Exhaust Emissions: Diesel Vehicles
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on the (a) level of and (b) trend in emissions of particulates from diesel vehicles in (i) central and (ii) Greater London. [179073]
Dan Rogerson: Emissions of coarse particles (particulate matter up to 10 micrometers in size, or PM10) from diesel exhausts are estimated annually by the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) for a range of vehicle types, see
http://naei.defra.gov.uk
Emissions data for the most recent 10 years (2002 to 2011), for (i) central London and (ii) greater London for a range of diesel vehicles are reproduced as follows. They show a significant decline in diesel exhaust emissions over this period.
Emissions of PM10 from diesel exhausts (kilotonnes) | ||||||||||
2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
Ministers
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on ministerial salaries in the last year for which figures are available. [180098]
Dan Rogerson: The remuneration report on page 40 of DEFRA's Annual Report and Accounts provides details of Minister's salaries paid in the 2012-13 financial year.
The 2012-13 Annual Report and Accounts can be viewed here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224329/defra-year-end-accounts2012-13.pdf
Palm Oil
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made on implementing the Government's commitment to require sustainable palm oil provided under public procurement contracts for food and catering. [179787]
Dan Rogerson: The Government Buying Standard (GBS) for food and catering was amended in October 2012 to include a new requirement about sourcing sustainable palm oil. The Standard says:
“From the end of 2015 all palm oil (including palm kernel oil and products derived from palm oil) used for cooking and as an ingredient in food must be sustainably produced”.
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The accompanying guidance sets out the criteria for sustainable production of palm oil.
Sky Lanterns
Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps he has taken to reduce the risks to the environment posed by Chinese lanterns. [180149]
George Eustice: An independent study to identify and assess the impacts and risks associated with sky lantern (or Chinese lantern) use, published in May 2013, concluded that the contribution of sky lantern debris to overall environmental littering is small or highly localised and was insufficient to justify action to ban their sale or use.
Voluntary action and initiatives have been shown to be effective and we have been working with other Government Departments and representatives from the hospitality and retail sectors to draw attention to the risks that sky lanterns pose and look for ways to improve standards and safety.
Sustainable Development
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evaluation he has made of the effectiveness of the Environmental Audit Committee in overseeing the implementation of sustainable development policy since the abolition of the Sustainable Development Commission; and what discussions he has had with the Chair of that Committee on the resources available to it to undertake that task. [179009]
Dan Rogerson: It is not the responsibility of Government to evaluate the performance of a Select Committee of the House. Resourcing of Select Committees is a matter for Parliament.
Water Companies
Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the degree of over-leverage in water companies' finances; and what assessment he has made of the effect of such over-leverage for Government infrastructure guarantees. [178938]
Dan Rogerson: Regulated utilities, including in the water sector, are secure long term investments. While there is wide variation, leverage levels of 70-80% are not unusual. Ofwat proposes to increase the notional gearing level it uses in calculations for 2015 to 2020 to reflect this reality and to cut down the profits companies can make through higher leverage.
The UK guarantees scheme is in place to help infrastructure projects raise debt. The risks associated with each project are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
The only water project for which Government financial intervention is under consideration is for the Thames Tideway Tunnel. The draft reasons for specifying this infrastructure project under the Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013 are currently the subject matter of a consultation that finishes on 6 January 2014. They make clear that
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any Government contingent financial support for this project would be as a consequence of the risks attached to this project and not as a result of Thames Water's capital structure. The draft reasons also clarify why customers and taxpayers would receive better value for money if the project is delivered through an independent and separately regulated company.
Cabinet Office
10 Downing Street: Apprentices
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many apprentices are employed in 10 Downing Street; and how many of those apprentices are female. [179901]
Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
As at 11 December 2013, 30 apprentices were employed in the Cabinet Office, of whom 13 were female. This is up from 2009-10 where there were two apprentices.
Charities: Young People
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to encourage more young people to be involved with charity. [180057]
Mr Hurd: In 2013 we supported the set up of the independent organisation, Step Up To Serve, which aims to enable 50% of young people to be involved in charitable causes by 2020. In parallel, Government are running the £5 million Youth Social Action Fund.
We continue to support 16 to 17-year-olds to volunteer and contribute to their communities through National Citizen Service, Since it began, over 70,000 young people have taken part and have contributed over a million volunteering hours.
Government are also running a £6 million Youth Social Action Journey fund which will focus on the transition between programmes, to enable young people to move from one volunteering experience to the next.
Our recently published report, “Encouraging Social Action”, highlights the steps we are undertaking to encourage young people to give their time through National Citizen Service and Step Up To Serve.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to encourage charities to appoint more young trustees. [180058]
Mr Hurd: Under successive governments, young people have been under-represented on the boards of charities. The Charity Commission, in partnership with charity sector organisations, co-ordinates an annual Trustees' Week to celebrate and promote charity trusteeship. A particular focus of Trustees' Week has been to encourage more young people to take up charity trustee positions. The Charity Commission also produces best practice guidance for charities on trustee recruitment, and detailed guidance on how to involve young people in running a charity.
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Government Departments: Procurement
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government contracts and of what value have been awarded to companies or projects based in (a) Livingston constituency and (b) West Lothian local authority area since May 2007. [178944]
Mr Hurd: This information is not held centrally.
Since January 2011, as part of the Government's transparency programme, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder:
https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
Government Departments: Telephone Services
Richard Burden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he will publish his Department's review of the cross-government use of charges for customer telephone lines. [178722]
Mr Hurd: The cross-departmental group, convened by Cabinet Office, is considering the issue of customer telephone lines and will publish cross-departmental guidance on prefix number selection in due course.
Ministers
Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much was spent on ministerial salaries in the last year for which figures are available. [180092]
Mr Maude: Information about ministerial salaries is in the public domain in the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 (Amendment) Order 2011. This is available at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2011/9780111509258/schedule/1
Pay: Middlesbrough
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what change there has been in median gross weekly pay for (a) men and (b) women in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency since 2010. [180172]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated December 2013:
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there has been in median gross weekly pay for (a) men and (b) women in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency since 2010. (180172).
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.
A table follows showing estimates of median gross weekly earnings for male and female employees in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency from 2010 to 2013, the latest period for which results are available. These figures show that there was a 10.1 per cent decrease for men and a 1.5 per cent increase for women in median gross weekly earnings between April 2010 and April 2013.
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Median gross weekly earnings (£)for employees1 in Middlesborough South and East Cleveland constituency, 2010 to 2013 | ||
Male employees | Female employees | |
1 Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. ASHE is based on a 1% sample of jobs taken from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records. Consequently, individuals with more than one job may appear in the sample more than once. ASHE does not cover the self-employed. 2 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. 3 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: *** CV > 10% and <=20% x unreliable CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics |
Public Sector: Fraud
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of fraud to the public sector; and what steps have been taken since May 2010 to tackle such fraud; [180403]
(2) what savings the Government have achieved by reducing fraud against the public sector since May 2010; and what proportion of total fraud against the public sector do those savings represent; [180376]
(3) what steps the Government are taking to ensure that their Departments and agencies are able to share confirmed fraud data both with other bodies in the (a) public and (b) private sector. [180404]
Mr Maude: Before the last general election there was no effective cross-government work to tackle the enormous losses to the Exchequer from fraud and error, despite losses estimated at around £29.6 billion a year. That's why, in 2010, the Prime Minister established a Fraud Taskforce of Ministers and officials from central Government Departments, representatives from local authorities, the National Audit Office and experts from the private sector. The taskforce has since expanded to consider error, debt and grants. The cross-government strategy to reduce public sector fraud was published last year and is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/62522/HMG-Fraud-and-Error-Report-Feb-2011-v35.pdf
Details of fraud losses are published in the Annual Fraud Indicator available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206552/nfa-annual-fraud-indicator-2013.pdf
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Losses from fraud, error and uncollected debt still remain far too high. In this autumn statement HMRC and DWP committed to further savings of £2.3 billion.
This Government have invested significantly in HMRC and DWP to ensure that individuals and businesses of all sizes pay the tax they owe under the law, or claim the correct amount of benefit.
In 2012-13 we announced fraud and error savings of £6.5 billion. Audited figures for savings to date in 2013-14 are not yet available but will be announced in due course. The Government have announced that they hope to save £20 billion during the 2014-15 financial year from the work of the Efficiency and Reform Group as well as savings from fraud, error and debt.
It is not possible to say what proportion these figures represent against total fraud against the public sector. Figures are a mix of additional revenue, detected fraud and prevented losses, with savings accruing over more than one financial year.
The Counter Fraud Checking Service (CFCS) project, is developing a data matching service which, for the first time, will join up known fraud data across the public and private sector. Piloting began in 2013 and if the pilots are successful Government will review the most appropriate way to develop and implement such a joint service.
Public Sector: Mutual Societies
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the support of a majority of employees is required for the spinning out of an organisation as an employee-owned or employee-led public service mutual. [180156]
Mr Maude: It is up to individual organisations to decide how the mutual should spin out and operate.
Retail Trade: Brigg and Goole
Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in Brigg and Goole constituency are employed in the retail sector. [179996]
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 Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in Brigg and Goole constituency are employed in the retail sector. [179996]
Annual employment statistics are available from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). The latest estimate for the number employed in the retail sector in Brigg and Goole constituency is 3,300 for 2012.
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
Senior Civil Servants
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the current ethnic make-up is of all staff in the senior civil service; [178774]
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(2) what the gender make-up is of all staff in the senior civil service. [178788]
Mr Maude: As at October 2012 a breakdown of the SCS by declared ethnicity is shown in the following table:
Senior civil service by ethnicity, 1 October2012 | ||
Ethnicity | Number | Percentage where ethnicity declared |
Source: SCS database, Cabinet Office. |
The latest available work force statistics show that, as at October 2012, the gender make-up of all staff in the senior civil service comprises 37.4% female and 62.6% male.
There has been negligible change to declared ethnicity since 2010, and a slight increase to the proportion of women from 35.2% to 37.4%.
Third Sector
John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent assessment he has made of the Big Society initiative; and whether he had discussions with Civil Exchange on its audit of the Big Society initiative. [179046]
Mr Hurd: I welcome Civil Exchange's recognition of our successes around empowering communities and increasing volunteering. Much of the other work on public services the report calls for is already under way with an ambitious programme to open up opportunities to new providers. My officials have already discussed the report with Civil Exchange.
Unemployment: Southwark
Ms Harman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many unemployed households with children there were in the London Borough of Southwark in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013; [180072]
(2) how many in-work households with children there were in the London Borough of Southwark in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013. [180073]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated December 2013:
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unemployed households with children there were in the London Borough of Southwark in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013. (180072) and how many in-work households with children there were in the London Borough of Southwark in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013. (180073)
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It is not possible to provide estimates for unemployed households with children in Southwark due to small sample sizes. However, it is possible to provide estimates for workless households which are households which contain unemployed and inactive individuals. Those who are inactive are not in work, and not looking for work, for reasons such as looking after their family.
Estimates have been provided for the years 2009 to 2012 for workless and in-work households and they are from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and are not seasonally adjusted. I have also provided information for mixed households, which contain adults both in work and not in work. Data for 2013 is not yet available.
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As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
All of this information is contained within our annual publication called “Workless households for regions across the UK.” The most recent publication was released on 4th September and provides data on the economic activity status of households across areas of the UK. This publication can be found at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_326396.pdf
Children1 living in households2 in Southwark by combined economic activity status of household members, April to June 2009 to 2012 | ||||||
Not seasonally adjusted | ||||||
Children by combined economic activity status of household members | ||||||
Working households3 | Mixed households4 | Workless households5 | ||||
Thousand | Percentage | Thousand | Percentage | Thousand | Percentage | |
1 Children refers to all children under 16. 2 Households including at least one person aged 16to 64. 3 A working household is a household that contains at least one person aged 16 to 64, where all individuals aged l6 and over are in employment. 4 A mixed household is a household that contains at least one person aged 16 to 64, where at least one person aged 16 and over is in employment and at least one other is either unemployed or inactive. 5 A workless household is a household that contains at least one person aged 16 to 64, where no one aged 16 or over is in employment. Source: Annual Population Survey household datasets. |
Universal Credit: Internet
Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the cost to his Department's budget has been of its work on the enhanced online service for universal credit to date; from which budget heading it has been met; and how much further spending he plans on this project from his Department's budget; [179816]
(2) for how long does he intend that staff in his Department will be engaged on developing the enhanced online digital service for universal credit; and if he will make a statement. [179985]
Mr Hurd: The Government Digital Service (GDS) was asked by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), to work with DWP colleagues to explore a digital strategic solution for universal credit. This work was completed on 3 October, on time and with minimal budget. The total cost of this work was around £1,085,000.
As planned, GDS is now handing this work over to the director general for digital transformation at DWP to take the digital solution forward. GDS will support the DWP in developing digital skills and capability within the Department.
Voluntary Work: Young People
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the effect of the National Citizen Service on Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement. [180157]
Mr Hurd: Over 67 young people took part in National Citizen Service (NCS) in Peterborough in 2013 alone, from over 40,000 individuals who undertook NCS in England and Northern Ireland. The Peterborough cohort gave nearly 13,000 hours, out of total of over 1 million hours of social action. More places will be available in spring, summer and autumn next year.
NCS is having a profound impact not just on participants, but on wider society. Studies of participants have shown that:
92% thought NCS gave them chance to develop skills that would be useful in future
73% feel more confident about getting a job in future having taken part in NCS
95% say NCS gave them a chance to know people they wouldn't normally mix with
NCS offers real value for money; every £1 invested in the programme results in £2.80 in benefits returned to society
Our one year on follow-up survey of the young people who took part in 2011 indicates that many of these impacts are sustained.
Youth Work: Greater London
Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans his Department has to (a) support and (b) increase the number of youth workers in Greater London. [180261]
Mr Hurd: There is a statutory duty on local authorities to provide services to improve young people's well-being, so far as is reasonably practicable. Guidance was issued by Department for Education in June 2012 to remind them of these responsibilities.
Cabinet Office took responsibility for Youth Policy from the Department for Education in summer 2013 and one of the first pieces of work undertaken was to issue a national survey to all upper tier local authorities, including those in Greater London, to understand what services and activities youth workers within local authorities the private and voluntary sector currently deliver to young people.
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Cabinet Office will use this data to map youth service activity across the country and understand any gaps in provision.
Prime Minister
China
Bob Blackman: To ask the Prime Minister whether the UK's national action plan on business and human rights was referred to by officials and businesses during his recent visit to China. [179764]
Tim Loughton: To ask the Prime Minister whether Government officials and businesses who accompanied him on his recent visit to China used and referred to the UK's national action plan on business and human rights in their work on that visit. [180004]
The Prime Minister: During my visit, I emphasised the UK's belief that the rule of law and political openness underpins long-term economic success. UK Government Ministers will continue to discuss these important issues with their Chinese counterparts.
Bob Blackman: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with President Xi Jinping of China on the issue of Tibet; and if he will make a statement. [179765]
The Prime Minister: During my visit I re-affirmed our policy on Tibet as unchanged, and made clear that we understood the sensitivities for China.
Bob Blackman: To ask the Prime Minister whether following his recent visit to China any trade deals were signed involving companies doing business in Tibetan areas of China. [179766]
Tim Loughton: To ask the Prime Minister what business deals involving conducting business in Tibetan areas were signed during his recent visit to China. [180001]
The Prime Minister: Over £6 billion of deals were made by the business delegation that accompanied me. A number of these involved small and medium-sized enterprises. Full information about the trade and investment deals announced is available on the Number 10 website.
Bob Blackman: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with President Xi Jinping of China on political prisoners in that country; and if he will make a statement. [179767]
The Prime Minister: I raised concerns about human rights during my visit, and agreed with Premier Li that we would hold the next round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in early 2014. This dialogue is the right place for detailed expert discussion of these issues.
I also met human rights organisations in China working on issues including disability, sexuality, and equal rights.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Prime Minister whether he raised specific political prisoners' cases with the Chinese government in his recent visit to that country. [180002]
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The Prime Minister: I raised concerns about human rights during my visit, and agreed with Premier Li that we would hold the next round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in early 2014. As is normal in our on-going engagement with China about human rights, specific concerns were raised. The next round of UK-China Human Rights Dialogue will provide an opportunity to explore specific concerns in more detail.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Prime Minister which charitable organisations and non-governmental organisations campaigning on human rights issues he met during his recent visit to China. [180003]
The Prime Minister: During my visit I met human rights organisations working on issues including disability, sexuality, and equal rights. Other Ministers in the delegation separately met civil society groups.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Prime Minister for what reasons Gordon Johncox, Managing Director of Aston Manor Brewery, was invited to join his recent delegation to China; and what role he played during the visit. [180045]
The Prime Minister: All decisions on the composition of the business delegation were based on recommendations made by UK Trade and Investment. UKTI took a range of factors into account, including location, company size, sector and relevance to the Chinese market.
Members: Codes of Practice
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether he plans to refer the alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code by the right hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers) contained within the hon. Member for St Albans' (Mrs Main) letter of 10 September 2013 to the Independent Adviser on the Ministerial Code; [179815]
(2) whether the Cabinet Secretary is conducting an investigation into the hon. Member for St Albans' letter of 10 September 2013 alleging breaches of the Ministerial Code by the right hon. Member for Chipping Barnet; [179817]
(3) when the Cabinet Secretary will reply to the hon. Member for St Albans' letter of 10 September 2013 alleging breaches of the Ministerial Code by the right hon. Member for Chipping Barnet. [179819]
The Prime Minister: The Cabinet Secretary will respond to my hon. Friend the Member for St Albans (Mrs Main) shortly.
Education
Academies
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what proportion of primary schools in (a) Corby constituency and (b) the east of England have converted to academy status in the last 12 months; [178877]
(2) what proportion of secondary schools in (a) Corby constituency, (b) the east midlands and (c) the east of England have converted to academy status in the last 12 months. [178876]
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Mr Timpson: The information requested is provided in the following tables:
Area | Number of primary schools converted to academy status in previous 12 months | Percentage of all state funded primary schools converted to academy status in previous 12 months | Total number of primary academies | Percentage of state funded primary schools open as academies |
Area | Number of secondary schools converted to academy status in previous 12 months | Percentage of all state funded secondary schools converted to academy status in previous 12 months | Total number of secondary academies | Percentage of state funded secondary schools open as academies |
Academies: Cannock Chase
Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the (a) take-up of places in and (b) performance of academies in Cannock Chase constituency. [178958]
Mr Timpson: Analysis of figures for 2012/13 show that of the places planned by the four academies in the Cannock Chase constituency (Cannock Chase, Fair Oak, Hagley Park, Staffordshire University Academy) an average of 98% have been taken up. The academies in question are planning for, and meeting, local demand.
The Department monitors the performance of all open academies, with a particular focus on those that are below the floor standard, have an inadequate Ofsted judgment, or are determined to be at risk of falling below the floor standard. There are four academies in Cannock Chase constituency that have one year of performance data that are in the public domain—Cannock Chase High School, Fair Oak Academy, Hagley Park Academy, and Staffordshire University Academy. None of these academies are currently below the national floor standard for secondary schools. The academies in question are not underperforming educationally.
Alternative Education: Armed Forces
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what activities military ethos programmes in alternative provision consist of; and whether pupils can choose not to participate. [180305]
Mr Laws: Military Ethos in Alternative Provision programmes consist of the following:
1. one-to-one mentoring to help address potential behaviour issues and keep pupils committed to their education;
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2. military-style obstacle courses to engage and motivate hard-to-reach pupils and help them understand how to transfer the elements which helped them succeed into the classroom;
3. a mix of indoor and outdoor team-building exercises with an educational focus to encourage discipline, leadership, teamwork and good behaviour; working with schools and other agencies to re-integrate pupils who are not in education, employment or training and prepare them for post-16 course or job, and;
4. helping primary school children in their transition to secondary school through building their self-confidence.
It is for schools to decide whether and how to engage with providers and it is up to pupils to decide whether or not they wish to participate.
Buildings
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of his Department's maintenance budget was unspent in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [178912]
Mr Laws: The Department's capital maintenance budget is either devolved to local authorities and schools for local prioritisation or allocated through a bidding process to specific projects put forward by academies and sixth form colleges.
In 2010-11, there was no underspend against the capital maintenance budget of £1 billion. In 2011-12, against the capital maintenance budget of £1.4 billion there was an underspend of £211,645. For 2012-13, against the capital maintenance budget of £1.4 billion there was an underspend of £356,413. These underspends were the result of slippage in the delivery of a small number of sixth form college maintenance projects.
Children: Social Services
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much children's social work departments spent on agency workers in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [180360]
Mr Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold this information. We are collecting data on the children's social work workforce, including the percentage of agency staff employed by local authorities, and will make that available from March 2014.
Children: Sports
Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children under 16 years of age are part of a sport or exercise club in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK. [179934]
Mr Timpson: The Government do not hold the data requested at constituency, county or national level. However, the Taking Part survey collects data on children taking part in competitive sport and, within that, club membership.
In the last survey data published in August 2013, 78.6% of pupils in England had played competitive sport in school in the last 12 months. Of those aged 11 to 15, 31% had been a member of a club that plays sport in school. Outside school hours, 37.1% of children had played competitive sport in the last 12 months. Of that figure, 26.5% of five to 15-year-olds had been a member of a club that plays sport.
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Disability: Children
Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements local authorities and their partner commissioning bodies in England are making to ensure adequate education, health and social care provision for disabled children who are not eligible for education, health and care plans once the Children and Families Bill becomes law. [178709]
Mr Timpson: The Children and Families Bill makes provision for local authorities and their partner clinical commissioning groups to make joint commissioning arrangements for the education, health and social care provision to be secured for children and young people with special educational needs, whether or not they have education, health and care plans.
On 11 December, the Government tabled amendments to the Children and Families Bill, currently being considered by the House of Lords, to extend the joint commissioning provisions and other key elements of the Bill to include disabled children and young people without special educational needs. This will help to ensure improvements in the planning, commissioning and reviewing of provision for all children and young people who are disabled or have special educational needs when, subject to Parliament, the Bill becomes law.
Education: Assessments
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if his Department will make an assessment of how the position of England in the recent PISA results tables, published on 3 December 2013 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, would have differed if the rest of England performed at the same level as the Trafford local education authority area. [180221]
Mr Laws: We do not have Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results at local authority level as sample sizes are too small, therefore such an assessment is not possible.
Free Schools
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the records of monitoring visits to all Free Schools opened since May 2010. [180283]
Mr Timpson: Free schools are inspected, like all new schools, by the end of their second year of opening, although the inspection can be brought forward if necessary. These reports are published in the usual way, on Ofsted's website. We have no plans to publish records of monitoring visits by Education Advisers.
Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department provides to advertise marriage and relationship support courses; and if he will make a statement. [180192]
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Mr Timpson: The Government have committed £30 million to funding relationship support services between 2011 and 2015. A number of expert providers in the voluntary and community sector have contracts and grants to deliver a range of services, including preventative support targeted at couples at risk of family breakdown; counselling for couples who may be experiencing difficulties; and activities to encourage the take up of relationship support. This includes a £2.7 million contract to deliver campaigns aimed at employers, new parents and young people to raise awareness and normalise the seeking of help.
In the financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15, the Department for Education has allocated a total of £37,000 specifically on communication and marketing costs under the current contracts and grants for relationship support services.
In awarding contracts and grants, the Department asked providers to consider no cost and low cost approaches to communication in their proposals with an emphasis on utilising all existing communications channels.
Politics: Education
Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children are studying politics at AS and A Level in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK. [179997]
Elizabeth Truss: The requested information for the number of pupils studying Government and Politics at A level has been provided in the table. AS level figures can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Department for Education produces statistics on England only. The responsibility for education statistics in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales lies with each devolved Administration.
GCE A level results1 of students aged 16 to 182, year: 2012/13 (provisional), coverage: England, Lancashire local authority and Ribble Valley parliamentary constituency | |
Number of students entered for Government and Politics | |
1 Includes A levels only. 2 Age in years at the start of the academic year, i.e. 31 August. 3 Excludes independent schools. . 4 England figure includes all schools and FE colleges. Note: Where qualifications taken by a student are in the same subject area and similar in content ‘discounting' rules have been applied to avoid double counting qualifications. Source: 2012/13 key stage 5 attainment data (provisional) |
Pupil Exclusions
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils have been permanently excluded from schools in (a) Corby constituency, (b) the East of England, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years. [178867]
Elizabeth Truss: Information on permanent exclusions in Corby constituency, east midlands, east of England and England is shown in the following tables:
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State-funded primary, state-funded secondary schools and special schools1,2,3,4: Number of permanent exclusions5 2007-08 to 2011-12, England, east of England, east midlands and Corby constituency | ||||||||
2007-08 | ||||||||
State-funded primary1 | State-funded secondary1,3 | Special4 | Total1,2,3,4 | |||||
No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | |
2008-09 | ||||||||
State-funded primary1 | State-funded secondary1,3 | Special4 | Total1,2,3,4 | |||||
No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | |
2009-10 | ||||||||
State-funded primary1 | State-funded secondary1,3 | Special4 | Total1,2,3,4 | |||||
No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | |
2010-11 | ||||||||
State-funded primary1 | State-funded secondary1,3 | Special4 | Total1,2,3,4 | |||||
No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | |
2011-12 | ||||||||
State-funded primary1 | State-funded secondary1,3 | Special4 | Total1,2,3,4 | |||||
No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | No. of permanent exclusions | % of the school population6 | |
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1 Includes middle schools as deemed. 2 Includes primary academies. 3 Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies (including all-through academies). 4 Includes maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools and special academies. Excludes general hospital schools. 5 Figures for England, east of England and east midlands for the years 2007-08 to 2009-10 are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. Constituency figures are as reported by schools. 6 The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) as at January each year. Notes: 1. ‘x’ less than five, or a percentage based on less than five. 2. National, regional and total figures may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census |
Pupils: Per Capita Costs
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how any gap in per pupil funding between the highest and the lowest funded authorities has changed in the last 15 years. [179929]
Mr Laws: Per pupil funding figures for the highest and lowest funded local authorities (LAs) from financial years 1997 to 2014, and the difference between those figures, are shown in the following tables.
Figures for financial years 1997 to 2006 are shown below:
Per pupil funding to LAs | |||||||||
£ | |||||||||
1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
Note: Per pupil figures are in cash terms using standard spending assessment (SSA)/education formula share (EFS) allocations and pupils aged 3-15 and exclude City of London and Isles of Scilly. |
With the introduction of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) in 2006-07, the changes to the funding mechanism meant figures were no longer comparable with previous years.
The 1997-98 to 2005-06 figures are based on EFS which formed the education part of the local government finance settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. The DSG is based largely on an authority's previous spending. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS. EFS comprised a schools block and a local education authority (LEA) block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the EFS school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's local government finance settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable.
To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, the Department has isolated the EFS school block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described above this does not represent the totality of “education” funding in that year.
Figures for financial years 2005 to 2013 are shown below:
Per pupil funding to LAs | ||||||||
£ | ||||||||
2005-061 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | |
1 Baseline. Note: Per pupil figures are in cash terms using DSG allocations plus other schools related grants, e.g. school standards grant, school standards grant (personalisation), standards fund etc. and pupils aged 3-15 and exclude City of London and Isles of Scilly. Most of the additional grants were mainstreamed into DSG in 2011-12. |
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With the changes to DSG funding in financial year 2013 to 2014, i.e. funding allocated through three blocks, namely schools, early years and high needs, there is no longer a comparable overall figure with previous years. The following table shows the highest and lowest DSG schools block unit funding figures in cash terms and the difference between them.
DSG schools block per pupil funding to LAs, 2013-14 | |
£ | |
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which school in England receives the (a) lowest and (b) highest amount of funding per pupil. [179946]
Mr Laws: Per pupil funding figures for the highest and lowest funded schools in financial year 2013 to 2014 are shown in the following table.
Highest and lowest funded schools (schools block post MFG) in 2013-14 | ||||
Local authority name | LAESTAB | School name | Total number of pupils | Allocation per pupil (£) |
Per pupil figures are taken from the published 2013-14 schools block budget allocations1.
In financial year 2013-14, schools and academies are funded using a maximum of 12 clearly defined factors. All schools and academies in a local authority are funded according to the same formula.
St. Thomas More RC VA Junior School has a particularly low allocation per pupil as it closed during the year on 31 August 2013, so will only have received a proportion of their full-year funding.
Holy Island CE First School has a high allocation per pupil as it is a small school with very few pupils. Holy Island has a tidal causeway, so if there was not a school on the island the children would need to board. In this situation, the lump sum they received, which does not depend on the number of pupils attending, constitutes a large proportion of their schools block formula allocation, and so their per-pupil funding level is high as a result.
1 Available at:
http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/xlsx/s/schools%20block%20data%20file.xlsx
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools in England with at least 100 pupils received the (a) lowest and (b) highest amount of funding per pupil in the latest year for which figures are available. [179961]
Mr Laws: Per pupil funding figures for the highest and lowest funded schools in financial year 2013-14 for those with at least 100 pupils are shown in the following table.
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Highest and lowest funded schools with at least 100 pupils (Schools Block post MFG) in 2013-14 | ||||
Local authority name | LAESTAB number | School name | Total number of pupils | Allocation per pupil (£) |
Per pupil figures are taken from the published 2013-14 schools block budget allocations1.
In financial year 2013-14, schools and academies are funded using a maximum of 12 clearly, defined factors. All schools and academies in a local authority are funded according to the same formula.
St Thomas More RC VA Junior School has a particularly low allocation per pupil as it closed during the year on 31 August 2013, so will only have received a proportion of their full-year funding.
Hameldon Community College has a particularly high per pupil allocation as a large proportion of this is due to a significant amount of private finance initiative (PFI) money in its budget.
1 Available at:
http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/xlsx/s/schools%20block%20data%20file.xlsx
Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in which local education authority in England average per pupil funding is the (a) highest and (b) lowest. [180119]
Mr Laws: Per pupil funding figures for the highest and lowest funded local authorities (LAs) in financial year 2013-14 are shown in the following table.
Dedicated schools grant (DSG) schools block per pupil funding to LAs, 2013-14 | |
£ | |
Per pupil figures are taken form the DSG schools block unit of funding and exclude City of London.
Schools: Admissions
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school places needed by 2020 in (i) England, (ii) Greater London and (iii) the London borough of Southwark. [180256]
Mr Laws: The Department collects information about current school capacity and future pupil numbers in every local authority area, and uses this to estimate the number of new places that will be needed. The most recent published survey data relate to the position at May 2012, and include forecasts of primary pupil numbers to 2016/17, and secondary pupil numbers to 2018/19. The data are available online at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2011-to-2012
and we expect to publish updated data shortly.
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The Department publishes national projections about pupil numbers—these provide a longer-term estimate of population growth, but do not reflect the need for new places. The latest assessment was published on 12 December 2013 and includes projections to 2020, available at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-projections-future-trends-in-pupil-numbers-december-2013
Skillforce
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in mentoring schemes provided by SkillForce progressed into (a) further education, (b) a civil apprenticeship, (c) the armed forces and (d) other employment for each year the scheme has been available. [180307]
Mr Laws: The Military Ethos Alternative Provision projects formally began in 2011/12. SkillForce has reported that in 2011/12, out of a cohort of 839 young people (32% of whom were deemed at high risk of exclusion and 34% were eligible for free school meals): 72% went into Further Education; 5% went into employment; 4% went into civil apprenticeships; 2% went into training; 1% went into the Army or Royal Navy; and 15% have an unknown destination.
Figures for 2012/13 are due to be published in early 2014.
Special Educational Needs
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in public sector spending on services for children with special educational needs. [180363]
Mr Timpson: The Department for Education has ensured that all local authorities have as much funding for special educational needs (SEN) this year as they had last year. The high needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant in 2013-14 was £4.965 million, which covers high needs pupils both pre and post-16 in England. Allocations were based on local authority planned expenditure in 2012-13 so there is no cash reduction.
The results of our Planned Local Authority Expenditure Survey for 2013-14 were published in a Statistical First Release on 24 September 2013 and it shows that local authorities are spending no less this year on SEN services than they spent last year:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planned-expenditure-on-schools-education-children-and-young-peoples-services-by-local-authorities-financial-year-2013-to-2014
Teachers: Industrial Disputes
Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many school days were lost in England this year due to strike action in the last year for which figures are available. [180118]
Mr Laws: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish monthly Labour Market Statistics covering labour disputes in the UK. These include the number of working days lost to labour disputes each month for the UK-wide education sector (including schools, post-16 provision and universities). Data are not published for schools in England only.
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According to the ONS figures, 27,600 working days were lost to labour disputes in the UK-wide education sector between October 2012 and September 2013. These are the latest available figures. Figures for October 2013 will be published on 18 December 2013.
Teachers: Training
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools relinquished School Direct places which had been allocated to them in 2012-13 for training commencing in 2013-14; and to which primary phase or secondary subject each such place related. [180150]
Mr Laws: For 2013/14, the National College for Teaching and Leadership did not require School Direct lead schools that had been allocated new entrant places to relinquish those places they did not expect to fill.
Lead schools were allowed to change their cohorts, either to move places to other subjects and routes, request new places or relinquish the places. From the initial allocation of places on 2 November until 31 July 2013, the net change in places for School Direct was an increase of 15 primary places and 130 secondary places.
We deliberately over-allocate places to ensure we train enough teachers. The allocation number is not a target and should not be regarded as one.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether a Teach First trainee who is recruited to focus on mathematics can switch subject specialism after two years. [180151]
Mr Laws: Qualified teachers, including those who trained with Teach First, can be employed to teach any subject or phase. It is the responsibility of headteachers to decide how teachers are deployed, based on individuals' knowledge, skills and experience.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether it is possible for a school to bid for and be allocated to a School Direct place for a physics trainee teacher without having a trained physics teacher as a member of staff. [180168]
Mr Laws: It is not a criterion for initial teacher training (ITT) allocations that there must be a particular type of teacher employed in a School Direct lead school.
The criteria for School Direct allocations1 stipulate that
‘partnerships must satisfy themselves that schools have the capacity to undertake their responsibilities'.
ITT is inspected against the relevant Ofsted framework2, which includes the criterion that trainees should benefit from subject and phase specific mentoring by experienced and expert mentors. A trainee in a School Direct school without a trained physics teacher could receive such training and mentoring from the lead school in the partnership, from another school within the partnership or from the accredited ITT provider.
1https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210975/School_Direct_allocations_methodology_2014_to_2015.pdf
2http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/initial-teacher-education-inspection-handbook
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Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many School Direct numbers were requested by school clusters by (a) primary phase and (b) secondary subject (i) nationally and (ii) by English region; and how many places were allocated by the National College of Teaching and Leadership to those school clusters in the 2014-15 allocations. [180175]
Mr Laws: The National College for Teaching and Leadership did not ask School Direct lead schools to identify the number of schools in their partnership for 2014/15.
At the point of registration for School Direct, around 90% of lead schools estimated their school partnership size. Of these, 96% of the School Direct places allocated were to lead schools who had indicated a partnership size of two or more schools.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on what basis his Department agreed the allocations of teacher education places in 2014-15 by the National College of Teaching and Leadership to meet the future need for primary and secondary subject teachers. [180191]
Mr Laws: We do not assume that all trainees will complete their training successfully and/or teach immediately in a state school, and that is built into our estimates of the number of trainees required.
This year, as in previous years, we have over-allocated initial teacher training (ITT) places above the number of trainees required by our estimates. This helps us to ensure we train enough teachers, taking account of the likely level of recruitment in each subject. The allocation number is not a target and should not be regarded as one. If it is not reached, that does not mean that there will be a shortage in teachers.
The degree of over-allocation varies by subject and takes account of recruitment performance in previous years. The exception to this is mathematics and physics—eligible lead schools and ITT providers can recruit any number of trainees to help address the historic shortfalls over decades in these priority subjects.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teacher education places the National College of Teaching and Leadership has estimated are required by secondary subject and primary phase in each English region in 2014-15. [180391]
Mr Laws: The Department for Education estimates the number of teacher trainees by subject on a national basis. These are not broken down by region.
Regional impact was considered in the allocation process for initial teacher training places for 2014/15 on the basis of change against previous years. Recruitment across regions and subjects is monitored throughout the recruitment cycle, and informs the activities of the National College for Teaching and Leadership.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reason the National College of Teaching and Leadership has allocated more teacher education places than estimated need in 2014-15 for secondary subject and primary phase. [180392]
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Mr Laws: This year, as in previous years, we have over-allocated initial teacher training (ITT) places above the number of trainees required by our estimates. This helps us to ensure we train enough teachers, taking account of the likely level of recruitment in each subject. The allocation number is not a target and should not be regarded as one. If it is not reached, that does not mean that there will be a shortage in teachers.
The degree of over-allocation varies by subject and takes account of recruitment performance in previous years.
The exception to this is mathematics and physics—eligible lead schools and ITT providers can request any number of places to help address the historic shortfalls over decades in these priority subjects.
Defence
Reserve Forces
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to publish the most recent recruitment figures for the reserve forces. [901489]
Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress he has made on recruitment to the reserves. [901495]
Mr Philip Hammond: Personnel figures for the Reserves are included in the Defence Statistics' Quarterly Personnel Report, the most recent of which was published on 14 November. This included, for the first time ever, information on those joining the Reserves. The next report, with data up to 31 December, is expected to be published in mid-February 2014.
Defence Estate
Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made on rationalising the Defence estate. [901492]
Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence is continuing to make good progress on rationalising the Defence estate. In financial year 2012-13 we sold estate worth £139 million that was surplus to Defence requirements.
The MOD has an ongoing programme to develop its footprint strategy, which will drive further rationalisation of the Defence estate. Phase one—the Army Basing Plan—was announced in March and work is continuing on Phase two which seeks further optimisation of the Defence estate.
Armed Forces Covenant
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding from LIBOR fines has been distributed to military charities to support the Armed Forces Covenant to date. [901494]
Anna Soubry:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer allocated an initial £35 million from fines levied on banks for attempting to manipulate the LIBOR interest rate to the Covenant Reference Group, to fund projects supporting the armed forces community. He recently announced
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that additional LIBOR funding will be made available to the Covenant totalling £10 million per year in perpetuity from financial year 2015-16.
There have been three tranches of bids for funding from the £35 million LIBOR monies and some £34.8 million has been distributed. Of this some £26.8 million went to service charities, a further £5.1 million to bids from Service organisations and £2.9 million to other charities and benevolent organisations. This initial LIBOR fund is now closed with no further tranches for bids planned.
Army: Training
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers were injured in Phase 1 and Phase 2 training in each quarter of 2012 and 2013; and how many of those soldiers were using the Pay to Dine system. [178955]
Anna Soubry: The number of injury incidents involving trainee soldiers in Phase 1 and 2 training in 2012 and 2013 is shown in the following table:
Training formation | January to March | April to June | July to September | October to December | |
The figures for Initial Training Group show Phase 1 recruits only. The totals include any reported injury, irrespective of level of seriousness.
No Phase 1 or Infantry Phase 2 recruits are on the ‘Pay As You Dine’ system. All Phase 1 and 2 recruits are provided with three nutritionally-balanced meals per day. Phase 1 recruits may receive a ‘fourth meal’ supplement during training to provide the additional calorific intake they require during that period.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received suggesting that a significant proportion of soldiers injured during training were undernourished as a result of the introduction of the Pay to Dine system. [178956]
Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence has no evidence to support the claim that soldiers are undernourished as a result of the Pay As You Dine system. Nutrition is fundamental to military personnel's physical capability. We strive to ensure that our catering, including that provided through Pay As You Dine, delivers the required quality of service, and that healthy food choices are offered to provide the required calorific and nutritional intake for our soldiers. Soldiers undergoing Phase 1 training and those in Infantry Phase 2 training are not on the Pay As You Dine system.