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, columns 624-5W, on obesity: sugar, when he expects the Scientific Advisory Committee's review of carbohydrates and health to conclude. [188543]

Jane Ellison: The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is due to publish a draft version of the carbohydrates and health report, which will go out to public consultation, in mid-2014. Following this, the committee will consider the responses and finalise their report. Once SACN has provided recommendations, Public Health England will consider whether its advice on carbohydrates (including sugar) requires updating.

Out-patients

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outpatient follow-up ratio average across all specialties was in each (a) NHS acute trust in Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) Government region in England in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12, (iv) 2012-13 and (v) 2013-14 to date. [187444]

Jane Ellison: The information is shown in the following tables:

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Prescription Drugs

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many hospital admissions were due to medicine non-adherence in each year since May 2010; [188390]

(2) what estimate he has made of the annual cost of medicine non-adherence to the UK economy in terms of (a) lost days at work and (b) reduced productivity for those with long-term conditions. [188392]

Norman Lamb: Information on the number of hospital admissions which were due to medicines non-adherence is not collected centrally. The Department has made no estimate of the annual cost of medicine non-adherence to the United Kingdom economy.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of administering prescription charges and exemptions is. [187797]

Norman Lamb: The following table provides an estimate of direct and overhead costs for the administration of prescription pre-payment, maternity exemption and medical exemption certificates for the last complete financial year in England. These costs are the only elements of the prescription charging system that can be separately identified.

Costs for processing prescription charges cannot be provided, because they are processed as part of the reimbursement arrangements for dispensers in England and are not separately identifiable. Costs cannot be provided for the pursuit of prescription charge fraud as it is not possible to separately identify this from the cost of tackling other types of NHS fraud.

There are additional costs associated with the issuing of NHS tax credit certificates and assessment of eligibility for the NHS Low Income Scheme. These are not included in the table because the English costs cannot be isolated from costs for the devolved Administrations. In addition these certificates do not solely relate to prescription charges as NHS tax credit and NHS low income scheme certificates also provide help with the cost of NHS dental treatment, sight tests, vouchers towards the cost of glasses or contact lenses, NHS wigs and fabric supports, the cost of travel to receive NHS treatment on referral, as well as help with NHS prescription charges.

Radiotherapy

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many NHS patients have received proton beam therapy at (a) the facility in Villigen, Switzerland and (b) each of the two US facilities in each of the last five years; [187374]

(2) what the average cost of providing proton beam therapy to an NHS patient is at (a) the facility in Villigen, Switzerland and (b) the two facilities in the US; [187375]

(3) what procedures are in place to ensure that NHS patients who require proton beam therapy are able to access it within a clinically appropriate timeframe; [187376]

(4) how many NHS patients have required proton beam therapy in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [187377]

Jane Ellison: With regard to the number of national health service patients requiring proton beam therapy in each of the last five years, the following table provides figures for those patients who have been approved for referral and treatment:

A small number of patients who have been approved for referral and treatment decide not to go ahead with proton beam therapy and opt instead for conventional radiotherapy. This is either for medical reasons or through patient choice.

Patients who were not approved for referral and treatment were not suitable for proton beam therapy treatment and did not match the approved referral

24 Feb 2014 : Column 199W

guidelines. These are patients for whom there is no advantage from proton beam therapy and for whom the National Clinical Reference Panel did not assess there would be any clinical benefit.

The number of NHS patients who have received proton beam therapy at each of the two US facilities in each of the last five years is set out in the following table:

A total of 25 patients have received treatment in Villigen over the five-year period. These figures cannot be provided by individual year as the small numbers might make it possible to identify individual patients. No patients were treated in Oklahoma in 2009. The number of patients treated in Jacksonville in 2009 cannot be provided, again, because the small number might make it possible to identify individual patients.

The average cost of providing proton beam therapy is approximately £80,000, although this varies depending on whether the patient is a child or an adult and on the patient's diagnosis. Costs for individual facilities cannot be provided as this information is commercially sensitive.

The proton beam therapy overseas programme set itself a target to review cases through the National Clinical Reference Panel process and respond to a completed application within 10 working days. Since the programme started in 2008, the average response times have been 13 calendar days for adult cases and eight calendar days for paediatric cases. For the last two years (2012 and 2013), the figures have been 10 calendar days for adult cases and seven calendar days for paediatric cases. The improvement has been down to the introduction of new panel members, a new secure electronic portal for panel image viewing (and latterly image transfer systems from referring Trust and as well as abroad) and better familiarity with both the programme guidelines and processes within the clinical community.

The final clinical decision and appropriate timing is left to the referring team, who can best judge the complex factors that need to be taken into account. In many cases, approval is given ahead of other treatments in the pathway being completed, such as chemotherapy or more surgery, so that there are no delays. The referring team liaises directly with the treatment centres. Arrangements can be made, often within days, for the relevant travel and appointments so that treatment can be commenced within a clinically appropriate time scale.

Shingles

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had about use of EMA40 to treat shingles. [187688]

Norman Lamb: There have been no discussions about the use of EMA40 to treat shingles. The hon. Member may be referring to EMA401, a drug which is under development to treat neuropathic pain, including shingles pain. A recent article in The Lancet (published 5 February 2014) describes the use of this medicine in an early

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phase clinical trial for treatment of nerve pain in patients with shingles, with encouraging results. All recruitment to this trial was outside the United Kingdom; however, EMA401 is being used in an on-going UK trial for a different type of nerve pain.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of cases of shingles in each of the last three years. [187689]

Jane Ellison: Shingles is not a notifiable disease, so no centrally collected data are available on the number of clinically reported cases. In addition, laboratory confirmation of cases of shingles is rarely sought as the diagnosis can, in general, be reliably made on clinical grounds. Therefore it is not possible to provide the number of cases of shingles in England reported in the past three years.

A peer-reviewed study published in 2009 by authors from the Health Protection Agency Modelling and Economics Unit (now part of Public Health England) and the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, used a number of data sources to model cost-effectiveness of vaccination. In that paper, based on 2007 population, it was estimated that in England and Wales there would be 88,625 cases of shingles per year in the immunocompetent population aged over 60.¹ The 95% credibility interval for this estimate was between 65,000 and 113,000 cases per year in the immunocompetent population aged over 60. No data for those under age 60 are presented in the paper.

The cited paper was used by JCVI in its consideration of the introduction of the shingles vaccination programme. (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation Statement on varicella and herpes zoster vaccines, 29 March 2010).

¹ van Hoek AJ, Gay N, Melegaro A et al. (2009) Estimating the cost-effectiveness of vaccination against herpes zoster in England and Wales. Vaccine 27( 9): 1454-67.

Social Workers: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the current level of mental health training given to social workers. [187976]

Norman Lamb: The Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), is aware that all social work students have input on their courses to cover mental health issues at all life stages and that once social workers are in practice they are expected to have a well-grounded understanding of mental health needs and ways in which to support people to achieve best outcomes by accessing specialist support as appropriate.

Social workers in mental health services undertake more specific training as required by their agency context, including Approved Mental Health Professional accredited training to undertake this role under the Mental Health Act (1983) and best interests assessor training in accordance with requirements under the Mental Capacity Act (2005).

The Government have commissioned two reports into the quality of social work education, one by Sir Martin Narey (for children and families) and one from Professor David Croisdale-Appleby (for adults).

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Sir Martin Narey’s report has been published and Professor Croisdale-Appleby's is imminent. Both reviews and both Departments (the Department for Education and the Department of Health) agree that there is a continued need to further improve the quality of social work education in order to achieve better outcomes for service users and carers.

We are keen to ensure that their education and training is excellent and that there is a robust Continued Professional Development framework for practising social workers.

Specialised Healthcare Alliance

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment NHS England made of a potential conflict of interest prior to commissioning Specialised Healthcare Alliance to produce a report as part of its strategy for commissioning specialised services in the future. [188382]

Jane Ellison: NHS England works with and involves the Specialised Healthcare Alliance (SHCA) and Rare Disease UK as umbrella organisations representing the interests and views of specialist and rare condition charities. These organisations provide an important route to involving the voices of people who are most impacted by the commissioning of specialist services.

As part of NHS England's process of engagement to support the development of its strategy for specialised commissioning, the SHCA and Rare Disease UK were asked to provide administrative support for one of the 17 engagement events.

NHS England has in place principles and procedures for managing and registering potential conflicts of interests, which are set out in the Standards of Business Conduct guidance, and are available on the NHS England's website at:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/stand-bus-cond.pdf

NHS England requires members of all its committees to declare their interests, and any potential conflicts of interests are managed in accordance with the Standards of Business Conduct guidance.

Streptococcus

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons enriched culture medium testing for group B strep (GBS) was not introduced on 1 January 2014; and who took such a decision. [187978]

Dr Poulter: The chief medical officer requested the former Health Protection Agency (HPA) to make recommendations for the introduction of a more accurate test for group B streptococcus (GBS) called enriched culture medium (ECM), and make it available in its regional laboratories when there was a clinical indication for testing.

In response to this, Public Health England (PHE, formerly the HPA) undertook a piece of work with clinical organisations, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, to determine whether there are any circumstances in which the ECM test could be applied within the current standard of care.

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This work by PHE concluded in December 2013 that there are no clinical indications for testing women for GBS using ECM methods as recommended within current guidance from the key professional bodies, and therefore no indications which should prompt the offer of an ECM test.

The UK National Screening Committee also recommended in 2012 that a programme of universal screening of pregnant women at 35 weeks for GBS should not be established in the United Kingdom.

PHE therefore decided not to provide this test in its laboratories.

Tinnitus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of (a) the number and (b) the age groups of tinnitus sufferers in each of the last three years. [187687]

Norman Lamb: No estimate has been made of the number or the age groups of tinnitus sufferers in each of the last three years. This information is not collected centrally.

Vaccination

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what process the post of Director of Immunisation will be filled when the incumbent Director's contract expires. [187383]

Jane Ellison: The Department's former Director of Immunisation, Professor David Salisbury, retired at the end of 2013 after many years of valuable service.

Advice on national immunisation policy is now provided through the Department and Public Health England.

There are no current plans to appoint a direct replacement for Professor Salisbury.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer of 14 February 2014, Official Report, column 712, with reference to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's Code of Practice published in June 2013, under what circumstances he would not fulfil his duty to ensure the Joint Committee's recommendations are practicable. [188214]

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health is under a statutory obligation, as set out in the Health Protection (Vaccination) Regulations 2009 and the NHS Constitution, to introduce a new national immunisation programme recommended by Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), where he has requested a recommendation and cost-effectiveness has been demonstrated. There is no obligation to accept advice from JCVI which falls outside these criteria, although we give all JCVI's advice careful consideration.

Deputy Prime Minister

Colombia

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he raised the case of Mr Huber Ballesteros with President Santos during his recent visit to Colombia; and what the outcome was of any such discussions. [188196]

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The Deputy Prime Minister: I did not raise the specific case of Mr Huber Ballesteros with President Santos, but as I set out to the House on 11 February, I did raise the importance of protecting trade unionists and human rights defenders in Colombia with President Santos. During his recent visit to Colombia the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the right hon. Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), also raised human rights with both President Santos and Defence Minister Pinzón.

Our ambassador to Colombia has also written to the Colombian Prosecutor-General, who has recently replied to the letter, highlighting our interest in the case and requesting information on the charges. Staff at our embassy in Bogota are seeking permission to visit Mr Ballesteros in jail. In February the ambassador also raised our request with the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

While the UK cannot interfere in Colombia's judicial process, we will continue to monitor Mr Ballesteros' case and raise any concerns regarding due process with the Colombian authorities.

Electoral Register

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2014, Official Report, column 695W, on electoral register, what applicants to the Rock Enrol! initiative were told in the reply they received informing them of the outcome of the process. [188431]

Greg Clark: Applicants to the Rock Enrol! initiative were notified that the Government had decided to award funds to every local authority and Valuation Joint Board in the country so that the delivery of Rock Enrol! is available across Great Britain.

Local Government: Urban Areas

Andy Sawford: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what progress his Department has made in assessing the bids of the 20 areas invited to bid for City Deal status; [187892]

(2) how many of the 20 areas invited to bid for City Deal status have been successful to date; and when he expects the decision on the remaining bids to be announced. [187969]

Greg Clark: The Government continue to make excellent progress in the second wave of City Deals. To date 12 deals have been concluded with cities and the Government are confident that further deals will be completed in the coming weeks.

Members: Correspondence

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to reply to the letter sent to him by the hon. Member for Richmond Park on 5 December 2013 regarding his Ten-Minute Rule Bill on Recall; and what the Government's plans are on bringing forward legislative proposals for a recall bill. [187804]

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The Deputy Prime Minister: I wrote to the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith) regarding his Ten-Minute Rule Bill on Recall on 24 January. The Government reiterated their commitment to a Recall mechanism in their response to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee's report on the same topic. The Government's legislative programme for the fourth Session of Parliament will be announced in the Queen's Speech.

Cabinet Office

Breast Cancer

Mrs Glindon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many breast cancer patients in each Clinical Commissioning Group footprint have survived breast cancer for (a) one year and (b) five years, in each year from 1996 to 2012. [188054]

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, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Secretary of State for Health asking how many breast cancer patients in each Clinical Commissioning Group footprint have survived breast cancer for (a) one year and (b) five years, in each year from 1996 to 2012. [188054]

ONS does not produce cancer survival estimates for individual cancer sites, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and years. Such estimates would not be consistently reliable across all CCGs and overtime, because of the low numbers of cancer patients diagnosed and/or surviving.

One year cancer survival estimates are published for individual CCGs in the form of a combined cancer survival index, for all cancers combined, and for breast, colorectal and lung cancer combined. These figures are available on the National Statistics website:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cancer-unit/a-cancer-survival-index-for-clinical-commissioning-groups/index.html

Annual one year survival estimates are available for each of the 211 CCGs in England, for patients who were diagnosed during 1996 to 2011 (the latest year available), and followed up to 31 December 2012. These indices were produced for patients living in the territories assigned to each CCG in England at the time of diagnosis.

Figures for the following cancer survival indices are also presented for patients diagnosed during the same period:

(1) A cancer survival index for both one and five years after diagnosis, for all cancers combined, for each of the 25 NHS England area teams (ATs),

(2) A cancer survival index at both one and five years after diagnosis, for three cancers combined (breast (women), colorectal and lung), for each of the 25 NHS England ATs, and

(3) A cancer survival index at both one and five years after diagnosis, for all cancers combined, for England as a whole.

In addition, ONS publishes one and five year survival estimates for a range of individual cancer sites (including breast cancer), for England and a range of different geographic areas. These figures are available on the National Statistics website via a range of publications:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cancer-unit/cancer-survival/index.html

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cancer-unit/cancer-survival-by-nhs-england-area-teams/index.html

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cancer-unit/cancer-survival-by-gor--sha-and-cancer-network/index.html

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Census: Ethnic Groups

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will take steps to ensure that future censuses allow people to identify their ethnicity as British Kashmiri. [188193]

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 of the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office about whether steps will be taken to ensure future censuses allow people to identify their ethnicity as British Kashmiri (188193).

At this stage it is too early to know whether there will be another census in England and Wales or what questions might be asked. Any proposals for a question on ethnicity in a future census will be based on a comprehensive programme of consultation and testing to ensure that it will meet users' requirements, be acceptable and understandable to respondents.

Children

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 520W, on children, how many children were living in households where one or both parents were working part-time because they were unable to find full-time work in each quarter between April 2010 and March 2013. [187862]

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 (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate has been made of the number of children living in households where one or both parents were working part-time because they were unable to find full-time work for each quarter between April 2010 and March 2013 (187862).

Information on the combined economic status of household members, which allows us to look at where both parents are in work comes from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) household datasets. These are not produced every quarter and our annual release titled ‘Working and Workless Households’ uses information for the April to June quarter of each year.

Using these datasets 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 for every April to June quarter between 2010 and 2013. These numbers are supplied in the table. Please note, as with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

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Debts

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the estimated average change in the level of household (a) borrowing and (b) debt was between 2008 and 2013. [188039]

Mr Hurd: 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 (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking what the estimated average change in the level of household (a) borrowing and (b) debt was between 2008 and 2013. (188039)

The Office for National Statistics publishes details of the financial liabilities of households and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) combined. The most recent analyses for debt can be found in table A64 of the United Kingdom Economic Accounts (UKEA) 2013 Q3, published on 20 December 2013. Figures on borrowing can be found in tables A12 and A55. The UKEA is available on the ONS web site at:

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

The data available does not yet cover the whole of the 2013 period. Total financial liabilities in 2008 were £1,536.2 billion while in 2012 (the latest yearly estimate) they were £1,544.5 billion.

In relation to borrowing, we publish data on net lending and borrowing. Net lending and borrowing is the difference .between the net acquisition of financial assets and the net incurrence of liabilities. In 2008 this joint sector borrowed £43,754 million while in 2012 this position switched and the sector became a lender of £22,911 million.

Government Departments: Food

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance is issued to Government departments on using funds from the public purse for the provision of unhealthy foods for visitors and at meetings. [188220]

Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office issues no such specific guidance. Managing Public Money—issued by HM Treasury—sets out general guidance to Departments on the use of central Government funds.

ICT: Education

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what funding or support his Department has provided to the Year of Code. [188531]

Mr Hurd: Cabinet Office is working to support the Year of the Code including by engaging with various groups and organisations.

Self-employed

Julie Elliott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women are self-employed in each (i) occupational and (ii) industry group in each region. [188555]

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

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Letter from Caron Walker:

On behalf of the 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 Business, Innovations and Skills how many and what proportion of (a) men and (b) women are self-employed in each (i) occupational and (ii) industry group in each region. (188555)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles estimates of the number of self-employed people from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.

The attached tables show the number of men and women who were self-employed in each UK region, according to survey responses from the APS for the period October 2012 to September 2013, along with the percentage of those in employment who were self-employed.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a certain level of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates of the level are included on the tables.

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

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

A copy of the tables will be placed in the Library of the House.

Senior Civil Servants: Pay

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2014, Official Report, column 376W, on the Major Projects Authority, when he plans to update the published senior salaries listing for officials paid over £150,000; and if he will make it his policy to do so in future on a monthly basis. [187714]

Mr Maude: An updated list will be published later this year. I have no plans to publish this information on a monthly basis.

Social Enterprises: EU Action

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will support the declaration on social enterprise signed at Strasbourg on 17 January 2014. [187777]

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Mr Hurd: From the start this Government have been committed to supporting social enterprise through initiatives such as Big Society Capital, the Investment Contract and Readiness Fund and the social investment tax relief. As such we support the spirit of the Strasbourg declaration.

Utilities

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to Table 2 of the Statistical Bulletin: Gross Domestic Product Preliminary Estimate, Q4 2013, published by the Office for National Statistics, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the 2.2% quarterly increase in output in the electricity, gas, steam and air utilities sector in Q4 2013 noted in that publication. [187786]

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, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has made of the reasons for the 2.2% quarterly increase in output in the electricity, gas, steam and air utilities sector in Q4 2013 noted in that publication. (187786)

The electricity, gas, steam & air conditioning industries' output figure published in the preliminary estimate of gross domestic product on the 28th January 2014 was later revised from a growth of 2.2% to a lower growth of 1.8% as stated in the Index of Production statistical bulletin published on the 7th February 2014, due to the receipt of data from the Department for Energy and Climate Change replacing forecasts included in the earlier estimates.

The component of this industry showing the strongest growth was gas. This was, in large part, a bounce-back after a weak Q3 2013, which was partly due to a reduction in demand for gas for electricity generation in the third quarter. Despite the growth in Q4, the output for these industries was still at a lower level than in Q2 2013 and, indeed, in 2013 as a whole, the industry is estimated to have contracted by 0.6 per cent.

Written Answers to Questions

Monday 24 February 2014

Education

Adoption

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many adoption breakdowns occurred in each of the years for which records are available. [188471]

Mr Timpson: Information on the number of adoption breakdowns is not currently available. As announced in September 2012, we will begin collecting data from local authorities in 2013-14 about the number of children who return to care following a previous permanent arrangement. These data will be collected this spring, with publication of the first set of data expected in early autumn.

We have also commissioned the university of Bristol to carry out new research on the frequency and causes of adoption breakdown. This research aims to address the knowledge gap in relation to the rate of and reasons for adoption breakdown after an adoption order has been granted. The research commenced in December 2011 and will report later in 2014.

Children in Care: Special Educational Needs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2014, Official Report, columns 120-1W, on children: income, what information his Department holds on the special needs of looked after children who have some form of special educational need to ensure that those children are being properly supported. [187864]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education holds information on all episodes of care for children looked after by local authorities in England. This has been matched to data supplied by schools on the school census return, including information on special educational needs (SEN) of children. This return includes information on whether the child has a SEN and, if so, their primary and secondary types of need. It also includes information on whether the child is educated in a SEN Unit and, if so, whether they have a statement of SEN, or whether they are classed as School Action or School Action Plus.

The Department annually publishes a Statistical First Release (SFR) on the outcomes for looked after children, the latest of which was published in December 2013 and relates to children looked after on the 31 March 2013:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-in-england

This SFR contains four tables on SEN, including information on the attainment of looked after children with SEN.

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Children: Autism

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that children with autism are not excluded from the classroom. [188182]

Mr Timpson: All children, including those with autism, are entitled to a full-time education in school. The Children and Families Bill, supported by a new special educational needs (SEN) Code of Practice, will introduce improved arrangements for the identification, assessment and provision for children with SEN.

The Department for Education is providing funding of £1.5 million over 2013-15 to the Autism Education Trust to provide training to staff in early years settings, schools and further education colleges. The training ranges from basic awareness training to advanced training for staff such as lead practitioners in autism and school SEN Coordinators. Improved awareness and skills in meeting autistic children's needs will help to prevent them being excluded from the classroom.

The Department is also providing £440,000 in funding to the National Autistic Society over two years. Part of this funding is being used to employ an exclusions adviser who can give advice to parents and professionals to help prevent all types of exclusion, from lessons to formal exclusion from school. The Department has issued revised statutory guidance on exclusion, clarifying the legal process that must be followed when excluding a pupil from school. The guidance also reinforces that early intervention to address the underlying causes of disruptive behaviour should include an assessment of whether appropriate provision is in place to support any SEN or disability that a pupil may have.

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the publication of 13 February 2014, on the Regulation of Childcare consultation report, what estimate he has made of the number of schools that will now start to offer out-of-hours 8 to 6 care as a result. [188528]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has not made such an estimate.

Children: Protection

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2013, Official Report, column 76W, on integrated chronology tool, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children's social care departments comply with the requirements of statutory safeguarding guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013. [188240]

Mr Timpson: Local authorities are under a duty to follow statutory guidance issued by the Department for Education unless exceptional circumstances prevent them from doing so. Every local authority is subject to inspection by Ofsted as to the quality of their services for children in need of help and protection. This includes whether assessments are in line with ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’.

24 Feb 2014 : Column 211W

The Department intervenes to secure improvement in local authorities where there is failure to deliver adequate services, including in the provision of child protection.

Children: Social Services

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress has been made towards the replacement of the Integrated Children's System, as recommended in the Munro Review. [188468]

Mr Timpson: Professor Munro did not make any specific recommendations to replace the Integrated Children's System (ICS) in her review of child protection. Her view was that it should be for local areas to determine how their IT systems operate. Since 2006, local authorities have had the autonomy to modify their ICS systems to respond to local needs.

Classroom Assistants

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teaching assistants employed by academies and free schools which converted from the maintained sector were subject to changes in the terms and conditions of their employment contracts (a) when that conversion took place and (b) subsequently. [188350]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education does not collect these data. When a school becomes an academy, staff transfer to the academy under transfer of undertakings (TUPE) regulations. This means that there are protections in place, including a provision that the terms and conditions of employment must not change as a result of the transfer except for very limited reasons.