Sleeping Rough: Greater London

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were sleeping rough in London in each of the last three years. [174432]

Kris Hopkins: The annual rough sleeper headline figure provides a snapshot of rough sleeping levels in England on a single night. The following table sets out the number of people counted or estimated as sleeping rough in each of the last three years in London.

The change in rough sleeping in London has been influenced by the “No Second Night Out” initiative, which has actively sought to identify—and then help—more rough sleepers, uncovering rough sleeping which was previously hidden or under-reported. This is in contrast to the counts under the last Administration which systematically under-estimated or ignored the true level of rough sleeping.

We took the important decision to introduce a more accurate assessment of rough sleeping levels to ensure we have a clearer national picture with information from every local authority. Figures collected previously did not include information from the majority of local authorities and so did not give a reliable assessment of the extent of rough sleeping.

As a result of the successful introduction of the “No Second Night Out” initiative in London, which we are supporting other areas across England to take up, more rough sleepers are now being found and given the help they need. Around three-quarters of new rough sleepers in London do not spend a second night out.

According to CHAIN (Combined Homeless and Information Network) data, the majority of rough sleepers in London are foreign nationals.

My Department's activities have included education campaigns led by the voluntary sector warning those coming here without appropriate support about the dangers of ending up destitute and sleeping rough on our streets. European Economic Area nationals who are begging or sleeping rough will be administratively removed. From the beginning of the year they will then be barred from re-entry for 12 months, unless they can prove they have a proper reason to be here, such as a job.

More broadly, we are investing £470 million over the current spending review period to help local authorities and voluntary sector partners prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. This includes £34 million to the Greater London Authority to tackle rough sleeping across the capital; £20 million to support the national roll out of the “No Second Night Out” standard and protect vital front-line services

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and, £5 million for a Social Impact Bond which we have developed with the Greater London Authority to work with approximately 831 people with significant experience of rough sleeping in London over the past two years.

We have also supported the voluntary sector to deliver “StreetLink” a national rough sleeping hotline, website and app, to connect rough sleepers to local services. In London, “No Second Night Out” is making a big difference. The CHAIN annual data for 2012-13 show that “No Second Night Out” helped ensure that three quarters (75%) of new rough sleepers spend just a single night on London's streets. All local authorities have committed to adopt the “No Second Night Out” approach.

The information is also available in the statistical release “Rough sleeping in England: autumn 2012”, at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rough-sleeping-in-england-autumn-2012

More detailed information on rough sleeping in London is collected through CHAIN (Combined Homeless and Information Network) for the Greater London Authority. This contains detailed information on London's rough sleepers collected over the year such as age, sex, nationality and support needs.

The CHAIN annual report for 2012-13 is available at

http://www.broadwaylondon.org/CHAIN/Reports/StreettoHomeReports.html

Sleeping Rough: North East

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were sleeping rough in the North East in each of the last three years. [175224]

Kris Hopkins: Figures for individual local authorities are published in Table 1 of the Department's “Rough Sleeping in England” publications for each of autumn 2010, autumn 2011 and autumn 2012. These are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics

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

We took the important decision to introduce a more accurate assessment of rough sleeping levels to ensure we have a clearer national picture with information from every local authority. Figures collected previously did not include information from the majority of local authorities and so did not give a reliable assessment of the extent of rough sleeping.

We are investing £470 million over the spending review period to help local authorities and voluntary sector partners prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. This includes £20 million to support the national roll out of the “No Second Night Out” standard and protect vital front line services.

In London, “No Second Night Out” is making a big difference. The CHAIN annual data for 2012-13 shows that No Second Night Out helped ensure that three quarters (75%) of new rough sleepers spend just a single night on London's streets; the majority of rough sleepers in London are foreign nationals. All local authorities have committed to adopt the “No Second Night Out” approach. We have also supported the voluntary sector

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to deliver “StreetLink” a national rough sleeping hotline, website and app, to connect rough sleepers to local services.

Social Rented Housing

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many void social housing properties with (a) one bedroom, (b) two bedrooms, (c) three bedrooms and (d) four bedrooms there are in each local authority area. [183479]

Kris Hopkins: The Department does not hold this information. Information on void (or vacant) dwellings is collected through the local authority housing statistics return but these figures are not split by the number of bedrooms.

Social Rented Housing: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses have been brought back into use in the London Borough of Havering as a result of changes to the under-occupancy penalty. [183040]

Kris Hopkins: This information is not collected centrally.

The removal of the spare room subsidy is helping make better use of our housing stock through encouraging the effective use of social housing. There were approaching 1 million extra rooms being paid for by housing benefit for working age social rented sector tenants; this is not affordable or acceptable when others are living in overcrowded accommodation.

This change will help us get to grips with the housing benefit bill giving savings of nearly £500 million this year, ensuring a fair deal for the taxpayer and helping tackle the deficit left by the last Administration.

Social Security Benefits

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for ongoing local welfare provision following the withdrawal of support from the Department for Work and Pensions to local authorities in April 2015. [183696]

Brandon Lewis: Ministers have regular discussions with other Government Departments on matters of mutual interest.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, columns 87-8W, on telephone services, which organisations receive grant funding from or have contracts with his Department; how many telephone lines each organisation operates with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843; how many calls each line has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case. [182930]

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Brandon Lewis [holding answer 16 January 2014]: It would incur disproportionate cost to ascertain the telephone numbers of every organisation which receives grant funding or has contracts with the Department—as this will include every local authority in England.

As part of my Department's transparency agenda, details of our spending over £250 (including grant funding) are routinely published on our website.

Education

Academies

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much (a) start-up, (b) revenue and (c) capital funding has been allocated to 16-19 academies and free schools that have opened since 2010. [182532]

Mr Timpson: Nine 16-19 academies and free schools have opened since 2010. In their recent report “Establishing Free Schools”, the National Audit Office said that the Department had set up new schools quickly and at low cost.

To date, the 16-19 academies and free schools have been allocated an average of £6,853,613 each in start-up, revenue and capital funding.

This is in comparison to an average cost of £25 million per school under the last Government's Building Schools for the Future programme.

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) schools and (b) academies that have established sixth forms since 2010 were found to be (i) inadequate and (ii) satisfactory or requiring improvement by Ofsted at its last inspection. [182534]

Mr Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what financial arrangements have been made by his Department with any former private schools that have converted to academy status since May 2010. [183147]

Mr Timpson: There is no specific budget for fee paying schools to convert to the state sector. Each application is considered on its merits. Once converted, the funding arrangements for each school are set out in the funding agreements, published on the Department for Education's website.

Academies: ICT

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many academies have supplied tablets to their students; whether such academies are required to impose filters on such tablets; and if he will make a statement. [183317]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold information on school equipment. This is held by individual schools. Academies can make their own decisions on ICT expenditure, including the purchase of tablets.

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Individual schools are responsible for ensuring that ICT systems are secure. This should address the following:

1. Protecting pupils from external threats, which may be brought into the school through an internet connection or external media, or through websites with inappropriate content, online chat rooms, online gaming, etc.

2. Protecting pupils from internal threats, such as internal e-mail and other communication systems, and cyber-bullying.

3. A secure internet service should have filtering and user monitoring facilities on e-mail, web browsing, social networking and messaging services.

CEOP guidance is available at:

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/teachers/

Children in Care

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities undertake assessments of all looked-after children and their parents sufficiently to identify their needs before they return home; [183102]

(2) what plans he has to ensure that the rights and benefits proposed for voluntarily accommodated children in the consultation, Looked-after children: improving permanence, are properly applied to those children under interim or full care orders; [183159]

(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that all looked-after children receive the support when returning home needed to increase the likelihood of a successful return. [183160]

Mr Timpson: Improving return home practice and support is a priority for this Government.

Where a child is to remain subject to a care order after returning home, the regulations set out clear requirements to undertake a robust assessment of the parents’ suitability to care for their child, to meet their child's physical, emotional and educational needs and to provide a safe and stable family environment.

The decision to return a child to their parents under a care order is subject to the scrutiny of a senior nominated officer within the local authority who must be satisfied that the assessment has been properly undertaken, that both the child and their Independent Reviewing Officer have been consulted and that the decision will safeguard and promote the child's welfare. While we recognise that practice must be improved for all children, we are confident that the current statutory framework is robust for those children subject to a care order who are placed with their parents ('Placement of a child with P' regulations 15-20, Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010).

The proposals that were set out in the Improving Permanence for looked after children consultation aimed to address the particular issues faced by voluntarily accommodated children who return home for whom the regulatory framework is, at present, less clear. This is also the case for those children whose interim or full care order has been, or will be discharged, following the return to their family.

We are reviewing what changes may be needed to the statutory framework to ensure that local authority duties are clarified for these children returning home. In particular, we are committed to working with the sector to explore how we can improve assessments for these children to ensure that the decision to return a child home, regardless of their legal status, is based on an assessment of the

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child's support needs, the capacity of the family to meet these needs and the on-going support required to ensure the return home is a success.

For those children that will remain the subject of a care order following the return home, support and services should be set out in their care plan and reviewed regularly as required by the statutory framework for all looked after children. This is not the case for those children who have been voluntarily accommodated or where the care order has been discharged at the point of returning home as they cease to be looked after. The consultation set out proposals to introduce a duty to provide a “return plan” identifying the support and services the local authority will provide when a child returns home who has been voluntarily accommodated. We recognise that it would also be important to extend this provision to children returning home where the care order will be discharged at the point of return.

We are also commissioning research to understand “what works” when returning children home, how local authorities can share and promote effective practice and how they can use evidence based interventions to support families to ensure that children return home successfully.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision was made in the valuation of the property leased to Kings Science Academy Bradford of its (a) vacancy and letting history and (b) state of repair. [182868]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education commissioned and received an independent report and valuation of the Hartley Business Park before Kings Science Academy entered into a lease for the site. This considered all issues relevant to the valuation of the property. The value of the property was assessed in accordance with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' valuation standards.

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department was first informed that Alan Lewis was not the Chair of Governors at the Kings Science Academy Bradford. [183415]

Mr Timpson: Kings Science Academy informed the Department for Education on 24 October 2012 that Alan Lewis was not Chair of Governors.

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Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what audit his Department has undertaken of the use of school credit cards at the Kings Science Academy Bradford. [183416]

Mr Timpson: All academy trusts are required to appoint external auditors to audit their accounts, including the regularity and propriety of income and expenditure, on an annual basis. Academy trusts are required to publish their accounts, including the auditor's opinions, so the system is transparent.

The Department's investigation report and the report of the Education Funding Agency's validation of the financial management and governance arrangements at Kings Science Academy, which provide the available details of work which the Department has directly performed at Kings Science Academy, are available on the Department's website at the following link:

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

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education who will own the buildings on the site of the Kings Science Academy Bradford once the lease of the site ends. [183417]

Mr Timpson: The site of Kings Science Academy is secured on a 20-year lease due to expire in 2032.

Under the terms of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, Kings Science Academy has a statutory right to renew the lease at the end of the 20-year term. This ensures that the capital investment in the site can continue to benefit the local community for the lifespan of the building.

Schools: Lincolnshire

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much has been paid to each secondary and primary school in north-east Lincolnshire in compensation for the loss of services from that local education authority since May 2010. [183185]

Mr Laws: Since May 2010, 36 academies in north east Lincolnshire have been paid for loss of services the local authority would have provided had they been maintained schools.

Details of the payments and academies receiving payments are shown in the following table.

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Schools: Nurses

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many qualified school nurses there were in (a) North Swindon constituency and (b) Swindon Borough in each of the last three years. [183139]

Mr Laws: The School Workforce Census¹ includes the number of nurses employed in schools in North Swindon constituency and in schools in the Swindon local authority area.

¹ Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2012

Schools: Teaching Methods

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of (a) the Mantle of the Expert method and (b) other alternative approaches to teaching and learning in schools. [183045]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education has not made any formal assessment of the potential benefits of the Mantle of the Expert method or other alternative approaches to teaching and learning in schools.

Individual head teachers can decide whether they wish to adopt the Mantle of the Expert method or other alternative approaches to teaching and learning in schools. Overall the evidence suggests that pupils benefit from a range of teaching approaches, with particular approaches suitable in certain subjects and circumstances.

Sixth Form Colleges

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many sixth form colleges have had their financial health graded as inadequate by the Education Funding Agency in each of the last five years. [183368]

Matthew Hancock: The information requested is as follows:

Health

Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients attending accident and emergency departments were seen in under four hours in the first week of January of each of the last five years. [182818]

Jane Ellison: The following table shows the proportion of patients attending accident and emergency (A&E) departments (all types) who were transferred, admitted or discharged in under four hours. To ensure consistency, data are provided for the equivalent week in each year, which is the 40th week of the year, for the last five years.

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It is helpful context to include Hospital Episode Statistics.

There are three measures of waiting times in the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) for A&E. These are time to assessment; time to treatment; and time to departure. The information requested is shown in the following tables. Information for 2012-13 is not yet available.

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Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Rehabilitation

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given to commissioners to ensure that quality of provision is considered in the commissioning of drug and alcohol treatment services; and what arrangements are in place to monitor commissioning processes. [182885]

Jane Ellison: Promotion of a suite of substance misuse related guidelines from NICE and other key national clinical guidelines underpins Public Health England's (PHE) advice to local drug and alcohol treatment commissioners. PHE also publishes a wide range of guidance, ‘evidence into practice’ briefings and toolkits for commissioners to help them commission a range of high quality, evidence based services. These are available through the Recovery Resources website at:

www.nta.nhs.uk/recovery-resources.aspx

In addition, PHE also supports local authorities, through Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, to help them assess local need for drug and alcohol treatment and commission an appropriate balance of quality provision, in line with the best available evidence. This involves providing expertise and support, benchmarking performance and sharing best practice.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that appropriate clinical governance is in place for services they commission from the public health grant.

The Care Quality Commission regulates residential, inpatient and prescribing drug treatment services, where they employ a professional as defined in registration regulation (effectively a doctor, nurse or social worker).

Bank Services

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with what bank his Department's bank overdraft is held; and what fees and charges were payable on the core Department's bank overdraft in the last financial year. [183249]

Dr Poulter: The Department complies with managing public money and so does not have an overdraft facility. All departmental bank accounts are held with the Government Banking Service to ensure our adherence to the policy and this allows open Treasury scrutiny.

Cancer

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England waited longer

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than (i) one month and (ii) two months from an urgent referral for suspected cancer to the beginning of treatment in each of the last three years. [183519]

Jane Ellison: In order to answer the question (a) Coventry has been interpreted as University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Trust and (b) West Midlands as West Midlands Trusts. The following tables show how many NHS patients waited longer than one and two months from an urgent referral for suspected cancer to the beginning of treatment in each of the last three years.

Children’s Centres

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which local authorities are providing live birth data to Sure Start children’s centres; and what guidance he has provided to local authorities and local NHS providers. [183699]

Dr Poulter: The Department for Education and Department of Health commissioned Jean Gross, former Communication Champion for Children, to lead a group of early years and health professionals to explore ongoing barriers to information sharing in the early years and to identify examples of good practice. The group’s report, ‘Information Sharing in the Foundation Years’, was published in November 2013, along with the Government's response which can be found at:

www.foundationyears.org.uk/information-sharing/

The report found that much good local practice exists, with robust systems in some areas for sharing information about live birth data with Sure Start children’s centres. However, we know that there is variation across local areas in how well live birth data is shared.

The Government agree that systems need to help professionals to work together and share information. The Department for Education's statutory guidance for

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children’s centres is clear that health services and local authorities should share information such as live birth data/effectively with children's centres on a regular basis.

Jean Gross’s report found that lingering issues about information sharing are more about institutional and professional practice and culture than national regulation.

Current legislation and guidance makes clear that information can already be shared where there are local agreements and processes in place that meet the legal requirements about confidentiality, consent and security of information.

The Department of Health is taking forward work with NHS England and partners, including the Health and Social Care Information Centre, to explore how regular updates of bulk data on live births can be provided to local authorities, including the benefits of local sharing versus sharing nationally held data.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the 2014-15 and 2015-16 allocations by NHS England to clinical commissioning groups published on 18 December 2013, how much funding per patient has been allocated to each such group. [182948]

Dr Poulter: A copy of the detailed clinical commissioning group allocations for 2014-15 and 2015-16, published by NHS England on 20 December 2013, has been placed in the Library, and is also available at:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ccg-allocation-big-table-v2.pdf

Dementia

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made towards recruiting 10% of patients living with dementia to participate in a clinical trial. [182891]

Norman Lamb: In 2012-13, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network recruited 11,859 people to studies in dementia. This equates to 3.7% of the diagnosed population.

As combined investment in dementia research by the NIHR, the Medical Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council rises substantially to an estimated £66.3 million in 2014-15, this is expected to drive increased patient recruitment.

Dental Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that oral health is high on the public health agenda. [183263]

Dr Poulter: Oral health remains an area of focus for public health. The Government are committed to improving oral health, particularly that of children. Significant inequalities in oral health persist despite overall reductions in decay levels.

In recognition of this, the public health outcomes framework for 2013-16 contains an indicator measuring the prevalence of tooth decay in five-year-old children in England, by local authority area.

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Public Health England (PHE) is currently developing updated guidance for health care professionals on the prevention of dental disease, in the form of the third edition of “Delivering Better Oral Health”. The guidance will include specific advice regarding the provision of preventative dental advice and treatment and will be followed by a version for patients.

PHE is also developing commissioning guides in order to help local authorities exercise their responsibilities to develop oral health strategies and commissioning oral health improvement programmes. This work is led by a national steering group, “Commissioning Better Oral Health”.

Both sets of guidance will be published by May 2014.

Health

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps NHS England has taken to ensure that (a) dentists and (b) other members of the primary care workforce actively promote its public health agenda. [183261]

Dr Poulter: The public health functions agreement (S7A) for 2014-15—an agreement between the Secretary of State for Health and NHS England was published on 11 November. This formalises expectations and a shared approach between the Department of Health and NHS England, supported by Public Health England to drive improvements in population health.

“Delivering Better Oral Health”, first published in 2007, sets out an evidence base for better prevention of dental disease. Data collection shows that this is being implemented in primary care, evidenced by the high rate of fluoride varnish applications recorded. Commissioners are also able to contract for specific local enhanced services, for example, funding dentists to signpost patients at risk to local smoking and alcohol services. A preventative care pathway is being piloted in around 94 practices across England.

A wide range of preventative and screening services are commissioned through the (GP) general practitioner contract. The public health agenda is also reflected in the GP quality and outcomes framework which has a number of public health indicators, for example, reductions in smoking. Pharmacists also have a key role to play. The existing community pharmacy contract, for example, requires pharmacies to provide healthy living advice to patients and to participate in a number of public health campaigns every year.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 417W, on mental health, how many people his Department employs (a) in total and (b) to work on all other aspects of health policy excluding mental health. [183534]

Dr Poulter: As at 31 December 2013, the Department employed 1,840 full-time equivalent civil servants.

It is not possible to provide information about the specific roles or activities of individual civil servants without incurring disproportionate cost.

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Health Services: Older People

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to use health visitors in active support of the care of elderly patients to complement his aim of having a named GP responsible for the care of vulnerable patients over the age of 75. [183047]

Dr Poulter: The role of health visitors would not routinely extend to care of the elderly. Health visitors' work focuses on pregnancy and the first years of life and childhood. However a range of other professionals will play important roles in supporting the named general practitioner (GP).

Named GPs will be expected to work with associated health and social care professionals to deliver a multidisciplinary care package that meets the needs of the patient. In some cases this may include working with colleagues such as district nurses, who are well placed to visit patients in the community.

Further to this, it will be the responsibility of the named GP to ensure that their patients have effective care coordination in place by the most appropriate professional for that individual's needs. GPs may be well placed to fulfil this role, but in most instances other professionals are likely to be better suited to take on the care coordination role.

Internet: Bullying

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on the health effects of cyber-bullying. [182860]

Norman Lamb: The Department of Health has not held discussions with the devolved Administrations on the health effects of cyber bullying.

However, the United Kingdom Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), jointly chaired by Ministers from Department for Culture Media and Sports, Department for Education and Home Office includes representation from the devolved Administrations.

Jimmy Savile

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all the current investigations by health establishments into the Savile abuse scandals; and what estimate he has made of when each investigation will publish their findings. [183710]

Norman Lamb: Investigations are currently taking place into the activities of Jimmy Savile relating to the following national health service hospitals:

1. Leeds General Infirmary including St James's Hospital as it is part of the same Trust as Leeds General Infirmary

2. Stoke Mandeville Hospital

3. Broadmoor Hospital

4. High Royds Psychiatric Hospital

5. Dewsbury Hospital

6. Great Ormond Street Hospital

7. Moss Side Hospital previously part of Ashworth Hospital.

8. Exeter Hospital

9. Portsmouth Hospital

10. St Catherine's Hospital Birkenhead

11. Cardiff Royal Infirmary

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12. Rampton Hospital

13. Saxondale Hospital

14. Barnet General Hospital

15. Booth Hall Children's Hospital

16. De La Pole Hospital

17. Dryburn Hospital

18. Hammersmith Hospital

19. Leavesden Secure Mental Hospital

20. Marsden Hospital

21. Maudsley Hospital

22. North Manchester General Hospital

23. Odstock Hospital

24. Pinderfields Hospital

25. Prestwich Psychiatric Hospital

26. Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead

27. Royal Free Hospital, London

28. Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle

29. Seacroft Hospital, Leeds

30. St Mary's Hospital, Carshalton

31. Whitby Memorial Hospital

32. Wythenshawe Hospital

33. Woodhouse Eaves Children's Convalescent Home, Leicester

Since the written ministerial statement on 29 November 2013, Official Report, columns 30-32, a further NHS investigation has been commissioned in relation to Woodhouse Eaves Children's Convalescent Home in Leicester. University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust is the legacy Trust conducting the investigation.

The total number of current investigations in relation to Jimmy Savile and NHS Hospitals is now 33.

An investigation has also been commissioned by Sue Ryder in relation to Wheatfields Hospice in Leeds.

The final reports of all the investigations will aim to be completed by June 2014, with publication sooner if that is possible.

Note:

The names of the hospitals are taken from the information received from the Metropolitan Police Service. These include hospitals that may have closed in which case the information has been passed onto the legacy organisation.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the inquiries and subsequent report into health establishments involved with the Savile abuse scandal will be independent and rigorous. [183711]

Norman Lamb: It is vital that all national health service and Department of Health investigations and their reports are thorough and complete, and reflect all the evidence.

In order to ensure the investigations are rigorous and independently scrutinised, the Secretary of State for Health appointed Kate Lampard to provide independent assurance that the Department and relevant NHS organisations' investigations are following a robust and thorough process aimed at protecting the interest of patients. Her assurance report will be published alongside the final reports from the investigations.

To ensure that lessons are learnt, findings from all trust investigations will feed into Kate Lampard's second phase of work where she will report back on any themes emerging in relation to safeguarding, access and fundraising.

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Manor Hospital Walsall

Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when a decision will be made on the application for extra funding made by NHS Manor Hospital, Walsall arising from extra demands from patients arising from external situations. [183622]

Jane Ellison: The Department has received no application for funding from Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust in relation to such demands.

Medical Records: Databases

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems his Department has in place to monitor the number of people who have not received information leaflets about the GP extraction service. [183399]

Dr Poulter: In January, every household in England is being sent a leaflet entitled “Better information means better care”, which explains how information from medical records is used to improve the quality of care and services for all. The leaflet also explains the choices available to patients over the use of their personal confidential data.

NHS England is surveying a sample of households to evaluate the effectiveness of the leaflet, which includes asking whether they recall receiving the leaflet and how much of it they read. This will ensure that lessons are learnt to incorporate in future national mailings. The household leaflet, however, is only part of a comprehensive range of awareness raising activities, which also includes: leaflets and posters in every general practice in England; articles in newspapers; information on the NHS Choices website; and via social media; as well as information cascaded via 350,000 patient groups and charities.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the dates, agendas and minutes of any meetings Ministers and officials in his Department have had on the GP extraction service. [183400]

Dr Poulter: The General Practice (GP) Extraction Service has been managed by NHS England in conjunction with the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The Secretary of State for Health has met with both of them on two occasions in which they outlined their proposals.

Discussions have also taken place at the Informatics Services Commissioning Group (ISCG) which is a forum where officials meet and can discuss topics such as the GP Extraction Service. Papers and minutes of ISCG meetings are available publicly on the NHS England website at:

www.england.nhs.uk/iscg/

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the increase in work for GPs as a result of patients having to visit their GP surgery to opt out of the GP extraction service. [183449]

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Dr Poulter: General practitioners (GPs), as data controllers, have legal responsibilities under the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 for ensuring that patients are aware of how their information is used and shared. This is not a new requirement and it does not relate solely to the General Practice Extraction Service. Making sure that patients understand about how their information is used is something we should all support.

The Information Commissioner views the cost of compliance with the Data Protection Act as an information governance overhead for a GP practice, in the same way that paying an accountant is a taxation overhead. NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre are actively supporting GP practices in various ways; for example, there is a patient information line that patients can call if they have questions, which will ease the burden of compliance on GP practices.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reason patients cannot opt out of the GP extraction service online; [183450]

(2) whether patients can opt out of the GP extraction service by telephone. [183451]

Dr Poulter: As data controllers, it is for general practices to determine their own local process as to the different ways in which they wish to receive objections. There is no national process for patients to opt out of the General Practice Extraction Service although some practices may be happy to receive objections online or by telephone.

Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 417W, on mental health, what the roles and job titles are of the 16.1 people employed to work solely on mental health policy. [183533]

Norman Lamb: The 16.1 people employed solely on mental health policy work on the mental health strategy, suicide prevention, forensic mental health, policing and mental health, mental health legislation and child and adolescent mental health. Their job titles and whole time equivalents are as follows:

Mental Health Services: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the per capita spend on mental health services was in each primary care trust in (a) Ashfield

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constituency and

(b)

Nottinghamshire in each of the last five years; and how those figures compare to the national average in that period. [182902]

Norman Lamb: The information is not available in the format requested.

The total reported investment in mental health services for the former Nottingham City; Nottinghamshire County and Bassetlaw Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) for working age adults in each of the last five years for which figures are available is shown in the following table. These figures are taken from surveys commissioned by the Department and provide some information covering the nature and investment for the populations of strategic health authorities (SHAs), PCTs and local authorities within England. The Department stopped commissioning this survey in 2012.

The reported investment per head of weighted working population for East Midlands SHA and the England average, for each of the last five years for which figures are available, is shown in the following table:

Minor Injuries Units

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many parliamentary constituencies there is a minor injuries unit; when each of these was established; and what recent estimate he has made of the number of patients attending minor injuries units. [183407]

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not held centrally.

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Minor injury unit fall under type 3 accident and emergency (A&E) services as do walk-in centres and urgent care centres. Information on type 3 A&E services is collected as part of the existing A&E returns; however no distinction is made between the different categories of service covered by type 3.

It is not possible to identify the number of sites as the aggregate return only collects attendances by organisation, not by site.

Available data shows that between week-ending 6 October 2013 and 29 December 2013 the number of people that attended a type 3 A&E department in England was 1,665,958.

Monitor

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to appoint a permanent chair of Monitor. [183356]

Jane Ellison: Baroness Hanham has been appointed as interim Chair of Monitor effective from 20 January. Her appointment is until 31 December 2014. By this time, we intend to have appointed a permanent Chair for Monitor.

Obesity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to review the effectiveness of his policy on tackling obesity in England. [183033]

Jane Ellison: Data published last month shows that obesity prevalence has levelled off at around a quarter of the adult population and rates in children have fallen for the first time since 1998 to 14%, although rates continue to remain high.

The Department and Public Health England are continuing to build the evidence base on effective interventions to support people in improving their health, including tackling obesity. Evaluation of current initiatives forms part of this. For example, Change4Life, which aims to inspire a social movement to prevent people becoming overweight, has a built-in programme to evaluate its effectiveness.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Government's Change4Life campaign to tackle obesity. [183034]

Jane Ellison: Change4Life has a peer reviewed evaluation plan. The programme has delivered significant engagement from the public and commercial sector partners. More than a million families have now joined Change4Life and a million parents say they have changed their behaviour as a result of the campaign. Data suggests that 14% of families positive behaviour scores increased significantly after one year of Change4Life support. The Health England/Matrix Knowledge Group preventative health investment tool has calculated that if the campaign produces a five percentage point improvement in the proportion of children achieving the Chief Medical Officer's recommended guidelines on physical activity, even factoring in likely over-reporting, this will result in a saving of 1.2 million Quality Adjusted Life Years.

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The evaluation plan for Change4Life is based around eight key questions. These questions give a balanced scorecard of measures against which success can be monitored.

Has Change4Life engaged the target audience?

Has Change4Life leveraged resources from a wider coalition?

Does using the Change4Life brand increase the impact of interventions?

Does Change4Life improve behaviour?

Have the specific behaviours that Change4Life promotes improved?

Have there been overall improvements in healthy behaviours?

Are fewer children becoming obese?

Does Change4Life pay for itself?

In 2014-15 Public Health England will continue to strengthen the evaluation model by introducing new ways to measure actual behaviour change rather than rely on self-reported measures.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) children under 13, (b) teenagers aged 13 to 19, (c) adults aged 20 to 65 and (d) adults aged 65 and over are currently classed as obese in England. [183035]

Jane Ellison: There are no published data for the age groups requested. The following figures have been produced using data for the prevalence of obesity from the Health Survey for England 2012. This data represents the age groups as close as possible to what has been requested.

Age 2-10: 10.6% obese (approximately 585,000 children)

Age 11-15: 18.7% obese (approximately 588,000 children)

Age 16-64: 23.6% obese (approximately 8.1 million adults)

Age 65+: 29.9% obese (approximately 2.6 million adults).

Perinatal Mortality

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on issuing death certificates for babies who are still-born or who die within 24 hours of birth; and what recent representations he has received on reviewing that policy. [183705]

Dr Poulter: The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, as amended by the Stillbirth Definition Act 1992, provides for the registration of all babies born dead after 24 weeks' gestation as stillbirths. There are no plans to change the definition of stillbirth which is based on the age of viability. When a baby is born dead before 24 weeks' of gestation, hospitals may issue a local certificate to commemorate the baby's birth.

If a baby is born alive at any gestation, a birth certificate will be issued. If the baby dies within 28 days of birth, the doctor who saw the baby before death issues a certificate certifying the death. This certificate must always be issued, even if the baby lived for only a few minutes.

A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified one item of correspondence received since 1 May 2013 about issuing death certificates for babies who are stillborn or who die within 24 hours of birth. This is a minimum figure which represents correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit only. In addition, the issue has

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been raised in one private Member's Bill, one e-petition two parliamentary questions and at one ministerial meeting.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on reorganising and registering stillbirths before 24 weeks gestation and differentiating such births from miscarriages. [183712]

Dr Poulter: The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, as amended by the Stillbirth Definition Act 1992, provides for the registration of all babies born dead after 24 weeks' gestation as stillbirths. There are no plans to change the definition of stillbirth which is based on the age of viability.

We are guided on this issue by the clinical evidence which shows that, while there have been medical advances in caring for premature babies, only a small number of babies born at under 24 weeks gestation survive. When a baby is born dead before 24 weeks of gestation, hospitals may issue a local certificate to commemorate the baby's birth.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if NHS England has agreed a tariff for stereotactic radiosurgery with contracted providers of gamma knife; what that tariff is set at; and whether the tariff is universal for all providers. [183182]

Dr Poulter: There is no national tariff with contracted providers of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for any type of delivery, whether Gamma Knife, Cyberknife, Novalis or Xknife. There are local tariffs paid by commissioners to providers of SRS services.

Spectacles: Voucher Schemes

Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department will review the regulations in funding whereby NHS vouchers for frames for special facial characteristics cannot be funded through high street opticians resulting in extra costs for spectacles, replacements or repairs; and if he will make a statement. [183576]

Dr Poulter: The special facial characteristics supplement to the optical voucher is governed by regulations that date back to 1989. These regulations require that vouchers for frames for special facial characteristics be issued by the Hospital Eye Service with the original prescription. The special facial characteristics supplement is only available where the frame is required

“to be specially manufactured on account of the person’s facial characteristics.”

These arrangements ensure that the national health service is able to judge specific cases.

Regulations are kept under review and changes to regulations in relation to special facial characteristics supplements would need to be beneficial to patients and cost-effective.

Training

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

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what the

(a)

name of the course provider was,

(b)

purpose of the course was and

(c)

cost of each session in the course was. [183226]

Dr Poulter: The Department has spent £500 on media training for my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe). The provider was Millbank Media.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 425W, on training, what professional coaching (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have received between May 2010 and January 2013; and what the cost was of that coaching. [183535]

Dr Poulter: The Department has spent £500 on media training for my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State (Earl Howe) in July 2010. To determine whether any other Ministers undertook professional coaching since May 2010 would incur disproportionate cost.

International Development

Central African Republic

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effect of the recent influx of refugees from the Central African Republic into Chad on humanitarian efforts in that country; and what aid the Government is providing to humanitarian organisations operating in Chad. [182917]

Lynne Featherstone: Over 240,000 people have been displaced to neighbouring countries as a result of the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR). This total includes those newly displaced in 2013, along with existing refugees who fled before the coup in March. The UN estimates that approximately 80,000 of the displaced are in Chad.

The UK provides contributions to a number of humanitarian agencies working in Chad. A large element of this funding is supporting the World Food Programme, the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in providing vital support to refugees in Chad, including those from CAR.

Developing Countries: Infant Mortality

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of her Department's funding has been spent on reducing preventable newborn mortality since 2010. [182826]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID is investing in 27 countries to strengthen health systems, including increasing the availability of skilled health workers and the supply of appropriate drugs to reduce newborn mortality. Specific investments include the Making it Happen Programme and the Health Partnership Scheme, which train and mentor doctors, nurses, midwives and other clinicians in emergency obstetric care. We also support other

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partners to improve newborn care, for example through investing in the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.

The UK Statistics for International Development (SID) 2007-08 to 2011-12 were published in May 2013. These are available at:

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/about/statistics

The available data does not disaggregate preventable newborn mortality health expenditure.

Liberia

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to reduce preventable newborn mortality in Liberia. [183410]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK is supporting the Government of Liberia in the provision of a package of free essential health services in six of the country's 13 counties. This enables health facilities to deliver a range of interventions including family planning, maternity and child health services. Preliminary 2013 figures demonstrate a significant reduction in newborn deaths from 41 to 26 per 1,000 births in the five years since DFID support commenced.

Overseas Aid

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she plans to allocate development aid equal to 0.7 per cent of UK Gross National Income in 2014-15; and what estimate she has made of this allocation in cash terms. [183675]

Mr Duncan: At the time of the spending review in October 2010 the UK Government set budgets to deliver 0.56% of Gross National Income (GNI) as Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2011 and 2012 and 0.7% in 2013 and 2014.

The Government are committed to meeting the 0.7% GNI commitment in 2014 and 2015. In line with the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) latest GNI forecast, the ODA expenditure required to achieve a ratio of 0.7% in 2014 estimated at £11,925 million.

Sierra Leone

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to reduce preventable newborn mortality in Sierra Leone. [183411]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK is helping the Government of Sierra Leone provide a package of free reproductive, maternal and newborn health services nationwide. Between 2012 and 2015 we expect that more than 8,700 newborn deaths will have been prevented as a direct result of UK support. In addition, 480,000 more women and adolescent girls will be using a modern family planning method of their choice and 168,900 more women will deliver their babies with the assistance of a skilled birth attendant. Early monitoring data from the programme suggests that these targets may well be exceeded.

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South Sudan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she has taken to assist the growing number of internally-displaced persons in South Sudan. [182914]

Lynne Featherstone: In 2013 DFID allocated over £60 million in humanitarian assistance to South Sudan, £19 million of which has been redirected to the current crisis. The Secretary of State announced a further £12.5 million aid package on 30 December. Through support to the International Committee of the Red Cross, non-governmental organisations and UN agencies this package can provide emergency medical treatment for up to 100,000 people in need; clean water to nearly 165,000 people; and shelter for 60,000 people who have fled their homes. It will also support the logistics of the humanitarian effort through support to the UN's Humanitarian Air Service.

In addition, on 5 January a UK-funded emergency relief flight carrying life-saving water and sanitation equipment landed in South Sudan to help avert a potential health crisis emerging amidst the conflict. Through trusted partners, we are monitoring closely the situation on the ground and stand ready to provide further assistance as required.

Culture, Media and Sport

Artworks: Export Controls

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 429W, on art works: export controls, how many of the objects culturally-deferred were from Scottish sellers. [183350]

Mr Vaizey [holding answer 17 January 2014]: Applications for the export of cultural objects from the UK do not include details of the nationality of the seller.

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which buildings occupied by her 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. [183634]

Mrs Grant: The Department occupies 179a Queen's Yard, Tottenham Court Road, London under a lease with Lazari Investments. The Department sublets part of the building to a private tenant. DCMS pays an annual rent of £786,000 (including VAT) and receives a rental income from the tenant of £382,722.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of people who do not have DAB radio receivers; and what steps she plans to take to assist consumers with the costs of acquiring such receivers before a digital radio switchover takes place. [182817]

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Mr Vaizey: These data are collected and published quarterly by RAJAR Ltd (Radio Joint Audience Research). In Q3 2013, 45.2% of the adult population had a DAB radio set at home (or 24 million adults), up 10% year on year.

It is important that the transition to digital is consumer led and a decision about the timetable for a future switchover will only be considered once the listening criteria and coverage criteria have been met. That is the point at which the Government would need to consider the case for assisting consumers.

Food and Drink Federation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many meetings representatives of the Food and Drink Federation have attended with (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department in each year since 2010. [183193]

Mrs Grant [holding answer 17 January 2014]: A list of ministerial meetings since May 2010 is available on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Transparency website, which can be found at this web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/meetings

Gaming Machines

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her oral statement on fixed odds betting terminals on 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 378 (1) if, in the event that betting shop operators fail to develop a plan by the end of January 2014 to link players with play in a way that allows a better understanding of player behaviour, she will introduce precautionary player protection; and if she will make a statement; [183381]

(2) at what level she plans to introduce a cap on voluntary limits for stakes on FOBT machines; and if she will make a statement; [183382]

(3) what steps she is taking to ensure that the review of B category gaming machines by the Responsibility in Gambling Trust has the data required to make recommendations on stakes and prizes; and if she will make a statement; [183384]

(4) how she plans to assess whether precautionary player protection proposals are likely to reduce harm from gambling on FOBT in betting shops; and if she will make a statement. [183383]

Mrs Grant [holding answer 17 January 2014]: The Government have made clear that further precautionary measures will be introduced on fixed odds betting terminals if the industry fails to implement its player protection measures, if it does not share data for independent research, or if the balance of evidence indicates that further action is required. The new industry-led player protection measures are being introduced from 1 March and will provide new controls on gaming machines, allow players to set voluntary limits on time and spend within the limits of existing regulations.

The industry must demonstrate to the Government the effectiveness of these and other measures that build on them as soon as possible. The Government have demanded the industry develops a tangible plan to

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better understand player behaviour by the end of January, in order to assess the effectiveness of player protection measures in reducing harm, and to support the Responsible Gambling Trust's ongoing research programme into category B gaming machines. The Government are urgently working to address the problems that can be caused by fixed odds betting terminals and are prepared to take whatever action the evidence suggests is necessary.

Mobile Phones

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on reform of the regulatory appeals system relating to mobile contract switching to reduce the length and cost of the process. [182303]

Mr Vaizey [holding answer 17 January 2014]: The Government carried out a consultation last year on options for reform to streamline regulatory and competition appeals and the consultation can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/regulatory-and-competition-appeals-options-for-reform

The consultation closed on 11 September 2013 and the Government are considering responses received, with a view to issuing a response early in 2014.

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the case for introducing a gaining-provider-led system for mobile contract switching. [182304]

Mr Vaizey [holding answer 17 January 2014]: I recognise that switching processes work better for consumers when only one call needs to be made to the company the consumer wishes to switch to for the switch to happen, and there is no need for consumers to contact their existing provider (so called ‘gaining-provider led’ switching). We have committed to work with Ofcom to move towards a system of gaining-provider led switching where we can.

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when mobile spectrum fees were last increased; and what her policy is on future such increases. [182305]

Mr Vaizey: The spectrum fees in the current 900 MHz and 1800 MHz mobile licences have remained unchanged since 2002. As the independent communications regulator, it is for Ofcom to determine the level of fees payable for commercial spectrum users, taking into account relevant impacts. The Government directed Ofcom in December 2010 to revise the fees paid for licences to use spectrum in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands following the auction of licences to use the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands so as to reflect full market value. The Statutory Instrument making this direction was accompanied by an impact assessment which is available at:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/3024/impacts

The winners of the auction were announced on 20 February 2013 with the licences granted on 1 March 2013. On 10 October 2013 Ofcom published its proposals for revising these spectrum licence fees; the consultation closed 16 January.

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Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of increased mobile spectrum fees on the ability of providers to meet coverage targets and continue investment in (a) remote and (b) other areas. [182306]

Mr Vaizey: As the independent communications regulator, it is for Ofcom to determine the level of fees payable for commercial spectrum users, taking into account relevant impacts. The Government directed Ofcom in December 2010 to revise the fees paid for licences to use spectrum in the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands so that they reflect the full market value of the frequencies in those bands, having particular regard to the sums bid for the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum in the current auction. (See The Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (Directions to OFCOM) Order 2010, SI 2010/3024). On 10 October 2013 Ofcom published its proposals for revising these spectrum licence fees; the consultation closed 16 January. In coming to its final decision on the revised fees to be paid, Ofcom will take full account of all the responses to this consultation. In this, as in all its activities in relation to communications, it is the principal duty of Ofcom to further the interests of citizens and of consumers.

Television: Licensing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were fined for not holding a television licence in (a) Havering and (b) the UK in 2013. [183032]

Mr Vaizey: The statistics for the number of people fined for not holding a television licence in the UK in 2013 are compiled by the Ministry of Justice. They will be published on the Ministry of Justice website in May 2014. The published figures will not be broken down into specific areas or constituencies.

Tour de France

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she plans to visit Yorkshire to discuss the planning for the 2014 Tour de France. [183354]

Mrs Grant [holding answer 17 January 2014]: I met with the chair and chief executive of TdF Hub 2014 Ltd on 20 November 2013 and I am delighted with the progress being made to deliver this year's Grand Depart in Yorkshire. I will, of course, be visiting Yorkshire in advance of what we expect to be a successful event.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what Government funding has been allocated to ensure that the 2014 Tour de France provides maximum benefit to the Yorkshire economy. [183355]

Mrs Grant [holding answer 17 January 2014]: The Government has agreed to provide up to £10 million to the 2014 Tour De France to deliver a safe and successful road race in Yorkshire. In addition, the Arts Council England has announced £1 million to support a cultural

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festival in Yorkshire, and Sport England funding is available, via British Cycling, to ensure a strong sporting legacy from the event.

UN Commission on the Status of Women

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which representatives of the UK Government will attend the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2014. [182629]

Mrs Grant [holding answer 17 January 2014]: The Minister for Women and Equalities, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), the Secretary of State for International Development, the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), and I are due to attend the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2014.

War Graves: Hartlepool

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funds her Department has made available to repair First World War graves in the graveyard of St Mary Magdalene's Church in Hart Village; and if she will make statement. [182831]

Mrs Grant: The Heritage Lottery Fund is having constructive discussions about the re-submission of an application which includes the conservation of six first world war graves in St Mary Magdalene Churchyard, Hart. On 19 December the Prime Minister announced new Government funding of £5 million that will help conserve, repair and protect first world war memorials and burial sites across the UK and overseas. Consideration is being given currently to how this money should be allocated. This will be in addition to the funding given to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 78% of which is derived from the UK Government.

Deputy Prime Minister

Electoral Register

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will assess any potential effect on (a) credit ratings and (b) jury composition of the implementation of individual electoral registration. [182539]

Greg Clark: The Government are safeguarding the completeness and accuracy of the register in the transition to individual electoral registration by using data matching to confirm the vast majority of existing electors.

To ensure that credit ratings and jury composition are unaffected, those people who are not automatically matched will be invited to apply, and then reminded and visited by a canvasser, both in 2014 and 2015. In addition, the Government are making registration more accessible by introducing online registration and providing additional resources at a national and local level to fund activities to boost the completeness and accuracy of the register.

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Lords-Lieutenant: Durham

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Office of the Lord Lieutenancy in County Durham paid in rental costs for its offices for each year since 2010. [183623]

Greg Clark: This information is not held centrally.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Bank Services

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with what bank his Department’s bank overdraft is held; and what fees and charges were payable on the core Department’s bank overdraft in the last financial year. [183237]

Jenny Willott: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills uses the Government banking service facility. The Department’s cash is carefully managed ensuring that a credit balance is maintained and therefore no overdraft fees or charges were incurred in the last financial year.

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 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. [183630]

Jenny Willott: The following table shows the buildings occupied by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which are owned or part-owned privately:

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Disabled Students' Allowances

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will introduce an online claim facility for disabled students' allowance. [183414]

Mr Willetts: The Students Loan Company, which administers disabled students allowances for students domiciled in England, is in the process of reforming the way it delivers student support. This will deliver a streamlined, more customer-focused and more efficient service for students. No final decisions have been made on the individual elements of the programme, but improving the administration of disabled students’ allowances is a priority.

Electronic Equipment: Recycling

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of waste household electrical products that is repairable. [183043]

Michael Fallon: The Department has not made such an estimate. In 2011 research by the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimated that 23% of the waste, electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) separately collected at household waste sites could be re-used with a small amount of repair.

BIS supports efforts to increase re-use and has developed PAS 141, a specification for the successful preparation of WEEE for reuse.

Under DEFRA's Waste Prevention Programme, published in December 2013, DEFRA and BIS have agreed to:

work with local authority collection facilities encouraging them to explore opportunities for re-use; and

work with the industry to explore how individual producer responsibility can be implemented. This enables businesses to benefit when they design and manufacture products which can be more easily re-used, repaired and recycled.

Engineering Skills Review

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 374W, on Perkins Engineering Review, whether he plans to make a formal response to the review. [183683]

Matthew Hancock: On 10 December 2013, Official Report, column 56WH, during the debate on the implementation of Professor John Perkins' Review of Engineering Skills, I said that I would write to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Sir Peter Luff), setting out in detail the Government response to all 22 of the recommendations, and that I would make public a copy of the letter. I will place a copy of that letter in the Libraries of both Houses.

Flexible Working

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of flexible working requests which

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were refused by

(a)

gender,

(b)

age and

(c)

regional location of the applicant in the last year for which figures are available. [183691]

Jenny Willott: The latest Work-life Balance Employee Survey shows the following on refusals to grant requests to change working arrangements:

As this is a survey, the proportions should be considered as approximately the same. The exception to this is gender, where males are more likely to be refused their request, relative to females.

The Fourth Work-life Balance Employee Survey was published by BIS in July 2012 and can be found on gov.uk.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of (a) men and (b) women in the UK workforce who made flexible working requests in the last year for which figures are available. [183692]

Jenny Willott: The latest Work-life Balance Employee Survey shows that in 2011, 28% of female employees and 17% of male employees had made a request to change their working arrangements in the past two years.

The Fourth Work-life Balance Employee Survey was published by BIS in July 2012 and can be found on gov.uk.