Cabinet Office
Life Expectancy
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the life expectancy for (a) men and (b) women is in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK. [179047]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Caron Walker, dated December 2013:
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Secretary of State for Health what the life expectancy for (a) men and (b) women is in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK. [179047].
Life expectancy figures for parliamentary constituencies are not readily available. However, figures are available for local authority districts, unitary authorities, counties and regions within the UK.
Life expectancy figures are calculated as three year rolling averages. The following table provides the period life expectancy at birth for males and females in Glasgow city, Scotland and the UK for the period 2008-2010 (the latest figures available for these areas). Life expectancy figures for the periods 2009-2011 and
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2010-2012 are not available for Glasgow city, Scotland and the UK because population estimates for these years for Scotland and council areas within it have not been revised in light of the 2011 Census.
Period life expectancies at birth for males and females for all local authority districts, unitary authorities, counties and regions in the UK, for rolling three-year periods from 1991-1993 onwards are published on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health4/life-expec-at-birth-age-65/index.html
| Life expectancy at birth for males and females in Glasgow city, Scotland and the UK, 2008-101, 2 | |||
| Years of life | |||
| Period | Area | Males | Females |
| 1 Period life expectancy at birth is an estimate of the average number of years a newborn baby would survive if he or she experienced the area's age-specific mortality rates for that time period throughout his or her life. The figure reflects mortality among those living in the area in each time period, rather than mortality among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a baby born in the area in each time period could actually expect to live, both because the death rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those born in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives. 2 Three year rolling averages, based on deaths registered in each year and mid-year population estimates. Source: Office for National Statistics | |||
Part-time Employment: East Midlands
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of women who work part time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands; [179896]
(2) what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of young people who work part time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands; [179897]
(3) what estimate he has made of the proportion of women who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands; [179898]
(4) what estimate the he has made of the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands; [179899]
(5) what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of people who work part time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands. [179902]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Caron Walker, dated December 2013:
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of women who work part-time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands (179896); what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the proportion of young people who work part-time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands (179897); what estimate the Office for National
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Statistics has made of the proportion of people who work part-time in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands (179902); for the proportion of women who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands (179898); and for the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency in the East Midlands (179899).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
Table 1 shows the percentage of women aged 16 to 64 who were in part-time employment; the percentage of 16 to 24 year old people who were in part-time employment; and the percentage of 16 to 64 year old people who were in part-time employment according to survey responses from the APS for the 12 month period July 2012 to June 2013, the latest available period for the requested geographies.
Unfortunately, due to small sample sizes, estimates of the proportion of women or young people who had been unemployed for more than 12 months are not available for parliamentary constituencies. As an alternative, table 2 shows the percentage of women and 18 to 24 year olds who had been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance for more than 12 months for October 2013, the latest available period, for the requested geographies.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Sovereignty: Scotland
Sheryll Murray: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the potential effect of Scottish independence on (a) the public sector and (b) departmental offices based in Scotland which deal with clients in the whole of the UK. [179655]
Greg Clark: The UK Government strongly believe that Scotland is better off in the UK and the UK is better off with Scotland in it, and we are committed to making a strong and positive case for the Union. We are doing this through the Scotland Analysis programme—a comprehensive programme of work to inform and support the debate on Scotland's future within the UK. The programme is producing detailed evidence and analysis to assess Scotland's place in the UK, how it contributes to and benefits from being part of the United Kingdom. The work is informed by expert and legal opinion and open to scrutiny when it is published.
Travellers
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of Roma currently residing in the UK. [179018]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Caron Walker, dated December 2013:
On behalf of Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question what estimate has been made of the number of Roma currently residing in the UK. (179018)
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ONS is responsible for the census in England and Wales. The census is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where it is the responsibility of the Registrars General for Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively. However, ONS has a responsibility to collate statistics for the UK where possible.
There was not a separate category for 'Roma' in the ethnic group questions in any of the UK censuses. However, anyone who wished to record their ethnicity as 'Roma' could do so by using the write-in options. The number of people who described themselves as ‘Roma’ is not included in any census standard outputs. In order to supply you with the information requested, the three census offices have produced a table (CT0112) which shows the number of people in the UK who described themselves as Roma is 785.
Although you have asked for information on Roma, you may be interested in statistics of Gypsy/Traveller/Irish Traveller. Information has been extracted from published 2011 Census Key Statistics tables KS201EW, KS201SC and KS201NI. The ethnic group question categories were not labelled the same in each of the UK censuses but they do provide comparable statistics. The question category labels and the relevant statistics are shown as follows.
England and Wales: ‘Gypsy or Irish Traveller’—57,680
Scotland: ‘Gypsy/Traveller’—4,212
Northern Ireland: ‘Irish Traveller’—1,301
Table KS201EW is available from
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks201ew
Table KS201SC is available from
http://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/documents/censusresults/release2a/scotland/KS201SC.xls
Table KS201NI is available from
http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/public/pivotgrid.aspx?dataSetVars=ds-2484-lh-44-yn-2011-sk-136-sn-Census%202011-yearfilter--
Unemployment: Older Workers
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of jobseekers over the age of (a) 50 and (b) 60 in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available. [179048]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions the number of jobseekers over the age of (a) 50 and (b) 60 in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available (179048).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles data on the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentreplus Administrative System.
Table 1 shows the number of people who were claiming JSA in October 2013, the latest available period, for people aged 50 to 59; 60 and over; 50 and over—the total of these two categories, for the requested geographies.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1: Number1 of people claiming jobseeker's allowance by age band | |||
| Age 50 to 59 | Age 60 and over | Age 50 and over2 | |
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| 1 Data rounded to nearest 5. 2 Totals may not round to the sum of the independently rounded components. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System. | |||
Unemployment: Young People
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in Portsmouth South constituency. [179931]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Caron Walker, dated December 2013:
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office for the proportion of young people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months in Portsmouth South constituency (179931).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment estimates for small areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation definitions. Unfortunately, due to small sample sizes, the requested estimates are not available from this source.
As an alternative we have provided the percentage of 18 to 24 year olds who had been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for over 12 months from the Jobcentreplus Administrative system. For October 2013, 0.4% of 18 to 24 year olds had been claiming JSA for over 12 months in Portsmouth South constituency.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Treasury
Children: Day Care
Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies received tax relief for workplace nurseries in the last period for which figures are available; and what the average amount of such relief was. [179865]
Mr Gauke: The information requested is not available.
Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation
Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the consequences for due diligence and the requirements for sponsorship of the delisting of Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation from the London Stock Exchange. [178972]
Sajid Javid: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for the listing rules. In response to concerns raised about the governance of premium listed companies, the FCA is strengthening these rules following a consultation to safeguard minority shareholders from abuse by controlling shareholders. The FCA is currently consulting on further enhancements to these rules.
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Financial Services Compensation Scheme: Scotland
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions Ministers in the Scottish Government have initiated with his Department on whether the Bank of England will continue to have responsibility for the deposit protection guarantee in respect of monies deposited in financial institutions based in Scotland by individuals and businesses after 2016. [179284]
Danny Alexander: The Treasury has had no discussions with Ministers in the Scottish Government on the possible role of the Bank of England in respect of financial institutions based in Scotland after 2016.
If Scotland were to become independent, the FSCS would no longer cover financial firms based in Scotland. Under EU law an independent Scotland would be required to have its own separate deposit guarantee scheme covering firms that are authorised to accept deposits in Scotland.
Lloyds Banking Group and Co-operative Bank
Mr McFadden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings took place between Ministers in his Department and representatives of (a) the Co-operative Bank and (b) Lloyds Bank on Project Verde; what the date was of each such meeting; and which Minister attended each such meeting. [178753]
Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. HM Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at:
www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
Tax Evasion
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed by HM Revenue and Customs to locate and capture the 30 most wanted tax fugitives. [179032]
Mr Gauke: The HMRC Fugitive Unit team consists of one higher officer and two officers managed by one senior investigation officer.
The Fugitive Unit liaises with the allocated HMRC officer (who has responsibility for the original investigation), sharing information to enable a fugitive to be located.
When an extradition is arranged the team are able to call on a cadre of HMRC officers specifically trained to handle extraditions from overseas.
The team focuses not only on the fugitives publicised in the Most Wanted campaign but also on all current HMRC fugitives. There are 124 HMRC fugitives.
The Fugitive Unit’s role is to review, trace and locate, and where possible extradite, all current HMRC fugitives (including those featured in the Most Wanted campaign) and bring them before the UK court specified in the First Instance or Failure to Appear Warrant. HMRC staff (including the Fugitive Unit) use all available systems and resources to carry out this work. This
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includes working closely with HMRC’s fiscal liaison officers based overseas, Crown Prosecution Service, National Crime Agency, Interpol and other international partners.
Culture, Media and Sport
China: Prime Minister's Visit
13. Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the benefits to cultural sectors following the Prime Minister's recent visit to China. [901616]
Maria Miller: I was delighted that my hon. Friend was able to join the Prime Minister's business delegation in China last week. During the visit I signed an Agreement with the Chinese Culture Minister which will enable cultural exchanges to flourish between the UK and China over the next five years. These exchanges will reinforce the UK's reputation as a world leader in the arts and creative industries, and will benefit the cultural sector through creating new opportunities for artists, skilled jobs in our creative economy and a boost for tourism from China.
Tourism: Sporting Events
15. Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to maximise the benefits to tourism of major sporting events. [901618]
Mrs Grant: Our experience from the Olympics has shown our ability to drive tourism through major events. We have bucked the trend of host cities that have seen a decline in tourism post-hosting the Games.
Tourism: Lincolnshire
17. Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to support tourism in Lincolnshire. [901620]
Maria Miller: Lincolnshire benefits from VisitEngland's tourism campaigns to promote the tourism offer across the UK.
Broadband: Northumberland
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress her Department has made in rolling out broadband across Northumberland; and what progress her Department has made in working with DEFRA and community groups to provide broadband to hard-to-reach areas of Northumberland. [179850]
Mr Vaizey: Ofcom has reported that first generation broadband has been available from virtually every telephone exchange in the UK for a number of years. It also reports that superfast broadband coverage in Northumberland is 49.6%. The current Northumberland broadband project, which is due to commence build in early 2014, aims to increase this to 90% by 2015 using the £7 million BDUK allocated funding.
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Channel 4
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has for the future ownership of Channel 4. [179026]
Mr Vaizey: There are no current plans to review the status of Channel 4. Channel 4 remains an important and distinctive part of the Public Service Broadcasting framework overall.
Digital Broadcasting: Radio
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how her Department intends to meet the costs of a proposed digital switchover; and what economic impact assessment has been carried out on such costs. [178827]
Mr Vaizey: DCMS's assessment of the costs and benefits of a digital radio switchover will be set out in a cost-benefit analysis (CBA). We intend to provide an update on our plans for digital radio shortly.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which UK local radio stations are guaranteed a platform on DAB after the digital radio switchover. [178829]
Mr Vaizey: DCMS consulted on the criteria the Government would apply when determining which local radio stations would be guaranteed a platform on DAB after a switchover. The consultation proposed that radio stations that can be accessed by a large number of households in a defined area—that is, stations which cover at least 40% of an overlapping local multiplex area1 —would switch to digital. Radio stations which cater for a very local market will be able to choose to stay on FM. In July's “Connectivity, Content and Consumers: Britain's digital platform for growth” paper we said that we would take further views before confirming the 40% threshold.
1 The 40% threshold refers to the extent of overlapping population, rather than geographical coverage.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that local commercial radio stations can use DAB after the digital radio switchover. [178830]
Mr Vaizey: DCMS officials are working with Ofcom to consider the potential options for smaller local stations to migrate to digital in the lead up to and after a future switchover. We are very encouraged by the recent research Ofcom has carried out on software enabling low-cost, low-power DAB transmissions, which has been successfully trialled in Brighton.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy that digital radio switchover proceeds only if DAB coverage is equal to current AM and FM coverage for all BBC and commercial radio stations. [178857]
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Mr Vaizey: There are a number of decisions to be made about digital radio switchover but the Government have been clear about the criteria that must be met and that the consumer must be at the heart of any decisions made.
Direct Selling
Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many companies the Information Commissioner's Office has fined for breaking the law in relation to nuisance calls in each of the last five years. [178548]
Mr Vaizey: The power to issue Civil Monetary Penalties (fines) was made available to the Information Commissioner, as a result of changes to the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR) 2003, on 26 May 2011 and the subsequent laying of statutory guidance before both Houses in 2012. As a result, no penalties were issued before 2012, and since then the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued monetary penalties as follows:
| Financial year | Number |
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many companies have been fined by Ofcom for breaking rules on nuisance telephone calls in the last five years. [178746]
Mr Vaizey: The Office of Communications (Ofcom) has issued monetary penalties to four companies in the last five years (2009 to 2013) for breaching Ofcom's statement of policy on persistent misuse, in respect of abandoned and silent nuisance calls. In total, Ofcom has issued 12 monetary penalties for abandoned and silent calls since the start of 2007. Ofcom has also undertaken informal enforcement action, the result of which is that companies about which Ofcom may have concerns, are brought into compliance more quickly without having to pursue formal action. In the first half of this year, Ofcom took such action against 11 companies, and as a result complaints linked to the telephone numbers used by seven of those organisations stopped and complaints in relation to the remainder fell significantly.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the performance of Ofcom in tackling the issue of nuisance telephone calls. [178747]
Mr Vaizey: The Office of Communications (Ofcom) can issue a monetary penalty of up to £2 million to a company for a breach of their persistent misuse rules. Ofcom has an on-going targeted enforcement programme and in the last two years Ofcom issued monetary penalties totalling £1.56 million. Ofcom is also working closely with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), to tackle the wider issue of nuisance calls, and published a joint action plan in July:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/silent-calls/joint-action-plan
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This identified the range of work that Ofcom and the ICO are undertaking, including improving call and text message tracing processes and improving guidance for consumers and business. The action plan also includes a joint review of the impact of the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) that will conclude in spring 2014 and we will review the findings to determine whether further action is necessary.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of nuisance telephone calls made in each of the last 10 years. [178748]
Mr Vaizey: It is not possible to provide an estimate of this kind as this information is not available. However, Ofcom research has found that 82% of UK adults with a landline reported receiving a nuisance call during the four-week research period at the start of 2013. Those who reported receiving a nuisance call reported receiving an average of about eight calls (8.4) over a four-week period, which equates to approximately 2 calls per week and 26% reported more than 10 nuisance calls over the four-week period. Ofcom will be repeating this diary-based research in 2014.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received on nuisance telephone calls. [178749]
Mr Vaizey: The Department has received representations from consumer group representatives, regulators, industry and interested Members of Parliament, requesting for action to be taken to deal with nuisance telephone calls. In response, I have been working closely with them to find effective solutions and the Department's further thinking will be set out in our action plan that will be published shortly.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps her Department has taken to curtail nuisance telephone calls. [178750]
Mr Vaizey: We outlined our plans in our strategy paper “Connectivity, Content and Consumers: Britain's digital platform for growth”, which was published on 30 July:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/connectivity-content-and-consumers-britains-digital-platform-for-growth
This includes enabling the Office of Communications (Ofcom) to share information more easily with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in relation to organisations that make unsolicited marketing nuisance calls, so more effective enforcement action can be taken. We are also considering the scope to lower the legal threshold that needs to be met before the ICO can issue a monetary penalty. Additionally, we are continuing to work with industry and regulators to ensure better enforcement to target those that break the rules and supporting efforts to enable calls to be traced where a caller conceals or withholds their number. The Department's further thinking on this issue will be set out in our action plan, which will be published shortly.
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Internet: Children
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with social media sites on protecting children online. [179010]
Mr Vaizey: DCMS Ministers and officials regularly discuss the issue of protecting children online with representatives from social media companies, including through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS).
It is the intention that Minsters will host a roundtable, early in the new year, with social media companies to examine whether more can be done to protect children using social media.
Newspaper Press: Regulation
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what (a) legislative and (b) administrative changes are required for the Public Appointments Commissioner to undertake the task of appointing a recognition panel for the purposes of newspaper regulation; and if she will make a statement. [178963]
Mr Vaizey: A new Public Appointments Order in Council 2013 was approved by the Privy Council in April 2013, setting out a process, and is publically available. The CPA of course acts independently of Government.
UK City of Culture: Kingston upon Hull
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the benefits to Hull of its designation as the 2017 UK City of Culture. [901622]
Mr Vaizey: The UK City of Culture designation will help to promote new investment in Hull's infrastructure, businesses and cultural attractions. It will result in significant media coverage for Hull and will help to boost tourism and visitor numbers.
Women and Equalities
Women Bishops
7. Mike Freer: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she has taken to support the Church of England's General Synod in its discussions on women bishops. [901600]
Maria Miller: Decisions about the Church of England's internal structure and organisation are, rightly, matters for the Church itself rather than for the Government. I would, however, like to put on record my strong personal support for the Synod in the progress that it has made this year towards enabling women to become bishops. The Synod hopes that the legislative process to enable their appointment will be completed by the end of 2014.
Pupils: Bullying
Henry Smith: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent steps she has taken to reduce homophobic bullying in schools. [901598]
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Jo Swinson: Homophobic bullying is completely unacceptable and must be addressed. I recently announced a new project on tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying. The current phase of this work is a review of evidence and existing practices to help us fully understand the issues. This will inform the next phase of work which will focus on the development of effective, evidence-based tools and best practice that will help schools and others to stamp out this harmful behaviour.
This new project builds on action the Government have already taken to tackle bullying in schools, including publishing updated advice and guidance for schools and governing bodies; giving schools greater legal powers to tackle bad behaviour and cyber-bullying; and reforming the inspection regime to clearly hold schools to account for how they deal with behaviour and bullying.
International Development
Belarus
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the European Commission on aid donations to Belarus. [179023]
Justine Greening: Under the previous Multi-annual Financial Framework (2007 to 2013) negotiated when the hon. Member was Minister for Europe, EU aid investments funded projects in Belarus, regardless of progress on reform. This Government have ensured that under the next MFF (2014 to 2020), where reforms on democracy and human rights have not taken place, funding to Governments can be reduced or withdrawn.
The UK provides indirect support to Belarus through the EU's European Neighbourhood Programme (ENP), the policy for which is determined and assessed by the FCO. The British embassy in Minsk works closely with the EU delegation and embassies of other EU member states present in Belarus. This includes discussions on aid.
Philippines
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what non-governmental organisations have been allocated official funds for the relief effort in the Philippines; and how much has been (a) allocated to them and (b) received by those organisations. [179021]
Justine Greening: The following non-governmental organisations have been provided with funds to meet urgent humanitarian needs after the devastating impact of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines:
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| Disbursed (£ million) | |
|
Christian Aid led consortium with World Vision, Habitat for Humanity and MapAction | |
|
Care led consortium with Action Against Hunger, Merlin and Save the Children | |
£5 million has been allocated in matched funding to the Disasters Emergency Committee. They will disburse these funds to their member agencies.
Following recent appeals £40,000 has been allocated to ACTED and £500,000 to Save the Children which will be transferred within the next week.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) France, (b) Italy, (c) Russia and (d) Brazil about those countries' donations to the UN Flash Appeal for aid to the Philippines. [179022]
Justine Greening: Along with officials, I have regular conversations with counterparts about the UN Appeals for the Philippines.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department has had with the European Commission on aid donations to the Philippines disaster relief effort. [179024]
Justine Greening: I recently discussed the Philippines disaster response with the European Commissioner for International Cooperation Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response.
Officials from my Department discussed the Philippines response with the European Commission (EC) at the most recent EC Committee on Humanitarian and Food Aid (COHAFA).
Education
Basic Skills
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of literacy and numeracy in (a) primary school leavers and (b) secondary school leavers in (i) Corby constituency, (ii) the East Midlands, (iii) the East of England and (iv) England in each of the last five years. [178869]
Mr Laws: The requested information has been provided in the following tables.
| Primary school leavers: Achievements at the expected level1 by pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 in Corby constituency2, East Midlands3, East of England3 and England4, Years: 2008-125, Coverage: England6 | ||||||
| Percentage of KS2 pupils achieving expected level in | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 20127 | |
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| 1 Includes pupils who achieved Level 4 or above. Level 4 is the expected level of achievement for pupils at the end of Key Stage 2. 2 Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. 3 Regional figures are based on the region of the local authority maintaining the school. 4 England figures are the sum of all local authority figures. 5 Data is final data for all years. 6 Includes state-funded schools including academies. Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. 7 In 2012, English was calculated from reading test results and writing teacher assessment rather than from reading and writing tests as in previous years. English in 2012 is, therefore, not comparable to previous years. 8 Figures have been suppressed as they are unrepresentative due to industrial action. In 2010, 4,005 maintained schools that were expected to participate in the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests did not. This represents approximately 26% of the 15,518 maintained schools who were expected to administer the tests. The Department’s Head of Profession for Statistics determined that a sufficient volume of results was available to give a representative estimate of achievement nationally, but advised that caution needed to be exercised in over-interpreting small changes between years and between groups. Some local figures (including Corby constituency) where results were not representative have subsequently been suppressed. Source: National Pupil Database. | ||||||
| Secondary school leavers: Percentages of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 achieving A*-C grades in English and mathematics GCSEs1 in Corby constituency2, East Midlands3, East of England3 and England4, Years: 2007/08 to 2011/125, Coverage: England6 | ||||||
| Percentage of KS4 pupils achieving an A*-C grade in | 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | |
| 1 Full GCSEs only have been included (full GCSEs, double awards, accredited international certificates and their predecessor iGCSEs and AS levels). Figures from 2007/08 to 2008/09 exclude iGCSEs. 2009/10 figures onwards include accredited iGCSEs. 2 Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. 3 Regional figures are based on the region of the local authority maintaining the school. 4 England figures are the sum of all local authority figures. 5 Data is final data for all years. 6 Includes state-funded schools including academies. Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. Source: National Pupil Database. | ||||||
Children: Day Care
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many people applied to the early years apprenticeship bursary scheme between 5 September and 22 November 2013; how many people have applied to that scheme since 23 November 2013; how many childcare settings the National College of Teaching and Leadership has identified which are willing to take on an apprentice; and what funding has been committed to that scheme. [179861]
Elizabeth Truss: The early years apprenticeship bursary scheme was officially launched on 9 September 2013. The scheme runs from September 2013 to August 2014, or until all available bursaries have been awarded. £2.3 million has been committed to the scheme. Application figures will be published at the end of the scheme.
Children: Obesity
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidelines have been issued to schools for tackling childhood obesity. [179044]
Elizabeth Truss: Through physical education, competitive school sport and encouraging healthy eating, this Government recognise that schools can help address the problem of childhood obesity. Public Health England (PHE) produces annual guidance to schools in England to support local delivery of the National Child Measurement Programme. A refreshed version of the guidance for the 2013/14 school year was published by PHE on 4 December and is available on the gov.uk website:
www.gov.uk
Children: Protection
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what estimate he has made of the number of multi-agency safeguarding hubs operating in England; [178725]
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(2) which local authorities have adopted multi-agency safeguarding hubs. [178724]
Mr Timpson: The Government do not collect data on the models used in local areas to share information about safeguarding. However, the Home Office is undertaking a project to improve national and local understanding of the different local multi-agency models in place, and as part of this they surveyed all local authorities. Responses were received from 63 of 152 local authority areas. Of these 64% of authorities said they had some kind of multi-agency model in operation. The Multi-Agency Working and Information Sharing Project—Early Findings report, published in July 2013, gives examples of areas that use Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs and other multi-agency models. The document can be accessed online1.
1Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225012/MASH_Product.pdf
Central Government do not prescribe which model local areas should use to share information, as this is a matter for local determination.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of public sector spending cuts on child protection services. [178726]
Mr Timpson: Local authority funding for safeguarding children and young people is included within core funding for children's social care which comes from the Department for Community and Local Government's Formula Grant and local taxation. Funding is not ring-fenced and it is for local authorities to decide how to apply their funding across the services they deliver.
A report from the Audit Commission1 published in November 2013 found that children's social care has been largely protected from spending reductions from 2010-11 to 2013-14. Council spending on children's social care on average increased by 1.2% in real terms since 2010-11.
1Note:
http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Tough-Times-2013-Councils-Responses-to-Financial-Challenges-w1.pdf
Work is currently under way, commissioned by HM Treasury, on a joint project between the Department for Education and Department for Communities and Local Government looking at spend on and outcomes for children's services. The project seeks to develop proposals to increase the efficiency of children's services.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) with reference to his Department's consultation on keeping children safe in education guidance, what role he envisages local authorities having in monitoring, supporting and challenging child safeguarding practice in schools; [179069]
(2) when he plans to publish his Department's response to its consultation on keeping children safe in education; and when he plans to bring forward proposals arising from that consultation. [179070]
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Mr Timpson: There is no change to the responsibilities of local authorities in this regard. They will continue to ensure that maintained schools are aware of their responsibilities for safeguarding children: monitoring their performance; making available appropriate training, model policies and procedures; providing advice and support; and facilitating links and cooperation with other agencies.
We recognise the importance of the guidance on keeping children safe in education and have been giving careful consideration to the detailed comments received through consultation on the draft. We expect to publish both the consultation report and revised guidance early in 2014.
Foster Care: Higher Education
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what support his Department offers to children in foster care seeking to take a university degree; [178720]
(2) how many and what proportion of children in foster care (a) begin and (b) finish a university degree or equivalent qualification. [178718]
Mr Timpson: Local authorities have a duty under the Children Act 1989 to promote the educational achievement of the children they look after wherever they are placed. There remains a significant gap in educational outcomes of looked after children and care leavers compared to their peers. A big priority for the Government is therefore to ensure that looked after children and care leavers receive the support they need. Looked after children have top priority in school admission arrangements so that they have the chance to go to schools that best meet their needs and encourage them to reach their full potential. From April 2014, the pupil premium for looked after children will include a pupil premium plus which means it will more than double from £900 to £1,900. In addition:
1. Looked after children and care leavers are eligible for a 16-19 bursary worth £1,200 each year if they continue in full-time education;
2. Care leavers receive a setting up home allowance on leaving care;
3. Care leavers pursuing a recognised course of higher education receive a £2,000 higher education bursary;
4. Looked after children and care leavers receive consistent personal support from a suitably qualified personal adviser up to age 21 or beyond if in education (this includes providing access to careers advice).
We have also made it easier for care leavers to return to education up to age 25, by requiring local authorities to support them with a personal adviser and a pathway plan while they are on their agreed course.
Information on the numbers and proportion of children in foster care who begin and finish a university degree or an equivalent qualification is not collected by the Department. Information is published on young people aged 19, who were looked after when aged 16, who are in higher education. This is published as part of the Statistical First Release, “Children looked after in England, including adoption”, which was published on 26 September (Table F1). Following is an extract from this table showing data for 2013. The full publication can be accessed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption
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Internet: Bullying
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department has issued to school teachers to assist them when dealing with cyber bullying. [179041]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has produced advice to help schools prevent and tackle all forms of bullying, including cyber bullying. The advice includes a definition of bullying, provides information about cyber bullying, and signposts schools to expert organisations that can give specific advice.
The Department is providing £4 million of funding over two years to four anti-bullying organisations: BeatBullying, The Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children's Bureau (NCB) consortium. These organisations are developing measures to prevent and deal with the impact of all forms of bullying, including cyber bullying, by working with schools, pupils and teachers. BeatBullying and the Diana Award train young people to support victims of bullying, and they provide information packs for school teachers to support the anti-bullying work of their pupils. Kidscape trains professionals to teach about bullying prevention to primary school pupils. The NCB are developing a resource pack and training for teachers to support them in tackling the bullying of young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
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In addition, the leadership curriculum, launched in September 2012 and developed by the National College for Teaching and Leadership, contains leadership development material on prevention strategies for bullying, which includes cyber bullying.
Pre-school Education
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many children took part in the early education pilot for disadvantaged two-year-old children before September 2013; and how many of the two-year-olds taking up the free early education offer from September 2013 (a) were new to the scheme and (b) took part in that pilot; [179863]
(2) what assessment he has made of the number of two-year-olds accessing (a) 15, (b) fewer than 10 and (c) fewer than five hours of free early education. [179866]
Elizabeth Truss: Local authorities have been under a statutory duty to secure a place for any eligible two-year-old since 1 September 2013. By October 2013, local authorities estimated that around 92,000 two-year-olds were already accessing a place. Formal data on the number of two-year-olds in funded places will be collected through the Early Years and Schools Censuses, which will take place in January 2014 and will be published in summer 2014. This will include information on the number of two-year-olds accessing free early education places, as well as information on the amount of hours of funded early education received.
The Government laid the regulations that would give effect to the new entitlement on 4 October 2012, nearly a year ahead of implementation, to maximise the time that local authorities had to plan. The regulations set out which children would be eligible for funded places when the new entitlement came into force, and many local authorities chose to adopt the national eligibility criteria early. However, prior to September 2013, places were delivered by local authorities on a discretionary basis, and could, therefore, be allocated in accordance with locally determined criteria. The Department for Education did not collect information on the children to whom local authorities provided places.
Under the pilots that were established in local authorities from 2006, around 20,000 children benefited nationally. Funding for two-year-old places increased in 2012-13 and again in 2013-14 to enable local authorities to begin to build towards the entitlement. By April 2013, local authorities estimated that the number of children in places had increased to just over 50,000.
Many of the children who benefited from places in the past year will now have turned three and will now be eligible for the universal entitlement for three-year-olds.
Priority School Building Programme
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much has been allocated to each English local authority for under three provisions for buildings funded by the Priority School Building Programme. [179063]
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Mr Laws: We have allocated £100 million to local authorities for the purpose of providing under three places, and Redcar and Cleveland local authority received £272,216. As is usual with capital allocations delegated to local authorities, this funding was not ring-fenced, in order to allow appropriate local determination of priorities. We have, therefore, not collected data about how local authorities have decided to spend their allocations.
The Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP) and funding for under three places are distinct programmes serving different objectives. However, there is no reason why a local authority cannot fund the under three element in a school being rebuilt using PSBP funds.
Schools: Finance
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how the national funding formula will reflect local authorities' decisions on funding of pupils for whom English is an additional language; and if he will make a statement. [179011]
Mr Laws: As the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed in June, we will shortly be consulting on proposals for how best to introduce a new national fair funding formula. The consultation document will include proposals for the funding of pupils for whom English is an additional language.
Shannon Matthews
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2013, Official Report, columns 449-50W, on Shannon Matthews, if he will publish the consent order of the High Court dated 19 June 2013 and the explanation of how his decision was arrived at. [179035]
Mr Timpson: The Consent Order of the High Court is a matter of public record and subject to the court's rules of access. My hon. Friend may apply to the High Court for a copy.
Teachers: Corby
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the provisional allocation of initial teacher training places for Corby constituency is. [178868]
Mr Laws:
Corby constituency contains two lead schools with allocations of 29 School Direct initial teacher training (ITT) places for 2014/15. The National College
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for Teaching and Leadership only hold information on lead schools, which represent wider partnerships of schools, therefore there will be other schools involved in ITT in Corby constituency.
There are no accredited ITT providers located in Corby constituency.
Young People: Abuse
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what support he is giving to the Home Department's This is Abuse campaign; [178801]
(2) if he will write to all secondary school headteachers directly to inform them of the Home Department's This is Abuse campaign; what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all secondary age children are aware of the campaign; and if he will make a statement. [178802]
Mr Timpson: The Department for Education fully supports the Home Office's ‘This is Abuse’ campaign and has promoted information about it by re-tweeting the campaign links to our 95,000 followers on Twitter and adding the link to our Facebook page (15,250 followers).
We have also added details about the campaign in the resources for teachers section on our dedicated Times Educational Supplement page1.
The Department's Sex and Relationships Education guidance advises schools to draw on the up-to-date advice produced by experts including the Personal, Social Health and Economic (PSHE) Association. We provide grant funding of £100,000 to the PSHE Association to help schools develop curricula, improve staff training, and promote the teaching of consent. The PSHE Association contributed to the development of the discussion guide supporting the campaign and circulated information on the campaign to its list of over 6,500 PSHE professionals.
We have also provided information on the campaign to headteacher and teacher unions. Along with ministerial colleagues from the Home Office and the Department for International Development and the Minister for Schools, I will be meeting these union representatives to discuss how best to get information and resources about safeguarding issues like this to the right people.
1 http://www.tes.co.uk/teaching-resource/This-is-Abuse-Discussion -Guide-6379575/