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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Wales

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of his Department's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of his Department's Ministers. [188328]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office occupies two buildings, one in London and the other in Cardiff. The space occupied by Wales Office Ministers is 68.23 sqm, 31.13 sqm and 31.92 sqm in London and 31.82 sqm, 21.10 sqm and 12.80 sqm in Cardiff.

The Wales Office has reduced costs since May 2010 by having a combined private office for all three Ministers. This allows the Department to make the most efficient use of its resources by ensuring flexible support for Ministers and avoiding duplication of work. The number of staff in the combined private office is set out in the following table.

NATO

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales on the forthcoming NATO summit in Wales. [188349]

Mr David Jones: The NATO summit is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the United Kingdom on a global stage.

I have had numerous discussions with the First Minister of Wales on bringing the NATO summit to Wales and will continue to do so. I have not discussed the matter with the Scottish Government.

Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background. [188084]

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Stephen Crabb: Of the staff recruited to the Wales Office since 5 May 2010, 33% declared themselves as (a)white British and 6% declared themselves as (b) from a minority ethnic background. The remaining 61% consists of staff who have refused to declare their ethnicity or have not stated their ethnicity.

House of Commons Commission

WiFi

Ian Austin: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013 to the hon. Member for Lichfield, Official Report, column 4W, on wi-fi; what progress the Parliamentary Information and Communications Technology service has made in looking at ways of securely improving the wi-fi service to a wider range of devices. [188809]

John Thurso: There has been no change since my answer to the hon. Member on 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 4W except that ICT support is no longer provided from the Members' Centre but is now available at a new location at the top of the escalators in the Portcullis House atrium.

Electoral Commission Committee

Parliamentary Advisory Group

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 413W, on research, who the members of the Commission’s parliamentary advisory group are; who appointed them; when this group met; and what issues have been discussed and decided upon by the group in the last year. [187941]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the parliamentary advisory group is made up of senior politicians whose expertise helps the Commission consider different issues.

The group has no formal status, unlike the Parliamentary Parties Panel. The group aims to meet three times a year.

The Commission issues invitations to and appoints members of the group as vacancies arise in order to ensure that it continues to represent the main parties and the Cross Benches of the House of Lords.

Because of the different regulatory and electoral arrangements in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland parties are not included.

The group provides the Commission with advice on an ongoing basis through meetings and ad hoc email consultation. The Commission is not bound by the advice given, and no decisions are taken. Nor are the members of the group expected to endorse or otherwise lend support to the Commission's policies.

The Commission informs me that minutes from the meetings can be found on its website here:

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www.electoralcommission.org.uk/our-work/who-we-are/governance-and-decision-making/parliamentary-advisory-group

Members of the parliamentary advisory group are as follows:

(current vacancy for a Conservative MP)

right hon. Lord Renton of Mount Harry (Conservative)

Lord Bichard (Crossbench)

Dr Alan Whitehead MP (Labour)

Lord Wills (Labour)

right hon. Michael Moore MP (Liberal Democrat)

Lord Tyler (Liberal Democrat)

right hon. Elfyn Llwyd MP (Plaid Cymru)

Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP (SNP) .

Attorney-General

Equality

Mr Raab: To ask the Attorney-General how many publications the Law Officers' Departments have produced for the purposes of monitoring or promoting staff equality and diversity in each of the last five years; and what the cost of producing such publications was in each such year. [188893]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has published three Equality in Employment reports for the purposes of monitoring or promoting staff equality and diversity in the last five years. The reports were published electronically on the CPS website and as such the CPS did not incur any direct publication costs.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has produced a number of leaflets and other publications internally for such purposes during this period. There is no central repository of these, but they include the current Equality and Diversity Action plan and workforce report which are published on the SFO's website. The SFO does not record financial information in a way that allows all potentially relevant records to be readily identified. However, publications are normally produced in-house by SFO staff.

The remaining Law Officers' Departments have not produced any specific publications for the purpose of monitoring or promoting staff equality and diversity during the last five years, although the TSol annual report and accounts and the HM Procurator General and Treasury Solicitor annual report and accounts do contain statements and data on fairness and diversity.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the written statement of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 39WS, on Serious Fraud Office (Contingencies Fund Advance), for what reasons the Serious Fraud Office was unable to settle its material liabilities without a supplementary estimate at that point in the financial year. [188571]

The Attorney-General: The Serious Fraud Office investigates the most serious and complex cases of fraud, bribery and corruption. It has a core budget for

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this purpose. Some exceptionally large cases may require additional resources. The Government have previously made it clear that where the SFO needs additional resources, these will be provided. The current agreement with HM Treasury is that any exceptional case funding should be agreed as part of the supplementary estimates process.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the written statement of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 39WS, on Serious Fraud Office (Contingencies Fund Advance), what proportion of the additional funds that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has requested from HM Treasury is intended for use in (a) providing blockbuster investigations and (b) meeting the costs of legal actions in which the SFO is the respondent rather than the prosecutor. [188572]

The Attorney-General: As I have said before, it is not in the public interest to specify in such detail what resources the Serious Fraud Office intends to dedicate to each case.

Taxation: Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 468W, on taxation: fraud, how many confiscation orders were imposed in tax fraud cases by the Crown Prosecution Service in each year from 2010-11 to 2012-13; and how much has been recovered in respect of those orders. [184713]

The Solicitor-General: The CPS holds information for cases categorised as tax and benefit fraud or VAT fraud, but not in respect of tax fraud only. The answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 468W, sets out the number of confiscation orders for tax, benefit and VAT fraud cases. CPS holds information on the total amounts paid in respect of such orders.

Home Department

Asylum: Syria

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to offer asylum to Christians looking to flee the fighting in Syria; and if she will make a statement. [188813]

James Brokenshire: Each asylum claim is considered on its individual merits.

HM Government have also recently announced a new programme—the Vulnerable Person Relocation Scheme (VPR)—which will run in parallel with the UNHCR's own Syria Humanitarian Assistance Programme. The programme will be based on need, rather than being designed to meet a quota; however we envisage it will support several hundred people. We will work closely with the UNHCR to identify the most vulnerable refugees. In particular, the programme will prioritise help for survivors of torture and violence, and women and children at risk or in need of medical care.

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Borders: Personal Records

Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of passengers entering the UK had data collected under the E-borders programme in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013. [183278]

James Brokenshire: The Home Office collect Advance Passenger Information for passengers who travel to the UK on routes connected to the Semaphore system. The estimated proportion of passengers who travelled to the UK on routes connected to Semaphore in each year is in the following table. Due to the ongoing legal arbitration between the Home Office and Raytheon it is not possible to disclose coverage data for 2010.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many spouse visa applications have been deferred on financial grounds whilst awaiting further evidence on the sponsors income in the last 12 months; [185877]

(2) how many spouse visa applications have been deferred on financial grounds whilst awaiting further evidence on the sponsors income to date. [185915]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 4 February 2014]:The Home Office does not hold internal management information on the number of spouse visa applications deferred on financial grounds while awaiting further evidence on the sponsors income since the new family rules were introduced on 9 July 2012.

This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost through a search of individual case records.

Fraud

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what analysis she has made of the factors accounting for the variation in performance between each police force dissemination rate and detection rate in fraud cases; [188121]

(2) what analysis she has made of the reasons for the disproportionately lower fraud case detection rate in metropolitan police forces compared to non-metropolitan forces; [188186]

(3) what analysis she has made of the reasons for the disparity in fraud cases referred to individual police forces by the City of London Police and the number of such cases followed through to arrest. [188187]

Karen Bradley [holding answer 24 February 2014]: The Government are committed to improving the approach to fraud and ensuring a consistent response across the country. We have created Action Fraud as the single

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reporting point for fraud, financially motivated cyber-enabled crime and offences under the Computer Misuse Act. Action Fraud receives all reports on these crimes, passes them to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) run by the City of London Police. The NFIB analyses the reports, draws out links between cases and sends out actionable intelligence packages for forces to investigate. The NFIB also issues intelligence assessments to inform the police response.

We are committed to improving this system, and as announced previously 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 36WS, the Action Fraud service will transfer to the City of London Police by 31 March 2014 to create a stronger end-to-end fraud reporting and analysis system.

While the response of individual forces is a matter for the respective Police and Crime Commissioner, we are supporting local forces through investment in Regional Organised Crime Units, which provide local forces with dedicated specialist capabilities to tackle serious and organised crime. Supported by £30 million of Government investment this year, the police are improving consistency across these units and uplifting their investigative capabilities in core areas—including cyber crime and fraud.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to increase the resources allocated to fraud investigation. [188185]

Karen Bradley [holding answer 24 February 2014]: The Government have so far committed £63 million over four years from the National Cyber Security Programme to strengthen law enforcement's ability to respond to online crime, including fraud. At a national level, we have created the National Crime Agency, with its Economic Crime Command, which will bring a single national focus to cutting economic crime and will lead and co-ordinate the national fight against fraud, working with law enforcement agencies, regulators, Government and the public, private and voluntary sectors.

We are investing a further £30 million this year in regional police capabilities to fight serious and organised crime, including new fraud and cyber crime investigation teams.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to ensure that foreign citizens are able to access medical treatment and register with a GP while their passport is being held by her Department to process their visa application. [186048]

James Brokenshire: NHS hospitals can, with the patient's consent, request an immigration status check from the Home Office where necessary to help them determine whether overseas visitor treatment charges are applicable. Treatment that is considered urgent or immediately necessary will not be delayed while this check is performed. NHS GP consultations are free of charge regardless of immigration status.

Human Trafficking

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 314W, on human trafficking,

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how many victims of trafficking for the purpose of

(a)

labour exploitation and

(b)

domestic servitude received positive conclusive grounds decisions broken down by each first responder in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [185663]

Karen Bradley: The following data represent the position on 30 January 2014 and are therefore subject to change:

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Immigrants: Detainees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals detained in immigration removal centres have been transferred to hospital following sectioning under the Mental Health Act 1983 from (a) Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, (b) Hammondsworth Immigration Removal Centre, (c) Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre and (d) all other immigration removal centres in each of the last five years for which records are available. [187527]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 13 February 2014]: Figures on people leaving detention, by all reasons for leaving, are available from 2010.

The following table shows the number of people leaving detention who had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. It is presumed that they were all transferred to hospital. The data are shown by last place of detention and from 2010 to September 2013.

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The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within Immigration Statistics. Other data on people in detention are readily available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: July-September 2013, from the gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Published figures on people detained in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers include those held in short-term holding facilities, pre-departure accommodation and immigration removal-centres. Figures exclude those held in police cells, Prison Service establishments, short term holding rooms at ports and airports (for less than 24-hours), and those recorded as detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants.

Independent Police Complaints Commission

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department gives the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) on handling complaints about an investigation conducted by the IPCC. [188747]

Damian Green: The Government do not issue such guidance to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Information Officers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press officers were employed in her Department on 1 February 2014. [189242]

Karen Bradley: 39 press officers were employed in the Home Office press office on 1 February 2014, including operationally-focused staff based around the UK.

Migrant Help

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Migrant Help will have an office in Wrexham to assist in giving advice to asylum seekers there as part of its contract to assist and advise asylum seekers. [187577]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 13 February 2014]:Migrant Help has no plans to open an office in Wrexham.

At present, its service model proposes offices in the seven current initial accommodation centres. A free national telephone helpline with interpretation provided in 80 languages and through the Migrant Help website, online information, both written and audio, in 15 languages, will be available to clients. Finally, additionally outreach services will respond to identified needs, vulnerable clients, group briefings and specific requests.

Nurseries

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many workplace nurseries (a) directly operated by her Department and (b) operated by a third party on her Department's property there were at (i) 5 May 2010 and (ii) 5 February 2014; and how many such nurseries are expected to cease operating in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16. [189105]

Karen Bradley: There were no workplace nurseries either directly operated by the Home Department or operated by a third party on the Department's property as at 5 May 2010 and 5 February 2014.

The Home Office operates a Childcare Voucher Salary Sacrifice Scheme for staff, which staff can use to help meet the costs of registered child care.

Police Federation of England and Wales

Mr Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times she has met representatives from the Police Federation in each year since 2010. [188680]

Damian Green: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the gov.uk website:

http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office

Police: Emergency Calls

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost of an emergency police call out is. [188741]

Damian Green: Information on the average cost of an emergency police call out is not collected centrally by the Home Office.

Private Investigators

Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress she has made on introducing a regulatory system for private investigators; and when she expects such a system to become operational. [188231]

Karen Bradley: As the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), announced in July, regulation of private investigators will commence in autumn 2014.

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It will become a criminal offence for a person to undertake the activity of conducting private investigations without a statutory licence in 2015.

Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of staff recruited to her Department since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background. [188077]

Karen Bradley: 86% of employees recruited to the Home Department since 5 May 2010 declared their ethnicity. Of these employees, 74% identified their ethnicity as (a) white and 26% as (b) minority ethnic.

Vetting

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate she has made of the number of people who are registered for the Disclosure and Barring Service's Update Service but are required by an employer to obtain a new certificate rather than having their certificate checked on the Update Service; [187810]

(2) what assessment she has made of progress on encouraging employers and organisations to use the Disclosure and Barring Service's Update Service. [187816]

Karen Bradley: As of 24 February, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Update Service has 104,774 subscribers. 72 subscribers have been advised that their existing certificate was out of date and that a new certificate was required. Only 473 subscribers have applied for a new DBS certificate for the same workforce and voluntary status. Of those, it is not possible to state how many were required to do so by employers.

The DBS continues to monitor uptake of the Update Service closely, and is pleased that over 100,000 people have subscribed in just eight months.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 September 2013, Official Report, columns 869-70W, on arms trade: trade fairs, what the specific roles and responsibilities are of (a) his Department, (b) other Government Departments, (c) Clarion Events and (d) other parties for ensuring compliance with and enforcing the Export Control Order 2008 in respect of (i) the Defence and Security Equipment International arms fair and (ii) an alleged breach of arms control legislation at that arms fair in 2013; and if he will place a copy of the memorandum of understanding between his Department's Export Control Organisation and Clarion Events in the Library. [188909]

Michael Fallon: The Export Control Organisation in BIS is responsible for ensuring that Clarion Events makes exhibitors aware of their responsibilities in respect of export and trade controls.

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Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the enforcement of UK export controls.

The Metropolitan Police are responsible for policing and security at the exhibition.

Clarion Events is responsible for organising the exhibition and making exhibitors aware of their responsibilities in respect of export and trade controls.

The Export Control Organisation within BIS has set in place a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Clarion which sets out its role and responsibilities, and those of the exhibitor companies, in respect of export control legislation. Details of the support activities undertaken between Clarion and Government Departments, compliance authorities and agencies are also included. The MoU will be reviewed ahead of the next exhibition in 2015. A copy of the MoU will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Business: Females

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of businesses are owned by women in each region. [188557]

Matthew Hancock: The small business survey collects data on the gender of business owners but its sample is not large enough to provide regional results. Data are available for SMEs only.

Estimates from the BIS Small Business Survey show that 19% of the 4.9 million SMEs (which make up 99.9% of the business population) at the start of 2013 were solely or majority owned by women. A total of 42% of SMEs had at least one woman partner or director on the management team.

Business: Government Assistance

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what amount in (a) grants, (b) loan guarantees and (c) other financial assistance the Government have given to small and medium-sized enterprises in each of the last five years. [188244]

Matthew Hancock [holding answer 24 February 2014]: The information requested is as follows:

(a) BIS has provided the following grant support to small and medium-sized enterprises over the last five years:

£61.1 million (2009-10);

£75.1 million (2010-11);

£105.0 million (2011-12);

£118.4 million (2012-13); and

£69.7 million (2013-14).

This includes grant schemes provided by the Technology Strategy Board, Tradeshow Access Programme, Market Visit Support, Export Communications Reviews, Export Marketing Research Scheme and Business Development Credits. In addition, RGF programmes, which can be accessed by SMEs, have provided £341.8 million thus far and supported 3,419 SMEs.

(b) BIS has provided the following loan guarantees to small and medium-sized enterprises over the last five years:

£675.5 million (2009);

£532.8 million (2010);

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£330.2 million (2011);

£308.7 million (2012); and

£380.2 million (2013).

This includes the Small Firms Loan Guarantee, Enterprise Finance Guarantee and loans guarantees provided by UK Export Finance.

(c) BIS has provided other financial assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises over each of the last five years:

£45.3 million (2009);

£60.9 million (2010);

£58.8 million (2011);

£109.7 million (2012); and

£153.5 million (2013).

This assistance has been provided through Equity Funds, Business Finance Partnership, Start-Up Loans Scheme and insurance contracts issued by UK Export Finance. Furthermore, support for businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees that take on apprentices aged 16 to 24 is also available in the form of a £1,500 grant per apprentice up to a maximum of 10. Provisional data show that there were 49,300 apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE 16 to 24) scheme between February 2012 and October 2013. A further 15,800 were in the pipeline (started but not yet paid).

Details of wider schemes that benefit both large and smaller businesses can be found in the Department’s annual report and accounts, available at:

www.gov.uk

Chemicals

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will require the use of non-toxic alternatives to ehtylene glycol in anti-freeze products to reduce toxicity of ingestion by small children and pets. [188904]

Jenny Willott: I do not plan to introduce such a requirement as I believe the legislation already in place is effective. Consumers should be aware of the dangers presented by ethylene glycol-based anti-freeze products because they are required to carry appropriate safety warnings under classification and labelling regulations. This legislation is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive and I will alert the relevant Minister to your concerns. I will also alert the appropriate Minister within DEFRA, which has overall responsibility for animal welfare.

I would encourage those who are concerned to approach the manufacturers of anti-freeze and ask them to introduce non-toxic formulations on a voluntary basis.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to require the addition of a bittering agent to ethylene glycol-based anti-freeze products to prevent ingestion by small children and pets. [188906]

Jenny Willott: I do not plan to introduce such a requirement as I believe the legislation already in place is effective. Consumers should be aware of the dangers presented by ethylene glycol-based anti-freeze products because they are required to carry appropriate safety

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warnings under classification and labelling regulations. I would encourage those who are concerned to approach the manufacturers of anti-freeze and ask them to introduce bittering agents on a voluntary basis. Some major retail outlets are already selling ethylene glycol-based anti-freezes to which the manufacturer has elected to add such a bittering agent.

Energy: Industry

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) if he will discuss with the European Commission the backdating of compensation to energy-intensive industries for the costs associated with the carbon floor price; [188753]

(2) what assessment he has made of when the EU state aid decision will be made on compensating energy-intensive industries for the costs associated with the carbon floor price; [188754]

(3) what long-term support his Department will provide for energy-intensive industries; [188755]

(4) what his policy is on extending the compensation package for energy-intensive industries to include the renewables obligation. [188780]

Michael Fallon: There has been considerable engagement between the Government and the Commission regarding the state aid case for the compensation scheme for the indirect costs of the carbon price floor, including on the issue of backdating of compensation.

We recently heard from the Commission that its consideration of the case is coming to a close and, subject to their final decision, and I hope that we will receive clearance shortly. This will not include approval for backdating but we will continue to raise this issue with the European Commission.

The package of compensation for energy intensive industries includes compensation for the indirect costs of the carbon price floor and the EU emission trading system. It does not include the renewables obligation. We continue to keep the situation under review.

The Government remain concerned about the impact of energy and climate change policies on energy intensive industries and that is why we have put in place a package of measures to reduce the impact of policy costs on electricity for the most electricity-intensive industries. This includes exempting energy intensive industries from the cost of Electricity Market Reform (Contract for Difference) feed-in-tariffs-the future mechanism by which low-carbon energy subsidies will be administered.

Equality

Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many publications his Department has produced for the purposes of monitoring or promoting staff equality and diversity in each of the last five years; and what the cost of producing such publications was in each such year. [188892]

Jenny Willott: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was formed in 2009 so there are no details available until 2010-11.

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At BIS we believe that a commitment to equality and diversity (E&D) is critical to ensuring that we are able to deliver on BIS's priorities, as well as the Government's wider goals. It is our vision to fully mainstream E&D into our core business to achieve a position where it is in the foundation of our business and a part of everything that we do.

On 6 April 2012, we published our Equality Objectives, which set out our aims in regards to internal Equality and Diversity.

The Department also publishes its Staff Diversity information each year, in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty. This is available on:

www.gov.uk

The 2010-11 data were published on 4 December 2012; the 2011-12 data were published on 15 January 2013; and the 2012-13 data were published on 3 February 2014.

The cost of producing the Equality Objectives and each workforce diversity information report is estimated at £3,000.

Floods: Insurance

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received on the Flood Re scheme. [188300]

Jenny Willott: Central records show that the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not received any representations on the Flood Re scheme.

Higher Education: Apprentices

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department issues on whether apprenticeships are included in higher education for the purposes of education, health and care plans; and if he will make a statement. [188367]

Matthew Hancock: Apprenticeships are not defined as higher education for the purposes of education, health and care (EHC) plans. The draft 0-25 SEN Code of Practice makes it clear that a young person on an apprenticeship may receive support through an EHC plan while they are participating.

The draft code (which has recently been out for consultation) can be found here:

https://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/Draft%20SEN% 20Code%20of%20Practice.pdf

ICE Academy

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what checks were made on students from ICE Academy before student loans were issued to them. [187808]

Mr Willetts: Personal eligibility checks were carried out on students at ICE academy that applied for student support in academic year 2013-14.

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To receive funding, students must have a place on a course which has been designated for student support at the location at which they are planning to study.

ICE Academy misled the Student Loans Company (SLC) by submitting inaccurate information about the locations where a number of its students were studying. It came to the Department's attention that these students were in fact studying courses which had not been designated in respect of the location at which they were in fact being delivered by ICE Academy.

These discrepancies were indentified by the SLC and payments were suspended.

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students at ICE Adademy have (a) applied for student loans and (b) been granted student loans to date; and what the total value of such loans granted is. [187809]

Mr Willetts: The Student Loans Company had received 1,110 applications for students support from students intending to study at ICE Academy. 520 of those applications have been approved, worth a total of £3,237,000 in grants and loans.

Land Registry

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he will take to ensure that the impartiality of the Land Registry is protected following any privatisation. [188798]

Michael Fallon: The BIS consultation seeks views both on the proposal to create a new company and on potential ownership options for this new company. If a decision to alter the commercial model is taken, including any change of ownership, it is envisaged that the Office of the Chief Land Registrar (OLCR) would be retained within Government and that the OCLR would protect the integrity of the Register and ensure that customers' interests continue to be protected.

However, no decision will be taken on the future commercial model for the Land Registry, including on ownership, until the consultation is completed and all responses have been considered.

Maternity Pay

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the standard level and duration is of contractual maternity pay paid to civil servants in his Department. [189074]

Jenny Willott: The standard contractual maternity pay (departmental maternity pay) paid to civil servants in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is full pay for 26 weeks, subject to qualifying conditions.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of his Department's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of his Department's Ministers. [188307]

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Jenny Willott: The Department has seven offices occupied by Ministers ranging in size from 31square metres to 46 square metres.

Across the private offices of BIS Ministers (Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable), Minister of State for Universities and Science (David Willetts), Minister of State for Business and Energy (Michael Fallon), Minister of State for Trade and Investment (Lord Livingston of Parkhead), Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise (Matthew Hancock), Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie), Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs (Jenny Willott)) there are the following officials whose pay is funded by BIS as at 31 January 2014:

National Apprenticeship Service

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time equivalent employees were employed by the National Apprenticeship Service in April (a) 2012 and (b) 2013; and how many such staff will be employed in April (i) 2014 and (ii) 2015. [188649]

Matthew Hancock: The average number of staff employed during the following financial years within the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) is as follows:

The NAS was integrated into the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) on 1 April 2013, from which point the delivery of the NAS has been a function of the wider SFA. Information for 2013-14 will be included in our Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14 which is due to be published in June 2014.

An interim figure is available per the hard close accounts at 31 December 2013 but this information is subject to audit. We can include this as an unaudited average FTE.

New Businesses: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the operation of the Start-Up Loans scheme in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [188257]

Matthew Hancock: The Start-Up Loans scheme was launched in Northern Ireland in November 2013. Currently 56 loans have been drawn down with a value of £234,000. These loans have been made across four delivery partners.

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BIS will continue to work closely with the Start-Up Loans Company to manage partner performance, ensuring the scheme continues to meet applicant demand in Northern Ireland.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of successful applicants to the Start-Up Loans scheme in Northern Ireland are based in North Down constituency; and if he will make a statement. [188258]

Matthew Hancock: As of 13 February 2014, 2 Start-Up Loans have been drawn down in the North Down constituency, with an overall value of £5,800.

Shipping: Pay

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what reports his Department has received on the owners of ships working the Irish Sea routes paying their staff below minimum wage; and what guidance his Department has issued on the application of minimum wage legislation to the crews of ships operating between two UK ports. [188695]

Jenny Willott: The Department for Business revised its guidance for seafarers in late 2013, updating guidance on the enforcement on the national minimum wage. This is available on the gov.uk website.

The Government support the minimum wage because of the protection it gives low-income workers and the incentives to work it provides. If employees think they are been paid below the minimum wage they should report it to the Pay and Work Rights Helpline in the first instance on telephone number 0800 917 2368.

HMRC, which enforces the NMW on behalf of BIS, will investigate every case that is reported.

HM Revenue and Customs has a legal duty of confidentiality towards its customers. For NMW, this includes employers and their workers. Unfortunately they cannot disclose details of reported alleged instances of non-compliant employers.

Student Loans Company

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of privatising the Student Loans Company on the cost of debts to debtors. [188805]

Mr Willetts: There are no current plans to review the ownership of the Student Loans Company.

Students: Loans

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the privatisation of student loans. [188804]

Mr Willetts: As stated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), in the December 2013 autumn statement, the Government intend to sell the pre-Browne Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) student loan book. Work is under way in preparation for a potential sale of the first tranche of loans in 2015-16.

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Vocational Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the employer ownership of skills initiative in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16; and if he will make a statement. [188452]

Matthew Hancock [holding answer 24 February 2014]: The Employer Ownership Pilot has two rounds, commencing in 2012. There is no intention to hold a round 3. Projects awarded funding in Rounds 1 and 2 will have continuing activity in years 2014-15 and 2015-16.

The lessons we learn from Rounds 1 and 2 have informed the design of employer ownership in the future. A formal announcement on the next stage of the Employer Ownership programme will be made in the spring.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Cattle: Transport

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether farmers still require his Department's permission before moving closed herds during the recent flooding period; and how many such applications his Department has (a) received and (b) granted. [188174]

George Eustice: Cattle keepers are not required to seek the Department's permission to move livestock unless individual animals or the entire herd are subject to disease specific movement controls. Farmers continue to able to freely move unrestricted animals under a ‘general licence’ subject to complying with the usual terms and conditions of the licence.

Floods: Cumbria

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total value of the damage to flood and coastal defences in each local authority area in Cumbria caused by recent floods and storms is; and how much funding his Department is making available for repairs to those defences. [188216]

Dan Rogerson: The total damage to flood and coastal defences caused by the floods and storms across Cumbria by local authority is as follows:

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Where a cost estimate contains a question mark, these assessments are ongoing and an accurate figure cannot be provided.

The figure shown in brackets is the funding the Environment Agency and/or the local authority have already secured to date for repair works. The remaining funding required is currently being sought.

Floods: Fracking

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect of fracking techniques on the likelihood of flooding. [188818]

Dan Rogerson: Hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’ is a technique which can be used in the process of extraction of oil or gas. Fracking takes place hundreds of metres below ground and would have no effect on the likelihood of flooding. For the surface installations required for borehole construction and hydraulic fracturing, the Environment Agency is a statutory adviser in the planning process. Where appropriate, it will require flood risk assessments and may object to developments if flood risk is unacceptable or require conditions on how the site is constructed and operated to mitigate flood risk, through flood consents.

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the environmental effect of continuous flooding techniques and the use of underground aquifers associated with the fracking process. [188820]

Dan Rogerson: The abstraction of water from an underground aquifer for use in hydraulic fracturing will require a licence from the appropriate environmental regulator. Environmental regulators will not permit fracking to take place where there is an unacceptable risk that this could pollute an aquifer. For the surface installations required for borehole construction and hydraulic fracturing, the Environment Agency is a statutory adviser in the planning process. Where appropriate, it will require flood risk assessments and may object to developments if flood risk is unacceptable or require conditions on how the site is constructed and operated to mitigate flood risk, through flood consents.

Floods: Housing

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of properties that have been flooded in 2014. [188176]

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Dan Rogerson: At close of business on 13 February the estimated number of properties flooded was 1,940.

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the Flood Awareness Service and Flood Shops proposed by UK Flood Barriers Ltd and their partners in assisting householders to improve individual property protection against flooding. [188872]

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA and the Environment Agency met UK Flood Barriers Ltd in February 2012 to discuss the Flood Awareness Service and Flood Shops initiatives they were developing.

DEFRA and the Environment Agency encouraged UK Flood Barriers to develop these ideas further by working with other manufacturers and suppliers of flood protection products and services in the UK, and with organisations including the Flood Protection Association and with the National Flood Forum.

Floods: Insurance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the total cost of including properties built in accordance with National Planning Policy guidelines since 2009 in the Flood Re scheme. [188177]

Dan Rogerson: We have estimated that including properties built post 2009 would add between 3,500 and 16,000 properties to the Flood Re scheme, thus increasing the pool's liability by between £0.9 million and £3.3 million.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 560W, on floods: insurance, what assessment he has made of the number of properties built in accordance with National Planning Policy frameworks but which are deemed as high flood-risk by the insurance industry; and what his policy is on including such policies in the Flood Re scheme. [188239]

Dan Rogerson: No assessment has been made as to the number of properties built in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework and deemed at high risk of flooding by the insurance industry. However, based on the number of properties that are developed against Environment Agency flood risk advice, we have estimated that between 3,500 and 16,000 properties built post 2009 would be considered at high flood risk.

The decision to cede a policy to Flood Re will be taken by an insurer and is dependent on the property's flood risk and eligibility for the scheme. Those properties built after 2009 will not be eligible for the Flood Re scheme.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will place limits on the amount of excess charges insurance companies can apply to their policies under the Flood Re scheme; and if he will make a statement. [188807]

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Dan Rogerson: The Flood Re scheme will protect those at risk of flooding by effectively limiting the amount that high risk households would need to pay on the flood insurance element of their premiums and excesses. Flood Re will be established via Secondary Legislation which will be introduced under powers we are seeking through the Water Bill; details on the scheme will be set out as part of this implementation process.

As set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the ABI, the industry will ensure that there will be a standard flood excess in the range of £250 to £500 for policies ceded to Flood Re.

Land Drainage

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whose responsibility it is to maintain balancing tanks and sustainable urban development systems; and if he will make a statement. [188903]

Dan Rogerson: Responsibility for maintaining existing balancing tanks and sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) is determined by their ownership.

Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 introduces a SuDS Approving Body (SAB) in each English county or unitary authority to maintain approved SuDS serving more than one property. DEFRA aims to introduce the secondary legislation by April 2014, with commencement at the earliest opportunity.

Public Bodies

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government contribution to the budget of each of his Department's Executive agencies and Executive non-departmental public bodies was for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15, broken down by capital and revenue. [188515]

Dan Rogerson: Due to adjustments made as a result of implementing HM Treasury's Clear Line of Sight initiative, which aligned Budgets, Estimates and Accounts from 2011-12, the budget allocations shown for 2010-11 are not directly comparable with the allocations shown for 2011-12 to 2013-14.

Budgets for 2014-15 will be published after Parliament has voted on the Department's Main Estimate for 2014-15.

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Health

Abortion

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of women who had an abortion in each of the last five years but were using some form of artificial contraceptive when they became pregnant; and if he will make a statement. [188051]

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold this information.

Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the advice given by private abortion providers to pregnant women on the illegality of gender selective abortion. [188106]

Jane Ellison: The chief medical officer has written to all doctors involved in abortion care on two occasions (23 February 2012 and 23 November 2013). Both letters stated that abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal. Further guidance on compliance with the Abortion Act 1967 will be published shortly.

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Abortion: Counselling

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will bring oversight of pregnancy and abortion counselling services within the responsibilities of the Care Quality Commission; [188205]

(2) if he will review the quality and impartiality of advice provided by pregnancy and abortion counselling services. [188206]

Jane Ellison: The Government's Framework for Sexual Health Improvement,, published in March 2013, made clear that abortion counselling should be provided by trained counsellors and that it should be non-judgmental, impartial and put patients' needs first, irrespective of the employer of the counsellor. It is for national health service providers to ensure that the services they recommend meet this need.

Ambulance Services

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of an emergency ambulance call-out is. [188760]

Jane Ellison: The estimated average cost of an emergency ambulance call-out is £221.

This estimate was derived from reference costs collected from national health service ambulance service trusts in England in 2012-13. It includes the costs of emergency and urgent calls received by ambulance service switchboards, conveying patients to healthcare providers, and treating and discharging patients at the scene of the incident without conveyance. It does not include the costs of incidents that were resolved without dispatching a vehicle. These costs are published at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-reference-costs-2012-to-2013

Brain: Tumours

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of brain tumours in children; and if he will make a statement. [188500]

Jane Ellison: Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer, published on 12 January 2011, committed over £450 million up to 2014-15 to achieve earlier diagnosis of cancer, including improving access to key diagnostic tests, such as magnetic resonance imaging scans to support the diagnosis of brain tumours.

To increase general practitioner (GP) awareness of brain tumours in children, in 2012-13, the Department funded British Medical Journal Learning to provide an e-learning tool for GPs on diagnosing osteosarcoma and brain tumours in children. One learning module supports GPs to understand the main types of brain tumours in children and young people, their common symptom presentations and to recognise when patients need urgent referral, the other deals with communication barriers, and provides potential ways to address these barriers in GP consultations.

NHS England's Paediatric Oncology service contract clearly defines what providers must have in place to offer evidence-based, safe and effective cancer services

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for children, including those with brain tumours. The guidance is supported by a range of evidence, including “Improving Outcomes for Children and Young People with Cancer”, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The full guidance can be found at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e04-paedi-oncol.pdf

Finally, in April 2012, the Government announced that they have set aside up to £250 million of public capital to be invested by the national health service in building Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) facilities at The Christie hospital in Manchester and University College London Hospital. PBT is particularly effective in treating children with certain brain and central nervous system tumours as its high accuracy results in fewer side effects and minimises adverse long term consequences of treatment. It is anticipated that patients will be able to access this service from 2018.

Cancer

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on research into (a) oesophageal cancer and (b) other cancers in each of the last five years; and how much his Department will spend on such research in 2014. [188789]

Dr Poulter: Expenditure by the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on oesophageal cancer research through research programmes, research centres and units, and research training awards is shown in the following table.

Total spend on oesophageal cancer research by the NIHR is higher than this because expenditure by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) on oesophageal cancer research cannot be disaggregated from total CRN expenditure.

Total NIHR spend on cancer research is shown in the following table.

A comparable figure is not available for 2008-09. This was the final year in which transitional research funding was allocated to national health service organisations following the establishment of the NIHR.

Total spend in future years by the NIHR on oesophageal and other cancer research depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding

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applications for research into any aspect of human health, including oesophageal and other cancer research. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the NHS, value for money and scientific quality.

Clinical Commissioning Groups

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to monitor the validity and procedural process of elections to clinical commissioning groups in England from the constituent parts making up these bodies; and if he will make a statement. [188811]

Jane Ellison: Clinical commissioning groups.(CCGs) are established as statutory national health service organisations. They are made up of the general practitioner (GP) practices which are established within the geographical area that the CCG covers. It is for the members of the CCG to decide how they will operate their organisation and this is detailed in their constitution. The NHS Act 2006, as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012, does not specify that elections should be used to recruit to leadership roles in CCGs or to roles on CCG governing bodies.

NHS England advise that many CCGs have decided to select their chair and other leadership roles via elections. Others have used a more traditional recruitment process and in other cases a combination of approaches has been used.

CCGs had to demonstrate as part of their application to NHS England for authorisation that they had robust governance arrangements, including arrangements for transparency in decision-making and for dealing with potential conflicts of interest. These arrangements must be set out in the CCG constitution. Each CCG has a governing body, which is responsible for ensuring that the CCG has appropriate arrangements for ensuring that it adheres to principles of good governance.

In addition, NHS England has set out an assurance framework for CCGs. One of the six assurance domains (domain 4) addresses matters of good governance and seeks to ensure appropriate governance structures are in place. NHS England hold assurance meetings with all CCGs on a quarterly basis.

Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients suffering from repeat depression were waiting for treatment based on (a) individual counselling and (b) mindfulness-based therapy in the most recent period for which figures are available. [187790]

Norman Lamb: We do not collect data centrally on the number of patients with repeat depression waiting for individual counselling or mindfulness-based therapies.

From July 2014 the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Data Standard will be expanded to include mindfulness as a delivered therapy type.

Data on the number of sessions of mindfulness delivered by IAPT services will be held by the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

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Diabetes: Peterborough

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people with (a) Type 1 and (b) Type 2 diabetes in Peterborough constituency in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [188499]

Jane Ellison: Information is not available in the format requested. The National Diabetes Audit (NDA) collects the number of type 1 and type 2 diabetes registrations in primary and secondary care. However, data are not collected at constituency level, but can be provided at clinical commissioning group (CCG) level.

Participation in the NDA is not mandatory, and it does not have 100% participation. The following tables show the number of patients recorded in the NDA who were diagnosed with type 1 and type 2 diabetes in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG from 2009-10 to 2011-12 and the general practitioner practice participation rates in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG in those years.

Doctors

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress he has made on providing mobility and flexibility in middle grade contracts for doctors. [188819]

Dr Poulter: New contracts were introduced for career grade doctors in 2008. A new grade of specialty doctor was introduced with new terms and conditions, and the staff grade and the associate specialist grade were closed to new entrants. There is a range of options for doctors in the career grades to progress. They are eligible to apply for posts on national terms in the new specialty doctor grade or local terms or in the training grades, and to apply for entry onto the specialist register (allowing them to apply for consultant posts) if they have the requisite training and/or experience.

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Heart Diseases

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made in developing comparative data on the quality of care provided for patients with cardiovascular disease by general practices; and if he will make a statement. [187877]

Jane Ellison: NHS England is working with Public Health England, the Care Quality Commission and other partners to explore scope for improving the reporting of comparative data on the quality of care provided for patients, including those with cardiovascular disease, by general practices.

Some limited comparative data in relation to smoking cessation advice delivered, identification of atrial fibrillation and identification of coronary heart disease are already available by practice through the Primary Care Web Tool, which can be found at:

www.primarycare.nhs.uk

Heart Diseases: Babies

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential need and benefits of routinely testing babies at birth for congenital heart disease; and if he will make a statement. [188771]

Dr Poulter: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.

It has been good practice for many years for all babies to have a careful physical examination after birth. On the advice of the UK NSC, the NHS Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) Screening Programme was set up to oversee the implementation of a high quality and consistent newborn and infant physical examination. The NIPE Screening Programme offers parents the opportunity to have their child examined shortly after birth (within the first 72 hours). The examination includes a general physical check as well as examination of the baby's eyes, heart, hips and testes in boys. A general examination of the baby's heart will be carried out by a clinician. As some conditions can develop later, the examination is repeated at six to eight weeks of age usually by a general practitioner. The earlier a congenital problem is detected, diagnosed and treated appropriately, the better the health outcome for that child, lessening the chances of long-term disability.

The UK NSC is currently reviewing the evidence for newborn screening for heart conditions using pulse oximetry against its criteria. Ministers expect to receive a recommendation from the UK NSC on whether this technology should be added to the NIPE Screening Programme this year.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of routinely testing babies at birth for congenital heart disease; and if he will make a statement. [188772]

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Dr Poulter: This information is not held centrally. The examination shortly after birth (within the first 72 hours) for congenital heart disease is part of the postnatal pathway and is paid for as part of the maternity pathway payment (MPP). The costs for congenital heart disease screening are not identified separately within the MPP.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, it assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria.

It has been good practice for many years for all babies to have a careful physical examination after birth. On the advice of the UK NSC, the NHS Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) Screening programme was set up to oversee the implementation of a high quality and consistent newborn and infant physical examination. The NIPE Screening programme offers parents the opportunity to have their child examined shortly after birth (within the first 72 hours). The examination includes a general physical check as well as examination of the baby's eyes, heart, hips and testes in boys. The examination is repeated at six to eight weeks of age.

The UK NSC is currently reviewing the evidence for newborn screening for heart conditions using pulse oximetry against its criteria. Ministers expect to receive a recommendation from the UK NSC on whether this technology should be added to the NIPE Screening programme this year.