Aviation: Emergencies
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what occasions since May 2010 disaster planning arrangements have been initiated as a result of an aeroplane having difficulty landing at UK airports. [183820]
Mr Goodwill: The Department for Transport maintains an Aviation Emergency Plan which sets out how it will respond to a perceived or actual aviation-related emergency. When it is aware that such an incident has taken or is likely to take place, the Department deploys this plan to provide detailed factual information for Transport Ministers and the wider Government emergency response network managed by the Cabinet Office. However, the Department has no record of this plan being deployed in relation to any incidents involving aircraft experiencing landing difficulties since May 2010.
Procedures for responding directly to aviation-related emergencies at UK airports are the responsibility of airport operators in conjunction with local responders and the emergency services.
Investigation of all aircraft accidents and serious incidents in the UK, or involving a UK registered aircraft, is undertaken by the Department for Transport's Air Accident Investigation Branch.
The Civil Aviation Authority administers the Mandatory Occurrence Reporting Scheme which places a duty on organisations involved in the manufacture, operation and maintenance of commercial aircraft to report any incident which endangers or which, if not corrected, would endanger an aircraft, its occupants or any other person.
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Aviation: Fares
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers he has to (a) monitor and (b) control the prices of flights to London from Belfast City Airport and Belfast International Airport. [183096]
Mr Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) monitors airfares to ensure they comply with the specific price transparency requirements set out in Article 23 of EC 1008/2008, the Air Services Regulation. Airlines are required to display airfares clearly and transparently and prices must be inclusive of all unavoidable and foreseeable taxes, fees, charges and surcharges at all times. There are a number of further requirements that relate to the way optional price supplements are presented and the breakdown of the airfare. The purpose of these requirements is to ensure consumers can compare the cost of flights effectively. The CAA has powers to enforce the requirements of Article 23 of the Air Services Regulation and has used these powers to ensure airlines display clear and transparent prices.
The price of flights on London to Belfast routes is not subject to control or regulation. Airlines are free to set their own prices and these reflect the route specific demand and supply conditions; the choice of London origin and Belfast destination airport; the service offered by the airline and; underlying market factors. Consumers are able to select flights and prices that best suit their needs.
Bus Services: Disability
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has decided a way forward for audio visual technology on buses in accordance with Task 2 of Headline 2 of the Accessibility Action Plan. [183328]
Stephen Hammond: Our recent Accessibility Action Plan progress report, published on 24December 2013, included cost details for various audio/visual systems which confirmed that this technology currently comes at a considerable cost.
My noble Friend, the Minister of State for Transport (Baroness Kramer), will therefore write to bus industry representatives shortly to encourage the development of more affordable audio-visual systems for buses and we will continue to work with bus industry stakeholders to identify the best solutions to improve access to the public transport system for all passengers.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason buses are not required to have audio-visual announcements for accessibility in the same way as trains; and if he will make it his policy to introduce such a requirement. [183530]
Stephen Hammond: We recognise that many people find audio and visual announcements useful for travelling and understand the social benefits of having such systems on both trains and buses.
The inclusion of audio/visual systems in the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations will ensure that all rail passengers will benefit from this technology by 2020.
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However, the deregulated bus industry outside London provides many more journeys, stops and vehicles than the rail sector while comprising a far greater number of operators. In light of this, we have not sought to make audio/visual systems mandatory on buses and have no plans to do so as the business case for bus operators has not been demonstrated and the Government are unwilling to impose financial burdens of this kind on the industry in the current financial climate.
However, my noble Friend, the Minister of State will write to bus industry representatives shortly to encourage further development of more affordable audio/visual systems for buses, and we will continue to work with stakeholders to identify the best way to improve access to the public transport system for all passengers.
Bus Services: Visual Impairment
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps his Department has taken to improve bus accessibility for blind and partially sighted people. [183321]
Stephen Hammond: On 13 December 2012, the Department for Transport published an Accessibility Action Plan, which seeks to address the challenges that remain in making public transport more accessible for all disabled passengers. This included a commitment to examine the cost of audio/visual technical options for buses and decide a way forward, which we have addressed in our Accessibility Action plan progress report, published in December 2013.
In May 2011, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker), wrote to the bus industry about increasing the uptake of audio visual systems and my noble Friend, the Minister of State for Transport (Baroness Kramer), will follow this up shortly by writing to bus industry representatives to encourage the development of more affordable audio-visual technology for buses.
Finally, five local authorities (Bournemouth, Hampshire, Milton Keynes, York and the West Midlands ITA) are increasing the provision of audio-visual systems on buses in their local area with funding from the Department's £70 million 'Better Bus Area' fund.
Driving Tests
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Learn Direct will receive compensation following the legal challenge by Pearson Driving Assessments to the awarding of the theory test contract. [183818]
Stephen Hammond: The Pearson contract and the new contract with learndirect were the subject of confidential commercial arrangements set out in the answer of the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr Goodwill), of 26 November 2013, Official Report, column 190W, and respecting that confidentiality we cannot comment on whether or not learndirect will receive compensation.
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High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether further changes will be made to the HS2 phase one environmental statement in the event of mistakes of fact being identified in that document. [183728]
Mr Goodwill: As set out in the European environmental impact assessment (EIA) directive, an environmental statement (ES) must set out the likely significant environmental effects of a scheme. In the event that further information is required for the HS2 phase one ES to meet these requirements, this supplementary environmental information will be provided under the procedure set out in Standing Order 224A.
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what terms of reference were used by his Department in selecting a preferred candidate for the role of independent assessor with responsibility for reviewing contributions made to the Phase 1 HS2 Environmental Statement consultation. [183773]
Mr Goodwill: In accordance with standing orders the independent assessor was appointed by the House authorities and the Department had no role in the selection process for the assessor.
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who has been chosen to act as independent assessor in respect of the current phase 1 HS2 environmental statement consultation; whether his Department chose the candidates to fulfil the role of independent assessor; and what compensation is payable to the independent assessor. [183774]
Mr Goodwill: Parliament appointed Golders Associates (UK) to be the independent assessor. The Department had no role in the choice of the independent assessor. Parliament has agreed the terms of the contract with the independent assessor, including compensation. The charges will be passed on to the Secretary of State for Transport in accordance with Standing Orders but we have not yet been informed of the total amount of that compensation.
Northern Rail
Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the recent Request for Proposals to Northern Rail included an option for modern or refurbished electric rolling stock. [183844]
Stephen Hammond: The Request for Proposal (RfP) covers the first phase of the electrification which falls within the Direct Award period (April 2014 to February 2016). Northern has explored the market and submitted a proposal to operate these routes using electrified rolling stock. The type of rolling stock was for the operator to propose. This proposal is currently being reviewed by the Department. As part of the re-franchising (February 2016), it is expected that bidders will put forward (long term) proposals for the type of rolling stock they want to operate.
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Railways: Franchises
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether specifications for the replacement of Northern and Transpennine franchises will require prospective operators to maintain or improve (a) station staffing levels and (b) ticket office provision and opening hours. [183854]
Stephen Hammond: The specifications for both the Northern and Transpennine rail franchises are still being developed and a public consultation will be carried out before they are finalised. We will be looking for a successful franchisee that ensures that staffing arrangements on the network provide a customer experience at least as good as it is today.
Railways: North West
Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether additional electric rolling stock will be fully operational in passenger service in the North West before the December 2014 timetable change. [183845]
Stephen Hammond: Northern has submitted a proposal to the Department for the replacement of a number of diesel trains with electric trains starting the introduction of electric vehicles as part of the ongoing electrification programme in the north-west. The aim is to have the first electric vehicles in passenger services by December 2014. This proposal is currently being reviewed by the Department.
Rescue Services: Belfast
Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unfilled coastguard vacancies there are at Belfast Coastguard station. [183776]
Stephen Hammond: There are currently no vacancies at Belfast Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre.
Rescue Services: North East
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to how many emergency incidents HM Coastguard responded in (a) the North East and (b) the Tees Valley in each year since 2008. [183395]
Stephen Hammond: Her Majesty's Coastguard is responsible for the co-ordination of civilian maritime Search and Rescue, and that function is managed by coastguards at Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres.
The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Rolling Stock
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 310W, on rolling stock, what the basis was of the conflicts of interest declared by Interfleet and Burges Salmon. [183059]
Stephen Hammond:
In relation to the Thameslink Rolling Stock Programme, Interfleet notified the Department that it had contracted to provide technical
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assistance to Siemens in relation to gauging activities and simulations and the provision of Notified Body approval for the new Thameslink fleet. The Department has received assurances about strict adherence to project confidentiality rules being in place and was content that this did not represent a conflict of interest.
In November 2013 Interfleet notified the Department that its Swedish arm, Interfleet Technology AB, had responded to a Siemens ITT for the provision of instrumented wheelsets for the Thameslink train to allow information to be recorded during test runs. It is understood that this contract has yet to be awarded. However if it was, the Department is satisfied that it would not represent a conflict of interest given that the firms operate as separate entities.
Separately, one team within Burges Salmon provided legal advice to First Transpennine Express during the procurement of the new electric trains that it has recently begun operating, while another team provided legal advice to the Department. We were satisfied that all appropriate protections (including information barriers) were in place and that both teams' objectives were to obtain the best deal for their respective clients.
Training
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Ministers in his Department have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each such course 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. [183234]
Stephen Hammond: Media training was provided by Angela Coles for my noble Friend the Minister of State for Transport (Baroness Kramer) and the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr Goodwill), on 6 November 2013 and 21 October 2013 respectively. This was provided at a total cost of £1,907.40.
No other Ministers currently in the Department have undertaken any training at a cost to the Department.
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Work Experience
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 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. [183670]
Stephen Hammond: The number of people (a) aged 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old that undertook work experience in his department is as follows:
| DFT and agencies | ||
| 16 and under | Over 16 | |
| 1 Totals below 5 have been shown as <5 to avoid individuals being identified. | ||
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients waited longer than four hours to be seen in accident and emergency departments in the first week of January in each of the last five years. [183849]
Jane Ellison: The following table shows the proportion of patients attending accident and emergency (A and E) departments (all types) who were transferred, admitted or discharged in over four hours. To ensure consistency, data are provided for the equivalent week in each year, which is the fortieth week of the year, for the last five years.
| Proportion of people who attended A and E departments (all types) who were transferred, admitted or discharged in over four hours in week 40 for the last five years | |||
| Week ending1 | A and E performance standard (Percentage) | Proportion of patients who were transferred, admitted or discharged in more than four hours from arrival at A and E (Percentage) | |
| 1 Data provided is for the fortieth week of the year. 2 Weekly data for 2009-10 are management information and are not publicly available. The official source of A and E performance data at this time was the Quarterly Monitoring Collection. 3 The official source of A and E performance weekly data for 2010-11 was the Quarterly Monitoring collection. 4 For 2011-12, week 40 ended on 8 January 2012. | |||
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 hospital episode statistics for A and 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.
| Mean and median duration to assessment1 for attendances at A and E departments (all types) from April 2008 to March 2012 in England | ||
| Mean (minutes) | Median (minutes) | |
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| Mean and median duration to treatment2 for attendances at A and E departments (all types) from April 2008 to March 2012 in England | ||
| Mean (minutes) | Median (minutes) | |
| Mean and Median duration to departure3 for attendances at accident and emergency departments (all types) from April 2008 to March 2012 in England | ||
| Mean (minutes) | Median (minutes) | |
| 1 Duration to assessment: This is the total amount of time in minutes between the patients' arrival and their initial assessment in the A and E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A and E to the time when the patient is initially assessed. 2 Duration to treatment: This is the total amount of time in minutes between the patients' arrival and the start of their treatment. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A and E to the time, when the patient began treatment. 3 Duration to departure: This is total amount of time spent in minutes in an A and E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A and E to the time when the patient is discharged from A and E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, dying in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged and referred to another specialist department. Note: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre. | ||
Ambulance Services: Radiation Exposure
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which ambulance trusts have hazardous area response team paramedics trained to deal with radiation contaminated casualties; and how many paramedics are identified under regulation 14(1) of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 for each ambulance trust. [183294]
Jane Ellison: All English ambulance trusts have at least one hazardous area response team trained and equipped to deal with radiological incidents, as set out under 14(1) in the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001. There are 15 hazardous area response teams across all the 10 English ambulance trusts. There are 42 staff per hazardous area response team.
Antibiotics
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the length of time that people use antibiotics; and if he will commission research into the effects on patients of overuse of antibiotics. [183176]
Jane Ellison:
The management of the over-use of antibiotics is a key part of the Government's United Kingdom 5-Year antimicrobial resistance Strategy, which was published in September 2013. The over-use of antibiotics is linked to the increase in resistant organisms in human and animal health. One of the key aims of the Strategy is to preserve the effectiveness of existing treatments through responsible prescribing of antibiotics. This will build on existing work such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the
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use of antibiotics. NICE's key therapeutic topics give advice on specific antibiotics, recommending three-day courses rather than longer five or 10-day courses.
A cross-Government high level steering group, will oversee the implementation of the entire Strategy, including any research requirements on the effects of patients of the overuse of antibiotics. The National Institute for Health Research has issued a themed call for research into the evaluation of public health measures, health care interventions and health services, to reduce the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance and consequent morbidity.
Bexsero
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the draft Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation minutes of 2 October 2013, what assessment has been made of how many children would be ineligible for the Bexsero vaccine under the proposed formula. [183905]
Jane Ellison: At the meeting held on 2 October 2013, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation reviewed the impact and cost-effectiveness of the routine use of Bexsero in the United Kingdom, including assessments of the universal routine vaccination of infants and adolescents. Bexsero is indicated for active immunisation of individuals from two months of age and older, unless contraindicated. No estimate has been made of the number of children contraindicated to Bexsero.
Breast Cancer
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will take steps to promote the drinking of tomato juice to reduce the incidence of breast cancer. [183092]
Jane Ellison: The Government promote a diet visually depicted in the eatwell plate. The Government recommend people eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day. Each type of fruit and vegetables contain different nutrients and components and this variety is important for overall health and wellbeing.
There is limited evidence on specific fruit and vegetables and disease reduction, including for tomato juice.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve NHS treatment provision for patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. [183042]
Jane Ellison: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised services and improving NHS treatment provision for children and adults with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH).
NHS England's ‘Paediatric Medicine: Endocrinology and Diabetes’ service specification sets out how the service should ensure access to high-quality treatment for endocrine disorders in children, including CAH, across England. Treatments offered include medical and surgical management of endocrine disease, nutritional and psychological support for the child and their family, educational support and counselling about preparation
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for treatment and prognosis. Many children with endocrine disease have a life-long chronic disease and therefore contact with the paediatric endocrine service will be extensive.
With regard to adults, NHS England's service specification for specialised endocrinological services, including CAH, makes it clear that one of the aims of the service is to provide and deliver access to high- quality medical and surgical treatment for patients with endocrinological conditions, including CAH, across England.
Service specifications clearly set out what providers need to have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services.
Croydon University Hospital
Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the future of accident and emergency services at Croydon University Hospital following the withdrawal of the Better Services, Better Value proposals. [183693]
Jane Ellison: The six south-west London clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are actively discussing the next steps for local health services following the withdrawal of Surrey Downs CCG from the Better Services, Better Value programme.
With this in mind, no date has been confirmed by the local national health service for any future consultation on proposals.
Diabetes
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review his Department's guidance on the provision of insulin pumps on the NHS in light of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendations on the use of pump therapy to treat Type 1 diabetes. [183817]
Jane Ellison: It is the responsibility of NHS England to ensure that commissioners and providers make insulin pumps available for those people with diabetes who meet the criteria recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Earlier this month, NHS England published ‘Action for Diabetes’ which sets out the steps it is taking to improve outcomes for people with and at risk of diabetes.
General Practitioners
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve access to GP services for vulnerable older people. [183324]
Jane Ellison: Improving general practitioner (GP) services for vulnerable older people is a key priority of the Government. Progress has been made in a number of ways.
Changes have recently been announced for the 2014-15 GP contract, which states that all over-75s will have a named GP responsible for overseeing their care. In addition, patients with urgent enquiries will be able to access same-day telephone consultations and follow-up arrangements as necessary.
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The Prime Minister announced that a £50 million fund would be established for supporting access to general practice. As well as seven-day week access and evening opening hours, the pioneer GP groups will test a variety of forward thinking services.
Finally, integration pioneers will be leading the way in exploring new models for providing seamless care for people in local areas. This work will complement the £3.8 billion Better Care Fund which will ensure pooled budgets are established between health and social care in every area to achieve better joined-up care.
Health
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of signatories to the Public Health Responsibility Deal with regard to pledges dealing with (a) construction and civil engineering industries, (b) domestic violence, (c) improving the health of young employees, (d) mental health and well-being, (e) staff health checks and (f) smoking cessation. [183907]
Jane Ellison: We would like to see as many organisations as possible signed up to all of the pledges that are relevant to them. We identify appropriate organisations and contact them directly to invite them to sign up. We also engage with potential partners through hosting external events, speaking at key business events, working with those who have a specific sectorial or special interest in the pledges and existing Responsibility Deal partners.
Dame Carol Black, expert adviser on health at work to the Department, travels across the country promoting the deal through site visits, award ceremonies and events.
The quarterly high-level network meetings consider strategies to promote sign up to the Responsibility Deal. We have sub groups set up on domestic violence, mental health and construction, and encourage members to be ambassadors and promote the deal. Each year, we host a Partnership Forum which is open to all our existing signatories and where we also encourage organisations to find out more and possibly sign up.
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department as an employer has signed up to (a) the Public Health Responsibility Deal and (b) the sub-pledges regarding (i) construction and civil engineering industries, (ii) domestic violence, (iii) improving the health of young employees, (iv) mental health and well-being, (v) staff health checks and (f) smoking cessation. [183908]
Jane Ellison: Full details of the partners signed up to the Responsibility Deal and the pledges they have signed up to are available on the Responsibility Deal website:
https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/partners/
The Department has signed up to all the Health at Work network pledges apart from H.10 which is specific to the construction and civil engineering industries.
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Health and Wellbeing Boards
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will encourage health and wellbeing boards to involve dental health professionals. [183262]
Norman Lamb: The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (the Act) established health and wellbeing boards as committees of local authorities. The Act also mandated the statutory core membership of boards to include a minimum of one local elected representative; a representative of each clinical commissioning group; a representative of the local Healthwatch organisation; the directors of adult social services, children's services, and public health.
Beyond this statutory minimum membership, it is for local authorities and the board to shape their wider membership, which may well mean drawing on the expertise of members from the voluntary and community sector and the dental health profession. However, central Government maintain that these decisions are best left for local determination.
Furthermore, membership of health and wellbeing boards will not be the only way to engage with the work of boards. We expect boards will want to ensure that they have wider mechanisms in place to draw on the expertise of other groups when developing their joint strategic needs assessments and joint health and wellbeing strategies.
Health Services: Older People
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that care is better co-ordinated for elderly people discharged from accident and emergency departments to prevent re-admissions. [183322]
Jane Ellison: Changes have recently been announced for the 2014-15 general practitioner (GP) contract which state that all over-75s will have a named GP responsible for overseeing their care. Through an enhanced service, GPs will also be asked to identify which of their patients may be at risk of readmission and take preventative actions.
Named GPs will also ensure that, following discharge from hospital, vulnerable patients are contacted by an appropriate professional to arrange their on-going care in a co-ordinated way.
We have also asked GPs to review emergency admissions from care and nursing homes to prevent unnecessary visits to accident and emergency.
Health Services: South East
Mr Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current operational status of the Better Services, Better Value review in south-west London and Surrey is; and if he will make a statement. [183107]
Jane Ellison: The six south-west London clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are actively discussing the next steps for local health services following the withdrawal of Surrey Downs CCG from the Better Services, Better Value programme.
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Health Visitors
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress he has made against his target of increasing the number of health visitors by 50 per cent by 2015. [183813]
Dr Poulter: The Government are committed to growing by April 2015, the health visitor work force by 4,200 and transforming health visiting services to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities.
The latest health visiting work force data1 (for October 2013) show the total number of health visitors nationally is 9,770 full-time equivalents (FTEs).
This is 1,678 more health visitors compared with the May 2010 baseline of 8,092 and equates to 40% of the 4,200 extra health visitors required by April 2015.
1 Published on 21 January 2014 by the Health and Social Care Information Centre
Heart Diseases
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policy of recent research into genetic indicators of increased risk of heart attacks. [183090]
Jane Ellison: The cardiovascular disease outcomes Strategy, published in March 2013, recognised the need to improve the identification of individuals and families that may have inherited cardiac conditions. NHS England's national clinical director for heart disease is working with all relevant stakeholders to develop and spread good practice in relation to these conditions.
Human Papillomavirus
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make an estimate of the total number of cases of cervical, vaginal, vulval, penile, anal, head and neck cancers that would be prevented in each year in both (a) females and (b) males if the HPV vaccination programme was extended to boys; [183280]
(2) what estimate he has made of the total number of cases of genital warts prevented each year in (a) females and (b) males under the HPV vaccination programme; [183281]
(3) what estimate he has made of the total number of cases of cervical, vaginal, vulval, penile, anal, head and neck cancers prevented each year in (a) females and (b) males by the current HPV vaccination programme; [183282]
(4) if he will make an estimate of the total number of cases of genital warts that would be prevented each year in (a) females and (b) males if the HPV vaccination programme was extended to boys. [183289]
Jane Ellison: Estimates of the potential impact of the HPV vaccination programme on cancer and warts have been previously published by Public Health England in the BMJ in 2011. A copy of this will be provided to the Library.
The data estimate that in the United Kingdom, eventually, the HPV vaccine currently being used may be preventing around 630 to 1,100 cervical cancer cases a year and 380 to 950 cases of anal, vulvar and vaginal cancer a year. If
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the vaccine additionally protects against HPV 16/18 related penile and oropharyngeal cancers, the number of non-cervical cancers prevented could increase to 560 - 1,000 cases a year.
The development of cancer typically takes many years following HPV infection: the impact of HPV vaccination on cancer cases will therefore take many years to be fully realised.
A HPV subcommittee of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has been established and will be considering a number of key issues around HPV vaccination, including the option of vaccinating men who have sex with men (MSM) and/or adolescent boys. The first meeting of the HPV subcommittee will be held early in 2014.
PHE has begun preliminary modelling to assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of vaccinating men who have sex with men, in anticipation of further guidance on this when the HPV subcommittee meets. Further work to assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of vaccinating adolescent boys against HPV infection is also planned.
Human Papillomavirus: Swindon
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many young people in Swindon have received the human papillomavirus vaccine since its introduction. [183140]
Jane Ellison: Since September 2008, more than 9,400 girls were reported from the area served by the former Swindon primary care trust to have received the completed course of three doses of human papillomavirus vaccine. This figure will be an under-estimate due to some girls receiving their vaccine after the data submission date.
In Vitro Fertilisation
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policy of recent research published by the University of Adelaide indicating that children born after IVF treatment have a greater risk of complications. [183091]
Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), in its role as the national regulator for the provision of IVF treatment services, regularly considers new research about the health impacts of IVF and related treatments such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The HFEA has advised that the study to which the hon. Member refers is scheduled for consideration by the authority's scientific and clinical advances advisory committee on 5 February. Papers considered by the committee and minutes of its meetings are published on the HFEA's website at:
http://www.hfea.gov.uk/SCAAC.html
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended, requires that patients are provided with full information about the nature of the treatment they are proposing to undergo, including any potential risks and possible side effects associated with the treatment.
Mr Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the
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extent and adequacy of provision of in-vitro fertilisation in
(a)
Peterborough constituency and
(b)
England; and if he will make a statement. [183371]
Jane Ellison: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning many healthcare services, including infertility services, to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local people and are value for money.
To support CCGs in their commissioning of infertility services, NHS England has issued a factsheet to them which sets out how CCGs should approach commissioning fertility services and take account of the revised National Institute for Health and Care Excellence fertility guideline.
We do not assess the extent of in-vitro fertilisation provided in Peterborough centrally.
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 544W, on Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, what the membership of the meningococcal sub-committee was; and who was responsible for appointment to that committee. [183904]
Jane Ellison: The membership of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, and its sub-committees, is published on the Government website at:
www.gov.uk/government/policy-advisory-groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation
The chairperson of a sub-committee is appointed by the Chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, and membership of a sub-committee is agreed by the Chair of that sub-committee. At its last meeting, held on 13 July 2013, the membership of the meningococcal sub-committee consisted of
Dr Andrew Riordan, Chair (Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation);
Professor Andrew Pollard (University of Oxford);
Professor David Goldblatt (University College London);
Professor Mike Levin (Imperial College London);
Dr Anthony Harnden (Oxford University and Morland House Surgery);
Ms Anne McGowan (National Public Health Service for Wales); and
Professor Matt Keeling (University of Warwick).
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings he has held with representatives of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation since 2 October 2013. [183906]
Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not met representatives of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation since 2 October 2013.
Lung Cancer: Females
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his taking to reduce the incidence of lung cancer in women. [183089]
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Jane Ellison: Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable death and illness in England and the primary cause of lung cancer. That is why the Government published “Healthy Lives Healthy People: a tobacco control plan for England” in 2011.
The plan set out a number of commitments to reduce the take-up of smoking in young people, to support smokers to quit, and to protect everyone from the harms of second-hand smoke, as well as national ambitions to reduce smoking prevalence among adults, 15-year-olds and pregnant women by the end of 2015,
Along with our partners in Public Health England, we are taking wide-ranging action to tackle risk factors for the prevention of diseases, including cancer, and addressing: tobacco use; obesity; unhealthy diets; physical inactivity; and harmful consumption of alcohol. Key elements of the work programme involve action at national level, including working with industry through the public health responsibility deal, alongside strengthening local action, promoting healthy choices, and giving appropriate information to support healthier lives through social marketing campaigns such as Change4Life.
Muscular Dystrophy
Dr Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) with reference to his letter to the right hon. Member for North Somerset of 15 May 2013, what the evidential basis is for the statement that (a) muscular dystrophy is caused by mitochondrial disease and (b) cases of muscular dystrophy could be prevented by new techniques which aim to prevent mitochondrial disorders; [183835]
(2) with reference to his letter to the right hon. Member for North Somerset of 15 May 2013, for what reason it was (a) stated that muscular dystrophy is caused by mitochondrial disease and (b) implied that cases of muscular dystrophy could be prevented by new techniques which aim to prevent mitochondrial disorders; [183836]
(3) with reference to his letter to the right hon. Member for North Somerset of 15 May 2013, what the evidential basis is for the statement that proposed new treatments to prevent mitochondrial disorders are not similar to cloning; and under what activities the Newcastle licence for pronuclear transfer (R0153) is covered. [183837]
Norman Lamb: Muscular dystrophies are a group of muscle diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system and limit movement. There are a number of different causes including abnormalities of structural proteins, for example Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and mitochondrial abnormalities. Thus mitochondrial abnormalities can cause muscular dystrophy but there are many other causes. Much of the research to develop new techniques to prevent mitochondrial disease was funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. Only those cases of muscular dystrophy caused by mitochondrial DNA abnormalities could be prevented by new techniques.
Although a similar methodology is used, neither of the two techniques proposed to prevent transmission of serious mitochondrial disease is equivalent to reproductive
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cloning. Any children resulting from the use of these techniques would have arisen from fertilisation and be genetically unique, rather than a copy of an existing person. They would be the genetic child of the woman receiving treatment and her partner.
The research licence R0153, “Mitochondrial DNA Disorders: Is there a way to prevent transmission?”, issued by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), expired on 31 August 2011. Since August 2011, research involving pronuclear transfer has been carried out under research licence R0152, “Pluripotency, reprogramming and mitochondrial biology during early human development”. The licence authorises the storage and keeping of human embryos, the use of donated embryos and the creation of embryos in vitro for use in the research. Summaries of the two projects can be found on the HFEA's website at:
http://www.hfea.gov.uk/1564.html
NHS: Complaints
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what process (a) patients and (b) healthcare suppliers can make complaints about the decisions of NHS commissioners. [183183]
Dr Poulter: There are a number of routes through which to make complaints concerning commissioners and decisions, depending on the type of complaint:
a complaint under the Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009;
an appeal against a decision on an Individual Funding Request;
a complaint to Monitor about failure to comply with legal obligations; or
judicial review.
The Local Authority Social Services and National Health Service Complaints (England) Regulations 2009 cover any function provided or commissioned by the NHS. A complaint may be made by a person who is affected, or likely to be affected, by the action, omission or decision of the body which is the subject of the complaint.
Health care suppliers wishing to complain about the decisions of NHS commissioners can approach Monitor and request it considers whether their conduct is consistent with the National Health Service (Procurement, Patient Choice and Competition) Regulations (No. 2) 2013.
Procurement
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's 10 largest contracts let since the financial year 2010-11 are; what savings have been made in such contracts; what the level of overspend or underspend was in each such contract; and what steps his Department has taken to monitor the performance of each supplier of such contract following the contract award. [183909][Official Report, 26 February 2014, Vol. 576, c. 3-5MC.]
Dr Poulter: The 10 largest contracts that have been let by the Department since the financial year 2010-11 are as follows:
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Savings have been accrued in these contracts but specific figures cannot be provided without disproportionate costs being incurred.
Levels of overspend or underspend against these contracts are assumed to mean the comparison of an allocated annual internal budget to deliver the contract, with the actual annual contract expenditure. It is not possible to provide this information without disproportionate costs being incurred.
Supplier performance is routinely monitored by individual departmental contract managers in accordance with the terms of each contract, and with reference to departmental and wider Government policies and best practices.
Radiotherapy
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what new clinical evidence his Department has gathered since the publication of the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group report on stereotactic body radiotsherapy in 2011 on treating cancers of the prostate, head and neck, liver. spine and pancreas with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy; [183184]
(2) for what reason none of the recommendations of the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group report on clinical trials for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy published in 2011 have been implemented. [183272]
Jane Ellison: The National Radiotherapy Implementation Group (NRIG) report on stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), published in 2011, made a comprehensive assessment of the role and opportunities for SABR in cancer treatment. The guidance was intended to support commissioners, providers and clinicians to deliver SABR services locally.
The report concluded that the evidence only supported the routine use of SABR in the treatment of early stage non-small cell lung cancer for patients who are unsuitable for surgery. With regard to other cancers, such as those of the prostate, head and neck, liver, spine and pancreas it recommended that treatment should only be commissioned within a clinical trial or on an individualised basis. However, the report added that SABR was an evolving treatment area and that those working within the field should review the latest literature to support their clinical practice.
The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cancer treatment. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made. The NIHR has not funded any clinical trials of SABR for cancer of the prostate, head and neck, liver, spine or pancreas since December 2010.
Finally, since 1 April 2013 NHS England has been responsible for commissioning radiotherapy services, including SABR. Its commissioning policy statement on SABR, published April 2013, also concluded that the SABR treatment was only suitable for a small subset of patients with early non-small cell lung cancer. The policy will be reviewed in April 2014, at which time the radiotherapy clinical reference group will examine whether further evidence has come to light regarding the clinical and cost effectiveness of SABR in treating other cancers.
Secondment
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2013, Official Report, column 1010W, on secondments, which private companies supply NHS England with seconded staff. [183316]
Jane Ellison: NHS England has advised it has seconded staff from the British In Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA), Deloitte and Microsoft.
Sexually Transmitted Infections: Young People
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under 18 years are registered with (a) chlamydia, (b) herpes, (c) gonorrhoea and (d) genital warts. [183156]
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Jane Ellison: The table provides data on the number of acute (STI) sexually transmitted infection diagnoses in England for those aged under 18 years in 2012. Data may include data recording errors which have led to an incorrect date of birth being entered, cases where an infection has been transmitted that does not involve penetrative sex or other sexual activity, and cases involving child abuse. Follow-up is not conducted to correct data entry errors, incorrect years of birth, and other reporting errors, thus the numbers reported in these age groups may not reflect infections that were sexually acquired.
With regard to children under 13 years of age, using the term “sexually transmitted infection” is problematic as it is very rare for children to be sexually active at this age. Moreover, recent research in which Public Health England has collaborated1 suggests that most routinely reported infections in under 11-year-olds were not acquired sexually; and of the few that may have been, sexual abuse was implicated.
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 includes a clear framework of offences to protect children of all ages from sexual
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abuse. All penetrative sex with a child under 13 is automatically classified as rape. Government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010) makes it clear that cases involving under 13-year-olds who are having penetrative sex or are engaged in other intimate sexual activity are likely to involve significant harm to the child or children.
Guidance for health professionals is that any case involving a child aged under 13 should be initially discussed with the child protection lead in the organisation. However, while the presumption is that the case should then be reported to children's social care and a strategy discussion held, ultimately the decision on whether or not to break confidentiality is a judgment for a health professional to make. This must be based on the facts of each case, in which the child's interests are the overriding consideration.
1 Genital herpes in children under 11 years and investigations for sexual abuse. Reading R, Hughes G, Hill J, Debelle G. Arch Dis Child. 2011 Aug;96(8):752-7
| Acute STI diagnoses reported in patients under 18 years of age in England, 2012 | ||||||||
| Age (in years) | ||||||||
| Diagnosis | Gender | <13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Total |
| Notes: 1. Information on treatment of STIs is not collected. Those with an STI diagnosis are assumed to have been treated in line with national guidelines. 2. Table values represent the number of diagnoses and not the number of individuals diagnosed with an acute STI. 3. Data from infants aged 0 were excluded as these were most probably due to mother to child transmission. 4. Small cell values between 1 and 4 have been anonymised (e.g. with “<5”) to prevent deductive disclosure. Where the anonymised cell can be deduced from the total it has been necessary to anonymise additional data from the same row/column. 5. Data total may include 'not known' gender. 6. Data for “other acute STIs' include chancroid, lymphogranuloma venerum, molluscum contagiosum, non-specific genital infection, pediculus pubis, scabies, syphilis and trichomoniasis. Molluscum contagiosum, pediculus pubis, and scabies are not exclusively transmitted by sexual contact. 7. Data with incorrect year of birth and other data entry errors may be included. Sources: 1. Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Data-set (GUMCAD) 2. Chlamydia Activity Testing Data-set (CTAD) | ||||||||
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Sugar
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce sugar in foodstuffs with the aim of reducing obesity levels and diagnosis of diabetes. [183085]
Jane Ellison: Our emphasis is on overall calorie reduction, of which sugar can form a part, which is key to tackling obesity and preventing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Thirty-eight businesses are currently signed up to the Responsibility Deal pledge to support and enable their customers to eat and drink fewer calories, including some of our biggest soft drinks manufacturers who are reducing calories and sugars in their drinks.
Telephone Services
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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. [183210]
Dr Poulter: In July 2013 British Telecommunications (BT) confirmed that, whilst there are five non-geographical (084) numbers recorded as being in use by the Department, none of them generated any revenue. Of the five numbers, three were no longer in service and BT removed them from records. The other two related to an NHS Careers/Health visiting number and a Community Legal Aid number paid for by Legal Aid and changed to another 0845 number that is not the responsibility of the Department.
Tobacco: Packaging
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made in introducing plain packaging for tobacco products. [183095]
Jane Ellison: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made on 28 November 2013, Official Report, columns 24-25WS. Government amendments to the Children and Families Bill, which would provide powers to make regulations to introduce standardised tobacco packaging, if it is decided to proceed, were tabled on 16 December 2013 and will be debated in the House of Lords on 29 January 2014.
Tuberculosis
Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve approaches to diagnosing latent tuberculosis in hard-to-reach groups. [183323]
Jane Ellison: The Department recognises the public health importance of tackling tuberculosis (TB), particularly in large metropolitan areas and amongst certain vulnerable groups.
We recognise the contribution that latent TB makes to the overall TB disease burden, which is why the Department commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to produce a short
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clinical guidance on TB services for hard-to-reach groups, and makes recommendations on interferon immunological testing for diagnosing latent TB (published in March 2012).
The Department is funding research projects on identifying latent TB in relation to the effectiveness of testing for latent TB and on the prognostic value of new blood tests that can predict active TB or latent TB.
There is also a national strategy being developed by Public Health England in partnership with the Department, the national health service, local government and other key public and voluntary sector organisations to improve TB control in the United Kingdom. The strategy aims to strengthen TB control in every high-incidence area, and to ensure high standards of care everywhere, leading to a year-on-year decrease in incidence, a reduction in health inequalities associated with TB, and to contribute to the ultimate aim of eventual elimination of the disease. This will include a focus on improving TB case finding and treatment in hard-to-reach groups. The strategy will be published in March 2014.
Energy and Climate Change
Energy: Meters
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with (a) mobile network operators and (b) broadband companies on (i) coverage of mobile signal and broadband and (ii) communication requirements of smart meters in rural areas in Scotland. [183052]
Gregory Barker: Coverage of mobile signals and broadband provision is the responsibility of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport which is working to bring high-speed broadband to rural areas and to improve mobile infrastructure through Broadband Delivery UK.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has responsibility for the smart metering implementation programme. As part of this the Department recently procured three regional contracts on behalf of energy suppliers and network operators to provide wide area communications to carry messages to and from smart electricity and gas meters.
A range of bidders competed for these contracts including two mobile network operators, but no bidders offered solutions based on broadband technology. The contract for the north region of Great Britain, including Scotland, was awarded to Arqiva Smart Metering Ltd which has signed a contract with Smart DCC Ltd to implement a long range radio solution. Telefonica UK Ltd won the communications contracts for the centre and south regions offering a solution based primarily on cellular technology.
Officials from the Department work closely with colleagues in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to ensure that our policies remained aligned.
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of households in England were pre-payment customers of energy in each year since 2007; and what proportion of such customers were fuel poor. [183512]
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Gregory Barker [holding answer 20 January 2014]: The following tables show how many and what proportion of households in England were pre-payment customers of gas and electricity, in each year of data available since 2007, alongside what proportion of pre-payment customers were fuel poor under the low income high costs definition.
| Gas | |||
| Number of pre-payment households (thousand) | Proportion of all households using pre-payment (%)1 | Proportion of pre-payment households which are fuel poor (%) | |
| 1Excludes households which do not use gas. | |||
| Electricity | |||
| Number of pre-payment households (thousand) | Proportion of all households using pre-payment (%) | Proportion of pre-payment households which are fuel poor (%) | |
Fracking
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobs likely to be generated by shale gas extraction (a) in the next licensing round and (b) at peak production in the UK. [183480]
Michael Fallon [holding answer 20 January 2014]: On 17 December, we published for consultation an environmental report as part of the process of strategic environmental assessment for further oil and gas licensing onshore. On a high activity scenario, the report estimates that in respect of activity on new licences only, oil and gas activities carried out under a potential 14th licensing round might create 16,000 to 32,000 new full-time equivalent positions in the peak development phase, including direct, indirect and induced jobs.
A substantial area of Great Britain, over 7,000 square miles, is already licensed for oil and gas activities.
Existing oil and gas activities are not included in this estimate.
Housing: Insulation
Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which local authority and obligated energy company partnerships planning to undertake solid-wall house insulation through the energy company obligation (ECO) that had been agreed in principle are now suspended or cancelled following changes to the configuration of the ECO. [183748]
Gregory Barker: The contractual arrangements between energy companies and local authorities (or other partners) in relation to delivery of the energy company obligation are a commercial matter between the parties involved.
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We are working with many local authorities through DECC's Green Deal Communities fund, which has been increased from £20 million to £80 million, to develop and support local energy efficiency projects including those where ECO support has been agreed or is envisaged.
Wind Power
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) on shore and (b) off shore wind turbines have been erected in the UK in each of the last five years. [182347]
Gregory Barker: The number of turbines that have become fully operational in each year from 2009 to 2013 (up to 30 November 2013) is as follows:
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
This does not take into account turbines that may already have been erected but where the actual wind farm development is yet to complete construction and become operational. The numbers also relate only to schemes requiring planning permission; there are likely to be some additional small-scale permitted development turbines not included here. The data have been extracted from DECC's renewable energy planning database:
https://restats.decc.gov.uk/cms/planning-database/
Culture, Media and Sport
Bank Services
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with what bank her 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. [183241]
Mrs Grant: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, like all core departments, banks with the Government Banking Service (GBS). This ensures that balances held in these accounts are held within the Exchequer at the Bank of England. The GBS does not offer overdraft facilities. DCMS does not hold any other accounts.
Broadband
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that housing estates sited across council boundaries have access to uniform broadband speeds. [183847]
Mr Vaizey:
The Government have a target of providing access to superfast broadband to 95% of premises by 2017. This coverage can be delivered through a range of technical solutions including fibre to the cabinet or fibre to the premises, each of which would deliver different speed capabilities to individual consumers. Consumers' experience is also affected by a number of factors in addition to the performance of the network
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provided in their area. These could include the type and installation of the equipment in their homes, distance of the property from an exchange or cabinet, and in-building wiring. Communications providers cannot guarantee the provision of uniform broadband speeds.
In addition, where local areas cross local authority boundaries, there may be different commitments to improve broadband performance by the authorities concerned. Even where the authorities each have superfast broadband projects, they may have prioritised different areas for improvement. Consequently the pace of upgrade will not necessarily be the same in each local area.
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the availability and speed of broadband in housing estates sited across council boundaries. [183848]
Mr Vaizey: DCMS does not have detailed information on broadband speeds within individual housing estates. However, DCMS is aware that the Cheswick estate which crosses the Bristol and South Gloucestershire boundary has different broadband provision in different parts of the estate. Broadband Delivery UK in DCMS is working with South Gloucestershire council on options for delivering superfast broadband provision to the remaining premises in this area where this is not currently available.
Package Holidays
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of the Package Travel Regulations on the size of the packages market for inbound tourism. [183078]
Mrs Grant: There has been no assessment of the effect of the Package Travel Regulations (SI 1992/3288) on the market for inbound tourism, as the regulations apply only to packages sold or offered for sale in the UK, and provide additional rights and protection for consumers in the UK. The Government are currently involved in negotiations reforming the package travel directive, which are intended to bring it up to date with changes and technological advances in the travel market.
Radio Frequencies
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of an increase in the annual licence fee for the 900 and 1800 MHz spectrum on (a) the level of private sector infrastructure investment in the 4G mobile network and (b) the speed at which 4G services will be rolled out across the UK. [183433]
Mr Vaizey: The Government directed Ofcom in December 2010 to revise the fees paid for licences to use spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands following the auction of licences to use the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz 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
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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. Ofcom will consider responses to its consultation carefully, including evidence submitted on the potential impacts of the proposed fees before coming to final decisions.
Telephone Services
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the Cabinet Office guidance for customer service helplines, published on 26 December 2013, when her Department expects to comply with the instruction set out in that guidance that non-geographic 084 numbers should by default use the 03 prefix. [183204]
Mrs Grant: The Department fully complies with the guidance and does not use 084 numbers on any of its customer helplines.
Training
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Ministers in her Department have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each 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. [183218]
Mrs Grant: No Ministers in the Department undertook training in this financial year.
Work Experience
Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in her Department in each of the last three years. [183654]
Mrs Grant: DCMS, which includes the Government Equalities Office, does not hold records of informal work experience placements which employees may arrange. The Department did take part in the Cabinet Office organised social mobility foundation placements for 16/17-year-olds for the last two years. As the number involved is so few I cannot release the figures in accordance with established data protection principles.
Attorney-General
Bank Services
Chris Leslie: To ask the Attorney-General with what bank the Law Officers' Departments' bank overdraft is held; and what fees and charges were payable on the core Department's bank overdraft in the last financial year. [183238]
The Solicitor-General: All of the Law Officers' Departments hold bank accounts with the Government Banking Service (GBS). This ensures that balances held in these accounts are held within the Exchequer at the Bank of England. The GBS does not offer any overdraft facilities.
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The CPS also holds a single account with one commercial bank, Lloyd's Bank plc. No overdraft charges were paid on this account in 2012-13.
Crown Prosecution Service
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many complaints were made against the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in (a) 2013 and (b) each of the previous five years; and for each year how many complaints related to (i) CPS legal decision-making, (ii) non-legal decision-making and (iii) both legal and non-legal decision-making. [183285]
The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the number of complaints recorded by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2013-14 and each of the previous five years; and since 2010-11, the number of recorded complaints about the CPS legal decision making, non-legal decision making and mixed (legal and non-legal). Data for 2009-10 and 2008-09 are not available in the requested format.
| Not recorded | Legal Decision Making | Mixed (Legal and Non Legal Decision Making) | Non Legal Decision Making | Total | |
| 1 1 April 2013 to 16 January 2014 Notes: 1. Prior to April 2010 the CPS maintained a record of the timeliness of responses to complaints, and the figures for 2008-09 and 2009-10 given in the table are taken from this source and represent all letters of complaint received and replied to by the CPS. 2. In April 2010 the CPS launched their Feedback and Complaints Procedure. Prior to this date any expression of dissatisfaction with the CPS was recorded as a complaint. Under the current Feedback and Complaints Procedure, only correspondence from individuals (or their representative) directly associated with a case are considered and recorded as a complaint. Expressions of dissatisfaction from people not directly associated with a case continue to be monitored but are classified and recorded as feedback. 3. The CPS complaints data does not include cases reviewed under the Victim's Right to Review (VRR), which are recorded on separate system. 4. The CPS collects this data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. 5. The CPS does not collect data which constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. 6. The data since April 2010 has been drawn from the CPS's Feedback and Complaints KIM site, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. 7. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS. | |||||
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many complaints about the Crown Prosecution Service were referred to the Parliamentary Ombudsman in (a) 2013 and (b) each of the previous five years. [183286]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service does not collate the requested information. Requests for details of complaints referred to the parliamentary and health ombudsman should be made directly with the ombudsman.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many complaints about (a) Crown Prosecution Service legal decision-making, (b) non-legal decision-making and (c) legal and non-legal decision-making were upheld either wholly or in part in 2013 and each of the previous five years. [183288]
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The Solicitor-General: The following tables show the number of finalised complaints about the Crown Prosecution Service (a) legal decision making, (b) non-legal decision making and (c) mixed (legal and non-legal) by outcome since 2010-11. Data for 2009-10 and 2008-09 are not available in the requested format.
| 2010-11 | |||||
| Resolution | |||||
| Complaint Type | Not Upheld | Part Upheld | Upheld | Withdrawn | Total |
| 2011-12 | |||||
| Resolution | |||||
| Complaint Type | Not Upheld | Part Upheld | Upheld | Withdrawn | Total |
| 2012-13 | |||||
| Resolution | |||||
| Complaint Type | Not Upheld | Part Upheld | Upheld | Withdrawn | Total |
| 2013-141 | |||||
| Resolution | |||||
| Complaint Type | Not Upheld | Part Upheld | Upheld | Withdrawn | Total |
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| 1 April 2013 to 15 January 2014. Notes: 1. The CPS complaints data are available through a dedicated KIM site. 2. The data relates to the number of finalised CPS complaints which reached at least stage 1 of the CPS Feedback and Complaints procedure or were recorded as withdrawn in each year. 3. The CPS complaints data does not include cases reviewed under the Victim's Right to Review (VRR), which are recorded on separate system. 4. The CPS collects this data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. 5. The CPS does not collect data which constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. 6. The data has been drawn from the CPS's Feedback and Complaints KIM site, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. 7. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS. | |||||
Early Guilty Plea Scheme
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General (1) how many violence against the person cases were resolved by the Early Guilty Plea scheme in 2013; and on how many occasions during that year charges of (a) grievous bodily harm and (b) malicious wounding were left to lie on the file; [183292]
(2) how many cases of people charged with fraud and forgery offences were resolved by the Early Guilty Plea scheme in 2013; and on how many occasions during that year charges of fraud were left to lie on the file; [183291]
(3) how many sexual offences cases were resolved by the Early Guilty Plea scheme in 2013; and on how many occasions during that year charges of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault by penetration were left to lie on the file. [183290]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has not previously had a facility to disaggregate the Early Guilty Plea data by principal offence category. A new automated process has now been developed and data will be published once the accuracy and reliability of the data has been established.
The data will not disaggregate the outcome of individual offences but will provide data on the principal offence category.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases of people charged with burglary were resolved by the Early Guilty Plea scheme in 2013; and on how many occasions during that year charges of (a) aggravated burglary and (b) burglary were left to lie on the file. [183293]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has not previously had a facility to disaggregate the Early Guilty Plea data by principal offence category. A new automated process has now been developed and data will be published once the accuracy and reliability of the data has been established.
The data will not disaggregate the outcome of individual offences but will provide data on the principal offence category.