22 Jan 2014 : Column 222W

AWE

Sir Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence police officers were under investigation in 2013 for neglect of duties at the Atomic Weapons Establishment; how many such officers have since faced disciplinary action; how many such officers have resigned from the force since being notified of investigation; what steps he is taking to review police management standards at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Burghfield; and if he will make a statement. [183426]

Anna Soubry: All Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) officers are expected to perform their duties to the highest standard at all times. Any failure in such standards is taken very seriously. 44 MDP officers at Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield are currently subject to a police misconduct investigation which commenced in late 2013. This investigation concerns allegations of officers failing to complete their duties correctly. Seven officers have resigned during the course of this investigation and a number of changes to practice were put in place immediately. It would be inappropriate to comment further on an ongoing misconduct investigation. MDP management standards at AWE Burghfield are being reviewed as part of the investigation and any actions considered appropriate will be taken forward as part of a formal management action programme.

AWE Aldermaston

Sir Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when nuclear processing operations recommenced in the main processing building at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston, following the Improvement Notice from the Office for Nuclear Regulation. [183429]

Mr Dunne: The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) Improvement Notice issued on 9 November 2012 to AWE plc prohibits nuclear processing operations in the uranium component manufacturing facility until completion of the repairs to structural steel work. The original deadline given by the ONR for completion of the works was 31 December 2013; but the ONR has agreed to extend the deadline to 31 May 2015. Plans for the subsequent re-commencement of processing operations are still being considered.

AWE Burghfield

Sir Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when emergency flood defences have been deployed at the Atomic Weapons Establishment Burghfield since the flood event of July 2007. [183397]

Mr Dunne: Since July 2007, emergency flood defences have been deployed 26 times at Atomic Weapons Establishment Burghfield. 13 deployments followed weather warnings and 13 routine deployments were made to ensure preparedness during periods of site closure, such as holiday periods. The dates are as follows:

As a result of weather warnings:

from 14 May 2009 to 15 May 2009

from 16 July 2009 to 17 July 2009

from 15 January 2010 to 18 January 2010

22 Jan 2014 : Column 223W

from 27 February 2010 to 1 March 2010

from 18 August 2011 to 19 August 2011

from 22 August 2011 to 29 August 2011

from 27 April 2012 to 30 April 2012

from 2 May 2012 to 3 May 2012

from 24 August 2012 to 28 August 2012

from 21 September 2012 to 24 September 2012

from 23 November 2012 to 26 November 2012

from 25 October 2013 to 28 October 2013

from 23 December 2013 to 2 January 2014

To ensure preparedness during site closure:

from 23 December 2008 to 5 January 2009

from 9 April 2009 to 14 April 2009

from 1 May 2009 to 05 May 2009

from 22 May 2009 to 26 May 2009

from 28 August 2009 to 1 September 2009

from 23 December 2009 to 5 January 2010

from 1 April 2010 to 6 April 2010

from 30 April 2010 to 4 May 2010

from 28 May 2010 to 1 June 2010

from 27 August 2010 to 31 August 2010

from 23 December 2010 to 3 January 2011

from 23 December 2011 to 2 January 2012

from 21 December 2012 to 2 January 2013

Bank Services

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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. [183242]

Mr Philip Hammond: In common with most other Departments of State the Ministry of Defence (MOD) obtains its banking services through the Government Banking Service (GBS).

Under the current contract this means that the Department's core bank accounts are held with Citi and the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBSG) which trades as RBS, NatWest and Ulster Bank.

These accounts are funded by the Treasury on a monthly basis in accordance with the Department's forecast cash requirement for the month.

No changes were incurred in the last financial year in connection with individual GBS accounts being overdrawn because the overall set of MOD GBS accounts were in credit.

Where GBS cannot meet the Department's requirements, e.g. local banking services abroad, the Department enters into commercial arrangements to satisfy the banking requirement. These accounts are predominantly funded from the Department's core accounts or are self funding through receipts. These non-GBS accounts are not routinely

22 Jan 2014 : Column 224W

held in overdraft but on occasions they may move into overdraft for short periods if funding transfers are not made in time or unexpectedly high payments are made from the accounts. In financial year 2012-13 interest paid by the MOD on such overdraft balances amounted to £911.55. Associated charges, where incurred, are not separately identifiable.

Burma

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether an offer has been made to the Burmese Army of training in establishing mechanisms to investigate and prosecute cases where Burmese Army soldiers are alleged to have committed human rights abuses. [182814]

Mr Francois: No.

Navy: Recruitment

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many new naval reserve recruits there were in (a) Portsmouth South constituency and (b) Hampshire in each of the last five years; [183588]

(2) how many regular naval recruits were enlisted in (a) Portsmouth South constituency, (b) Hampshire and (c) England in each of the last three years. [183586]

Anna Soubry: Naval recruitment is co-ordinated through the Armed Forces Careers Offices, not by geographic area. Recruiting figures for Regular naval recruits in the last three years are shown in Table A, and figures for Naval Reserve recruits in the last five years are shown in Table B:

22 Jan 2014 : Column 225W

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Naval officers are normally recruited through one of seven Officer Careers Liaison Centres (OCLCs). Candidates from Portsmouth and Hampshire would normally be processed through OCLC London, along with candidates from a large area of southern England. Total numbers processed by OCLC London are provided above. It is not possible to separately identify those originating from a particular area. Specialist officer candidates, and those entering as Upper Yardmen, are processed directly by Naval Recruiting or the Admiralty Interview Board, both of which are based in Hampshire, but the candidates with whom they deal come from all over the UK.

Nuclear Weapons: Safety

Sir Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the name, date and location is of each nuclear weapons accident response exercise which (a) took place in 2013 and (b) is scheduled for 2014. [183427]

Dr Murrison: Information on the names, dates and locations of nuclear weapons accident response exercises which took place in 2013 and provisional dates for exercises scheduled for 2014 is provided in the following tables:

Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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 such contract following the contract award. [183959]

Mr Dunne: As part of this Government's commitment to increase transparency, since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish information about the contracts they award on Contracts Finder:

www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/

In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000 on the Ministry of Defence's website:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-finance-transparency-dataset

Monitoring of the contractor's performance against contractual outputs by MOD commercial staff is standard practice against all contracts. If the contractor failed to meet its contractual obligations, the commercial team responsible for that contract would enforce, where appropriate, one or more standard contract remedies, ranging from withholding payment to termination, for any failure of performance.

Royal Naval Reserve

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many naval reserve recruits (a) left the service and (b) were enlisted from 2011 to the most recent year for which figures are available. [183590]

Anna Soubry: Naval reserve statistics are published quarterly in the Quarterly Personnel Report. The provisional figures available for the number of Maritime Reserve recruits that left the service and were enlisted can be found at:

http://www.dasa.mod.uk/publications/personnel/military/quarterly-personnel-report/2013-10-01/1-october-2013.pdf

(tables 9 and 13)

Due to the lack of validated and corrected data prior to October 2012, it is not possible to calculate movements before October 2012 using consistent definitions.

Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Numbers ending in '5' have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Defence Statistics is continuing to investigate issues and methodologies relating to these statistics arid this work may result in changes to the data.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role he plans for HM Naval Base Portsmouth in the management of recruitment of reservists. [183592]

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Anna Soubry: Captain Naval Recruiting is tasked with the management of recruiting for all arms of the naval service; his headquarters is in HM Naval Base Portsmouth. There are no plans to relocate that headquarters.

Health

Abortion

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he is satisfied that the guidance contained in the Chief Medical Officer's letter to GPs and hospitals on the illegality of sex-selective abortions has been followed; and if he will publish the evidence upon which he bases that judgement. [183812]

Jane Ellison: Abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal.

We expect doctors to take account of guidance from the chief medical officer (CMO), and under the 1967 Abortion Act it is for two doctors to satisfy themselves in good faith that there are grounds for an abortion, and to defend their decision if challenged.

The Department will continue to monitor birth ratios by mothers' country of birth on an annual basis and also examine other sources of information and evidence. Birth data for the year following the CMO letter of February 2012 have not yet been analysed. Any specific allegations about gender-selective abortions being undertaken will be reported to the police.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients waited longer than four hours to be seen in accident and emergency in each of the first four weeks of January in each of the last five years. [183964]

Jane Ellison: The proportion of patients who have been transferred, admitted or discharged in more than four hours from arrival in Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments (all types) in the equivalent weeks in January (weeks 40 to 43) in each of the last five years and the first two weeks of 2013-14 (weeks 40 and 41) is included in the following tables:

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For parliamentary questions on A&E it is helpful for 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.

22 Jan 2014 : Column 229W

Artworks

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what artwork is on display in the offices of each Minister in his Department; and what the estimated value is of each such artwork. [183940]

Dr Poulter: The information requested is as follows:

The Secretary of State for Health (Jeremy Hunt)

Grey and Red (2), oil on canvas by Yuko Shiraishi

Afro Lunar Lovers, Giclee print with embossing and hand applied gold leaf, by Chris Ofili

Waterlines, screen-print, by Richard Long

Sustenance 101, photograph, by Neeta Madahar

I've only the friendship of hotel rooms, screen-print, by Patrick Caulfield

I'll take my life monotonous, screen-print, by Patrick Caulfield

Her handkerchief swept me along the Rhine, screen-print by Patrick Caulfield

Ah! storm clouds rushed from the Channel coasts, screen-print, by Patrick Caulfield

Minister of State (Norman Lamb)

Sam Johnson DCM, Docker, oil painting by Bernard Hailstone

Gunner Paul March (Canadian Forces), oil painting by Henry Lamb

Blakeney Marshes, watercolour by Leonard Russell Squirrell

Ebb Tide, Wells Next the Sea, Norfolk, watercolour by Leonard Russell Squirrell

Fécamp Harbour, oil painting by Henry Lamb

Moonrise on the Zuyderzee, oil painting by Adrian Scott Stokes

22 Jan 2014 : Column 230W

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe)

The Highgate Archway from the Turnpike Gate at Holloway, engraving by unknown artist, British 19th century

The Glorious Victory, obtained over the French Fleet by the British Fleet under the Command of Earl Howe, on the First of June 1794, engraving by James Fittler after Philip James de Loutherbourg

Description of the Print of Earl Howe's Victory over the French Fleet, June the First, 1794, engraving, after Philip James de Loutherbourg

Entry to the Strand from Charing Cross from Original Views of London, as it is, lithograph by Thomas Shorter Boys

A View from Richmond Hill engraving by Charles Theodosius Heath after Thomas Christopher Hofland

The Horse-Guards from Six Views of London, engraving by Edward Rooker after Michael Angelo Rooker

Chigwell School, Essex from Public Schools Series, etching and aquatint by Elizabeth Mary Aslin

The Meadows, Oxford from Oxford and Cambridge Series, lithograph by Edwin La Dell

William Stukeley (1687-1765) antiquary and natural philosopher, mezzotint by John Smith I after Sir Godfrey Kneller

Milton Ernest Hall from Victorian Dream Palaces, screenprint by John Piper

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Dr Daniel Poulter)

Duck Pond in Surrey, lithograph by Edwin La Dell

Town Hall from New Suite, etching and aquatint by Helena Markson

Bios, block print by Tadek Beutlich

Back Garden Geese, linocut by Barbara Robertson

The Green, Green Grass, etching by June Berry

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Jane Ellison)

Smooth Hawksbeard, set of etchings on paper by Michael Landy

Summer, colour etching and aquatint by John Reginald Brunsdon

Rising Forms, oil on canvas by Graham Bevan

Diagonal Inclinations, screenprint by David Leverett

The artworks are on loan from the Government Art Collection. The Collection has advised us that it is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the value of the Government Art Collection or individual works, neither of which have a current market valuation. The current monetary value of a work of art can be accurately assessed only at the time of either purchase or sale or by professional valuation. In the former case, the Collection is not actively traded; in the latter, it would not be justifiable expenditure of public funds to have the whole Collection valued professionally.

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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. [183640]

Dr Poulter: The Department occupies three buildings that are owned privately, as follows:

22 Jan 2014 : Column 231W

Each of these buildings include occupations by a number of the Department's arm's length bodies.

Proton Beam Therapy

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his policy is on extending access to proton beam therapy on the NHS; [183423]

(2) for what reasons UK patients are only funded to undergo proton beam therapy in US and not other countries. [183424]

Jane Ellison: In April 2012, the Government announced that they had set aside up to £250 million of public capital to be invested by the national health service in building proton beam therapy (PBT) facilities at The Christie hospital in Manchester and University College London Hospital. A competitive process selected these hospitals based on the current understanding of likely activity requirements. It is anticipated that patients will be able to access high energy proton beam therapy PBT in England from 2018.

English patients are able to access two PBT facilities in America as well as a facility in Villigen, Switzerland. An expert panel chose these centres through a robust selection process that identified only those facilities that met high clinical and technical standards.

The panel also took into account factors such as accessibility, availability of communication in the English language, experience and established links to other essential clinical services. There is high patient satisfaction with the facilities including both treatment and patient support. In a survey undertaken in 2013, all patients and their families rated the service as 'satisfactory' or ‘highly satisfactory’.

Drugs: Children

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new psychotropic drugs have been licensed for use by children in each year since 2010. [183523]

Norman Lamb: Two psychotropic drugs have been licensed for use in children since 2010.

EU Law

Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period. [183867]

Dr Poulter: Details of all European Union legislation, including full details of all EU Directives and Regulations that have come into force since May 2010, can be found on the Commission's website:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_legislation.do

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The Department has transposed all directives in its area of responsibility that have come into force since 2010.

General Practitioners: Fareham

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent general practitioners were employed in general practices in Fareham constituency in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14 to date. [183811]

Dr Poulter: Information is not available in the format requested. Information that is available is as follows:

Health Services: Learning Disability

Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department ensures that health checks carried out annually for people with learning disabilities are given sufficient time and attention to cover the necessary checks; and if he will make a statement. [183577]

Norman Lamb: NHS England recognises the importance of comprehensive health checks for people with learning disabilities. NHS England commissions annually from general practitioner (GP) practices a “Learning Disability Health Check Scheme.” This scheme is reviewed and updated on an annual basis. Every patient who receives a health check will be provided with a health action plan.

While the scheme identifies the key requirements that should be incorporated into a health check for people with learning disabilities, NHS England recognises that every patient has different needs and it is essential that the patient, and where appropriate their carer, agrees with their GP or other health care professional what should be covered in the consultation and how much time is required.

Influenza: Vaccination

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on seasonal influenza vaccination public awareness campaigns in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [183137]

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Jane Ellison: The historic spend on seasonal influenza vaccination public awareness campaigns is set out in the following table:

Responsibility for the seasonal influenza vaccination public awareness campaign moved to Public Health England on 1 April 2013 along with the other Department of Health public health campaigns.

Spending on seasonal flu communications reduced in 2009-10, as the swine flu pandemic took precedence in 2009-10 and so the seasonal flu campaign was scaled back in that year.

The campaigns of 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 have been focused specifically on at risk groups.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many seasonal influenza vaccinations were delivered in (a) the North East and (b) Sunderland in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [183138]

Jane Ellison: Data on the number of seasonal influenza vaccinations administered in primary care to target groups in the North East and Sunderland Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) have been derived from the Annual Influenza Vaccine Uptake Reports published by Public Health England. The figures are only available from the 2007-08 season onwards. The available information is set out in the following tables:

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Meningitis: Vaccination

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a free-of-charge vaccination programme for children under five for meningococcal B meningitis. [183579]

Jane Ellison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the independent expert committee that advises the Government, has not yet made a final recommendation about the use of the meningococcal B vaccine Bexsero. JCVI is due to report back in March 2014, having reviewed additional evidence at its meeting February 2014. We will respond to any JCVI's recommendations as quickly as possible.

Methylphenidate: West Midlands

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in each primary care trust area in the West Midlands were prescribed methylphenidate hydrochloride in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [183540]

Norman Lamb: The information requested is not centrally held. Information is not collected centrally on the number of people prescribed medicines, or the number of prescription items dispensed for a specific medicine to patients by age group.

Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 undertook work experience in his Department in each of the last three years. [183662]

Dr Poulter: The Department actively encourages its business areas to offer work experience opportunities and is committed to contributing to the development of students by providing placements of this nature. A copy of the Department's work experience policy will be placed in the Library.

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In the main, arrangements for placements are organised and managed at a local level. Information on all such placements is not held centrally and it would incur disproportionate costs to collect all the information requested.

In line with our corporate diversity agenda, the Department has developed the Building Bridges Programme. The programme provides young people from our local areas with opportunities to experience life in the civil service. There were a total of 19 students (aged 14 to 15 years old) placed within the Department by the Building Bridges initiative in the last three calendar years: four in 2011; seven in 2012 and eight in 2013.

In addition, the Department takes part in the Civil Service Whitehall Internship Scheme, as part of the Government's Social Mobility Strategy. The scheme was developed in response to a pledge in the coalition agreement to provide internships in every Whitehall Department for people from under-represented groups, with the aim of giving them meaningful work experience in a civil service environment. The Department provided opportunities for seven college-level students, aged 16 and 17, to work in our Whitehall office—three in 2011 and four in 2012.

Treasury

Credit Unions

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of credit unions offering cash ISAs; and if he will take steps to encourage credit unions to provide cash ISAs. [183505]

Mr Gauke: 37 credit unions are currently approved by HM Revenue and Customs to offer cash ISAs.

Since 2010, the Government have implemented a range of measures to help credit unions compete and grow, including an investment of up to £38 million to March 2015 in its Credit Union Expansion Project. This investment is designed to modernise, expand and strengthen credit unions and help them to meet demand for banking and saving products, such as cash ISA, by providing sustainable financial services for up to one million additional people by 2019.

More generally, the Government encourage credit unions and other financial institutions to offer ISAs by ensuring these accounts remain attractive to a wide range of savers, and that the administrative and other requirements on ISA providers are proportionate.

Excise Duties: Beer

Dr Fox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of the implementation of progressive beer duty in each of the last 10 years. [183575]

Nicky Morgan: The difference between the beer duty that would have been collected at the full rate and the reduced rate under progressive beer duty in each of the last 10 years is estimated as follows:

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It is not possible to provide administrative costs for the scheme as these statistics are not currently separately identified. However, the current overall cost for the collection of alcohol duty in 2012-13 amounts to 0.41 pence for each pound collected.

Excise Duties: Oil

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the need to increase the number of oil terminals designated as duty warehouses; and if he will make a statement. [183430]

Nicky Morgan: Treasury Ministers and officials receive a wide variety of representations from organisations in both the public and private sectors.

Details of ministerial and Permanent Secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Foreign Companies: Profits

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the level of the profits generated in the UK and remitted overseas by foreign-owned companies, banks and utilities trading in the UK in each of the last five years. [183320]

Mr Gauke: The Office for National Statistics publishes statistics on cross-border Foreign Direct Investment income flows. These statistics are published quarterly in the Balance of Payments and annually in the Pink Book and Foreign Direct Investment (MA4). These publications are available at these links.

Fracking

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the document referred to in footnote 76 of page 49 of the Autumn Statement 2013, entitled Upstream Insight: UK advances shale gas fiscal incentives, Wood Mackenzie. [183372]

Nicky Morgan: This report is currently only available to Wood Mackenzie subscribers, so the Government are unable to place a copy in the Library. Anyone who would like a copy should therefore contact Wood Mackenzie directly.

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Fuels: Tax Evasion

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the proportion of fuel sold in (a) Great Britain and (b) Northern Ireland that is illicit; [183465]

(2) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of fuel fraud in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the UK in each of the last 10 years. [183467]

Nicky Morgan: The latest available HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimate shows the proportion of illicit petrol to be negligible in both GB and NI. It estimates illicit diesel in GB at 2% of the diesel market and 12-13% in Northern Ireland.

Tax gap figures and the associated estimated revenue loss going back to 2003-2004 are published here:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps.htm

With the latest data available for 2011-12 here:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-2013.pdf

HMRC fights fraud on a wide range of fronts, from special units performing thousands of roadside checks to raiding laundering plants. HMRC have also recently concluded the evaluation of a possible new marker for rebated fuel, which will make it harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.

Minimum Wage

Mr Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many investigations there were into national minimum wage compliance from (a) complaints obtained by (i) affected employees and (ii) third parties and (b) information from (A) risk profiling and (B) targeted enforcement action by HM Revenue and Customs (1) in the UK and (2) in London in each year since 1998-99. [167626]

Mr Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC review every complaint that is referred to them, investigating the complaint and, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where they identify a high risk of non-payment of NMW.

HMRC does not keep data on complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to government regions or country. Its management information relates to the work of teams who are multi-located. Additionally, because it resources to risk, work relating to a specific geographical area is not always done by the NMW team geographically based in that area.

HMRC has enhanced the range of interventions it makes to investigate employers' compliance with national minimum wage. Enforcement officers investigate individual workers' complaints and may extend their review to include the whole of the employer's work force dependant on the perceived level of risk. While this had reduced the number of cases completed, it has increased the level of assurance gained on employers' compliance with NMW legislation. This approach has led to an increase in the numbers of workers helped which rose by 53% in 2012-13 when compared to 2011-12, although fewer complaints were received.

The data in the following table relates to cases taken up nationally, as a result of (a) complaints obtained by (i) affected employees and (ii) third parties and (b) information from either risk profiling or targeted

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enforcement action. Data is not available from 2001-02, and records do not split employee from third party complaints after 2011.

Mark Reckless: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps his Department has taken to improve enforcement of the national minimum wage. [183816]

Mr Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously. HMRC enforce the legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and has done so since the introduction of NMW in April 1999. It does that by investigating all complaints made to the free and confidential Pay and Work Rights Helpline about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, and in addition carries out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of the minimum wage to workers.

This Government are cracking down on employers who break the law. Rogue employers who do not pay their workers the minimum wage will face an increased penalty of up to £20,000. The Prime Minister has announced that his Government will increase the financial penalty percentage from 50% to 100% of the unpaid wages owed to workers, and that the maximum penalty will increase from £5,000 to £20,000. Regulations introducing these new limits are subject to parliamentary approval and are expected to be in force in February 2014. The Government will also bring in primary legislation as soon as possible so that the maximum £20,000 penalty can apply to each underpaid worker.

This Government have also made it simpler to name and shame employers who break NMW law. The revised BIS NMW Naming and Shaming scheme came into effect on 1 October 2013 and are part of Government efforts to toughen up enforcement of the NMW and increase compliance. By naming and shaming employers it is hoped that bad publicity will be an additional deterrent to employers who would otherwise be tempted not to pay the NMW. This is on top of the financial penalties which employers already face if they fail to pay NMW. We anticipate that the first cases will be made public very soon. HMRC works across Government in task forces with other agencies, local authorities, UKBA, and the police with the specific objective of maximising visibility and impact. Successful targeted campaigns have been run across sectors such as high street fashion, interns and social care. In addition

22 Jan 2014 : Column 239W

Employment Agency staff have been seconded to HMRC specifically to tackle NMW non-compliance by employment agencies and intermediaries.

Non-Domestic Rates: Power Stations

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes in business rates for power stations have been made in the last three months; and on what date those changes were published. [183842]

Mr Gauke: There have been no business rates policy changes aimed solely at power stations made within the past three months.

Retail Trade: Overseas Visitors

Mr Blunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to encourage overseas visitors to shop in UK stores. [183097]

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The GREAT Campaign promotes Britain in key global markets. The GREAT campaign is centred on Britain's strengths such as Culture, Heritage, and Technology. Shopping is GREAT is part of the GREAT campaign. Shopping is GREAT consists of creative and inspirational images of British shopping centres and retail businesses that aim to promote Britain as a desirable location to shoppers both at home and abroad.

The UK now has record levels of spend by inbound visitors. The latest forecast by VisitBritain estimates that there will have been a record spend of around £20.6 billion by overseas visitors in 2013.

The recent HMRC consultation on the VAT refund scheme, the outcome of which is due to be announced later this year, is aimed at making it easier for foreign visitors to obtain VAT refund in the UK.

The Home Office constantly reviews the visa regime to attract more visitors to the UK. In October 2013 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a pilot scheme allowing trusted Chinese tour operators to make joint applications for UK and Schengen area visas on a single form. It is hoped that this simplification will lead to increased numbers of Chinese tourists visiting the UK alongside other European destinations.

Also, on the 1 January 2014 a new visa waiver scheme was launched, making it cheaper and easier for business travellers and tourists to visit the UK from Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

In addition, the Government are working with retail, property, business, academia, third sector and civil society organisations to enable high streets and town centres to become more vibrant and attractive destinations for all.

Revenue and Customs: Northern Ireland

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs officers are currently employed in Northern Ireland. [183463]

Mr Gauke: HMRC employed the following number of staff in Northern Ireland at 31 December 2013:

Headcount: 1,856

Full-time equivalent: 1,648.78.

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Shares

Mr Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the proportion of shares by value owned by individuals in other (a) EU member states and (b) G20 countries. [183086]

Nicky Morgan: The Office for National Statistics publishes information on share ownership in the UK annually. International organisations such as the OECD and EU compile some information on share holdings for other countries. Table 1 shows household sector holdings of shares and other equity as a proportion of total household sector financial assets for OECD countries.

Taxation: Business

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many unresolved tax enquiries there were in the Large Business Service in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14 to date; [183513]

(2) how many unresolved tax enquiries in the Large Business Service are (a) one year old and (b) more than three years old. [183514]

Mr Gauke: HMRC's Large Business Service deals with the tax affairs of the 800 or so largest businesses in the UK. HMRC's approach has enabled it to recover around £23 billion in additional compliance revenues

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from large businesses, including those dealt with by Large Business Service, between April 2010 and March 2013.

The number of tax risks under inquiry in the Large Business Service at the relevant dates were:

The Large Business Service aims to deal with complex risks quickly. In 2012-13, it reached a decision on 82% of risks within 18 months.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) with which companies the Large Business Service currently works; [183515]

(2) with how many companies the Large Business Service worked in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14 to date. [183522]

Mr Gauke: HMRC's Large Business Service has responsibility for dealing with the tax affairs of the largest businesses in the UK, broadly groups of companies and professional firms with a turnover of £600 million or above, or assets of £2 billion or more.

HMRC's approach has enabled it to recover around £23 billion in additional compliance revenues from large businesses, including those dealt with by Large Business Service, between April 2010 and March 2013. The current number of businesses dealt with by the Large Business Service is 813, this is 53 more than in 2009-10.

Taxation: Self-Assessment

Mr David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will meet Google to discuss the profits that company makes from copycat websites which charge for the tax return service and appear above Government Department and agency websites in search results; and if he will highlight to them the importance of taking steps to ensure that websites with the .gov.uk domain are used solely for these services. [183801]

Mr Gauke: HMRC takes customer confidence in their online services very seriously. Ministers have asked a cross-government group which HMRC is part of to work with Google to try and mitigate the risks posed by copycat websites to our customers.

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Tobacco Packaging

Ian Paisley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what analysis he has commissioned of the economic effects of the introduction of standardised packaging for tobacco products; [183558]

(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of standardised tobacco packaging on the intellectual property rights of tobacco brands; and if he will estimate the cost of any compensation arising from such a proposal and its effect on intellectual property rights. [183559]

Jane Ellison: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.

The Department published a consultation-stage impact assessment alongside “the Consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco products” in April 2012. This set out information on the likely costs and benefits if standardised packaging were to be introduced and invited respondents to submit additional relevant information. A copy of the assessment has already been placed in the Library.

The Government will consider the wider issues raised by standardised tobacco packaging, including the economic aspects and potential impact on intellectual property, before making a final decision on this policy.

Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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. [183671]

Nicky Morgan: The Treasury participates in the Social Mobility Foundation's two week residential work experience programme for young people from lower income backgrounds. This scheme is run across the civil service by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Treasury has hosted work experience placements for seven young people in the last three years. This scheme is for A-level students aged 16 to 17-years-old. There is an open and transparent application process and costs are met by the host Departments.

Informal work experience is hosted by Treasury officials for young people under and over 16 years old but numbers are not held centrally.

Cabinet Office

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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. [183632]

Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office occupies 35 Great Smith Street and Rosebery Court under leases held directly by the Cabinet Office with private landlords. Both properties were rented before May 2010.

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Our work to rationalise the Government's property estate has resulted in the disposal of 401 buildings in 2012-13, saving the taxpayer £620 million last year alone.

Debt

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the change in the aggregate household debt in the UK was between 1 July 2010 and 1 July 2013. [183676]

Mr Hurd [holding answer 22 January 2014]:The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson dated January 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking what the change in the aggregate household debt in the UK was between 1 July 2010 and 1 July 2013 (183676).

The Office for National Statistics publishes details of the financial liabilities of the household sector. This combines information for households and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH). It also includes unincorporated businesses, which tend to be family businesses with no liability to shareholders.

The most recent analyses can be found in table A64 of (the United Kingdom Economic Accounts (UKEA) 2013 Q3, published on 20 December 2013. The UKEA is available on the National Statistics website at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/naa1-rd/united-kingdom-economic-accounts/q3-2013/index.html

These data are produced quarterly; therefore the month of July is covered in our July-September (Q3) period. I have therefore included data on this period for both years in your request.

Total financial liabilities in 2013 Q3 were £1,549.5 billion compared to £1,532.4 billion in 2010 Q3.

Employment: Portsmouth

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of people in Portsmouth South constituency were employed in the (a) private and (b) public sector in each of the last three years. [183392]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated January 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of people in Portsmouth South constituency were employed in the (a) private and (b) public sector in each of the last three years. (183392)

Employment statistics for local areas are calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). Individuals in the APS are classified to the public or private sector according to their responses to the survey. In the APS the distinction between public and private sector is based on respondents' views about the organisation for which they work. The public sector estimates provided do not correspond to official Public Sector Employment estimates. Those are derived directly from employers and are based on a National Accounts' definition and are not available for areas smaller than regions.

Table 1 shows the percentage of people aged 16 to 64 years, who were employed in the public or private sector along with those who were unemployed or inactive, resident in Portsmouth

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South constituency. These estimates are compiled from APS interviews held during the period July 2012 to June 2013, the latest period available, and the 12 month periods ending in June from 2011 to 2012. It should be noted that the estimates also include a small number of respondents who have not provided enough information to be accurately classified and have been split between public and private sector on a pro rata basis.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.

National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

EU Law

Mr Redwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period. [183859]

Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office has transposed two EU directives into UK law since 2010 and six directly applicable regulations have come into effect in the Cabinet Office’s area of responsibility in the same period.

Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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 such contract following the contract award. [183958]

Mr Maude: As part of my Department's transparency programme, it has been Cabinet Office policy since January 2011 to publish details of all contracts with a value of £10,000 or more on Contracts Finder:

www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

In addition, Cabinet Office expenditure over £25,000, is published at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

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Cabinet Office hold a review meeting after the first month from award and then on a quarterly basis for all departmental contracts. Contracts are monitored throughout the life of the contract with performance and delivery discussed at review meetings.

Work Experience

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in No. 10 Downing Street in each of the last three years; [183668]

(2) how many people aged (a) 16 and under and (b) over 16 years old undertook work experience in the Deputy Prime Minister's Office in each of the last three years; [183656]

(3) 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. [183652]

Mr Maude: The Prime Minister’s Office and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Offices are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

Since 1 April 2011, the Cabinet Office has provided 38 work experience placements. These placements include 29 work experience placements for young people aged between 18 to 24 years old as part of the Work programme and nine Whitehall Social Mobility Internship programme placements for Year 12 college level students aged between 16 and 17 years old.

Work and Pensions

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [183649]

Mike Penning: Since 1998 the Department occupies the majority of its accommodation under a private finance initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract. Under the terms of the PFI the Department sold all its freehold property interests to its private sector partner, Telereal Trillium. At the same time, all leases held by the Department were assigned to the contractor. Telereal Trillium are therefore in effect our landlord for every site, though the tenancy is held through the contract, rather than through a traditional lease arrangement.

In return, the Department pays Telereal Trillium a monthly all-inclusive unitary charge—known as the Facility Price—for each site. This covers all rent, business rates, other property charges, a wide range of building facilities, equipment and, maintenance services, plus all real estate and professional property costs. It is not possible to itemise the rent element of the Facilities Price separately, for individual buildings, from all the other services provided.

In the year ending 31 March 2013, the total Facilities Price paid to Telereal Trillium amounted to £627,910,978. This includes costs for any other Government Departments, Government bodies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) housed within the Department's estate.

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Child Maintenance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what date the Child Maintenance Service self-service portal for parents using the collect and pay service will be fully operational. [184137]

Steve Webb: We plan to launch the service in 2014. We are currently undertaking the final stages of testing of the self-service portal with view to making this operational once this assurance phase has concluded. The specific date of the launch has not yet been agreed.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that social housing tenants liable for the under-occupancy penalty are assisted in downsizing. [183978]

Esther McVey: The Government have made it easier for all social tenants to downsize to more suitable accommodation by increasing mobility, through changes to the housing allocation rules in the Localism Act 2011 and the introduction of HomeSwap Direct, the national mutual exchange scheme.

Statutory social housing allocations guidance for local authorities issued in June 2012 advises them of the importance of giving existing social tenants who are under-occupying their accommodation appropriate priority for a transfer.

This year the Government have made available £180 million in discretionary housing payment funding, which local authorities can use to help claimants in the process of moving to more suitably sized accommodation. In addition local authorities received a share of £10 million in transitional funding that can be used to support people to move.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to publish his response to the consultation on Better Workplace Pensions: a consultation on charging, Cm 8738. [183929]

Steve Webb: We remain committed to making sure pension savers get good value for money. The consultation on charging closed on 28 November last year, and received 166 written responses. This is an important and complex consultation that requires our proper consideration to ensure we get it right. There will be a written statement on this subject tomorrow, and we will confirm the publication date in due course.

Social Fund

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria his Department uses to assess the viability of local authority Social Fund schemes. [183135]

Steve Webb: There are no local authority Social Fund schemes. However, the Department will be carrying out a review about the way local authorities have used the funding provided following the abolition of the discretionary

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Social Fund. We are still making arrangements with local authorities about the review and a copy of the findings will be placed in the House Library.

Social Rented Housing

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent meetings officials in his Department have held with representatives of HomeSwapper. [183974]

Esther McVey: DWP officials met with representatives of HomeSwapper on 10 October 2013 to discuss mutual exchanges for people affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy.

Social Security Benefits

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will review the statutory provisions of local authorities to include local welfare schemes. [183136]

Steve Webb: There are no statutory provisions of local authorities to include local welfare schemes. However, it has always been our intention to carry out a review about the way local authorities have used the funding provided following the abolition of the discretionary Social Fund and we are making arrangements with local authorities regarding this. A copy of the findings will be placed in the House Library.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseekers received a sanction from Jobcentre Plus in each of the last five years; and how many such sanctions were initiated by a report from a private-sector provider. [183792]

Esther McVey: The information available is detailed in Table 1.

Although the number of individuals has increased since 2008, Table 2 shows that there is a consistency of between 10% and 15% of those claiming JSA who receive a sanction.

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The information on the new sanctions regime for each type of sanction, from 22 October 2012 to 30 June 2013 is published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/255568/sanctions-nov2013-update-2.xls

The information requested on the number of sanctions initiated by a private-sector provider is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Immigrants

Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish the data his Department holds on the number of immigrants who have claimed benefits within three months of registering for a national insurance number in each of the last three years. [183979]

Esther McVey: The information you requested is not readily available but the Department for Work and Pension does publish information on non-UK nationals who claim working age benefits within six months of registering for a national insurance number.

I have asked DWP statisticians to recommend the best option for producing statistics on benefit claiming within three months from registration as part of our normal publication schedule. We will keep users informed about the agreed approach via an update to the Department's statistics web pages.