Prisons: Employment

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours a week of purposeful activity prisoners have been (a) expected to do and (b) recorded as completing in each prison in England and Wales in each month since May 2010. [174769]

Jeremy Wright: Work in prisons remains a key priority to ensure prisoners are engaged purposefully while they are in custody. It also gives them the opportunity to learn skills and a work ethic which can increase their chances of finding employment on release, a key element to reducing reoffending.

Our reforms to the Incentives and Earned Privileges national policy framework came into effect in adult prisons on 1 November 2013. Prisoners will be expected to engage in purposeful activity, as well as demonstrate a commitment towards their rehabilitation, reduce their risk of reoffending, behave well and help others if they are to earn privileges.

The number of prisoners working in industrial activity in public sector prisons increased from around 8,600 in 2010-11 to around 9,700 in 2012-13. This delivered an increase in the total hours worked in industrial activities from 10.6 million hours to 13.1 million hours.

In addition there are substantial numbers of prisoners who work to keep prisons running on tasks such as cooking, serving meals, maintenance and cleaning.

Figures are published in the NOMS Annual Report Management Information Addendum:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225225/mi-addendum.pdf

The information requested has been placed in the Library of the House.

Please note that figures you have requested are only available up until March 2012. Purposeful activity was formerly a performance indicator for prisons, but was discontinued at the start of 2012-13. The indicator was not used in the day-to-day management of prisons and NOMS had concerns over the burden on the frontline of collecting the information.

Figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Sexual Offences: Prosecutions

Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many adults have been prosecuted under section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each year since it came into force; [176277]

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(2) how many children have been prosecuted under section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each year since it came into force. [176278]

Jeremy Wright: Our laws in these areas are robust and clear. The Government take very seriously all matters relating to the sexual abuse of children and also any material which may appear to be derived from or to

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encourage such activity. The protection of society’s most vulnerable remains a Government priority.

The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for offences under section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, by age breakdown in England and Wales from 2003 to 2012 (the latest available), can be viewed in the table.

Defence

Burma

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where British training for Burmese army soldiers will take place in 2014. [179485]

Mr Francois: The Tatmadaw (the Burmese Army) remain a key political force in Burma, and therefore we seek to encourage them to support democratic reform through our influence and with education.

The first educational course that the UK will provide to the Tatmadaw will take place in January 2014. A civil-military team from the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, in collaboration with Cranfield University, will deliver a course called Managing Defence in a Wider Security Context. This course will be delivered to approximately 30 students, drawn from Government and the Burmese military and it will be delivered in Burma at commercial premises. Currently, there are plans for an individual from the Tatmadaw to attend a similar course that will take place at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom later in the year.

Military Bases: Northern Ireland

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of defence reforms on military bases in Northern Ireland. [179587]

Dr Murrison: The plan for rebasing the Regular Army following its structural reorganisation under Army 2020 was announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) on 5 March 2013, Official Report, columns 845-48; he then announced plans for the Army Reserve on 3 July 2013, Official Report, columns 924-25.

These announcements detailed the basing requirements across the UK which will support the Army in its future role. This does not remove the need for prudent management of the defence estate which will continue.

The Army is committed to maintaining its regular and reserve presence in Northern Ireland in line with the announcement made.

Royal Navy and Royal Air Forces basing in Northern Ireland remains unchanged as a result of the defence reforms.

Veterans: Employment

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many early service leavers found stable employment within (a) one month, (b) six months and (c) one year of leaving the armed forces, in the last five years for which figures are available. [179739]

Anna Soubry: Before the implementation of an Early Service Leavers (ESL) initiative on 1 October 2013 no data about subsequent employment was collected. Information will be available in due course as ESL enrol in the new scheme and are tracked for six months after discharge.

Previously, those who left before completing four years’ service (often without completing training) were only signposted to support services. However, following the positive evaluation earlier this year of the 2012 Forces in Mind Trust Future Horizons Programme pilot in Catterick (the ESL initiative) it was decided to implement and roll out the scheme widely. ESL now have access to transition support by being offered a more “needs-based” level of service, providing them with financial, housing and employment support, including linking them to a Jobcentre Plus.

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Veterans: Mental Health

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department plans to support the Royal College of Psychiatrists' proposal to promote a show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2015 in support of veteran's mental health; and if he will make a statement. [179569]

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) very much supports initiatives that are intended to raise public awareness of the mental health of serving personnel and veterans. MOD officials would be happy to discuss the Royal College of Psychiatrists proposal with them, should they wish.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices: Engineering

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many under 19 year olds (a) started and (b) completed an apprenticeship in engineering in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013 to date. [179289]

Matthew Hancock: Final data on apprenticeship starts and achievements by age and sector subject area for the 2009/10 to 2011/12 academic years and provisional data for the full 2012/13 academic year are available here:

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/A3798E84-B03D-4237-8569-545B6B5D47AC/0/Oct2013_ApprenticeshipStartsbySectorSubjectAreaLevelAqe.xls

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/CD7C249E-C407-4776-81C5-4BCCA2CC18D6/0/June2013_ApprenticeshipAchievementsbySectorSubjectAreaLevel Age_revised.xls

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/Statistics/fe_data_library/Apprenticeships/

Business: Regulation

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the recommendations of the report from the Business Taskforce entitled Cut EU red tape, published in October 2013. [901450]

Michael Fallon: The Government welcome the Taskforce's report, the 30 specific recommendations for reforming EU law, and the COMPETE principles, which should apply to all new EU legislation.

The Government will continue to press the EU to implement the recommendations in the Taskforce's report. In particular, we want to see early action to reform rules on chemicals (REACH), clinical trials, and interchange fees.

Charitable Donations

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries. [179633]

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Jo Swinson: BIS has a tax free donation (Payroll Giving) scheme in place. Information is available on the BIS intranet setting out how employees can set this up, and the benefits of donating in this way. A recent HR Fair in BIS provided a platform to encourage employees to consider making a donation through our scheme.

The Government response to a recent consultation on Payroll Giving stated

‘we will promote Payroll Giving across Government Departments'.

We envisage taking forward this work in the coming year in BIS with a focus on further communicating the benefits of the scheme to employees.

Higher Education: Admissions

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the National Scholarship Programme on access to universities for students from low-income backgrounds. [179677]

Mr Willetts: In June, following the spending review, we signalled that the National Scholarship Programme (NSP) would cease after 2014-15.

On 28 November 2013, Official Report, columns 19-20WS, we announced that we are reducing the Government's planned contribution to the NSP in 2014-15 from £150 million to £50 million. At the same time, we have removed the £1,000 cap on the amount of an award that may be received in the form of cash. This will make the programme more flexible for students in this transition year. We are also reducing the minimum level of award for full time students to £2,000 from £3,000, meaning that 100,000 students could still receive an award.

We said we would review the scheme in the light of evidence and evaluation. We have listened to students and partners who have said that the scheme is not effective in promoting access. Independent evaluation of the NSP has shown that only a minority of potential students and current recipients of NSP awards say that the possibility of receiving financial aid had a positive impact on their decision making. Further exploration revealed that concerns about finance are not sufficient to deter many students.

The main source of financial help for students entering higher education is the Government's statutory support package. Further help is available for disadvantaged students from Institutions under the terms of the institution's access agreement with the Office for Fair Access.

Higher Education: Private Sector

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with the Student Loans Company on the projections and trends in student support for students studying with alternative providers during academic year 2012-13. [177937]

Mr Willetts: The Student Loans Company provides the Department with monthly management information reports on student numbers and payments made in relation to students studying at alternative providers.

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These reports enable the Department to monitor on a monthly basis trends in support for students at alternative providers.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students enrolled at private colleges have had their loans halted in academic year 2013-14 to date. [179478]

Mr Willetts: As of 22 November, 10,308 students who have applied for maintenance support for their study at alternative providers have had their student support payments suspended.

Higher Education: Vocational Guidance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to require higher education institutions in England to make data available to prospective students on the availability of jobs in fields relevant to the courses they offer. [178004]

Mr Willetts: In 2011 the Government asked higher education institutions to make available the Key Information Set (KIS) to help prospective students make more informed choices about higher education. KIS, launched in September 2012, provides comparable information on over 35,000 undergraduate courses at UK universities and colleges-in the areas that students have identified as most useful. This includes data on the salaries and employment outcomes of previous students on a course, the most common jobs of previous graduates and whether the course has been accredited by a professional body. KIS is available via a link from each university course page and through the Unistats national comparison website

http://unistats.direct.gov.uk/

This was updated in September 2013 with a number of improvements including mobile phone access.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 16 October 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr K Joslin. [179543]

Jo Swinson: According to our records, we have not received a copy of the letter referred to. If the right hon. Member would forward a copy, we will respond as a matter of urgency.

Overseas Students: Work Experience

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of work experience opportunities for university students in the UK on the attractiveness of UK universities to international students. [178025]

Mr Willetts: A recent qualitative study published by BIS, in September 2013, ‘The Wider Benefits of International HE in the UK’, highlighted that:

The overwhelming majority of international students studied in the UK with the long term goal of making a success of life in their own country, but many felt that the option to work in the

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UK for a period post-graduation would consolidate and maximise the impact of their higher education (HE) study.

Some of the most powerful impacts were identified by those who had widened their activities off-campus in the form of volunteering, employment (including post-study) or other social or cultural activity.

There were perceptions among international students that recent amendments to visa restrictions reduced employment opportunities, thus reducing the attractiveness of the UK as a HE destination.

The Government recognise the importance of work experience for students and our visa regime is flexible enough to allow overseas students to undertake work experience that is required as part of their course.

International students at HE institutions with degree-awarding powers can also work part time during term time and full time during vacations outside of their course. It is for individual universities to decide how they work with businesses to help students acquire related skills and knowledge, and how they present such opportunities as part of their student recruitment activities.

Public Expenditure

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the current budget is for his Department for 2012-13 to date; what the spend against profits has been for the months for which figures are available; and what the current projection is for spend against budget for the year end. [179701]

Jo Swinson: As set out in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Annual Report and Accounts for financial year 2012-13, the total budget was £27,967 million. The total outturn was £26,247 million. BIS does not make profits and therefore it is not possible to provide spending figures by month against profits.

Science: Finance

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the allocation of funding was for his Department's science budget in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15; and whether it is his policy that that budget will be ring-fenced in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15. [177990]

Mr Willetts: The Department published allocations for the periods concerned in the booklet “The Allocation of Science and Research Funding 2011-12 to 2014-15” (20 December 2010):

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/allocation-of-science-and-research-funding-2011-12-to-2014-15

These allocations maintain a ring-fence around Science and Research resource budgets for the periods concerned.

Students: Disability

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken with universities to increase support for those studying with disabilities. [179412]

Mr Willetts: Universities have clear duties and responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support disabled students and ensure that disabled students do not face discrimination or less favourable treatment

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while applying to, and studying in, higher education. The detailed decisions of how an institution will comply with legislation and, more broadly, support disabled students will be determined by the institution itself within the requirements of the law.

The Government provide substantial financial help through disabled students' allowances (DSAs) for English-domiciled students with a disability or long-term health condition. DSAs are paid in addition to the standard student support package. They do not depend on income and do not have to be repaid. In 2011/12 53,300 students received £125.1 million of DSA funding. Maximum allowances under DSAs are increasing by 1% for the 2014/15 academic year.

The Government also provide funding to HE institutions, through the Higher Education Funding Council for England, to help them recruit and support disabled students. In the 2013/14 academic year that support rose to £15 million, compared to £13 million in the previous year.

Students: Disadvantaged

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he is considering measures to reduce grants available to students from low-income backgrounds. [179486]

Mr Willetts: Decisions on the student support package for 2015/16 will be made and announced in the new year in line with the usual timetable.

Students: Fees and Charges

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what changes in assumptions were made when his Department revised its estimate of the resource accounting and budgeting charge to 35%; [177925]

(2) what changes to assumptions on (a) forecast earnings data and (b) historic track records on repayment collection were incorporated in his Department's revision of the RAB charge up to 35%; [177926]

(3) whether his Department's latest RAB charge estimate incorporates the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2013 earnings forecast. [177927]

Mr Willetts: We use the latest independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) short-term and long-term macroeconomic forecasts from March 2013 to calculate the RAB charge. These are published under the following URL:

http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/category/publications/

Changes to estimates of earnings growth, inflation and Bank of England base rates will all have an impact on the calculation of the RAB charge. We also use loan account data provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC) to ensure that the RAB charge is calculated using the most up-to-date loan account information available. The revision of the RAB charge to 35% is attributed to new OBR forecasts being published and to updates in the loan account information provided by the SLC.

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Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the upward adjustment of the resource accounting and budgeting charge included an adjustment to take into account the eight per cent historic underestimates of repayment. [177928]

Mr Willetts: The revision of the RAB charge can be attributed to updates in the OBR short-term and long-term economic forecasts, and to updates in the loan account information provided by the student loans company. It did not include an adjustment for historic differences between forecast and actual repayments.

The model we have used to forecast future repayments has tended to overestimate the amounts due. These differences have arisen as a result of structural problems in the forecasting model, rather than any hidden inefficiency in the collections process.

We recognise that we need to improve our forecasting and we are undertaking an extensive work programme to improve the forecasting methodology which will be delivered in spring 2014 and which will bring forecasted repayments more closely into line with actual collections. This will improve the accuracy of our valuation of the loan book. The National Audit Office referred to this work in their recent value-for-money study into student loan repayments (sections 4.14 and 4.15) which can be found under the following URL:

http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/10307-001-Student-loan-repayments_BOOK.pdf

Students: Loans

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what changes to forecast earnings data are incorporated in the 35 per cent resource accounting and budgeting charge calculation. [177919]

Mr Willetts: We use the latest independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) short-term and long-term macroeconomic forecasts from March 2013 to calculate the RAB charge. These are published under the following URL:

http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/category/publications/

Changes to estimates of earnings growth, inflation and Bank of England base rates will all have an impact on the calculation of the RAB charge. We also use loan account data provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC) to ensure that the RAB charge is calculated using the most up-to-date loan account information available. The revision of the RAB charge to 35% can be attributed to new OBR forecasts being published and to updates in the loan account information provided by the SLC.

Students: Scholarships

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future of the National Scholarship Programme. [179489]

Mr Willetts: In June, following the spending review, we signalled that the National Scholarship Programme (NSP) would cease as an undergraduate scheme after 2014/15.

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On 28 November 2013, Official Report, columns 19-20WS, we announced in a written statement to the House that we are reducing the Government's planned contribution to the NSP in 2014-15 from £150 million to £50 million. In this final year, the £1,000 cash limit will be removed to make the programme more flexible. In addition the minimum level of award will be reduced for full-time students from £3,000 to £2,000, meaning that 100,000 students could still receive an award, in line with our original estimates.

From the savings, £25 million will be reallocated to create a locally based network to support collaborative outreach by universities, colleges and schools, reflecting the emerging findings from the national strategy for access and student success.

Vetting: Scotland

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the work of Disclosure Scotland in providing basic disclosure services so as to permit the commencement of reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. [177883]

James Brokenshire: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.

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 Experience

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to protect interns' right to fair pay. [901467]

Jo Swinson: The Government are absolutely clear that anyone entitled to be paid the minimum wage should receive it. This includes interns.

Already this year HMRC has issued penalties to 466 employers and have sent 200 letters to employers who have recently advertised for unpaid positions.

In addition, new guidance was launched by the Department of Business and 4Talent on 11 November to help young people understand their rights to fair pay.

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigates every complaint made through the free and confidential Pay and Work Rights Helpline. As is the case with all workers, if any intern feels that they are not getting the minimum wage that they are legally entitled to then they should contact the helpline on 0800 917 2368. Employers can also call the helpline for advice if they are unsure of their obligations.

Education

Academies: Bradford

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many new academy and free schools based in the Bradford Education Authority area are currently applying to his Department. [179421]

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Mr Timpson: There is an academy project in Bradford for a new secondary school, which is due to open in September 2015 and will be funded under the Department's targeted basic need programme. There are also eight applications from schools to convert to academy status and four schools in the process of becoming sponsored academies.

There are two free school projects currently in pre-opening phase in Bradford. They are Dixons Free School and Khalsa Engineering Academy. One application has been received as part of the latest free school application round (Wave 5).

Arts: Education

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to discounting codes on future take-up of (a) arts, (b) design, (c) music and (d) drama subjects. [179585]

Mr Laws: Discount codes are used to gather qualifications with similar content together to ensure that where pupils take more than one qualification in the same or similar subject area, the performance tables only give credit once for teaching a single course of study.

The discount codes for the qualifications in music and music technology, and in design and technology were not changed.

No assessment has been made of the effect of the changes to discount codes on the take up of art arid design or performing art qualifications.

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received on changes to discounting codes for (a) arts, (b) design, (c) music and (d) drama subjects. [179586]

Mr Laws: Discount codes are used to gather qualifications with similar content together to ensure that where pupils take more than one qualification in the same or similar subject area, the performance tables only give credit once for teaching a single course of study.

The discounting for the qualifications in music and music technology, and in design and technology were not changed.

The Department for Education has received a small number of representations from teachers and students regarding the change in discounting for qualifications in performing arts (dance and drama) and art and design. There were also a number of responses on the discounting of performing arts, photography and art and design during the Secondary School Accountability Consultation. These responses were from sources including the Arts Council England, the Cultural Learning Alliance and the ‘Bacc for the Future’ campaign.

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to support the research-led teaching for art and design teachers in the last 12 months. [179590]

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Mr Laws: The Government are committed to raising the profile of research and evidence in teaching in all subjects, including art and design. The Government are working with Teaching Schools and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), among others, to encourage more evidence-based practice in teaching. The EEF, which aims to help raise the attainment of disadvantaged children, is funded by a £135 million Government grant and is developing a robust and accessible evidence base on what works in education.

The Department for Education is also working closely with subject expert groups, which bring together leading experts and subject associations. The expert groups, including the art and design group, are producing audit tools and guidance for schools to ensure that they are ready to deliver the new national curriculum. In doing so they are expected to draw on high quality evidence and research.

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to support teachers and schools to access continuing professional development in (a) arts and (b) design subjects. [179595]

Mr Laws: The Government are committed to raising the quality of teaching in all subjects, including art and design. Research suggests that the most effective types of professional development for teachers are collaborative, sustained, closely linked to teachers' classroom practice, and are supported by expertise. We are creating a national network of Teaching School Alliances to improve the capacity of schools to take the lead in the training and development of teachers and create more opportunities for peer-to-peer learning.

The Department for Education is also working closely with subject expert groups, which bring together leading experts and subject associations. The expert groups, including the art and design group, are sign-posting appropriate professional development materials for schools to ensure that they are ready to deliver the new national curriculum.

The new Teachers' Standards set a clear benchmark for the level of practice expected of all teachers, and provide a valuable tool to help head teachers and teachers identify and address development needs through regular appraisal.

While we increasingly expect schools and teachers to take more responsibility for their own professional development, there are some areas where we are providing additional support. For example, we are supporting 10 Teaching Schools Alliances to develop and disseminate a broad package of cultural education professional development materials and resources for teachers.

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to measure the effect of national teaching schools on the quality of (a) art and (b) design teaching in the last 12 months. [179596]

Mr Laws: While the quality of art and design teaching is not a specific criterion for the designation of teaching schools, those that want to become a teaching school must have outstanding judgments from Ofsted in quality of teaching, leadership and management and overall effectiveness.

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We will measure the success of teaching schools in two ways. Within their fourth year of designation, each teaching school will be judged on the improvements made across schools in their alliance. The evidence will contribute to a decision on whether they continue with the designation.

In March 2013, the Department for Education commissioned a two-year evaluation of the teaching school initiative. The evaluation draws on the views of senior and middle leaders, teachers and pupils in schools with varied levels of involvement in teaching school alliances, including schools that are nearby alliances but with no direct involvement in teaching school alliances, including schools that are nearby alliances but with no direct involvement. The evaluation will also report on the possible impact of teaching school alliances on overall pupil attainment and progress and, while not being singled out, this will include qualifications in both art and design.

Together, this will lead to a rounded view of the effect of teaching schools on the quality of teaching and outcomes for children.

Children: Day Care

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of child care places for the 40 per cent most disadvantaged two-year-olds. [179612]

Elizabeth Truss: Since 1 September 2013 local authorities have been under a statutory duty to secure a place for any eligible two-year-old. Around 92,000 two-year-olds are already accessing a place—70% of the way towards the 130,000 places planned for the first year.

The entitlement will be extended to around 260,000 children from September 2014, which equates to 130,000 full-time places. The last Department for Education Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey reported that there were around 300,000 early years vacancies.

The Government are putting in place a number of measures to support growth in provision across the country including:

1. creating new childminder agencies;

2. making it easier for schools to take two-year-olds and to offer out-of-school-hours facilities;

3. simplifying the regulatory framework and planning rules so nurseries can expand more easily; and,

4. improving the funding system to increase consistency across local authorities and maximise the funding that reaches the frontline.

The Government have also provided £100 million capital funding to support a growth in high quality places and will continue to monitor take-up closely.

Education

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the conclusions of the report entitled One System, Many Pathways, published by the Skills Commission on 26 November 2013. [179481]

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Matthew Hancock: I note the report with interest. Government reforms have set out to address many of the issues raised within the report and good progress is being made.

Education: Finance

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will allow flexible funding for local education authorities. [179664]

Mr Laws: The Department announced in June that in 2014-15 local authorities would continue in 2014-15 to have flexibility in deciding how to allocate the dedicated schools grant to schools in their area. For 2014-15 that flexibility has been extended to include a sparsity factor to allow local authorities to target funding at small rural schools without which pupils would have too far to travel to school.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in June that we would consult on how best to introduce a national fair funding formula for schools. The consultation will include proposals on local flexibility for 2015-16 and will be published shortly.

Kings Science Academy

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) for what reason he failed to order his Department to give the police more information in September 2013 about the fraud allegations at Kings Science Academy, Bradford when he was briefed that this possibility was raised with his Department by the police in September 2013; [177967]

(2) if he will publish all papers held by his Department relating to Kings Science Academy, Bradford; [179733]

(3) if he will publish all communications between his Department and the police concerning Kings Science Academy, Bradford between April and September 2013; [179734]

(4) whether his Department told Action Fraud in April 2013 that the information provided by his Department to Action Fraud about Kings Science Academy, Bradford, was an information report and not intended for a police investigation. [179735]

Mr Timpson: Officials at the Department reported the case to Action Fraud's national call centre on 25 April. An additional telephone call was made to West Yorkshire Police's Economic Crime Unit, who confirmed that this was the correct way to report fraud and that no further action was required.

The Department supplied Action Fraud with all the critical information in the investigation report and all the information they requested. Action Fraud sent the information to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB). The Department did not find further evidence of potential fraud after 25 April. It is Action Fraud who decide whether information provided should be classified as an information report or a crime report—the Department had no input into this decision. If further evidence of fraud had been found, that would also have been reported to Action Fraud.

Having assessed the information supplied by the Department, via Action Fraud, the NFIB decided there was insufficient evidence at the time to investigate. The

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Department was told this when it followed up in September to see what progress had been made. Action Fraud subsequently notified the Department on 1 November that the information provided had been wrongly classified. This error has been rectified by Action Fraud and West Yorkshire police have confirmed they are now investigating.

The Department has already published the investigation report, the review of financial management and governance at Kings Science Academy and the Secretary of State's warning notice:

http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/executiveagencies/efa/efafundingfinance/b00212647/external-assurance/academiesfraud-/investigation-reports

The information on the potential fraud was passed to Action Fraud in April by telephone and no recording was made by the Department. Communication in September with Action Fraud was by e-mail and copies of these e-mails will be placed in the House Library.

Primary Education: Croydon

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what measures his Department is planning to take to address any shortfall of primary school places in the London Borough of Croydon over the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [177929]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education is investing significant amounts of funding to help local authorities across England to create new school places where they are needed.

On 1 March 2013, we allocated just under £63.3 million to Croydon for the financial years 2013-15 to help the local authority create the additional school places that would be needed by September 2015. Croydon's pupils will also benefit from £48.7 million invested through the Targeted Basic Need programme, which will support the local authority to build five new schools and expand three existing schools, creating a further 4,090 new places by September 2015.

This brings the total funding allocated for new school places during the period 2011-15 to £144 million, compared with £17.7 million provided to Croydon during 2007-11. In addition, three new free schools are due to open in September 2014. When full, they will provide an additional 2,410 school places in the area.

We have improved the way that basic need funding is allocated to target money at the areas that need new school places the most. We have secured a good settlement for the next spending period which confirms the capital funding available to us up to 2021. We expect to announce further funding for Croydon and other local authorities shortly.

Schools: Bradford

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the shortfall in available school places was for those needing a school place in Bradford Education Authority area in September 2013. [179418]

Mr Laws: The Department collects information from each authority on school capacity in state-funded primary and secondary schools (except special schools) through the annual School Capacity Collection in the academic

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year of the survey. The survey also includes local authorities' own pupil forecasts (five years for primary places and seven years for secondary places). The most recent survey data relates to the position at May 2012

.

¹ Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=& publication_filter_option=statistics&topics% 5B%5D=schools&departments%5B%5D=department-for-education&world_locations%5B%5D=all&direction=after&date =2013-02-01

The shortfall in available school places was not estimated for 2013, but was for the 2015/16 basic need funding allocation. At that time, Bradford local authority was forecasting a 3% shortfall in places at primary level for 2015/16 and 2% unfilled places at secondary level.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to balance the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and secure a place for every child of statutory age who wants one. The Department has provided Bradford with £52.6 million from 2011/12 to 2014/15 to support this, nearly double the £26.9 million over the preceding four year period (from 2007/08 to 2010/11).

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the projected increase in school places needed to meet demand in the Bradford Education Authority area will be in September (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016, (d) 2017 and (e) 2018. [179419]

Mr Laws: The Department collects information from each local authority (LA) on school capacity in state-funded primary and secondary schools (except special schools) through the annual School Capacity Collection in the academic year of the survey. The survey also includes local authorities' own pupil forecasts (five years for primary places and seven years for secondary places). The most recent published survey data relates to the position at May 2012.¹

The data show the number of primary places that were available at May 2012 and that Bradford LA was anticipating an increase in the number of primary pupils in each of the next five years. At secondary level, Bradford LA was forecasting an increase in pupil numbers over the next five years.

The LA is forecasting an increase of 9.28% in primary school pupils over the period.

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The LA is forecasting an increase of 14.3% in secondary school pupils over the period.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to balance the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and secure a place for every child of statutory age who wants one. The Department has provided Bradford with £52.6 million from 2011/12 to 2014/15 to support this, nearly double the £26.9 million over the preceding four-year period (from 2007/08 to 2010/11).

¹ Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords= &publication_filter_option=statistics&topics% B%5D=schools&departments%5B%5D=department-for-education&world_locations%5B%5D=all&direction=after&date =2013-02-01

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the success of schools being responsible for providing information, advice and guidance in future careers since April 2012. [179430]

Matthew Hancock: The Government commissioned Ofsted to conduct a thematic review of careers guidance to assess the progress of schools in meeting their duty to secure independent careers guidance which has been in place since September 2012. Ofsted's report, published on 10 September 2013, highlights some examples of good practice but also shows that many schools are not implementing their duty as effectively as they should. This highlights the need for many schools to have higher ambitions for their students and to learn from the best.

The Government have published a vision statement and an action plan outlining how we intend to take forward Ofsted's recommendations and help schools improve. Proposals include strengthening statutory guidance for schools and giving the National Careers Service a greater role in bringing employers and schools closer together. Both documents are available in the House Library.

Ofsted's statement that they will give greater priority to careers guidance in school inspections will also encourage schools to deliver appropriate, high quality advice.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he will respond to the Skills Commission's recommendations that his Department immediately acknowledge the crisis in information, advice and guidance, and undertake a full review of provision. [179532]

Matthew Hancock: The Government commissioned Ofsted to conduct a thematic review of careers guidance to assess progress. The Skills Commission report confirms Ofsted's view that there is more to do to bring all schools up to the standard of the best. The vision statement and action plan published on 10 September set out how we are going to strengthen careers guidance and our priority is to deliver those commitments. Both documents are available in the House Library.

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We want to increase access to employers and mentors so that young people can be inspired to consider a broad range of careers. The duty on schools to secure independent careers guidance is an important step. We have extended the duty to all 12 to 18-year-olds so that more young people can access the support they need at key transition points.

Teachers: Qualifications

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps he has taken to ensure that the qualifications of School Direct trained teachers will be recognised abroad. [179591]

Mr Laws: All School Direct programmes lead to qualified teacher status for those who successfully complete their training. School Direct programmes can also lead to the award of a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) which is an internationally-recognised qualification.

Teachers: Recruitment

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many art and design teachers have been recruited through School Direct since September 2012. [179592]

Mr Laws: Sixty art and design teachers were recruited through School Direct for 2013/14. This information is available in the Initial Teacher Training Census for the academic year 2013/14, which we have recently published¹.

¹ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2013-to-2014

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure high-quality arts teachers are recruited into the profession. [179594]

Mr Laws: We have recruited strongly to art and music in recent years; both subjects recruited their best-ever quality of trainees this autumn according to the 2013/14 Initial Teacher Training census¹. The Department's website

www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching

and the Teaching Line continue to offer information, support and guidance for potential arts teachers.

¹ Available at:

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

Truancy: Fines

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what the legal basis is for the imposition of fines on parents for unauthorised absences from school of their children; [177968]

(2) what right of appeal parents have against fines levied on them by schools for unauthorised absences from school of their children; [177969]

(3) what further penalties parents may face if they refuse to pay fines levied on them for unauthorised absences from school of their children; [177970]

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(4) what guidance his Department has provided to education authorities, academies and free schools on the levying of fines on parents for unauthorised absences from school of their children; [177971]

(5) whether there is an upper limit to the fines that can be imposed on parents for the unauthorised absence from school of their children. [177972]

Elizabeth Truss: Section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996 provides that it is an offence for a parent of a registered pupil at school to fail to secure their regular attendance. Section 444(1A) provides that it is an offence for a parent to knowingly fail to secure the regular attendance of a school registered pupil at school. Section 444A of the Education Act 1996 (inserted by section 23 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003) provides local authorities and schools with the power to issue penalty notices where they have reason to believe an offence has been committed under section 444 of the Education Act 1996.

The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) Regulations 2007 (as amended), which apply to maintained schools, pupil referral units, academies and alternative provision academies (including free schools), set out the process for issuing penalty notices (fines). Each local authority must publish a code of conduct, which ensures that penalty notices are issued consistently in their area.

A penalty notice offers a person the opportunity to discharge themselves of any liability to a conviction of an offence under section 444(1) of the Education Act 1996, to which the notice relates, by paying the fine in full and within the specified period.

The penalty notice is £60 if it is paid within 21 days, otherwise the fine will rise to £120 and is to be paid within 28 days. There is no right of appeal by parents against a penalty notice. If the penalty is not paid in full by the end of the 28-day period, the local authority must decide either to prosecute for the original offence to which the notice applies, or withdraw the notice.

A person guilty of an offence under section 444(1) is liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to £1,000. A person guilty of an offence under section 444(1A) is liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to £2,500 or to imprisonment of up to three months.

Local authorities, head teachers and officers authorised to give penalty notices must have regard to the Department for Education's statutory guidance on “Parental responsibility measures for school attendance and behaviour” which can be found on the Department's website.¹

¹ http://tinyurl.com/p8aby9k

International Development

Burma

Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which civil society organisations in Burma receive how much funding from her Department. [179429]

Mr Duncan: The DFID Burma bilateral programme is providing just over £22 million to 21 civil society organisations in Burma in 2013-14. Civil society

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organisations in Burma also receive DFID funding through central and regional funding streams, and through our contributions to trust funds such as 3MDG and LIFT. Details of organisations receiving funding are available on the DFID and partner websites.

Sir Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she made to the government of Burma on the need to reduce military expenditure and increase spending on health and education. [179432]

Mr Duncan: DFID is providing support to Burma's peace process which includes advising the Government on how to manage reforms in the security sector. DFID is also working with the World Bank on a public expenditure review which has a particular focus on improving spending in the health and education sectors.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Government Departments in Burma have received assistance from, or are funded by, her Department; and what the nature of that assistance and level of that funding is. [179482]

Mr Duncan: No UK aid goes directly through central Government of Burma budgets.

DFID funds trusted expert organisations who provide capacity-building and technical assistance to some Burmese Government Departments, as well as non-government organisations, to support reforms.

Some examples of such assistance include:

The World Health Organisation through the Three Millennium Development Goal Fund provides technical advice to Ministry of Health on tuberculosis and malaria control;

UNICEF assists the Ministry of Education on improving primary education;

UNFPA provides technical assistance to the Ministry of Immigration and Population on the 2014 census; and

the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business works alongside the Ministry of Planning to conduct Environmental and Social Safeguard Assessments.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which companies have so far received support from the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business. [179483]

Mr Duncan: The Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business has engaged with over 40 Burmese, and over 50 foreign, companies in group settings, and directly, since July 2013. These include companies in the sectors where the Centre is or will be conducting sector-wide responsible business assessments including: oil and gas, tourism, information and communication technology (ICT), and agriculture.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department provides for the rehabilitation of released political prisoners in Burma. [179484]

Mr Duncan: DFID has not provided funding for rehabilitation services for former political prisoners in Burma. The UK, however, continues to provide assistance through the British Council to help former political

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prisoners to develop the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence, including language skills, to take an active and effective role in the political process, perform more effectively within their organisations and communities, and engage with the diplomatic and international business community.

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to prioritise the prevention of severe acute malnutrition in high-burden countries where her Department has a bilateral presence. [179514]

Lynne Featherstone: On 8 June, DFID announced that it will increase its spend on direct nutrition programmes to £375 million from 2013 to 2020. This means a significant scale up of nutrition direct programmes which will include interventions for the prevention of malnutrition.

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on the (a) prevention and (b) treatment of severe acute malnutrition in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013. [179516]

Lynne Featherstone: The Department's nutrition-specific spend is tracked using the OECD Development Assistance Committee input sector code Basic Nutrition 12240. Nutrition spend was £34.9 million in 2012 and £42.4 million in 2013. The data are not disaggregated between prevention and treatment.

Nutrition spend is in addition to UK aid provided for emergency food relief of £106.5 million in 2011-12 and £145.7 million in 2012-13 which covers general food relief and includes short-term relief for targeted populations. This will include some elements of treatment of severe acute malnutrition, but it is not possible to break this down.

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps her Department has taken to prevent severe acute malnutrition. [179520]

Lynne Featherstone: The Department has developed nutrition programmes to bridge the gap between short-term emergency aid and longer term nutrition programmes to prevent severe acute malnutrition. Recent examples include a new programme in Ethiopia, which will provide £36.3 million over four years to address undernutrition by delivering nutrition interventions to 3.5 million children under the age of five with increased coverage and uptake of high impact nutrition and child care interventions to prevent and treat undernutrition. A second example is a new programme in Yemen, which will provide £35 million over three years to reaching 1.65 million women and children with an integrated package of undernutrition interventions.

International Planned Parenthood Federation

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department plans to allocate to the International Planned Parenthood Federation for (a) abortion, (b) family planning and (c) other

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reproductive health services in the next 12 months; what assessment she has made of the value for money gained from previous such expenditure since June 2010; and if she will make a statement. [179574]

Lynne Featherstone: International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) will receive up to £8.6 million through a Programme Partnership Arrangement (PPA) for the period 2013-14, to deliver high priority, safe family planning and reproductive health services for vulnerable women and girls.

All Programme Partnership Arrangements are expected to demonstrate value for money.

Marie Stopes International

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding her Department plans to give to Marie Stopes International for (a) abortion, (b) family planning and (c) other reproductive health services in the next 12 months; what assessment she has made of the value for money of such expenditure since June 2011; and if she will make a statement. [179547]

Lynne Featherstone: Marie Stopes International (MSI) will receive up to £4.35 million through a Programme Partnership Arrangement (PPA) for the period 2013-14, to provide quality family planning and reproductive health care to the world's poorest and most vulnerable women.

All Programme Partnership Arrangements are expected to demonstrate value for money.

Palestinians

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how much of her Department's budget for the Occupied Palestinian Territories is allocated for non-governmental, non-UN and non-Palestinian Authority programmes in East Jerusalem; [179535]

(2) whether development programmes for Palestinians in East Jerusalem are eligible for funding by her Department; [179537]

(3) what proportion of her Department's budget for the Occupied Palestinian Territories is allocated for employment and training programmes in East Jerusalem; [179538]

(4) how much of her Department's budget for the Occupied Palestinian Territories is allocated for poverty-reduction programmes in East Jerusalem. [179540]

Mr Duncan: DFID funds programmes on poverty-reduction, employment and training throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which includes East Jerusalem. Palestinians in East Jerusalem may benefit from these programmes, but we do not make a specific allocation for East Jerusalem.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when her Department last reviewed and assessed the impact of its spending in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. [179536]

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Mr Duncan: DFID reviewed its spending in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in 2010 as part of the Bilateral Aid Review process. In the time since, DFID has continued to undertake rigorous assessments of the performance of all its projects in the OPTs, including through annual performance reviews and regular monitoring throughout the year.

Communities and Local Government

Housing: Sexuality

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities to cover the qualification for priority need assistance to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered people over the age of 18 and with no dependants who have been forced to leave their home because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. [177984]

Stephen Williams: The Homelessness Act 2002 requires local housing authorities to formulate and publish homelessness strategies that set out how they will tackle and prevent homelessness in their district and consult with local groups in doing so.

The Housing Act 1996 provides that a person has a priority need for accommodation if he or she is vulnerable for any "other special reason". The legislation envisages that vulnerability can arise because of factors that are not expressly provided for in statute. This will include any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered people who are vulnerable as a result of losing their home.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to secure the full implementation of the Code for Sustainable Homes. [179688]

Stephen Williams: The recent Housing Standards Review consulted on proposals to rationalise the current plethora of housing standards delivered through the planning system, which includes the Code for Sustainable Homes. The Government are considering the responses to the consultation and will be making a statement about the way forward about future housing standards soon.

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy not to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Planning and Energy Act 2008 until the Code for Sustainable Homes is fully implemented. [179689]

Stephen Williams: The recent Housing Standards Review consulted on whether the Planning and Energy Act 2008 needs to be amended or reviewed in the light of the Government's proposals to rationalise housing standards relating to the energy performance of new homes. The Government are currently considering the responses to the consultation and will be making a statement about the way forward about future housing standards soon.

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Deputy Prime Minister

Young People: Employment Schemes

Mr Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much Youth Contract funding will be made available to those districts in Essex in which the number of 18 to 24-year-olds in work is less than (a) 25 and (b) 40 per cent. [177788]

Esther McVey: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

Most elements of the Youth Contract delivered by DWP are available across Great Britain. This includes wage incentives via Jobcentres and Work programme providers; additional adviser support in Jobcentres; and work experience places. Sector-based work academies are available in England and Scotland. In Harwich and North Essex for the period April 2011 until May 2013

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there have been 210 work experience starts, and 40 sector-based work academy pre-employment training starts.

In the last year (July 2012 to June 2013) the employment rate of 18 to 24-year-olds in Essex is 60.9% compared to the current (July to September 2013) UK average of 57.6%.

On 14 November 2013 the Government announced investment of up to £50 million from Youth Contract underspend to England's major cities, with the aim of helping more than 25,000 young people into sustained employment. This includes all the eight major cities in England outside of London which comprised the Wave 1 City Deal process. Funding has also been agreed to support youth employment schemes in three Wave 2 cities as part of their City Deals—Ipswich, Reading and Southampton and Portsmouth.

Whilst Essex county council is not part of the City Deal process, Southend-on-Sea is currently negotiating as part of Wave 2 and has not indicated that tackling youth unemployment is a local priority.