Leader of the House

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Leader of the House what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to his Office's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of his Office's Ministers. [188322]

Mr Lansley: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. Information on sizes of my ministerial office and the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons is as follows:

Leader of the House of Commons: 39.1m²

Deputy Leader of the House of Commons: 43.5m²

Information on Cabinet Office staffing is already available as part of published transparency data:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-30-september-2012--2

Defence

Afghanistan

Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 587, how many locally employed interpreters were employed by the Government in Afghanistan in the last 10 years; how many such interpreters

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have come to the UK; how many such interpreters have been given

(a)

a financial and resettlement package and

(b)

an intimidation package, in Afghanistan; and how many (i) applications and (ii) refusals have been made in each such case. [188542]

Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence has employed around 2,770 locally employed interpreters since January 2004. No MOD interpreters have yet relocated to the UK as part of a redundancy or relocation scheme. Initial estimates are that up to 600 interpreters will receive all three offers, with the option of relocation to the UK, training or financial packages in Afghanistan.

Each claim of intimidation is assessed by an investigation unit, on a case by case basis. Cases are dealt with on a graduated basis reflecting the level of the measures required to ensure an individual's safety. In four such cases, financial assistance has been provided to assist locally employed interpreters to mitigate the threat to them; this has included relocation within Afghanistan to address intimidation threats.

Armed Forces: Harassment

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made in the (a) Army, (b) RAF and (c) Royal Navy in response to a number of cases of harassment reported to the Service Complaints Commissioner by 2012; and if he will make a statement. [188149]

Anna Soubry: The Service Complaints Commissioner plays an important role in ensuring our complaints system remains fair, effective and efficient, but her observations also enable wider issues to be highlighted. For the arrangements in place across the Army and RAF, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 24 February 2014, Official Report, columns 62W and 65W.

The arrangements that are in place across the Royal Navy in respect of bullying, harassment and discrimination are:

The Naval Service Core and Advanced Diversity and Inclusion training has been completely re-written. The new version, introduced at the beginning of 2013, was produced with support from The Garnett Foundation. It is mandatory for all personnel and attendees are provided with a "Diversity, Inclusion & You" booklet which covers what individuals can do if they feel bullied, harassed or discriminated against, including helplines for internal and external organisations.

A dedicated bullying and harassment (B&H) pamphlet has been distributed to naval staff, as well as new information poster and pamphlets relating to cyber space B&H.

Each naval service unit receives a mandatory biennial diversity and inclusion (D&I) advisory visit. During this visit adherence to the D&I training policy and B&H complaints policy are discussed and a written report is submitted to the commanding officer.

To ensure that future managers are captured, training is given to officers when they join at the Britannia Royal Naval College, and all ratings and officers who attend the Leading Rates Command Course, Senior Rates Command Course and Divisional Officers Course at the Royal Navy Leadership Academy. This training has to be repeated every two years and will be reviewed towards the end of 2015.

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Cleaning Services

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to reduce the cost of laundry equipment supplied to his Department. [187706]

Mr Dunne: Laundry equipment is supplied to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) through a number of contractual arrangements, including through prime contractors and more localised contracting arrangements. Details of these laundry contracts are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

MOD contracts are usually open to competition and value for money would be a key consideration in any tender evaluation process.

Defence Academy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Commercial Course run by the Defence Academy. [185063]

Anna Soubry: Full disclosure of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Commercial Course would prejudice the commercial interests of Cranfield university. Therefore, I am unable to place a copy of its documents in the Library of the House. However, I have placed a presentation owned by the Ministry of Defence in the Library of the House for your information.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Support Management Course run by the Defence Academy. [185066]

Anna Soubry: Full disclosure of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Support Management Course would prejudice the commercial interests of Cranfield university. Therefore, I am unable to place a copy of its documents in the Library of the House. However, I have placed presentations owned by the Ministry of Defence in the Library of the House for your information.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Finance Programme run by the Defence Academy. [185068]

Anna Soubry: Full disclosure of the teaching materials used in the delivery of the Defence Strategic Finance Programme would prejudice the commercial interests of Cranfield university. Therefore, I am unable to place a copy of its documents in the Library of the House. However, I have placed presentations owned by the Ministry of Defence for my right hon. Friend’s information.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he has received from Lockheed Martin on the readiness statistics for the

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F35B; and whether he is confident that this aircraft will reach levels of readiness comparable to the F-22. [188304]

Mr Dunne: Lightning II is scheduled to achieve Initial Operating Capability (Land) in 2018 and will commence First of Class Flying Trials during that year. This definition of readiness is a UK specific requirement and is not linked to the F-22. The programme is making good progress and is on schedule to meet its Initial Operating Capability.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2014, Official Report, column 220W, on accountancy, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for North Durham. [187916]

Dr Murrison: I have written to the hon. Member today.

Military Bases: Drugs

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many incidents have been reported of (a) civilian staff and (b) military personnel using illegal drugs at UK nuclear bases in each of the last three years. [186243]

Anna Soubry: I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Substantive answer from Anna Soubry to Margaret Ritchie:

In my answer of 6 February 2014 (Official Report col 351W) I promised to write in response to your question on the number of reported incidents of civilian staff and military personnel using illegal drugs at UK nuclear bases in each of the last three years.

I can confirm that no such incidents were investigated by the Ministry of Defence Police or the Service Police during this period. For military personnel our information is limited to offences where the Service police have jurisdiction and the investigative lead. For Ministry of Defence civilian staff our information is limited to offences where the Ministry of Defence Police have jurisdiction and the investigative lead. It is worth noting that primacy for the investigation of all criminal offences committed within the UK remains the responsibility of the local Chief Constable.

Procurement

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to help small and medium-sized enterprises enter the competitive tendering process for contracts with his Department. [188773]

Mr Dunne: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 444-445W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport (Caroline Dinenage).

Communities and Local Government

Emergency Services: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to change the capping regime for the police and other emergency services. [187850]

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Brandon Lewis: None, as capping was abolished by the Localism Act 2011.

Enterprise Capital Funds: Merseyside

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what share of the £100 million Enterprise Capital Fund was allocated to Merseyside. [188810]

Kris Hopkins: Liverpool Enterprise Partnership's share of the capital grant fund is £3,578,217 for the Daresbury Enterprise Zone, subject to ensuring value for money for the taxpayer.

Insulation

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to ensure that (a) only closed cell insulation is used in buildings and flood risk areas and (b) BBA Agrément certificates specify that other types of cavity wall insulation are not certified for use in such areas. [188765]

Stephen Williams: Building work must meet the functional requirements of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations. Approved Documents provide guidance on means of compliance with the relevant functional requirements. There is no obligation to adopt any particular solution given in an Approved Document and other methods and materials may be suitable in the particular circumstances.

Approved Document C “Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture” refers to advice on flood resilience set out in the DCLG/DEFRA/Environment Agency publication “Improving the flood performance of new buildings-flood resilient construction”. This document advises that external insulation is preferable to cavity insulation because it can be more easily replaced if necessary. It also advises that cavity insulation should incorporate rigid closed cell materials as these retain integrity and have low moisture take up in the event of immersion.

There is no requirement in the Building Regulations-or approved documents to use materials certified by the British Board of Agrément. These certificates are a matter for Board and the Department has no power to affect their content.

It is Government policy to ensure that the Building Regulations remain material and technology-neutral, to avoid distorting markets and inhibiting product innovation.

For similar reasons, and to comply with European free trade legislation, Building Regulations do not require third party certification of products, such as British Board of Agrément certificates. Approved Document 7 “Materials and workmanship” gives further details of ways to demonstrate that a material is suitable for use for a specific purpose.

Local Government Finance

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department plans to take to promote a balanced approach to investment in both city and non-metropolitan county areas. [187927]

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Kris Hopkins: The Government are negotiating a ‘Growth Deal’ with all 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships which are due to be concluded by July 2014. Local Enterprise Partnerships cover functional economic areas across all of England, and cover both rural and urban areas. Growth Deals will include freedoms and flexibilities for places to support economic growth and a share of the Local Growth Fund, which will be at least £2 billion per year through the next Parliament.

Planning

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to publish his Department's revision to planning practice guidance. [188775]

Nick Boles: We have been carefully considering the comments received during the test phase of the National Planning Practice Guidance web-based resource. We will launch and publish the final version in due course.

Regional Planning and Development: West Midlands

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 443W, on local government: co-operation, how his Department is implementing the commitment, on page 184 of the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Revocation of the West Midlands Regional Strategy: Post Adoption Statement, to monitor the environmental impacts of the duty to co-operate in the West Midlands and implement measures to address or mitigate any negative effects. [188762]

Nick Boles: The Post Adoption Statement explains that the monitoring programme will use existing regulatory regimes and data collection processes to provide information on potential environmental impacts. The metrics and sources of monitoring information are set out in Annex C to the Statement and in reviewing the effects of revocation we will make periodic reference to this information.

Education

Child Minding

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when the independent evaluation of the childminder agency pilots will report to his Department; and when the results will be published. [188900]

Elizabeth Truss: The action research into childminder agency trials, being carried out by an independent evaluator, is due to conclude at the end of March 2014. The evaluation is intended to report on learning from the trials in order to inform policy development, the business models for the trials, and the requirements for childminder agencies which will be set out in regulations.

Community Schools

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of the community primaries that have had their academy status applications declined by

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his Department are rated

(a)

outstanding and

(b)

good by Ofsted. [188759]

Mr Timpson: Of the 26 community primary schools that have had their applications to convert to an academy declined, three were rated 'outstanding' and 17 were rated 'good' by Ofsted at the time of application.

Pre-school Education

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of the two-year-olds within the 20 per cent most disadvantaged group are accessing a free early education place in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area. [188897]

Elizabeth Truss: Data on the number of two-year-olds in funded places is being gathered through the early years and schools censuses which took place in January 2014 and will be published in summer 2014. This will include information on the number of two-year-olds accessing free early education places in each local authority.

Schools

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the performance of converter academies with schools which are eligible to convert but which have chosen to retain their maintained status; [188757]

(2) what comparative assessment he has made of the recent changes in the performance of sponsored academies and low-performing schools which choose to keep maintained status. [188758]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education has published a number of reports that have compared the improvements seen in academies to those in local authority schools, controlling for previous outcomes.

In June 2013, analysis published alongside the Academies Annual Report showed that sponsored academies were improving at a faster rate than a group of comparable local authority maintained schools at key stage 4¹.

¹Note:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/attainment-by-pupils-in-academies-2012-supplementary-analysis-to-the-academies-annual-report-2011-to-2012

In January 2014, the Department published analysis comparing the performance of converter academies in Ofsted inspections with local authority maintained schools². It showed that, at both primary and secondary level, converter academies were more likely to retain their previously outstanding rating or improve their previously good rating than local authority maintained schools.

²Note:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/performance-of-converter-academies-in-2012-to-2013

Schools: Transport

Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy that school transport for pupils aged 16 and over should become a statutory function for local authorities following the raising of the school leaving age. [188756]

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Mr Laws: The responsibility for post-16 transport support already lies with local authorities (LAs). LAs have a statutory duty to publish a post-16 transport policy statement each year that sets out the travel arrangements they will make to support young people of sixth-form age to access further education or training. These young people may be at school but may also be at college or undertaking an apprenticeship, traineeship or another form of training.

The type and level of support provided is for LAs to decide. LAs are expected to make reasonable decisions based on the needs of their population, the local transport infrastructure, and the resources they have available.

Mr Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will hold the consultation on new guidelines for home to school transport announced by the Minister for Schools in October 2013. [188850]

Mr Laws: We intend to launch the consultation in spring 2014, with publication of the new ‘Home to School Travel and Transport Guidance’ expected to take place later in the year.

Teachers: Surveys

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 360W, on teachers: surveys, when his Department will complete its analysis of the 2013 Teacher Workload survey. [188763]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education has completed its analysis of the findings of the 2013 Teacher Workload Survey. It will be published shortly, in accordance with the Cabinet Office's Government Social Research guidance.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will use the findings of the March 2013 Teacher Workload survey to inform (a) current cross union talks, (b) departmental decision-making processes and (c) any further review of existing policies; and if he will make a statement. [188764]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education will publish the findings of the 2013 Teacher Workload Survey shortly in accordance with the Cabinet Office's Government Social Research guidance.

The survey's findings will be of interest to all parties invited to the programme of talks that the Secretary of State for Education, has initiated with the trade unions. The Department for Education will include the survey's findings within the agenda of these talks and consider the detail in the development of related policies.

Northern Ireland

Paramilitary Groups

9. Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the current threat level from paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland. [902706]

26 Feb 2014 : Column 403W

Mrs Villiers: Northern Ireland continues to suffer from violence and crime perpetrated by dissident republicans and individuals believed to be connected with loyalist paramilitary groups. This includes a range of criminal activity such as brutal punishment attacks, organised crime, drug dealing and intimidation. Such activity will not be tolerated and the PSNI is working hard to build an evidence case against suspects to ensure that they face the full rigours of the law.

Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme

11. Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress she had made on reinstating the Northern Ireland aggregates levy credit scheme. [902708]

Mr Robathan: Treasury officials are currently considering follow-up questions from the Commission in relation to the aggregates levy credit scheme with the Northern Ireland industry body QPANI and DFP.

The available evidence is being gathered for a response that will enable the Commission to approve the scheme both retrospectively and for the future.

Rebalancing the Economy

12. Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress the Government are making on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy and reducing its reliance on public sector employment. [902709]

Mrs Villiers: The Government and the Executive are committed to rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy and we continue to work together on measures in the economic pact to support private sector growth. We recognise that continuing work is needed to secure the recovery and rebalance the economy, which remains too dependent on public spending.

Youth Unemployment

13. Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the Government’s economic policies on youth unemployment in Northern Ireland. [902711]

Mr Robathan: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Members for Stockton North, and Oldham East and Saddleworth.

Legacy of the Past: Role of Voluntary Sector

14. David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the role of the voluntary sector in dealing with the legacy of the past. [902712]

Mr Robathan: Voluntary sector organisations provide invaluable support for those whose lives have been changed forever as a result of Northern Ireland’s troubled past. I pay tribute to their work, which I know from my conversations with victims and their families is deeply appreciated by many in Northern Ireland.

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Bank Services

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) when the next meeting of the Joint Ministerial Taskforce on Banking and Access to Finance in Northern Ireland will be published; and if she will make a statement on those consulted about drafting of the agenda; [188259]

(2) what priorities have been agreed by the Joint Ministerial Taskforce on Banking and Access to Finance in Northern Ireland since its first meeting; and if she will make a statement. [188260]

Mrs Villiers: The economic pact, ‘Building a Prosperous and United Community’, recognises the importance of bank lending to businesses in Northern Ireland.

The Joint Ministerial Taskforce on Banking and Access to Finance was established to consider the support required and support available for local banks and businesses. The next meeting of the Ministerial Taskforce is due to take place before the Easter recess.

A statement will be made in June on progress across the commitments set out in the Pact including access to finance.

Block Grant

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the block grant to Northern Ireland has been in each year since 2005. [188289]

Mrs Villiers: Details of the block grant since 2008-09 are provided in an annex to the Northern Ireland Office Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13. Copies are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nio-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13

Data for the requested time frame prior to 2008-9 are not available on a consistent basis.

Fuel Oil

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the level of dependence on home heating oil in Northern Irish households and the effect of such dependence on average household energy costs. [188288]

Mrs Villiers: This is a matter for Northern Ireland Executive Ministers. I am however advised that some 68% of homes in Northern Ireland are dependent on home heating oil compared to 4% in Great Britain.

The Utility Regulator in Northern Ireland has launched a licence application process that will see upwards of £200 million invested in a new gas pipeline to the west of Northern Ireland and bring gas to the towns of Strabane, Omagh, Enniskillen, Derrylin, Dungannon, Coalisland, Cookstown and Magherafelt.

This competition has the potential to generate an additional £200 million of economic benefits, from energy savings and reduced greenhouse gas emissions and will give more choices to householders in Northern Ireland on how best to heat their homes.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 405W

Fuel Poverty

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what comparative assessment she has made of the level of fuel poverty in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) other areas of the UK. [188287]

Mrs Villiers: Much of the responsibility for issues in this area is devolved, but the Government are playing its part to address the problems we know people are encountering in Northern Ireland as a result of fuel prices. Notably, the Chancellor has frozen fuel duty for the remainder of the Parliament. Since home heating oil heats 68% of homes in Northern Ireland compared to 4% in Great Britain this has a very significant impact.

In April 2011, the Northern Ireland Executive Department of Social Development (DSD) launched a new fuel poverty strategy, ‘Warmer Healthier Homes’ which set out a vision for the future as a society in which people live in a warm and comfortable home and help lift people out of fuel poverty.

The warm homes scheme has been the DSD’s main tool in tackling fuel poverty since 2001. The scheme has assisted over 120,000 low-income households to improve their energy efficiency. It is estimated that in uninsulated houses some 35% of heat is lost through the walls, 25% through the roof and 15% through the floors.

The DSD boiler replacement scheme is targeted at improving the energy efficiency of low-to-middle income households. Since the scheme was launched in September 2012, some 7,320 new boilers have been installed.

The Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme runs until March 2014 and offers a number of heating and insulation schemes involving grants, discounts and cash back for households and some commercial businesses.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change remains in close contact with its counterparts in Northern Ireland on these and other related matters.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the size, in square metres, of the

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offices assigned to each of her Department's Ministers and non-departmental public bodies is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of her Department's Ministers and non-departmental public bodies is. [188323]

Mrs Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office currently operates from three locations; 1 Horse Guards Road, London; Stormont House, Belfast; and Hillsborough Castle.

The following table sets out the size of Ministers’ offices in each of these locations:

The number and grades of officials that work in private offices are set out in the following table:

My Department has two Executive non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As these bodies operate independently of Government, the hon. Member may wish to write to the Commissions directly on these matters—contact details are set out in the following table:

Public Appointments

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many of the appointments to public bodies in Northern Ireland she has made were (a) men and (b) women; and if she will make a statement; [188262]

(2) for which appointments to public bodies she is responsible; and if she will make a statement. [188263]

Mrs Villiers: All appointments to public bodies in Northern Ireland made by my Department are regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA).

Information on appointments to public bodies is set out in the following table.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 407W

Sovereignty: Scotland

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the implications for Northern Ireland of the Scottish Government's white paper on Scotland's future. [188269]

Mr Robathan: I have not made an assessment. The UK Government believe that it is in the best interests of Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom. The UK Government are focused on making the case for Scotland to stay in the UK and we will not act in any way that requires us to consider the interests of the UK without Scotland.

The reality is that if people in Scotland vote for independence then negotiations would be required with the continuing UK, the EU and others, and there is no way of predicting what the outcome of that process will be.

Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 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. [188080]

Mrs Villiers: My Department does not hold this information centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Figures for January 2014 for staff employed by my Department who have declared their ethnic background show that 2% are from ethnic minority backgrounds, 31% are White British, 1% as White Irish. 66% have not declared their ethnic background.

VAT

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about levels of VAT and their effects on the tourism and hospitality sectors in Northern Ireland. [188264]

Mrs Villiers: I regularly hold discussions with Treasury Ministers, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on a wide range of economic issues that impact on Northern Ireland. As set out in our joint economic pact signed in June 2013, ‘Building a Prosperous and United Community’, the Government will continue to work with the Executive to encourage visitors to Northern Ireland.

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Welfare State: Reform

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive on welfare reform. [188371]

Mrs Villiers: I have been stressing to Northern Ireland Executive Ministers as part of my ongoing discussions with them, that our welfare reforms are designed to help people out of poverty by ensuring that work always pays, as well as helping to tackle the causes of welfare dependency and ensuring we are fair both to those in genuine need and to the taxpayer.

Treasury

Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on newspaper advertising, by newspaper, in the most recent year for which figures are available. [187800]

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not separately identified within our accounting system. To attempt to extract these data would be of disproportionate cost.

However as part of the Government's transparency agenda, all Departments publish details of transactions above £25,000. Data are published one month in arrears and can be found within the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/25000-spend

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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. [183647]

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury rents space in buildings from other Government Departments and agencies. We do not hold details of landlords' commercial arrangements.

Child Benefit

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in (a) the UK and (b) each region that are subject to the high income child benefit charge and failed to meet the self-assessment deadline of 31 January 2014. [188450]

Mr Gauke: This information is currently not available. HMRC will continue to help taxpayers understand and meet their self-assessment obligations.

Electronic Commerce: Imports

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to ensure that online companies declare the full value of imported goods on their customs declarations. [188822]

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Mr Gauke: HMRC is working to identify and address the main risks posed by commercial online operating models for routing goods into the UK. HMRC (in liaison with Trading Standards and other agencies) is undertaking intelligence driven investigations and projects to address concerns relating to the activities of online companies, including undervaluation of goods at import.

Where specific intelligence is provided to HMRC by members of the public and UK traders this is followed up and where misdeclaration/undervaluation of goods is identified assessments for underpaid duty and tax are raised as appropriate.

As part of an ongoing programme of trader education HMRC is liaising with specific online trading portals to inform traders and their representatives of their obligations in relation to compliance with customs requirements.

Where the online trader is a non-EU company, HMRC has no jurisdiction. In such circumstances the non-EU company is required to appoint an EU representative to act on their behalf. The EU entity would then be jointly liable for any customs debts that may arise. It is therefore in the appointed representative's interest to ensure compliance with EU customs regulations and requirements.

Public Notice 252—Valuation of imported goods for Customs purposes, VAT and trade statistics was updated July 2013 and is available globally via the HMRC website.

ICT

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which IT contracts awarded by his Department in each of the last four years have been abandoned; and what the monetary value of each such contract was. [187802]

Nicky Morgan: No IT contracts have been abandoned by the Treasury in the last four years.

Lost Property

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what property has been recorded as (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property. [187991]

Nicky Morgan: The following items of HM Treasury property were lost or stolen from the Department during the 12 months ending December 2013:

Property lost or stolen from Department in 2013

Lost—20 BlackBerry mobile devices, six laptop computers and 32 laptop encryption tokens.

Stolen—one BlackBerry mobile device, two laptop computers and two laptop encryption tokens.

The total cost of replacement is estimated at £15,075.

All the laptop computers involved in these incidents were encrypted devices that are not accessible without a security token and more than one password. The BlackBerry devices are also password protected.

No tokens or passwords were left with these items, and so there was no data loss. Steps were taken, as soon as the loss of these electronic items was reported, to ensure that they provided no means of access to any of the Department's IT systems.

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Photographs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on official photographs of its Ministers since May 2010. [188007]

Nicky Morgan: I can confirm that the Department has not had any costs on official photographs of its Ministers since May 2010.

Public Relations

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts awarded by his Department in each (i) constituent part of the UK and (ii) region in each of the last four years. [187803]

Nicky Morgan: No contracts were awarded by HM Treasury for public opinion research in the last four years.

The Treasury does not record public relations expenditure as a separate category but a search of supplier records for the years in question revealed no payments to suppliers that are known to be public relations companies.

Remittances

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what capacity his Department has to monitor the transfer of funds from individuals in the UK to recipients in other countries; and if he will make a statement. [188249]

Sajid Javid: The Treasury does not monitor the annual transfer of funds from individuals in the UK to persons in other countries. The Treasury relies on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for data on UK transfers. The ONS does not publish separate estimates for remittances as they are not considered to be of sufficient quality. Instead, estimates for remittances are combined with estimates for net transfers from UK charities, defined in the UK Balance of Payments (the Pink Book) as ‘other payments by households’.

Data for ‘other payments by households’ are only available on an annual basis. The 2012 Edition of the Pink Book published in July estimated ‘other payments by households’ at £5.74 billion in 2011

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bop/united-kingdom-balance-of-payments/2012/index.html

Secondment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what procedures his Department uses to ensure equal opportunities in relation to staff secondments in the Department. [188008]

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury has an interchange policy which is published on the intranet and available to all employees. All employees are eligible to apply for a secondment provided they meet the following criteria:

permanent members of the civil service;

have completed at least one posting in Treasury

26 Feb 2014 : Column 411W

Staff

Ian Austin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of staff of (a) his Department and (b) agencies and public bodies accountable to him work outside of London; and in which local authorities such staff are located. [187275]

Nicky Morgan: The following table shows the proportion of staff from HM Treasury who have worked outside of London in the last four years. These members work in the Norwich office. The local authority they are located in is the Broadland district council area.

Neither of the Office for Budget Responsibility or the Debt Management Office, have any staff working outside of London.

Stress

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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. [187992]

Nicky Morgan: In the year 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2013, which is the most recent period for which figures are available, approximately one in five (19.76%) of the total working days lost in the Treasury was due to 'Mental and Behavioural Disorders' which includes stress, anxiety and depression related conditions.

Taxation

Nic Dakin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what change there has been in the level of (a) national insurance contributions and (b) VAT for a family with two people earning £10,000 per annum since May 2010. [186488]

Mr Gauke: This family will no longer pay any income tax, thanks to this Government's changes to the personal allowance.

This information needed to calculate this answer is publically available from the national insurance contributions rates and thresholds here:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-structure/table-a4.pdf

At autumn statement 2013, the Government published distributional analysis covering all the personal tax, welfare and public spending policy decisions (that can be modelled) since the June Budget 2010:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263548/impact_on_households_autumn_statement_2013.pdf

Chart 2.C sets out the cumulative impact of modelled tax, tax credit and benefit changes on households in 2014-15 in cash terms (£ per year), in 2014-15 prices, by income distribution.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 412W

Written Questions: Government Responses

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to provide a substantive answer to question 179832 tabled on 10 December 2013 for answer on 16 December 2013. [188869]

Nicky Morgan: An answer to this question was given on 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 27W.

Culture, Media and Sport

Press: Witnesses

Sir Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure that the proposed new statutory code of press regulation prohibits the media harassment of witnesses granted anonymity in court proceedings; and if she will make a statement. [188135]

Mr Vaizey: The courts may act to prevent or punish conduct which tends to obstruct, prejudice or abuse the administration of justice either in relation to a particular case or generally. Witnesses are also protected by other criminal law such as the Public Order Act 1986, Malicious Communications Act 1988, Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and Communications Act 2003. Government do not interfere with what newspapers publish, provided they abide by the law of the land.

More widely, the Royal Charter on self-regulation of the press requires that for any self-regulator to receive recognition it must meet the criteria set out in Schedule 3 of the Charter, which includes provisions for a standards code that specifically covers standards of conduct and appropriate respect for privacy.

International Development

Developing Countries: Infant Mortality

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make it the Government's policy to press for the adoption of an international goal that no baby should be born without a midwife present in order to reduce deaths among newborns; and if he will make a statement. [188911]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government are making newborn health a priority and has committed to save 250,000 newborn lives by 2015. We recognise that this requires the presence of skilled attendants at birth—in different countries these may be midwives, nurses, doctors or other skilled medical personnel—and we are funding programmes to increase the numbers and availability of these health workers.

Further, we have supported the development of the Every Newborn Action Plan, which will be launched later this year and will provide concrete recommendations to enable all countries to reduce newborn deaths.

We fully recognise the importance of midwives and other health workers as a critical intervention. We also believe that goals or targets around maternal and newborn

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health should measure outcomes, such as reductions in mortality, rather than processes, to ensure that the impact of quality is also captured.

Developing Countries: Trade

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library a copy of each of the partnership agreements between her Department and major UK food and clothes retailers, announced to the London Stock Exchange Group on 27 January 2014. [188851]

Justine Greening: DFID's Trade and Global Value Chains Initiative (TGVCI) will be working on projects with some of the leading food and clothing retailers to improve working conditions, job opportunities, and community services for workers and communities involved in the horticulture and garment sectors in Kenya, South Africa and Bangladesh.

This programme is being implemented through an external fund manager, not through partnership agreement.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of her Department's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of her Department's Ministers. [188320]

Mr Duncan: The information is as follows:

Palestinians

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the goal set by the Palestinian National Plan to modernise the Palestinian education system. [188146]

Mr Duncan: DFID welcomes the positive steps taken by the Palestinian Authority to modernise the Palestinian education system, including through its continuing efforts to enhance the skills of teachers. We expect education to continue to be a priority sector in their next National Development Plan, with increasing emphasis on improving

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the vocational and technical skills of young people to prepare them for future employment.

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to monitor commitments made by the Palestinian Authority on the educational goals set by the Palestinian National Plan. [188154]

Mr Duncan: DFID uses reporting from the Palestinian Authority to track progress on implementing the National Development Plan and on specific education-related priorities such as primary school enrolment rate and the educational achievement of students in specific subjects and grades. DFID also has regular dialogue with the Ministry of Education and with other donors who support the sector.

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the funding given to the Palestinian Authority aimed at improving educational progress. [188155]

Mr Duncan: DFID provides financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA). The PA is achieving good results in education. For example, over 97% of children are now enrolled in primary school, which compares favourably with other countries in the region and is in line with the millennium development goals and the aims of Education for All.

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department takes to ensure that UK aid funding does not help promote anti-Semitic or otherwise inappropriate material in schools in the Palestinian territories. [188160]

Mr Duncan: The UK Government do not directly fund the textbooks used in Palestinian schools. We provide financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority and UN Relief and Works Agency to provide essential services to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, including education. We welcome the 2013 Council of the Religious Institutions of the Holy Land (CRIHL) report's finding that incitement and extreme negative characterisations are very rare in both Israeli and Palestinian textbooks.

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has for determining future funding to the Palestinian Authority. [188163]

Mr Duncan: Future support will be determined as part of DFID's post-2015 spending decisions.

Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 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. [188078]

26 Feb 2014 : Column 415W

Mr Duncan: Over the period 5 May 2010 to 13 February 2014, 19.7% of staff recruited to DFID identified their ethnic background as white British and 8.0% identified as other ethnic background. Staff are asked to declare their ethnicity, but are not compelled to do so. 61.8% of staff recruited in this period did not declare their ethnicity.

Energy and Climate Change

Boilers

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Boiler Replacement Scheme covers houses which use bottled LPG; and if he will make a statement. [188787]

Gregory Barker: Under the affordable warmth element of the energy company obligation (ECO) eligible low income households may receive a boiler replacement or boiler repair. In its first year of operation, ECO has supported the installation of more than 165,000 new boilers. Scheme eligibility is based on receipt of certain means tested benefits. There are no formal eligibility criteria based on current heating fuel. The details are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/energy-company-obligation

The energy companies covered by ECO make their own decisions, in line with the scheme rules, about which measures to provide to which households. We will shortly be consulting on amending certain scheme rules. As part of this consultation, we intend to explore whether and how to provide additional incentives for energy companies to support eligible households whose main fuel type is not gas from the national grid.

Energy

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in (a) Leicester West constituency and (b) the UK are on district council electricity schemes; and how many such properties have gas meters that can no longer be used. [188808]

Gregory Barker: The Department does not hold this information.

Energy: Conservation

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on the recommendation of the European Council President that binding targets of 40 per cent for energy efficiency and 30 per cent for renewable energy should be set. [188858]

Gregory Barker: The UK has fought hard for a 2030 Greenhouse Gas emissions reduction target for the European Union of 40% on 1990 levels, which will lead to massive investment in low carbon energy, including renewable energy, and energy efficiency.

The UK does not support European Union targets for renewable energy or energy efficiency, that are binding on member states as proposed in the recent European Parliament report. Such targets would constrain the full

26 Feb 2014 : Column 416W

breadth of low carbon technology options from being pursued and would not allow the countries of the European Union to choose the best and most cost-effective way to meet their emission reduction commitments.

Energy: Meters

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of smart meters installed by each energy company in each of the last three years. [188774]

Michael Fallon: DECC releases statistics on a quarterly basis which detail meter installations by the larger energy suppliers. The latest release details installations up to the end of quarter 3 2013, and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistical-release-smart-meters-great-britain-quarter-3-2013

At the end of quarter 3 2013 a total of 200,400 smart meters had been installed in domestic properties by the larger energy suppliers, and 508,500 smart and advanced meters had been installed in smaller non-domestic sites. Smart meters are those that are, or are expected to be, compliant with the technical specifications (SMETS) defined by Government to support the smart meter roll-out.

Statistics covering installations up to the end of quarter 4 2013 will be published on 13 March 2014 and will be available on the gov.uk website.

Fuel Poverty

Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that the new Fuel Poverty Target addresses the specific needs of people affected by muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular conditions. [188676]

Gregory Barker: The new fuel poverty target will focus on improving the energy efficiency of all fuel poor households, including those with long-term health conditions. We will be announcing our proposals on the specific form, date and level of the target in the spring.

Our fuel poverty measurement approach, which will underpin this new target, is based on modelling household energy requirements. Our model reflects the fact that some households have higher energy requirements than others, for example where health conditions mean that people spend more time at home.

Gas Fired Power Stations

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what comparative assessment he has made of the costs of transitting energy to the Grid from combined cycle gas turbine plants in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK; and what discussions he has had on reducing Government subsidy to such plants in Scotland. [188748]

Michael Fallon: All generation connected to the national transmission system pays Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges. These are calculated by National Grid using a methodology designed to reflect the impact that each generator has on the network. Responsibility for approving the methodology rests with Ofgem, the independent regulator.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 417W

The TNUoS charges for any generator in Scotland are typically higher than for an equivalent generator in the rest of the UK to reflect the greater costs associated with delivering its output to the main centres of electricity demand currently in the south of England.

There are no Government subsidies to combined cycle gas turbines anywhere in Great Britain.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the risk of flooding at the site for the new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point. [188803]

Michael Fallon: The Nuclear National Policy Statement published by my Department in 2011 found that there was a low risk of flooding at the site and that it was reasonable to conclude that any new nuclear power station on the site at Hinkley Point C could potentially be protected against flood risk throughout its lifetime.

The issue of the risk of flooding was examined during the application for development consent for the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. The Planning Inspectorate received advice from the nuclear regulators (the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency) that flood risk should not affect the grant of a nuclear site licence nor compromise the safety of the development. On the basis of the National Policy Statement and of the conclusions and recommendations of the Planning Inspectorate in respect of the development consent application, the Secretary of State granted a Development Consent Order for the new nuclear power station in 2013. This contains conditions which lay down requirements for flood defence works which must take place before construction can proceed.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Written Statement on Contingent Liability: Nuclear Decommissioning Authority of 6 February 2014, Official Report, columns 33-34WS, if he will cancel the proposed contingent liability for the issuing of an indemnity by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to the incoming parent body organisation (PBO) for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd; if he will set out the names of the bidders who claimed they could secure no commercial insurance to cover such liabilities; and if he will publish in full the final bids received for the new PBO and the departmental analysis that led to the publication of the departmental minute. [187725]

Michael Fallon: The Government will not withdraw the proposed contingent liability. The nuclear indemnity is needed for the reasons set out in the written statement and departmental minute. Without an indemnity against certain third party nuclear liabilities falling outside the scope of the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, for which there is no commercial insurance available, the competition could not proceed. Given the low probability of a claim being brought against the indemnity, it is clear that that the benefits of contracting with a new parent body outweigh the small risk that the indemnity may be called upon.

26 Feb 2014 : Column 418W

The bidding consortia participating in the competition are:

Cavendish Fluor Partnership, made up of Cavendish Nuclear Services Ltd and Fluor Enterprises Inc;

CAS Restoration Partnership, made up of CH2M HILL International Nuclear Services Ltd, AREVA NC and Serco Ltd;

UK Nuclear Restoration, made up of AMEC Nuclear Holdings Ltd, Atkins Ltd and Rolls Royce Power Engineering Ltd and;

Reactor Sites Solutions Ltd made up of Energy Solutions EU Ltd and Bechtel Management Company Ltd

The NDA is responsible for all aspect of the competition, which it is running in full compliance with procurement and competition regulations. The publication of material relating to the competition is, therefore, a matter for the NDA in line with its obligations under the Public Contract Regulations 2006.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when phase two of the renewable heat incentive grant will be rolled out; and if he will make a statement. [188662]

Gregory Barker: I am pleased to be able to tell Parliament that we are on track to launch the domestic renewable heat incentive this spring, just as we announced last March. The scheme has received state aid clearance and regulations have been laid.

The renewable heat incentive does require the approval of Parliament, and so the exact date of the launch is subject to the timing and success of the debates.

Wind Power

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 680W, on wind power, how many onshore wind farms were granted planning permissions in each year from 2010 to 2013. [187759]

Michael Fallon: The Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD) tracks the progress of all projects over 0.01MW from submission of a planning application through to determination and generation:

https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract

As at the end of December 2013, the REPD shows:

26 Feb 2014 : Column 419W

Cabinet Office

Construction: Industry

Ann McKechin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the value of the UK construction industry was in each of the last three years. [188722]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated February 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the value of the UK construction industry was in each of the last three years. (188722)

Statistics on the value of the construction industry are available through several ONS publications. The most up to date source is ‘Output in the Construction Industry’ which provides a measurement of the value of work completed by the industry in Great Britain. This shows the value of work in:

2010 was £117.4 billion;

2011 was £121.7 billion;

2012 was £116.1 billion; and in

2013 was £121.1 billion

These statistics have been taken from the ‘Output in the Construction Industry’ release:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/construction/output-in-the-construction-industry/december-and-q4-2013/rft-table-1-output-tables-dec-2013.xls

table 4, value of construction output in Great Britain, non-seasonally adjusted. The data for 2013 is subject to revision as more data becomes available for the latter months of this year.

Data on the construction industry in Northern Ireland is available from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA). The latest release of these data provides the value of construction output up until Q3 2013 and shows the value of Construction output in Northern Ireland for:

2010 was £2.6 billion;

2011 was £2.3 billion;

2012 was £2.3 billion; and

for the three available quarters of 2013 was £1.6 billion.

These statistics have been taken from the Northern Ireland Construction Industry release:

http://www.csu.nisra.gov.uk/niconsq32013.pdf

The data for 2012 and 2013 are subject to revision as more data becomes available.

Equality

Mr Raab: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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. [188894]

Mr Maude: Cabinet Office publishes relevant statistics on its own workforce once a year. These can be found on gov.uk dating back to 2010:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/about/equality-and-diversity

There is no direct cost to producing these reports.

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Government Departments: Pagers

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) with which companies the Government has a contract to provide pagers; and what the annual value is of each such contract; [188749]

(2) how many Government-owned pagers are provided to members of the Civil Service; [188750]

(3) how many Government Departments provide pagers for staff. [188751]

Mr Hurd: Information on Government contracts is published on Contracts Finder at:

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

It is a matter for Departments if they provide pagers for their staff.

Government Departments: Termination of Employment

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when his Department's guidance on the appropriate use of compromise agreements and confidentiality clauses will be circulated to all Government Departments. [188368]

Mr Maude: The guidance will be in place in time for the start of the next financial year. I note that guidance on this matter was not issued prior to the last general election.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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. [188309]

Mr Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

Information on Cabinet Office staffing is available as part of published transparency data:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-30-september-2012--2

Ministerial offices, which have been used by successive Administrations, range in size from 16 to 83 square metres.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to Ministers in No. 10 Downing Street is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices at No. 10 Downing Street. [188324]

Mr Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

Information on Cabinet Office staffing is available as part of published transparency data:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-30-september-2012--2

Ministerial offices, which have been used by successive Administrations, range in size from 16 to 83 square metres.

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Mortality Rates

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of the mortality rate of women aged over 75 in the last five years. [188777]

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated February 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of the mortality rate of women aged over 75 in the last five years. [188777]

Table 1 presents the age-specific mortality rate (from all causes) per 1 million population for females aged over 75 years in England and Wales, for deaths registered between 2008 and 2012 (the latest year available).

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and cause are published annually on the ONS website at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of overall all-age mortality in each of the last five years. [188778]

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated February 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of overall all-age mortality in each of the last five years. [188778]

Table 1 presents the age-standardised mortality rate (from all causes) per million population for males and females in England and Wales, for deaths registered between 2008 and 2012 (the latest year available).

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and cause are published annually on the ONS website at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475

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Perinatal Mortality

Luciana Berger: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many term intrapartum deaths occurred each year in the UK since 2008. [188776]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated February 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics {ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many term intrapartum deaths occurred each year in the UK since 2008. [188776].

Table 1 provides the number of stillbirths and infant deaths in England and Wales of babies who were born at term (at least 37 completed weeks gestation), where the underlying cause of death was categorised as intrapartum asphyxia, anoxia or trauma, for stillbirths and deaths occurring in the years 2008 to 2011 (the latest year available).

The figures for infant deaths have been extracted from a dataset that links birth registration data to NHS birth notifications data and death registration data, which allows reporting of information about births and infant mortality by gestation. Therefore, these figures will not match other infant death figures published by ONS. Comparable data are not available for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Information for intrapartum deaths occurring in Scotland is collected via The Scottish Stillbirth and Infant Death Survey, more information can be found on the Information Services Division Scotland website at:

www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Maternity-and-Births/Stillbirth-and-Infant-Deaths/

Figures for infant deaths occurring in Northern Ireland are based on the information collected at death registration and .are not available by gestational age, more information can be found on the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency website at:

www.nisra.gov.uk/demography/default.asp9.htm

Figures for gestation-specific infant mortality in England and Wales are published annually on the ONS website at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/child-health/gestation-specific-infant-mortality-in-england-and-wales/index.html

Figures for infant mortality in England and Wales based solely on birth and death registration data (with no NHS birth notification data) are published annually on the ONS website at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/child-mortality-statistics--childhood--infant-and-perinatal/index.html

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Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white

26 Feb 2014 : Column 424W

British and

(b)

from a minority ethnic background. [188067]

Mr Maude: Accurate figures for ethnicity of staff are not available due to low declaration rates.

While the Cabinet Office encourages all staff to declare against a number of workforce diversity indicators, including ethnicity, they are not compelled to do so.

Deputy Prime Minister

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to his Office's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of his Office's Ministers. [188313]

Mr Maude: The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

Information on Cabinet Office staffing is available as part of published transparency data:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-30-september-2012--2

Ministerial offices, which have been used by successive Administrations, range in size from 16 to 83 square metres.