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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 417W, on Burma, when representatives of his Department had discussions with Aung San Suu Kyi on visiting places in Burma where anti-Muslim violence has taken place; and who took part in those meetings. [185922]

Mr Swire: The British embassy in Rangoon has had a number of discussions with Aung San Suu Kyi about visits to places where anti-Muslim violence has taken place—for example following the British ambassador's visit to Meiktila in March 2013 and following embassy visits to Rakhine over the course of 2012-13.

We have discussed the wider issue of anti-Muslim violence with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on numerous occasions over the past year, both at ministerial and official levels. Most recently, I discussed the situation in Rakhine with her on 28 January and staff from the British embassy in Rangoon discussed the situation in Rakhine with her on 23 January.

We have not had recent discussions with Aung San Suu Kyi regarding her own visits to places where anti-Muslim violence has taken place.

Iran

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the (a) Prime Minister and (b) Minister for Trade and Investment on the resolution on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran passed by the UN General Assembly on 18 December 2013; and if he will make a statement. [185794]

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, regularly discusses foreign policy issues with his ministerial colleagues and has made human rights one of the UK's foreign policy priorities. I made a statement on 19 December that welcomed the adoption of the resolution on human rights in Iran at the UN General Assembly and called on the Iranian Government to take concrete action to address Iran's poor record. The UK regularly speaks out about human rights abuses in Iran and will continue to do so.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 23 December 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Elizabeth Wheelan. [186221]

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Mr Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs responded to the right hon. Member on 1 February 2014.

Nuclear Weapons

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2014, Official Report, column 278W, on nuclear weapons, by what date the House will be informed of the Government's intention on attendance at the conference in Mexico on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. [185832]

Hugh Robertson: The Government are considering whether to attend the Conference. A decision will be made shortly, and communicated to the House.

Saudi Arabia

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Saudi counterpart on the persecution of Christians in that country and the use of the death penalty on those who convert to Christianity in Saudi Arabia. [185662]

Hugh Robertson: We raise our concerns about all human rights issues, including the death penalty and Freedom of Religion or Belief, with the Government of Saudi Arabia.

While there are no official statistics issued by the Government of Saudi Arabia, there are no reports for the death penalty being applied in recent times for conversion to Christianity.

Scotland

Prisoner Transfers

10. Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the operation of prisoner transfers between England and Scotland. [902348]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: I have not discussed the operation of prisoner transfers between England and Scotland with the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.

I am aware however that the hon. Member secured an adjournment debate on 30 January on the issue and the impact it has had on one of his constituents. I have seen the Hansard of that debate and am glad the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, the hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam (Jeremy Wright), was able to deal so comprehensively with the hon. Member’s concerns.

Scottish Independence

12. Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the First Minister of Wales on the potential effect of a vote for Scottish independence. [902350]

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Mr Alistair Carmichael: I have not had any discussions with the First Minister for Wales regarding the effect of a yes vote in September, but I know that he shares my view that Scotland is better off in the UK, and the UK is better off with Scotland in it.

It is vitally important that voices from all parts of the UK participate in this debate and I welcome the Welsh First Minister’s contribution.

Conditions of Employment

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the number of people in Scotland currently employed on zero-hours contracts. [902342]

David Mundell: There are no reliable estimates of the number of individuals employed on zero-hours contracts in Scotland given that there is no legal definition of zero-hours contracts.

Wales

Standard Spending Assessments

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes have been made to the Welsh block grant in each year of the current Parliament in (a) real and (b) absolute terms. [185788]

Mr David Jones: The Welsh Government's budget has been largely insulated from the full extent of the reductions faced by many UK Government Departments because of the protection we have placed on the Health and Education budgets. In total, the Welsh Government's budget has increased by £737 million since the spending review 2010. Changes made to the block grant in each year of the Government's spending plans in (a) real and (b) absolute terms are included in the following table:

Taxation

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about publication of a Welsh taxes forecast. [185787]

Mr David Jones: The Chancellor of the Exchequer and I have agreed that the Government will formally approach the Office for Budget Responsibility to ask it to make forecasts of Welsh tax revenues. We confirmed this in the Government's response to the Silk Commission's Part I report, and will do so in due course as part of our implementation of the Commission's recommendations.

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Home Department

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department has provided for drug-intervention projects provided by police forces in each of the last five years; and what assessment she has made of levels of such spending since the introduction of police and crime commissioners. [185582]

Damian Green [holding answer 3 February 2014]: Home Office funding to local areas for drug interventions between 2009 and 2014 is provided in the table. Between 2009 and 2013 the Home Office provided funding as part of the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) direct to police forces for the identification and testing of drug misusing offenders (column A). Over the same period funding was also provided to local Criminal Justice Integrated Teams for the assessment and referral of drug misusing offenders into treatment and support (column B).

During April 2009 to December 2013 the Home Office also paid a centrally procured drug testing supplier around £12 million for drug testing equipment and services used by police forces:

Since the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners, there has been no assessment of the levels of spending on drug intervention projects. Allocation of resources within each police force is a matter for the chief officer and the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Human Trafficking

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 234W, on human trafficking, how many (a) male and (b) female identified victims of human trafficking have received wider support from local authorities and other mainstream support providers once the period in funded support has ended to date; [185575]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 234W, how many identified (a) male and (b) female victims of human trafficking have received wider support from local authorities and other mainstream support providers once the period in funded support had ended in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [185576]

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James Brokenshire: Data on wider support provided by local authorities and other providers to victims of human trafficking are not collected centrally.

Immigrants: Detainees

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to ensure that detainees at immigration removal centres are treated well and are not subject to abuse. [185613]

Mr Harper: All immigration removal centres are subject to the Detention Centre Rules 2001, which came into force on 2 April 2001 and these make provision for the regulation and management of removal centres. The rules are supported by operating standards and detention services orders.

Each centre has a Home Office immigration enforcement manager and team to monitor ongoing service provision and to maintain effective and meaningful contact with detainees.

Independent assessment of centres is provided in the inspection reports of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons and the annual reports of the Independent Monitoring Boards. Recommendations resulting from these reports are translated into service improvement plans which are monitored by a compliance and monitoring team within Detention Operations. We are committed to using these plans to make improvements across our estate for all detainees in our care.

A comprehensive complaints system is in place at all centres and detainees have the ability to raise complaints both anonymously or in person and in confidence to the Independent Monitoring Boards who in turn can escalate complaints on behalf of detainees. Detainees who are not satisfied with the way in which their complaint has been handled may ask for it to be independently reviewed by the prisons and probation ombudsman.

Offences against Children: Internet

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the suitability of existing regulations on money transfer networks for preventing money leaving the UK to fund on-demand online child abuse; and what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend these regulations in line with the particular threat associated with payments to certain countries. [186017]

Damian Green [holding answer 4 February 2014]:At the internet safety summit on 18 November Britain and the US created a new taskforce to work with industry to counter online child sexual exploitation.

The taskforce agreed a number of challenges that its Industry Solutions Group should consider, including the live streaming of child sexual abuse imagery over the internet. The Prime Minister also made clear that he would consider whether further powers were needed for the police and National Crime Agency to tackle the online abuse of children.

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Passports

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to protect members of the public who go online to apply for or renew a British passport and are misled into using a non-Government internet website which charges a fee and takes no responsibility for the outcome of the application. [185618]

Mr Harper: The website www.gov.uk is the only provider of the British passport and passport applicants should use the official Government website.

All third party sites stating that they are offering passport services are required to carry a clear disclaimer that they are not an official passport site or affiliated in any way to Her Majesty's Passport Office. The Government Digital Service is leading a cross-Government exercise with organisations such as the Office of Fair Trading, the Advertising Standards Authority, search engine providers and various trading standard bodies to curtail the activity of websites that advertise their services in misleading ways, using existing consumer protection legislation.

Ministers are planning to meet with Google early this year to discuss its enforcement of its own terms and conditions for advertising on its search results pages.

Where Government have become aware of websites which make misleading claims in their advertising it has brought these complaints to the attention of the Advertising Standards Authority.

Her Majesty Passport Office also continues to work with the Association of British Travel Agents to raise public awareness of third party websites.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) her Department, (ii) agencies of her Department and (iii) contractors of her Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. [184448]

James Brokenshire: There are no members of staff directly employed in the Home Office or its agencies who are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.

The Home Office does not keep information on the level of pay of staff employed by organisations contracted to provide services within the Home Office.

Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what effect the changes in pensions contributions have had on take-home pay of officials at HEO and equivalent grades in her Department compared with May 2010; [185220]

(2) what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials at Grade 7 and equivalent grades in her Department compared to May 2010; [185224]

(3) what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials at AO, LO2 and equivalent grades in her Department compared to May 2010; [185228]

(4) what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials at AA and equivalent grades in her Department compared to May 2010; [185229]

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(5) what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials at EO, LO1 and equivalent grades in her Department compared to May 2010; [185233]

(6) what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials at SEO and equivalent grades in her Department compared to May 2010; [185235]

(7) what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials at SEO and equivalent grades in her Department compared to May 2010; [185236]

(8) what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials at senior Civil Service grade in her Department compared with May 2010. [185238]

James Brokenshire: Lord Hutton outlined in his report the strong case for changing public sector pensions, saying in his report “these costs have generally fallen to the taxpayer”. The Commission reached the conclusion that:

“If the Government wishes to make savings in the short-term it will be more effective to increase member contributions rather than alter the benefit structure.”

Contributions were increased in April 2012, April 2013 and will be increased again in April 2014, The increases were tiered by salary, so that higher earners pay a larger percentage point increase than lower earners. A number of protections were introduced alongside the contribution increases, including:

Those earning less than £15,000 (full-time equivalent rate) will pay nothing extra;

Those earning up to £21,000 (full-time equivalent) will pay no more than 0.6% of pay extra in 2012-13 (and no more than 1.5% of pay extra in total by 2014-15).

The following table sets out the pay ranges for staff by grade as they stand now and as at May 2010.

Cabinet Office's answer on 4 February 2014, Official Report, columns 214-5W, provides information about how the take home pay of those with different levels of salaries is affected by the pension contribution increases.

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Telecommunications Act 1984

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has given directions under Section 94 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 to the providers of telecommunications services for the acquisition of data in bulk relating to (a) thousands and (b) millions of people. [186135]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 4 February 2014]:Section 94 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 states that the Secretary of State may issue directions in the interests of national security and, as with the practice of previous Governments, we do not comment on security matters.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will introduce a code or other guidance to regulate the collection, storage and use of data obtained by departments using unmanned aerial systems. [R] [185419]

Damian Green: There are no plans for further regulation of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance purposes. Existing regulation and guidance includes the surveillance camera code of practice issued under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. The code provides a framework of good practice for surveillance camera operators and sets out obligations arising from other legislation, including those for the processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Transport

Apprentices

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the potential effect of the Deregulation Bill on the (a) standardisation and (b) design of apprenticeships in the (i) rail engineering, (ii) offshore oil and gas and (iii) maritime industries. [185961]

Stephen Hammond: The Secretary of State for Transport has not had a specific discussion with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the potential effect of the Deregulation Bill on apprenticeships.

Maritime apprenticeships within the wider context of maritime training have been discussed at the maritime round tables that I chair and which the Minister for Business and Enterprise, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon), attends. There will be a substantive item on maritime training, which will include apprenticeships, at the spring round table.

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Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent correspondence he has received on charges to access the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency phonelines. [186060]

Stephen Hammond: DVLA has not received any correspondence on charges to access the DVLA phone lines.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the income has been from calls to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency phone lines in each year for which data are available. [186097]

Stephen Hammond: In 2009, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) moved all of its public facing telephone numbers to the 0300 range. Charges to 0300 numbers are determined by the customer’s service provider but are generally charged at geographical rates. The DVLA receives no income from these numbers.

The DVLA operates three premium rate telephone numbers to provide information to the motor trade. These numbers are not intended for use by the general public. The revenue generated by these numbers in 2010-11 was £922,382, in 2011-12 the figure was £740,144 and £824,303 in 2012-13.

Driving under Influence: Drugs

Sir James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that all healthcare professionals understand the new drug driving offence; and if he will make a statement [185808]

Mr Goodwill: I refer my right hon. Friend to my answer of 3 February 2014, Official Report, columns 7-8W.

Sir James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance she plans to give to police officers on the enforcement of the new drug driving offence; and if she will make a statement. [185810]

Mr Goodwill: The Department liaises regularly with National Roads Policing on the details of the new drug driving offence. We are confident that they understand the new offence and that the National Roads Policing lead will, jointly with the Crown Prosecution Service, be issuing an enforcement process for the use of operational officers at the appropriate time.

Driving: Licensing

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints (a) his Department and (b) the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency have received about websites that charge an additional processing fee for making an application for a new or replacement driver's licence in the past 12 months. [185783]

Stephen Hammond: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) began recording complaints about these websites on 1 March 2013 and has received 170

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complaints since then. This is the total number of complaints received by the Department for Transport about websites which charge additional fees for driving licence applications.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Dudley North, Official Report, columns 385-6, on driving: licensing, how many new drivers have had their licence revoked by the DVLA in each year since 1997. [186026]

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is only available from 2010 onwards. Details of driving convictions prior to this will have been removed from the DVLA record on expiry of the endorsement-normally four years from the date of the offence. The following table shows the information requested.

Motor Vehicles: Safety

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the safety implications of quiet vehicles. [R] [186189]

Stephen Hammond: A study by Transport Research Laboratory for the Department in 2011 found no evidence that quiet vehicles, eg electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, represent a greater danger to other road users, including pedestrians, than conventional vehicles. None the less, the Government supported in December 2013 a new EU regulation to require additional sound from these vehicles as part of a wider packet of measures on vehicle noise emissions.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Warley, Official Report, column 307W, on parking: fees and charges, in which region the 27 companies which were suspended from requesting vehicle keeper details from the DVLA in 2013 are based. [186028]

Stephen Hammond: The 27 companies suspended had their addresses registered with Companies House in the following areas:

London, Perth and Kinross, Ipswich, Watford, Manchester, Belfast, Guildford, Southampton, Horsham, Norwich, Amersham, Nottingham, Hertford, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Southall, Bristol, Essex and Dunfermline.

Pensions

Mr McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what effect changes in pension contributions have had on the take-home pay of officials of his Department at (a) AA, (b) AO and LO2, (c) EO and LO1, (d) HEO, (e) SEO, (f) 7 and (g) SCS grades and equivalents since May 2010. [186040]

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Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Civil Society, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), on 4 February 2014, Official Report, columns 214-15W.

Railway Stations

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2013, Official Report, column 190W, on railway stations, in which region are the 30 railway stations with the highest footfall which do not have step free access via lifts or ramps to all platforms. [186027]

Stephen Hammond: I would refer the hon. Member to my answer of 23 January 2014, Official Report, column 320W. The Office of Rail Regulation publishes station footfall figures on its website and the Association of Train Operating Companies publishes details of station accessibility.

Shipping

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to increase the number of UK seafarers by increasing the number of UK-owned vessels registered under the UK flag. [185934]

Stephen Hammond: It is a Government priority to encourage quality shipping to be British registered and to develop the UK Ship Register by encouraging the owners of high quality ships to register them in the UK.

The Government have also demonstrated its commitment to the promotion of seafaring as a career for people in the UK by increasing the amount of money available to train seafarers on UK registered ships by 25% to £15 million per annum.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list the flags under which UK-owned ships over 500 gross tonnage are registered; how many ships are registered under each flag; and what proportion of the UK-owned fleet this represents in each case; [185935]

(2) if he will list the number of UK-owned ships over 500 tonnage that are registered under each of the (a) Marshall Islands, (b) Panamanian, (c) Liberian, (d) Hong Kong, (e) Singaporean, (f) Bahaman and (g) Maltese flags; and what proportion of the UK- owned fleet each represents; [185937]

(3) what the (a) number and (b) proportion of UK-owned ships is over gross 500 tonnage that are registered under (i) open and (ii) national flag registries. [185938]

Stephen Hammond: The Government do not collect information about ships on the shipping registers of other maritime administrations.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) number and (b) proportion is of UK-owned ships over 500 gross tonnage that are registered under the UK flag. [185939]

Stephen Hammond: There are 789 vessels of over 500GT on the UK Ship Register. Of those, 524 (66%) are registered to an owner with an address in the United Kingdom.

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Shipping: Apprentices

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to increase the number of maritime apprenticeships; and when he last discussed maritime apprenticeships with his ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. [186049]

Stephen Hammond: The maritime sector is an important contributor to the UK economy and we want to continue to see new trainees entering the industry and being trained to the highest standards. We will promote the take up of maritime training through all routes at every opportunity. To help reverse the decline in UK seafarer numbers we have a number of policies in place including Support for Maritime Training where the budget has been recently been increased by 25% to £15 million, maritime apprenticeships and a training requirement linked to the UK's tonnage tax regime.

There is continuous dialogue on all aspects of maritime skills policy, between industry and officials at Department for Transport (DFT), Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

Maritime training has been discussed in the wider context of growth and promotion of the maritime sector at the maritime round tables held during 2013 and a BIS Minister was present in those meetings. A substantial discussion on maritime training, including maritime apprenticeships, will take place at the spring maritime round table. Attendees at the meeting will include Ministers, industry and the seafarer unions.

Prime Minister

Chiefs of Staff

Mr David Davis: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Chief of the Defence Staff between 11 May 2010 and 31 May 2011. [186025]

The Prime Minister: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave to him on 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 725W.

Conferences

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Prime Minister how many international summits he attended in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; what the cost to the public purse was of his attendance at each such summit; and what his carbon footprint was in travelling to each such summit. [185753]

The Prime Minister: Details of ministerial overseas travel are published quarterly and are available on the

www.gov.uk

website.

India

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Prime Minister if he will agree to meet leaders of the Sikh community when the investigation into the UK's alleged role in the planning of the attack on the Golden Temple, Amritsar is published. [183273]

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The Prime Minister: The Minister responsible for relations with India, the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), and my noble Friend Baroness Warsi, the Minister for Faiths and Communities, met the Sikh community on 4 February 2014 and discussed the Cabinet Secretary's report, with them. We remain committed to a full and open dialogue with the British Sikh community on this and other issues of concern to them.

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will set a deadline for publication of the findings of the inquiry into the UK's involvement in the 1984 massacre at the Golden Temple in Amritsar; [185745]

(2) whether release of the findings of the inquiry into the UK's involvement in the 1984 massacre at the Golden Temple in Amritsar will include publication of all relevant documents. [185751]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the oral statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 4 February 2014, Official Report, columns 139-142.

World Economic Forum

Mr Hanson: To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials attended the 2014 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos; what the total cost of their attendance was; and what the (i) travel, (ii) accommodation and (iii) subsistence costs were. [185829]

The Prime Minister: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 469W, to the hon. Member for Newport West (Paul Flynn).

Defence

European Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Typhoon Availability Service Contract extension was open to competition. [185812]

Mr Dunne: No. The continued provision of the Typhoon Availability Service has been secured by an extension to the pre-existing contract.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the mimumum number of Typhoon jets is that must be available for use by the RAF under the Typhoon Availability Service contract. [185813]

Mr Dunne: The minimum number of Typhoon aircraft that must be available for use by the RAF under the Typhoon Availability Service contract is as follows:

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Guided Weapons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for procuring air launched suppression of enemy air defences weapons for the Typhoon and Joint Strike Fighter. [185816]

Mr Dunne: We have no plans to procure bespoke air launched suppression of enemy air defence weapons for the Typhoon and Lightning II fleets.

UK armed forces have a range of capabilities that can be used to counter enemy air defences, including kinetic strikes via long-range cruise missiles, such as Tomahawk and Storm Shadow, and a multitude of highly effective precision air to ground weapons.

HMS Ark Royal

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on the purchase of parts for HMS Ark Royal to be used for repair and refitting; and what proportion of this total has been spent on parts specifically for use on HMS Illustrious. [185766]

Mr Dunne: The total cost of the purchase of parts from the former Aircraft Carrier, Ark Royal for use on the repair and refitting of HMS Illustrious, is approximately £18,500 excluding VAT. This was for an electrical switchboard.

Obtaining the switchboard from the former Ark Royal rather than using other procurement options resulted in savings of approximately £57,000 and meant the part could be replaced months before it otherwise would have been.

Since the retirement and sale of the former HMS Ark Royal in 2013, this is the only purchase of parts from this vessel by the Ministry of Defence.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) original projected cost, (b) cost to date and (c) anticipated final cost has been for the F35 programme. [185770]

Mr Dunne: The National Audit Office Major Project Report 2012 provides the total approved cost for the UK F-35 as £2,716 million and the forecast cost as £2,344 million. The Major Project Report 2013 is due to be published in the near future and will provide the next update on UK F-35 costs.

The incremental nature of the F-35 approvals means that the total cost of the programme is updated after each Main Gate is endorsed. At this time the cost estimate reflects the first three Main Gates, with the fourth yet to be formally announced. The UK F-35 programme is scheduled to seek financial approval for

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its fifth and final main gate in 2017. At this point the overall cost of the programme will be published. Whilst the Ministry of Defence maintains a detailed through-life cost estimate for the programme which forecasts all Main Gates it does not publish these figures ahead of formal contract negotiation in order to protect our commercial position.

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the computer software specification for the F35 programme is; and whether there have been any problems with this specification. [185774]

Mr Dunne: There is no single software specification for the F-35 Programme. The Joint Strike Fighter contract specification allows the aircraft designers to identify appropriate standards and then justify and agree their selection with the US Government. To date, there have been no specific problems with the aircraft design in terms of software specification.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the findings of the US Department of Defense's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation report into software development delays on the Joint Strike fighter and its effect on the in-service date for the RAF. [185814]

Mr Dunne: An independent programme review from the US Department of Defense's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation occurs annually. The issues identified in the last report (2012) were well known and are being actively resolved by the Joint Strike Fighter programme. The 2013 report has yet to be formally issued by the US.

Overall the F-35 programme continues to make steady progress. The UK programme remains on track to deliver Initial Operating Capability in December 2018.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and (iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. [184442]

Anna Soubry: The following table shows the number and proportion of civilian staff employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and its agencies who are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF) as a living wage.

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I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 697W, to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) in which I stated that in the MOD there were 1,240 employees paid less than the LWF National rate of £7.65. It has now become apparent that this figure was not correct and should have read 1,080.

Contracted workers' rates of pay, where paid by their parent company or recruitment agency, are not visible to the Department.

Public Expenditure

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's (a) Comprehensive Spending Review 1998, (b) Spending Review 2000, (c) Spending Review 2002, (d) Spending Review 2004 and (e) Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 settlement letters. [185098]

Mr Philip Hammond: I am withholding these letters as release would be likely to compromise the future formulation and development of Government policy.

Radar: Hebrides

Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the (a) current value of the radar station in North Uist, (b) likely value of that station after its upgrade and (c) cost of the upgrade. [186179]

Mr Dunne: The current net book value of the Remote Radar Head Benbecula T92 radar at North Uist is approximately £7.9 million. I am withholding figures associated with upgrading the radar as their disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what other (a) NATO or (b) non-NATO countries are investing or plan to invest in defence assets in the Hebrides. [186180]

Mr Dunne: Investigations are being conducted to determine whether there is scope to utilise investment from overseas countries to broaden the capability of the Ministry of Defence's Hebrides Range. I am withholding details of this work as its disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice relations between the UK and another state.

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Staff

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role he plans for the (a) Chief of the Defence Staff and (b) single service chiefs of staff to play in negotiations about the size of the defence budget in the next Spending Review. [184238]

Mr Philip Hammond: Negotiations for the next spending review will be led by the Permanent Secretary and the Director General Finance.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will play a key role in preparations for the spending review both as the most senior military adviser to the Secretary of State and as a member of the Defence Board. The Single Service Chiefs of Staff will also have an important role, and input their views to CDS as members of the Armed Forces Committee.

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Honeywell Traffic Collision Avoidance System II was purchased for installation on the Tornado GR4. [186073]

Mr Dunne: Yes, the Honeywell Traffic Collision Avoidance System II is currently undergoing installation on the Tornado GR4 fleet.

Veterans: Criminal Proceedings

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of his submission to the Stewart Review into Veterans in the Criminal Justice System in the Library. [186165]

Anna Soubry: The vast majority of service leavers make a successful transition to civilian life. However, for a few the transition is not straightforward and for a variety of different reasons, some find themselves caught up in the criminal justice system. The most recent statistics available estimate that around 3.5% of the prison population in England and Wales are service veterans, although many of these will have left the armed forces a considerable time before offending.

The Ministry Of Defence (MOD) works through the Ex-Service Offenders Working Group (which also includes the Ministry of Justice, the National Offender Management Service and service charities) to ensure that the ex-service prison and probation offender population, their families and resettlement services are fully informed of the forms and levels of support available from the Service Personnel Veterans Agency (SPVA). This support and assistance applies during imprisonment as well as pre- and post-discharge. The group is currently reviewing its terms of reference and membership to ensure that it remains focused and representative.

A number of voluntary organisations provide welfare visits to veterans in prison and to their families, in order that they can be helped through the crucial period either side of their release.

The Stewart review into Veterans in the Criminal Justice System which is being led by the Ministry of Justice, has only just begun. We will consider what support the MOD might offer as the review progresses.

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Attorney-General

Court Orders

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions there were for breach of a restraining order in each year from 2007-08 to 2012-13. [185798]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of 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.

Domestic Violence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General in what proportion of domestic violence cases handled by the Crown Prosecution Service prosecutors opposed bail in (a) each year from 2007-08 to 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14 to date. [185797]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of cases in which prosecutors opposed bail, including domestic violence cases. To obtain details of the proportion of domestic violence cases in which prosecutors opposed bail, would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many domestic violence prosecutions were unsuccessful because of victim issues in (a) 2013-14 to date and (b) each year from 2008-09 to 2012-13. [185799]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the numbers of defendants in cases flagged as involving domestic violence in its Case Management System and associated Management Information System.

The following table shows, for each of the last five years and April to December 2013, the number of proceedings where the prosecution was unsuccessful because of victim issues for defendants identified as committing offences involving domestic violence.

The CPS defines domestic violence as any threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between those who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. Family members include mother, father, son, daughter, sister, and grandparents, whether directly related, in laws or step family. Victim issues are defined as circumstances where the victim retracts or withdraws their complaint, or fails to attend at the trial hearing, or where their evidence does not support the prosecution.

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Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many unsuccessful prosecutions for domestic violence there were in (a) each year from 2008-09 to 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14 to date; and in how many such cases the prosecution was unsuccessful because the prosecution offered no evidence. [185800]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of cases flagged as being within the offence category ‘domestic violence’ in its Case Management System and associated Management Information System.

The CPS defines domestic violence as any threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between those who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. Family members include mother, father, son, daughter, sister, and grandparents, whether directly related, in laws or step family. The data are accurate only to the extent that the flag has been correctly applied.

The following table shows, for each of the last five complete years and 2013-14 to end December, the number and proportion of proceedings where the CPS offered no evidence and all unsuccessful outcomes for cases flagged as domestic violence.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service from the police in each year from 2006-07 to 2012-13; and how many such cases were (a) requests for a decision to charge, (b) requesting approval of a decision to caution and (c) requesting approval of a decision to take no further action. [185803]

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The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of suspects referred to it by the police and other investigative bodies for a pre-charge decision. The CPS does not maintain a central record of the reason a charging decision has been requested and obtaining such information would require a manual review of individual case files incurring disproportionate cost.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General (1) on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has (a) decided to take no further action on a case referred to it for a pre-charge decision and (b) discontinued a case after initially deciding to charge since 2010; [185804]

(2) in how many and what proportion of cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a charging decision since 2010 the CPS took no further action. [185802]

The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the number of cases referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a pre-charge decision (PCD) where the reviewing lawyer decided to take no further action. In addition to decisions to take no further action, the CPS can make decisions to charge or that another out of court disposal is appropriate, such as a caution or conditional caution, reprimand, final warning or that the alleged offences are taken into consideration.

The following table shows the number of cases where the CPS initially made a decision to charge and where proceedings were subsequently discontinued. Figures for discontinuances include cases discontinued under S.23 or S.23A of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985, or where charges were withdrawn and includes figures for defendants who were bound over. It does not include figures for cases dropped using other methods of termination.

The CPS collects data to assist in the effective management of its prosecution functions. The CPS does not collect data which constitutes official statistics as defined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. The data provided above have been drawn from the CPS's administrative IT system, which (as with any large scale recording system) is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the CPS.

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Treasury

Credit

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Competition Commission on the effect that real time credit data sharing would have on competition in the payday loans industry. [185656]

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the extent to which lenders are able to obtain up to date information from credit reference agencies; [185657]

(2) what assessment he has made of the cost of introducing real time credit data sharing; and what his policy is on whether such costs could be met by industry. [185658]

Meg Hillier: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will support real time data sharing for credit records; [185904]

(2) what estimate he has made of (a) the cost to the public purse and (b) the benefits of real time credit data sharing. [185905]

Sajid Javid: The Government have made clear to payday lenders that real-time market-wide data sharing is key to proper affordability assessments and promoting a competitive market.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is looking at real-time market-wide data sharing as a priority, including as part of its work to design a payday cap. It will look at the role of credit reference agencies (CRAs) and international examples of data sharing systems.

The FCA has made clear to industry that it must identify and remove any blockages faced by high-cost short-term lenders and CRAs in sharing real-time data with the rest of the credit market as a matter of urgency. If the industry fails to overcome the obstacles, the FCA has been clear that it will not hesitate to act.

Currencies

Laura Sandys: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of (a) bitcoins and (b) other electronic currencies on the future of international currency markets. [185614]

Sajid Javid: HMT has not made a specific assessment of the impact of bitcoins, or other similar electronic currencies, on the international currency markets. However, the Treasury continues to assess a wide range of international economic and financial developments—as part of its normal work.

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Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the additional tax yield has been in each year since 2010-11 as a result of alcohol duty enforcement activities by HM Revenue and Customs. [180887]

Nicky Morgan: The primary focus of HMRC alcohol duty enforcement activity is to reduce tax losses attributable to fraud. The following table shows the amount of revenue protected as a result of enforcement activity under HMRC’s ‘Tackling Alcohol Fraud’ strategy in each of the last three years.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the (a) fiscal and (b) economic effects of postponing (i) the planned increases in the rates of duties on wines and spirits and (ii) the planned inflationary increase in beer duties for 2014-15. [186187]

Nicky Morgan: Budget 2013 cancelled the beer duty escalator so beer duty will rise by inflation only in 2014-15. In line with the accelerator inherited from the last Government, duties on wine, spirits and cider will rise by 2% above inflation in 2014-15.

An indication of the fiscal effect of a 1% increase in duty in 2014-15 on all alcoholic drinks is in HMRC’s published ready reckoners available here:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/expenditures/table1-6.pdf

The magnitude of the effect of a 1% increase in duties is broadly similar to a 1% cut, and the 1% ready reckoner can be scaled up or down to derive a rough estimate. With RPI inflation of around 3% a postponement of the increases in the rates of duty would result in a duty rate cut of around 5% for wine and spirits and 3% for beer. Therefore the impact would be around five and three times that stated in the ready reckoner above, respectively.

As part of the Budget process economic effects such as economic growth and employment are considered for the whole package of economic measures.

Financial Services: Prosecutions

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many criminal prosecutions the Financial Conduct Authority has commenced since its creation. [185649]

Sajid Javid: The Government set up the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as part of their fundamental reform of the regulatory system. The FCA is a new independent conduct of business regulator that began operation on 1 April 2013.

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This question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply to directly to the hon. Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Income Tax

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals paid the top rate of income tax in each of the last five years. [185862]

Mr Gauke: Estimates for the number of individuals paying the top-rate of income tax for the past five years can be found in HMRC's 'Income Tax Liabilities Statistics' publication table 2.1.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/number-of-individual-income-taxpayers-by-marginal-rate-gender-and-age

The most recent figure for 2011-12 was published on 31 January here:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/income-by-year/table3-4.pdf

Money Laundering

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Prime Minister's letter to the President of the European Council of 15 November 2013, what steps he is taking to ensure the European Fourth Money Laundering Directive visibly leads global efforts to strengthen transparency of company beneficial ownership. [185807]

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury is leading negotiations for the UK on the Fourth Money Laundering Directive. Treasury officials have been engaged with the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, other member states and the European Commission since the publication of legislative proposals in February 2013.

In particular we are working hard to encourage our European counterparts to match the UK's ambition on this issue and mandate publicly accessible registries of company beneficial ownership through the directive. We have already submitted amendments to that effect,

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and will continue to work with the European Parliament and other member states to ensure the EU leads from the front on this issue.

Pay: Wales

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the cumulative change in real terms wages in Wales since 2010. [185791]

Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

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

Letter from Chief Economic Advisor, dated February 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the cumulative change in real terms wages in Wales since 2010. (185791)

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.

The table shows estimates of median gross weekly earnings in Wales from 2010 to 2013, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided for full-time employees, part-time employees and all employees and are given separately in cash terms and in 2013 prices.

In order to account for a discontinuity in the series in 2011, percentage changes between 2010 and 2013 were calculated by compounding growth rates between individual years. Consequently, the percentage changes shown in the table do not correspond precisely to the actual percentage differences between the 2010 and 2013 earnings estimates.

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Pensions: Tax Allowances

Mr Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the annual benefit to the public purse of reducing (a) the annual allowance for tax relief on pensions contributions to £30,000 and (b) the lifetime allowance to £1 million. [186010]

Mr Gauke: The Government have previously announced reductions to the annual and lifetime allowances for pension savings. The most recent of these will have effect from 2014-15.

The annual allowance is the value of tax relieved savings that an individual may receive in any single year, subject to three years of carry forward of any unused allowances. This is currently set at £50,000 having been reduced from £255,000 by this Government. From 2014-15 it will further be reduced to £40,000. This measure affects the top 1% of pension contributions.

The lifetime allowance limits the total value of tax relieved savings that may be accrued by an individual throughout their life. This is currently set at £1.5 million, down from £1.8 million in 2010. From 2014-15 this limit will be further reduced to £1.25 million.

The combination of the reductions in allowances from the 2014-15 tax year are forecast to raise just over £1 billion per annum in steady state.

Personal Income

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what records his Department holds on individuals earning over £1 million pounds per annum in each of the last five years. [185866]

Mr Gauke: Estimates for the number of individuals with total income over £1 million can be found in HMRC's 'Income Tax Liabilities Statistics' publication table 2.5:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/income-tax-liabilities-by-income-range

The most recent figure for 2011/12 was published on 31st January here:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/income-by-year/table3-4.pdf

Tax Avoidance

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the use of personal service companies as a means of tax avoidance. [185857]

Mr Gauke: Personal Service Companies are not in themselves avoidance vehicles and contribute to the flexibility of the UK labour market.

Where Personal Service Companies are used for the purpose of avoidance, anti avoidance legislation: the intermediaries legislation (commonly known as IR35), already exists to ensure the right tax and national insurance is paid where individuals attempt to avoid paying tax and national insurance on what is in effect employment income.

As part of the OTS recommendations set out in their review of small business HMRC has improved the way in which it administers IR35, including strengthening its specialist compliance teams which tackle avoidance of employment taxes, increasing the number of investigations where IR35 is the main risk this year by tenfold and clarifying the application of the legislation to officeholders.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints (a) his Department and (b) HM Revenue and Customs have received about websites that charge a fee for submitting tax returns in the past 12 months. [185782]

Mr Gauke: Submitting a tax return through the HMRC website directly is free. Customers can choose to use a service that charges a fee for services such as filing a tax return.

HMRC does not hold the numbers of specific complaints made against these services, but is acutely aware of customer feedback and takes it very seriously. We do not in any way approve or endorse tax agents and will seek to ensure firm action is taken by the appropriate authorities against any website that makes such misleading claims.

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Business, Innovation and Skills

Adult Education: Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in Mid Sussex constituency are enrolled in adult skills sessions. [186181]

Matthew Hancock: Final data for the 2012/13 academic year show that there were 4,510 adult (19+) learners participating in Further Education and Skills in Mid Sussex parliamentary constituency.

Employment: Norfolk

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people are economically active in (a) Norwich North constituency, (b) the local authority area of Norwich and (c) Norfolk; and how many such people are paid (i) national minimum wage (NMW) and (ii) more than NMW but less that £7.65 per hour in each such area. [185952]

Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated February 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people are economically active in (a) Norwich North constituency, (b) the local authority area of Norwich and (c) Norfolk; and how many such people are paid (i) national minimum wage (NMW) and (ii) more than NMW but less that £7.65 per hour in each such area. (185952)

Estimates of the number of people who are economically active are produced from the Annual Population Survey (APS). The table shows estimates of the number of economically active people in Norwich North constituency, the local authority area of Norwich and Norfolk.

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Hourly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. The Office for National Statistics produces estimates for the number of people paid below the national minimum wage but does not produce estimates for those paid at the national minimum wage. It is also not possible to estimate the number of jobs with hourly pay between specified thresholds using ASHE data, though it is possible to estimate the corresponding proportions of jobs.

The tables show the proportion of employee jobs with hourly earnings above the national minimum wage but less than £7.65 in Norwich North constituency, the local authority area of Norwich and Norfolk as at April 2013, the latest period for which results are available. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.

I note that £7.65 is the current rate suggested by the Living Wage Foundation for a UK living wage. The latest ASHE data are for April 2013, at which time the corresponding rate was £7.45. I have therefore also provided the proportions of employee jobs with hourly earnings national minimum wage but less than £7.45 in April 2013 for the geographies specified.

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Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme

Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will instigate an inquiry into the use of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee and Royal Bank of Scotland handling in relation to C. May Brickwork Ltd of Mold, Flintshire. [185252]

Matthew Hancock: I do not intend to instigate an inquiry of the type proposed. There are existing procedures in place between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the banks, including regular independent auditing of a sample of each bank's use of

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the scheme, through which any issues arising in relation to the operation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee are raised and addressed.

BIS is aware of the dispute between C May Brickwork Ltd and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). Should the circumstances of that dispute raise issues regarding RBS's use of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee then those will be addressed in accordance with existing procedures.

Financial Reporting Council

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the appointment of Sir Win Bischoff, Chair of Lloyds Bank, as Chair of the Financial Reporting Council on the ability of that body to process complaints against Lloyds; and if he will make a statement. [185651]

Jenny Willott: Decisions to investigate complaints under the Financial Reporting Council's (FRC) Professional Disciplinary Scheme or to constitute a Financial Reporting Review Panel are taken by the Conduct Committee of the FRC, not its Board. The Conduct Committee has a majority of lay members, that is members who are not practicing accountants or actuaries. Current practising auditors as well as officers of the professional bodies it regulates are excluded from membership. The Chair of the FRC does not participate in the Conduct Committee.

Financial Services

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of progress made by the Law Commission inquiry into the fiduciary duties of investment management intermediaries; and if he will make a statement. [185760]

Jenny Willott: The Law Commission commenced its review of fiduciary duties in the investment chain in March 2013. It published a detailed consultation document in October 2013, launching a formal consultation exercise which closed on 22 January 2014. The Law Commission has committed to report to Government with recommendations by June 2014. Work is progressing on track to meet this commitment.

Government officials from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department of Work and Pensions are in regular contact with the Law Commission officials as they complete this work. The Government will of course consider the recommendations in the final report carefully.

Foreign Investment in UK

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what international and domestic protections currently exist to safeguard US investors in the UK from unjustified expropriation of their investment. [185577]

Jenny Willott: UK and European laws protecting US owners of property (including investments) in the UK against state expropriation on unjust terms include the following:

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(a) Longstanding domestic law. The UK courts have recognised the right to property as a fundamental legal right since at least the eighteenth century. State infringements of this right can be challenged as unlawful through judicial review claims.

(b) The Human Rights Act 1998 gives effect under UK law to the rights to property in the European convention on human rights and fundamental freedoms, of which the UK is a member. Article 1 of the first protocol to the convention provides that:

“Every natural or legal person is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions. No one shall be deprived of his possessions except in the public interest and subject to the conditions provided for by law and by the general principles of international law”.

Although this right is not absolute, any interference by a public authority must be lawful, pursue a legitimate aim, and be proportionate. State infringements of this right can be challenged before UK Courts under the Human Rights Act 1998 and ultimately before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The EU Charter of Fundamental Rights reflects the same principle where the UK is acting to implement EU law.

Foreign Trade: Developing Countries

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the implications of growth of south-south trade for the UK economy; and if he will make a statement. [185831]

Michael Fallon: The Department has made no formal assessment.

Post Offices

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he last met the Chief Executive of Post Office Ltd to discuss initiatives and proven technologies to generate more footfall across the Post Office network; and if he will make a statement. [185940]

Jenny Willott: Ministers hold regular meetings with senior representatives from Post Office Ltd to discuss a wide range of matters. In addition, officials from the Department's Shareholder Executive team maintain a close and continuous dialogue with the company.

Details of all external meetings undertaken by Ministers at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills are published on a quarterly basis on the gov.uk website.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data

Information for October to December 2013 will be published in due course.

My hon. Friend Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson), in her role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs, met senior representatives from Post Office Ltd on nine occasions in the first six months of this financial year (1 April to 30 September 2013).

Publicity

Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will release the Business is Great Britain campaign posters and related materials under a creative commons licence. [185124]

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Matthew Hancock: The Business is Great Britain campaign launched in November 2013 to offer information, inspiration and advice to small businesses. The campaign is designed to showcase the very best of what businesses in Britain can do.

In addition the Great Britain campaign is used internationally. It launched in 2011, where it operates in 134 markets and is supported by 150 businesses and iconic British celebrities. It is therefore important that the campaign is delivered consistently here and internationally and that the quality of the campaign is maintained. Consequently there are no plans to release under the creative commons licence.

Railways: Training

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the new further education college for railway construction on (a) the Network Rail Apprenticeship Programme in Gosport and (b) other existing training programmes. [185622]

Matthew Hancock: The relationship with other providers will be considered as plans for the college are developed. The intention however is that the college will meet excess demand in the system that cannot currently be met by existing providers.

Temporary Employment

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will have discussions with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation on ways of ensuring that the recruitment process for temporary workers is as transparent and efficient as possible. [185616]

Jenny Willott: Ministers in the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills have met the Recruitment and Employment Confederation to discuss matters of relevance to the recruitment industry.

The recruitment sector is regulated by the Employment Agencies Act 1973 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (both as amended). Following a public consultation, the Government have announced its intention to replace the current legislation with a new regulatory framework which removes some of the burden from business but continues to protect people who are looking for work.

The Government believe that the recruitment sector should be allowed to develop its own methods of maintaining standards above and beyond the legislative requirements.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation has a Code of Professional Practice with which they require their members to comply.

Communities and Local Government

Council Tax

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what total amount was raised by local authorities through council tax in 2013. [184785]

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Brandon Lewis [holding answer 3 February 2014]: Details of the amount of council tax and national non-domestic rates collected in 2012-13 are to be found in tables 5 and 6 of the statistical release ‘Collection rates and receipts of council tax and non-domestic rates in England 2012-13’. This is available on the DCLG website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/collection-rates-for-council-tax-and-non-domestic-rates-in-england-2012-to-2013

The tables show the amounts collected both in respect of the current year and previous years but also pre-payments in respect of future years.

In that year, £22.759 billion was collected in council tax and £21.632 billion collected in business rates.

Fire Services: Pensions

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of female firefighters who will stay until normal pension age after the changes to the new firefighters pension scheme and firefighters pension scheme. [185838]

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 3 February 2014]: 56% of regular and retained female firefighters are members of the New Firefighters' Pension Scheme 2006, which already has a normal pension age of 60.

These women will see no change to their normal pension age as a result of the reforms. Due to the transitional protections in place, no firefighter will have to work beyond their current normal pension age until beyond 2022, giving firefighters sufficient time to improve or regain their fitness levels.

Dr Tony Williams, Medical Director of Working Fit, was commissioned to review the normal pension age for firefighters. Dr Williams found that the decline in fitness for women follows a similar rate to men when activity levels and body mass index are similar, Dr Williams also established that firefighters who remain physically active and maintain a health lifestyle should still be operational at age 60.

Housing: Construction

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government has taken to prevent land-banking and speed up the delivery of new homes on sites where planning permission has been granted. [185629]

Nick Boles: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 7 November 2013, Official Report, columns 345-347W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce), and my answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, columns 611-612W, to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn).

Local Government Finance

Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the percentage change in spending power between 2013-14 and 2015-16 proposed in the Local Government Finance Settlement in each (a) local authority area and (b) region. [184871]

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Brandon Lewis: Spending power figures have been published in each of the last five years.

The spending power figures for 2014-15 and 2015-16 were published with the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement.

My Department does not produce statistics by the old, arbitrary and defunct Government office regions, for the reasons outlined in the written statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, columns 31-33WS.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the 10 local authorities were with (a) highest and (b) lowest levels of funding reductions in the most recent period for which figures are available. [185896]

Brandon Lewis: Details of the Local Government Finance settlement for 2014-15 setting out changes in spending power for all English local authorities are available on the Gov.uk website at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2014-to-2015