Royal Institution

The Royal Society

STEMnet

University of Cambridge

Maths

2011-12

Edge Hill University

Institute for Education

Manchester Metropolitan University

Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI)

The Open University

Sheffield Hallam University

Think Tank Mathematics

Tribal

The University of Brighton

The University of Northampton

The University of Winchester

2012-13

Edge Hill University

Imperial College

Institute for Education

Manchester Metropolitan University

Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI)

National Foundation for Educational Research (NfER)

The Open University

Sheffield Hallam University

Tribal

The University of Brighton

The University of Northampton

The University of Winchester

2013-14

Imperial College

Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI)

Tribal

United Kingdom Mathematics Trust

University of Cambridge

Social Services: Birmingham

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to make an announcement on the future management of Birmingham Children's Services. [179151]

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Mr Timpson: I wrote to the leader of Birmingham city council, Sir Albert Bore, on 29 November. This letter has been published on the Department's website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/262416/Letter_to_Sir_Albert_Bore_-_29.11.pdf

Teachers: Trade Unions

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings he has planned with representatives of teaching trades unions relating to their grievances following his recent correspondence with them. [179184]

Mr Laws: The Secretary of State for Education is meeting organisations representing the teaching profession in December. This is the first meeting in a programme of talks to discuss implementation of education policy. He has invited the general secretaries of the NUT, the NASUWT and UCAC—teaching unions which are in dispute with him, to attend this programme of talks, among others.

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish all recent correspondence with teaching trades unions and the NUT and NASUWT. [179185]

Mr Laws: The recent letters of the Secretary of State for Education to the NUT and NASUWT have been published in the House Library.

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will meet the NUT and NASUWT as part of an attempted dispute resolution. [179186]

Mr Laws: The Secretary of State for Education has invited the General Secretaries of the NUT and the NASUWT to attend a programme of talks about the implementation of education policy, including in those areas covered by their trade disputes.

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to resolve outstanding industrial disputes with the NASUWT and the NUT. [179264]

Mr Laws: The Secretary of State for Education has invited the General Secretaries of the NUT and the NASUWT to attend a programme of talks about the implementation of education policy, including in those areas covered by their trade disputes.

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education by what date he expects to have resolved outstanding industrial disputes with the NASUWT and NUT. [179265]

Mr Laws: The Secretary of State for Education has invited the General Secretaries of the NUT and the NASUWT to attend a programme of talks about the implementation of education policy, including in those areas covered by their trade disputes.

The programme of talks will begin in December.

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Teachers: Training

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of trainee teachers who are in (a) the School Direct programme and (b) tertiary institutions are from a Black and minority ethnic community. [179190]

Mr Laws: Provisional data on new entrants to initial teacher training programmes in the academic year 2013-14 were published in a statistical first release (49/2013)—the initial teacher training census for the academic year 2013-14. The ethnicity breakdown of new entrants can be found in the following table and is available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2013-to-2014

Health

Accident and Emergency Departments

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of patients waited longer than the target for admission to accident and emergency in each English region in the most recent month for which figures are available. [177813]

Jane Ellison: Data on performance against the operational standard that 95% of patients attending accident and emergency (A&E) should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of their arrival in an A&E department, are collected and published on a weekly basis, by NHS England. Monthly figures are not available. NHS England publishes aggregate figures for the four NHS Commissioning Regions.

The following table shows performance against the operational standard by NHS Commissioning Regions for the five week period between the week ending 6 October 2013 and the week ending 3 November 2013.

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Care Homes: Abuse

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to tackle abuse by carers employed within the home setting to care for people with disabilities or the elderly; [177543]

(2) what procedures his Department has put in place to monitor abuse by carers employed within the home setting, caring for people with disabilities or the elderly; [177544]

(3) what information his Department holds on the incidence of abuse by carers employed within the home setting, caring for people with disabilities or the elderly. [177545]

Norman Lamb: The Government are committed to protecting people from abuse and neglect. Our policy objective is to prevent and reduce the risk of harm to adults with care and support needs from abuse, neglect or other types of exploitation, while supporting them to maintain control over their lives and to make informed choices without coercion.

We are strengthening the Care Quality Commission's (CQCs) regulatory function. The new chief inspector of Adult Social Care, Andrea Sutcliffe, will have widespread powers to take firm action on poor care and to hold both councils and providers to account for the quality of services, including the possibility of prosecution. The Care Bill will also give the CQC the power to publish performance ratings on the quality of social care provision, which will give the public a clear and simple way of determining which providers are offering the best services.

Since 2010, all councils with adult social services responsibilities have been required to submit Abuse of Vulnerable Adults returns to the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). This is a mandatory data collection, which records safeguarding activity relating to vulnerable adults aged 18 and over in England and includes information about the volume of safeguarding activity taking place, the characteristics of adults who may be at risk of harm and the locations in which alleged abuse has taken place. It is intended to provide information which can assist stakeholders in recognising and preventing future harm. The most recent report, which presents provisional data for 2012-13, is available on the HSCIC website at:

www.hscic.gov.uk/pubs/abuseva1213prov

Measures need to be in place locally to protect those who may not be able to protect themselves. The Care Bill places the establishment of Safeguarding Adults Boards on a statutory footing, to ensure that local

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authorities, the NHS and police, together with any other agency that may be appropriate, work together to develop and implement adult safeguarding strategies.

The Bill also places Safeguarding Adults Reviews on a statutory footing for the first time. If abuse or neglect does take place, it is essential that the relevant professionals and organisations involved in the case improve future practice and minimise the possibility of it happening again. Conducting safeguarding adult reviews in serious cases will help ensure lessons are learned and applied and better equip local agencies with care and support functions to prevent abuse and to respond should it occur.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government's forthcoming legislative proposals to reform the care sector will ensure that procedures are put in place to protect people with disabilities or the elderly from abuse by carers employed not through a statutory body or an agency but directly by the person cared for. [177546]

Norman Lamb: The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is designed to help employers make safer, more informed recruitment decisions. It also prevents unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups through its criminal record checking and barring functions. Under current legislation, individuals employing people directly are not entitled to ask for a standard or enhanced DBS check about the carers they hire. The Government are aware that measures need to be put in place to ensure the safety of individuals who employ carers directly.

Self-employed individuals could obtain a DBS check by registering with an agency under which they would then be contracted, or by ‘porting’ their DBS certificate from other employment or voluntary work.

Responsibility for the legislation which defines whether individuals are able to request a person to reveal their full criminal history, rests with the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May).

Chlamydia

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking with the devolved Administrations to agree a screening programme for Chlamydia. [177598]

Jane Ellison: The National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) has operated in England since 2003. To date, the NCSP has delivered around 7.5 million tests, diagnosing over 470,000 infections in young adults (15 to 24 years old).

Policy on the provision of health services including Chlamydia screening is a matter for the individual devolved Administrations who decide what works best for their particular populations. The Department is not currently working with the devolved Administration on Chlamydia screening.

Eyesight: Injuries

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many instances of eye injury inflicted by laser pens have been recorded in the last five years. [179237]

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Norman Lamb: This data is not collected as part of Hospital Episode Statistics.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) women have received transvaginal mesh implants, (b) women had transvaginal mesh removed and (c) adverse reports relating to transvaginal mesh implants were recorded in each year since 2005; [179385]

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(2) what recent assessment he has made of the prevalence and severity of complications resulting from transvaginal mesh implants; [179386]

(3) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of voluntary reporting of complications relating to transvaginal mesh implants; and what his policy is on the introduction of mandatory reporting. [179388]

Norman Lamb: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following tables.

Adverse events that have been reported to Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) since 2005 concerning vaginal tape and mesh implants are as follows:

The MHRA's current view is that for the vast majority of women, mesh and tape implants are a safe and effective operation, but as with all surgery, there is an element of risk. While a small number of women have experienced distressing and severe effects, the current evidence shows that when these products are used correctly they can help with the very distressing symptoms of these conditions and as such the benefits still outweigh the risks.

The Department is currently engaged in work to assess the effectiveness of the existing arrangements for reporting complications relating to transvaginal mesh implants. NHS England is facilitating this work, which also involves the MHRA, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the relevant professional societies (British Society of Urogynaecology and British Association of Urological Surgeons).

The MHRA continues to encourage voluntary reporting of adverse incidents from all health care workers, as well as carers, patients and members of the public,

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although we acknowledge that there is considerable under reporting of complications. There are currently no plans in place to introduce mandatory reporting of medical device adverse incidents by health care professionals, however the situation is under constant review to ensure that appropriate systems are in place to facilitate the reporting of adverse incidents from all sources.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number of surgeons trained to remove transvaginal mesh implants is. [179387]

Norman Lamb: This information is not held centrally.

The content and standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council informed by the relevant Medical Royal College.

Where additional training is required for individual posts it is delivered by continuing professional development (CPD). CPD is the responsibility of individual practitioners and their employers.

Health Services: Greater London

Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health services in each London borough have achieved “You're Welcome” accreditation. [179180]

Norman Lamb: The Department does not keep a record of health services that have achieved the You're Welcome standard.

Malnutrition: Bradford

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for the changes in the number of inpatient diagnoses of primary or secondary malnutrition in Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust between (a) 2008 and 2010 and (b) 2010 and 2013. [177793]

Norman Lamb: This information is not collected centrally.

Maternity Services

Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of progress made by his Department in implementing the (a) four national choice guarantees and (b) other policies set out in its publication, “Maternity Matters: choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service;” [177534]

(2) with reference to his Department’s publication, “Maternity Matters: choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service”, published in April 2007, what changes have been made to the roles and responsibilities set out in part four of that publication following the implementation of the reforms under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. [177590]

Norman Lamb: It is for the national health service locally to determine how best to implement the commitments set out in “Maternity Matters”. Prior to April 2013, strategic health authorities (SHAs) were responsible for performance managing primary care

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trusts (PCTs). At the end of 2009, SHAs reported that 99% of PCTs were able to offer women a choice of how to access maternity care, a choice of the type of antenatal care, choice of place of birth and 92% of PCTs were able to offer choice of place of postnatal care.

The National Audit Office recently conducted a value for money audit of maternity services. Its report, “Maternity Services in England”, published in November 2013, assessed progress against the Maternity Matters commitments and highlighted improvements and identified areas where further progress is needed.

In the reformed health and care system, the Department, as system steward, has set national priorities for maternity services in the mandates for NHS England and Health Education England (HEE), and in the NHS and Public Health Outcomes Frameworks. NHS England and HEE are required to provide assurances to the Department against the delivery of these priorities.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning, maternity services. NHS England provides guidance to CCGs on the commissioning of high quality maternity services in line with the policy framework set by the Department.

Information on the roles and responsibilities in the new system following the reforms instituted under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 can be found in the Department's publication “The Health and Care System Explained”. It is available at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-health-and-care-system-explained/the-health-and-care-system-explained

Mental Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 152W, on mental health (1) what assessment he has made of the recent publications that have considered the effect of the economic downturn on mental health and well-being; and whether that consideration has led to any changes in policy; [179345]

(2) what additional resources he has allocated to deal with the mental ill health that has resulted from the economic downturn; [179346]

(3) if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's most recent research and publications on the effect of the economic downturn on mental ill health. [179347]

Norman Lamb: The Department has not made any assessment of recent publications on the effect of the economic downturn on mental health.

Mental health and wellbeing is a priority for this Government. We have made improving mental health, and treating mental illness, a key priority for NHS England.

Public Health England is currently working with stakeholders to develop their work plan and priorities, which will include promoting the public's mental health, preventing mental illness and suicide, and improving the health and wellbeing of people living with mental health problems.