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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 19 December 2013

House of Commons Commission

War Memorial: New Palace Yard

Mark Pritchard: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will undertake a feasibility study for a permanent war memorial in New Palace Yard. [901709]

John Thurso: There are no existing proposals for a permanent war memorial to be situated in New Palace Yard. A Joint (Commons and Lords) War Memorial Committee was set up before the end of world war one,

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and then again for world war two, to consider what memorials should be installed in Parliament. If the hon. Member has a specific proposal, I suggest that he approaches the Speaker’s Advisory Committee on Works of Arts in the first instance.

Education

Children: Day Care

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many registered child care places in the London borough of Southwark there were in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013. [180461]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education’s Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects data on all registered child care places at a national and regional level. However, information is not provided at a lower geographical level. The following table provides data for 2009, 2010 and 2011. Data is not available for 2012. Data from the 2013 survey will be published in September 2014.

Discovery New School

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will review the decision to withdraw funding from Discovery New School in Crawley constituency following the appointment of a new headteacher and management team. [180863]

Mr Timpson: On 22 November the Under-Secretary of State for Schools, Lord Nash, requested a Further Action Statement from the Academy Trust of Discovery New School (DNS). The Further Action Statement received on 6 December failed to satisfy the Department that the action the Academy Trust proposes to take is sufficient in all the circumstances. The actions to improve the staff and the school, set out in the Further Action Statement are almost wholly dependent upon the head teacher and external consultants. We were not satisfied that the Academy Trust has the capacity to make adequate progress or that it has robust plans to enable it to recruit and retain the high-quality permanent staff and senior leadership that it needs in order to improve at a rapid pace.

We reached our final decision on 13 December when, in accordance with clause 90 of the Funding Agreement, we gave written notice that the Funding Agreement with DNS Academy Trust shall terminate on 4 April 2014.

The Secretary of State for Education is satisfied that the decision to terminate the funding agreement that he holds with the Academy Trust of DNS was the correct decision in these circumstances.

Education: Finance

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether all local authorities provide funding to students aged 16 to 25 with high needs who are in the second year or later of their course. [180809]

Matthew Hancock: Local authorities are obliged to preserve continuity of provision for young people who have already started a course and who will continue into a new academic year. To this end, the Secretary of State for Education has imposed a funding condition on all local authorities, through the Dedicated Schools Grant.

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This states that if a student requires top-up funding and was already placed in an institution when the new funding system for high needs pupils was introduced, the local authority must enter into an agreement with the institution to make top-up payments until the pupil leaves the institution, or the contract is replaced by another.

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the comparative funding rates for (a) pre-school provision, (b) primary schools, (c) secondary schools and (d) education and training for 16 to 18-year-olds in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [180897]

Mr Laws: On 18 December 2013, the Department for Education published the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) allocations for 2014-15. The table setting out allocations for each local authority has been placed in the House Library. At a national level, we do not allocate funding at different rates for primary and secondary school pupils.

From September 2014, the Government will extend the entitlement to 570 hours per year of funded early education to the 40% most disadvantaged two-year-olds.

The following table shows the 2014-15 per pupil funding levels for the two-year-old entitlement, Early Years Block of DSG (for three and four-year-olds) and Schools Block of DSG. These rates are unchanged from 2013-14.

Schools will also receive the pupil premium for their pupils who are eligible for free school meals or who have been eligible for FSM in the past six years. In 2014-15, schools will receive £1,300 per eligible primary pupil, £935 per eligible secondary pupil and £1,900 for all looked-after children, adopted children and children with guardians.

The average funding per full-time student between the ages of 16 and 18 in the 2012-13 academic year for schools and colleges in England was £5,130. This is the latest year for which data are available.

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many 18-year-olds were in (a) full-time and (b) part-time education funded by his Department in academic years (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14; and how many of those were studying in (A) school sixth forms, (B) sixth form colleges and (C) further education colleges. [180898]

Matthew Hancock: The following table shows how many 18-year-olds (based on academic age) were in full-time or part-time provision funded by the Education Funding Agency (EFA) in academic years 2011-12 and 2012/13, by institution type. Data for 2013-14 is not yet available.

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The funding definition of full-time that applied in these years, that is study of 450 guided learning hours per year or more, is used to differentiate full-time and part-time learning. Figures represent full-year learner numbers.

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the announcement by his Department of 10 December 2013, whether an equality impact assessment has been conducted on the changes to funding for academic year 2014-15 for students aged 16 to 19; and if he will make a statement. [180899]

Mr Laws: An equality impact assessment was completed. Following his appearance at the Education Select Committee (ESC), the Secretary of State for Education will write to you and the ESC on this topic in the near future.

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reason some 18-year-olds are required to take a third year of post-16 education funded by his Department. [180900]

Matthew Hancock: 18-year-olds are not required to take a third year of post-16 education. From September 2013, all young people in England are required to continue in education or training for a further year after the compulsory school leaving age; from summer 2015, this period will be extended until their 18th birthday.

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the announcement by his Department of 10 December 2013, whether the effects of changes to funding for academic year 2014-15 for students aged 16 to 19 were modelled on specific further education and sixth-form colleges. [180901]

Matthew Hancock: Before making the announcement of 10 December 2013, about changes to funding for 16 to 19-year-olds for the academic year 2014-15, the Department modelled the impact of the changes on every provider of 16 to 19 education. As is normal, the modelling will be revised in future, when we get updated data about the volume and characteristics of learners recruited by each provider.

Education: Young People

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 226W, on education: young people,

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what progress his Department has made on examining how data collection would be improved to provide an estimate of that group. [180800]

Matthew Hancock: Local authorities have now started collecting data aligned to the Raising the Participation Age legislation, set out in the Education and Skills Act 2008. The Department for Education plans to publish the first local authority data in spring 2014. The published data will relate to December 2013, and show participation in education and training of young people who were aged 16 at 31 August 2013, ie those to whom the duty to participate applies in 2013-14 and who will turn 17 during this academic year.

Free Schools

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision has been made to claw back funding when free schools fail to recruit projected pupil numbers. [180764]

Mr Timpson: Where an academy has been funded in an academic year on the basis of its estimated pupil numbers, we will make an adjustment in line with its funding agreement in the following year. This process applies equally to free schools.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in the case of each free school which has been required to return funding owing to low pupil numbers, what the amount of that funding was. [180776]

Mr Timpson: Where an academy has been funded in the current academic year on the basis of its estimated pupil numbers, we will make an adjustment in line with its funding agreement in the following year. This applies equally to free schools. It is natural that some new schools will take time to reach full capacity, depending on their planned expansion rate and recruitment performance. The recent report by the National Audit Office showed that free schools get more popular the longer they are open.

A total value of £239,175 will be returned to the Department from new free schools which did not recruit the predicted pupil numbers in 2012-13. No repayment was due for 2011-12. For comparison, the amount returned to the Department by academy schools in 2009-10 was £11,034,319.

The schools and amounts in question are set out in the following table:

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As this process runs at one year's remove, we do not yet have the information for academies that were funded on the basis of their estimates in 2013-14.

The largest single repayment in 2009-10 was to the value of £966,725 by Crest Boys' Academy.

Ministers: Members' Interests

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when Ministers in his Department each last updated their declaration of interests relating to (a) free schools, (b) academies, (c) initial teacher training provision and (d) other education services. [180813]

Elizabeth Truss: The Cabinet Office publishes the list of Ministers' declaration of interests, which is available online¹.

All Ministers in the Department for Education published their declaration of interests in October 2013.

¹https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/254671/ministers-interests-october-2013.pdf

Teachers: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps the Government are taking to encourage graduates to go into teaching. [180682]

Mr Laws: The Government are committed to ensuring that there are sufficient high quality teachers in the classroom.

For initial teacher training (ITT) courses starting in 2014/15, we have announced increased bursaries of up to £20,000, focussed on subjects which generally struggle to attract enough applicants. We have also announced increases to ITT scholarships, run by prestigious subject bodies in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing, now worth £25,000; and we have increased the number available.

For subjects which are a priority in terms of recruitment, graduates interested in teaching receive support from our Premier Plus service, including a personal recruitment adviser and access to the School Experience Programme.

We have expanded Teach First, allowing up to 1,500 graduates to achieve a teaching qualification and develop lifelong leadership skills in some of our more challenging school environments and we have developed new marketing messages which place teaching alongside other high flying careers.

We want teaching to be seen as a profession in which those who are outstanding are rewarded accordingly, so we have also given schools the freedom to pay the best teachers the most.

International Development

Afghanistan

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, columns 70-71W, on Afghanistan, how many Afghan nationals were trained in the Bost Airfield and Agricultural Park programme; how many of them were trained outside Afghanistan; and in what other countries they were trained. [180522]

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Justine Greening: Five Afghan nationals were trained as part of the Bost Airfield and Agricultural Park programme and attended training workshops in the UAE.

The Bost industrial business park proposal was originally approved by officials in 2009 at a time when Ministers did not approve spend under £40 million. In 2012 it became clear that the project could no longer be completed within the original time frame and in good order. To avoid wasting taxpayers’ money, I decided that UK funding for the project should be cancelled. The completed park designs have been handed over to the Afghan authorities to enable them to pursue the project over a revised time frame.

Central African Republic

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what specialist training or experience representatives of her Department working (a) on the ground in or near the Central African Republic and (b) in the UK to help tackle the current problems in that country have in conflict resolution in respect of sectarian and religious differences. [180881]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID employs staff with a range of relevant skills and experience to work on the response to humanitarian crises. This includes staff drawn from the DFID conflict adviser cadre, who have specific qualifications and significant experience in conflict situations.

Developing Countries: Forests

Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the role of forest governance and national legislation in the preparation and implementation of REDD+ strategies in developing countries. [180871]

Lynne Featherstone: Good governance is essential to forest management.

DFID’s Forest Governance, Markets and Climate (FGMC) Programme is supporting reforms to improve forest governance in a number of countries, including Liberia, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia.

Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department has taken to support capacity building in national parliaments and the development of national legislation as part of the preparation and implementation of REDD+ strategies in developing countries in each of the last five years. [180874]

Lynne Featherstone: In 2010-11, DFID provided £91,000 to support the Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE) to work with legislators in forest nations and increase their involvement in preparing and implementing national REDD+ strategies.

Human Rights

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if her Department will review the effectiveness of its strategy on tackling abuse of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion

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(a)

in jurisdictions where there is persecution of Christians and

(b)

in all other jurisdictions where such abuse is taking place. [180883]

Lynne Featherstone: UK aid is used to promote the human rights of all citizens, regardless of faith or belief. DFID promotes respect for human rights, including religious freedoms, through its partnerships with governments and, where necessary, raises issues of concern with governments in collaboration with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In addition, DFID programmes address the underlying causes of religious conflict and hostility, and support marginalised groups, including faith groups, to hold their own governments to account.

DFID is not currently planning to review this approach.

Palestinians

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza; and if she will make a statement. [180765]

Mr Duncan: We are deeply concerned by the chronic humanitarian situation in Gaza, which has been exacerbated by recent severe weather, leading to significant flooding and property damage. Our partner agencies have assessed that existing emergency response mechanisms are currently working adequately. We continue to monitor the situation closely and remain in close contact with our partners on the ground.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure that assistance is given to the people of Gaza who have been evacuated from their homes owing to flooding. [R] [180766]

Mr Duncan: Widespread flooding has necessitated the evacuation of hundreds of families in Gaza. DFID officials have been in close contact with UN and other agencies to ensure that existing emergency response mechanisms are working adequately. We will continue to monitor the situation closely. Our substantial existing support to the people of Gaza, including providing food vouchers to poor families and basic services such as health care, will continue to support the most vulnerable at this critical time.

Attorney-General

Conditions of Employment

John McDonnell: To ask the Attorney-General how many direct employees and contracted workers of the Law Officers' Departments and its arms lengths bodies are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage; and how many direct employees are on zero hours contracts. [174970]

The Solicitor-General: The CPS directly employs four staff whose salary is below the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation. As a result of planned changes to rates of pay, all four employees will be paid salaries in excess of the living wage by .31 March 2014. The CPS does not employ people on zero-hours contracts.

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No direct employees or temporary workers employed by the remaining Law Officers' Departments are paid less than the Living Wage or are on zero hour contracts.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2013, Official Report, column 8W, on the Crown Prosecution Service, what type of offences were concerned in each of the 15 instances where a Crown Prosecution Service review overturned the prosecutor's original decision; and whether it was possible for the suspect in those cases to be re-charged. [180894]

The Solicitor-General: The category of offences concerned in each of the 15 instances in which a Crown Prosecution Service review overturned the prosecutor's original decision is as follows, together with confirmation as to whether it was possible for the suspect in those cases to be re-charged:

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2013, Official Report, column 8W, on the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), what type of offences were concerned in each of the 57 instances where a CPS review overturned the prosecutor's original decision; and in how many of those instances the suspect was charged. [180895]

The Solicitor-General: The category of offences concerned in each of the 57 instances in which a Crown Prosecution Service review overturned the prosecutor's original decision is as follows:

Charges have been recommended in each of the 57 instances. As at 18 December 2013, proceedings have commenced in 47 of those instances.

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Mr Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General if he will amend his measurement of performance by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from percentage of cases taken up by the CPS achieving a successful conviction to the percentage of crimes solved; and if he will make a statement. [180916]

The Solicitor-General: While recording successful convictions as a percentage of crimes solved may give some indication as to the performance of the criminal justice system, it would not represent an appropriate performance measure for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Not all crimes solved are prosecuted by the CPS, for instance many specified proceedings are prosecuted by the police or result in an out of court disposal. Furthermore, CPS performance measures are based on defendants prosecuted rather than individual offences committed.

Defence

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the total cost of UK intervention in Afghanistan since 2001 to the latest date for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of likely costs of UK intervention in Afghanistan until 2015. [177964]

Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not normally record the total costs of military operations. The net additional costs of military operations in Afghanistan for the financial years 2001-02 to 2012-13 are recorded in the MOD's annual report and accounts for those years, which are available in the Library of the House. Net additional costs are those which the Department would not have incurred had the operation not taken place. The Department's estimate of the net additional cost of military operations in Afghanistan this year was published in the MOD's 2013-14 main estimates. The estimate for costs in 2014-15 will be published in that year's main estimates. In both cases the final spend will be published in the relevant year's annual report and accounts.

Conflict Resolution: Females

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the implications of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security for the armed forces; and how that resolution will be incorporated into the education and training of UK armed forces. [181769]

Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence is doing a considerable amount to support implementation of UNSCR 1325, as the main focus of our efforts on gender issues in the international context. We work closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development in the production of the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. The National Action Plan outlines the activity across Government and focuses bilateral and multilateral engagement. The implementation of the principles of UNSCR 1325, and the associated resolutions, is covered by many extant aspects of mandatory military training such as instruction on the Law of

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Armed Conflict and Equality and Diversity. The new National Action Plan, which is to be released in the spring, will look to articulate where and how UNSCR 1325, the associated resolutions, work under the Prevention of Sexual Violence Initiative and the other Women, Peace and Security strands fit into operational planning and training.

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians have completed the condensed Initial Officer Training course to fly and work on the Voyager aircraft fleet. [177250]

Mr Francois: Since commencement of the Voyager PF1 contract, a total of two civilians employed by AirTanker Services have completed the condensed initial officer training course to fly and work on the Voyager aircraft fleet. Of the other current Voyager sponsored reservists, three did a bespoke training course out of sync with the course schedule. Six were granted a waiver from having to undertake the initial officer training course due to previous RAF experience and the remaining three are yet to do the course.

RAF Machrihanish

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when it was agreed to allow the stationing of nuclear weapons from the US at RAF Machrihanish; who approved the deployment; and how many weapons and what type were involved; [180878]

(2) for how long nuclear weapons from the US were stationed at RAF Machrihanish; what the methods of transportation were to and from the base; what arrangements were in place for storage; and whether RAF aircraft were authorised to deliver the weapons in a nuclear strike. [180879]

Mr Francois: Since the early 1950s the US has had the ability to base their nuclear weapons in the UK. However we do not comment on deployment policy. This policy is applied across NATO. RAF Machrihanish was returned to the Ministry of Defence in June 1995.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what US air force aircraft used RAF Machrihanish in the last five years before the base closed. [180880]

Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence no longer holds information on the type of US Air Force aircraft that used RAF Machrihanish in the period 1990-95.

RAF Waddington

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to promote the interoperability of capabilities and systems at RAF Waddington with the UK's NATO allies in 2013. [R] [180550]

Mr Francois: RAF systems based at RAF Waddington make a major national contribution to interoperability with NATO Allies. The RAF's E-3D Sentry is the UK's contribution to the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force. Sentinel, Shadow and Reaper, the

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RAF's remotely piloted aircraft system, all contributed to NATO's ISAF intelligence, target acquisition and surveillance operations in Afghanistan during 2013.

Unmanned Air and Marine Vehicles

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 849W, on unmanned aerial and marine vehicles, what assessment he has made of the potential use of unmanned vehicles for maritime reconnaissance by the Air ISTAR Optimisation Study. [178925]

Mr Francois: The initial findings of the Air ISTAR Optimisation Study (AIOS) indicate that, in the short to medium timescale (now to 2025), unmanned air systems (UAS) could provide a capability covering unit and force protection—but not wide area surveillance—above water. Unmanned wide area surveillance for anti- submarine warfare (ASW) would be more challenging before 2035. Further work is needed to understand: the specific capabilities that could be delivered and how they could be integrated, air worthiness certification and the affordability of such systems. The next phase of the AIOS will consider the role of UAS in order to inform decisions leading up to and part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review planned in 2015.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2013, Official Report, column 198W, on unmanned air vehicles, whether he will place in the Library copies of the factual reports, studies and trials on which the legal review is based. [R] [180532]

Mr Francois: Reaper is a system procured from the US which is currently being used on operations in Afghanistan. The reports requested contain operationally sensitive information on current capabilities, disclosure of which would prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of the armed forces.

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2013, Official Report, columns 197-8W, on unmanned air vehicles, if he will disclose details of the funding provided by the United States Visiting Forces (USVF) to meet their day-to-day activities at RAF Croughton and RAF Moleworth identified by reference to each (a) unit present, (b) activity carried out and (c) facility used by USVF. [R] [180546]

Mr Francois: The United States Air Force 422nd Air Base Group at RAF Croughton has an annual budget in the region of £10.5 million to support its operations at the base. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold a breakdown of this figure.

Units at RAF Molesworth are supported by budgets from multiple commands including NATO, US European Command, US Africa Command and the US Air Forces in Europe. The MOD does not hold a breakdown of these budgets.

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Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2013, Official Report, column 197W, on unmanned air vehicles, if his Department will implement the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism in paragraph 78 of his September 2013 report. [R] [180547]

Mr Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 706W.

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2013, Official Report, column 198W, on unmanned air vehicles, what local force protection is currently provided for or planned by Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels. [R] [180548]

Mr Francois: Decisions on the level of local force protection measures for deployed Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels are based on an assessment of the threat, which will reflect a vessel's specific mission and deployment. The threat to naval service and units is constantly evolving and is kept under review to ensure the appropriate force protection measures are in place.

Several different types of measure may be used to counter any threat, providing a layered approach to protection. Such measures can include physical protection; adapting tactics, techniques and procedures; effective use of intelligence; and electronic countermeasures.

I cannot describe specific force protections measures publicly. I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Moray, of 15 October 2013, Official Report, column 640W, on unmanned air vehicles, whether his Department has overseen the development of any technologies used in the five new Reaper aircraft to enhance interoperability of those assets between the UK and NATO allied forces. [R] [180549]

Mr Dunne: No.

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 9 December 2013, Official Report, column 70W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, what the (a) unit, (b) service and (c) rank is of each of the United States Visiting Forces personnel based at (i) RAF Croughton and (ii) RAF Marham. [180625]

Mr Francois: There are 651 United States Air Force personnel at RAF Croughton under the command of the 422nd Air Base Group. Personnel range in rank from Colonel, the group commander, to Airman, the second most junior enlisted rank. The Ministry of Defence does not hold a list of personnel by unit and rank.

There are no United States Visiting Forces personnel at RAF Marham.

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Justice

Electronic Tagging

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of people given (a) prohibited activity and (b) exclusion requirements in each probation trust area were electronically monitored, in the most recent year for which figures are available. [179786]

Jeremy Wright: Legislation allows the courts to impose electronic monitoring of compliance with a prohibited activity requirement of a community order or a suspended sentence order. Legislation also requires the imposition of such monitoring of an exclusion requirement unless prevented from doing so because monitoring arrangements are not available in the local area or because necessary consents from third parties cannot be obtained, or where the particular circumstances of the case would make it inappropriate. In practice, neither exclusion nor prohibited activity requirements are monitored electronically because the location monitoring technology to enable this is not yet widely available.

The MOJ therefore does not collect data to show whether or not compliance with these requirements is electronically monitored. Nevertheless, compliance with curfew requirements is almost always monitored electronically. The number of offenders starting community orders or suspended sentence orders in 2012 with (a) both a prohibited activity requirement and a curfew requirement and (b) both an exclusion requirement and a curfew requirement are as follows.

1. 106 offenders subject to a community order and 123 subject to a suspended sentence order, and

2. 175 offenders subject to a community order and 104 subject to a suspended sentence order.

Location monitoring functionality is part of the current competition for electronic monitoring, The Government are currently at preferred bidder stage in the competition. Discussions with preferred bidders are continuing, with contracts to be awarded in the new year and GPS tagging expected to be introduced later in 2014. While the competition progresses, an interim agreement with Capita will see them take on responsibility for delivery of the current electronic monitoring service.

National Offender Management Service

Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the National Offender Management Service has been of monitoring the use of social media by its employees. [179913]

Jeremy Wright: NOMS does not routinely monitor social networks, but it will investigate their use by staff where there is cause to do so.

Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff within the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) monitor NOMS employees' use of social media. [179914]

Jeremy Wright: NOMS does not routinely monitor social networks, but it will investigate their use by staff where there is cause to do so. No staff are specifically employed to monitor employees' use of social media.

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Oakwood Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners Oakwood prison is contracted to hold; and whether its operator receives any payment for holding prisoners above its certified normal accommodation. [179783]

Jeremy Wright: The contractor must hold as many prisoners as my Department requires up to a maximum of 2,106. Payment is based on the number of available prisoner places, and my Department can receive a discount on unused places under certain circumstances. The term 'certified normal accommodation' is not applicable to the contract.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times the targets for the evening lock-up time have been achieved in each month since HMP Oakwood opened. [180840]

Jeremy Wright: There is no target for evening lock-up at HMP Oakwood. As with other prisons, HMP Oakwood works to an established 'core-day' which indicates general timings to be followed, but allows the prison a measure of flexibility.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times prison officer equivalent staff have worked shifts of (a) more than 12 hours, (b) more than 15 hours, (c) more than 18 hours and (d) more than 24 hours in each month since HMP Oakwood opened. [180841]

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not collected centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much has been paid in severance pay to prison officers in each month since May 2010; [180842]

(2) how many prison officers have received severance pay and been re-employed by the National Offender Management Service in each month since May 2010; [180839]

(3) how much severance pay has been paid to prison officers who have been re-employed by the National Offender Management Service in each month since May 2010. [180836]

Jeremy Wright: Information on severance pay to prison officers in each month since May 2010 is held for some of this period by a contractor. The Department is waiting to receive this information and we will write to you with a detailed answer to this question when we have received this information.

Prisons

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisons in England and Wales were (a) publicly-managed and (b) privately-run or contracted out to be run by the private sector in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [180451]

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Jeremy Wright: We will always have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts but at much lower cost and in the right places to deliver our ambitions for reducing reoffending rates. We are doing this through a significant programme of replacing accommodation which is old, inefficient or has limited long-term strategic value and bringing down the cost of operating prisons. We propose to make significant cost reductions over the next few years through the application of an efficient benchmark for all public sector prisons, and through further competition of services. This replaces the previous approach of competing whole prisons and will deliver savings more quickly.

The following table identifies the number of (a) publicly managed and (b)privately operated prisons and young offender institutions on the last working Friday in March in each year from 2010 to 2013. Publicly managed Immigration Removal Centres are not included in the following table

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many assaults on (a) prisoners and (b) prison staff there were (i) in HM Prison Oakwood and (ii) on average in all adult prisons in each of the last three years. [179776]

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and the Prison Officers Association (POA) are jointly committed to a zero tolerance approach to assaults on staff, visitors and prisoners.

NOMS takes the issue of assaults in prisons very seriously. It currently has systems in place to deal with perpetrators quickly and robustly, with serious incidents referred to the police for prosecution.

NOMS is committed to exploring options to continue to improve how violence is tackled in prisons to keep both staff and prisoners safe. It is currently looking at the policy and practice of the management of violence.

There are a number of factors that affect the number of assault incidents at any individual establishment. These include, but are not restricted to, the size of the population held at the prison, the type and role of the prison and the gender of the prisoners accommodated. For example, younger, male prisoners are more likely to be involved in an assault than other prisoners. Differences in population size of establishments mean it would not necessarily be correct to conclude that a prison with a higher number of incidents than the average is a less safe prison; nor that a prison with a lower number of incidents than the average is a safer prison.

In addition to these factors, comparisons for the number of incidents at HMP Oakwood with the national average cannot be made. HMP Oakwood opened in April 2012 and was increasing the number of prisoners it held throughout 2012. Therefore, comparisons for HMP Oakwood, which was operational for only part of the year, with the national average for 2012 would not be statistically robust.

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Statistics on the number of assaults on staff for each prison establishment are published on an annual basis in the Safety in Custody statistics bulletin, published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics

They can be found in Table 3.15 of the annual tables accompanying each quarterly release.

Figures for the rate of assaults and assaults on staff are provided in table 3.1 of the same bulletin.

Young Offender Institutions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the relationship between the size of youth offenders institutions and ability to ensure the security and safety of staff and children resident there. [180512]

Jeremy Wright: The safety of young people in custody is our highest priority. The range of policies and procedures in place to ensure the security and safety of young people and staff in under-18 young offender institutions (YOIs) apply across the entire estate regardless of the size of the establishment.

Communities and Local Government

Homelessness: Greater London

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the actual and percentage change in the number of homeless households placed (a) out of borough and (b) out of London by each London local authority under prevention and relief of homelessness powers was in each of the last three years; [172397]

(2) how many households have been placed in other boroughs by each London local authority under homelessness duties in 2013-14 to date; [172398]

(3) what the actual and percentage change in the number of households placed in borough by each London local authority under all homelessness duties was in the last three years; [172399]

(4) how many households were placed as homeless in temporary accommodation (a) out of borough and (b) out of London in each London local authority area in 2012-13; [172422]

(5) what the actual and percentage change in the number of homeless households placed in temporary accommodation was (a) out of borough and (b) out of London in each London local authority area in each of the last three years; [172423]

(6) how many households were placed (a) out of borough and (b) out of London under prevention and relief of homelessness powers by each London local authority in 2012-13. [172424]

Kris Hopkins [holding answer 25 October 2013]:

Temporary accommodation

The Department does not collect information on the local authority area or location of households placed in temporary accommodation in another local authority district under homelessness legislation.

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However, I have placed in the Library of the House, figures for the number of households placed in temporary accommodation by London boroughs in another local authority district. To assist the hon. Member and facilitate public scrutiny, I have included yearly figures from 1997 to 2013.

The hon. Member may wish to create arbitrary percentage changes, yet there is no clear pattern by London borough and the figures fluctuate from year to year; the datasets are also incomplete. Within the confines of the information available, I would observe that the number of people being placed in other districts was higher in many years in both London and England under the last administration, based on grossed estimates when taking account of non-responding local authorities.

No council should be sending tenants en masse to a different part of the country. The law is clear that such a blanket policy would be unlawful. Councils must take into account the impact a change in location would have on each individual household they place, including possible disruption to things like employment and schooling.

But clearly everyone needs to live within their means, and homeless households that are solely reliant on taxpayer-funded benefits should not expect to live in properties that working families feel they cannot afford, especially in the more expensive parts of central London.

Indeed, I would note that the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham has recently published an analysis rebutting suggestions of large increases in out-of-borough replacements due to the benefit cap. They observed:

“Out of 546 households in temporary accommodation affected by the caps, just 10 have had to relocate into areas outside Hammersmith and Fulham. In 344 cases, or well over half of the cases in Hammersmith and Fulham, the council successfully negotiate a lower price, within the new subsidy, with private landlords. Another 180 people have been successfully rehoused in properties that are affordable under the Government's tougher new rules—with 152 cases remaining in Hammersmith and Fulham and just 18 cases resettled in neighbouring boroughs. Another concern was that the changes to benefits might have altered the number of private landlords offering their property to people on benefits, although this has not happened.” (Council press release, 15 November 2013).

Permanent social lettings

In the last two years (2011-13), there were 773,000 permanent social lettings made in England. A mere 483 (0.06%) involved general needs social lettings relocating a London-based tenant to an outside-London location. A table breaking down these 483 locations by month has also been placed in the Library of the House.

Such figures would include relocations under the Greater London Authority's mobility scheme, Seaside and Country Homes; this scheme offers people who are aged 60 and over and live in social housing in London the opportunity to move voluntarily to housing association properties across the south coast, in East Anglia, Kent and Shropshire.

In that context, I note that the top 10 areas of lettings (most popular first) are Basildon, Broxbourne, Hertsmere, Medway, Reigate and Banstead, Canterbury, Swale, Thurrock, Maldon and Dover.

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Housing: Greater London

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what the top 10 destination towns were for families relocated by London local authorities in the last two years; [174342]

(2) how many families previously housed by London local authorities have been moved out of London in each of the last 24 months. [174343]

Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave today, PQs 172397, 172398, 172399, 172422, 172423 and 172424.

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what grants have been issued to (a) Enfield borough council and (b) all London councils under the New Homes Bonus scheme since its introduction. [178902]

Kris Hopkins [holding answer 11 December 2013]:The total amount allocated to the London borough of Enfield under the New Homes Bonus since its introduction in 2011-12 including the 2014-15 provisional figure, is £8.2 million. This recognises the delivery of 2,010 new homes (including affordable homes) and the bringing back into use of 47 long-term empty properties.

The corresponding amount allocated to all London councils, including Enfield, is £473.6 million. This recognises the delivery of 110,432 new homes (including affordable homes) and bringing back into use of 14,497 long-term empty properties.

Housing: Hampshire

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what grants have been issued in (a) Portsmouth South constituency and (b) Hampshire under the New Homes Bonus scheme since that scheme's introduction. [179763]

Kris Hopkins: New Homes Bonus payments are made to local authorities.

The total amount allocated to the City of Portsmouth Unitary Authority under the New Homes Bonus since its introduction in 2011-12 including the 2014-15 provisional figure, is £5.5 million. This recognises the delivery of 1,428 new homes (including affordable homes) and 280 long-term empty properties brought back into use.

The corresponding amount allocated to all councils in Hampshire, including the Cities of Portsmouth and Southampton, is £73.5 million. This recognises the delivery of 18,942 new homes (including affordable homes) and bringing back into use of 1,527 long-term empty properties.

Local Government Finance

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to make an announcement on the local government finance settlement. [180890]

Brandon Lewis: The provisional local government finance settlement for 2014-15 was announced for consultation yesterday.

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Railways: Radlett

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any Minister in his Department has received verbal or written representations from the right hon. Member for Chipping Barnet (Mrs Villiers) regarding the Radlett Rail Freight Terminal. [179818]

Nick Boles [holding answer 16 December 2013]: All representatives of the Department act in accordance with "Guidance on Planning Propriety Issues" which can be found on my Department's website.

A list of representations made to the Secretary of State in connection with the current planning appeal for a rail freight terminal at Radlett will be published when the final decision on that appeal is issued.

I would observe that the Cabinet Secretary has recently written to another hon. Member on this matter. He noted that

“there is no evidence that Ms Villiers sought to intervene improperly in the planning appeal process”;

“there has been no breach of the Ministerial Code” and

“both Departments (DCLG and DFT) acted properly in respect of the planning appeal”.

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any Minister in his Department has received verbal or written representations from any hon. Members who are or have been Ministers in the Treasury since May 2010 regarding the Radlett Rail Freight Terminal. [179981]

Nick Boles [holding answer 16 December 2013]:All representatives of the Department act in accordance with "Guidance on Planning Propriety Issues".

A list of representations made to the Secretary of State in connection with the current planning appeal for a Strategic Rail Freight Terminal at Radlett will be published when the final decision on that appeal is issued.

Repossession Orders

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been repossessed in each of the last three years. [180036]

Kris Hopkins: According to information published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the following numbers of homes have been repossessed in the United Kingdom in the last three years:

Council of Mortgage Lenders arrears and possessions figures are for the United Kingdom as a whole. No breakdown of data is available for individual countries within the United Kingdom.

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The Ministry of Justice's mortgage and landlord possession statistics can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics

This includes quarterly National Statistics on possession claim actions in county courts by mortgage lenders for England and Wales.

The Northern Ireland Court Service collects similar statistics.

According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the number of repossessions is at its lowest annual figure since 2007.

Moreover, Bank of England statistics published on 10 December state that the number of new mortgage arrears cases is at its lowest quarterly level since the statistical series began in 2007.

The action that this Government have taken to tackle the deficit left by the last Administration has kept interest rates down and helped reduce the number of repossessions.

Right to Buy Scheme

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he has issued under the Right to Buy scheme to tenants who are considering purchasing leasehold properties on determining the extent of service charges and other leaseholder responsibilities for which they would assume responsibility. [180944]

Kris Hopkins: The Government have been clear that Right to Buy applicants must be provided with information on both the benefits and responsibilities that homeownership brings. Our Right to Buy booklets: “Want to make your home your own?” and “Thinking of buying a council flat?” provide tenants with advice and tools to help them work out the costs of home ownership. The booklets are available for free from social landlords or they can be downloaded here:

http://righttobuy.communities.gov.uk/howtoapply/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thinking-of-buying-your-council-flat--2

The Housing Act 1985 also contains a number of duties on social housing landlords in respect to supporting potential Right to Buy leaseholders. Social housing landlords must provide all tenants with a document containing information to assist the tenant in making their decision, including on leaseholder responsibilities. As part of the offer notice to a Right to Buy applicant, landlords must also provide an estimate of service charges for the first five-years of ownership.

The right hon. Member may also be interested to note that the Department is currently considering the responses to our recent consultation on proposals to cap leaseholder charges at £10,000 outside London, and £15,000 in London, where the works to tenanted homes receive future Government funding. I would expect social landlords to ensure that leaseholder charges are always proportionate and rational, and deliver good value for money.

Social Enterprises: Finance

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to encourage local communities to fund social enterprises through crowdfunding. [180120]

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Stephen Williams: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 5-6. Ministers are keen to promote innovative ways of raising funds for civic and community projects and there have been several examples of where this approach has been utilised.

Leader of the House

Written Questions

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Leader of the House what recent assessment he has made of Government Departments’ performance in answering written parliamentary questions. [901714]

Mr Lansley: My office collates departmental performance information for ordinary and named day parliamentary questions, which I submit in relation to each Session to the Procedure Committee. I provided data relating to the last Session to that Committee in July which is available on the parliamentary website.

Health

Brain Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have died of brain cancer in each of the last three years. [180979]

Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

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 question asking the Secretary of State for Health how many people have died of brain cancer in each of the last three years. [180979].

Table 1 attached provides the number of deaths where brain cancer was the underlying cause of death, by country, in England and Wales, for deaths registered between 2010 and 2012 (the latest year available).

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and underlying cause (including cancer), are published annually on the ONS website at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475

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Cancer

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2013, Official Report, column 82W, on radiotherapy, who sat on the panel reviewing stereotactic radiosurgery; and when he expects NHS England to publish the results of that study; [180551]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2013, Official Report, column 703W, on health services, how many patients have agreed to be transferred from University College London Hospital to (a) BUPA-Cromwell, London and (b) HCA Bart's hospital for gamma knife radiosurgery treatment. [180553]

Jane Ellison: There is no designated panel for the demand and capacity review project for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic radiotherapy, which is currently under way. Once completed, the findings of the review will be assessed by the specialised commissioning oversight group.

Information concerning the number of patients that have agreed to be transferred from University College London Hospital to BUPA-Cromwell, London and HCA Bart's hospital for gamma knife SRS treatment is not held centrally.

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 September 2013, Official Report, columns 349-50W, on cancer, how many patients were treated with gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery at (a) Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, (b) Nova Healthcare in Leeds, (c) the Thornberry Radiosurgery Centre, Sheffield, (d) Bart's Health, London and (e) BUPA-Cromwell, London in each of the last five years; and how many such centres have reached the maximum

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number of patients allowed under the terms of their contract to provide such surgery in 2013-14. [180552]

Jane Ellison: Information regarding the number of patients who were treated with gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Nova Healthcare in Leeds, the Thornberry Radiosurgery Centre, Sheffield, Bart's Health, London and BUPA-Cromwell, London in each of the last five years cannot be provided in the format requested.

In 2013-14, all patients meeting the national clinical policy for SRS will have access to that treatment.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has said it is unable to provide data for the Thornbury Radiosurgery Centre, Sheffield, as this centre submits data to the Secondary User Service (SUS) of Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) through Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, as an aggregated return.

The HSCIC is also unable to provide data for Nova Healthcare in Leeds as they do not currently submit data to SUS and cannot provide data from BUPA-Cromwell, London, as there is no activity in this area submitted to the HES SUS by this provider.

In the following table, we have provided finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with a main or secondary operative procedure of SRS on the tissue of the brain by the three relevant hospital providers for each of the last five years. FCEs should not be viewed as a count of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. It should also be noted that the majority of radiotherapy procedures, including SRS, are carried out in an out-patient setting, where the collection of this operative procedure data is not currently mandatory.

Chlamydia

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Chlamydia were treated by the NHS in each of the last five years, by region. [180908]

Jane Ellison: The following table contains the number of diagnoses of Chlamydia in England for four years (2009 to 2012) broken down by Public Health England (PHE) Centre. Regional-level data by patient area of residence are unavailable prior to 2009.

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19 Dec 2013 : Column 722W

Dementia

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he will take to support dementia research following the G8 Dementia Summit. [180771]

Dr Poulter: The G8 countries agreed to work together to tackle and defeat dementia. The declaration announced the G8's ambition to identify a cure or a disease-modifying therapy by 2025 and to increase collectively and significantly the amount of funding for dementia research. The G8 also welcomed the United Kingdom's decision to appoint a dementia innovation envoy who will work to attract new sources of finance, including examining the potential for a private and philanthropic fund.

Investment in dementia research by the Department's National Institute for Health Research has increased from £12.6 million in 2009-10 to £24.4 million in 2012-13.

Domestic Violence

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of dealing with domestic violence; what assessment he has made of the effect of domestic violence on physical and mental health; and if he will make a statement; [180780]

(2) how many NHS trusts have an independent domestic violence advocacy service based in their accident and emergency or maternity unit. [180783]

Jane Ellison: Domestic violence was estimated¹ to cost the economy £15.7 billion in 2008, including £1.7 billion in health care costs.

Public Health England (PHE) collates and monitors indicators on domestic violence through the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) as part of tackling the wider determinants of ill health and the factors that affect health and well-being. The PHOF uses data from existing collections only and for domestic violence that comprises police recorded crime data on the number of domestic violence incidents. However, PHE is aware this represents only a proportion of the total number of cases as many cases never reach the attention of the police services.

Directly and through its work with the national health service and local authorities, PHE is promoting awareness of domestic violence, supporting capacity development for addressing the causes and the impacts of domestic violence and promoting identification of individuals during routine health care consultations.

In February 2011, we published the mental health strategy “No Health Without Mental Health”. The strategy acknowledges the links between mental health and domestic violence and the importance of having a whole-family approach.

Published guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on recognition and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm, anxiety, psychosis and common mental health reflects the part that the experience of violence can play as triggers. NICE is expected to publish dedicated guidelines on domestic violence early next year, which will cover identification and prevention, including tackling the factors that affect health and well-being.

Information on the number of independent domestic advocacy services in accident and emergency or maternity units in NHS trusts is not collected centrally.

¹ Research evidence by S. Walby, Lancaster university.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2013, Official Report, column 703W, on health services, what the

19 Dec 2013 : Column 723W

procedure is for patients to exercise their legal right to choose where they are treated after they have waited longer than 18 weeks for treatment. [180554]

Jane Ellison: As set out in the National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012 and subsequently amended by the National Health Service and Public Health (Functions and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2013, the delivery of the NHS Constitution maximum waiting time right is a matter for NHS England and clinical commissioning groups as commissioners.

Where a person has been referred to a consultant and has not or will not start treatment within 18 weeks, they can request an appointment to start treatment earlier at another provider.

It is then the responsibility of the commissioner to take all reasonable steps to ensure that a person who makes such a request is offered an earlier appointment to start treatment with a range of suitable alternative providers.

Influenza: Vaccination

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many influenza inoculations were given by the NHS to people aged over (a) 65, (b) 75 and (c) 85 in each of the last 10 years. [180909]

Jane Ellison: The available information is set out in the table:

Kidneys: Diseases

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to reduce the inequalities in the provision of renal disease prevention and management; [180590]

(2) what assessment he has made of the report by the British Kidney Patient Association entitled Kidney health: delivering excellence. [180591]

Jane Ellison: NHS England has responsibility for determining the overall national approach to improve clinical outcomes from healthcare services for people with renal disease. It is committed to promoting high quality care for all and ensuring no group or community is left behind in the provision of healthcare services.

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NHS England advises that it welcomes the report “Kidney Health: Delivering Excellence”. The report has been presented to NHS England's Renal Advisory Group and priorities within the report's ambitions agreed, including designing a suite of patient centred quality markers for renal care.

NHS England has also established a programme board to improve the management of acute kidney injury across England. The report's key ambitions around patient involvement and shared decision making are to be addressed with joint work between NHS England and stakeholders, including the British Kidney Patient's Association. Specialised commissioning specifications continue to be developed to support quality improvement.

Many aspects of chronic kidney disease care are covered in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's (NICE) 2008 guidance on the early identification and management of chronic kidney disease in adults in primary and secondary care. Health and care professionals are expected to take NICE guidance on the treatment of relevant conditions fully into account when deciding how to treat a patient.

The NICE chronic kidney disease Quality Standard covers identification, assessment and clinical management of chronic kidney disease in adults including the management of established renal failure and is driving measurable quality improvements within this area. NHS England is statutorily required to have regard to NICE quality standards.

Kidneys: Transplant Surgery

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of provision of kidney transplant services to minority ethnic groups; and if he will make a statement; [180589]

(2) what steps he is taking to promote transplant organ donation in black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. [180704]

Jane Ellison: Building on the 60% increase in organ donation achieved over the last five years, “Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020”, the new United Kingdom-wide strategy to increase organ donation rates in all communities, was published by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) in July 2013. The aim includes raising awareness and increase donation rates within the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

People from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are up to three times more likely to need a transplant than the wider population. They also wait longer for their transplant. Those waiting for a kidney transplant are more likely to die before the right organ match can be found for them. NHSBT will continue to engage with those communities to promote the importance and benefits of donation. NHSBT produced religious perspectives information leaflets in 2011, tailored to communicate to followers of a range of different religions. Further training and support will be provided for those who approach black, Asian and minority ethnic families.

The Department established the National Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Transplant Alliance in 2012 to support campaigning organisations to tackle the problem of low organ and stem cell donor and transplantation rates among the black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

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In addition, Gurch Randhawa, Professor of Diversity in Public Health at the University of Bedfordshire, published in December 2013 “The Faith Engagement and Organ Donation Action Plan”, which was developed by religious leaders in partnership with NHSBT. This sets out a range of suggested initiatives to address faith-related barriers to organ donation and urges followers to actively support donation. These will be considered as part of the implementation of the UK organ donation and transplantation strategy.

NHS England commissions kidney transplant services and has responsibility to utilise organs provided effectively and efficiently. NHS England is currently reviewing all providers of specialised services against the published service specifications, with a view to ensuring that all services are being provided to a uniformly high standard. The results of this will be published in early 2014.

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Liver Diseases

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of alcohol-related liver disease were treated by the NHS in each of the last five years, by region. [180911]

Jane Ellison: The Department holds data only for hospital activity of people with alcohol-related liver disease. We have provided a count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with a primary diagnosis code of alcoholic liver disease for the years 2008-09 to 2012-13 broken down by strategic health authority (SHA) of treatment.

It should be noted that these data should not be described as a count of people as the same person may have had more than one episode of care in any given year.

Medical Services: Harlow

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent in what is now Harlow constituency in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2012-13. [180444]

Dr Poulter: Information is not collected at constituency level. The following table represents the net operating costs for West Essex primary care trust (PCT), which covered Harlow constituency. The net operating cost of a PCT was the most accurate reflection available of the total cost of commissioning health care for the PCT’s resident population.

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National Skills Academy for Social Care

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the National Skills Academy for Social Care graduate scheme; and what plans he has to continue that scheme. [180762]

Norman Lamb: The Department has made a significant investment in the graduate scheme that is managed by the National Skills Academy for Social Care. The last iteration of the scheme, which consisted of 20 trainees, has been independently evaluated and found to have been very effective in achieving its aims. The Department will continue to support the graduates' scheme in the future and we will work with partners in the social care sector to ensure the future of the scheme is secured and to make it the best scheme possible within the resources available.