Energy: Industry

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the refusal of state aid approval for compensation for the carbon floor price on energy intensive industries; and if he will make a statement; [186550]

(2) what contingency plans the Government have to ensure the competitiveness of UK-based energy-intensive industries in the event of the European Commission not giving state aid approval to compensation for the carbon floor price; and if he will make a statement. [186552]

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Michael Fallon: I recognise the impact of the carbon price floor on the competitiveness of energy intensive industries which is why we are putting in place a compensation scheme. We have had ongoing discussions with the European Commission and I am optimistic of a positive resolution shortly.

Environmental Protection

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to improve the level of resources invested in green technology in the UK relative to international comparators. [186666]

Michael Fallon: Investing in green technologies is important to future growth. BIS is supporting this in a number of ways:

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) invested over £120 million in the last year in green technology related activities. This was through various support mechanisms such as collaborative research and development, pre-competitive procurement contracts (the Small Business Research Initiative programme) and Smart awards for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Allowing for industry match funding, this represents over £200 million spend on green innovation activities for UK businesses.

Other activities include entrepreneurial missions such as the Clean and Cool mission to Brazil, enabling UK SMEs to take advantage of the opportunities in the sustainability sector, and also the Clean and Cool mission to Colorado looking at clean energy. In 2012-13 the Technology Strategy Board rolled out the Sustainable Economy Framework, which, together with the Forum for the Future, is used to incorporate sustainability/green innovation into the Technology Strategy Board's strategies and support programmes for business.

In addition to this, the Technology Strategy Board's network of Catapults plays a strong role in green technology activities. The seven Catapults are centres of excellence which focus on a specific area of technology and expertise with great potential, that aim to bridge the gap between business, academia, research and Government. Of the seven, six of the centres have an element of green technology within them. These are: High Value Manufacturing, Offshore Renewable Energy, Satellite Applications, Connected Digital Economy, Future Cities, and Transport Systems. The Future Cities Catapult has dedicated work programmes on Resource Efficiency, Low Carbon Cities and Resilient Energy systems.

The Energy Technology Institute (ETI) is a novel partnership established by BIS with leading international engineering and energy companies to invest in the development of low carbon energy technologies and solutions.

The ETI brings together projects and partnerships that create affordable, reliable, clean energy for heat, power, transport and associated infrastructure. It is a 50:50 public-private partnership to which BIS has committed to provide up to £500 million, to be matched by industry partners, over the decade to December 2017. (BIS funds are provided through TSB and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council).

The Green Investment Bank, with £3.8 billion of Government funding to March 2016, is now fully operational and investing on commercial terms in green infrastructure projects, helping to mobilise significant additional private capital into relevant green sectors.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has adopted targets relating to international benchmarks for the national level of investment in green technology. [186667]

Michael Fallon: No.

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Foreign Companies: China

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies operating in the UK are (a) fully and (b) partly owned by Chinese companies. [186727]

Michael Fallon: As Companies House does not maintain statistics on company ownership it is unable to tell how many companies operating in the UK are (a) fully owned and (b) partly owned by Chinese companies.

Further Education: Older People

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to increase the participation of older people in further education. [902478]

Matthew Hancock: Apprenticeships are an all-age programme. Outside of apprenticeships, we want to maintain access to learning for older people and to support this we have introduced Advanced Learning Loans for those aged 24 and above studying at level 3 and 4, to help meet up-front course fees and remove one of the main barriers to learning for older people. Community Learning is also an important part of the wider learning and skills offer, engaging people who are most disadvantaged and furthest from learning such as older people. It is funded through an annual budget of £210 million managed by the Skills Funding Agency and most provision is delivered or commissioned by local authority providers, FE colleges, large voluntary organisations and other providers. As part of our plans for local growth, all 39 local enterprise partnerships are currently considering how to drive growth in their local areas as they put together their strategic economic plans, which are due to be submitted to Government at the end of March. Some LEPs have already highlighted the challenges of an ageing work force and the need to provide opportunities for people to update their skills as business needs and technology changes so we expect to see proposals to ensure a match between the skills of the local work force and the needs of business. We are also starting to set up elite training institutions, the first being an £18 million complex for engineers in Coventry, which will enable a wide range of learners to be up-skilled.

Industrial Disputes Independent Review

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2013, Official Report, columns 1067-8W, on industrial disputes: independent review, what decisions have been taken on the review chaired by Bruce Carr QC in respect of (a) its terms of reference, (b) its membership, (c) when its work will start and finish and (d) whether a final report of its findings will be produced. [186905]

Jenny Willott: Discussions are still ongoing and the full details of the review will be announced in due course. The intention is to have a balanced review involving employers and employee representatives.

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Land Registry

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to prevent reforms of HM Land Registry leading to the off-shoring of jobs. [186216]

Michael Fallon: Land Registry has developed a business strategy for 2013 to 2018 to improve the delivery of land registration services to support economic growth in the wider economy. The purpose of the proposal set out in the recent BIS consultation document is to enable the business to better deliver this business strategy. No decisions will be taken on the best commercial model until the consultation is completed and responses have been considered.

Literacy: Merseyside

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of adults in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) Merseyside who are unable to (i) read and (ii) write. [186850]

Matthew Hancock: The 2011 Skills for Life survey Small Area modelled estimates¹ provide the following information about proportions of adults aged 16 to 65-years-old with above and below the “functional literacy” threshold (ie National Qualification Framework Level 1), defined in the Leitch review as

‘the level needed to get by in life and work’.²

Level 1 is equivalent to GCSE grades D-G. Adults with skills below Level 1 can read or write, but their skills may be limited, for example, they may not be able to read bus or train timetables.

Data are available for 2011 parliamentary constituencies, including Liverpool Riverside, Liverpool Walton, Liverpool Wavertree and Liverpool, West Derby. Table 1 as follows provides the estimated proportions of people in these constituencies with below Level 1 literacy. The data do not separate reading and writing.

¹ Available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/2011-skills-for-life-survey-small-area-estimation-data

accessed on 6 February 2014.

² HM Treasury (December 2006) “Leitch Review of Skills. Prosperity for all in the global economy-world class skills. Final Report”, p. 43.

Post Offices: ICT

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to allow sub post offices to trial new technologies such as scanning of ID pictures and other procedures in order

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to supply front office counter services to boost future footfall and business to benefit all of the Post Office network. [186422]

Jenny Willott: The development of new technologies is a matter for Post Office Ltd and reflects its commercial contractual arrangements with its public and private sector partners. The Government, as shareholder, does not play a role in commercial matters.

Property: Management

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what responsibilities he has for regulation of residential and property management agents in Wales. [186843]

Jenny Willott: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has no responsibility for the regulation of property management agents in Wales as housing is a devolved issue.

Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many public appointments his Department made in the last 12 months; how many such appointments are remunerated posts; what the level of such remuneration is; and how many people so appointed are (a) women and (b) men. [186389]

Jenny Willott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 301W.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what timetable or deadline he has for the completion of the sale of illiquid assets acquired following the transfer of the Royal Mail pension fund. [186268]

Michael Fallon: There is no fixed timetable or deadline for the disposal of assets transferred from the Royal Mail pension plan to the BIS Postal Services Act Company 2011 Limited (‘the Company’), a company incorporated by the Department in order to hold and realise those assets. The principal objective of the company is to realise the assets in a measured fashion, protecting value for the taxpayer, while minimising market distortion. Accordingly, it may be appropriate for the company to hold less liquid assets for the longer term and potentially to maturity where this protects value for the taxpayer. Regular reviews are undertaken of the realisation strategy for each asset class.

Students: Finance

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what procedure and checks his Department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) use to monitor the advice given to students by alternative providers as to which of their courses have been designated for SLC funding; [186680]

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(2) what procedures and checks (a) his Department and (b) the Student Loans Company (SLC) use to monitor the applications from the students of alternative providers for SLC funding for designated courses; [186687]

(3) what procedures and checks (a) his Department and (b) the Student Loans Company (SLC) use to monitor the claims of alternative providers for SLC funding for designated courses; [186688]

(4) what investigations relating to student support claims and Student Loans Company funding have taken place or are currently under way in respect of alternative providers. [186689]

Mr Willetts: The Student Loans Company's (SLC) undertakes the administration and processing of the payment of loans and grants to students, and the payment of tuition fees to higher education institutions.

The SLC maintains a database of all courses designated by the Department and the locations where these courses are provided. Student support is paid to students and providers only in relation to designated courses recorded on this database.

If applications are received for student support in relation to courses which are not designated, the applications will not be approved and no payments will be made to either the student or the provider.

It is not the Department's or SLC's role to monitor the advice providers give students on designated courses, as this can be delivered in many ways, including face-to-face, and will vary by course at each provider. The SLC however publishes on its website a full list of designated courses at alternative providers and their locations. There should be no confusion about which courses and locations are designated for support and which are not.

The processes outlined ensure that students' applications will not be approved in relation to such courses.

If it comes to light that providers have misled students, the SLC or the Department, in an attempt to access student support payments in relation to undesignated courses, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has the power to refuse or revoke designation of any course offered by that provider.

This sanction has been imposed once so far during the current academic year.

Trade Promotion: United Arab Emirates

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of UK Trade and Investment’s ability to assist firms wishing to take part in World Expo 2020 in Dubai; [186533]

(2) what technical assistance will be available to businesses wanting to take advantage of the opportunities in World Expo 2020 in Dubai; [186534]

(3) what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to UK businesses of securing contracts from World Expo 2020 in Dubai; [186535]

(4) what discussions he has had with UK Trade and Investment on how small businesses can secure contracts for World Expo 2020 in Dubai; [186536]

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(5) what plans he has to support the participation by UK construction companies in World Expo 2020 in Dubai; [186559]

(6) what support UK Trade & Investment is giving to UK companies seeking to participate in World Expo 2020 in Dubai; [186560]

(7) if he will offer the UK's support to the government of the UAE in its preparations for World Expo 2020 in Dubai; [186561]

(8) if he will form a cross-departmental working group to co-ordinate the UK's participation in World Expo 2020 in Dubai; [186562]

(9) what support UK Trade & Investment will give to companies based in Shrewsbury which wish to bid for contracts relating to World Expo 2020 in Dubai. [186563]

Michael Fallon: The Government were pleased to support Dubai's bid to host the World Expo in 2020. We shall ensure that we share with the Government of the UAE our businesses' experience of delivering an excellent Olympics in 2012. In preparing our approach to Dubai 2020 more broadly, we shall also measure the successes and lessons learned from our experience of the Milan 2015 Expo. In the meantime, UK Trade and Investment will continue to support companies from across the UK, including of course from Shrewsbury, who wish to secure World Expo 2020 contracts.

Unemployed People: Basic Skills

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how much his Department spent on basic skills training for people in receipt of jobseekers' allowance in each year from 2008 to 2013; [184963]

(2) how much his Department spent on boosting the literacy and numeracy of people in receipt of jobseeker's allowance in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13. [184965]

Matthew Hancock [holding answer 28 January 2014]: It is not possible to provide a robust response based on self-reporting data from the Individualised Learner Return (ILR) alone but we are able to estimate the amount spent on adult literacy and numeracy services for learners benefiting from support for the unemployed for 2011/12 using published matched further education for benefit claimant data

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/FDBA150E-3C26-4CA3-B586-766A460FABFB/0/FurtherEducationfor BenefitClaimants_20June2013_revised.pdf

The following table provides 2011/12 estimates derived by combining matched benefits data with the average fee spent per self reporting ILR learner in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance and studying English and maths. We are also able to estimate the total for all job-related benefits.

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Vocational Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of how much funding employers provided to fund non-statutory training of their staff in each of the last five years. [186685]

Matthew Hancock: The information requested is not available.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much finding (a) his Department and (b) the Skills Funding Agency has provided to (i) McDonalds, (ii) Morrisons, (iii) Tesco and (iv) Sainsbury's to provide training or apprenticeships for their staff in each of the last five years. [186686]

Matthew Hancock: McDonalds has received a total of £24.2 million since 2010/11; of which £10.5 million was in 2010/11, £6.8 million was in 2011/12; £5.1 million was in 2012/13 and £1.8 million has been paid to date in 2013/14.

Sainsbury's has received a total of £2.5 million since 2010/11; of which £1.9 million was in 2010/11 and £0.6 million was in 2011/12.

Tesco has received a total of £8.8 million since 2010/11; of which £1.4 million was in 2010/11, £2.5 million was in 2011/12, £3.3 million was in 2012/13, and £1.7 million has been paid to date in 2013/14.

Notes:

1. The data are only available since the creation of the Skills Funding Agency on 1 April 2010.

2. The data are the actual payments made to McDonalds, Sainsbury's and Tescos. Values are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million so individual values may differ from totals.

3. Payments for the current (2013/14) contracting year are for activity up until the end of December.

4. We are unable to give the amounts for Morrisons because they did not have a direct contract with the Agency. The Agency contracted with Elmfield Training (now In Training Ltd, part of the Newcastle College Group) who provided training for Morrisons and other employers.

5. Payments include values for the Large Employer Outcome Pilot, which was announced in the Skills Investment Statement 2011-14. It piloted an outcome-based payment system.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Bangladesh

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce political corruption in Bangladesh. [186293]

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Hugh Robertson: The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, said in her statement on 6 January 2014, following Bangladesh's elections, we would continue to support its people in their aspirations for a more stable, prosperous, and democratic future. To achieve this, Bangladesh needs strong, independent and accountable institutions.

We give a high priority to anti-corruption work in Bangladesh. Political corruption is closely interlinked with other forms of corruption in Bangladesh. UK Aid supports work to make the Government's financial management more transparent, including support for budgeting, accounting, auditing and parliamentary scrutiny. UK aid also supports organisations outside Government to enable citizens and communities to hold service providers to account, obtain services and assets that are theirs by right, and reduce the need to pay bribes. For example, we support initiatives that increase transparency in political finance such as online publication of candidate asset information by the Election Commission of Bangladesh, while also training civil society and media to analyse and publicly report on those returns.

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet his Bangladeshi counterpart to discuss the reduction of violence in that country and to promote trade links with the UK. [186741]

Hugh Robertson: We deplored the acts of violence and intimidation in the run up to Bangladesh's 10th parliamentary elections on 5 January. It is tragic that so many people lost their lives. We repeatedly condemned all forms of violence, including in the statement made by the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, on 6 January. The new Government have not appointed a new Foreign Minister but when they do we will continue to raise matters of concern and promote strong UK-Bangladesh trade links.

Trade between our countries is buoyant. There has been strong growth (over 119%) in bilateral trade—both goods and services—between 2007 and 2012. Figures for 2012 show that our exports to Bangladesh increased by 16% compared to the previous year, mainly due to a 41% increase in services. Imports increased by almost 13% over the same period.

British Nationals Abroad

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals live in other EU member states (a) in total and (b) by member state. [186728]

Mark Simmonds: The most recent figures we have are taken from a 2010 report which was commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Consular Directorate. These figures are only estimates of the number of United Kingdom citizens living abroad (including for part of a year).

The total number of UK citizens living abroad in EU member states in 2010 (estimate): 2,197,800.

Croatia joined the EU in 2013. The total number of UK citizens living in Croatia in 2010 (estimate): 900.

The number of UK citizens living abroad in each EU member state in 2010 (estimate):

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Austria: 7,000

Belgium: 31,000

Bulgaria: 18,000

Cyprus: 65,000

Czech Republic: 7,000

Denmark: 12,000

Estonia: 700

Finland: 4,000

France: 330,000

Germany: 107,000

Greece: 45,000

Hungary: 5,000

Ireland: 329,000

Italy: 37,000

Latvia: 400

Lithuania: 300

Luxembourg: 8,000

Malta: 11,000

Netherlands: 48,000

Poland: 6,000

Portugal: 39,000

Romania: 7,000

Slovakia: 1,000

Slovenia: 4,000

Spain: 1,050,000

Sweden: 29,000.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals live in (a) China, (b) South Korea, (c) Japan and (d) Singapore. [186729]

Mark Simmonds: The most recent figures we have are taken from a 2010 report which was commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Consular Directorate.

These figures are only estimates of the number of United Kingdom citizens living abroad (including for part of a year):

China: 47,000

South Korea: 4,000

Japan: 22,000

Singapore: 60,000.

Central African Republic

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect of unrest in the Central African Republic on neighbouring countries. [186297]

Mark Simmonds: The unrest in the Central African Republic (CAR) has impacted on its neighbours through refugee flows and cross-border violence. The UK welcomes the efforts of the African-led International Support Mission to CAR (MISCA) to stabilise the situation. The return of a constitutional and effective government is vital for the long-term stability of CAR and is in the best interests of the region as a whole. The UK has already contributed £15 million to humanitarian efforts in-country, and we continue to support international organisations such as the WFP and UNHCR who are assisting refugees in the region.

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Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department has provided to the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories to implement the Financial Action Task Force Standards. [186299]

Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Treasury.

The UK's G8 action plan to prevent misuse of companies and legal arrangements is intended to implement the Financial Action Task Force Standards to the highest degree. As part of this, the Government have committed to conducting its first National Risk Assessment (NRA) by 2014, as well as to support the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to publish action plans setting out the concrete steps, where needed, to fully implement the Financial Action Task Force Standards. They have published these action plans, and have committed to carry out their NRAs. These will assess risks, apply resources and mitigate those risks, as required by the Standards. The Government will engage closely with them to share lessons learned and best practice, The Government have also provided funding to the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force towards events providing NRA training by the World Bank to its members, which include the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands and Montserrat.

Cyprus

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolution on the return of the Cypriot city of Famagusta to its lawful inhabitants under UN administration. [186519]

Mr Lidington: The UK continues to work with the Cypriots in their pursuit of a comprehensive settlement, including the issue of the Varosha area of Famagusta. We fully support all the relevant Security Council resolutions, including UNSCR 550 and UNSCR 789 which address the future of Varosha. We have raised this complex matter with the Turkish Cypriots and with the Turkish authorities.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that appropriate numbers of international observers will be available at future elections in Democratic Republic of Congo. [186740]

Mark Simmonds: There is currently no confirmed timetable for provincial and local elections in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We have encouraged the DRC Government to draw up a clear electoral timetable from now to 2016, when presidential elections are due. We will continue to work closely with the DRC Government, the UN and international partners as this plan develops, including on the subject of international observers for the elections.

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Immunity from Prosecution: Foreign Nationals

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the requirements are for special mission immunity to be given. [186970]

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) on 4 March 2013, Official Report, columns 55-56, announced a new process by which we would be informed of visits that may qualify for special mission status. Under customary international law a special mission is a temporary mission, representing a state, which is sent by one state to another with the consent of the latter, in order to carry out official business. In this context, "official business" will normally involve contacts with authorities of the United Kingdom, such as meeting officials of Her Majesty's Government, or attendance at a ceremonial occasion, for example a royal wedding.

Iran

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent UN-level discussions he has had on human rights violations in Iran; and what steps he is taking against those responsible for such abuses. [184349]

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) raised Iran's poor human rights record with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif in the margins of UN General Assembly on 23 September 2013. The UK lobbied extensively for the UN resolution on human rights in Iran that was adopted on 19 December 2013 and regularly speaks out about human rights abuses in Iran. We have also been instrumental in the EU's designation of 86 Iranian individuals and entities responsible for human rights violations.

Mr Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure continued enforcement of economic sanctions against Iran during the six months interim agreement period in respect of that country's nuclear programme. [186514]

Hugh Robertson: The interim agreement provides for limited, specific sanctions relief proportionate with Iran's undertakings on its nuclear programme. The bulk of EU (and US) sanctions remain in place and will continue to be enforced, including through revised designations where required. EU Regulation 267/2012 and its amendments set out the relevant obligations of member states for the implementation of sanctions. The UK will continue to work with our European partners to fulfil these obligations, including through investigation and, where appropriate, prosecution of sanctions breaches.

Mr Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Israel and (b) the Gulf States on Iran's nuclear programme. [186515]

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Hugh Robertson: Ministers and FCO officials regularly engage their Gulf and Israeli counterparts on Iran. Our priority remains a comprehensive, negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, which would be a significant contribution to peace and security in the Middle East.

Nigeria

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with its Nigerian counterpart on improvements aimed at increasing transparency and visibility in the oil and gas sector. [186300]

Mark Simmonds: We have lobbied on increased transparency in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria, most recently at a meeting between the high commissioner and Nigerian Minister for Petroleum Resources on 20 December 2013.

Our recent efforts have concentrated on the Petroleum Industry Bill which is currently being considered by the National Assembly. We believe comprehensive legislation could lead both to increased investment and increased transparency over oil receipts and contracts. We also raised the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and transparency more generally during our G8 presidency.

Pay

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contract staff in his Department are paid the living wage or above. [186682]

Hugh Robertson: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 628W.

Pitcairn Islands

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2014, Official Report, column 63W, on Pitcairn Islands, if he will place in the Library a copy of the third Pitcairn Child Safety Review. [186976]

Mark Simmonds: The full report of the Pitcairn Child Safety Review 2013 cannot be laid due to the personal data contained within. However, I am happy to lay the summary report before the House.

Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many public appointments his Department made in the last 12 months; how many such appointments are remunerated posts; what the level of such remuneration is; and how many people so appointed are (a) women and (b) men. [186398]

Hugh Robertson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 301W.

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Zimbabwe

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of financial sanctions on members of the Government of Zimbabwe and associated individuals. [186295]

Mark Simmonds: Although some have argued that EU financial sanctions—more properly known as restrictive measures—have served as anti-western propaganda for the ZANU-PF party, we believe that asset freezes, as part of the EU's targeted measures, have been an important tool in promoting democracy and reform in Zimbabwe. Reforms, such as the new constitution agreed in 2013, under the Government of National Unity and Global Political Agreement, highlight some of the progress made. However, we continue to have concerns over the democratic environment in Zimbabwe, we have consistently made clear our views about the conduct of 2013 elections, which we do not judge to have been free, fair or credible, nor to have met SADC's own guidelines. The EU is currently completing the review of Zimbabwe's targeted measures and parliamentary scrutiny has been completed.

Work and Pensions

Crisis Loans

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received crisis loans in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) 2013. [186902]

Steve Webb: Table 1 gives the number of people who received crisis loans between 2008 and 2012. The figures are presented by calendar year.

The crisis loan scheme ended on 31 March 2013. 326,000 people received a crisis loan between 1 January 2013 and the end of the scheme. This figure includes loans that were received before 31 March 2013 but processed after this date.

Employment

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what comparative assessment he has made of the change in the number of jobs in Wales and in other regions in the UK since 2010. [186726]

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Esther McVey: Since February-April 2010 the number of people in work in Wales has risen by 85,000 to nearly 1.4 million. Its employment rate has increased by over four percentage points, from 67% to 71.1%, the largest rise of any UK region over the period. The employment rate in Wales is at its highest level, and the gap with the UK average at its lowest, since consistent records began in 1992.

Employment and Support Allowance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps he is taking to prevent applicants for employment and support allowance suffering financial hardship while awaiting a work capability assessment; [186207]

(2) what steps he is taking to fast track claims for employment and support allowance where the claimant is identified as being at risk of financial hardship; what definition of financial hardship his Department applies; and what role (a) his Department's decision-maker and (b) medical assessors play in making a decision to fast track; [186208]

(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that applications from claimants of employment and support allowance suffering financial hardship are dealt with as a priority. [186210]

Mike Penning: Employment and support allowance is designed to prevent hardship by being payable an assessment rate equivalent to the basic rate of jobseeker's allowance (JSA), while awaiting a work capability assessment (WCA) on the basis of medical evidence. New claims for benefit are prioritised to ensure payments are made as speedily as possible after all necessary evidence has been received.

There is no specific definition of financial hardship but there are specific arrangements in place to fast track claims such as those from people who are terminally ill.

Although there is no national formal contractual process in place to fast track the WCA, processes have been agreed locally with Atos Healthcare and the intent is that, where a claimant can demonstrate financial hardship, DWP staff can ask Atos Healthcare to urgently undertake the WCA at the earliest opportunity. Where the WCA is not completed within 91 days there are arrangements to automatically backdate arrears to the 92nd day of the claim where the claimant is found to have limited capability for work or work related activity.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what benefits are available to people appealing an employment and support allowance decision; and if he will make a statement. [186683]

Mike Penning: Those appealing against a decision can claim either:

1. Employment and support allowance-where they need to provide continuing medical evidence, or

2. Jobseeker's allowance-which is available to those who meet the conditions of entitlement, which may be modified to take account of their health condition.

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Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the statement by the Minister of State for Employment in European Committee B on 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 5, in relation to Youth Contract wage incentives, that more than 20,000 have been paid out so far, whether this refers to youth contract wage incentive job starts, or to wage incentives paid out; and to what date the figure refers. [186676]

Esther McVey: The first wage incentive statistics were released on 22 July 2013. They showed that from April 2012 up to and including May 2013, there have been 21,460 wage incentive job starts. The next statistics will be released on 25 February 2014.

Food Banks

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on using EU resources to help fund food banks. [186269]

Esther McVey: Food banks do not form part of the Government’s welfare system.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2014, Official Report, column 583W, on housing benefit: social rented housing, for what reasons the Government's contribution to the overall discretionary housing payments allocation reduced from £180 million in 2013-14 to £165 million in 2014-15 and is planned to increase to £205 million in 2015-16. [186373]

Esther McVey: As announced in the autumn statement, discretionary housing payment (DHP) funding will actually be increased by £40 million in 2014-15 to £165 million, from the previously announced figure of £125 million. This reflects the longer transitional period many claimants will face and gives local authorities the confidence they need to make longer-term awards where people cannot reasonably move home or access other mitigations. The overall reduction compared with 2013-14 reflects the expectation that DHPs will be a temporary transitional measure for many, particularly those affected by the introduction of the benefit cap. As such, the DHP allocation for the benefit cap reduces from £65 million in 2013-14 to £45 million in 2014-15.

To reflect the commitment made in the autumn statement to maintain the support available for those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy the Department has increased the DHP allocation for this policy from £55 million in 2013-14 to £60 million in 2014-15.

The Government have not announced plans to increase DHP allocations to £205 million in 2015-16. Details for 2015-16 will be announced in due course.

Jobcentre Plus

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the content and purpose are of performance improvement plans for jobcentre staff; how many staff have a performance improvement

10 Feb 2014 : Column 513W

plan at each jobcentre; how such plans relate to staff disciplinary procedures and performance assessment; and for what purpose statistics relating to such plans are reported to and maintained by his Department. [186288]

Esther McVey: Performance improvement plans are used in relation to poor performance. Their purpose is to provide the employee with the necessary support and an agreed approach through which they can achieve a satisfactory level of performance.

There were 101 performance improvement plans in place across the whole of work services directorate (which cover jobcentres) as at 31 January 2014, which equates to less than 0.2% of our headcount. These data change daily.

Performance improvement plans do not feature in disciplinary decisions.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether Jobcentre Plus is funding employment support through Community Drug and Alcohol services; and if he will make a statement. [186696]

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus does not fund employment support for community drug and alcohol services. However, where Jobcentre Plus identifies that a claimant would benefit from this support, they can and do refer people to treatment providers.

The Department for Work and Pensions does provide a range of help and support for claimants with drug and/or alcohol dependency. The Department's approach involves: early identification of claimants with drug and/or alcohol dependency; referring claimants who are not in treatment to a voluntary discussion with a local treatment provider to discuss their dependency issues and treatment options; offering claimants with drug and/or alcohol dependency early access to the Work programme, where they can receive flexible and personalised support to help them return to work; and building strong and effective relationships with external partners such as treatment and Work programme providers.

The Department is also working with Work programme providers to better enable them to identify claimants with drug and/or alcohol dependency. The valuable work Jobcentre Plus does to identify claimants with substance abuse issues, and notify the provider at referral, will have a positive impact on people's journey through recovery into employment.

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what procedures have been put in place in jobcentres to deal with the consequences of the removal of warm phones from jobcentres. [186287]

Esther McVey: Jobcentres are moving to an assisted service model and providing digital access to job search and benefit applications. As a consequence, we are removing warm phones from local jobcentres. Claimants who are vulnerable or unable to access our services in other ways will be assisted at their local office to resolve any queries that they have.

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Northern Ireland

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assets his Department has sold in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what the value of each such sale was. [186638]

Mike Penning: The Department for Work and Pensions does not directly own assets in Northern Ireland. Assets employed directly in the delivery of benefits are owned by the Social Security Agency (SSA) in the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland (DSD).

Details of assets and liabilities (including disposals) held by the Department for Work and Pensions and its non-departmental public bodies are published in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts via the Statement of Financial Position accessible via the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments[]-department-for-work-pensions&publication_type=corporate-reports

Pay

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contract staff in his Department are paid the living wage or above. [186681]

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) on 29 January 2014, Official Report, column 631W.

Poverty: Children

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 December 2013, Official Report, columns 759-60W, on poverty, on what date he expects to publish the Government's response to the consultation on measuring child poverty. [186273]

Esther McVey: We remain committed to ending child poverty. We need to build better measures of child poverty that drive the right action to tackle the root causes of child poverty. It is important that we take the time to get this right. We have listened carefully to what experts on measurement and those working with poor families have told us.

The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty. We will publish our response as soon as we can.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the probability of meeting the commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020. [186337]

Esther McVey: The Government remain committed to eradicating child poverty and the Act. Our approach seeks to tackle the root causes of child poverty and our evidence shows that we should focus on tackling worklessness and educational failure.

We do not believe you can accurately project that far ahead and we know that poverty projections are rarely accurate. For example, the Institute for Fiscal Studies

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(IFS) projections in October 2011 suggested the number of children in relative poverty would fall by 100,000 in 2010-11, whereas in fact it fell by 300,000.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to bring forward proposals to amend or replace the Child Poverty Act 2010 as a result of his Department's consultation on measuring child poverty. [186338]

Esther McVey: We remain committed to the Child Poverty Act. We also understand that poverty is about more than income alone and that is why we need to focus on the root causes.

We have no plans at this time to change the Child Poverty Act 2010.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measure he will assess on whether the Government have met the commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020. [186339]

Esther McVey: The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020. The targets are based on the proportion of children living in households with relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income and persistent poverty (all before housing costs have been taken into account).

1. Relative low income-measures the proportion of children living in the UK who are in households with income below 60% of contemporary median.

2. Combined low income and material deprivation-measures the proportion of children in the UK who are in households with income below 70% of the contemporary median who also experience material deprivation.

3. Absolute low income-measures the number of children in the UK who are in households with income below 60% of 2010-11 median income, held constant in real terms.

4. Persistent poverty-measures the proportion of children in Great Britain who have been in relative low income poverty for at least three of the latest four years.

We need to build better measures of child poverty that drive the right action to tackle the root causes of child poverty. It is important that we take the time to get this right. We have listened carefully to what experts on measurement and those working with poor families have told us.

The complexity of the issue means that we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty. We will publish our response as soon as we can.

Procurement

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken following the conviction of A4E employees for fraud; and what steps he has taken to prevent similar abuse in other companies which are contracted to provide services by his Department. [186725]

Esther McVey: The Department treats any allegations of fraud by its contracted providers very seriously. The Department has robust control and assurance arrangements in place to guard against fraudulent claims being made by providers.

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The only conviction of an A4e employee was in 2009. This case, the current police investigation and recent court appearances involving A4e employees, relate to historic programmes. The implementation of the Work programme enhanced a number of fraud prevention controls and to date there have been no cases of fraud within this programme.

Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many public appointments his Department made in the last 12 months; how many such appointments are remunerated posts; what the level of such remuneration is; and how many people so appointed are (a) women and (b) men. [186409]

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 301W.

Remploy: Edinburgh

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many workers made redundant as a result of the closure of Remploy in South Gyle, Edinburgh are (a) seeking work, (b) no longer seeking work and (c) in employment. [186347]

Mike Penning: Of the 28 workers made redundant as a result of the closure of Remploy in South Gyle, Edinburgh we are able to provide information on the 26 disabled former employees who have given consent to be tracked. As at 24 January 2014 records show that (a) 10 are seeking work, (b) 9 are no longer seeking work and (c) 7 are in employment.

Social Security Benefits

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the backlog is of employment and support allowance and jobseeker's allowance claims at each jobcentre. [186285]

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available at that level of detail.

However, we are able to provide details of claims outstanding at a national level.

For employment and support allowance, at the end of December 2013, the volume of claims outstanding was 5,689. This equates to 1.6 days average receipts (average taken from October to December) and includes cases where further information is awaited from the customer.

For jobseeker’s allowance, at the end of December 2013, the volume of claims outstanding was 22,562. This equates to 2.1 days average receipts (average taken from October to December) and includes cases where further information is awaited from the customer.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the backlog is of personal independence payment and disability living allowance claims at each regional disability benefit centre. [186284]

10 Feb 2014 : Column 517W

Mike Penning: Personal independence payment (PIP) started from April 2013 and although limited data has started to feed through, we need to wait until the Department has quality assured, meaningful figures for publication. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish official statistics on personal independence payment from spring 2014.

In order to manage the gap between PIP go-live and the first release of Official Statistics in spring 2014, an ad-hoc release of PIP management information is planned on 11 February 2014.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on fraud rates among (i) EEA and (ii) EU migrants claiming UK benefits; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the Exchequer of such fraud. [186481]

Esther McVey: The data are not available in the format requested.

Staff

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes in the number of staff are proposed for each (a) regional disability benefit centre and (b) jobcentre. [186286]

Esther McVey: Staffing allocations at this level are still in discussion and will be finalised in the next few months.

Work Capability Assessment: Coventry

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Coventry have undergone a work capability assessment in each of the last three years. [186489]

Mike Penning: The information we have for new employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants who underwent work capability assessments is shown in the table.

10 Feb 2014 : Column 518W

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the performance of Work programme drug and alcohol pilots. [186691]

Esther McVey: DWP is currently assessing the performance and looking at how the processes are working for the Recovery Works and Recovery and Employment Pilots.

Qualitative evaluation is currently under way with first wave interim findings due in summer 2014. The second wave is scheduled in autumn 2014 and an interim report is due spring 2015.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Work programme providers are using an IPS intervention to assist clients with mental health problems into work. [186693]

Esther McVey: Work programme providers deliver services flexibly to support the needs of individual participants. The Department does not hold information on the extent to which individual participants use Individual Placement and Support (IPS) interventions.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to draw on customer experience of the Work programme to inform the planning of its replacement after 2016; and if he will make a statement. [186895]

Esther McVey: We have already commissioned an independent evaluation of the programme.

Those findings, as well as feedback from the industry will inform decisions.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether, if a Work programme customer rearranges an appointment with their provider, the provider is required to report to his Department the customer's non-attendance for the originally planned appointment. [186896]

Esther McVey: If a Work programme participant rearranges an appointment their provider will discuss the reasons why with them. Providers are not required to report a participant's non-attendance at, or rearrangement of, appointments unless the action raises a compliance doubt. The parameters a provider works to when raising a compliance doubt can be found in chapter 6 of provider guidance through the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-programme-dwp-provider-guidance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason the current definition of Payment Group 6 in the Work programme differs from the definition in the Work programme invitation to tender, which limited participants in Payment Group 6 to customers expected to be fit for work in three months. [186903]

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Esther McVey: Work programme memo 68 which gave providers information about this change can be found in the National Archive website through the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/work-programme-provider-live-running-memos

Attorney-General

CPS Direct

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 1W on CPS Direct, what proportion of calls to CPS Direct were answered within three minutes in 2013; and what the average queuing time was in each month. [186617]

The Solicitor-General: The data for 2013-14 to date are contained in the following table.

The call handling system used by the Crown Prosecution Service offers the police officer an automatic facility to receive a call back if the call is not answered within one minute. The data on calls answered within three minutes and average queuing time of all calls include the time taken to make the 'call back'.

Prosecutions: Northamptonshire

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions for (a) rape, (b) other violent crimes and (c) burglary there were in Northamptonshire in 2013; and what proportion of such prosecutions were successful. [186915]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the Principal Offence Category (POC) of each defendant prosecuted. The POC indicates the most serious offence with which the defendant is charged at the time the case is finalised.

With rape offences the CPS identify rape prosecutions through a database monitoring flag which is applied to the electronic record at the onset of a case.

The number of recorded prosecutions in 2013 for burglary, violent crime and rape in Northamptonshire are detailed in the following table.

10 Feb 2014 : Column 520W

Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Attorney-General how many public appointments the Law Officers' Departments made in the last 12 months; how many such appointments are remunerated posts; what the level of such remuneration is; and how many people so appointed are (a) women and (b) men. [186390]

The Solicitor-General: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 301W.

Cabinet Office

Children

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of children living in households where one or both parents are (a) working part-time because they are unable to find full-time work and (b) employed on a zero-hours contract. [186513]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated February 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate has been made of the number of children living in households where one or both parents are (a) working part-time because they are unable to find full-time work and (b) employed on a zero hours contract (186513).

The Office for National Statistics compiles statistics for people working in part-time jobs because they could not find a full time post from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Using this survey we have been able to calculate the number of children living in families where one or both parents were working in part-time jobs because they could not find full-time posts. This number is supplied in the attached table. Please note, as with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Estimates relating to zero-hour contracts are also available from the LFS; however, full estimates of the total number of people in employment on such contracts are not available from this source. This is, in part, due to reporting error as respondents may fail to identify their type of employment contract correctly. Therefore we have not been able to state how many children are living in families where one or both parents are working on zero hour contracts.

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Disability

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of working age adults are currently registered as disabled in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England. [186493]

Mr Hurd: The information requested is not held by the Cabinet Office.

Drugs: Death

Mr Brazier: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths were attributable to legal highs in the last year for which data is available. [186259]

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

Letter from Caron Walker, 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 the Home Department how many deaths were attributable to legal highs in the last year for which data is available. (186259)

There is no official definition of the term ‘legal high’. However the Office for National Statistics does monitor deaths from drug-related poisoning, allowing analysis of deaths by specific substances involved.

In recent years a number of novel psychoactive substances have been controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. These include gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and its precursor gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), piperazines (benzylpiperazine—BZP and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine—TFMPP), pipradrols such as desoxypipradrol, and cathinones such as mephedrone. Cathinone is one of the active ingredients in herbal Khat (Catha edulis), although Khat is not currently controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act. All of these substances have been mentioned in association with the term ‘legal high’, although it should be noted that once a substance is added to the list of substances controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 it is no longer ‘legal’.

There were 52 drug-related deaths mentioning these substances in England and Wales, registered in 2012 (the latest year available). It is important to note that around 60% of these deaths mentioned more than one substance on the death certificate, and it is not possible to tell which was primarily responsible for the death. More information on how to interpret data on drug-related deaths can be found in the bulletin at the link.

The number of drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales between 1993 and 2012 are available on the ONS website:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/2012/index.html

Government Departments: Procurement

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government contracts of what value have been awarded to companies or projects based in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex local authority area. [185594]

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Mr Hurd: Since January 2011, details of Government contracts over the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder at:

https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Contracts Finder is not yet configured to identify suppliers within a specific constituency or local authority area.

Immigration: China

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Chinese nationals are currently residing and working in the UK. [186731]

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

Letter from Jil Matheson, dated February 2014:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to respond to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many Chinese nationals are currently residing and working in the UK. [186731]

The latest estimates that are available for the number of Chinese nationals resident and in employment in the UK are both derived from Annual Population Survey (APS) data for the 12 month period, January to December 2012.

The estimated number of Chinese nationals resident in households in the UK was 87,000, with a corresponding margin of error of +/-13,000. The margin of error refers to the 95 percent confidence interval and is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from, a sample.

The estimated number of Chinese nationals in employment in the UK was 28,000.

Much of the difference between the number of Chinese nationals resident in the UK and in employment in the UK can be accounted for by Chinese nationals resident in the UK who are students in full-time education and who are not economically active.

The APS is the Labour Force Survey (LFS) plus various sample boosts. It is a household survey and so does not include people living in most types of communal establishment.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the Government's commitment to give due consideration to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when making new policy and legislation, if he will place in the Library all assessments of how new policy and legislation from his Department since January 2013 has given due consideration to the UNCRC. [186578]

Mr Hurd: The Government consider the impact of all new policies and legislation which impact specifically on children. We will shortly report to the UN Committee responsible for the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child. A copy of our report will be placed in the Library of the House.

Working Hours: Merseyside

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) Merseyside who have jobs which primarily require working (i) during the day and (ii) at night. [186849]

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

Letter from Jil Matheson, dated February 2014:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency, (b) Liverpool and (c) Merseyside who have jobs which primarily require working (i) during the day and (ii) at night. 186849

Estimates of employment are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). During the survey, people who are identified as being in employment are asked about their regular pattern of work and whether it is usual for them to work (i) during the day, (ii) during the evening and (iii) at night. Respondents can say "yes" to any categories that apply. Estimates derived from this question are available for the Liverpool and Merseyside local authority areas. Estimates for the Liverpool, Walton Parliamentary Constituency are not available because of the limited size of the LFS sample. The available estimates are given in the following table along with the employment total to provide context.

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As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. The above estimates all have a coefficient of variation (CV) of less than 20%. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV. For example, for an estimate of 100 with a CV of 20% we would expect the true value to be within the range 60-140.

Deputy Prime Minister

Colombia

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which representatives of (a) human rights organisations, (b) civic society and (c) trades unions he met on his recent visit to Colombia. [186792]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 692W.

Elections

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what comparative assessment he has made of the international comparisons relating to (a) levels of voter turnout and registration and (b) compulsory voting and compulsory registration. [185895]

Greg Clark: The Government have not made any comparative assessment of the international comparisons relating to (a) levels of voter turnout and registration and (b) compulsory voting and compulsory registration.