5 Dec 2013 : Column 789W

5 Dec 2013 : Column 790W

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have waited longer than four hours in accident and emergency departments in the last 12 months. [179452]

Jane Ellison: Data on performance against the operational standard that 95% of patients attending accident and emergency (A&E) departments should be admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours of their arrival are collected and published on a weekly basis, by NHS England. In the 52-week period starting week ending 2 December 2012 up to and including week ending 24 November 2013, 1,003,825 patients waited longer than four hours before being admitted, transferred or discharged. There were 21,707,018 attendances in the same period, meaning 95.4% of patients waited under four hours.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre Hospital Episodes Statistics show that in 2011-12, the most recent period for which final statistics are available, the average (mean) waiting time to assessment at accident and emergency departments (all types) was 33.1 minutes. The mean waiting time to treatment was 75.4 minutes, and to departure was 138.2 minutes. The average (median) waiting time to assessment was eight minutes, the median to treatment was 52 minutes and to departure was 125 minutes.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the findings of the Transitional Risk register's warning on the link between the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and accident and emergency performance. [179453]

Jane Ellison: Risk registers are project management tools which articulate possible risks. They record the risk assessment process and the actions which need to be taken to mitigate those risks.

The Department's Transition Risk Register has not been published. However a review of the risks contained in the November 2010 Transition Risk Register was published in May 2012. ‘Transition Programme Risks: Review of November 2010 risk register’, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, refers on page 10 to accident and emergency performance as an indicator of quality of care and outlines the actions the Department took to ensure performance in the national health service was maintained throughout transition.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase staffing levels in emergency medicine. [179455]

Dr Poulter: We have tasked Health Education England to consider how we can improve the structure and skill mix of the emergency medicine work force to deal with long-standing shortages in staff at both consultant and trainee levels. Along with the Emergency Medicine Taskforce, we are considering a number of options, such as increasing the non-doctor work force and the number of emergency nurse practitioners.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 791W

The overall growth in the medical work force has kept pace with the increase in attendances over the past three years. We recognise there is a need to ensure this is sustained.

Acute Beds

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the number of days lost in discharges from the acute sector. [179456]

Norman Lamb: In October 2013 there were 78,424 days lost in the acute sector due to delayed transfers of care. In 2012-13, the most recent year for which we have complete information, there were 1,251 fewer days lost in the acute sector due to delays attributable to local authority adult social care compared to the previous year.

Better, more joined-up health and social care is a major priority for the Government. In 2013-14 the national health service will provide £0.9 billion to support social care services, rising to £1.1 billion in 2014-15. In 2015-16 we will introduce a £3.8 billion pooled budget for better care, so that people get the care they need when and where they need it. Local NHS organisations and local authorities will need to have joint plans in place from April 2014 to drive improvements in 2014-15.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were admitted to hospital (a) once, (b) twice, (c) three times and (d) four times or more with (i) a condition directly attributable to alcohol and (ii) another alcohol-related condition in each year since 2008. [179697]

Jane Ellison: The following table contains the sum of the estimated alcohol-related admissions to hospital once, twice, three times and four times or more with a condition wholly attributable to alcohol for 2009-10 to 2012-13.

The information is not available in the format requested for 2008-09.

It is not possible to estimate how many people were admitted to hospital once, twice, three times and four times or more with alcohol-related conditions that are not wholly attributable to alcohol. Estimates of the number of admissions involving conditions that are not wholly attributable to alcohol are made by applying information from research about the percentage of instances of that condition that can be attributed to alcohol.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 792W

However, it is not possible to infer reliably from the information available centrally how many instances of patients who have been admitted to hospital a number of times with such conditions, were alcohol-related.

Care Quality Commission

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish details of every warning notice issued by the Care Quality Commission since 2010-11. [179714]

Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of Health and Adult Social Care and it is responsible for assessing whether providers are meeting the standards of safety and quality.

The CQC has provided the following information:

It is the CQC's practice to publish information on its website about warning notices it has served, once the registered provider has had the opportunity to make representations about it, as is their legal right, and where those representations have not been upheld. In addition to publishing on the CQC website, the CQC routinely publicises, in the form of a press release or a note to editors, enforcement action such as warning notices, it has taken against large hospitals or providers where failure to meet standards has had a significant impact on people's care, unless the provider makes successful representations. Where the CQC has taken enforcement action such as warning notices, a red cross appears against the provider's profile on the CQC website.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Care Quality Commission is required to inform him when it issues a warning notice. [179715]

Norman Lamb: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of Health and Adult Social Care and is responsible for assessing whether providers are meeting the standards of safety and quality. The CQC is not required to inform the Secretary of State when it issues a warning notice.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of foetal alcohol syndrome were reported in the last five years for which figures are available. [179699]

Jane Ellison: The following table contains the number of finished consultant episodes (FCE) where there was either a primary or secondary diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome in England.

Please note that these figures are not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one episode of care within any given time period.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 793W

General Practitioners: Fareham

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are registered with each general practitioner surgery in Fareham constituency; what the capacity of each surgery is; and how many such surgeries are oversubscribed. [179457]

Dr Poulter: Information is not collected centrally on capacity or oversubscription. Information on list size is not available in the format requested. The closest geographical boundary to the question is the area covered by NHS Fareham and Gosport Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

The Health and Social Care Information Centre has information on the number of patients registered with a general practitioner surgery, where the surgery participates in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).

The following QOF information, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, includes practice list sizes supplied to QMAS (Quality Management and Analysis System) from Systems and Service Delivery (SSD), the national general practice payment system, as at 1 January 2013.

The sum of the practice list sizes for the practices included in the QOF publication estimated to represent over 99.0% of registered patients in England (based on the registration data from the Prescription Services Division of the NHS Business Services Authority).

5 Dec 2013 : Column 794W

Health Professions: Registration

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what governance arrangements professional bodies are required to meet before being approved on the accredited voluntary register by the Professional Standards Authority. [177983]

Dr Poulter: The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care has provided information about the standards in governance which an organisation must demonstrate it complies with in order to obtain accreditation by the PSA of the organisation's voluntary register. This information is contained in the PSA's document “Accredited Voluntary Registers: Standards for organisations holding a voluntary register for health and social care occupations”. Standards 2 and 7 of this document specifically refer to the governance standards which an organisation must demonstrate before the PSA will accredit the organisation's voluntary register. A copy of this document has been placed in the Library.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has given clinical commissioning groups and other bodies responsible for the commissioning of NHS services the ability to ensure commissioned services are performed by practitioners registered either with the Health and Care Professions Council or the Accredited Voluntary Register where appropriate. [177985]

Jane Ellison: While there are no specific requirements in legislation for commissioners to ensure that practitioners are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council or the Accredited Voluntary Register, they do have the ability to make such checks.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 795W

In exercising their commissioning functions, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England are under duties to seek improvement in the quality of services they commission, including improvement in the outcomes achieved, and to exercise those functions effectively. These obligations are set out in the NHS Act and also reflected in regulations.

Health Services

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many telephone conversations he has had with chief executives or chairs of (a) NHS trusts and (b) NHS foundation trusts in the last month. [179718]

Dr Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has regular discussions with chief executives and chairs of both NHS and NHS foundation trusts, both in person during weekly hands-on visits to trust sites, or via the telephone.

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times he has met the chief inspectors of (a) hospitals, (b) social care and (c) GPs since July 2013; and what issues he discussed with each. [179719]

Dr Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has met the chief inspector of hospitals on a regular basis since July 2013, primarily to discuss the Government's response to the Francis inquiry. He has also held meetings with the chief inspector of general practice and the chief inspector of adult social care during that period.

The Minister of State, Department of Health, the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb), has held an introductory meeting with the chief inspector of adult social care.

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times he has met the chief executive or chair of (a) the Care Quality Commission, (b) Monitor, (c) NHS England and (d) the NHS Trust Development Authority since June 2013; and what issues he discussed with each. [179720]

Dr Poulter: Ministers regularly meet the chief executives and chairs of these organisations, and other delivery partners, to discuss a wide range of issues touching on our responsibilities for the health and care system.

Health Services: Overseas Students

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the (a) average cost per student and (b) total cost to the NHS of treating international students studying at UK universities in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14 to date. [178028]

Jane Ellison: In 2012-13, the total gross expenditure on non-European economic area (EEA) students in the national health service in England is estimated to be approximately £430 million, with an estimated average

5 Dec 2013 : Column 796W

cost per head of £713. The number of non-EEA students present in England on any one day is estimated to be approximately 600,000.

In 2012-13, the total gross expenditure on EEA students in NHS England is estimated to be approximately £120 million with an estimated average cost per head of £588. The number of non-EEA students present in England on any one day is estimated to be approximately 190,000.

Students referred to above could be studying at different types of institutions such as higher education institutions and further education colleges.

The Department does not have data for 2013-14.

Hepatitis

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of potential variations in access to treatments for hepatitis B and C in England. [179472]

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) produces information for NHS England and local health services to use in assessments of the local provision of services. In particular The Atlas of Variation on hepatitis diagnoses provides data that can be used as an indicator of levels of treatment. PHE also produces regular hepatitis reports, which whilst focusing on screening and diagnosis also provide information on treatment. Health services can also make use of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hepatology 2010 report showing variations in hepatitis C treatment. Because incidence of hepatitis, in particular hepatitis B, is higher in some areas than others there will be local variations as to the level of service provision.

Hepatitis: Greater London

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the availability of treatments for hepatitis B and C in London. [179473]

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) produces information for NHS England and local health services to use in assessments of the local provision of services. In particular The Atlas of Variation on hepatitis diagnoses provides data that can be used as an indicator of levels of treatment. PHE also produces regular hepatitis reports, which whilst focusing on screening and diagnosis also provide information on treatment.

Health services can also make use of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hepatology 2010 report showing variations in hepatitis C treatment. Because incidence of hepatitis, in particular hepatitis B, is higher in some areas than others there will be local variations as to the level of service provision.

This is a matter for local clinical commissioning groups who should follow the National Institute for Care Excellence guidance on the provision of treatments for both hepatitis B and C.

We are advised by NHS England that local commissioners are not aware of any variation in the availability of treatments for hepatitis B and or C in London.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 797W

Maternity Services

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will estimate the proportion of pregnant women who are given the contact details of a named midwife whom they can contact with any concerns; [177986]

(2) what steps his Department is taking to ensure pregnant women receive continuity of care throughout their pregnancy and the postnatal period; [177987]

(3) what progress his Department has made on ensuring that women have a choice of where to give birth; [177988]

(4) what steps his Department is taking to ensure appropriate support is available during the first three years of parenthood, from pregnancy until a child turns two. [177989]

Dr Poulter: Information on the proportion of pregnant women who are given the contact details of a named midwife who they can contact with any concerns is not held centrally.

As set out in the Mandate from the Government to NHS England, the Government expect NHS England to work with partner organisations to ensure every woman has a named midwife who is responsible for ensuring she has personalised, one-to-one care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the postnatal period, including additional support for those who have a maternal mental health concern.

The Mandate from the Government to Health Education England states that Health Education England should work with NHS England and others to ensure that sufficient midwives and other maternity staff are trained and available to provide every woman with personalised one-to-one care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the postnatal period.

The NHS Choice Framework for 2013-14 sets out the choices women can expect in maternity services and states that these will depend on what is best for them and their baby, and what is available locally.

Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning maternity services that improve choice of place of birth, continuity of care and women's experience of care. Maternity services should reflect local needs and circumstances and be integrated with other local services, whilst also benefiting from national support to secure improvements in quality and choice.

NHS England has established Maternity and Children Strategic Clinical Networks to advise commissioners, reduce unwarranted variation in service delivery and encourage innovation. Strategic Clinical Networks will develop key relationships with other networks and organisations, such as clinical senates, and assist commissioners in ensuring best value for money in addition to improving choice, the quality of care and outcomes for patients.

In 2012-13, more than 100 maternity wards and birthing centres across the country benefitted from a £25 million fund to pay for huge improvements to birthing environments, including nine brand new midwifery-led units. This investment is making a big difference to the experience that women and families have of NHS maternity services, with more choice and better environments where women can give birth.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 798W

Community midwives and health visitors provide immediate postnatal care, which should respond to physical, psychological, emotional and social needs of women and their family in a structured and systematic way. Health visitors are at the forefront of delivering the Healthy Child Programme, for pregnancy and the first five years of life, the key evidence-based universal public health service for improving the health and well-being of children, through health and development reviews, health promotion, parenting support, screening and immunisation programmes. Effective implementation of the programme should lead to strong parent-child attachment and positive parenting, care that helps to keep children healthy and safe and identification of factors that could influence health and wellbeing in families.

To achieve this, we are committed to having an extra 4,200 health visitors in post by 2015.

To support health professionals in delivering the Healthy Child programme and interacting effectively with families, the Department has, in conjunction with its partners, developed tools and models that support the development of the public health contribution of health visitors and midwives which can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/developing-the-public-health-contribution-of-nurses-and-midwives-tools-and-models

Mental Health Services

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the per capita spend on mental health services in (a) Portsmouth South constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England was in each of the last five years. [177931]

Norman Lamb: Information is not available in the format requested. The following tables provide information on reported investment in mental health services covering the areas requested. Prior to 2013-14, primary care trusts were responsible for commissioning services to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of national and local priorities.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 799W

Methylphenidate

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were issued for methylphenidate in (a) England and (b) the UK in each year since 1995. [179698]

Norman Lamb: Information on the number of prescriptions issued is not available; it is available only on the number of prescription items written and dispensed. Dispensing information is held for England only. The following table provides the number of methylphenidate hydrochloride prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England, for each complete calendar year since 1995.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 800W

MMR Vaccine

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 154W, on MMR vaccine, what the baseline estimate of MMR coverage in 10 to 16 year olds was in each month since April 2013. [177974]

Jane Ellison: Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) coverage is only routinely collected at age two and five years. The baseline coverage was therefore estimated from annual coverage data collected between 2002 and 2008.¹

Coverage data at five years collected between 2002 and 2008 were used as these data would provide an estimate of coverage for those aged between 10 years (those who were five years in 2008 would be aged 10 years at the time of the start of the campaign) and 16 years (those aged five years in 2002 would be aged 16 years at the start of the campaign).

Of English children aged 10 to 16 years in 2013, around 88.2% were reported to have received at least one dose of MMR vaccine at the age of five years. To adjust for vaccination that these children may have received subsequently, it was assumed that 30% of those recorded as unvaccinated at the age of five years had received at least one MMR by 2013.²This provided a single baseline estimate of MMR coverage in 10 to 16-year-olds of between 92% and 93% in April 2013 before the launch of the MMR catch up programme.²

¹ www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HP Aweb_C/1195733783627

² www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-mmr-coverage -ready-reckoner-tool-2013

Motor Neurone Disease

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which neurology centres NHS England has contracted to provide motor neurone disease clinics; and what NHS England's planned expenditure on these clinics is for the period to April 2014; [179722]

(2) how many derogations from commissioning specialised motor neurone disease clinics NHS England has issued; and which geographical areas those derogations cover; [179723]

(3) how many specialised motor neurone disease clinics were established by NHS England's contracting arrangements for specialised commissioning on or after 1 October 2013. [179724]

5 Dec 2013 : Column 801W

Norman Lamb: NHS England does not hold this level of detail at present. NHS England contracts with providers for specialised neurology services, of which motor neurone disease is a component.

NHS England is in the process of reviewing all providers against the specialised neurology services specification and will publish a full report of those derogations in early 2014. Again this will be for specialised neurology, not just motor neurone disease.

NHS: Staff

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff have been transferred to private sector employers in each year since 2010-11. [179702]

Dr Poulter: The Department does not hold this information. Responsibility for ensuring staff are transferred in line with employment legal requirements lies between the national health service organisation transferring staff and the receiving private sector organisation.

Nurses

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the number of nurses working in the NHS. [179454]

Dr Poulter: The Government's response to the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust public inquiry, ‘Hard Truths: The Journey to Putting Patients First’, set out the expectation that from April 2014 and by June 2014 at the latest, national health service trusts will publish ward level information on whether they are meeting their staffing requirements and every six months trust boards will be required to undertake a detailed review of staffing using evidence based tools.

The Care Quality Commission through its chief inspector of hospitals will monitor this performance and take action where non-compliance puts patient at risk of harm and appropriate staffing levels will be a core element of the Care Quality Commission's registration regime.

Alongside the Government's response to the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, the National Quality Board and the chief nursing officer have published a guidance document that sets out the current evidence on safe staffing, and builds on the Compassion in Practice action area dedicated to ensuring the right staff, at the right time and with the right skills. This clarifies the expectations on all NHS bodies to ensure that every ward and every shift has the staff needed to ensure that patients receive safe care.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to regulate the pricing and purchasing of drugs by pharmaceutical companies. [179414]

Norman Lamb: There are mechanisms in place to ensure that the reimbursement prices paid by the national health service to dispensing contractors for medicines dispensed in primary care, provide value for money for the NHS in the majority of instances. The Department

5 Dec 2013 : Column 802W

sets the maximum price at which companies can sell their licensed branded products through the 2009 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) and will continue to do so through the 2014 PPRS, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. The Department does not set selling prices for generic medicines. Instead, competition in the market is relied upon to keep prices down. Part VIII of the Drug Tariff lists the most commonly prescribed products with a reimbursement price that dispensing contractors will be paid. Setting a reimbursement price encourages contractors to seek lower prices and procure in a manner that is cost-effective for the NHS.

New arrangements for reimbursing unlicensed medicines were introduced in 2011. Prices that the NHS pays for dispensing some of the most popular unlicensed medicines are listed in the Drug Tariff. Where the reimbursement price of a product has not been set, contractors are paid according to where they have sourced the product.

The Department is working with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee to see where improvements can be made when paying for products not listed in the Drug Tariff to ensure that contractors are encouraged to seek the best price so the NHS gets the best value for money.

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many operations were cancelled for non-clinical reasons at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham in each of the last five years for which figures are available; how many such operations were cancelled more than once; and what comparative assessment he has made between those figures and the national per capita average number of cancellations of operations for non-clinical reasons; [179503]

(2) how many operations were cancelled at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in the most recent period for which figures are available; how many such operations were cancelled more than once; and what comparative assessment he has made between those figures and the national per capita average number of cancellations of operations for non-clinical reasons. [179506]

Jane Ellison: Information is not available in the format requested.

Data are not collected centrally on the number of operations cancelled more than once. The national per capita average number of cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons has not been calculated. Information is available at trust level but not at hospital site level.

The number of last minute cancelled elective operations for non-clinical reasons at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (FT) in each of the last five years and in Quarter 2 of 2012-13, the most recent period for which figures are available, is shown in the following table:

5 Dec 2013 : Column 803W

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged (a) 16 or 17 and (b) 18 or over were added to the electoral register in each of the last 10 years. [178006]

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 December 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people aged (a) 16 or 17 and (b) 18 or over were added to the electoral register in each of the last ten years (178006).

ONS does not hold the information required to provide a definitive answer to this question. ONS electoral statistics provide annual counts of the number of people on the electoral register and cannot identify the number of people added to the register in any particular year. Therefore ONS is unable to provide information on (b) how many people aged 18 or over were added to the electoral register in each of the last ten years.

However, the number of attainers on the electoral register may provide some information about the number of people aged 16 or 17 added to the electoral register in each year. Attainers are persons who attain the age of 18 during the currency of the register and are therefore entitled to vote at an election held on or after their eighteenth birthday. The total number of attainers registered to vote in UK parliamentary elections, for each of the years 2003 to 2012, is shown in the table. Data broken down by UK constituent country and parliamentary constituency is available on the ONS website at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/electoral-statistics-for-uk/index.html

It is not possible to state that the attainer figures in the electoral statistics exactly reflect the number of persons aged 16 or 17 who are added to the register in each particular year. This is due to changes over time in local authority practice for contacting and administering people approaching 18 years of age.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 804W

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many voters were removed from the electoral register for reasons other than death in each of the last 10 years for which data is available. [178007]

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 December 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many voters were removed from the electoral register for reasons other than death in each of the last ten years for which data is available (178007).

ONS does not hold this data. Electoral statistics provide annual counts of the number of people on the electoral register. They cannot identify the number of people removed from the register in any particular year or the reasons for which the removal was made.

Electoral statistics for the last ten years (including the latest figures for 2012) are available from:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/electoral-statistics-for-uk/index.html

Government Departments: Foreign Workers

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of jobs to be moved offshore under the contract with Shared Services Connected Limited to provide shared services for the Department for Work and Pensions and other government bodies. [179463]

Mr Maude: The Government are determined to drive savings for the taxpayer. The strategy to transform back office operations and consolidate transactional functions across Government could help deliver between £400 million and £600 million a year in savings for the taxpayer by 2014-15. To ensure that Shared Services Connected Ltd can be a fully competitive and viable business, and grows as a powerful new company, they will be able to perform some functions overseas. The same model was adopted by a previous Government with the NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) service in 2005. SSCL has not predetermined their future delivery model.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 805W

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make an assessment of the life satisfaction of people in the (a) bottom and (b) top quartile of earnings in each year from 2007 to the latest period for which information is available. [178021]

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 December 2013:

As Director General of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for an assessment of the life satisfaction of people in the (a) bottom and (b) top quartile of earnings in each year from 2007 to the latest period for which information is available (178021).

Although ONS has collected data on life satisfaction on the Annual Population Survey (APS) since April 2011, the data are not available for the full period requested.

However, Eurofound have recently published analysis of the European Quality of Life Survey which compares life satisfaction across European countries including the UK over the period from 2007 to 2011. They have analysed life satisfaction by a range of different variables, including income quartiles. The full report can be found at:

http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef1359.htm

It may also be of interest to you that ONS has undertaken regression analysis using the 2011/12 APS data which showed that, other things being equal, higher wages are associated with higher levels of life satisfaction. The full report and tables can be found on the ONS website at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/what-matters-most-to-personal-well-being-in-the-uk-/art-what-matters-most-to-personal-well-being-in-the-uk-.html

ONS is also planning further regression analysis in the coming year to look at the contribution that household income makes to life satisfaction.

Suicide: Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many suicides there were in Vale of Clwyd constituency in each of the last 10 years. [177991]

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 December 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many suicides there were in Vale of Clwyd constituency in each of the last ten years. [177991]

Table 1 provides the number of deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, for people aged 15 and over, resident in Vale of Clwyd Parliamentary Constituency, for deaths registered between 2003 and 2012 (the latest year available).

The Office for National Statistics routinely reports suicide statistics based on when a death was registered, rather than when it occurred. As suicides are certified by a coroner following an inquest, there can be a considerable delay between when a death occurs and when it is registered.

Figures for suicides in the United Kingdom, England, Wales and regions of England are published annually on the ONS website and are available from 1981 onwards. The latest statistical bulletin also includes analysis of the impact of registration delays on UK suicide statistics:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/suicides-in-the-united-kingdom/index.html

5 Dec 2013 : Column 806W

Unemployment

Mr Denham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many and what proportion of adults were unemployed in each region in (a) the most recent quarter and (b) each previous year since 2009; [177818]

(2) how many and what proportion of young people were unemployed in each region in (a) the most recent quarter and (b) each previous year since 2009. [177819]

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

Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2013:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking:

a) how many and what proportion of adults were unemployed in each region in (a) the most recent quarter and (b) each previous year since 2009. 177818

b) how many and what proportion of young people were unemployed in each region in (a) the most recent quarter and (b) each previous year since 2009. 177819

Information regarding unemployment is available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The table shows the level and rate of unemployment in each region & country of the UK for those aged 16 and over; and for those aged 16 to 24. The unemployment rate is defined as the level of unemployment as a proportion of the economically active population. Estimates are for the three month period July to September each year from 2009 to 2013.

The age groups and regions presented are consistent with those used in the monthly Labour Market Statistical Bulletin. The unemployment estimates for people aged 16 and over are seasonally adjusted and are published in Table A07 of the bulletin. Seasonally adjusted estimates of people aged 16 to 24 are not available on a regional basis.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. These are indicated in the tables provided. Copies of the tables will be placed in the Library of the House.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 807W

5 Dec 2013 : Column 808W

5 Dec 2013 : Column 809W

Unemployment: Lone Parents

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many single parents were unemployed in (a) April 2010 and (b) the latest period for which figures are available. [176057]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated December 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many single parents were unemployed in (a) April 2010 and (b) the latest period for which figures are available. 176057

Estimates have been provided from the LFS household datasets. The estimated number of single parents aged 16 and over who have dependent children and were unemployed in the UK in April to June 2010 was 186,000 and in April to June 2013 was 204,000.

It was not possible to provide a single month estimate for April as the LFS is a quarterly survey and household datasets are produced for the April to June and October to December quarters only. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Justice

Defamation

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many libel settlements and of what value the Crown Prosecution Service made in each year between 2007 and 2012. [179703]

The Attorney-General: I have been asked to reply.

The Crown Prosecution Service made no libel settlements between 2007 and 2012.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of cases were discontinued because the victim withdrew or changed their evidence in (a) specialist domestic violence courts and (b) cases involving domestic violence tried in other courts in each year since the introduction of specialist domestic violence courts. [179726]

The Attorney-General: I have been asked to reply.

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

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.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 810W

The following table shows, for each of the last nine years in all courts, including specialist domestic violence courts, the proportion of prosecutions dropped because the victim either retracted their statement or their evidence did not support the prosecution.

Prosecutions dropped represent all cases in which the CPS decided to drop proceedings before evidence was heard by the court. Included are cases discontinued under section 23 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, cases withdrawn at court, those in which no evidence was offered, and those in which either the prosecution or indictment was stayed.

Euthanasia

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) which Directorate in his Department has responsibility for the (a) formulation and (b) implementation of policy on euthanasia and assisted dying; how many officials in his Department at each pay band are employed in this Directorate; what other posts in his Department each such official has held; and if he will make a statement; [179253]

(2) what representations he has received on the Assisted Dying Bill [Lords]; and if he will make a statement; [179254]

(3) what (a) representations he has received from and (b) discussions he has had with hon. and right hon. Members seeking to (i) repeal and (ii) clarify the provisions of the existing law on the prohibition of assisted suicide since October 2012; what response he gave to such representations; and if he will make a statement; [179255]

(4) if he will make a statement on the Assisted Dying Bill [Lords]; [179570]

(5) how many and what proportion of the representations the Prime Minister received (a) supported and (b) opposed the Assisted Dying Bill [Lords]; and if he will make a statement. [179533]

Damian Green: The law in this area is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice and representations to the Prime Minister are generally transferred to this Department for a response.

Within the Ministry of Justice, policy responsibility sits with the Law, Rights and International Directorate in which there is a total of 105.5 full time equivalent posts. The work on assisted dying, including litigation, is covered primarily by one band B official (who spends about half her time on the subject) with support from one band A official, one SCS official and the Legal

5 Dec 2013 : Column 811W

Directorate. The relevant officials have each held a number of other posts in the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.

The Government's view is that any change to the law in this emotive area is an issue of individual conscience and a matter for Parliament to decide, rather than for Government policy.

The Government will take a collective view on the Assisted Dying Bill in order to respond to the debate at Second Reading. We have received copies of an analysis of the Assisted Dying Bill prepared by the Living and Dying Well organisation which opposes the Bill; and a letter to the Prime Minister, in response to that analysis, from the Bill's sponsor, my noble Friend Lord Falconer of Thoroton, and other parliamentarians who support the Bill. We have also received a copy of a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister from the CARE charity which opposes the Bill. Neither the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), nor I have had discussions with hon. Members and right hon. Members specifically about the Bill or more generally.

The Department regularly receives correspondence from hon. Members and right hon. Members on behalf of constituents who support or oppose relaxation of the law in this area. We also regularly receive such correspondence direct from members of the public. Sometimes letters refer to specific developments such as the Assisted Dying Bill; more often, they express a general view on whether or not the law should change. We do not collect information on the proportion of representations for and against change.

In response to all representations received, we make clear the Government's view that this is a matter for Parliament.

Forest Bank Prison

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many contract failures there have been at HM

5 Dec 2013 : Column 812W

Prison Forest Bank in each year since it opened; what those failures were; and what financial penalties were attached to each such failure. [176515]

Jeremy Wright: Performance points accrued and reasons for performance points accrual applied for quarterly measured and annually measured performance points at HMP Forest Bank for contract periods 2004-05 through to 2012-13 are detailed in table 1 as follows. The financial remedies applied are detailed for contract periods 2010-11 through to 2012-13.

Performance reporting is based on quarterly and annual submissions in line with contract-specific timelines.

Performance data/records pre 2004 are not available, which was prior to the arrival of the current controller. The associated financial remedies data/records are not available prior to 2010, due to a changeover in financial systems.

Quarterly and annual performance measures are not comparable year on year. Performance points and financial remedies criteria may be varied from quarter to quarter or year to year. For example, actual performance measures, method of calculation, performance point weightings, credit point weightings, performance point targets etc., may be varied in response to changes in service provision.

The data presented in table 1 are based on total number of performance points accrued for the relevant periods. This does not take into account credit points awarded to the contractor and offset against total performance points for the period. Financial remedies are only applicable when performance point baseline targets are exceeded for the period.

Performance points are essentially about operational efficiency, and do not represent a risk to public safety.

5 Dec 2013 : Column 813W

5 Dec 2013 : Column 814W

5 Dec 2013 : Column 815W

5 Dec 2013 : Column 816W