Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Mike Wood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the Chilcot Inquiry can publicise all the evidence gathered; [182886]

(2) if he will remove Sir Jeremy Heywood from his role in deciding which documents should be released to the Chilcot Inquiry. [182887]

20 Jan 2014 : Column 32W

Mr Maude: The Iraq Inquiry has been provided with all of the documents it has requested. Procedures for the publication of Government documents by the inquiry are set out in the Protocol agreed between Government and the inquiry, which also sets out the role of the Cabinet Secretary. The Government have no plans to change this.

Lords Lieutenant: Durham

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if he will publish a detailed breakdown of the costs incurred by the lord lieutenant of County Durham in the fulfilment of her duties since her appointment to the role; [183016]

(2) if he will publish a detailed breakdown of the costs incurred by each of the deputy lords lieutenant of County Durham in the fulfilment of their duties since their appointment to that role; [183021]

(3) if he will publish a detailed breakdown of the costs incurred by the vice lord lieutenant of County Durham in the fulfilment of his duties since his appointment to that role. [183022]

Greg Clark: The Durham lieutenancy received an annual budget of £50,705 for the financial year 2013-14.

It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the costs incurred by the lord lieutenant for Durham, or the vice lord lieutenant when he is representing Durham, as it is one of 11 Metropolitan lieutenancies which submit bids each year for a fixed-amount of funding on the basis of an annual budget negotiated in advance by the lieutenancy and the Cabinet Office, Durham therefore does not provide expenses claims to the Cabinet Office.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what criteria and procedures were used for the appointment of each of the incumbent deputy lieutenants in County Durham; [183023]

(2) what criteria and procedures were used for the appointment of the incumbent vice lord lieutenant of County Durham; [183024]

(3) what criteria and procedures were used for the appointment of the incumbent Secretary to the lord lieutenant of County Durham; [183025]

(4) what the area of residence is of each of the incumbent deputy lieutenants in County Durham. [183017]

Greg Clark: Vice lords lieutenant are nominated by lord lieutenant following the consideration of available candidates. The nomination is submitted to the Prime Minister and the Queen for approval.

Appointment of deputy lieutenants in Durham is the responsibility of the lord lieutenant of Durham, subject only to the Queen not disapproving of the granting of the commission. Their residence is not a matter for central Government.

The selection procedure and job description of lords’ lieutenant secretaries is not determined by central Government.

20 Jan 2014 : Column 33W

National Income: South West

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) calculated on the basis of (a) production, (b) income and (c) expenditure were for (i) Swindon, (ii) Wiltshire and (iii) the South West region in each quarter in the years 2007-08 to 2012-13 before reconciliation to produce the single GDP figure for each quarter. [183606]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) calculated on the basis of (a) production, (b) income and (c) expenditure were for (i) Swindon, (ii) Wiltshire and (iii) the South West region in each quarter in the years 2007-08 to 2012-13 before reconciliation to produce the single GDP figure for each quarter (183606).

ONS does not produce regional estimates of GDP but we do publish estimates of regional Gross Value Added (GVA), which is a very similar economic concept to GDP. The main difference is that GVA is measured at current basic prices which reflect the amount received by the producer for a unit of goods or services excluding any taxes less subsidies on products. GDP is measured at market prices which reflect the price paid by the purchaser and therefore includes the effect of taxes and subsidies on products.

Regional GVA estimates at current basic prices are produced on an annual basis calculated using the income approach (GVA(I)). The table in Annex A shows the GVA(I) £m for the years 2007-2012 for Swindon, Wiltshire CC and the South West region. These figures are taken from the Regional GVA (Income Approach) statistical bulletin published in December 2013:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/regional-accounts/regional-gross-value-added--income-approach-/december-2013/stb-regional-gva-2012.html

ONS is committed to developing annual estimates of constant price regional GVA using the production approach (GVA(P)) by 2017. Experimental estimates were published in December 2013 but these are in a very early stage of development. A GVA balancing project will consider the viability of producing a single balanced measure of regional GVA (using the income and production estimates) in the future.

Unfortunately ONS does not produce regional estimates of GVA using the expenditure approach, as this is regarded as conceptually impractical.

Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which organisations and individuals received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in County Durham in each of the last five years. [183019]

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Mr Hurd: A list of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service winners are published in the London Gazette in June each year at:

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/exact=queen's+award+for+voluntary+service/start=1

Youth Work

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what responsibility his Department has for the youth worker workforce; and when such responsibilities were taken on. [183709]

Mr Hurd: In July 2013 Cabinet Office became the lead for youth policy, which includes the Government's relationship with the youth sector.

We recognise that the youth worker workforce play an important role in delivering high quality services that meet our ambition that all young people fulfil their potential.

The Government believe that organisations delivering services are best placed to decide how to configure and deploy their workforce.

Defence

Aircraft Carriers

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the most specific up-to-date timetable for the completion of the aircraft carrier programme will be released. [183601]

Mr Dunne: The revised programme announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 6 November 2013, Official Report, columns 251-254, will be subject to formal re-approval by the Ministry of Defence approval authorities in the spring of this year.

Based on the revised programme, we expect HMS Queen Elizabeth Sea Trials in 2017, First of Class Flying Trials in 2018 and Initial Operating Capability in 2020. The future of the second carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, will be decided as part of the next Strategic Defence and Security Review in 2015.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the overall budget for the costs of the aircraft carrier programme will be finalised. [183602]

Mr Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 November 2013, Official Report, column 399W, to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson). The revised programme will be subject to formal re-approval by the Ministry of Defence approval authorities. We expect this to take place in the spring of this year.

Armed Forces: Rehabilitation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what resources were made available in each of the last five years for rehabilitation of service personnel returning from Afghanistan. [182861]

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Anna Soubry: The Defence Medical Services (DMS) are responsible for the provision of rehabilitation: the clinical treatment of medical conditions arising from illness, wounding or injury. Once personnel seriously injured in operational theatre are sufficiently healed, most start a rehabilitation programme at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) at Headley Court. When discharged from the DMRC, other rehabilitation might then be provided to personnel at one of the 13 DMS regional rehabilitation units.

20 Jan 2014 : Column 36W

It is not possible separately to identify expenditure on the rehabilitation of service personnel injured in Afghanistan from those in other recent operations. However, the following net additional (or marginal) costs of military operations (NACMO), funded from the HM Treasury Special Reserve, for the rehabilitation of those injured in recent operations has been incurred in the past four financial years (FY), and forecast for this financial year

Army

Mr Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the regular Army transferred to the Territorial Army during (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14. [183134]

Anna Soubry: The number of ex-regular Army personnel that have joined the Territorial Army or Army Reserve since 1 April 2012 are shown in the following table:

Information prior to 1 April 2012 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Recruitment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from which portion of his Department's budget the planned new recruitment drive for the Army will be borne. [183011]

Anna Soubry: The current Army recruitment drive is being funded from within the Army's Top Level Budget.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials are employed in the project management team for the Recruiting Partnering Project for Army recruitment; and at what Civil Service pay bands such officials are employed. [183108]

Anna Soubry: The Recruiting Partnering Project (RPP) is a 10-year contract with Capita Business Services Ltd to deliver support to the Army's recruiting and selection operation for both regular and reserve personnel RPP relies upon very close working relations between Capita and the Army in a combined management structure, at all levels, and joint governance using existing bodies.

A Partnering Support Team has been set up to manage the project on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. This team, led by an Army colonel, is made up of five military and five civil service personnel. Civil service posts are made up of one Band CI and four Band C2 grades. The team currently has one external contractor, directly attached to it.

The Partnering Support Team is strongly supported by the wider Headquarters Army Recruiting and Training Directorate, based at Upavon.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the project management team for the Recruiting Partnering Project for Army recruitment first informed (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department of (i) delays and (ii) cost overruns in that programme. [183111]

Anna Soubry: Ministers and officials were advised of emerging issues over the new recruiting processes in early summer of 2013. Following further work in the Ministry of Defence, the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), concluded, in principle, in October 2013 that the long-term IT solution lay in reverting to the Capita option.

Despite the IT challenges, the cost of the Recruiting Partnering Project remains affordable within its original budget.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of whether the additional £1 million per month costs incurred by his Department as a result of changes announced to the Recruiting Partnering Project are likely to rise before the problems with that project are resolved. [183373]

Anna Soubry: The running costs of approximately £1 million per month are for the interim solution that we have put in place. On current assumptions, we do not expect these costs to increase.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the Army did not implement a contingency plan when it had become clear that there were delays and cost overruns in the Recruiting Partnering Project. [183374]

20 Jan 2014 : Column 37W

Anna Soubry: The new Army recruiting process started less than a year ago at the end of March 2013. The Army implemented a number of workaround solutions as soon as it became clear that there were some problems with the new processes, and is now making a variety of improvements to ensure the efficient and timely processing of candidate applications. These include: the introduction in December 2013 of a revised Army recruitment website; and by the end of January 2014 a simplified online application form and more streamlined medical clearance processes.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army and reserve applications he estimates have been lost as a result of faults in the Recruiting Partnering Project. [183375]

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not held and it is not possible accurately to estimate such totals.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a detailed rationale and criteria for his Department's 2011 decision to accept the Capita bid to run the Recruiting Partnering Project. [183377]

Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 14 March 2012, Official Report, column 323W.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings Ministers and officials in his Department have held with the project team for the Recruiting Partnering Project; and what was discussed at each such meeting. [183378]

Anna Soubry: Ministers and officials within the Ministry of Defence hold frequent and regular meetings with the relevant teams involved in Army recruiting, to discuss a wide variety of topics.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contingency plan his Department put in place in the event of delays and problems with its Recruiting Partnering Project. [183380]

Anna Soubry: We are continuing to successfully recruit Regular and Reserve soldiers using existing Ministry of Defence systems, which, although not designed for the new partnering arrangement, still enable us to process applications. Furthermore a range of initiatives are being put in place to make it progressively easier and quicker for an applicant to enlist. These include: the introduction in December 2013 of an updated Army recruitment website; and by the end of January 2014 a simplified online application form and more streamlined medical clearance processes.

In addition, the contingency plan if needed, was to adopt the Capita based solution.

AWE Aldermaston

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when decommissioning of the A1 facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston is scheduled to (a) commence and (b) finish; and what the anticipated cost is of decommissioning that facility. [183313]

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Mr Dunne: Work commenced on decommissioning the A1 facility in 2004 and is due to finish in 2030. The anticipated cost is estimated to be between £130 million and £150 million.

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which buildings occupied by his Department are owned or part-owned privately; what the total value is of the rent paid to private landlords for the use of such buildings for official duties; and to whom such rent is paid. [183635]

Dr Murrison: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when work on (a) the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator's review of the Ministry of Defence nuclear regulatory framework and (b) the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator's regulatory strategy will be complete; and whether his Department will publish those documents. [182982]

Mr Dunne: The Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR) initiated a Review in March 2013 of the Ministry of Defence (MOD) nuclear regulatory framework, broadly based on the established good practice set down by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Integrated Regulatory Review Service. The Review team was subject to independent oversight and reported in July 2013. It concluded that the DNSR currently has the resources, both internally and by contract, to undertake the full range of its responsibilities and that the MOD has an appropriate nuclear regulatory framework. There are a number of recommendations and suggestions that are being addressed by the DNSR.

The DNSR Strategy 2013 to 2023, setting out the broad medium and long-term direction and focus for the DNSR, was produced in October 2013.

The review and strategy documents will be considered for publication in due course.

HMS Tireless

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 719W, on HMS Tireless, what the cost of repairs was to HMS Tireless following that submarine's return to HM Naval Base Devonport in February 2013 with a leak in the reactor cooling circuit. [183297]

Mr Dunne: The HMS Tireless defect repair was undertaken at Devonport between February and June 2013 under the Warship Support Modernisation Initiative. Total direct costs are subject to ongoing negotiations.

Military Aviation Authority

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Military Aviation Authority to publish its Annual Air Safety Report for 2012-13. [182905]

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Anna Soubry: The Director General of the Military Aviation Authority's Annual Report on Defence Air Safety, for the period July 2012 to August 2013, is due to be published shortly.

Military Bases: Aldershot

Mr Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an estimate of the number of homes that could be made available for sale if any of the regimental headquarters in Aldershot were sold. [183054]

Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has no current plans to sell any of the regimental headquarters in Aldershot. As such there are no plans to dispose of any service family accommodation properties.

Mr Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an assessment of the potential economic effect of a relocation of the Aldershot base to the North West. [183055]

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Dr Murrison: In the Regular Army Basing Plan, published by the Ministry of Defence on 5 March 2013 and available in the Library of the House, the Department did not include any plans to move a unit from Aldershot to the North West.

Military Exercises

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assets and how many personnel are taking part in Exercise Red Flag; and what his estimate is of the cost to the public purse; [182909]

(2) what assets and how many personnel took part in the last five Red Flag exercises. [182910]

Mr Francois: The following table sets out the assets and personnel that have taken part in the last five Red Flag exercises, which are held at either Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada or Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska.

There are due to be 520 UK personnel involved in the forthcoming Red Flag exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in January to February 2014. Eight Typhoon, eight GR4 Tornado and one E3D Sentry aircraft will be taking part in the exercise. £2.25 million has been allocated for the exercise.

In accordance with the Data Protection Act and our obligations in relation to the protection of confidentiality when handling personal data, data have been rounded to the nearest 10. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Nuclear Weapons

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the timetable is for his planned renewal in 2014 of the 1958 US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement; and what steps have been taken to facilitate renewal of that agreement to date. [183311]

Mr Dunne: Work is under way in the UK and US to amend the treaty by the end of 2014.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the next Stocktake meeting between the Government and the US Administration under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement is scheduled to take place; and where that meeting will be held. [183312]

Mr Dunne: A Stocktake meeting took place at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, on 16 January 2014. The date and venue for the next meeting have not yet been set. Stocktake meetings are nominally annual, hosted equitably by the US and UK.

Pay

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the job title and brief job description is of every official in his Department earning over £100,000 per year; [183026]

(2) what the (a) pay and (b) pay scale is of employees within DE&S+ who earn over £100,000 per year. [183596]

Anna Soubry: This Government have made difficult decisions to tackle the deficit in the Defence budget inherited from the previous Administration. As part of this we have already reduced the Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian work force by over 20,500 (24%) since April 2010, and we will achieve our target reduction of some 32,000 (38%) by 2020. However, MOD civil servants manage some of the most complex and critical projects in the country and we have to be able to attract and retain high calibre people to undertake these challenging roles.

There are currently 36 civilian employees in the MOD who are paid in excess of £100,000. This figure represents around 0.05% of the civilian work force. Details of senior posts at the MOD, including job titles, salary information and brief job descriptions are published on a regular basis. The latest dataset from March 2013 was published in August 2013 and can be found at the following address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/departmental-organisation-charts-mod-2013

An updated dataset as at 30 September 2013 will be available on the same website shortly.

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Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff of each grade in his Department have the authority to make a purchase; what proportion of those staff have professional procurement qualifications; and what the key indicators used to assess procurement officers' performance are. [183474]

Anna Soubry: Ministry of Defence (MOD) procurement activity ranges from the purchase of low value consumable items through to complex equipment acquisition, support and services. These activities involve multi-disciplinary teams, including engineering, technical, finance, project management and procurement staff. There is clear separation of responsibilities between those authorising the initial requirement, those giving financial authority and those empowered to place contracts.

The MOD currently has around 1,700 civilian staff in the commercial function of which 1,200 are in active commercial roles and are authorised to sign contracts with suppliers. Others are responsible for commercial policy, development and administration. Of the 1,700 posts, 21 are Senior Civil Service, 200 are Band B, 900 are Band C, 450 are Band D, 75 are Band E and 50 are in graduate and similar training grades.

Commercial staff must demonstrate the necessary levels of functional competence and experience to be licensed and receive a formal commercial delegation. Some 60% of commercial staff currently hold, or are working towards, qualifications in the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS). This is expected to rise to around 75% in 2015. The MOD is also developing an advanced commercial skills programme to supplement this with training relevant to the MOD's complex acquisition process, which goes beyond standard CIPS training.

As with all MOD staff, commercial officers are subject to annual performance reviews which assess how well they are meeting their personal objectives. These objectives are set individually by the line manager and will vary according to the specific requirements of each post.

Telephone Services

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the Cabinet Office Guidance for Customer Service Helplines, published on 26 December 2013, when his Department expects to comply with the instruction set out in that guidance that non-geographic 084 numbers should by default use the 03 prefix. [183205]

Mr Dunne: The Department is currently assessing and scoping the Cabinet Office guidance for customer service helplines with a view to its implementation. It is intended that departmental implementation will align with the Cabinet Office deadlines due to be published in spring 2014.

Training

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Ministers in his Department have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each

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such course what the

(a)

name of the course provider,

(b)

purpose of the course and

(c)

cost of each session in the course was. [183219]

Anna Soubry: None of the Ministers currently serving in the Ministry of Defence has undertaken any training courses.

Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in his Department in each of the last three years. [183655]

Anna Soubry: Information on the number of people who may have undertaken work experience placements in the Ministry of Defence in the last three years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Work and Pensions

Child Maintenance

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the progress of the Child Support Agency in restarting committal proceedings since the end of the moratorium. [182895]

Steve Webb: Since the end of the moratorium the Child Support Agency has applied for hearing dates for cases where a parent has had their committal suspended in an initial hearing on condition they comply with certain payment conditions and has subsequently defaulted (“show cause” cases). In these cases the Agency has generally been successful in getting agreement from the courts to lift the suspension of the measures imposed.

While the flow of new commitment cases has reduced significantly as a consequence of revised procedures, the Agency is no longer confining cases going to court to “show cause” cases. Other new applications have now been lodged in court and hearing dates assigned which will fully test out our revised processes and procedures. Providing these cases progress satisfactorily, a number of other cases which are at an earlier stage in the enforcement process are likely to quickly follow.

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many cases the Child Support Agency has started committal proceedings in each of the last five years. [182896]

Steve Webb: Information on the number of cases in which the Child Support Agency has started committal proceedings is only readily available from 2010. The following table shows the number of cases where committal proceedings were started for each of the last three complete financial years and the current year to date:

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Other information on the outcome of committal proceedings which may be relevant is available on page 40 of the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-statistics-september-2013

Council Tax Benefits: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington North constituency have been living in the same property and in receipt of council tax benefit since 1996; and what estimate he has made of the number of these people who have (a) received transitional council tax benefit, (b) erroneously had their benefit cancelled and (c) moved home following erroneous deductions from their benefit. [183406]

Steve Webb: Council tax benefit was abolished in April 2013 and replaced by local council tax reduction schemes in England. Therefore it is not possible for anyone to have been living in the same property and in continuous receipt of the benefit since 1996.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the guidance given by his Department to those dealing with claims for employment and support allowance where the claimant is known to be addicted to alcohol or drugs. [182813]

Mike Penning: Guidance for Atos health care professionals and the relevant extract of guidance for DWP decision makers and advisers who deal with claims for employment and support allowance where the claimant is known to be addicted to alcohol or drugs will be published in the House of Commons Library.

It should be noted that guidance is constantly updated and therefore subject to change.

Employment: Older Workers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to increase the employment prospects of those aged over 50. [183682]

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus advisers have the flexibility to offer all claimants, including older people, a comprehensive menu of help which includes skills provision and job search support. All claimants who are long term unemployed can access the tailored, back to work support from the Work Programme.

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Jobcentres have the freedom to innovate approaches to help older people. Examples of approaches currently being used in some districts across the country include:

Delivering customer focus groups for older people to ascertain their needs to help develop future provision for this group.

Information sessions specific to older claimant's needs covering CVs/job applications, interviews, further support and moving into employment or self-employment.

Providing dedicated advisers for claimants aged over 50.

Work clubs for claimants aged over 50.

IT provision aimed specifically at older claimants.

In addition, DWP is developing and sharing an internal Good Practice Guide—“Creating Opportunities and Breaking Down Barriers” by the end of March 2014 and taking steps to ensure advisers are able to meet the needs of older claimants.

On retention: DWP's Age Positive Initiative provides guidance on employing older workers and the business benefits of adopting flexible approaches. BIS' Mid-life career review was set up to prevent early labour market fall out. In 2014, the State-funded DWP Health and Work Advisory Service will make occupational health expertise more widely available; helping employees get back to work more quickly, thereby reducing the chance of them falling out of work altogether.

Health and Safety Executive

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made in appointing a chief executive for the Health and Safety Executive; and if he will make a statement. [183678]

Mike Penning: The decision has been taken to re-run the recruitment exercise for the chief executive of the Health and Safety Executive.

The triennial review has affirmed many of the positive aspects of what the organisation does and has also identified some real opportunities for the future which will require a somewhat different skill set in the chief executive. These factors are being taken into account in rerunning the process.

Housing Benefit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received more than (a) £60,000, (b) £70,000, (c) £80,000, (d) £90,000 and (e) £100,000 in housing benefit in each of the last six years. [183271]

Steve Webb: The information requested is available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

To obtain the information divide the yearly amounts requested by 52.18 to give the weekly amount of housing benefit in payment then a search can be done in Stat Xplore for the number of cases with those weekly amounts in payment.

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Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what spending in cash terms is projected on housing benefit in each of the next three years; and how much it is projected to be in respect of (a) out-of-work claimants and (b) claimants in work in each year. [183679]

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available. Housing benefit (HB) expenditure forecasts are produced by statistical group, rather than earnings status. Table 1 shows HB expenditure forecasts for:

(a) claimants receiving DWP benefits, who are mainly not in work, but which will include expenditure on a small proportion of claimants with small amounts of earnings, and

(b) claimants not receiving DWP benefits, of which around 90% is on claimants who have earnings.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the spending on housing benefit has been in cash terms in each year since 2009; and how much was paid in respect of (a) out-of-work claimants and (b) claimants in work in each year. [183681]

Steve Webb: The following table shows out-turn expenditure on housing benefit by work status.

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Housing Benefit: Preston

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Preston constituency under the age of 25 years old are recipients of housing benefit. [183302]

Steve Webb: The information requested is shown in the following table:

This information is published and can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households that have suffered a bereavement since April 2013 have been affected by the implementation of the under-occupancy charge in social housing in (a) the metropolitan borough of Wirral, (b) Birkenhead constituency and (c) the UK. [182921]

Esther McVey: The information requested is unavailable.

Housing benefit claimants who suffer a bereavement have a 12-month grace period before the size criteria rules are applied to the deceased person's bedroom. Where the deceased person is a partner this will have no effect, even after 12 months.

Therefore the number of households who are subject to the removal of the spare room subsidy as a result of a bereavement since April 2013 would be zero, where they have not had any other change to their circumstances or moved address.

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been wrongly identified as liable to pay the under-occupancy penalty in Halton constituency. [183531]

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Industrial Health and Safety

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the Health and Safety Executive has applied a Fee for Intervention in each month since October 2012; and what the total of such fees in each such month was. [183348]

Mike Penning: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issue Fee for Intervention invoices every two months. Since the introduction of Fee for Intervention on 1 October 2012 the number and value of the invoices that have been issued are as follows:

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These figures are regularly published on the HSE website. They can be found here

http://www.hse.gov.uk/fee-for-intervention/ffi-invoices-oct12-jul13.pdf

FFI was introduced on 1 October 2012; any regulatory work HSE commenced before this date but which remains ongoing is exempt from Fee for Intervention. Since 1 October 2012 the proportion of ongoing regulatory work exempt from FFI has gradually reduced as interventions have been concluded. This has resulted in the number of Fee for Intervention invoices gradually rising as the proportion of cost recoverable work increases in line with new interventions.

National Insurance

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many citizens of Romania and Bulgaria registered for a national insurance number in the first two weeks of January 2014. [183616]

20 Jan 2014 : Column 48W

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available. The Department publishes quarterly national statistics on national insurance number registrations to adult overseas nationals.

Statistics for the period 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2014 will be published on 22 May 2014. These statistics will be available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Occupational Pensions

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the Government's annual contribution to an auto-enrolment pension scheme is for an employee earning (a) £10,000, (b) £20,000, (c) £30,000 and (d) £40,000 a year. [183442]

Steve Webb: The legal minimum rate for individual contributions to an automatic enrolment pension scheme in 2013-14 is 1% of earnings between the lower limit (£5,668) and the upper limit (£41,450) of the 2013-14 qualifying earnings band (QEB). This will rise to a minimum of 5% of earnings in the QEB from October 2018.

Many employees pay more than the legal minimum rate of contributions, and also contribute to pensions from the first pound of earnings. The following table illustrates the Government's annual contribution to an auto-enrolment pension scheme for employees earning at the following levels in 2013-14 for a range of these possibilities.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of including pre-1997 indexation in determining the pensions of those covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme; [183684]

(2) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of increasing to 100% the pension rights payable to those covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme; [183685]

(3) what average pension is payable to those people covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme; [183686]

(4) what estimate he has made of the total value of pension liabilities covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme. [183687]

Steve Webb: In 2010 we estimated that the cost of providing pre-1997 indexation at RPI capped at 2.5% would be around £845 million (net present value) and the cost of providing assistance set at 100% of the expected pension would be around £550 million (net present value). It should be noted that these estimates are now out of date and cannot be relied upon as a reflection of the costs today.

We do not know the average pension payable to people covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme. However, in November 2013, the average annual amount of assistance paid to those covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme, including those whose annuities are being topped up, was £3,415.

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We have made no estimate of the total value of pension liabilities covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme.

Social Security

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to complete a review of the operation of local discretionary welfare provision in 2013-14 before discontinuing funding for such provision. [183548]

Steve Webb: It was always the intention that 2014-15 would be the last year of separate funding for local welfare provision from the Department for Work and Pensions. Councils will continue to provide support to those in their community who face financial difficulties or who find themselves in unavoidable circumstances.

In contrast to a centralised grant system that was poorly targeted, councils can now choose how to best to support local welfare needs within their areas.

This Government continue to provide support to local authorities through general funds as part of the Government's commitment to reducing ring-fencing and ending top-down Whitehall control.

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received from local authorities on the effect of changes to local discretionary welfare provision on the local provision of food banks. [183549]

Steve Webb: I have received no representations.

Social Security Benefits

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 241W, on social security benefits, if he will publish the written guidance provided to staff to help them decide whether a short-term benefit advance is appropriate. [182820]

Esther McVey: A copy of the current written guidance, which staff use to help them decide whether a short term benefit advance is appropriate, will be published and placed in the House of Commons Library.

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information the Government have recently made available about accessing local welfare provision in their area. [183697]

Steve Webb: We have made no specific information available recently. However, to promote awareness of the new arrangements, we continue to work very closely with English local authorities and the devolved nations to support them in delivering their services so that claimants can get timely access to the support available from both the Department and the provision in their communities. This includes messages on the Department’s telephone inquiry lines, scripts for DWP staff to use in jobcentres and call centres, messages on customer letters and information on the benefits pages on the www.gov.uk website.

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Social Security Benefits: Disability

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps his Department has taken to ensure that young disabled people continue to receive support in the period between termination of disability living allowance for children and carer's allowance and successful application for personal independence payments; [183049]

(2) how many young disabled people were without support between termination of disability living allowance for children and carer's allowance and successful application for personal independence payments in the latest period for which data are available; and what the average length of time is that such support was not available. [183050]

Mike Penning: Personal independence payment (PIP) is not available to disabled people aged 15 or younger and they can continue to claim and receive disability living allowance (DLA). Since 28 October 2013, we have started the process of inviting existing recipients of DLA to claim PIP if:

we receive information about a change in care or mobility needs on or after 28 October;

their fixed term award is due to expire on or after 17 March 2014;

they turn 16 years old (unless they have been awarded DLA under the Special Rules for terminally ill people); or

an existing DLA claimant wishes to claim PIP instead of their DLA.

We are rolling out this process of inviting existing DLA claimants to claim PIP in a controlled way. Details of how we are doing that can be found in the PIP Toolkit:

www.gov.uk/dwp/pip-toolkit

Where someone in receipt of DLA chooses to claim PIP, and they comply with all claiming requirements, their DLA, and any associated payment of carer's allowance paid to their carer, will stay in payment while their claim to PIP is being considered. Once a decision on PIP has been made the claimant's DLA will continue to be paid for four weeks before the PIP decision takes effect. These arrangements ensure that there will be no gap in payment for all existing DLA claimants who chose to claim PIP. Any continued payment of carer's allowance will be dependent on the disabled person having been awarded either rate of the daily living component of PIP.

Social Security Benefits: Wirral

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of people claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) employment and support allowance, (c) disability living allowance and (d) housing benefit in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral; and what the average duration of each such claim is. [183500]

Esther McVey: Employment and support allowance and disability living allowance claimants, by duration of current claim, can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool

Guidance for users is available at:

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https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203439/tab-tool-guidance.pdf

Jobseeker's allowance claimants by duration of current claim can be found at:

www.nomisweb.co.uk

Guidance for users is available at:

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Statistics on housing benefit claimants can be found at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/dataCatalogueExplorer.xhtml

Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

The information requested for housing benefit by duration of claim is not currently available, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department intended to uprate work allowances before adoption of the new policy plans referred to on page 135, box 4.5, of the Economic and Fiscal Outlook published by the Office for Budget Responsibility on 5 December 2013. [183070]

Esther McVey: In the autumn statement 2012, Government included a working assumption that universal credit work allowances would be uprated by 1% in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

However, the policy aim in universal credit has always been that the new work allowances should ensure that overall benefit expenditure is sustainable, while improving work incentives and creating a better targeted and more generous system.

We believe the plan set out in the autumn statement 2013 achieves this balance.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people will be subject to improved incentives to work as a result of universal credit following the adoption of the new policy plans referred to on page 135, box 4.5, of the Economic and Fiscal Outlook published by the Office for Budget Responsibility on 5 December 2013. [183071]

Esther McVey: Universal credit will encourage claimants to move into employment by allowing individuals to keep more of their income as they move into work and by introducing a smoother and more transparent reduction of benefits.

Once universal credit is fully rolled out, there will be a reduction of around 90% in the number of households losing more than 70% of their earnings when starting work of 10 hours per week.

Overall it is estimated that up to 300,000 individuals will move into work as a result of universal credit, through improved financial incentives, increased simplicity of the system and increased conditionality.

These estimates are consistent with the policy assumptions underpinning the universal credit costings published by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

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Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people will be subject to improved incentives to increase the number of hours they work as a result of universal credit following the adoption of the new policy plans referred to on page 135, box 4.5, of the Economic and Fiscal Outlook published by the Office for Budget Responsibility on 5 December 2013. [183072]

Esther McVey: Universal credit will encourage claimants to move into employment and to work more by introducing a smoother and more transparent reduction of benefits when they increase their earnings.

In universal credit, there will be virtually no households with marginal deduction rates above 80%, compared to 800,000 households in today's benefit system. 1.5 million will have improved incentives to work more under universal credit.

These estimates are consistent with the policy assumptions underpinning the universal credit costings published by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people will be financially better off as a result of universal credit following the adoption of the new policy plans referred to on page 135, box 4.5, of the Economic and Fiscal Outlook published by the Office for Budget Responsibility on 5 December 2013. [183073]

Esther McVey: Once fully rolled out, 3 million households gain on average £177 per month (in 2013-14 prices) from universal credit after taking account of the work allowance freeze. Transitional protection will ensure that there will be no cash losers under universal credit, providing their circumstances remain the same.

These estimates are consistent with the policy assumptions underpinning the universal credit costings published by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 455W, on universal credit, how many of the recruited IT specialists will be (a) on the Civil Service pay grade system and (b) contracted separately; and what estimate he has made of the cost of salaries of specialists in the latter category. [183370]

Esther McVey: At present we are unable to provide estimates for the number of IT specialists that will be recruited in categories (a) and (b) as this activity is ongoing.

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding will be made available to local authorities to implement the local support services framework for universal credit; and when such funding will be made available. [183698]

Esther McVey: Work to understand the resource implications of LSS continues with a range of organisations. Discussions about the most appropriate means of distributing LSS funding continue with local authority associations—details will be provided as soon as possible.

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Vacancies: Corby

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment vacancies were advertised in each Jobcentre Plus office serving Corby constituency in each month since May 2010. [183674]

Esther McVey: In November 2012 we introduced Universal Jobmatch, which replaced adverts in Jobcentre Plus offices, therefore we only have figures to meet this request up to that point. The full and part-time vacancy numbers for the Corby constituency from May 2010 to November 2012 are in Table 1. We are unable to provide this information to Jobcentre level.

Interpretation of Nomis data needs to take account of changes in recent years to Jobcentre Plus procedures for taking and handling vacancies. These figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate developments in the labour market. A more detailed explanation is available on the Nomis website.

Work Capability Assessment

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice he has given to ATOS relating to the Armed Forces Covenant when considering assessments in relation to the work capability assessments of former members of HM armed forces; and if he will make a statement. [183393]

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Mike Penning: The Armed Forces Covenant helps ensure that serving personnel, veterans and their families are not disadvantaged in the benefits system.

Agreed procedures for dealing with employment and support allowance claims from severely disabled military personnel are contained in Schedule 28 of the contract between DWP and Atos.

When a Service Medical Board decides a severely disabled person can no longer be employed in the armed forces and should be discharged, DWP now uses the Service Medical Board evidence to determine eligibility for employment and support allowance to avoid unnecessary face-to-face assessments.

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) if he will make changes to the Atos assessment system to make sure that those with severe progressive conditions, who would struggle to find employment, are not deemed fit to work by Atos; [183620]

(2) what guidance his Department has issued to Atos Healthcare on the fitness to work of those with (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) other severe progressive conditions. [183621]

Mike Penning: Under current arrangements, claimants with severe progressive conditions will be placed in the employment and support allowance support group if they meet the legislative criteria and will not be required to undertake work-related activity unless they request to do so.

It should be noted, however, that eligibility for employment and support allowance—determined through the work capability assessment—is based on the functional impact of the claimant's condition(s) and not the condition(s) itself or themselves. Assessments consider whether the claimant is functionally capable of work, not their employability.

DWP decision makers and not Atos health care professionals make the decision on eligibility for employment and support allowance. In doing so they consider all the available evidence, including advice from the Atos health care professional. Guidance and training for Atos Healthcare professionals, agreed with the Department, is contained within Schedule 28 of the contract between DWP and Atos and contains a number of documents relating to severe progressive conditions, an evidence based protocol on multiple sclerosis and a learning set on multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease.

Communities and Local Government

Planning Authorities

17. Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward legislative proposals to include planning enforcement in the statutory functions of planning authorities. [902047]

Nick Boles: Local planning authorities already have statutory planning enforcement powers, which were significantly strengthened through the Localism Act and through reformed temporary stop notices.

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Betting Shops

18. Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to support communities in controlling the number of high street betting shops. [902048]

Nick Boles: Local authorities already have a range of powers and tools which they can use to deal with this issue and support mixed and vibrant local high streets.

Park Home Residents

19. Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to protect park home residents from excessive charges by site owners. [902049]

Kris Hopkins: For far too long site owners were able to exploit park home owners, increasing their pitch fees year on year with no explanation, but not any more. Thanks to the Mobile Homes Act 2013, home owners now know what they are being asked to pay for and why.

Burial: Fees and Charges

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of recent changes in burial fees charged by local authorities. [902050]

Brandon Lewis: My Department does not collect data on the changes in burial fees charged by local authorities.

Fees and burial charges vary substantially. Research in 2000-01 found a range from £6 to £4,000 for burial rights in a double grave.

The last Administration told councils to hike up town hall charges and fees. We disagree—councils should not be hammering families with stealth taxes.

While local authorities have the power to cover their costs on burial plots, the loss of a loved one should never be an opportunity for profit.

Councils should instead be making sensible savings by cutting the waste and inefficiency that is endemic in the public sector.

Council Housing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council houses have been sold under the right to buy scheme since May 2010; and how many council houses have been completed in that time. [183497]

Kris Hopkins: Statistics on right to buy sales are published in the Department’s live tables 691, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales

Over the period from April 2010 to September 2013, there have been 16,349 right to buy sales of local authority owned dwellings.

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Statistics on delivery of affordable housing are published in the Department’s live tables 1000, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply

The data underlying in this table can be used to estimate that 5,720 dwellings for social or affordable rent were built or acquired by local authorities over the period from April 2010 to March 2013.

The one-for-one replacement policy applies to additional local authority sales—that is, sales above the level forecast before the changes were made—that have taken place since the reinvigoration of the right to buy in April 2012.

Since the reinvigoration, local authorities have sold 10,953 homes, approximately 6,400 of which are additional. Since April 2012, 1,662 dwellings have been started on site or acquired.

There will invariably be a certain time lag between the right to buy sale and the construction of the new build home, but the replacement timetable is in control of the local authority. If a council were to fail to spend the receipts within three years, it would be required to return the unspent money to Government with interest. This provides a strong financial incentive for any slow-coach councils to use this new funding and get on with building more homes for local people.

Families: Disadvantaged

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress his Department has made towards the goal of turning around 120,000 families by 2015. [183418]

Kris Hopkins: Local authorities are making good progress and the programme is on track. As at the end of October 2013, they had turned around over 22,000 families; identified over 92,000 families; and were working with around half of these families.

A breakdown by individual local authority can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/troubled-families-progress-information-at-september-2013-and-families-turned-around-at-october-2013

The latest performance information and results claims are currently being submitted by local authorities and collated by my Department. These will be published in due course.

Homelessness

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how much each London local authority spent on homelessness in each year since 2009-10; [175861]

(2) what estimate he has made of the gross expenditure by local authorities on homelessness in each English region in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; [175912]

(3) what estimate he has made of the gross cost to local authorities in each English region of temporary accommodation in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; [175913]

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(4) what estimate he has made of the likely gross cost to local authorities in each English region of (a) homelessness and (b) temporary accommodation in 2013-14; [175914]

(5) what the gross expenditure was in each London local authority from the General Fund on homelessness in each year from 2009-10 to 2012-13; [175915]

(6) what the gross expenditure was in each London local authority on temporary accommodation in each year from 2009-10 to 2012-13. [175916]

Kris Hopkins: Figures showing local authority expenditure on homelessness and temporary accommodation can be found online:

2009-10 outturn:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121108165934/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/2031752.xls

2010-11 outturn:

https://www.gov.uk.government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/16450/Revenue_Outturn_RO4_data_2010-11_by_LA_-_27-Nov-2012-v2.xls

2011-12 outturn:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/244494/Revenue_Outturn__RO4__data_2011-12_by_LA_-_24-Sep-2013.xls

2012-13 outturn:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/261816/Revenue_Outturn_RO4_data_2012-13_by_LA_-_28-Nov-2013.xls

My Department does not produce statistics by the former Government office regions.

Net current expenditure on homelessness by local authorities in England was £298 million in 2009-10, £343 million in 2010-11, £305 million in 2011-12 and £342 million in 2012-13. This covers expenditure on temporary accommodation, homelessness prevention, homelessness support and administration.

Homelessness is lower now than in 27 of the last 30 years. We have retained a strong homelessness safety net protected in law, supported by £470 million of funding (over and above general grant to local authorities) in the current spending review to prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities from evictions of families who have fallen into arrears since the introduction of the under-occupancy penalty. [182271]

Kris Hopkins: My Department has made no such estimates.

However, I would refer the hon. Member to my answer of 28 November 2013, Official Report, column 389-390W, which observed there has been no notable rise in eviction claims, and my answer of 27 November 2013, Official Report, column 340W, which observed there had been no adverse rise in arrears, voids or rent collection.

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The removal of the spare room subsidy is estimated to save £490 million of taxpayers' money in Great Britain in 2013-14 by reducing the benefit bill, helping pay off the budget deficit left by the last Administration. The measure also encourages the more effective use of social housing, by addressing the under-occupation of family homes.

Housing: Construction

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new dwelling completions per 1,000 housing stock there have been since December 2006 in each local authority area. [182828]

Kris Hopkins: My Department publishes historic figures for housebuilding completions by district, at live tables 253 and 253a, which can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

Historic dwelling stock estimates, by district, can be found at Live Table 125:

www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants

The underlying information is thus reasonably accessible for any further analysis that my hon. Friend may wish to undertake.

Local Government Finance

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities were in receipt of the Efficiency Support Grant Bonus in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much each such local authority received. [183478]

Brandon Lewis: On 21 May 2013 the following local authorities received Efficiency Support Grant as follows:

Local Growth Fund

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what weight he will place on (a) sustainability and (b) cycling promotion when assessing bids under the Local Growth Fund. [183115]

Kris Hopkins [holding answer 17 January 2014]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Cities and the Constitution, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark) on 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 497W.

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New Towns

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) whether the Government have considered recommendations for any sites for new towns or cities in Oxfordshire since May 2010; [182949]

(2) what locations the Government have considered for new towns or cities in the South East since 2010. [182950]

Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) on 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 694W.

Non-domestic Rates: Public Houses

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions his Department has had on reforming the way the rateable value of pubs is determined for the purposes of business rates. [183484]

Brandon Lewis: The Government announced in the autumn statement that they will consider longer term administrative reforms of business rates which maintain the aggregate tax yield. We will publish a discussion paper in the spring and consult with interested parties including those from the pub sector.

Parking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent local authorities imposing excessive parking charges and pursuing aggressive parking enforcement. [183038]

Brandon Lewis: Councils should be treating motorists fairly, not treating parking charges and fines as a way of raising revenue. On 6 December we published a consultation on local authority parking that sets out our plans to reform the rules around local authority parking. The closing date for the consultation is 14 February 2014.

Private Rented Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what steps his Department has taken to promote longer tenancies for tenants in the private rented sector; [183471]

(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of measures to promote longer tenancies in the private rented sector. [183472]

Kris Hopkins: The Government announced in October 2013 that they would encourage landlords and tenants to consider longer tenancies by publishing a model tenancy agreement in early 2014 and finalising a Tenants' Charter. This work is under way.

The English Housing Survey includes questions on the length of tenancies, and trends in tenancy lengths will be kept under review.

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Procurement

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what weighting his Department's procurement procedures give to (a) the location of a company and its workforce, (b) the extent to which a company has a strong environmental record, (c) whether the company is a social enterprise and (d) other company history prior performance. [182633]

Brandon Lewis: DCLG's procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector procurers are required to assess value for money from the perspective of the contracting authority, using criteria linked to the subject matter of the contract, including compliance with the published specification. Such criteria cannot include supplier type or location.

Wider socio-economic criteria can be taken into account at tender evaluation stage if they relate directly to the subject matter of a contract from the point of view of the contracting authority.

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what value of contracts procured by his Department in the last five years was carried out below EU thresholds. [182650]

Brandon Lewis: Departmental records show that the value of contracts below the relevant EU procurement thresholds were as follows. The figures provided exclude low value procurements (less than £20,000 in 2009 to 2012 and less than £10,000 in 2013) which were undertaken by individual business units.

Information provided relates to calendar years to coincide with periods covered by EU thresholds, which are updated every two years and applied on 1 January.

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion and value of his Department's contracts have been let (a) under the restricted procedure, (b) by the open procedure, (c) via framework agreements and (d) via a tendering process involving the use of a pre-qualification questionnaire in each of the last three years. [182684]

Brandon Lewis: Departmental records show the value and proportion of contracts as follows:

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Information provided relates to calendar years in order to coincide with periods covered by EU thresholds which are updated every two years and applied on 1 January. The table illustrates the Department's move to support small businesses, away from overly bureaucratic pre-qualification questionnaire and towards open tendering.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of his Department's overall procurement spend for each of the previous three financial years was (a) spent on joint procurement exercises with other departments and (b) shared between different organisations within the same department group. [182775]

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 15 January 2014]: My Department uses the centrally negotiated framework agreements operated by the Crown Commercial service (formerly Government Procurement Service) to purchase common goods and services where typically Whitehall and other public bodies volumes have been leveraged to deliver value for money for taxpayers.

A list of the Government Procurement Framework Agreements that the Department participates in is listed in my answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, columns 654-55W.

Details of our procurement spending are provided in the following table:

There is no procurement spend that is through contracts accessible to one or more organisations within the DCLG family but not accessible to organisations outside the Department.

The table reflects the simple fact that we have reduced departmental spending, and should not be misinterpreted as any reduction in our commitment to joint procurement.

The DCLG group is reducing its annual running costs by 41% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532 million over this spending review period.