Medical Records: Databases

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reasons the care.data database requires patients to opt out rather than opt in; [188739]

(2) what assessment he has made of the efficacy of procedures to allow patients to opt out of the care.data database. [188740]

Dr Poulter: The Health and Social Care Act 2012 allows NHS England to direct the Health and Social Care Information Centre to extract data from general practitioner (GP) practices for the care.data programme. However, identifiable data will not be extracted from GP records of patients who object to the sharing of this information.

On 18 February 2014, NHS England announced that they will collect data from GP surgeries later in the year, instead of April, to allow more time to build public awareness of the benefits of using the information, what safeguards are in place, how people can opt out if they choose, and look into further measures that could be taken to build public confidence.

Neurology

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that healthcare professionals undertake continuing professional development in progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration. [187805]

26 Feb 2014 : Column 367W

Dr Poulter: The content and standard of healthcare professional training is the responsibility of the regulators, which are independent statutory bodies. They are responsible for promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education, including continuing professional development (CPD), to ensure that students, newly qualified professionals and the existing work force are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.

Regulatory bodies set standards for CPD and it is the individual healthcare professional's responsibility to ensure that their CPD is up-to-date in their particular field.

The Government have mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and work force development in the national health service. HEE will work with stakeholders to influence training curricula as appropriate.

NHS: Finance

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for patient care and for innovation of the overspend in NHS England's specialised commissioning budget for 2013-14. [187740]

Jane Ellison: In April 2013, NHS England became the direct commissioner of specialised services. In order to achieve a nationally consistent approach to commissioning, it brought together differing regional and local approaches to contracting with providers, different sets of standards, and varying levels of access to services around the country.

NHS England projects an overspend on specialised services of £228 million for 2013-14; this represents 1.7% of the total value of the budget. It reports that the 10 area teams with responsibility for commissioning specialised services are developing financial recovery plans. It has established a Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group to assure the NHS England Board that financial recovery plans are robust and minimise the impact on patient care.

NHS England is encouraging innovation through a number of avenues, for example: the development of a procurement framework that will seek proposals from providers to deliver services in a more innovative way; through its Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention agenda; and through an invitation for stakeholders to submit ‘A3’ proposals, which use a ‘lean’ methodology to clearly and succinctly describe a change to a service, in line with the emerging Specialised Services Strategy.

Oesophageal Cancer

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he intends to take to raise awareness of oesophageal cancer. [188784]

Jane Ellison: Raising awareness of symptoms of cancers falls within the campaigns that are now the responsibility of Public Health England (PHE). Be Clear on Cancer public campaigns (encouraging symptom recognition and earlier general practitioner presentation) have been running since early 2011 and have covered a number of cancers nationally, regionally and locally; these include

26 Feb 2014 : Column 368W

bowel, lung, kidney and bladder under the common symptom of “blood in pee”, breast, ovarian and oesophageal. Results to date have been very encouraging.

PHE works, closely with the Department and NHS England to ensure that health care professionals are also targeted with campaign information to encourage earlier diagnoses and referrals.

We are currently running a regional Be Clear on Cancer pilot campaign, from 10 February to 9 March in the North East and North Cumbria, to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of oesophageal cancer. The campaign includes television, radio, press and outdoor advertising. The findings of this pilot will be evaluated before a decision is taken on whether to roll out the campaign nationally throughout England.

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the diagnosis and treatment of oesophageal cancer in (a) Hampshire and (b) England. [188788]

Jane Ellison: We are fully committed to improving early diagnosis and treatment of people with oesophageal cancer both nationally and locally.

“Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published in January 2011, committed more than £450 million of additional funding up to 2014-15 to support earlier diagnosis of cancer by: improving public awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer; increasing general practitioner access to key diagnostic tests; and, to pay for extra testing and treatment in secondary care.

We are currently running a regional Be Clear on Cancer pilot campaign from 10 February to 9 March 2014 raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of oesophageal cancer in the North East and North Cumbria. The findings of this pilot will be evaluated before a decision is made on whether to roll out the campaign nationally throughout England.

NHS England's oesophageal and gastric cancer service specification clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective oesophageal cancer services, in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's clinical guideline; published in 2001; “Improving Outcomes for Upper Gastro-Intestinal Cancers”.

Out-patients: Attendance

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of patients failing to turn up for NHS appointments. [188388]

Jane Ellison: The NHS Constitution emphasises patients' responsibilities including making it clear that they “should keep appointments, or cancel within reasonable time”. It is the responsibility of national health service organisations locally to plan for and take action to minimise the number of patients who fail to attend their appointments, for example, by reminding patients of their forthcoming appointments through the use of text message reminder systems.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 369W

Perinatal Mortality

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many perinatal deaths occurred within the first week of birth; how many Apgar scores were recorded in respect of such cases; and in how many of these cases neonatal cooling treatment was undertaken in each year since 2008. [188779]

Dr Poulter: In 2012 there were 3,558 stillbirths and 1,569 deaths at age under seven days, resulting in a perinatal mortality rate of 7.0 deaths per 1,000 total births. The figures for 2011 were 3,811 still births and 1,639 deaths at under seven days, resulting in a perinatal mortality rate of 7.6 deaths per 1,000 total births.

The figures for Apgar scores and neonatal cooling treatment are not collected centrally.

Processed Food

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent representations his Department has made to the food and drink industry on reducing the levels of (a) sugar and (b) salt in processed foods; [188362]

(2) what recent representations his Department has made to the food and drink industry on reducing the levels of (a) sugar and (b) salt in processed foods. [188363]

Jane Ellison: Through the Public Health Responsibility Deal, the Department works with the food and drink industry to encourage them, amongst other things, to reduce salt and calories, including sugar, in the food they produce and retail. There are now 38 businesses signed up to the calorie reduction pledge, including some of our biggest soft drinks manufacturers and retailers who are reducing calories and sugars in their drinks.

There is also a Responsibility Deal pledge to reduce salt. The World Health Organisation consider us to be world leading in salt reduction. 96 companies are working to reduce salt in the food they produce or retail, reflecting more than 70% of the retail market and 65% of major high street restaurants and contract caterers.

Details of all ministerial meetings with external parties are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website. The latest publication can be found on the Department's website at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-external-meetings-2012-to-2013?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Scarlet Fever

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of scarlet fever were treated by the NHS in each region in each of the last five years. [188802]

Jane Ellison: Public Health England does not routinely collect data on scarlet fever treatment, however scarlet fever is a 'notifiable' disease which means that doctors in England and Wales have a legal obligation to inform the 'Proper Officer' of the local authority of suspected cases.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 370W

The data in the following table show the total number of scarlet fever notifications by region, as classified by the former Health Protection Agency, as at the time of notification. The data presented are the most recent annual data publication figures for Scarlet Fever notifications that are available by region¹. Data for 2011 were published in December 2013 and are available at:

http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/NotificationsOfInfectiousDiseases/NOIDSReportsAndTables/NoidsAnnualReports/

¹Note:

2012 annual data is available but aggregated for England and Wales only at this time.

Specialised Healthcare Alliance

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on which NHS England committees or advisory groups the Specialised Healthcare Alliance (SHCA) sits; and who represents the SHCA on such committees or groups. [188512]

Jane Ellison: In April 2013, NHS England became the direct commissioner of specialised services. As part of its work, NHS England engages with a wide range of stakeholder organisations, including the Specialised Healthcare Alliance (SHCA).

NHS England advises that the only committee on which the SHCA sit is the Patient and Public Voice Steering Group. John Murray, the Chair of the SHCA is the representative for this committee.

Surgical Dressings

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2014, Official Report, column 549W, on surgical dressings, whether wound dressings were provided free of charge for patients in post-operative care before clinical commission groups were established. [188857]

Norman Lamb: The prescription charging arrangements for the provision of surgical dressings for patients in post-operative care are the same as they were before clinical commissioning groups were established.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 371W

The prescription charging arrangements in this area are complex and have evolved since prescription charges were reintroduced in 1968. In some instances dressings will be supplied free of charge, for example where:

in-patients are provided with dressings or bandages upon discharge from hospital;

dressings or bandages are taken from stock and applied at the general practitioner surgery by the doctor or a practice nurse operating under his or her instruction; and

dressings or bandages are supplied for personal administration by the person making the supply in accordance with a patient group direction.

However, in other circumstances, charges may apply including where:

someone is an outpatient or is attending a walk-in-centre, unless the dressings or bandages are administered on the premises; and

the dressings are prescribed, in order that they may be applied by the patient, carer or community nurse.

Work and Pensions

Attendance Allowance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps his Department takes to check that claimants in receipt of attendance allowance are still eligible to receive this benefit once they move into residential care; [187723]

(2) what information his Department holds on the numbers of elderly people who have ceased receiving attendance allowance because they are in receipt of welfare payments. [188236]

Mike Penning: Entitlement to, and payment of, attendance allowance (AA) is unaffected by the receipt of other social security benefits. Claimants in receipt of AA who enter residential care and receive public or local funding under specified enactments towards their stay lose payment of the benefit after 28 days so as to prevent the duplication of funding to meet the same needs. Care home residents who claim AA when already in a care home and are receiving public or local funding towards their stay can establish entitlement to AA but cannot be paid it until they leave the care home. Care home residents continue to be paid AA if they are entirely funding their stay from their own funds or are treated as such because they are receiving funding, in whole or in part, from another person or charity.

Claimants or individuals who are either appointed by the Secretary of State or empowered by the courts to act on the claimant's behalf for benefit purposes, have a duty to disclose any admission to residential accommodation. In addition, all decision notifications and annual uprating letters direct claimants to notify the Department of a move into residential care.

On receipt of this information, the Department will determine whether claimants remain eligible to receive attendance allowance.

As at the end of May 2013 there were 75,800¹ AA claimants resident in a care home who have entitlement to AA but are not being paid it because of these rules.

¹Source:

DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data. Figure is rounded to the nearest 10.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 372W

Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on external consultants and advisers by (a) his Department and (b) each of his Departments (i) non-departmental public bodies and (ii) Executive agencies in each year since May 2010. [187886]

Mike Penning: The information requested is provided in the following tables:

Employment and Support Allowance

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the evidence based review of descriptors for employment and support allowance to be published. [187833]

Mike Penning: The findings of the evidence based review of the work capability assessment were published on 12 December 2013 and can be found online at the following address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-capability-assessment-evidence-based-review

Government will respond to the findings of the evidence based review as part of their response to Dr Litchfield's independent review of the work capability assessment in the first quarter of 2014.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 373W

ICT

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which IT contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last four years have been abandoned; and what the monetary value was of each such contract. [187887]

Mike Penning: The only IT contract cancelled in the last four years was the Desktop Services Contract with Fujitsu, which was cancelled in March 2011. The contract value was in excess of £300 million.

Industrial Health and Safety: Temperature

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2013, Official Report, column 489W, on industrial health and safety: temperature, what steps he has taken to clarify with the Health and Safety Executive what level of temperature in the workplace would exceed that considered reasonable. [188440]

Mike Penning: HSE does not specify a level of temperature in the workplace that would exceed that considered reasonable. It would not be appropriate to give a single maximum figure as it depends on the work activity and the environmental conditions of the workplace.

Legal Costs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) cost and (b) purpose was of legal (i) representation and (ii) advice sought by his Department and its Executive agencies in each year since May 2010. [187986]

Mike Penning: The Department's records of legal spend do not separate legal representation and legal advice. Disaggregating the data would take the cost of responding to the question over the disproportionate cost threshold.

Our records of legal spend do not contain details of the purpose of each item of legal spend. Each invoice would have to be separately analysed to establish the matter concerned and then further analysed to establish the purpose. This would take the cost of responding to the question over the disproportionate cost threshold.

Pensioners: Poverty

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what comparative assessment he has made of the incidence of poverty among (a) single women pensioners and (b) other pensioners. [188899]

Steve Webb: Table 1 provides estimates for the number and proportion of pensioners in both relative and absolute low income, broken down by family type. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data for 2011-12, the latest year available.

Someone is considered to be in relative low income if they receive less than 60% of the median income in the year in question, while someone is considered to be in absolute low income if they receive less than 60% of median income in 2010-11 adjusted by inflation.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 374W

Public Relations

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department to firms in each (i) nation and (ii) region of the UK in each of the last four years. [187985]

Mike Penning: Public opinion research is often carried out as part of a wide range of research and evaluation activity. As such, information on the value of contracts

26 Feb 2014 : Column 375W

awarded for public opinion research could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

As a result of spending controls put in place in April 2011 no further public relations contracts have been awarded.

Social Security Benefits: Brent

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households have had their benefits reduced as a result of the household benefit cap in (a) the London Borough of Brent and (b) Brent Central constituency. [188912]

Esther McVey: Between July 2013, when the benefit cap was implemented in Brent, and December 2013 1,386 households in the London borough of Brent had their benefits reduced as a result of the benefit cap. Statistics for the Brent Central parliamentary constituency are not currently available. There are plans to publish parliamentary constituency level statistics in May 2014.

Stress

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of working days lost by his Department's staff was attributed to stress-related conditions in the most recent year for which figures are available. [187867]

Mike Penning: DWP has succeeded in cutting sickness absence from an annual average of 11.1 days per employee in 2007 to 7.1 days per employee currently. Less than 1% is attributed to stress-related conditions.

In the 12 month period January to December 2013, 23% of working days lost by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff was attributed to depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, which includes stress-related absences. This represents less than 1% of total working days available to the Department.

Vacancies: Greater London

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of job vacancies in each sector in London. [188360]

Esther McVey: Headline figures on the number of unfilled vacancies at a point in time are published by the Office for National Statistics, based on a regular survey of employers. The sample size of the survey is, however, too small to allow information to be published below national level.

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of job vacancies in London in the (a) hospitality, (b) care and (c) cleaning sectors in (i) 2003, (ii) 2007, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2013. [188361]

Esther McVey: The information requested is provided in the following tables:

26 Feb 2014 : Column 376W

Dame Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the structural vacancy rate in London. [188766]

Esther McVey: The information is not available. The Office for National Statistics publishes headline statistics on vacancies, but the figures are not available below national level.

Welsh Language

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of services carried out by his Department in Wales in relation to the Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Welsh Language Standards. [187775]

Esther McVey: This Government are fully committed to the Welsh language and to providing Government services in the Welsh language where there is demand for them. The Department for Work and Pension's Welsh Language Scheme was published in 2010 and sets out how services will be delivered to Welsh speakers who request a Welsh language service.

Delivery against the scheme is reviewed annually and reported to the Welsh Language Commissioner.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 377W

Work Capability Assessments

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been received about work capability assessments made by Atos in each of the last two years. [188009]

Mike Penning: The Department does not centrally record the number of complaints received in relation to its medical services contract with Atos Healthcare, which includes the delivery of work capability assessments in Great Britain. However, the Department does hold information reported by Atos on the number of complaints received in relation to this contract. In the 2012-13 financial year and 2013-14 financial year (to date), 4,890 and 3,770 complaints were reported. These figures come from Atos management information and have been rounded to the nearest 10.

The Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland has a separate contract with Atos Healthcare for the delivery of assessments in Northern Ireland. Therefore, questions relating to complaints received in Northern Ireland should be addressed to the Minister for Social Development in Northern Ireland.

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Atos has been paid to conduct work capability assessments in (a) the UK and (b) Northern Ireland in each of the last two years. [188010]

Mike Penning: The information is as follows:

(a) Atos Healthcare has been paid £112.4 million for the 2011-12 financial year and £114.3 million for 2012-13. These figures cover the direct cost of delivering work capability assessments, the medical assessments undertaken for other benefits, costs relating to written and verbal medical advice, fixed overheads, administrative costs, investment in new technology and other service improvements. These costs are for the medical services contract for Great Britain only and not the UK which includes Northern Ireland. There are separate contracts for the provision of personal independence payment assessments.

(b) The Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland has a separate contract with Atos Healthcare for the delivery of Medical Support Services in Northern Ireland.

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of work capability assessments carried out by Atos in each of the last two years resulted in claimants being deemed fit for work; [188011]

(2) what proportion of people who have been deemed fit for work in work capability assessments conducted by Atos have succeeded in having the decision overturned at appeal in each of the last two years. [188012]

Mike Penning: The information requested in relation to employment and support allowance, outcomes of work capability assessments and the proportion of fit for work decisions overturned following appeal can be found in table 1a and table 3 at:

26 Feb 2014 : Column 378W

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/statistics

Justice

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which buildings occupied by his Department are owned or part-owned privately; what the total value is of the rent paid to private landlords for the use of such buildings for official duties; and to whom such rent is paid. [183643]

Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice estate is a combination of freehold and leasehold premises of which over 500 properties are held on a leasehold/licence basis. Details of the Government Central Civil Estate, such as the address and whether the property is held on a leasehold/licence basis are recorded on the Central Government property database, Epims. These records are available via the following link:

www.data.gov.uk/dataset/epims

The Ministry of Justice is constantly seeking ways of reducing its rental liability. It has secured these reductions both via an active programme of estate rationalisation and ensuring that when lease rent reviews occur these are vigorously contested and nil or minimal increases are agreed.

Child Abuse in North Wales Judicial Inquiry

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on the enquiry by Judge Macur into the Waterhouse (North Wales Tribunal) enquiry; and when this report is planned to be released. [187496]

Simon Hughes: I would refer to the answer I gave on 28 January 2014, Official Report, column 458W.

Criminal Investigation

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which organisation his Department and its subsidiary bodies use to tackle internal instances of crime, including corruption and fraud; and whether he has designated this organisation or any individual within it to grant authorisation for carrying out directed surveillance under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. [186714]

Damian Green: There are dedicated teams across the Ministry for identifying and investigating suspected fraud. However, all suspected incidents of crime, including fraud and corruption across the Ministry and its subsidiary bodies would be referred to the police, in accordance with the departmental anti-fraud policy.

The National Offender Management Service has in place a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Association of Chief Police Officers for the investigation of staff corruption in prisons. The MoU gives primacy to the police to investigate instances of corruption in prisons where the criminal threshold is reached.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 379W

The National Offender Management Service is the only part of the Ministry that holds powers under section 28 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. Should NOMS exercise these powers, all authorisations would be granted by a NOMS employee. No person or organisation outside of NOMS is able to grant such authorisations on NOMS' behalf.

Criminal Proceedings: Veterans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library the terms of reference for the review by the hon. Member for Penrith and The Border of veterans in the criminal justice system. [185602]

Damian Green: I set out the terms of reference during debates of the Offender Rehabilitation Bill before the House on 14 January. These were to:

consider the rehabilitative needs of ex-service personnel convicted of criminal offences and sentenced to a custodial or community sentence, and the current rehabilitation available to them;

consider the process whereby ex-service personnel are identified following conviction;

consider best practice relating to the rehabilitation of ex-service personnel offenders, including evidence of effective interventions in other countries;

consult with the cross-Government military reference group; and to

26 Feb 2014 : Column 380W

report to the Secretary of State within six months.

I will place a full copy of the terms of reference in both House Libraries shortly.

Dangerous Driving: Convictions

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of causing death by dangerous driving in each of the last 10 years. [187702]

Damian Green: Severe maximum penalties are available for serious driving offences. The maximum penalty for causing death by dangerous driving is 14 years imprisonment. The overwhelming majority of those convicted of this offence receive long custodial sentences.

The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, has asked the Sentencing Council to look at its guidelines on causing death by driving to ensure that sentences imposed reflect the seriousness of the offending and it has agreed to include this in its work plan.

The number of offenders found guilty at all courts for 'causing death by dangerous driving' under the Road Traffic Act in England and Wales, from 2003 to 2012 (latest data available) can be viewed in the table.

The proportion of offenders given custody for this offence has increased since 2010.

Direct Selling: Prosecutions

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions were brought under the Data Protection Act 1998 in relation to unsolicited telephone calls in each of the last five years. [183853]

Simon Hughes: No prosecutions have been brought under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) in relation to unsolicited phone calls in the last five years. However, since 2010 the Government have increased the level of penalties that can be levied against those breaking the law. In 2010 the maximum penalty that Ofcom could issue for silent and abandoned calls was increased from £50,000 to £2 Million. Similarly, in May 2011 a maximum penalty of £500,000 was introduced to allow the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to issue higher penalties in relation to unsolicited calls and texts under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation 2003 (PECR). Since January 2012, £2.54 million of penalties have been issued by Ofcom and the ICO.

The Government take the problem of unsolicited telephone calls and text messages very seriously and are working closely with the relevant regulators, including Ofcom and the ICO to deal effectively with the root causes of these calls and those organisations that break the law. We will publish an action plan in the coming weeks that will set out current and further plans in this area.

Human Trafficking

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will amend the terms of his contract with the Salvation Army to require that body to record information on the location of victims of human trafficking once they have exited its shelters; and if his Department will make an assessment of the ways in which human trafficking victims are recorded in this country. [186626]

Damian Green: Since 1 July 2011 the Salvation Army has been contracted to provide support and assistance to adult victims of human trafficking for a minimum of

26 Feb 2014 : Column 381W

45 days or until a victims receives a 'Conclusive Grounds' decision. Under the terms of its contract with the Ministry of Justice, the Salvation Army is not required to maintain contact nor record information on the location of victims once they have exited contract services. However TSA and its sub-contractors work closely with a range of other partners to ensure that victims continue to receive support if it is needed.

Medicine: Research

Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the potential effect of the proposed General European Data Protection Regulation on medical research. [187540]

Simon Hughes: There have been no specific discussions between Justice and Health Ministers on the potential effect of the proposed EU General Data Protection Regulation on medical research. However, officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health have jointly held extensive discussions with representatives from the research community about the processing of personal data for medical research purposes under the proposed regulation.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria he plans to use to award Transforming Rehabilitation contracts in respect of women's services. [187443]

Jeremy Wright: The Offender Rehabilitation Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes that current supervision and activity requirements are both replaced with a single rehabilitation activity requirement to allow probation providers to determine which appointments or activities offenders should take part in.

A specific amendment has been made to the Bill in relation to female offenders. This requires the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, to make sure that, in making arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders, he has complied with the public sector duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 as it relates to female offenders.

Arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders must also identify provision required to meet the particular needs of female offenders. The amendment applies both to contracts with Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and services provided by the National Probation Service. We have also developed guidance so that future probation providers fully understand the particular needs of female offenders and how to respond to them.

Bidders for the CRC contracts will be expected to demonstrate an effective approach to the identification and recognition of women's needs, (as well as protected characteristics), to make sure that individual needs are properly addressed.

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria will be used to award transforming rehabilitation contracts in respect of women's services. [187665]

26 Feb 2014 : Column 382W

Simon Hughes: The Offender Rehabilitation Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes that current supervision and activity requirements are both replaced with a single rehabilitation activity requirement to allow probation providers to determine which appointments or activities offenders should take part in.

A specific amendment has been made to the Bill in relation to female offenders. This requires the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, to make sure that, in making arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders, he has complied with the public sector duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 as it relates to female offenders. Arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders must also identify provision required to meet the particular needs of female offenders. The amendment applies both to contracts with Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and services provided by the National Probation Service. We have also developed guidance so that future probation providers fully understand the particular needs of female offenders and how to respond to them.

Bidders for the CRC contracts will be expected to demonstrate an effective approach to the identification and recognition of women's needs, to make sure that individual needs are properly addressed.

Office of the Public Guardian

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how staff were recruited to the Office of the Public Guardian Investigations Unit in each of the last four years. [185489]

Simon Hughes: The Public Guardian has statutory authority to investigate complaints, or allegations of abuse, made against deputies or attorneys acting under registered powers. The Compliance Unit deals with complex cases and, in particular investigations into concerns about deputies and attorneys. The Investigation Unit is embedded within the Compliance Unit and plays an important role in safeguarding clients from abuse.

The figures requested can be found as follows. The high level of staff recruited in 2011 was caused by moving operations from the Office of the Public Guardian's (OPG) London office to its Birmingham office. There was a corresponding decrease in staff employed in London.

Prison Service

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) male and (b) female prison officers have been convicted of (i) any criminal offence and (ii) a criminal offence relating to their role as a prison officer by offence type in each of the last five years; [187482]

26 Feb 2014 : Column 383W

(2) what proportion of (a) male and (b) female prison officers have been the subject of internal disciplinary action in each of the last five years. [187483]

Jeremy Wright: The information is as follows:

(1) The number of (a) male and (b) female prison officers that have been convicted of (i) any criminal offence in the last five years is:

This information has been taken from the Ministry of Justice Shared Services Conduct and Discipline database.

A search carried out under the category 'Criminal Conviction' from the database relates only to prison officers and is over the last five years.

Please also note that the above figures are heavily reliant on prison officers notifying their line manager when a conviction is received. Prison officers have a contractual obligation to notify their employer if they receive a non work related conviction outside of the workplace.

With regard to the number of (a) male and (b) female prison officers that have been convicted of (ii) a criminal offence relating to their role as a prison officer by offence type in each of the last five years, the information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The number of (a) male and (b) female prison officers have been the subject of internal disciplinary action in each of the last five years is:

Prisoners: Females

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what projections his Department has made of the female prison population over the next five years. [187442]

Simon Hughes: The Ministry of Justice publishes Prison Population Projections on an annual basis. Each publication looks at the projected populations of men's and women's prisons for the following six years. The latest projection was published on 7 November 2013. The following table has been extracted from it and shows the prison population projections for females aged 18 and over up to June 2019. The scenarios track the impact of three different sentencing trends on custodial convictions, custodial sentence length and hence on the resulting prison population.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 384W

Prisons: Mother and Baby Units

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many inmates applied for a place in a mother and baby unit in the custodial estate in England and Wales in each year since 2010; [188781]

(2) how many applications for a place in a mother and baby unit in the custodial estate in England and Wales were (a) accepted and (b) refused in each year between 2010 and 2013. [188783]

Simon Hughes: The information requested is set out in the following table for the last three financial years.

No applications were refused for reasons of space.

Reoffenders: Females

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the closure of open women's prisons on reoffending rates. [187506]

Simon Hughes: The National Offender Management Service's Women's Custodial Estate Review was commissioned to consider where improvements could be made to: improve female prisoners proximity to their home; improve their ability to access interventions to reduce reoffending; and to guarantee that women had improved access to resettlement opportunities on release as part of the Transforming Rehabilitation programme. Research findings suggest that prisoners view contact with families and children during imprisonment, as well as having a job on release, as important for reducing their reoffending.

The report, published in October 2013, made a range of recommendations that included increasing closeness to home for those currently held in the open estate and providing all female prisoners with access to employment regimes that will aim to get them into jobs on release through improved skills and local contacts. We are also introducing a slightly different operating model for women's prisons under the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms. The operating model for women's prisons will allow multiple providers access to most establishments. The majority of female prisoners will be provided with resettlement services by the same provider who will also provide statutory rehabilitation support upon release.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 385W

Sexual Offences: Rights of Accused

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he is considering any changes to the requirement for anonymity of people accused of sexual offences before and during trials. [187959]

Damian Green: The Government currently have no plans to legislate for anonymity for suspects or defendants.

Squatting

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on the potential merits of making squatting in commercial buildings a criminal offence. [188344]

Damian Green: We have received several letters from MPs and members of the public about this issue. Some have described the financial impact that squatting can have on commercial property owners, including the costs they might incur through loss of revenue, legal fees and building repairs. Others have expressed concern about the impact criminalisation could have on people who squat in dilapidated commercial buildings to avoid rough sleeping. We are considering these issues carefully and have not made any final decisions about whether to criminalise squatting in commercial buildings.

Witnesses

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many requests were made for each age group of vulnerable witnesses for registered intermediaries by (a) the police, (b) the Crown Prosecution Service, (c) courts, (d) solicitors and (e) other groups in each year since 2010; [184188]

(2) how many requests were made for registered intermediaries in each year since 2010. [184187]

Damian Green: The data in the following table provide the requested information. Only the police, CPS, courts and solicitors may request a registered intermediary.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 386W

Transport

Bus Services: Finance

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate his Department has made of the total value of bus service operator grant that will be devolved to local authorities outside London during (a) 2014 and (b) financial years (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15, (iii) 2015-16 and (iv) 2016-17; [188161]

(2) what the current total value is of bus service operator grant that has been devolved to local authorities outside London from 1 January 2014 to date. [188162]

Stephen Hammond: A total of £13.682 million was devolved to local authorities between October 2013 and January 2014, covering the financial year 2013-14. Our current estimate is that we expect to be able to devolve a further £46.794 million to local authorities for 2014-15 and £49.169 million for 2015-16. The devolved figures are based on financial years, and we are not making a separate payment for the 2014 calendar year.

The figures are made up of three elements:

(i) funding previously paid to bus operators for running services under tender to local authorities;

(ii) funding previously paid to local authorities for running community transport services in-house;

(iii) Bus Service Operators Grant funding and "top-up" payments for those authorities which have been designated as Better Bus Areas.

However, these figures are subject to future spending decisions. Figures for 2016-17 onwards will be a matter for the next spending review.

Cycling

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Cycle Racing on the Highway Regulations 1960. [187752]

Mr Goodwill: The Department is currently considering updates to the Cycle Racing on the Highway Regulations 1960 proposed as part of the Government's Red Tape Challenge. The consultation on proposed changes closed in October 2013, and legislative proposals will be brought forward once responses have been fully considered.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 387W

Driving: Licensing

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will meet Google to discuss copycat websites which charge for driving licence renewals. [188873]

Stephen Hammond: Cabinet Office Government Digital Service (GDS) is leading a cross-Government exercise to gather information about the operation of third-party websites which offer services associated with official Government transactions, including driving licence applications.

The Minister for Civil Society, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd), and the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), are meeting with Google shortly to discuss its terms and conditions for advertising the services offered by these third party web sites. GDS will also engage with other internet search engine providers about this issue.

First Capital Connect

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) net franchise payment and (b) revenue support sums are for the extension of First Capital Connect's Thameslink franchise from 31 March to 14 September 2014. [188801]

Stephen Hammond: Contracted premium—which is the sum paid by the franchisee to the Department—for the interim franchise agreement is circa £80 million. Subsidy and premium payments are published regularly on the Office of Rail Regulation website.

There is no revenue support mechanism in the new contract.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that the report to the Government setting out the results of the Phase Two consultation on High Speed 2 is published. [187751]

Mr Goodwill: In line with previous consultations on HS2, HS2 Ltd will publish a report summarising the responses received to the consultation as part of the advice to the Secretary of State in taking his decision. The decision on Phase Two of HS2 is due to be taken by the end of the year.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received on High Speed 2 from each local authority in Yorkshire. [187885]

Mr Goodwill: Since the publication of the initial preferred route for Phase Two of HS2 in January 2013, the Secretary of State has met with representatives from Sheffield, Leeds, Wakefield and York city councils.

The consultation on the Phase Two route concluded at the end of January and, to date, we have received response from Barnsley metropolitan borough council, city of Bradford metropolitan borough council, Doncaster metropolitan borough council, Leeds city council,

26 Feb 2014 : Column 388W

Rotherham metropolitan borough council, Sheffield city council, Wakefield council, York city council and North Yorkshire county council.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to publish the jobs and skills strategy for the UK workforce by HS2 Ltd. [188190]

Mr Goodwill: HS2 Ltd is conducting research into the skills picture across the UK work force and the demand which the construction of HS2 will bring. This work will inform the HS2 Ltd skills strategy which is currently under development. We expect it to be set out in more detail in the latter part of 2014.

London Midland

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the London Midland franchise. [188211]

Stephen Hammond: The franchise agreement between the Government and each individual train operator includes contractual benchmarks in key performance areas. The Department monitors each train operator's overall performance against these areas and there are clear actions set out in the franchise agreement should performance drop below what is expected. This regular monitoring includes monthly meetings with their senior management where performance figures are scrutinised and challenged.

At present London Midland is assessed as being within its contracted performance benchmarks as set out in the franchise agreement.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 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. [188326]

Stephen Hammond: The following table reflects the size in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of the Department's Ministers:

Each Department for Transport Minister has five or fewer officials working directly for them in their private offices, and to protect individual privacy these numbers have not been disclosed.

Motor Sports

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to review the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 relating to the holding of motor vehicle races on public roads. [187754]

26 Feb 2014 : Column 389W

Mr Goodwill: We are reviewing the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988 relating to the holding of motor vehicle races on public roads in close partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). DCMS plan to hold a public consultation in the near future.

Motorcycles

Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make if his policy not to increase the requirements of roadworthiness testing of powered two-wheelers; and if he will make a statement. [188407]

Stephen Hammond: The Department has no plans to increase roadworthiness test requirements for two wheeled motor vehicles.

Motorway Service Areas: Alcoholic Drinks

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Highways Agency was consulted on the decision to allow the sale and consumption of alcohol in motorway service areas. [188821]

Mr Goodwill: As a Government agency, it is not appropriate for the Highways Agency to formally respond to the consultation. The agency helped the Home Office to develop the impact assessment published alongside their consultation and will continue to work together with the Home Office and other partners in agreeing a way forward.

Oxford-Hereford Railway Line

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the reliability and punctuality of passenger services on the North Cotswold Line; and if he will instruct First Great Western to commence publishing this information separately in its Passenger Charter figures. [188793]

Stephen Hammond: The doubling of the North Cotswold line has delivered six additional services and has reduced journey times by up to 10 minutes.

The Moving Annual Average Public Performance Measure is currently 81.96%. This reflects the very difficult problems caused by the recent severe weather, in particular the flooding at Hinksey near Oxford.

We have no plans at this time to ask any train operator to publish such information separately in its Passenger Charter figures.

Public Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to reduce the cost of public transport. [187822]

Stephen Hammond: The fares that passengers pay are crucial to funding bus and rail operations. In rail, they contribute towards the major investment programme we are undertaking. The Government recognise passengers' concerns about the impact of fares on household budgets, which is why for the first time in a decade average regulated rail fares have been capped at inflation.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 390W

Bus services outside London are deregulated and fares are mainly a matter for the commercial judgment of bus operators. However, the Government have made a commitment to retain the current Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) rate for the remainder of this Parliament. The subsidy means that bus operators' net fuel costs are around 40% lower which can enable operators to keep bus fares approximately 4% lower than they otherwise would be.

In addition, we have frozen the fuel duty rate until May 2015. The rate was due to increase by an expected 1.61 pence per litre fuel in September this year. However, as a result of this measure, operating costs for public transport can now be kept lower than they otherwise would have been.

Government have also maintained free bus travel in England for eligible older and disabled people. In 2012-13 there were 9.7 million bus passes in circulation with an average of 105 trips being made per pass each year.

Public Transport: Visual Impairment

Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to make travel easier for those with sight loss; and if he will make a statement. [188365]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport is committed to removing the barriers to travel for all passengers, including those with visual impairments and reduced mobility. We are working with the transport industry to deliver a range of initiatives to provide a more accessible and fair transport system, including setting deadlines for accessible buses and trains, and improving the numbers of transport staff who have received disability awareness training.

Our commitments have been published in the Department's Accessibility Action Plan, which is available on the Department's website:

www.dft.gov.uk

Railways: Franchises

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received over customer service levels on the (a) First Capital Connect Great Northern service and (b) Hertford Loop; and if he will make a statement. [188014]

Stephen Hammond: The Department has received no recent correspondence specifically on this matter, although it has been the subject of recent parliamentary debate, at which a number of representations were raised, as well as a number of subsequent parliamentary questions.

Roads: Weather

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the Highways Agency's budget has been spent on (a) each scheme aimed at improving weather resilience and (b) each scheme responding to additional pressures on roads as a result of climate change in each of the last five years. [188800]

Mr Goodwill: The strategic road network has proved to be very resilient during the recent period of unprecedented weather. There have been very few closures

26 Feb 2014 : Column 391W

over this current winter, showing that there is a proportionate level of resilience built into the network. This is due to network design standards that provide appropriate resilience for severe weather events together with ongoing cyclical investment to maintain network condition. The agency also takes proactive action to mitigate the impacts of severe weather events and maintain resilience, for example by closing temporarily some bridges to help avoid high-sided vehicles being blown over.

For the years in which figures are available, the agency has allocated the following capital funding for schemes predominantly classed as drainage or geotechnical (ground) works.

In addition to these specific investments, other improvement and renewal schemes also include elements which enhance network resilience, but the spend on these is not available in the format requested. The agency's maintenance contracts also include requirements for service providers to inspect and clear drains on a regular basis as part of their range of general maintenance duties; the cost of this is not included in the above figures.

The agency has invested over £45 million in renewing its fleet of winter service vehicles between 2008 and 2010 and typically spends around £20 million a year providing routine winter services including salt treatments etc.

Within the Highways Agency, climate change is identified as a priority risk and one that is central to organisational planning. The agency updated its drainage design standards in 2006 to accommodate the recommended allowance for climate change (20% increase in rainfall intensities). Since 2006, all new drainage systems have been designed to this standard. Design standards have recently been updated further to incorporate new design requirements agreed with DEFRA in support of the National Sustainable Drainage Systems Standards that are a requirement of the Floods and Water Management Act 2010. These will be published in the near future.

Staff

Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will reduce staff numbers in his Department commensurately with the delegation of decision-making to a local level; and if he will make a statement. [188408]

Stephen Hammond: Since 2010 the number of permanent full-time equivalent staff in the Department for Transport and its agencies has been reduced by 14.7% (by January 2014).

The Department supports the delegation of decision-making to the local level across a range of transport issues. However, decisions on staffing levels take account

26 Feb 2014 : Column 392W

of various financial and operational issues and it is not possible to disaggregate changes in staff numbers according to the policy on localism.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Business: Human Rights

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Energy Industries Council on the UK Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. [188770]

Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not had any recent discussions with the Energy Industries Council on the UK Action Plan. The UK was the first country to produce an Action Plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles on business and human rights, which were endorsed by the Human Rights Council in 2011. The Action Plan embodies our commitment to protect human rights by helping UK companies understand and manage human rights.

The Government place great importance on communicating its Human Rights message to companies, and shall continue to alert business people to the human rights situations relevant to the countries in which they do, or hope to do, business, for example through the Overseas Business Risk website or when undertaking trade missions.

Indonesia

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the prevalance of religious persecution in Indonesia; and if he will make a statement. [188634]

Mr Swire: Indonesia has a strong tradition of religious diversity and tolerance. However, in recent years there has been a rise in localised instances of interreligious conflict, including hostility towards the Ahmadiyya, Christian and Shi'a communities, and examples where the rights of religious minority groups have not been protected. The central Government and law enforcement response has at times been weak and even overruled at the local level. We are also concerned that some local bylaws abrogate the rights of women and religious minority groups.

Our embassy in Jakarta continues to monitor freedom of religious belief in Indonesia and engages with the government of Indonesia on our concerns. Our ambassador has discussed these issues with the Minister of Religious Affairs as well as Indonesian civil society and religious leaders. Religious freedom continues to be a focus at the annual EU-Indonesia Human Rights Dialogue. We will continue to press the Indonesian Government and law enforcement agencies to uphold Indonesia's constitutional right to religious freedom, including ensuring that laws and regulations at all levels provide protection for minority faiths.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 393W

Israel

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on Israel meeting its obligations under the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access. [188692]

Hugh Robertson: We continue to press Israel to ease its restrictions on Gaza, in line with the 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv most recently raised this with the Israeli National Security Adviser on 13 February.

North Korea

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will place alleged crimes against humanity in North Korea on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council; [188794]

(2) if he will take steps to use the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council to extend the mandate for the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in North Korea; [188796]

(3) if he will use the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council to extend the country-specific human rights monitoring and reporting mechanisms on North Korea and the periodic reports of the Secretary General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. [188797]

Mr Swire: The Government are horrified by the reports of shocking state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement of 24 February 2014, Official Report, columns 6-7WS, which explains how we plan to respond.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with his Chinese counterpart. [188795]

Mr Swire: The Government are horrified by the reports of shocking state sanctioned human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). As we have made clear in a written ministerial statement on 24 February 2014, Official Report, columns 6-7WS, we will work to ensure the UN Human Rights Council sends a strong message to the DPRK that there can be no impunity for human rights violators. China is a member of the Council and we expect them to participate in the discussion. We have also already raised the Commission of Inquiry's report with senior Chinese officials in Beijing.

Palestinians

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the consequences of Israel's blockade for Gaza. [188840]

26 Feb 2014 : Column 394W

Hugh Robertson: We assess that Israeli restrictions are damaging the economy of Gaza and the living standards of Palestinians. Together with our European partners, we continue to press the Israeli authorities to ease their restrictions on movement of goods and people. Our ambassador to Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns over Gaza with the Israeli National Security Advisor on 13 February.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Israel on the treatment of Palestinian children; and if he will make a statement. [188905]

Hugh Robertson: We have made representations about the treatment of child detainees to the Israeli authorities on many occasions, including at Foreign Minister, Attorney General, Minister of Justice and National Security Adviser levels, Officials from our embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised the issue with the Israeli Defence Force on 25 February.

Syria

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the position of Syrian men of military age who are trapped in Homs and are seeking to escape; and what reports he has received on the presence of a route out from the conflict zone. [188593]

Hugh Robertson: We are extremely concerned about the fate of all those remaining in the Old City of Homs, particularly the fate of the remaining men who left Homs and were detained by the Syrian regime. We will continue to press for urgent answers about what is happening to those who remain detained and urge the Assad regime to release them immediately. We remain in close touch with the UN agencies involved in the humanitarian effort in Homs. We have not received any reports of a route out from the conflict zone.

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the kidnap and alleged execution of the Jesuit priest Father Paolo Dall'Oglio; and if he will make a statement. [188812]

Hugh Robertson: We have heard conflicting information about the wellbeing of the Italian priest and peace activist Father Paulo Dall'Oglio who is believed to have been detained by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. We have grave concerns for the welfare of Father Paulo and all others, Syrian or international, who have been detained by the regime or by extremist groups.

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the group Open Doors on the current situation of Christians in Syria. [188814]

Hugh Robertson: On 10 December, the Senior Minister of State, my noble friend the right Hon. Baroness Warsi, met with representatives of Open Doors to receive a petition expressing concern about the situation of

26 Feb 2014 : Column 395W

Christians in Syria. My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the member for North East Bedfordshire, Mr Burt, had also met with them on 9 July 2013. The reporting and advocacy of groups like Open Doors provides a valuable contribution to public understanding and debate around the treatment of religious minorities in Syria and throughout the world. We, like Open Doors, are deeply concerned about the situation of Christians in Syria and expect to engage further in the future.

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of Christians who have fled Syria. [188815]

Hugh Robertson: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) does not publish a breakdown of refugee numbers by religion and we have no reliable alternative source. Almost 2.5 million Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries while 6.5 million are internally displaced. This means that well over a third of Syria's population have-been driven from their homes. The ongoing crisis has clearly had a devastating impact on Christians, and on all of Syria's communities. We believe that President Assad's actions include a deliberate attempt to stir up sectarian tensions in his effort to hold on to power. The National Coalition, who we recognise as the sole legitimate representatives of the Syrian people, has responded to these reports, emphasising that they are contrary to the Coalition's vision of a future, pluralist Syria that protects the rights of all its citizens.