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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 5 December 2013

Treasury

Air Passenger Duty

Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the potential effects of abolishing air passenger duty bands D and C and moving all countries in those bands into air passenger duty band B; [179716]

(2) what representations he has received in favour of abolishing air passenger duty bands D and C and moving all countries in those bands into air passenger duty band B. [179717]

Nicky Morgan: Estimates of the level of air passenger duty rates required to deliver a broadly revenue neutral move to a two band system were published in the 2011 consultation document available at:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130129110402/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_airpassenger.htm

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-treasury/series/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Banks: China

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for regulation of the operations of Chinese banks in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [179692]

Sajid Javid: The Prudential Regulation Authority is an independent regulator. The Government have no power to intervene in the PRA’s regulatory policies or practices, its decision-making or its day-to-day operation. The Chancellor has no plans to make statement on the regulation of Chinese banks in the UK.

Business: Loans

Mr Bailey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the Funding for Lending scheme on lending to small businesses. [901447]

Sajid Javid: The Funding for Lending scheme was introduced in August 2012. In the three months to October, the latest data available, gross lending was £1.5 billion higher than the same period a year ago.

Surveys also show improvements in the cost of credit to SMEs. For example, the Federation of Small Businesses survey reported that the average interest to small firms in Q3 has fallen to 5.5%, down from 6.3% a year before.

The changes to the extension announced last week will refocus the scheme towards supporting SME lending.

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Child Tax Credit

Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many persons under the age of 25 were in receipt of child tax credit in each of the last four financial years; and how many of those were (a) in employment and (b) not in employment; and what the average award of child tax credit was per week for each of those groups (i) with one child, (ii) with two children and (c) with three or more children. [170175]

Nicky Morgan: The level of child tax credit payments a claimant is eligible for is dependent on a number of factors, with household income being just one of them. These include the number of children and disability status,

Tax credit statistics are available on the Tax Credits Provisional Awards Statistical publication produced in April 2013, and covers the UK as a whole. This can be found at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/prov-main-stats.htm#7

The Government are taking steps to ensure that spending on welfare is sustainable by making sure that work pays, while also supporting those most in need. It is rewarding work by:

Raising the personal allowance to £9,440 and announcing a further increase to £10,000 from April 2014. The combined effect of all personal allowance increases announced by this Government will be to remove 2.7 million low income individuals, under 65, out of income tax altogether from April 2014.

Developing a new Tax-Free Childcare Scheme to expand support for affordable child care to 2.5 million families; and

Introducing universal credit to make the benefits of work clearer and simpler, with the aim of offering a smooth transition into work and encouraging progression in work.

Housing: Prices

Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the Funding for Lending Scheme on house prices in each region and constituent part of the UK in the last two years. [179548]

Sajid Javid: The Funding for Lending Scheme was introduced against a background of elevated bank funding costs for UK banks. The scheme aimed to ease credit conditions to the UK economy as a whole. Given the successful developments in household credit conditions, the Bank and HM Treasury announced on 28 November that the extension would be refocused to support business lending.

Against the changing conditions in the housing market, house prices have been stable across most UK regions over the last two years.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2013, Official Report, column 943W, on secondment, how many staff in his Department were seconded from trades unions in the same period. [179521]

Nicky Morgan: Since 2010 there have been no secondees from the trade unions working in the Treasury.

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Sovereignty: Scotland

Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the potential changes to UK borrowing costs if Scotland were to become an independent country; and if he will make a statement. [177618]

Danny Alexander: Together, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland enjoy low borrowing costs. If Scotland became an independent country, the continuing UK's borrowing costs would not be expected to change. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research have estimated that Scotland's borrowing costs would rise following independence, between 0.7 and 1.65 percentage points above UK borrowing costs. (Independence would likely lead to an increase in funding costs for mortgage lenders. A 1% cent rise in effective mortgage rates would equate to £1,300 on the typical Scottish mortgage).

Welfare Tax Credits

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of child tax credit but not working tax credit have an annual household income for tax credit purposes of between (a) £5,000 and £5,999, (b) £6,000 and £6,999, (c) £7,000 and £7,999, (d) £8,000 and £8,999 and (e) £10,000 and £16,190; and how many (i) children and (ii) two year old children live in each such household. [168128]

Sajid Javid [holding answer 9 September 2013]:The level of child tax credit payments a claimant is eligible for is dependent on a number of factors, with household income being just one of them. These include the number of children and disability status.

Tax credit statistics are available on the Tax Credits Provisional Awards Statistical publication produced in April 2013, and covers the UK as a whole. This can be found at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/prov-main-stats.htm#7

The Government is taking steps to ensure that spending on welfare is sustainable by making sure that work pays, while also supporting those most in need. It is rewarding work by:

Raising the personal allowance to £9,440 and announcing a further increase to £10,000 from April 2014. The combined effect of all personal allowance increases announced by this Government will be to remove 2.7 million low income individuals, under 65, out of income tax altogether from April 2014.

Developing a new Tax-Free Childcare Scheme to expand support for affordable child care to 2.5 million families; and

Introducing universal credit to make the benefits of work clearer and simpler, with the aim of offering a smooth transition into work and encouraging progression in work.

Home Department

Charitable Donations

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to encourage employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries. [179643]

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James Brokenshire: The Home Office informs employees how to make tax-free donations directly from their salaries through its intranet, which includes a payroll giving section and occasional news stories about the scheme. The Home Office recommends that staff thinking of giving to charity do so through payroll giving on the basis that it is a safe, simple and tax-effective way to make a donation. In addition, arrangements have been made for payroll giving representatives to visit the Home Office to raise awareness of the scheme.

Demonstrations

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are deployed to the Barton Moss drilling site protest area; and what the weekly and total cost of this deployment is expected to be. [179756]

Damian Green: The deployment of officers is an operational matter for the chief constable. Information about the costs of this operation is not held centrally.

Discrimination

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to prevent persecution of others on the basis of their hair colour. [179248]

Norman Baker: Tackling hate crime is an issue that this Government take very seriously and everyone has the right to live their life free from the fear of attack or abuse because of who they are. We already have in place one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to protect communities from hostility, violence and bigotry.

Our hate crime action plan clearly sets out that local areas are free to include other forms of hate crime, for example, hate motivated by hostility towards a person's appearance, age or gender in their hate crime strategies, if these are identified as a local priority.

The lead for tackling hate crime must come from the local level, with Police and Crime Commissioners, professionals, the voluntary sector and communities working together to deal with local issues and priorities.

Entry Clearances

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many family visit visa applications to the UK there were in the years ending 8 July (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013, by (i) overall number of decisions made, (ii) number of family visit visa grants, (iii) number of family visit visa refusals, (iv) number of family visit visa applications withdrawn and (v) number of family visit visa applications which lapsed. [179632]

Mr Harper [holding answer 4 December 2013]: The following table shows the statistics for Family Visit visa applications from 2010 to 2013. The numbers relate to main applicants and dependants. The figures for July 2012 to June 2013 are not directly comparable to the figures for July 2010 to June 2011 and July 2011 to June 2012. This is because the definition of a family visitor

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was changed on 9 July 2012—from that date, a family visitor did not include those visiting aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces or cousins.

Applicants that are visiting these more distant family members are included in general visitor statistics.

Human Trafficking

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether evidence gathered for the proposed Modern Slavery Bill and the evidence on contemporary slavery supplied by the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group will inform the UK response to proposals for a new instrument to supplement the International Labour Organization Forced Labour Convention. [179554]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 3 December 2013]: The Government will take into account the available evidence to inform its response to proposals for a new instrument to supplement the International Labour Organization Forced Labour Convention.

Immigration

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Government's policy is on discussing individual immigration cases with Ministers from the (a) Scottish Government, (b) Welsh Government and (c) Northern Ireland Executive. [179552]

Mr Harper: Ministers of the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive will receive substantive replies to immigration inquiries on individual immigration cases they are raising in their ministerial capacity.

Interpol

Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the average length of time is between the issue of an Interpol Red Notice and its revocation for (a) a UK citizen and (b) a third country national when issued (i) by and (ii) to the UK; [177582]

(2) how many Interpol Red Notices have been issued (a) by the UK and (b) against the UK and targeted at (i) UK citizens and (ii) third country nationals in the last 10 years; [177572]

(3) how many Interpol Red Notices have been issued and then revoked (a) by the UK and (b) against the UK and targeted at (i) UK citizens and (ii) third country nationals in the last 10 years. [177571]

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James Brokenshire [holding answer 28 November 2013]: Interpol Notices, including Red Notices, are global alerts requested by one member country and circulated to all other member countries simultaneously; they are not targeted at a particular country when they are issued.

Interpol has a global membership of 190 countries. Each member country maintains an Interpol National Central Bureau (NCB), which, for the UK, is now part of the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The Home Office does not routinely collect statistical data centrally on Red Notices.

The most comprehensive source of data that are suitable for comparative purposes on Red Notices is held by the Interpol General Secretariat.

Interpol General Secretariat data going back to 2004 show that 47,777 Red Notices have been issued since 2004 by all countries and 58 by the UK specifically. Further breakdown of the statistics is only possible on data since 2011.

The number of Red Notices issued globally since 2011 is 23,720. Of these, 36 were issued by the UK and, of the 36, 18 were for a UK national.

Interpol Red Notices can be cancelled for a number of reasons, including withdrawal following arrest.

Of the above global total number of Red Notices since 2011, 6,439 were withdrawn following arrest or revoked for other reasons, with eight being by the UK.

Using the Interpol data, since 2011, the estimated average length of time between issuing and it being revoked (i.e. excluding where there is an arrest) for all Red Notices is 1,228 days across all Red Notices. Owing to the small number of cases involved (eight), it is not meaningful to provide an average for the number of Red Notices revoked by the UK.

It is not possible to provide figures for Red Notices for UK nationals issued by other countries.

Kings Science Academy

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information was provided to Action Fraud from the Department of Education when that Department first reported fraudulent activity at the Kings Science Academy, Bradford. [176918]

James Brokenshire: [holding answer 22 November 2013]:When Action Fraud takes a report, the victim or the person reporting is asked to provide as much information as possible concerning the suspect, the victim, how the attempted fraud 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. Action Fraud also advises those who report to retain documents as they may be used as evidence if the police decide to undertake an investigation. The contents of specific crime reports are confidential, however the victim/person who made the report will be provided with a copy of the report which Action Fraud submitted to the National Fraud Investigation Bureau on request.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bradford East of 20 November 2013,

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Official Report

, column 913W, on Kings Science Academy, when Action Fraud discovered that it had reported the findings of the report on the Kings Science Academy, Bradford to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau as information rather than for investigation. [177766]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 28 November 2013]:A request was sent from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) to the National Fraud Authority (NFA) on 1 November which led to a review of the report taken and the error identified.

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has given West Yorkshire police a transcript of the evidence submitted to Action Fraud and then passed onto the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau via telephone on 25 April 2013, from the Department of Education about Kings Science Academy in Bradford. [179469]

James Brokenshire: City of London police have given West Yorkshire police a copy of the report sent from Action Fraud to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will release a transcript of the evidence about Kings Science Academy in Bradford submitted to Action Fraud and then passed on to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau by telephone on 25 April 2013 from the Department for Education. [179492]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 3 December 2013]: The contents of reports taken by Action Fraud are confidential. However 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.

National Fraud Intelligence Bureau

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the policy is of the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau on taking evidence from a reporting body (a) by telephone and (b) in writing. [179491]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 3 December 2013]: The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau received evidence from a range of reporting bodies such as Action Fraud and Financial Fraud Action UK, which acts on behalf of a number of retail banks. The volume of information received is very high and the Bureau uses computer technology to analyse the data received.

The bureau has systems in place to transfer information securely from reporting bodies and would not usually accept information by telephone or in writing.

Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2013, Official Report, column 862W, on secondment, what estimate she has made of the cost of answering the original question. [179480]

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James Brokenshire: Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2013, Official Report, column 862W, the estimated cost of collecting data on the number of private sector employees currently seconded to the Home Office would be in excess of £1,800. This exceeds the cost threshold for answering parliamentary questions of £850.

Vetting: Scotland

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the Disclosure and Barring Service has made on initiating a basic disclosure service for England and Wales that would permit the commencement of reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. [177884]

James Brokenshire: We have been working very closely with the Disclosure and Barring Service and with Disclosure Scotland to develop a new Basic Disclosure check that will comply with the new rehabilitation periods, including making the required technical changes. We expect to be able to confirm the implementation timetable shortly.

Work and Pensions

Charitable Donations

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries. [179648]

Mike Penning: The Department for Work and Pensions operates a payroll giving scheme providing the opportunity for all employees to give regularly on a tax-free basis to charities and good causes of their choice.

Donations are made from gross pay.

The Department's fundraising partner provides impartial information, advice and guidance on donating to charities via payroll giving.

In the six-month period from April to September 2013, DWP employees donated £360,324 to charity via payroll giving.

Employment and Support Allowance

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many men aged 63 who are in receipt of contribution-based employment and support allowance have been called for a work capability assessment in the last 12 months. [177920]

Mike Penning: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2013, Official Report, columns 361-62W, on employment and support allowance, how many times powers of supersession have been used by his Department's decision makers in relation to employment and support allowance in the last year; and in how many cases the effect of such a supersession was (a) to pay benefit when otherwise it would not have been payable and (b) to withhold benefit when otherwise it would have been payable. [179711]

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Esther McVey: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (Tom Blenkinsop), PQ 177786, 29 November 2013, Official Report, columns 486-87W.

Housing Benefit: Night Shelters

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the recent ruling in OR v. Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Isle of Anglesey county council. [178031]

Esther McVey: There was no change in the law as a result of the judgment; housing benefit rules have not changed; and the Government have no plans to change the current rules for housing benefit and universal credit in respect of meaning of a dwelling for housing benefit purposes.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2013, Official Report, columns 362-63W, on Jobcentre Plus, what assessment he has made of a potential link between an increase in complaints about Jobcentre Plus and the reduction in staff numbers. [179712]

Esther McVey: There has been no assessment of any potential link across DWP.

The number of complaints has increased since the introduction of the new DWP complaints process which was completed in December 2012. However, this was expected as the correct recording of complaints has been encouraged with the use of new/consistent processes across all businesses.

The number of complaints resolved at first tier has increased dramatically.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Portsmouth

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time in receipt of jobseeker's allowance is for current claimants in Portsmouth South constituency who are (a) women, (b) men, (c) aged between 16 and 24 and (d) aged over 50. [177933]

Esther McVey: Statistics on the number of jobseeker's allowance claimants in Portsmouth South, by age, sex and duration of claim can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp

Guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Occupational Pensions

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the level of commission claimed by advisors on the auto enrolment pensions market. [179607]

Steve Webb: In its report on the workplace pensions market, the OFT stated that commission in automatic enrolment schemes could create a barrier to switching,

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and recommended that schemes with in-built commission should not be used for automatic enrolment. Research carried out by the DWP found that commission added approximately 0.2%-0.4% to the AMC, As part of our recent consultation on charges, we looked at banning commission in all qualifying schemes. We are now examining the evidence collected during the consultation and will bring forward findings in due course.

Social Security Benefits

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the consequences of continuous payment authorities for those in receipt of social security payments. [179468]

Steve Webb: The Department for Work and Pensions and the Government more generally has concerns about the way in which payday lenders can access money from their customers' bank accounts via continuous payment authority (CPA). We recognise the serious distress to consumers, particularly those in financial difficulty. DWP welcomes the proposals from the new regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), to limit the use of CPAs to two attempts. The FCA also proposes to ban CPA part payment, so that a lender can only take payment if the whole owed sum is available in the customer's account. Existing Office of Fair Trading (OFT) guidance restricts lender's ability to use the CPA where this would leave the customer without a subsistence balance and this will become a binding rule under the FCA. This is particularly important given the introduction of universal credit. The FCA has the power to go further on CPAs in future if it deems necessary to protect consumers.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people given a criminal conviction for benefit fraud were given (a) a custodial and (b) a non-custodial sentence in each of the last five years. [179448]

Esther McVey: The following table shows the number of criminal convictions for benefit fraud offences in years 2010-11 and 2011-12, recorded by the Department as (a) custodial sentences and (b) non-custodial sentences.

The information for the two years previous is not available. From April 2012 the Crown Prosecution Service took responsibility for prosecuting on behalf of the DWP in England and Wales.

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received a criminal conviction for benefit fraud for amounts of (a) £0 to £1,000, (b) £1,101 to £5,000, (c) £5,001 to £10,000 and (d) over £10,000 in each of the last five years. [179449]

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Esther McVey: The following table shows how many people received a criminal conviction for benefit fraud within the specified amounts in England and Wales in the fiscal years 2010-11 and 2011-12.

The information for the two previous years is not available. In April 2012, the Crown Prosecution Service became responsible for prosecuting on behalf of DWP in England and Wales and that data are within their ownership.

The following table shows how many people in Scotland were recorded as prosecuted for benefit fraud within the specified amounts in the fiscal years 2011-12 and 2012-13. These results include cases where there is no criminal conviction. Under Scottish legislation the Procurator Fiscal (PF) may dispose of a prosecution by alternative penalty such as a fiscal fine or a fiscal warning letter.

The information for the three previous years is not available. The PF has ownership of Scottish conviction data.

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of benefit fraud were identified in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such cases were prosecuted in court. [179450]

Esther McVey: The following table shows the number of cases investigated by the Department's Fraud Investigation Service where a recoverable overpayment was identified in the last five years, and the total number of cases prosecuted for each year.

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State Retirement Pensions

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people that will be in receipt of a state pension in (a) 2015, (b) 2020, (c) 2030 and (d) 2050. [177982]

Steve Webb: The information requested is shown in the following table:

Figures shown cover the United Kingdom, and UK pensioners resident overseas.

State Retirement Pensions: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of UK citizens living abroad who are affected by their state pensions not being uprated in line with inflation. [177981]

Steve Webb: No information is available on the nationality or citizenship of state pension recipients; however, there are around 558,000 recipients of the UK state pension living overseas in a country which does not currently receive an annual uprated pension.

Unemployment: Young people

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 137W, on Unemployment: Young People, if he will take steps to persuade the European Commission to modify its proposal for a four month guarantee; and if he will make a statement. [179709]

Esther McVey: Following the Commission's original proposal, the European Council agreed a Recommendation on establishing a Youth Guarantee on 22 April 2013. The Government have been clear; although we agree with the aims of the Youth Guarantee we do not believe a four month guarantee is the best use of funding for the UK, since over 80% of 18 to 24-year-olds flow off of jobseeker’s allowance within six months.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 137W, on Unemployment: Young People, whether the UK's allocation of funding under the Youth Employment Initiative is dependent on implementing a Youth Guarantee. [179710]

Esther McVey: The UK's allocation of funding under the Youth Employment Initiative is not dependent on implementing a Youth Guarantee.

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Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the European Commission press release, MEMO/13/984, of 12 November 2013, whether the UK will submit an Implementation Plan in respect of the European Union Youth Guarantee; and if he will make a statement. [179713]

Esther McVey: The UK plans to submit an Implementation Plan. This will describe how current UK actions to tackle youth unemployment meet the broad aims of the Youth Guarantee.

Universal Credit

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that those offering guidance on universal credit have adequate knowledge to deliver the best advice for claimants. [179413]

Esther McVey: All DWP staff who are delivering universal credit have undertaken detailed learning and technical training to ensure that they are able to advise claimants. In addition, a new approach providing up to date guidance on universal credit has been launched. This new online service, "Knowledge Management", available to DWP staff, advice groups and claimants alike provides the very latest advice and guidance. In addition, our local authority and other partners have all received awareness and training products to support their own levels of knowledge of universal credit. A partner toolkit, giving key information on the features and benefits of universal credit, has also been developed and shared widely through the gov.uk website.

Winter Fuel Payments

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how people can decline to accept the winter fuel payment; and if he will make a statement. [178269]

Steve Webb: The majority of winter fuel payments are sent out automatically. However, people may write to the Department requesting not to receive a winter fuel payment for future years, either in advance of first getting a payment, or after they have received one or more payments.

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2013, Official Report, columns 520-21W, on work capability assessment, if he will make it his policy to collect such information. [178034]

Mike Penning: We have no plans to collect this information at this time.

Work Programme

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many voluntary sector organisations are currently in the Work programme supply chain; and what proportion of that supply chain they constitute. [179700]

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Esther McVey: Details on the organisations helping to deliver the Work programme through prime providers' supply chains are published periodically. Voluntary and community sector organisations still represent the largest share of the supply chain, with 43%. The latest information, as at 31 March 2013, can be found through the following link. The proportions in the private, voluntary and public sectors can be calculated from these data:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/organisations-that-supply-services-to-the-work-programme-providers

Attorney-General

David Morgan

John Woodcock: To ask the Attorney-General if he will review the sentences of the individuals convicted in relation to the death of Mr David Morgan on 18 June 2013. [177975]

The Solicitor-General: Yes, we are doing so.

Domestic Violence: Convictions

Helen Jones: To ask the Attorney-General what the rate of convictions for domestic violence cases tried in (a) domestic violence courts and (b) other courts has been in each year since the domestic violence courts were introduced. [179727]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the numbers of domestic violence flagged cases in its Case Management System and associated Management Information System.

The CPS defines domestic violence as any threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between those who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. Family members include mother, father, son, daughter, sister, and grandparents, whether directly related, in-laws or step family. The data are accurate only to the extent that the flag has been correctly applied.

The CPS has no central record of the number of domestic violence cases completed successfully or unsuccessfully at specialist domestic violence courts.

The following table shows, for each of the last nine years, in all courts, including specialist domestic violence courts, the number and rate of convictions for defendants identified as committing offences involving domestic violence.

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Convictions represent all outcomes where defendants pleaded guilty or were convicted after trial or where the proceeding was proved in their absence.

Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate his Department has made of the business case for the Y-shaped route for High Speed 2 (a) with and (b) without the section of line between Winterbottom and Bamfurlong; [179407]

(2) what estimate his Department has made of the economic benefits of the section of the High Speed 2 line between Winterbottom and Bamfurlong; [179409]

(3) what estimate his Department had made of the incremental cost to benefit ratio of the section of the High Speed 2 line between Winterbottom and Bamfurlong. [179411]

Mr Goodwill: The Strategic Case for HS2 published on 29 October 2013 sets out the business case for proceeding with HS2. It shows that the Y-shaped network including the section between Winterbottom and Bamfurlong is expected to deliver around £2.30 of benefits (including Wider Economic Impacts) for every £1 spent. The Department has not estimated the case for the Y-shaped route for High Speed 2 without this section of line.

However, analysis undertaken by HS2 Ltd suggests that additional works would be required on the west coast main line (WCML) if this section of line were not built, to enable equivalent service levels to Preston and Scotland. The cost of this work was estimated to be almost equivalent to the cost of the high speed line between Winterbottom and Bamfurlong.

The Department has not made a full estimate of the economic benefits of the section of HS2 between Winterbottom and Bamfurlong. However, preliminary analysis undertaken by HS2 Ltd suggested that this section of the line could provide benefits of the order of £1.2 billion and revenue of around £600 million.

Therefore the section of line between Winterbottom and Bamfurlong is likely to offer very high value for money when compared against the alternative connection at Crewe and associated WCML modification work.

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the cost of the section of the High Speed 2 line between Winterbottom and Bamfurlong. [179408]

Mr Goodwill: The estimated construction cost for the Winterbottom to Bamfurlong section of the route is £360 million. This part of the route consists of three sections:

Detailed estimates of the cost of land and risk will be determined at a later stage of development.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 772W

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost of analysing alternatives to the High Speed 2 scheme was (a) up to and including 11 March 2010 and (b) after that date. [179728]

Mr Goodwill: The cost of contracts to undertake analysis of strategic alternatives to HS2 prior to 11 March 2010 was £350,000.

The cost of the contracts to undertake analysis of strategic alternatives after 11 March 2010, to date, is £475,000.

Invalid Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Article 9 of the European Regulation on the Sound Level of Motor Vehicles requires acoustic vehicle alerting systems for mobility scooters. [179656]

Mr Goodwill: The new European regulation on the sound level of motor vehicles does not apply to mobility scooters. In the UK mobility scooters must comply with the Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regulations 1988 when driven on public roads or footpaths. This does not require acoustic vehicle alerting systems, although, an audible warning device must be fitted.

Tyres

Mr Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the mandatory fitting of all-weather tyres to new cars. [179725]

Mr Goodwill: The Government do not consider that mandating a particular type of tyre on new vehicles best serves consumers interests as tyre choice has the potential to influence vehicle performance such as fuel consumption. In order to allow consumers to compare the relative performance of tyres at the point of sale, tyre labelling has been introduced across the European Union. Wherever there is a choice of tyres available with a new vehicle, retailers are required to supply relevant information to consumers in a standardised format to help make an informed decision in relation to tyres fitted to their vehicle.

Tyres: Snow and Ice

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what analysis or research his Department has conducted or commissioned on the benefits of the application of winter tyres to (a) motor cars, (b) commercial passenger vehicles and (c) heavy goods vehicles to road safety; [179686]

(2) what steps he is taking to increase awareness of the benefits of applying winter tyres to motor vehicles. [179687]

Mr Goodwill: The Department for Transport has not commissioned analysis or research in relation to winter tyres. The Government consider that it is for individual drivers to make decisions about tyre choice rather than the Government intervening. Tyres designed specifically for driving in snow and ice conditions are available throughout the UK. However, the drivers decision to fit special tyres is influenced by a number of factors including

5 Dec 2013 : Column 773W

driving conditions, types of journeys undertaken, the cost of purchasing season specific tyres, storing the original set of tyres and the practicality of refitting them when conditions improve.

The Department has no plans to raise awareness of winter tyres currently. However, the Highways Agency publish guidance via their website encouraging motorists to be prepared for driving in severe weather conditions. This can be found on their website:

http://www.highways.gov.uk/traffic-information/seasonal-advice/make-time-for-winter/be-prepared-is-your-vehicle-ready-for-winter/

Energy and Climate Change

Boilers: Somerset

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will provide a list of approved installer organisations able to install new oil boilers in Somerset under the Green Deal and energy company obligation schemes. [177935]

Gregory Barker: An approved list of Green Deal installers can be found by following the link below. Green Deal assessors and providers can also be found on the same website:

http://gdorb.decc.gov.uk/find-a-green-deal-supplier/advanced?clear=true&DECC=true

There is not a separate list of approved energy company obligation installers but many Green Deal installers also carry out installation work under the Energy Company Obligation scheme.

Consumers can also call the Energy Saving Advice Service on 0300 123 1234 and they will provide the names of three local suppliers.

Carbon Emissions

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the UK's carbon intensity in each year until 2030. [179691]

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not publish projections of carbon intensity. It publishes projections of emissions and energy demands to 2030 annually. The latest projections are in the document "Updated Energy and Emissions Projections 2013—Annexes A, B and C".

Energy

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average annual spend on energy per household in each public electricity supply region for households paying (a) in arrears and (b) by pre-pay meter. [177977]

Gregory Barker: Average gas and electricity bill estimations by pre-payment meter for 2012 in each public electricity supply (PES) region are shown in the following table:

5 Dec 2013 : Column 774W

These data are taken from Tables 2.2.3 and 2.3.3 of DECC's publication Quarterly Energy Prices (QEP), assuming an annual consumption of 3,300 kWh for electricity and 18,000 kWh for gas. Provisional annual bill estimates for 2013 will be published in December's edition of QEP on 19 December 2013.

DECC does not hold data on energy prices or bills for households paying in arrears. Data on the level of energy debt in households are made available by Ofgem through their 2012 annual report on Domestic supplier's Social Obligations:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/84390/domesticsupplierssocialobligations2012annualreport.pdf

Energy: North West

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of what the average household (a) gas and (b) electricity bill was in the North West public electricity supply region in each of the last five years. [177976]

Gregory Barker: Average annual household gas and electricity bill estimates for the North West public electricity supply (PES) region are shown in the following table:

These data are taken from Tables 2.2.3 and 2.3.3 of DECC's publication Quarterly Energy Prices (QEP), assuming an annual consumption of 3,300 kWh for electricity and 18,000 kWh for gas. Provisional annual bill estimates for 2013 will be published in December's edition of QEP on 19 December 2013.

Forests

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what agreements were made at the UN Climate Change Conference in Warsaw on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. [179663]

5 Dec 2013 : Column 775W

Gregory Barker: At the United Nations framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) conference in Warsaw in November, agreement was reached on the ‘Warsaw Framework for REDD+’ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation). This package of decisions included the REDD+ methodological rulebook, co-ordination of support, and REDD+ results-based finance. The Warsaw Framework for REDD+ sets out the rules around how to measure, report and verify emissions reductions, the process for the technical assessment of reference levels, national forest monitoring systems, information systems for safeguards, and drivers of deforestation and forest degradation.

In Warsaw the UK joined Norway and the US to pledge a total of $280 million for the new BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes. This includes £75 million (about $120 million) of the UK's International Climate Finance, up to $135 million from Norway, and $25 million from the US. The fund is the first of its kind: a public-private partnership which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by addressing the key drivers of deforestation, particularly agricultural production.

Fuel Poverty

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the fuel poverty gap was in each of the last five years; and what recent assessment he has made of a potential fuel poverty gap in each of the next five years. [179690]

Gregory Barker: DECC have recently announced the intention to adopt the new Low Income High Costs (LIHC) indicator to measure fuel poverty, based on the recommendations from Professor Hills' independent review.

Under the LIHC indicator a household is considered fuel poor if they have above average fuel costs and were they to spend that amount on fuel, they would be left with a residual income below the official poverty line. The difference between a household's required fuel costs, and what these costs would need to be for them not to be in fuel poverty is referred to as the fuel poverty gap.

The gap for each household can be summed to produce an aggregate fuel poverty gap, which gives an understanding of the national scale of the issue.

The following table shows the number of fuel poor households in England, together with the aggregate fuel poverty gap under this new measure, from 2007 to 2011.

There is necessarily a time lag to allow for national survey data collection in order to produce fuel poverty statistics. As a result, at present there are no reported figures for 2011 and 2012. The Government will publish updated figures in the next Fuel Poverty National Statistics Report in 2014.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 776W

Projections of the fuel poverty gap in 2011 and 2012 are available in this year's Fuel Poverty National Statistics Report, published in August of this year.¹

No estimates of the fuel poverty gap have been made to date for each of the next five years. The Government have set out longer term projections of the fuel poverty gap in the recent strategic framework on fuel poverty—Fuel Poverty: A Framework for Future Action in July.²

¹ Available at:

https://www.gov.uk.government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/226985/fuel_poverty_report_2013.pdf

² Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fuel-poverty-a-framework-for-future-action

Nuclear Power

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the amount of energy generated from nuclear power in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) the UK in each month from January 2010. [179695]

Michael Fallon: The annual figures in the table show the amount of electricity generated from nuclear power during 2010 and 2011. Monthly figures for each country are not published. The 2012 figures will be published in the December 2013 edition of Energy Trends at 9:30 am on Thursday 19 December 2013 and will be available on the DECC statistics webpage:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-trends

Recruitment

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 were (a) men and (b) women. [178154]

Gregory Barker: In the period 5 May 2010 to 30 November 2013, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has recruited (a) 54% men and (b) 46% women as civil servants.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much was redeemed under feed-in-tariffs in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales in 2013. [179696]

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Gregory Barker: Data on payments made to feed-in tariff generators are published by Ofgem and are available up to the end of June 2013. These show that between 1 January and 30 June 2013 £259 million was paid to FIT generators in Great Britain (The FIT scheme does not cover Northern Ireland). A regional breakdown of this data is not available.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the level of installed offshore wind capacity in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the UK in each quarter since January 2010. [179694]

Gregory Barker: Quarterly installed offshore wind capacity figures for each of the UK countries from the end of 2010 Q4 (as well as for the UK as a whole from the end of 2009 Q4) can be found in DECC's Energy Trends table ET 6.1, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewables-section-6-energy-trends

In addition, the following table gives a country breakdown for 2009 Q4 to 2010 Q3:

There is no offshore wind capacity in Northern Ireland.

Culture, Media and Sport

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many local radio stations in Portsmouth broadcast on DAB. [179405]

Mr Vaizey: There are five local stations in Portsmouth broadcasting on DAB—Heart, Capital, Gold, Wave 105 and Jack FM.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of (a) Hampshire and (b) Portsmouth South constituency that is covered by DAB radio reception of comparable quality and range to FM coverage. [179406]

Mr Vaizey: The coverage in Hampshire of the UK-wide DAB multiplexes is as follows:

5 Dec 2013 : Column 778W

Ofcom have not calculated the aggregate coverage of local DAB multiplexes within administrative county boundaries or within parliamentary constituency boundaries.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance her Department will provide to help local radio stations to switch to DAB in (a) Portsmouth South constituency and (b) the UK. [179426]

Mr Vaizey: The Government recognise the importance of local commercial radio stations to the communities they serve and is committed to reserving part of the FM spectrum as a platform for local and community radio stations, for as long as it is needed. DCMS officials are also working with Ofcom to consider the potential options for smaller local stations to migrate to digital in the lead up to and after a future switchover. We are encouraged by the recent research Ofcom has carried out on software enabling small scale DAB transmissions, which has been successfully trialled in Brighton.

Flexible Working

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 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. [177391]

Mrs Grant: The Department is committed to trying to help our people achieve a balance between work and outside life. All employees are able to request flexible working arrangements via their manager. As arrangements are made at a local level the Department does not keep central records on numbers of people working compressed hours or any other kind of flexible working arrangement.

Rugby: World Cup

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department plans to take to tackle ticket touting during the 2014 Rugby World Cup. [177979]

Mrs Grant: We are in very regular contact with the CEO of England Rugby 2015 and her team and have provided advice on a range of options available to them to manage the risk of ticket touts at venues. We have also encouraged them to look at ways to make tickets available both for rugby fans, as well as those interested

5 Dec 2013 : Column 779W

in attending a rugby match for the first time, through their club structures and other mechanisms. We are therefore pleased to see that half a million (of the 2.3 million tickets) will go on sale through RFU member clubs next May.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

British Overseas Territories

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the UK companies that participated in the UK—Overseas Territories Business Forum on 28 November 2013. [179534]

Mark Simmonds: The companies that participated in the forum are as follows:

ABM UK Ltd

Acorn Capital

ADDCO Ltd

Anglo Energy Refining Corp

Apex Capital Introduction Services

Ardour Solutions Ltd

Argo

ARL Comms

Associated Foreign Exchange Ltd (AFEX)

Atlantic Star Airlines

Atonement Ltd

Baker Almond

Barclays Capital

BC Associates

Bechtel Ltd

Blackbird Marcomms

Blue Mantle Partners

blur Group

British Chambers of Commerce

British Expertise

British Photovoltaic Association

Business Integration Partners

CaribDirect

CDC Group

Channel Advantage

Clean Rivers Trust

Cluff Geothermal Ltd

Clyde & Co LLP

Cogent Resource Consulting

Commonwealth Business Council

Commonwealth Institute for Infrastructure Development

Connaught Interiors Ltd

Conyers Dill & Pearman

Core Mining

Council of British Chambers of Commerce

Dart Enterprises Contracting Company

Debut Contemporary

DeCharles Consulting

Developing Markets Associates

DMTG Global Inc

Drinking Water Solutions

Eco Capital

ED&F Man

Entrust Resources Group

Envoi

Equator Ltd

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Ethical Progress Ltd

Everton Philips

Fairwinds

fDi Intelligence

First Magazine

Fortus Management Partners

Gibraltar Finance

Global Advantage London

Harvey Nichols

HEART International

Henley Investments

Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership

High Latitudes Hotels

Homestrings

HSBC

Imara Asset Management Limited

Independent

IntREAN

Invest Realty UK PLC

Island Analysis

Isocon Engineering

ITA Global Trust

Jamaica-UK Trade and Investment

JLB Shipping

Jogmec

Jonesboro Property Management Ltd

Jordan Boats & CNC

k4 Innovations

Kingsley Napley

Latchways plc

Learned Lion Partners

Leisure Dreams Ltd

Lennox Paton

Liberty Care

Lightsource Renewables

Linear Investments

LLB Global Investment Group

Mace International Ltd

Maidmoor

Mantis Marketing

MAPPS Consortium

MCT Exports Ltd

MEC International

Mesira Ltd

MI & Associates

MONTGOLD Capital

Moteriba Terminals & Logistics

Motion Media Ltd

MWAI

Nataim UK Ltd

Nedbank Capital

New Worlds

Nortons Group

NuVision Abroad Ltd

Omega Structural Systems Ltd

Orb Synergy

Parkfleet Consultancy & Services Ltd

Pathway Caribbean Ltd

PeriPeri

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Plantir Ventures

Plaza Holdings Ltd

Polar Bus

Premier Oil

Richard James International

Rider Levett Bucknall

Riverview Chambers

Rose and Crown Ltd

Rothschild Corporate Advisors

Science Work Plc

Shelco

Sinclair Knight Merz

Solar Green Tourism

Speechly Bircham

SpilledINK

St Marks Capital

Standard & Poors

Stikeman-Elliot LLP

Strand Media Consulting

Syzygy Renewables

TASC

The Carbon Trust

The Law Society

The Penny Group

The Rainbow Interchange Ltd

The Terre Initiative Ltd

Thomson Reuters

Trovus

UHNW Global Investment Consultant

UK Export Finance

Unique PR

Upsolar

Urban Space Management

Virtual Assistant

Walkers Law Firm

Westwood Marketing and Design Consultancy

WHEB Partners

White Bridge

WYG Group

Zamin Advisors AG

International Organisations

Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which international organisations of which the UK is currently a member (a) accept and (b) do not accept applications for membership by aspirant members which are still legally part of another state but whose population has voted to secede from that state. [179550]

Mr Lidington: The UK is a member of a very large number of international organisations. If all possible dimensions of UK membership are considered, this could potentially run into several hundred or even thousands. The information requested is not held centrally and collating this information would incur disproportionate cost. We have looked at the membership requirements of the following international organisations:

UN

NATO

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OECD

Council of Europe

Commonwealth.

None of these organisations would consider applications for membership on the basis of prospective statehood until that statehood has been achieved.

Iran

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Iranian government on the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. [178030]

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), pressed Foreign Minister Zarif on Iran's poor human rights record in the margins of the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2013. We have not discussed this specific case since her stoning sentence was suspended in 2010. The appointment of a non-resident Chargé d’Affaires tasked with implementing the building of relations will give us a channel for more detailed and regular discussions with Iran—including on human rights issues.

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions Ministers in his Department have held with Israeli ministers since the announcement of the Iran nuclear agreement; and if he will make a statement. [179502]

Hugh Robertson: Since 24 November, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has had discussions with the Israeli Minister for Strategic and Intelligence Affairs.

Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the human rights situation in Iran, (b) discrimination against women and religious minorities in that country and (c) the resolution recently adopted by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on this matter. [179619]

Hugh Robertson: The human rights situation in Iran remains dire. Women continue to suffer discrimination under Iranian law and religious minorities continue to be denied their religious freedoms. The UK lobbied hard for the resolution on the human rights situation in Iran by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on 19 November, and I strongly welcome its adoption.

Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold talks with his Iranian counterparts aimed at amending Article 13 of the 1979 Iranian Constitution to include other religious minorities. [179620]

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised Iran's poor human rights record with Foreign Minister Zarif in the margins of the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2013. The appointment of a non-resident Chargé d'Affaires tasked with implementing the building

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of relations will give us a channel for more detailed and regular discussions with Iran, including on human rights issues.

Israel

Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 573W, on Israel, what recent representations he has made to the Israeli government about forced evictions inside Israel under the Prawer Plan. [179672]

Hugh Robertson: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 594W.

Spain

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Spanish government has undertaken to perform to ensure that British diplomatic bags are not searched again. [177978]

Mr Lidington: We have received an explanation from the Spanish regarding the opening of British bags containing official correspondence and communications and are reassured that we will not see a repeat of these actions. We expect Spain to comply both with the principles underlying the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the principle of State immunity.

World Trade Organisation

Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when those countries who were not founder members of the World Trade Organisation, formerly known as the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs, first made their application for membership; what the period for time was which expired between the application being made and being accepted; what the period of ratification was of each such agreement; and what the duration was between lodging the application and becoming a member in each case. [179549]

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Information relating to the accessions of those members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that were not founder members of the WTO is in the public domain and can be found on the WTO website at

http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/completeacc_ e.htm#alb

The website shows the membership dates of new members since 1995 and contains links to documents relating to their accession.

In each case, the date of application can be found in the relevant working party report and the date of acceptance (adoption) in the relevant decision of the General Council.

An applicant country’s government is normally allowed three months for ratification after signing the Protocol of Accession. Thirty days after the applicant government notifies the WTO Secretariat that it has completed its ratification procedures the applicant government becomes a full member of the WTO.

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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Greater London

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2013, Official Report, column 296W, on air pollution: Greater London, what solutions to London's air quality problems were discussed or agreed; and what agreement was reached about which body will meet the cost of EU fines for infractions of the Air Quality Directive in London. [179665]

Dan Rogerson: At their meeting on 1 May, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was updated on the Mayor's measures to improve air quality in London. DEFRA officials have also had regular discussions with the Greater London Authority and Transport for London on measures to reduce transport pollution in London.

With respect to EU infraction fines, the Government published (in July 2012) a policy statement on part 2 of the Localism Act 2011 concerning the handling of EU infractions and localism. This sets out arrangements for apportioning of fines, should this be necessary. The UK is not subject to infraction fines in relation to air quality and therefore it has not been necessary to come to agreements regarding this.

Charitable Donations

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries. [179640]

Dan Rogerson: Core DEFRA is committed to encouraging employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries using Payroll Giving. Information on how employees can do this is publicised on the DEFRA intranet as part of the Department's wider benefits statement. Core DEFRA is currently developing a communications strategy to better publicise the wider benefits on offer to employees including Payroll Giving.

Food: Waste

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made towards achieving the EU target of reducing food waste by 50 per cent by 2025. [178003]

Dan Rogerson: There is no formally agreed target within the EU to reduce food waste. However, in the UK we reduced total household food waste by 15% between 2007 and 2012. This has been achieved despite an increase of 4% in the number of UK households.

Marine Conservation Zones

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications for judicial review have been notified to his Department in relation to the designation of marine conservation zones. [177922]

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George Eustice: DEFRA has not been notified of any applications for judicial review in relation to the designation of marine conservation zones.

Sea Fish Industry Authority

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has for the future of levy funding of the Sea Fish Industry Authority. [179625]

George Eustice: In August the Sea Fish Industry Authority, Seafish, consulted the industry by publishing a notice in the London, Edinburgh and the Belfast Gazettes outlining its intention to reduce the levy charged on landing most fish and shellfish in the UK and maintaining the current lower rate for cockles, mussels, whelks, pelagic fish and fishmeal. Industry stakeholders have now responded and Seafish has written to the four Fisheries Administrations with the outcome of that discussion. The Administrations are preparing a joint response.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable he has set plans for the triennial review of the Sea Fish Industry Authority. [179626]

George Eustice: Triennial Reviews are an important means by which Government ensure that the functions and form of non departmental public bodies remain appropriate and that they are compliant with best practice on governance and financial and other controls. We are considering the timing of the next review of the Sea Fish Industry Authority as part of the preparation of a programme of Triennial Reviews for the period 2014-17.

Veterinary Medicine: Antibiotics

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the lessons for the UK of the government of France's National Plan for the Reduction of the Risks of Antibiotic Resistance in Veterinary Medicine; and if he will make a statement. [177923]

George Eustice: The priorities of the French National Plan (Ecoantibio 2017), aimed at their livestock, animal health and veterinary pharmaceutical sectors, are broadly similar to those outlined within the UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Strategy; improving infection prevention and control practices; promotion of antibiotic stewardship; developing alternatives to antibiotic use; improving surveillance of antibiotic use and levels of resistance; and strengthening international collaboration. However, the UK takes a ‘One Health' approach to slowing down the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance, ie spanning people, animals, agriculture and the wider environment, thereby reflecting the EU Commission Action Plan published in November 2011.

Variations in the structure of veterinary practice and the livestock industries in the two countries mean that aspects of the French model may not be applicable to the UK. However, lessons can be learned from the outcome of the varying approaches taken by other EU member states with regards to impact on public health

5 Dec 2013 : Column 786W

and on animal health and welfare. The Government will continue to consider these, and other aspects of the emerging evidence base, and will look to use such data to inform the ongoing development and implementation of national activities to deliver the goals outlined within the UK AMR Strategy.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons his Department does not monitor veterinary use of antibiotics. [179624]

George Eustice: For the past 14 years, in response to recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF), the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has collected, collated and published figures on UK sales volumes of active antimicrobial ingredients in products authorised for use in animals. The reports from 1998-2004 were based on sales data provided voluntarily by the veterinary pharmaceutical companies marketing these products, in the UK. However, from 2005, veterinary pharmaceutical companies have been required by the Veterinary Medicine Regulations 2005 to provide sales data on products for which they have Marketing Authorisations.

It is reasonable to assume that there is a correlation between the reported quantities of product sold and those used in animals in the UK. However, collection of sales data presents significant limitations with regard to data analysis and interpretation, in particular in determining the antibiotic quantities sold for use in different animal species.

The Government are exploring potential pathways to obtain more accurate data on antibiotic consumption in animals, in order to monitor responsible use in the veterinary sector. This has been highlighted in the recently published cross Government Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2013-18. Detailed outcome measures are being developed for the Strategy, which include the examination and reduction of overall antibiotic use through responsible and appropriate prescribing.

Health

Accident and Emergency Departments

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) mean and (b) median waiting time to been seen was in (i) type 1 and (ii) all accident and emergency departments in each quarter of the last six years. [177956]

Jane Ellison: There are three measures of waiting times in the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) for accident and emergency (A&E). These are time to assessment; time to treatment; and time to departure. The information requested is shown in the following tables. Data on average waiting times for Type 1 accident and emergency departments are only available from January 2008. Final data for 2012-13 are not yet available.

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