Antenatal Care

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of pregnant women unable to access antenatal classes (a) in the UK and (b) by region since May 2010. [184406]

Dr Poulter: The information on the number of pregnant women unable to access antenatal classes is not collected centrally.

Antidepressants

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations his Department has received about the use of Sertraline and side effects such as behaviour changes; [184047]

(2) what plans he has to monitor cases of attempted suicide, suicide and possible suicide in which Sertraline was a possible factor; [184048]

(3) what estimate he has made of the number of cases of (a) suicide, (b) possible suicide and (c) attempted suicide that have occurred in each year since Sertraline was introduced in the UK in which Sertraline was a possible factor. [184049]

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Norman Lamb: Sertraline (brand name Lustral) is one of a class of medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which are used in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received a range of representations about the side effects of sertraline including letters from patients and health care professionals. These include a range of known adverse effects including behavioural changes.

The MHRA has received a total of 3,560 United Kingdom spontaneous suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports associated with sertraline since it was marketed in 1990. Of these reports 37 concerned completed suicide, 16 reported a suicide attempt and 50 reports described suicidal ideation associated with sertraline. This should be seen in the context of hundreds of thousands of patients treated with sertraline in the UK since it was licensed.

All ADR reports received by the MHRA, including reports of suicide related events suspected to be associated with a medicine, are assessed as part of the continual monitoring of the safety of all medicines in the UK. This process is known as pharmacovigilance and enables identification of previously unrecognised safety hazards. ADR reports are evaluated alongside all other available data sources including formal safety studies, the published medical literature, information from pharmaceutical companies and other regulatory authorities throughout the world together with information on the level of drug prescribing. When a potential safety issue is identified the MHRA assesses the risks and benefits of the medicine to determine what action, if any, is necessary.

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department gives to doctors prescribing sertraline. [184050]

Norman Lamb: Advice on the prescribing of sertraline is available in the British National Formulary, which is made available free of charge to national health service prescribers, and in clinical guidelines and a quality standard published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

The Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for sertraline is available to all prescribers and contains essential information on how to prescribe sertraline and on the benefits and risks of treatment. The information in the SPC is reflected in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) that is provided with each pack of medicine. The SPC and PIL are approved as part of the marketing authorisation of the medicine and updated as new information emerges. SPCs and PILs are available on the website of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and include warnings about behavioural changes including suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

Autism: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on the recently launched Northern Ireland Autism Strategy; and if he will undertake to make an annual report to Parliament on progress with that strategy. [184332]

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Norman Lamb: The lead responsibility for the Northern Ireland Executive's Autism Strategy 2013-2020 rests with Edwin Poots, Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety, in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Minister will deliver a report on the implementation of that autism strategy to the Assembly, at three yearly intervals, as required by the Autism Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.

We have not discussed the Northern Ireland Executive's Autism Strategy 2013 with Northern Ireland Executive Ministers. However, departmental officials were represented at the Celtic Nations Autism Partnership conference in Belfast in May last year, which focused on the approach taken by each of the four United Kingdom countries with regards to the development and implementation of their autism strategies. Officials have remained in contact to share information and best practice approaches.

Brain: Injuries

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions his Department has had with the Rugby Football Union regarding the problem of concussion in that sport. [184335]

Jane Ellison: Ministers have had no discussions with the Rugby Football Union regarding the problem of concussion in the sport.

Diabetes

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on the use of pump therapy to treat Type 1 diabetes, what assessment he has made of variations between NHS trusts in the application of those guidelines, particularly in relation to the prescribing of insulin pumps to children over the age of 12; and if he will request NICE to review those guidelines to emphasise that the decision to prescribe insulin pumps should be based primarily on appropriate clinical need and not purely on age. [184485]

Jane Ellison: No assessment has been made of the variations between national health service trusts in the application of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on the use of insulin pump therapy to treat people with Type 1 diabetes.

In 2013, the United Kingdom Insulin Pump Audit, published by Diabetes UK, collected data on the use of insulin pumps in the UK between January and April 2013. The audit found that 19% of patients under 18 years of age and 6% of adult patients with Type 1 diabetes were treated with insulin pumps. The majority of centres involved in the audit reported no issues with funding of insulin pumps for patients who met the criteria set out by NICE.

The Department has no plans to ask NICE to review its guidance on insulin pump therapy. As an independent body, NICE is responsible for determining through consultation with stakeholders how and when its guidance should be reviewed.

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Drugs: Children

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on drug-drug interactions resulting from the concurrent prescriptions of multiple psychotropic drugs in children. [184016]

Norman Lamb: Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission on Human Medicines through the reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme. Reporting to the Yellow Card Scheme is voluntary for health care professionals and members of the public, and there is a legal obligation for pharmaceutical companies to report all serious ADRs for their products.

As of 23 January 2013, the MHRA had received 13 United Kingdom ADRs of suspected drug interactions involving more than one psychotropic medicine in children aged less than 18 years. It is important to note that an ADR report is not proof of a causal association between an adverse effect and one or more medicine(s). Many other factors need to be taken into consideration including the patient's underlying illness and any other concomitant medicines taken.

Electronic Cigarettes

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on proposals for EU-level regulation of e-cigarettes as medicinal items. [184105]

Jane Ellison: Electronic cigarettes have been the subject of much debate over the last year since the European Commission published its proposal for a revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). Trilogue negotiations on the TPD between European Union member states, the European Parliament and the European Commission have now concluded and a compromise has been agreed between the Health Council and the European Parliament on the directive in its entirety. The political agreement reached remains subject to technical finalisation and formal approval in the next few months.

We recognise that electronic cigarettes have the potential to be of benefit to some smokers who are trying to quit. Any nicotine-containing product, including electronic cigarettes, which is presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease in human beings, such as nicotine addiction, is considered to be a medicinal product.

The compromise text regulates those electronic cigarettes that do not fall under the definition of medicinal products as consumer products and specifies additional regulatory requirements that provide further safeguards in relation to children and young people.

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) meetings he has had with and (b) representations he has received from the (i) Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association and (ii) Electronic Cigarette Consumer Association. [184143]

Jane Ellison: The previous Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Anna Soubry), met the Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association (ECITA) on one occasion. Officials

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from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have met them on three other occasions.

A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified four items of correspondence from ECITA and none from the Electronic Cigarette Consumer Association (ECCA) received since 1 January 2013. The MHRA has been in e-mail correspondence with ECITA and ECCA.

Exercise: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to encourage local authorities to enable elderly people to take advantage of physical activity at council leisure centres. [184336]

Jane Ellison: The importance of physical activity for older adults is well established. Council leisure centres offer one way for older adults to participate in physical activity; however, there are typically a range of other local opportunities for older adults to stay active, such as regular walking and community sports clubs. Councils will need to plan services in accordance with the health priorities of their local population and need to ensure equality of access.

Public Health England (PHE) is actively working with a range of national strategic partners to promote physical activity across the life course and implement evidence based practice. The work being led by PHE to develop a national framework for physical activity for England is launching on the 24 January 2014. The framework will provide an implementation focused approach which spans the life course and the context of places and spaces in which people take physical activity to support local areas.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department’s paper, Sustaining services, ensuring fairness, whether his intention is for chargeable migrants to pay the full costs of primary healthcare treatments beyond the initial GP or nurse consultation. [184086]

Jane Ellison: Primary care outside general practitioner consultations (or equivalent) will be chargeable.

Guidance on services included in this charging extension will be designed in conjunction with national health service colleagues.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and Human Tissue Authority Review

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to implement the recommendations of the McCracken review. [184085]

Jane Ellison: Following the Government's acceptance of the recommendations in the McCracken Report—most of which were for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Human Tissue Authority (HTA)—good progress is being made on implementation.

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Of those recommendations for Government, we are currently developing work to review human tissue legislation, and plan to publish a consultation policy document by April 2014. In line with the Government's commitment to reducing regulatory burden, we intend that the consultation will not only closely examine the areas cited in the McCracken recommendations but will also look more broadly at how regulatory burdens might be eased.

Both the HFEA and the HTA have work in progress to implement the recommendations for them, details of which can be found for the HFEA at:

www.hfea.gov.uk/Authority-September-2013.html

and for the HTA at:

www.hta.gov.uk/_db/_documents/Papers_for_the_September_2013_HTA_Authority_meeting.pdf

and at:

www.hta.gov.uk/newsandevents/e-newsletter/e-newsletterissue43-january2014.cfm#story4

Medical Records: Databases

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether penalties will be imposed on GP practices for high patient opt-out rates from medical records sharing; [184434]

(2) who will investigate GP practices over high levels of patient opt-out rates. [184698]

Dr Poulter: NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre will work with the British Medical Association, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Information Commissioner's Office and with the Care Quality Commission to review and work with GP practices that have a high proportion of objections on a case-by-case basis.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place copies of guidance sent to GP practices in relation to the provision of care data to third parties in the Library. [184458]

Dr Poulter: The care data guidance documents for general practitioner practices have been placed in the Library.

Question 39 of the frequently asked questions guidance relates to the provision of care data to third parties.

Mental Illness: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of levels of mental ill health in children and young people with a parent in prison; and what steps he is taking to address this problem. [184405]

Norman Lamb: No assessment of levels of mental ill health in children and young people with a parent in prison has been made.

Information on support services for the families of prisoners in England is available from the Government’s central information portal, gov.uk at:

www.gov.uk/support-for-families-friends-of-prisoners

Additional information for families and practitioners is available on the Social Care Institute for Excellence website at:

www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide22/contacts.asp

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Musculoskeletal Disorders: South East

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to extend the South East Coast neuromuscular care coordinator post beyond 31 March 2014 on a permanent basis; and if he will make a statement. [184457]

Norman Lamb: NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised services including neuromuscular services.

We understand that in July 2013 NHS England published the service specification Neurosciences: Specialised Neurology (Adult). This describes the service to be commissioned by NHS England for patients with a neuromuscular disorder. Care is provided via a managed clinical pathway that supports multidisciplinary and cross-organisational working. The multidisciplinary team includes a neuromuscular care coordinator.

The service specification has been implemented from 1 October 2013.

We are advised by NHS England that its Surrey and Sussex Area Team extended funding for the South East Coast neuromuscular care coordinator position to 31 March 2014. Beyond March 2014 funding for a neuromuscular care coordinator post will be provided by the specialist neuroscience centres in London. South East Coast patients are currently under the care of national health service trusts in London for this treatment.

NHS England

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what experience of the national health service is required of chief executives of NHS England local area teams. [184433]

Jane Ellison: The appointment of local area team directors is a matter for NHS England. They have advised that significant experience of the national health service, across a range of areas, is expected of the individuals filling these positions. The person specification for a director role typically includes: a wide range of and breadth of experience of operating at board level in the NHS; extensive knowledge of NHS performance management and accountability frameworks; and highly specialist professional expertise in general leadership and management across the NHS.

NHS Shared Business Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the board members of NHS Shared Business Services are. [184725]

Dr Poulter: The following table lists the board members of NHS Shared Business Services:

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Obesity

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to assist GPs to tackle obesity. [183995]

Jane Ellison: General practitioners (GPs) have a key role in “making every contact count” by identifying overweight children and adults, and supporting them with an appropriate intervention or referral and ongoing management.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework incentivises GP practices to identify and keep a record each year of patients aged 16 and over with a body mass index greater than or equal to 30. This encourages GPs to identify patients who need lifestyle advice and provides information to public health professionals and commissioners on levels of need.

Public Health England is working with the Royal College of General Practitioners to develop an e-learning package for GPs and other primary care professionals to assist in tackling obesity. The e-learning package is planned to be launched in May 2014.

Pregnancy: Sodium Valproate

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have met representatives of Sanofi to discuss sodium valproate in pregnancy. [184168]

Norman Lamb: There have been no meetings involving Ministers or officials with Sanofi on the current review of valproate in pregnancy.

As part of the European Union review, the European Medicines Agency's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) has asked marketing authorisation holders for valproate (including Sanofi) to respond to a list of questions on this issue.

PRAC may also ask marketing authorisation holders to attend the committee for an oral explanation and address any outstanding issues before it reaches an opinion.

Rehabilitation Centres: Bournemouth

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drug rehabilitation centres there are in Bournemouth. [184263]

Jane Ellison: According to the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System, there are four main residential rehabilitation centres in Bournemouth.

Ritalin

Paul Uppal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on the prescription of methylphenidate hydrochloride for children. [184017]

Norman Lamb: Six items of correspondence have been received in this parliamentary session about the prescription of methylphenidate hydrochloride (Ritalin) in children.

There has been one parliamentary question on the prescription of methylphenidate hydrochloride in children.

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Smoking: Motor Vehicles

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what grounds his Department withdrew in 2010 the referral issued to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to carry out research into the health impacts of smoking in private vehicles with children; and at what level the decision to withdraw the referral was taken. [184429]

Jane Ellison: The Department carried out a review of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) public health work programme in 2010 to ensure that the topics referred to it by the previous Administration were appropriate and aligned with the Government’s priorities.

The review included consideration of a topic on

“public health guidance for commissioners and providers on the development and implementation of policies on smoke free homes and smoke free private cars and other vehicles”.

The conclusion of the review was that smoke free homes and vehicles was a complex area with implications for legislation and that it would not be a suitable topic for NICE public health guidance. The decision was taken by Ministers in consultation with NICE, and NICE agreed.

Tobacco

Mr Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with counterparts at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on any requirement to compensate tobacco companies for deprivation of their intellectual property. [184141]

Jane Ellison: Department of Health and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills officials have had discussions when necessary on a wide range of issues concerning tobacco control, including standardised tobacco packaging. This has included discussions with Intellectual Property Office officials on intellectual property considerations.

Any decision on standardised packaging will include consideration of the wider issues raised by standardised tobacco packaging, including the potential impact on intellectual property.

Tobacco: Scotland

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the legislation in Scotland outlawing proxy purchasing of tobacco products. [184490]

Jane Ellison: We are aware that the Scottish Government introduced a new offence of the proxy purchase of tobacco in April 2011 as part of a wider package of tobacco control measures contained within the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010. A study of the effectiveness of this package of measures, including the proxy purchase offence, is currently being conducted by the university of Stirling. This long-term study is due for completion in 2017.

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Ministers in England want to ensure that children are protected from the dangers of smoking—we know 41% of children (11-15) say they get cigarettes from other people. That is why this Government are bringing forward an amendment to the Children and Families Bill to create a new offence of the proxy purchase of tobacco products.

Vaccination: Immigrants

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2013, Official Report, column 728W, on vaccination: immigrants, which body is responsible for commissioning to meet the needs for specific vaccination programmes among migrants who are not registered with a GP when such needs have been identified by a local clinical commissioning group. [184133]

Jane Ellison: The responsibility for commissioning to meet the needs for specific vaccination among migrants who are not registered with a general practitioner and who are not covered by the national immunisation programmes commissioned by NHS England rests with local commissioners in the health and care system, including clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and local authorities (LAs). The needs should be identified as part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment process.

It is the responsibility of CCGs and LAs, which come together in health and wellbeing boards, to agree how to address these needs at a local level through appropriate commissioning.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on increasing the number of apprentices in (a) departments and (b) agencies and public bodies. [184596]

Matthew Hancock: It is crucial that the civil service and public sector leads the way in offering apprenticeship opportunities. In addition to the wide range of Government Departments offering apprenticeships at immediate and advanced level, the Cabinet Office launched in 2013 a new Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme. The scheme aims to provide 500 places to 18 to 21-year-olds. The first 100 apprentices started their apprenticeships in September 2013.

Apprentices: Essex

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of apprenticeships created in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Mid-Essex since 2008. [184536]

Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a Supplementary Table to a Statistical First Release:

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/6D9AE2BF-CDB4-44C9-AB55-0EACF719BBBE/0/Nov2013_Apprenticeship_Starts.xls

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/Statistics/fe_data_library/Apprenticeships/

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British Business Bank

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Building the Business Bank: Strategy Update, published by his Department in March 2013, whether the roll-out of the British Business Bank’s extended loan guarantee programme has been completed. [184202]

Matthew Hancock: An enterprise finance guarantee (EFG) pilot focused on increasing the provision of business to business trade credit started in April 2013. Five organisations are participating, primarily in the construction sector. They have provided credit facilities of £16.1 million to over 2,500 small businesses. The pilot will be evaluated in the second half of 2014.

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the British Business Bank to commence lending activity to businesses. [184209]

Matthew Hancock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 373W.

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide details of the tendering process which led to the award of British Business Bank funding to Praesidian Capital and BMS Finance; how many other fund managers he expects the British Business Bank to partner with; and how much of the Bank's capital will ultimately be invested in fund management companies. [184210]

Matthew Hancock: The awards to Praesidian Capital and BMS Finance are made under the British Business Bank Investment Programme launched in April 2013. Application processes for both Managed Investments and Direct Capital Investments are described in detail in the Request for Proposals for Managed Investments and in the Guidance Document for Direct Capital Investments respectively. Both of these documents are available on gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/investment-programme-to-encourage-lending-to-smes

Each request for funding is evaluated against the eligibility criteria as outlined in the guidance documents, with recommendations on investments being cleared by an Investment Advisory Committee comprising independent members.

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Building the Business Bank: Strategy Update, published by his Department in March 2013, if he will publish details of the initial transactions of the British Business Bank's £300 million investment programme. [184211]

Matthew Hancock: The first two investments from the British Business Bank’s Investment Programme were announced in November 2013, with £45 million committed, subject to agreement on legal terms and final completion, to two debt funds to unlock up to £125 million of additional business lending.

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£30 million was committed to Praesidian Capital Europe and £15 million to BMS Finance.

Environment Protection: Taxation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which sectors have been submitted to the EU Commission for state aid approval against the cost of the carbon price floor. [184091]

Michael Fallon: Currently the Government have pre-notified the European Commission using the same list of eligible sectors as set out in the Commission’s guidelines to member states for the indirect cost of the EU emissions trading system. We have also considered representations made by a range of additional sectors and companies made as part of the consultation on the carbon price floor compensation and will be shortly informing respondents. We will make public the list of additional sectors thereafter.

Foundation Industries

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had on the Government's role in supporting the foundation industries; and if he will make a statement. [184738]

Michael Fallon: The foundation industries underpin manufacturing, particularly sectors such as aerospace, construction and automotive. They are central to the rebalancing of the economy and key in delivering the Government's industrial strategy.

The Government have a number of policies in place to help the foundation industries, including the Regional Growth Fund and the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative. We publish regular updates to the National Infrastructure Plan which includes more than 500 projects, most requiring high quality inputs from the foundation industries.

Ministers have regular discussions with representatives of the foundation industry sectors, including steel and chemicals. The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), was pleased to accept an invitation from Tata Steel to speak at the launch of their foundation industries report on 16 January.

Further Education

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many reviews have been (a) requested and (b) conducted by the FE Commissioner since that post's creation. [184526]

Matthew Hancock: To date I have requested that the FE Commissioner and his team of FE advisers review the position of six general further education colleges in England.

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the name of each administered college is. [184527]

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Matthew Hancock: To date I have placed two general further education colleges into administered college status: Stockport College and South and West Kent (K) College.

Further Education: Finance

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions his Department has had with the Skills Funding Agency on the provision of specialist courses that attract fewer than 100 entrants in an academic year. [183734]

Matthew Hancock: Last summer the Skills Funding Agency undertook a review of publicly funded qualifications to ensure that they are high quality and have high demand. The review looked at qualifications with no or low demand from employers and learners. Low demand was identified as where a qualification had fewer than 100 publicly funded enrolments in each of the last two years. 2,488 qualifications were identified, of which 70% had no publicly funded enrolments; and 200 of the 2,488 were identified as specialist and kept in funding.

The awarding bodies responsible for the qualifications were invited to make a case for retaining any of these qualifications, and a consultation period ran from February to June 2013. All cases were reviewed and the impact of removing qualifications on employers, learners and sectors fully considered. 1,884 qualifications were subsequently removed from public funding.

Literacy: Brigg and Goole

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on the provision of adult literacy services in Brigg and Goole constituency in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [184689]

Matthew Hancock: The amount spent on the provision of adult literacy services (English basic skills training from the Adult Skills Budget) for the past three academic years in Brigg and Goole is set out in the following table:

Local Government: Urban Areas

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which bodies were (a) consulted over and (b) received a copy of the Wave 2 Business Growth Programme: Policy Overview Document. [184612]

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Matthew Hancock: The Wave 2 Business Growth Programme: Policy Overview Document was produced in partnership by the Cabinet Office, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Lancaster University. Views on the document were also sought from Lord Heseltine and from the British Chambers of Commerce. The document was subsequently shared with lead contacts from 20 Wave 2 cities eligible to bid for the programme, who in turn circulated it to relevant local partners.

Mining: Education

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Government and taking to promote courses at an (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate level directly relating to the extractive industry. [184207]

Mr Willetts: We recognise the higher cost of engineering courses, including mining engineering, through the provision of additional teaching grant. Universities have complete autonomy over the precise spread of undergraduate and postgraduate provision they offer, including those which can support the extractive industries. The Government’s reforms have improved the information for students on the labour market outcomes of different subjects and we encourage universities to work with employers to offer courses that meet their needs and that respond to student demand.

New Businesses

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many approvals were granted by the Registrar of Companies in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) the UK in each of the last six financial years. [184690]

Michael Fallon: Companies House estimates that the Registrar of Companies incorporated (‘approved’) the following number of corporate bodies in each of the last six financial years in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) the UK:

The figures for Brigg and Goole are estimates because Companies House's data are drawn from postcode areas, which can cross constituency boundaries.

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With regard to the figures for the UK, those prior to 1 October 2009 only include the details for Great Britain, (England and Wales, and Scotland); after that date they include Northern Ireland and are, therefore, for the UK as a whole. This is because before the implementation of the Companies Act 2006 on 1 October 2009 Northern Ireland was subject to a separate company law regime and did not come under Companies House's jurisdiction. After the Companies Act 2006 was implemented, a single company law regime was applied to the whole UK and the Companies Registry for Northern Ireland became part of Companies House—it is only from then that it can provide figures for the UK.

Finally, as the Member for Brigg and Goole asked for the total number of incorporations (approvals) carried out by the Registrar the figures include all corporate bodies that are registered: limited companies, unlimited companies, limited liability partnerships, and European companies.

Overseas Students: British Overseas Territories

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate students at (i) higher education and (ii) further education institutions in the UK from each of the UK's overseas territories in each of the last five years. [184432]

Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on student enrolments at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The number of enrolments at UK HEIs domiciled in British Overseas Territories prior to starting their course for the academic years 2008-09 to 2012-13 will be placed in the Library of the House.

Information on enrolments at UK HEIs for the academic year 2013-14 will become available from HESA in January 2015.

Statistics on participation in higher education at further education colleges (FECs) are available from the respective UK Administrations. It is estimated that (to the nearest five) there were five students registered at English FE colleges from British Overseas Territories in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Public Houses

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to reduce the number of public houses which are closing down. [184493]

Jenny Willott: The Government value the pub industry, and recognise the important contribution that pubs make to the fabric of local communities, and to jobs and growth in the wider economy.

The Government have introduced a number of measures to help pubs. In Budget 2013 the Government announced the end of the beer duty escalator and cut beer duty, so that the tax on a typical pint of beer is 1p lower. In future, beer duties will rise by inflation only. At autumn statement 2013, we announced a major business rates package which will benefit small businesses, including

27 Jan 2014 : Column 448W

pubs. They will also benefit from the abolition of employer national insurance contributions for under-21s earning below £813 per week from April 2015.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that local planning policies and decisions should guard against the unnecessary loss of facilities such as pubs. We are also helping pubs to become more sustainable through our funding for Pub is the Hub, which is helping pubs to diversify their services. Our funding for the Plunkett Foundation is supporting communities to take over their local pub as a co-operative, and the Community Right to Bid offers communities a chance to save their local pub from being sold and lost to the community by taking ownership of it.

The Government has also consulted on proposals for a statutory code of practice and an adjudicator to enforce the code, to help tied pub landlords by addressing the imbalance in the relationship between pub companies and their tenants.

Salmon Farming

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the level of competition in the salmon farming industry. [184088]

Jenny Willott: This Department has not made an assessment of the level of competition in the salmon farming industry.

Responsibility for addressing competition issues in markets falls to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) as the UK’s independent competition authority. It has been given significant powers to investigate and act if it finds that a market is not functioning effectively. From 1 April 2014, the OFT’s competition powers will transfer to the new Competition and Markets Authority.

Attorney-General

Arson

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many people were charged with arson in each of the last seven years; and of those how many were charged with arson with intent. [184061]

The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted or convicted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has offered (a) no evidence in relation to a charge of arson with intent and (b) left a charge of arson with intent to lie on the file in each of the last seven years. [184073]

The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts.

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To obtain details of the number of offences where no evidence was offered or the charge was left on file, would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

Crime

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions has the Crown Prosecution Service charged individuals with (a) grievous bodily harm with intent, (b) malicious wounding with intent and (c) arson with intent in each of the last seven years. [184072]

The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants charged or prosecuted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.

Offences of both malicious wounding and grievous bodily harm with intent are charged under section 18 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861. Offences of arson with intent are charged under section 1 of the Criminal Damage Act 1971. In each of the last seven years, the number of these offences prosecuted by the CPS was as follows:

No central records of the prosecution outcomes for individual offences are held by the CPS. To obtain details of the number of individuals charged with these offences, would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

Crimes of Violence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General (1) how many people were charged with malicious wounding offences in each of the last seven years; and of those how many were convicted of malicious wounding with intent; [184064]

(2) how many people were charged with grievous bodily harm offences in each of the last seven years; and of those how many were charged with grievous bodily harm with intent; [184065]

(3) how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has (a) offered no evidence in relation to a charge of grievous bodily harm with intent and (b) left a charge of grievous bodily harm with intent to lie on the file in each of the last seven years; [184075]

(4) on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has (a) offered no evidence in relation to a charge of malicious wounding with intent and (b) left a charge of malicious wounding with intent to lie on the file in each of the last seven years. [184074]

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The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted or convicted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.

No central records of the prosecution outcomes of offences are held by the CPS. To obtain details of the number of people prosecuted or convicted of these offences, of the number of offences where no evidence was offered or where the charge was left to lie on file, would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the average number of hours of overtime worked by each member of Crown Prosecution Service staff at (a) associate prosecutor level and (b) crown prosecutor level and above was in each of the last five years. [184067]

The Solicitor-General: The average number of hours of overtime worked by each member of Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) staff at (a) associate prosecutor level and (b) crown prosecutor level and above in each of the last five years, is shown in the following table.

The information is based on data extracted from the CPS's central pay database. It summarises hours claimed between January and December in each year. Every effort has been made to ensure that it is complete and accurate but it is feasible that minor inaccuracies in data input affect the totals reported.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many advocates were on the Crown Prosecution Service specialist rape panel in each of the last five years. [184069]

The Attorney-General: In 2012 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) implemented the Advocate Panel, a panel of quality approved external advocates to be instructed to undertake Crown court advocacy. As part of that arrangement a specialist rape panel was also established.

The number of advocates recorded as being on the specialist rape panel is:

In June 2013 the remit of the specialist rape panel was extended to include offences of child sexual abuse and it became known as the specialist rape and child sexual abuse panel.

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Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many Crown Prosecution Service violence against women and girls scrutiny panels have met in each of the last five years. [184070]

The Solicitor-General: Local scrutiny and involvement panels (LSIPs) are made up of community representatives and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) staff. LSIPs scrutinise finalised hate crime and violence against women and girls (VAWG) cases and provide feedback on the quality of casework handling in practice. All 13 CPS areas have at least one LSIP which meets a minimum of four times per year.

All area LSIPs have addressed VAWG since their inception in 2011: some address VAWG overall, some domestic violence and/or rape and others ethnicity issues within VAWG cases. Of the 13 CPS areas, seven have dedicated VAWG scrutiny panels. The remaining six review at least one VAWG case at each LSIP panel meeting. The data regarding specific VAWG scrutiny panels held each year for the last five years are detailed in the following table.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the total is of travel expenses for staff of the Crown Prosecution Service whose offices have been relocated since the start of the office closure programme. [184071]

The Solicitor-General: The total of travel expenses for the staff of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) whose offices have been relocated since the start of the office closure programme cannot be separately identified from the CPS's management information systems. To identify the total expenses would require every claim for travel expenses since 2009 to be scrutinised and this would incur disproportionate costs.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Crown Prosecution Service spent on paper in each of the last five years. [184077]

The Solicitor-General: According to records held by the Department’s major stationery suppliers, the Department has spent the following amounts on paper in each of the last five years.

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In the last five years, the Department has held contracts with Office Depot and Banner for the supply of paper. The amounts in the above table relate to spend on paper with these suppliers only. The CPS is a devolved organisation and it is possible that additional paper outside of these contracts has been purchased. To obtain details of such purchases would involve the manual checking of individual invoices and would incur a disproportionate cost.

Expenditure in 2010 increased due to the merger of the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office with the CPS.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the outcome was of the Crown Prosecution Service's review of the collapse of the Crown's case in R v Renata Andrews and others in November 2013; whether he has discussed the case with the Director of Public Prosecutions; and if he will make a statement. [184714]

The Attorney-General: I have not discussed the case with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) but have been provided with a briefing from the Crown Prosecution Service. A preliminary review has highlighted the need for further investigation as there appear to be failings in relation to decision-making and case progression. Once this has been completed, the DPP will conduct a detailed review to ensure lessons can be learnt from this case.

I have asked the DPP to inform me of the outcome of her review, and I will write to the hon. Member when it has been completed.

Female Genital Mutilation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Health and (b) Director of Public Prosecutions about the effect on ease of prosecution of making it mandatory for NHS staff to report to police suspected cases of female genital mutilation. [184068]

The Solicitor-General: Neither the Attorney-General nor I have had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), or with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) about making it mandatory for national health service staff to report suspected cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) to the police.

The DPP's FGM action plan published in October 2013 made recommendations to the Inter Ministerial Group on Violence Against Women and Girls (IMG VAWG) about reviewing guidance to health professionals and others in order to support referrals to the police. I am a member of the IMG VAWG.

Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2014, Official Report, columns 564-65W, on fraud, how many of the investigations launched in 2013 and each of the five preceding years were for alleged frauds or other economic crimes of a value of (a) £1,000,000 to £5,000,000, (b) £5,000,001 to £10,000,000, (c) £10,000,001 to £15,000,000, (d) £15,000,001 to £20,000,000, (e) £20,000,001 to £30,000,000, (f) £30,000,001 to £40,000,000, (g) £40,000,001 to £50,000,000 and (h) more than £50,000,001. [184058]

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The Solicitor-General: The values of alleged frauds and economic crimes are assessed and reviewed as the investigations into them progress. These values are therefore liable to change during the investigation. In some cases, the value cannot be fully known, or it is not appropriate to investigate all elements of the allegations made. There is no stage common to all investigations where an estimate of the value of the alleged crimes is made.

For these reasons, information is not held in a way which allows for a meaningful answer to this question.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General (1) pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2014, Official Report, columns 564-65W, on fraud, how many prosecutions of corporate defendants who contested the charge were (a) unsuccessful and (b) successful in 2013; [184059]

(2) how many of the Serious Fraud Office-led prosecutions where the defendant contested the charge were (a) unsuccessful and (b) successful in each year since 2008. [184060]

The Solicitor-General: The three prosecutions of corporate defendants in 2013 are still in progress.

Information about prosecutions of individual defendants is shown in the following table. Please note that the figures shown here are for case outcomes in each year, the previous answer gave figures for prosecutions started in each year: many cases will span more than one year, so the two sets of figures are not directly comparable.

Lasers

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service under the Air Navigation Order 2009 involving the use of a laser pen in the last five years. [184722]

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The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. A single defendant may be prosecuted for multiple offences.

The Air Navigation Order 2009 came into force on 1 January 2010. Article 221 of the order created the offences of exhibiting a light that may endanger an aircraft landing or taking off and exhibiting a light that may be mistaken for a ground light. Article 222 of the order, made under sections 60 and 61 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982, created the offence of using a light in such a way that it will dazzle or distract the pilot. In each of the last three years, where data are available, the number of these offences prosecuted by the CPS was as follows:

No central records of the prosecution outcomes of offences are held by the CPS. To obtain details of the number of people prosecuted for these offences, or whether the subject of the charge was a laser pen or other form of light, would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

Witnesses

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many witness care units have been transferred from the Crown Prosecution Service to the police in the last three years. [184076]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service and the police remain jointly responsible for the operation of witness care units (WCUs), and this has been the position since the introduction of WCUs in 2005.