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Streptococcus

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what comparative assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the enriched culture medium and the general purpose test for testing group B streptococcus in babies. [189675]

Dr Poulter: The chief medical officer requested the former Health Protection Agency (HPA) to explore whether a more accurate test for group B streptococcus (GBS) in pregnant women, called enriched culture medium (ECM), should be made available in its regional laboratories, when there was a clinical indication for testing.

In response to this, Public Health England (PHE, formerly the HPA) undertook a piece of work with clinical organisations to determine in which circumstances the ECM test could be used in pregnant women.

In the event, this work concluded that within current clinical guidance from the key professional bodies, UK National Screening Committee, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, there are no clinical indications which should prompt the offer of an ECM test for GBS and so PHE decided not to provide this test in its laboratories.

PHE does not offer any testing exclusively for GBS in babies. When a neonate presents with symptoms consistent with a systemic infection—or sepsis—isolation of micro-organisms from blood cultures remains the gold standard method of diagnosing sepsis. Neonatal sepsis can be caused by GBS, but other important micro-organisms such as E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus can also cause sepsis, and blood culture is the most effective method of differentiating between these different types of bacteria.

Mike Thornton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of enriched culture medium testing in (a) France, (b) Canada, (c) Spain, (d) the US and (e) other countries to identify group B streptococcus. [189763]

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) understands that enriched culture medium (ECM) testing is available for women during pregnancy in some other countries including some European countries, the United States of America and Canada.

In the United Kingdom, the National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four UK countries about all aspects of screening policy, including screening policy for group B streptococcus (GBS) carriage in pregnancy.

At its meeting in 2012 the UK NSC recommended that in the UK context, screening for GBS carriage at 35 to 37 weeks of pregnancy should not be offered. When reviewing the evidence for antenatal screening for GBS carriage, the UK NSC looked at evidence from a number of countries. A systematic review of the global prevalence of early and late onset GBS was reviewed. This suggested that the rate of infections in the UK was comparable to that in countries and regions employing widespread testing.

Within the English context, PHE undertook a piece of work with clinical organisations, including the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, to determine

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whether there are any circumstances in which the ECM test could be applied within current accepted standards of care.

This work by PHE concluded that there are no clinical indications for testing women for GBS using ECM methods as recommended within current guidance from the key professional bodies.

Sugar

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings he has had with campaign groups dealing with the health risks of sugar since taking office. [189013]

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), met with Action on Sugar on 3 February 2014. In addition he has held various meetings with non-governmental organisations and public health groups where healthy diet and obesity may have been discussed.

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:

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

Syphilis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of syphilis have been diagnosed in each of the last three years. [189268]

Jane Ellison: The following table contains the number of diagnoses of infectious syphilis made in England for the three most recent years for which data are available (2010, 2011 and 2012) broken down by gender and age group.

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University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) complaints and (b) other items of correspondence his Department has received expressing concern over children's heart surgery at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust; and on what date each such complaint or item of correspondence was received. [189723]

Jane Ellison: A search of the Department's ministerial correspondence database has identified three items of correspondence about children's heart surgery at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust received since 1 January 2013. Two complaints were received on 12 August 2013 and 19 August 2013, and one item of correspondence expressing concerns was received on 21 May 2013. These are minimum figures which represent correspondence received by the Department's ministerial correspondence unit only.

Cabinet Office

Career Development

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) disabled and (b) non-disabled; [189176]

(2) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were (a) male and (b) female; [189136]

(3) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) white British and (b) from any other ethnic minority group. [189156]

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Mr Maude: Promotion in the Cabinet Office is based on merit and suitability for the post in question.

The requested statistics on promotion are not readily available. However, we estimate that male staff constituted 51% of all those promoted since April 2011. This closely reflects the overall proportion currently working in my Department.

Figures for ethnicity and disability are not available. Cabinet Office does not compel staff to declare against workforce diversity indicators, including ethnicity and disability.

Civil Servants: Trade Union Officials

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Vale of Glamorgan on 11 December 2013, column 224, on civil service (union facility time), in which Departments the trade union officers who were promoted in post while doing no work as a civil servant were employed; and in which Department the officer who was promoted twice was employed. [189659]

Mr Maude: There are no plans to provide further details to protect the identities of the individuals involved.

Debts: Sussex

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the average change in the level of household (a) borrowing and (b) debt between 2008 and 2013 in Mid Sussex constituency. [189837]

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

Letter from Caron Walker:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the estimated annual change in the level of household (a) borrowing and (b) debt was between 2008 and 2013 in Mid Sussex constituency (189837).

The Office for National Statistics publishes details of the financial liabilities of households and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) combined. These data are only available at the United Kingdom level and hence data are not available for Mid Sussex constituency.

The UK data are published in the UK Economic Accounts for Quarter 3 published on 20 December 2013 which is available at:

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

The most recent analyses on debt can be found in table A64 of this publication. The most recent analyses on borrowing can be found in Tables A12 and A55 of this publication.

Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many times (a) the Cabinet Committee on improving the country’s ability to deal with flooding and (b) the National Resilience Forum has met in the last 12 months; and when each body will next meet. [189807]

Mr Maude: As was the case under previous Administrations, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees is generally not disclosed.

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Government Departments: Trade Unions

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will place in the Library all correspondence between his Department and other Departments on the matter of union subscription check off. [189004]

Mr Maude: In line with the practice of successive Administrations, details of internal discussions and correspondence are not usually disclosed.

Maternity Leave

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who had been on maternity leave were still employed in the civil service (a) six and (b) 12 months after their return to work in each of the last five years; [189116]

(2) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were on maternity leave in each of the last five years returned to work; [189056]

(3) what the standard level and duration is of contractual maternity pay paid to civil servants in his Department. [189076]

Mr Maude: Cabinet Office staff are entitled to take up to 52 weeks of maternity leave.

Staff who have been continuously employed by the civil service for 26 weeks prior to the 15^th week before the expected date of childbirth are eligible for maternity pay.

Within the Cabinet Office maternity pay is equivalent to full pay for the initial 26 weeks (ordinary maternity leave). During the following 26 weeks (additional maternity leave) statutory maternity pay is given for the first 13 weeks. The remaining 13 weeks are unpaid.

Individuals who resign and do not return to work following maternity leave are usually required to refund any contractual element of maternity pay they have received.

Cabinet Office systems do not hold specific information on staff who depart after periods of maternity leave. However, over the last five years, we estimate that 96% of staff who were on maternity leave returned to work.

Nurseries

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many workplace nurseries (a) directly operated by his Department and (b) operated by a third party on his Department's property there were at (A) 5 May 2010 and (B) 5 February 2014; and how many such nurseries are expected to cease operating in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16. [189096]

Mr Maude: Cabinet Office employees have access to a subsidised workplace nursery which is run by a third party provider. There are no current plans to change its operation.

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Armed Conflict: Rape

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take to ensure that the UN addresses the issue of rape as a weapon of war. [189741]

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been working closely with the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative (UN SRSG) for Sexual Violence in Conflict, Mrs Zainab Hawa Bangura, to tackle impunity and build national capacities to respond to these crimes. We have provided financial support including £1 million in 2012 to Mrs Bangura's Office, undertaken joint assessments with her team of experts on rule of law to Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and recently seconded a preventing sexual violence initiative expert to her office for two years. We also contributed £150,000 to the office of the UNSRSG for Children and Armed Conflict in 2013.

In June, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), will co-host a global summit—End Sexual Violence in Conflict: London 2014—together with the Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The UK has invited a broad range of senior UN representatives to participate in the event. The London summit offers an opportunity and platform for the 13-entity network of UN agencies, departments, funds, and programmes (UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict) to accelerate their progress on this issue. The UK will continue to support and promote the mandate of UN SRSG Bangura and the work of the UN at both a political and practical level.

British Nationals Abroad

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) homicides and (b) suspicious deaths of British nationals took place abroad in each country in each year since 2009. [189438]

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold information on the total number of homicides of British nationals abroad, as it only captures information about cases that come to its attention. For the years 2009 to February 2014, the number of homicide cases that came to the attention of the FCO are in the table. Countries where the FCO was not aware of any cases are not included, and figures below five are identified as less than five in order to protect personal data.

The FCO does not hold any information on numbers of suspicious deaths, because it is only able to capture information about deaths confirmed as murder or manslaughter.

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British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the economic effect to the UK has been of the recent economic performance of (a) Bermuda and (b) the Cayman Islands. [189045]

Mark Simmonds: Bermuda and the Cayman Islands host successful and well-regulated global financial services sectors but have small economies overall. As a result, recent economic performance has had little relative impact on the UK economy directly.

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) field of expertise and (b) qualifications are of each member of the preventing sexual violence initiative multidisciplinary team of experts in Burma. [189619]

Mr Swire: We have not deployed a team of experts (ToE) to Burma to date, but are currently considering ways in which a ToE or other international or local actors might best assist in the delivery of PSVI objectives in Burma. We continue to lobby the Burmese Government on the prevention of sexual violence in conflict, and to support projects in Burma to that end. Most recently, I raised the subject with Soe Thane, the Minister of the President's Office and with the Burmese commander-in-chief during my visit to Burma in January.

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress has been made on ensuring that the Government of Burma release or charge all prisoners currently detained as political prisoners. [189740]

Mr Swire: We welcomed President Thein Sein's order to release all prisoners and persons facing trial for political offences in December 2013. However, we are concerned there are individuals in prison whose status is disputed.

During my visit to Burma at the end of January, I personally raised the issue of political prisoners, including a number of individual cases, with Soe Thane, Minister of the President's Office and urged the Government to release all remaining political prisoners. I also raised the issue with Shwe Mann, Speaker of the Lower House, concerning activists who are being charged under legislation which is not in line with international standards. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Burmese Government to ensure that their review mechanism is comprehensive and transparent, leading to the release of all political prisoners.

Career Development

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were (a) male and (b) female; [189143]

(2) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) white British and (b) from any other ethnic minority group; [189163]

(3) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) disabled and (b) non-disabled. [189183]

Hugh Robertson: The figures represent the percentage of staff applying for promotion who have received promotion recommendations within the FCO for each of the past five years. A recommendation for promotion from one band to the next is achieved through success in either the From A-B (FAB) promotion scheme, the accelerated promotion scheme (From A-C) or the relevant assessment and development centre between bands B-C, C-D and D-SMS.

The actual number of staff who have been promoted will differ slightly as promotion is activated once an officer takes up a substantive role at the higher grade having applied through open and fair competition, which in the majority of cases is through interview. We do not maintain central records of this information and to compile the data would incur disproportionate cost.

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Staff within the FCO may also be progressed with certain bands (from Al to A2, C4 to C53 D6 to D7 and within the senior management structure). Progression is achieved through appointment to a substantive job at the next level within the same band through open and competitive selection, in the majority of cases through interview. The progression takes effect from the date the officer starts the job. As appointments are not operated centrally, we do not maintain a central record of this information because the hiring process is devolved to posts and Departments. To compile this data would again incur disproportionate cost.

Eritrea

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to protect Eritreans working in this country from the Eritrean Government's attempts to collect 2 per cent tax from them. [189663]

Mark Simmonds: The UK supports UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 2023, which condemned Eritrea's use of the Diaspora tax and called on Eritrea to cease using illicit means to collect the tax. The UK has made clear that the use of coercion or other illicit means to collect the tax in the UK must cease. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials last raised this on 25 October 2013 in a meeting with the Eritrean ambassador.

Officials from the FCO, the National Crime Agency and West Yorkshire Police have urged Eritreans in the UK to report any use of coercion or other illicit means to collect the tax to the police. We will continue to engage with the Diaspora on this issue.

Falkland Islands

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Argentinian counterpart on UK oil drilling in the Falkland Islands since the beginning of 2014. [189031]

Mr Swire: No such discussions have taken place with my Argentinean counterpart. However, during my recent visit to the Falkland Islands I met with representatives from the hydrocarbons industry currently exploring in Falkland Islands waters and with the relevant members of the Falkland Islands Government (FIG).

The Falklands hydrocarbons industry is managed chiefly by the FIG and a range of companies of various nationalities are involved. We are keen to foster a constructive relationship with Argentina on South Atlantic issues and the Falkland Islands Government have indicated their willingness to engage with the Argentine Government on several occasions.

Unfortunately the Argentine Government have so far refused to engage. The Government utterly rejects all Argentine attempts to criminalise hydrocarbons exploration around the Falklands to deter companies involved.

Government Communications Headquarters

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what value is applied to the fixed assets of GCHQ for resource accounting purposes. [189273]

Hugh Robertson: It is the long-standing policy of successive Governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence. The value of GCHQ's fixed assets are verified each year by the National Audit Office as part of its audit of GCHQ's annual resource accounts.

Kenya

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent progress his Department has made on the release of files (a) related to violence against the Kenyan people at the hands of British colonial authorities and (b) relating to Britain's role in colonial Kenya; and if he will make a statement. [189002]

Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) project to release its collection of colonial administration files, subject only to legal exemptions, was completed in November 2013. This includes files created by the colonial administration in Kenya which can be inspected at The National Archives (TNA).

Any remaining files held by the FCO relating to Britain's role in colonial Kenya, such as those created by the Colonial Office, form part of the FCO's archive special collections. Details of these files are available in the FCO archive inventory on:

www.gov.uk/archive-records

I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to the House on 27 February 2014, Official Report, columns 25-26WS, gave a commitment to releasing historical files in the FCO's archive special collections that, under the guidance and supervision of TNA, have been selected for permanent preservation. These collections have not yet been reviewed for release and therefore I cannot comment whether these collections contain any material not already at TNA which falls within the scope of the first part of the question.

An overview of our release plan for the special collections is available on

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www.gov.uk/archive-records

The FCO is currently working on a more detailed project plan which we will also be publishing on:

www.gov.uk

and which will provide further detail on the preparation for release of individual records series in the special collections.

Maternity Leave

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were on maternity leave in each of the last five years returned to work; [189063]

(2) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who had been on maternity leave were still employed in the civil service (a) six and (b) 12 months after their return to work in each of the last five years. [189123]

Hugh Robertson: The FCO routinely captures information on individuals taking maternity leave. However, at this time, the combination of our systems and the extent of the information held mean that to answer the question in the format requested would exceed disproportionate cost thresholds.

However, over the last five years, our records show that fewer than 10 officers have resigned directly after taking maternity leave.

Maternity Pay

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the standard level and duration is of contractual maternity pay paid to civil servants in his Department. [189083]

Hugh Robertson: FCO contractual maternity pay (CMP) offers full salary during a staff member's 26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave (OML) provided the individual has been continuously employed for at least one year at the point when they start their OML and confirms in writing that they intend to return to work after maternity leave. CMP is paid instead of, and not in addition to, statutory maternity pay.

Nurseries

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many workplace

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nurseries

(a)

directly operated by his Department and

(b)

operated by a third party on his Department's property there were at (A) 5 May 2010 and (B) 5 February 2014; and how many such nurseries are expected to cease operating in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16. [189103]

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has one directly operated nursery and one operated by a third party. Both nurseries were operating on 5 May 2010 and 5 February 2014.

There are no plans to cease operation of either nursery in 2014-15 or 2015-16.

Uganda

Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the Government are taking on human rights in Uganda. [189836]

Mark Simmonds: The Government engage with the Ugandan Government, business and civil society on a broad range of human rights issues, from civil and political rights to the death penalty, and support capacity-building projects. We are particularly concerned by recent developments affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. We have consistently raised concerns about the Anti-Homosexuality Bill with the Government of Uganda, stressing the need for the protection of LGBT individuals and civil society organisations, and supported groups promoting LGBT rights.

Education

Career Development

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were (a) male and (b) female. [189140]

Elizabeth Truss: The following table shows the number and proportion of female and male employees who have received a promotion in each of the last five financial years.

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) white British and (b) from any other ethnic minority group. [189160]

Elizabeth Truss: The following table shows the number and proportion of civil servants promoted in the last five years who identified as white or black and minority ethnic (BME), along with the proportion choosing not to declare their ethnicity.

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Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) disabled and (b) non-disabled. [189180]

Elizabeth Truss: The following table shows a breakdown of disabled and non-disabled staff and those not declared who have received a promotion in the past five financial years. For confidentiality numbers below five are not shown, and all other numbers, except the total row, are rounded to the nearest five. Percentages are based on rounded numbers and may not add up to 100%.

Free Schools

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what methodologies his Department uses to assess the value for money of each free school capital budget. [189320]

Mr Timpson: When assessing the value for money of a proposed free school budget, the Department for Education considers factors including the size, suitability and cost of the site, the associated purchase, refurbishment and build costs; ongoing maintenance costs and the time required to complete the project.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what difference in value for money of free school capital budgets there is between (a) London and (b) the rest of England. [189321]

Mr Timpson: We achieve the best value for money we possibly can in all our free school projects regardless of their location.

In terms of affordability, those in London and the south-east, where property and land values are higher, do of course tend to cost more than other parts of the country.

Capital budgets are assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account factors including location and availability of sites.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the statistics published by his Department that demonstrate that a lower percentage than the average of children eligible for free school meals attend free schools compared with state primary schools. [189589]

Mr Laws: It is too early in the lifetime of individual free schools to draw any firm conclusions. Although school census information shows the proportion of pupils in primary free schools is slightly below the national average, the opposite is true at secondary level. Having established 45% of free schools in the 30% most deprived communities we expect that free schools will become a popular choice for parents and pupils from deprived backgrounds.

Maternity Leave

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were on maternity leave in each of the last five years returned to work. [189060]

Elizabeth Truss: In the period between 2008-09 and 2012-13, 92% of staff who took maternity leave from the Department for Education returned to work. A full breakdown of the proportion of staff taking maternity leave who returned to work is shown in the following table.

During the 2013-14 financial year to date, 94 staff have taken maternity leave; 91 staff are still within the nine-month statutory maternity period, and information on their returning to work is not available. Of the remaining three staff, one has returned to work.

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Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of civil servants in his Department who had been on maternity leave were still employed in the civil service (a) six and (b) 12 months after their return to work in each of the last five years. [189120]

Elizabeth Truss: Between 2008-09 and 2012-13 approximately 100% of staff who left the Department for Education on maternity leave were still employed in the Department six months after returning, and 98% were still employed in the Department 12 months after returning. Of staff going on maternity leave during the 2013-14 financial year to date, one member of staff has returned to the Department and remains employed by the Department.

Data presented on ongoing employment are only based on employment within Department for Education and not the wider civil service.

Nurseries

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many workplace nurseries (a) directly operated by his Department and (b) operated by a third party on his Department's property there were at (A) 5 May 2010 and (B) 5 February 2014; and how many such nurseries are expected to cease operating in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16. [189100]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has two properties, Castle View House, Runcorn and Kenwood Park Road, Sheffield in which nurseries are located. Both were in operation at 5 May 2010 and at 5 February 2014. As part of the Department's aim to reduce costs, the Department is reducing its estate. As such, Castle View House, Runcorn was vacated by the Department for Education during February 2014 and will close in March 2014.

The leases for both nurseries expire during 2014/15 and it is anticipated that both will vacate at that time.

Pre-school Education: Greater London

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether the Government’s £8 million fund to increase supply of early education places in London has been distributed to local authorities; and how much each local authority has received; [188910]

(2) how much match funding the Government’s £8 million investment in the expansion of early years places in London has generated in each local authority area. [188870]

Elizabeth Truss: Local authorities were notified of their allocations in December 2013. The information is available on gov.uk via the following link:

http://bit.ly/MUfYcL

The funding will form part of the next dedicated schools grant allocation for 2013-14 which will be paid to local authorities on 5 March.

It is for individual London authorities to determine how best to use their allocation to expand the provision for two, three and four-year-olds. We are encouraging local authorities to support school nurseries to open from 8 am to 6 pm and offer more flexible hours for

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parents. This will enable more parents to take their free 15 hours of early education for two, three and four-year-olds at convenient times. In using the funding available, individual local authorities will determine the scale of match funding schemes depending on local demand and circumstances. The Department for Education does not collect information centrally on this.

Private Education: Offences Against Children

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many reports of child abuse in independent schools have come to the attention of his Department in the last 12 months; [185921]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2014, Official Report, column 189W, on private education: offences against children, how many allegations of cases of child abuse at independent schools he is aware of. [187370]

Mr Timpson: Independent schools, like all employers of people working with children, have a statutory duty to refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) all individuals who have been:

1. convicted or cautioned for a relevant offence;

2. engaged in conduct that has harmed a child or put them at risk of harm; or

3. deemed to have satisfied the harm test in relation to children i.e. there has been no relevant conduct but a risk of harm to a child still exists.

The DBS will then consider whether to bar that person from working with children. In addition to this, where a teacher has been dismissed or resigned in the face of dismissal for a serious conduct matter, employers also have a statutory duty to consider referring that teacher to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL)—an executive agency of the Department for Education. In the most serious cases, the DBS decides to bar an individual, at which point any ongoing NCTL case would be discontinued. The NCTL primarily takes to their conclusion cases which have not met the DBS threshold for barring.

Since the NCTL was established in April 2012, it has received 29 referrals of alleged incidents in independent schools which meet the definition of child abuse as set out in the guidance document ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children March 2013’. The definition covers a range of alleged behaviour from a teacher using excessive force on a pupil through to sexual misconduct. Fourteen of these 29 referrals have occurred in the last 12 months. In each case, the NCTL assesses the information received and, where required, launches an investigation into whether the individual concerned should be prohibited from teaching on the grounds of unacceptable professional conduct that might bring the profession into disrepute and/or conviction of a relevant offence.

Under arrangements established by the previous Government, teacher regulation was the responsibility of the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) and all registered teachers fell within its jurisdiction. However, there was no requirement for teachers in independent schools to be registered, so many teachers in independent schools fell outside professional regulation. We have strengthened regulations so that the NCTL

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now has the power to regulate all teachers in independent schools. As a result of these gaps in the regulation of teachers in independent schools prior to April 2012, comparable data are not available before that date.

Separate to the NCTL process for regulating teachers, the Department's Independent Education and Boarding Team (IEBT) administers the wider regulatory system for independent schools. This team can receive information about allegations of abuse from a variety of sources, including Ofsted, local authorities, parents and the police. There have been 22 such referrals since April 2012, including 14 in the last 12 months.

In the first instance, the Department will ensure that the actual allegations are being investigated by relevant authorities—the local authority and, where appropriate, the police. It is then the Department's role to ensure that the school in question is meeting the independent school standards. This will normally be done by commissioning an inspection and, where a school is found not to be meeting the standards, taking action to ensure it does so as soon as possible or, if necessary, is closed. In all 22 cases referred to above, an inspection was commissioned, or the allegation was taken into account in a scheduled inspection which was about to take place.

It should be noted that these figures, for both NCTL and IEBT refer to allegations of child abuse prior to investigation, not confirmed cases. All referrals to both the NCTL and IEBT have been assessed and appropriate action has already been taken or is currently in the process of being taken.

Pupils: Absenteeism

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will conduct an investigation into the reasons why pupils are being removed from school rolls before completing GCSE courses. [188982]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has no plans to conduct such an investigation.

A pupil can only lawfully be deleted from the admission register in accordance with the grounds prescribed in regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended. Schools must ensure all the conditions of the grounds prescribed are met before the pupil can be deleted from the register. Schools must not delete a pupil from the register for any other reason than the grounds prescribed.

The proprietor of a school who fails to comply with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended, is guilty of an offence and can be prosecuted under section 434(6) of the Education Act 1996.

The Department will only remove a pupil from a school’s performance table measures in specific circumstances and where a request is supported by evidence from their local authority and education welfare services. All requests are carefully scrutinised by the Department.

Pupils: Bullying

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he has issued to schools on tackling (a) gender-based bullying and (b) sexual harassment; and if he will make a statement. [189719]

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Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education issued revised advice to schools in 2011 on preventing and tackling bullying, which covers all forms of discrimination and harassment under the Equality Act 2010.

The Government have made clear to schools that all forms of bullying, for whatever reason, should never be tolerated in schools.

Section 89 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 for maintained schools, and the Independent Schools Standards Regulations 2010 for Academies and Free Schools, requires that all schools must have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils, including gender-based bullying. Schools have the freedom to shape these measures in the context of their particular circumstances.

Ofsted also holds schools clearly to account for their effectiveness in dealing with pupil behaviour, which includes bullying. Under the current Ofsted framework introduced in 2012, school inspectors consider pupil behaviour and safety, which includes how well schools prevent bullying, harassment and discrimination.

The Government have issued statutory guidance for schools, when teaching about sex and relationships, which makes clear that schools should ensure young people to develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour. The guidance covers a range of issues about sex and relationships, including how to avoid exploitation and abuse, and how the law applies to sexual relationships.

In addition, the Department is funding the Personal Social Health and Economics (PSHE) Association to develop specific guidance to help schools teach about consent. The association has published a draft of the guidance and is currently reviewing feedback and comments.

The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), also expects to publish updated statutory safeguarding guidance to replace ‘Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education’ shortly. The updated guidance is expected to refer schools and colleges to sources of expert, practical advice on specific safeguarding issues such as bullying.

Schools: Standards

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps parents can take to require action to tackle failing performance in (a) local authority schools, (b) academies and (c) free schools. [189428]

Mr Laws: Section 29 of the Education Act 2002 requires the governing body of all maintained schools and nursery schools in England to have in place a procedure to deal with complaints relating to a school. The day-to-day running of a maintained school is the responsibility of the head teacher, the governing body and the local authority. It is recommended that parents put their concerns in writing to the head teacher and, if this fails to resolve the issue, concerns should then be raised with the chair of governors. Some local authorities may also have a complaints procedure available. A complaint may be made to the Secretary of State for Education if a parent believes a governing body or local authority is acting unreasonably or is failing to carry out its statutory duties properly.

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Academies and free schools must also have a complaints procedure which complies with the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2010. Parents should raise complaints initially with the head teacher or the academy trust. If this fails to resolve the issue, parents can forward their complaint to the Education Funding Agency.

Parents may also complain to Ofsted about schools. Ofsted will not normally investigate individual cases but will consider concerns which affect the whole school.

Science: GCE A-level

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received from the scientific and engineering communities on Ofqual's proposal to reform the A-level science curriculum by separating non-examined assessment from the final grade awarded to students. [188919]

Elizabeth Truss: Ofqual has recently consulted on whether the outcomes of the practical assessment should contribute to the overall A-level science grade. The Department for Education has separately hosted a consultation on the content for A-level sciences. A number of organisations included views about the separate reporting of practical skills in A-level science in their responses to the Department.

Ofqual is due to announce its decision on the assessment of practical skills in science in the spring.

Work and Pensions

Career Development

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were (a) male and (b) female; [189153]

(2) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) white British and (b) from any other ethnic minority group; [189173]

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(3) what proportion of civil servants in his Department who were promoted in each of the last five years were identified as (a) disabled and (b) non-disabled. [189193]

Mike Penning: The following table shows the proportion of civil servants who were promoted as (a) male and (b) female in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) during the last five years:

The following tables show the proportion of civil servants who were promoted as (a) white British and (b) from any other ethnic minority group in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) during the last five years:

The following tables show the proportion of civil servants who were promoted as (a) disabled and (b) non-disabled in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP during the year: