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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Treasury

National Car Parks

Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written statement of 4 December 2013, Official Report, column 48WS, on the National Infrastructure Plan 2013, how many (a) car parks and (b) light bulbs the Government guarantee underwriting the National Car Parks Limited lighting installation programme has delivered to date. [188917]

Danny Alexander: Work has begun on the installation of energy efficient lighting equipment across a portfolio of National Car Parks. This will result in a reduction in the level of energy consumption and emissions.

The first portion of the retrofit has been completed with 27 car parks now operating under the new lighting system. We do not hold information on the number of light bulbs installed.

Public Sector Debt

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on how national debt might be apportioned in the event of Scotland's withdrawal from the UK. [190102]

Danny Alexander: The UK Government are making a clear and positive case for Scotland to remain as part of the UK. Both the UK and Scottish Governments have been clear that it is not possible to pre-negotiate the terms of independence before the referendum.

The UK Government have made clear that the continuing UK would in all circumstances honour the contractual terms of the debt issued by the UK. An independent Scottish state would become responsible for a fair and proportionate share of the UK's current liabilities and would need to raise funds in financial markets to repay its share of debt.

Illustratively, based on December 2013 forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility, a Scottish population's share of the public sector net debt in 2016-17 would be over £120 billion.

Tax Yields

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total tax revenue for the Exchequer was in January of each year since 2001. [189503]

Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

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

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Letter from Caron Walker, dated March 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking what total tax revenue for the Exchequer was in each January of each year since 2001. [189503]

The table provides the total tax revenue in January for each year between 2001 and 2014. Total tax revenue is defined as the following taxes: taxes on production (e.g. VAT); taxes on income and wealth (e.g. PAYE and corporation tax); other taxes (mainly capital taxes from other sectors) and National Insurance Contributions (NICs). These taxes are all received by Central Government. These data are published in the Public Sector Finances statistical bulletin:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/psa/public-sector-finances/index.html

VAT: Rescue Services

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of annual revenue foregone as a result of granting VAT relief to mountain, cave and lowland volunteer rescue teams. [190120]

Mr Gauke: No estimate has been made of the annual cost to the Exchequer of granting VAT relief on mountain, cave and lowland volunteer rescue teams.

Additional funding is available for mountain rescue teams across the UK as announced in 2011 by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander).

Women and Equalities

Pagers

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many pagers have been provided to staff by the Government Equalities Office since May 2010; and what the cost to the Government Equalities Office was of providing those pagers. [190052]

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Mrs Grant: The Government Equalities Office became part of this Department as a result of a machinery of government change in September 2012. No pagers have been provided to Government Equalities Office staff subsequently.

Home Department

Asylum

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the minutes of the monthly board meetings with G4S on the COMPASS contract. [189831]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 20143 March]: The discussions at the contract board are commercially sensitive and therefore not suitable for publication.

Asylum: North East

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the performance of G4S in delivering the COMPASS contract for asylum seekers in the North East, Yorkshire and Humber region. [189749]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 3 March 2014]:Since COMPASS contracts began in June 2012 G4S have attended monthly contract board meetings where their performance is assessed and discussed. Every three months they attend a strategic review management board to discuss past performance and future activity.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been recovered in rebates to her Department from G4S for poor performance in delivering the COMPASS contract for asylum seekers in the North East, Yorkshire and Humber region. [189750]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 3 March 2014]: For the period January 2013 to November 2013 the Department has recovered £360,770.69 from G4S.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the outcome of the tri-monthly strategic reviews of the delivery of the COMPASS contract for asylum seekers in the North East, Yorkshire and Humber region. [189751]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 3 March 2014]: The discussions at the Strategic Review Management Board are commercially sensitive and therefore unsuitable for publication.

Borders: Personal Records

Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid by her Department to Raytheon plc in relation to the e-Borders scheme. [184052]

James Brokenshire: The Home Office is in arbitration with Raytheon and, until the award is received, it is not possible to provide a final figure for the amount paid under the e-Borders contract.

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Entry Clearances

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many visa applications are currently on hold pending the outcome of the High Court judgment regarding the minimum income threshold for sponsoring a non-EEA partner and dependent children applying using the family route; [181397]

(2) how many applications are currently on hold pending the outcome of the High Court judgment on the minimum income threshold for sponsoring non-EEA partners and dependent children applying in the family route. [187587]

James Brokenshire [holding answers 8 January and 13 February 2014]: At 31 December 2013, 2,628 settlement visa applications and 386 leave to remain applications were on hold pending the final determination by the courts of the legal challenge in MM and Others. These figures, which include principal applicants and dependants and which will be published on a quarterly basis on the Home Office website, have been derived from internal management information and are subject to change and revision. They have not been produced to the same protocol as National Statistics.

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the introduction of a bidding system for allocation of permanent UK resident visas; and if she will publish a full equality impact assessment for such a policy. [189407]

James Brokenshire: The independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), in its report ‘Tier 1 (Investor) route: investment thresholds and economic benefits’ published on 25 February 2014, recommended that a limited number of Tier 1 investor visas be issued each year on the basis of an auction arrangement. The Government are carefully considering this and other recommendations in the MAC's report and will respond to them in due course.

Entry Clearances: Appeals

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of cases refused by entry clearance officers were overturned on appeal in the last year for which data is available. [189923]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 4 March 2014]: Data on entry clearance refusals and appeals are published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tables-for-immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2013

The data in the annexed table relates to 2013.

In 2013 the proportion of cases allowed at appeal as a proportion of those refused is 4%. However it should be noted that not all entry clearance refusals attract a right of appeal nor do all applicants who are refused exercise their right to appeal.

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Female Genital Mutilation

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to work with EU counterparts to promote an integrated approach to tackling female genital mutilation. [189768]

Norman Baker: The Home Office has received €300,000 (approximately £250,000) funding from the European Commission to fund a project raising awareness of female genital mutilation in the UK.

Activities include a promotion campaign for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children FGM Helpline, developing an e-learning package for safeguarding professionals and awareness raising sessions with Local Safeguarding Children Boards. The Home Office will also be hosting an EU-wide event to share effective practice.

Human Trafficking

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tackle human trafficking within the UK. [189034]

Karen Bradley: The Government's draft Modern Slavery Bill, which was published on 16 December, shows how seriously we take this issue. The Bill will consolidate and toughen existing legislation, making it simpler for the police and prosecutors to understand, and ensuring that perpetrators receive suitably severe punishments for these appalling crimes.

To complement the Bill, the Government will publish a comprehensive Action Plan in the spring, recognising that effective legislation is only one approach to tackling modern slavery, and the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), announced a comprehensive review of the National Referral Mechanism. The terms of reference for the review (including decisions on membership and its scope) are being considered at the moment and will be finalised shortly.

Immigration

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many Pre-action Protocol letters in relation to immigration decisions have been received by her Department in each of the last five years; and how many such letters have been responded to within (a) 14 days and (b) three months; [187497]

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(2) how many claimants who sent Pre-action Protocol letters to her Department in relation to immigration decisions which were not responded to within three months have subsequently sought judicial review proceedings; [187555]

James Brokenshire: A breakdown for the full five years requested is not available due to the way that Pre-action Protocols were recorded on our internal database prior to 2012. The table provides the data for 2012 and 2013 (to 30 September).

Pre-action Protocol letters and Judicial Review receipts have increased significantly in the past year. This increase, which has primarily been driven through increased decision making, has affected our ability to respond to Pre-action Protocols in a timely way. Although not legally required to do so we aim to act in accordance with best practice set out in the protocol. We are working to improve our response rates by increasing staff resources in this area. We have already established a dedicated team of 18 additional officers to work solely on Temporary Migration Pre-action Protocol letters which currently account for the majority of those received and we will continue to recruit more staff into this area throughout 2014.

Immigration Controls

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the continued deployment of immigration enforcement information vans across the UK. [189032]

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), announced to the House of Commons on 22 October 2013, Official Report, column 157, that the use of advertising vans was too blunt an instrument and would not be used again.

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Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department’s policy is on removing face coverings at border crossings. [189459]

James Brokenshire: Passengers wearing a veil or face covering on arrival in the United Kingdom are asked to remove their veil so that their appearance can be compared with the photograph in their passport, in order that the officer can be satisfied as to their identity and nationality.

Immigration: ICT

Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department will continue using the immigration casework programme computer system. [189538]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 3 March 2014]:The immigration casework programme delivered three core components that are in use in the Department and will continue to be used.

A caseworking tool allowing paperless decision-making and delivering productivity improvements for a particular category of student application.

A comprehensive immigration search engine allowing case-workers across the world to view identity details across 14 current systems, which greatly aids accurate and timely decision making.

A customer website which allows digital application for certain immigration products.

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Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library any evaluation her Department has made of the immigration case-work computer programme since May 2010. [189539]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 3 March 2014]: The immigration casework programme closed in August 2013. While it ran, the programme was subject to regular reviews by the Cabinet Office Major Projects Authority and the National Audit Office.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent staff of each Civil Service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in her Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is. [168721]

Karen Bradley: The total number of full-time equivalent staff working in the private offices of Ministers in February 2014 is 37.6. This is compared to 42 full-time equivalent positions in May 2010. The breakdown of these positions, including grades, is provided in the following tables:

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Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 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. [188319]

Karen Bradley: The total number of full-time equivalent staff working in the private offices of Ministers in

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February 2014 is 37.6. This is compared to 42 full-time equivalent positions in May 2010. The breakdown of these positions, including grades, is provided in the following tables, alongside the office space allocated to each Minister:

Paedophilia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps she is taking to tackle paedophilia; and if she will make a statement. [189043]

Norman Baker: The Home Office has established a National Group to tackle Sexual Violence against Children and Vulnerable People which I chair. This brings together agencies including the Crown Prosecution Service, the police and key organisations such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Rape Crisis and Barnardo's to co-ordinate and implement the lessons learned from recent inquiries into historical sexual abuse and current sexual exploitation cases, and issues around sexual violence more widely. The National Group's first progress report and action plan was published in July 2013 and can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/230443/Sexual_Violence_against_Children_and_Vulnerable_People.pdf

The National Group identified nine key areas for action and prioritised action to prevent abuse happening in the first place, protect children online, make sure the police can identify and deal with problems and ensure that victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system.

In addition, the Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims is leading the work with industry on cyber related crime. We are working with industry to develop

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tough controls so that child abuse images are removed from the internet where possible, blocked from being accessed from the UK where they cannot be removed, and investigated so that those involved in their production, distribution or possession are brought to justice and so that the victims of these crimes can be protected and safeguarded. This work has included internet search engines making changes to their search mechanisms to prevent access to the images, and these new measures have been effective in making it harder to access child abuse images.

We will create a new child abuse image database that will hold a national record of the images seized by the police. This will enable identification of known images more quickly on suspects' computers, and assist with victim identification. Britain and the US have also created a new taskforce to work with industry to counter online child sexual exploitation.

Passports

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to address unofficial websites offering passport application services. [189052]

James Brokenshire: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 5 February 2014, Official Report, column 234W, to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West (Mike Crockart).

Police: Disciplinary Proceedings

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers chief constables have to prevent police officers under investigation from leaving their force before the conclusion of those investigations. [189643]

Damian Green: Under Regulation 10 of the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2012, a chief constable has the power to suspend a police officer until misconduct proceedings are concluded. A suspended officer may not leave the force without the chief constable's approval.

Stalking

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if she will bring forward legislative proposals to expand the definition of stalking specifically to include the internet as a medium for stalking; [189516]

(2) what steps her Department has taken to educate law enforcement agencies about the expanded definition of stalking contained in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012; [189517]

(3) what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the new definition of stalking contained in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 is enforced and observed by law enforcement agencies. [189518]

Norman Baker: The coalition Government brought in new laws in 2012 to ensure that perpetrators of stalking are brought to justice. These new stalking laws are already equally applicable to online cyber-stalking and harassment. There is also a range of other robust legislation to deal with internet trolls and perpetrators of grossly offensive, obscene or menacing behaviour.

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The College of Policing training package on stalking has been completed over 44,000 times since October 2012. Additionally, the Crown Prosecution Service e-learning module to support prosecutors in prosecuting stalking, cyber-stalking and harassment has been completed over 1,000 times since it was made mandatory for prosecutors in June 2012.

The Home Office has developed a one day training course for front-line professionals in conjunction with Women's Aid and Paladin, the National Stalking Advocacy Service. This training course is currently being delivered nationwide.

Stun Guns

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to prohibit the offer and sale of stun guns on eBay. [189263]

Norman Baker: It is already an offence under the Firearms Act 1968 to sell or transfer stun guns. We are strengthening this legislation in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Policing and Crime Bill by increasing the maximum prison sentence for these offences from 10 years to life imprisonment.

Enforcement agencies, including Border Force and the National Crime Agency, work together to target the importation of stun guns and their sale, including over the internet.

Transport

Aerosols: Health Hazards

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of stratospheric aerosol geoengineering and aerial aerosol spraying on public health. [189534]

Mr Goodwill: No such assessment has been made. The Government have no credible evidence of the release of any matter or aerosol being ejected from aircraft in the UK, other than the normal exhaust products from aircraft.

British Transport Police

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British Transport police officers have faced disciplinary action for misconduct in dealing with cases relating to the offence of begging in the last three years. [189554]

Stephen Hammond: No British Transport police officers have faced formal disciplinary action in relation to cases connected to the offence of begging in the period between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2013.

Heathrow Airport

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what effect Heathrow expansion would have on flood reservoir capacity in Berkshire, Surrey and surrounding areas; [189561]

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(2) what effect Heathrow expansion would have on runoff water levels in Berkshire, Surrey and surrounding areas in cases of severe weather; and if he will make a statement. [189666]

Mr Goodwill: The Government established the independent Airports Commission to identify and recommend to Government options for maintaining this country's status as an international hub for aviation. Although options at Heathrow airport have been shortlisted by the Commission for further examination, its final recommendations are not due to be published until the summer of 2015.

The environmental impacts of any proposed infrastructure development that might result from this process would be considered as part of the preparations for the detailed planning process to which the project would inevitably be subject, were it to go ahead.

JD Wetherspoon

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings there have been between (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department and representatives of JD Wetherspoon plc in the last two years. [189779]

Stephen Hammond: Details of ministerial meetings held by Ministers and permanent secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at:

www.Gov.uk

Information requested in respect of other officials' meetings is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Offshore Oil and Gas in the UK Review

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) officials were appointed to the Steering Group which considered the recommendations of the Maitland Review of the regulatory regime in the offshore oil and gas industry; how many MCA officials have worked on that Steering Group to date; and for how long in each case. [190073]

Stephen Hammond: No Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) officials were formally appointed to this Steering Group. However, the MCA was represented in this forum at Director level, alongside representatives from the DECC and the HSE from early 2012, following the publication of the Maitland Review on 18 December 2011.

This Steering Group was later subsumed into a new Senior Oversight Group (SOG), also comprising DECC, HSE and MCA. The SOG was established to supervise both the transposition of the EU Offshore Safety Directive and to continue the successful implementation of the Maitland Review recommendations through the longer term.

The MCA's Director level representation in both these fora continues and has been vested in the same individual throughout.

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Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the European Commission's publication COM (2013) 296, what representations he has received from British ports on the Commission's proposed regulation on ports; what representations he has made to the European Council on that proposed regulation; and if he will make a statement. [189770]

Stephen Hammond: I have had numerous discussions and exchanges of correspondence with British ports and their trade associations on this proposed regulation. DFT officials are working in close liaison with the ports and shipping industry on analysis of proposed amendments and assessment of impacts, and draft text options.

This matter has yet to be discussed in detail at Transport Council, but I have taken opportunities to discuss with several of my ministerial counterparts matters of mutual concern about the potential impact of the regulation on competitive ports, and I will continue to do so.

Council working party discussions have taken place on 18 and 25 February and further such meetings are currently scheduled for 18 and 25 March. Officials have also briefed Members of the European Parliament on concerns about the details of the Proposal, and have discussed these with Commission officials. The general aim, which the Government broadly share with the UK ports and shipping industry, is to promote drafting improvements that would avoid imposing unwarranted burdens on competitive, unsubsidised ports and service providers such as those in the UK, while promoting greater financial transparency, fairer competition and market access where subsidy does occur and where competition between ports is restricted.

It is expected that the Greek presidency will report on progress to the Transport Council on 5-6 June. Meanwhile the UK will continue to engage in negotiations with a view to avoiding any unnecessarily burdensome regulation of a successful, efficient and vital sector of the economy. At the same time, we will support greater financial transparency for publicly-funded ports and a more rigorous approach to state aids in the ports sector.

Ports: EU Law

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has a veto power in relation to ports on COM(2013)296 on the proposed regulation of European ports. [190041]

Stephen Hammond: No member state has a veto on this proposal. The legal base for the proposed Regulation is article 100(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and it is consequently subject to qualified majority voting procedures.

Road Signs and Markings

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what data his Department holds on the effectiveness of signage on overhead gantries. [189815]

Mr Goodwill: The Highways Agency, an executive agency of the Department for Transport, holds various data on the effectiveness of signage on overhead gantries.

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Such data are used to improve the effectiveness of its signage, of which there are primarily three types: travel information, which better informs road-users in managing/planning journeys; queue protection signage, which has increased safety; and campaign signage which has improved driver behaviour.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an assessment of the potential benefits of displaying signage on overhead gantries reminding drivers about eyesight standards and eyesight testing. [189816]

Mr Goodwill: We have no plans to make such an assessment. The purpose of traffic signs is to convey road traffic information to drivers relevant to their journey. Eyesight standards and testing reminders fall outside this purpose.

However, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has been exploring options for highlighting the importance of all drivers having a good standard of vision and to have eyesight tests. In addition to the information already available on Gov.uk and in DVLA's application forms and leaflets, in the last year the DVLA has worked with a number of key stakeholders to further publicise this important issue which has resulted in articles appearing in the press and online.

Transport: Scotland

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to Scotland under the Barnett formula as a consequence of his Department's expenditure on (a) roads and (b) railways in each of the last three years for which information is available. [189851]

Stephen Hammond: The Barnett formula is applied to the changes in departmental budgets as a whole rather than to individual components of a budget. It is therefore not possible to attribute Barnett consequentials to particular programmes of a departmental budget. Full details of the Barnett formula are set out in the Treasury publication “Funding the Scottish Parliament National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: Statement of Funding Policy”.

Northern Ireland

Terrorism

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) whether Richard Haass was aware of the administrative letter scheme granting immunity from prosecution to on-the-run suspects (a) before, (b) during and (c) after his recent negotiations with the main political parties in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement; [190108]

(2) which (a) Prime Ministers, (b) Deputy Prime Ministers; (c) Northern Ireland Secretaries of State, (d) Ministers of State for Northern Ireland, (e) Attorney- Generals and (f) Secretaries of State for Defence had knowledge of the existence of administrative letters granting immunity from

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prosecution for on-the-runs; and if she will make a statement; [190110]

(3) when the last administrative letter granting immunity from prosecution to an on-the-run suspect was issued and by whom; whether she had knowledge of it at the time of its sending; and if she will make a statement; [190111]

(4) how many administrative letters granting immunity from prosecution to on-the-runs are under consideration at present; what the current status of such draft letters is; and if she will make a statement; [190112]

(5) when the first administrative letters granting immunity from prosecution to on-the-runs were issued; and if she will make a statement; [190113]

(6) when she first became aware of the operation of an administrative letter scheme granting immunity from prosecution to the on-the-runs; how many such letters she sanctioned; to whom those letters were addressed; and if she will make a statement. [190114]

Mrs Villiers: No individual was granted immunity from prosecution under the administrative scheme for dealing with so called “on-the-runs”. The scheme provided information at a particular moment in time on whether an individual was sought by the police and it was made clear that if evidence emerged in the future in connection with terrorist offences they will be liable for arrest and prosecution.

On 27 February, the Prime Minister announced that a judge would be appointed to undertake an independent review to provide a full public account of the operation and extent of the administrative scheme which was established by the previous Government. This will include a factual check of all letters issued. I expect the report to be provided to me by the end of May 2014 for the purpose of its full publication.

Wales

Internet

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what services his Department provides that are (a) available online only and (b) planned to move to online only. [190373]

Stephen Crabb: None.

Pagers

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many pagers have been provided to staff by his Department since May 2010; and what the cost to the Department was of providing those pagers. [190061]

Stephen Crabb: None. The Wales Office does not provide pagers to its staff.

Culture, Media and Sport

Remembrance Day

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Prime Minister about allowing British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to lay individual wreaths at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday. [189657]

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Mrs Grant: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 54W, by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds).

Sport England

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment criteria was used by Sport England in determining which (a) core cities and (b) growth cities received priority in the allocation of resources. [189908]

Mrs Grant: The 'core cities' group is a self-funded, self-selected group of eight cities made up of Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. The core cities group approached Sport England with a proposal to use the well-established core cities group and their partnership working ethos to inform a strategic approach to community sport.

Sport England is working with the group which, with a combined population of 16 million, offers the potential to increase the number of people playing sport more often through strategic improvements to the grassroots sporting infrastructure in these cities.

Membership of the 'core city' group does not entitle the local authorities priority access to Sport England funding. Sport England continues to work with other local authorities across England providing expertise and investment to get more people playing sport.

Communities and Local Government

Fire Services

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many UK constituencies do not have a fire station. [189907]

Brandon Lewis: The Department holds numbers of fire stations for each fire and rescue authority area, but does not hold information by constituency.

Flood Control

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice his Department gives to local authorities on charging for sandbags. [189684]

Brandon Lewis: Sandbag costs are the responsibility of each local authority. My Department has been clear that costs relating to the use of sand bags in emergency response are eligible expenditure under the Bellwin scheme, and residents should not be charged.

This point was clearly spelt out by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), in his written statement of 13 February 2014, Official Report, columns 66-67WS.

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Housing: Construction

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what basis the figures that the Get Britain Building scheme would create 16,000 and 3,000 jobs were calculated. [190129]

Kris Hopkins: The estimate for the number of homes that could be supported through the Get Britain Building scheme was based on a range of assumptions including the number and size of stalled schemes and the level of upfront expenditure per unit. The estimate that the scheme could support up to 32,000 jobs was based on an assumption that each new home supports up to two jobs. The programme is on track and on course to deliver on its targets, I refer the hon. Member to my answer to her on 27 February 2014, Official Report, columns 445-46W.

Property Development: Floods

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 560W, on property development: floods, (1) whether information on the decisions taken by him on recovered planning appeals is held; and whether records are kept of any decisions taken by him that are contrary to (a) the local authority's decision and (b) Environment Agency advice; [190026]

(2) how many times he has used his powers of recovering a planning application to permit development of any sort on a flood plain or in an area of flood risk in each of the last four years. [190027]

Nick Boles: We do not hold the precise information requested and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, as I said in my previous answer, all decisions on recovered appeals in areas at risk of flooding will be determined taking account of the particular circumstances of the case and having regard to the provisions of the Local Development Plan and relevant national planning policy.

I would note that the National Planning Policy Framework states that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided. Local planning authorities should direct development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains, but where development is necessary, it must be demonstrated that it is safe and will not increase flood risk elsewhere. This gives councils the robust ability to reject unacceptable planning applications. Councils' Local Plans should also shape where development should and should not go, and address the need for associated infrastructure to accompany new development.

Flood prevention measures, like robust flood and coastal defences, can make development appropriate where it would otherwise not be. For example, London is at risk of tidal flooding, as evident from the North sea floods of 1953 which inflicted immense damage on the East End of London. However, since 1983, the Thames Barrier has mitigated that risk.

Moreover, national planning policy is clear that any new buildings that are needed in flood risk areas are appropriately flood resistant and resilient. Mitigation measures such as land raising, landscaping, raised thresholds

5 Mar 2014 : Column 833W

and re-arranging the internal uses of buildings, can sometimes also make development acceptable in such areas. Such measures can be made a requirement of any planning consent by the local authority.

Education

Schools: Standards

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration his Department has given to Ofsted assessing and grading secondary and post-16 elements of joint provision separately in order to provide greater clarity for parents and young people choosing schools. [189581]

Matthew Hancock: Ofsted currently provides a narrative assessment of the performance of sixth forms when reporting on schools that include joint provision.

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector recently discussed his intention to consult on a numerical sub-judgement for school sixth forms during the Education Select Committee's oral evidence session on Ofsted's Annual Report on Education 2012-13.

Sixth Form Colleges

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received in the last three years on the effect of budget reductions on sixth form colleges. [189574]

Matthew Hancock: We have received representations from numerous sixth form colleges regarding funding issues, either directly or through their local MP.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his plans are for the future budget for sixth form college education beyond that already published. [189575]

Matthew Hancock: Allocations for the academic year 2014-15 will be confirmed to 16-to-19 providers, including sixth-form colleges, by the end of March. We have already announced the main components of our policy for funding 16-to-19 education in 2015-16, and may refine our policy further when we know student recruitment numbers for 2014-15, because 16-to-19 funding is predominantly based on student numbers from the preceding academic year.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reductions in funding for sixth form colleges on (a) careers guidance, (b) special educational needs support and (c) support for students with disabilities. [189576]

Matthew Hancock: We have not reduced post-16 funding for those with learning difficulties or disabilities. We have not undertaken an analysis of the availability of careers guidance in 16-to-19 institutions.

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Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reductions in funding for sixth form colleges on (a) sports provision, (b) music and drama provision and (c) English language support; [189577]

(2) what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reductions in funding for sixth form colleges on the availability of STEM courses in (a) England and (b) Yorkshire; [189578]

(3) what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reductions in funding for sixth form colleges on the availability of modern language courses in (a) England and (b) Yorkshire; [189579]

(4) what estimate his Department has made of the number of hours of additional support and extracurricular activities that young people aged 16-19 in the state sixth form college sector (a) received in each of the last six years and (b) will receive in each of the next four years; [189584]

(5) what assessment his Department has made of the effect of expected increases in class sizes in sixth form colleges in each of the next four years. [189586]

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Education constantly scrutinises the impact of policy and funding decisions on educational provision.

As sixth form colleges are independent institutions, it is for them to determine the nature of the programmes of study they offer.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration his Department has given to closing sixth form college provision in schools Ofsted grade 3 or below to enable headteachers to focus on (a) core activity and (b) provision of GCSE-level education. [189580]

Matthew Hancock: Where a school with a sixth form is judged by Ofsted to be inadequate (Ofsted grade 4), the Department for Education considers the best course of action for the whole school. Where that is a sponsored academy solution, the proposed sponsor will be required to show how standards in the whole school will be raised.

Where a school wishes to focus on its 11-16 provision, it may take steps to change the age range of the school.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what comparison his Department has made of value for money of free school sixth form places and existing sixth form places. [189582]

Matthew Hancock: Free school sixth form places are funded on exactly the same basis as existing sixth form places. Free schools are integral to the Government's policy to provide choice for parents and pupils, bring innovation and competition to the schools system and improve school standards.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received from the sixth form college sector on the effect of changes to

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its budget

(a)

on young people with special needs,

(b)

on young people who previously received free school meals and

(c)

generally. [189585]

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Education has not reduced post-16 funding for those with learning difficulties or disabilities. We have received representations from all sixth form colleges about budget changes in recent years, either directly or through their local MP.

The Department does not currently fund post-16 provision on the basis of eligibility of students for free school meals. However, in the academic year 2014/15 we are introducing free meals for disadvantaged students in sixth form colleges and further education colleges who are eligible for free school meals.

We have maintained the support for disadvantaged students and the 16-19 bursary fund, most of which is allocated directly to schools, colleges and providers so they can target help towards the young people who need it most. We also allocate a £1,200 bursary to the most vulnerable people.

Students

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what comparison his Department has made of the definition of a full-time 16 to 19 year old student in the UK with (a) other countries and (b) other European countries. [189583]

Matthew Hancock: International comparisons about post-16 participation have been made by the Department but not specifically about the definition of a full-time 16 to 19-year-old student.

As provision for 16 to 19-year-olds across countries varies considerably, international comparisons of enrolments for this age-group by the OECD and European Commission use the following definition of full-time instruction: full-time constitutes 75% or more of the typical school week as it applies locally at that level of education. However, they do not collect or publish international comparisons of instruction time for upper secondary pupils (key stages 4 and 5 in the UK).

Under Raising the Participation Age (RPA) legislation, young people can choose how they participate. They can do this through full-time education, a job or volunteering combined with part-time education or training, or by undertaking an apprenticeship or traineeship. Where young people choose the full-time education route, this is defined as 540 guided learning hours and was decided following the RPA consultation response published in July 2012, because it is a reasonable minimum requirement for full-time education such as a study programme leading to three A levels or equivalent, or substantial vocational qualifications.

Students: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2014, Official Report, columns 821W, on students: Cumbria, how many of the individuals identified in Barrow and Furness and Cumbria were studying for (a) level 2, (b) level 3 and (c) vocational qualifications. [189827]

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Matthew Hancock: There are 21 students studying level 2, 428 students studying level 3 and 101 students undertaking vocational learning aged 18 who live in Barrow and Furness constituency. Level 2 and level 3 figures include both academic and vocational learning.

There are 50 students studying level 2, 428 students studying level 3 and 468 students undertaking vocational learning aged 18 who live in Cumbria.

Data are based on the 2012/13 R14 Individualised Learner Record, the latest available full year of data. Data refers to 18-year-old non-high needs students on full-time (540+ hours) programmes in post-16 institutions (including school sixth forms). This will not include any students on apprenticeship provision. Students who live in Barrow and Furness constituency or Cumbria (Upper Tier Local Authority) do not necessarily study there.

Teachers: Job Satisfaction

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve the morale of teachers. [190019]

Mr Laws: It is very encouraging that so many good people are choosing a career in teaching; for example, teaching is now the number one destination for graduates from Oxford university. We are proud to have many thousands of dedicated, hard-working individuals in our schools, delivering high-quality education to their pupils.

A recent survey for the “Times Educational Supplement” found that teachers generally feel positive about the work they do. Last year, the Varkey GEMS Foundation's global teacher status index found levels of public respect for the teaching profession in England were higher than in Finland or Germany.

We have enormous respect for teachers and the vital role they play, and continue to work towards supporting teachers by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, allowing them to use their professional judgement and rewarding good quality teaching, including through pay flexibilities which allow heads to pay good teachers more.

Teachers: Training

Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department plans to take to increase the number of trainee religious education teachers. [189980]

Mr Laws: We have over-allocated places for initial teacher training (ITT) in religious education (RE) this year; this helps us to train enough teachers, taking account of the likely level of recruitment. RE is also supported by the National College for Teaching and Leadership's Teaching Line, which provides information and advice for anyone who wants to apply. In addition, officials have already met the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) to identify further ways of supporting recruitment to RE ITT.

Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2014 to the hon. Member for Christchurch, Official Report,

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columns 649-50W, for what reasons bursary decisions for the academic year 2014-15 were not made after enrolment data for 2013-14 became available. [190021]

Mr Laws: It is important that applicants know the financial arrangements for initial teacher training (ITT), including bursary rates, before they apply. This year, as usual, the application process for ITT, which is managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), necessarily opened before the annual census of ITT trainees for the previous year was available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Gibraltar: Spain

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if the Secretary of State will clarify whether the Alcaidesa marina in La Linea has been partly constructed in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters; [189650]

(2) what representations his Department has made to the Spanish government about the Alcaidesa marina in La Linea; (a) on what date and (b) by whom such representations were made; and what further action he intends to take on this issue. [189658]

Mr Lidington: UK officials and Ministers frequently raise the issue of British sovereignty over the territorial waters with their Spanish counterparts. Construction of the mole/sea wall and Alcaidesa marina in La Linea are historical fact. The mole was completed in the 1980s and marina in 2008. We have made our position on sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters clear to the Government of Spain on this matter, including recently at a senior level.

Israel

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution he plans to make to address the humanitarian needs of Bedouin forcibly removed from the Negev. [902819]

Hugh Robertson: The UK continues to follow closely Israeli Government plans with respect to unrecognised Bedouin villages in the Negev. We have made clear our view about the need to avoid forced displacement. We have continually encouraged the Israeli Government and Bedouin communities to engage in dialogue to agree a lasting; satisfactory solution to this long-standing and complex issue.

Officials in Tel Aviv raised this issue with Israeli authorities on numerous occasions during January, most recently on 29 January.

Pagers

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many pagers have been provided to staff by his Department since May 2010; and what the cost to the Department was of providing those pagers. [190051]

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Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has an ongoing contract for the provision of 20 pagers per year at an annual cost of £1,189.60 and has had this arrangement since before May 2010.

Thalidomide

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to his German counterpart on compensation from Grünenthal for UK born victims of thalidomide poisoning. [189522]

Mr Lidington: No recent representations have been made to the German Government on the subject of compensation from Grünenthal to the UK victims of the Thalidomide disaster.

Energy and Climate Change

Energy Supply

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect on energy-generating capacity in the UK in the event of Scotland's withdrawal from the UK. [190103]

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), recently assessed UK generating capacity through the Statutory Security of Supply report published and laid before the House on 31 October 2013. This report covered the whole of Great Britain, including Scotland and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-security-of-supply-report-2013

Ahead of the Scottish independence referendum, to inform the debate about Scotland's constitutional future, the UK Government is undertaking a programme of analysis on Scotland's place in the UK and how it contributes to and benefits from being part of the UK. DECC will set out a full analysis of the implications of independence on the energy sector shortly.

Energy: Billing

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with (a) Scottish Power and (b) Npower on the refunding of direct debit payments. [189706]

Gregory Barker: On 5 November 2013, I hosted a roundtable with Npower and Scottish Power and the other four large supply companies to discuss direct debit arrangements.

Following further discussions with Ministers and officials, on 19 February 2014, Npower announced it would introduce arrangements to automatically issue refunds to customers if they have a credit balance over a minimum threshold of over £5 on the 12-month anniversary direct debit arrangement.

EDF Energy, British Gas, SSE and First Utility also announced that they would automatically refund direct debit balances following discussions with me.

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Scottish Power will automatically issue refunds to customers if they have a credit balance more than one month's credit at their 12 month-anniversary direct debit arrangement.

Energy: Meters

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the performance of his Department in the roll-out of smart meters in the UK. [189848]

Michael Fallon: The Department of Energy and Climate Change published the second annual report on the roll-out of smart meters in December 2013. The report notes that the programme has passed a number of significant milestones on the road to smart meters being rolled out. These include:

the appointment in September 2013 of the Data and Communications Company (DCC) licensee and of the data and communications service providers. The DCC will deliver communications between smart meters and energy suppliers, network operators and other authorised service users;

designation of the Smart Energy Code (SEC) that sets out the contractual relationship between the DCC and its users;

confirmation of the regulatory approach to the Foundation Smart Market;

the establishment in June 2013 of the Central Delivery Body responsible for centralised consumer engagement;

the coming into effect in June 2013 of the Smart Meter Installation Code of Practice governing the consumer experience throughout the smart meter installation process at both domestic and micro-business premises;

the publication in September 2013 of the first quarterly report on the progress of suppliers' smart meter installations;

the publication of a range of research on consumer attitudes to and engagement with smart metering, with a further programme of in depth research under way;

the developments of arrangements for monitoring both costs and delivery of benefits.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the letter to the hon. Member for Newport West from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change of 24 February 2014, which companies or consortia have bid for the contracts for the parent body organisation (PBO) for (a) Magnox Ltd and (b) Research Sites Restoration Ltd; and when each meeting has been held with each bidding company or consortium since the competition for the PBO was opened to bidders. [189461]

Michael Fallon: Four consortia representing 10 individual companies are participating in the competition:

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

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

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

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

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As required by the competitive dialogue procurement procedures, there were numerous discussions with each of the bidding teams during the dialogue phase of the competition, which took place from January until October of 2013. All had equal opportunity for discussion time with the NDA as required by the Public Contracts Regulations 2006.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will set out the reasons for the lower level of indemnity offered to bidders for the contracts for the parent body organisation (PBO) for (a) Magnox Ltd and (b) Research Sites Restoration Ltd compared with that offered to the successful PBO for Sellafield Ltd. [189473]

Michael Fallon: The reason that the Government's exposure under the indemnity agreed with the bidders for the contracts for the parent body organisation (PBO) for Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd is less than under the indemnities given in the previous PBO appointments, including for Sellafield Ltd, is that the NDA has been able to maintain an even higher level of competitive tension between the four participating bidders through the dialogue process than in previous competitions.

Offshore Oil and Gas in the UK Review

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in his Department are working on the implementation of the recommendations of the Maitland Review of the regulatory regime in the offshore oil and gas industry; how many such officials have worked on implementing those recommendations to date; and for how long each such official was so employed. [190080]

Michael Fallon: The Director of DECC's Energy Development Unit was responsible for overseeing the implementation of, where appropriate, the Maitland Review recommendations as they pertain to DECC's responsibilities.

Eight operational staff have, where appropriate, been working on implementing the recommendations, as they pertain to DECC, as part of their day-to-day duties. This began when the Department received the report in December 2011 and, given the continuous improvement ethos of the Maitland recommendations, continues as part of their normal activities.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials from his Department were appointed to the Steering Group which considered the recommendations of the Maitland Review of the regulatory regime in the offshore oil and gas industry; how many such officials have worked on that Steering Group to date; and for how long in each case. [190081]

Michael Fallon: The Director of DECC's Energy Development Unit chaired the Steering Group and was responsible for overseeing the review of and response to the Maitland Review recommendations. The organisation of the Steering Group was managed by DECC with, at any one time, two members of staff working on this as part of their day to day duties.

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Wind Power

Mr O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much in total Government funding in subsidies for (a) onshore wind and (b) offshore wind was given in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14. [189686]

Michael Fallon: Large-scale wind generation in the UK is supported by the renewables obligation (RO) while small-scale wind projects in Great Britain are supported by the feed-in tariff (FiT) scheme. The following table shows the number and total value of renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) issued to onshore and offshore wind generators under the RO that have been redeemed¹ against the 2012-13 obligations² in the UK:

The value of support under the RO is calculated by multiplying the number of ROCs that suppliers have redeemed by the value of a ROC. Although the actual value of a ROC to a generator will be determined by the market, the nominal value of a ROC for 2012-13 was £44.48. Figures for 2013-14 are not provided because the number of ROCs redeemed by suppliers, and the nominal value of a ROC, will not be confirmed until after 1 July 2014. This is the deadline by which suppliers must present ROCs to Ofgem for redemption in respect of the 2013-14 obligation period.

Data on financial support for installations under the FiT scheme are not available for individual technologies. Ofgem publish data on payments made to FiT generators on their website. For the last complete FiT year (2012-13) total scheme costs were £506.3 million for 1,675 GWh of renewable generation. By the end of September 2013 nearly 5,000 onshore wind installations had been registered under the FiT scheme.

¹ 2012-13 ROCs redeemed by technology available at:

https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/Public/ReportManager.aspx?ReportVisibility=1&ReportCategory=0

(Compliance certificates report). Nominal value of a ROC calculated as total value of obligation (£1991 million, including Ofgem's administration costs of £4.2 million), divided by total number of ROCs redeemed (44,773,499), both values published in Ofgem's 2012-13 RO annual report, available at:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/renewables-obligation-ro-annual-report-2012-2013

² There are three renewables obligations, one covering England and Wales, and one each in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Defence

Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) names of contractors, (b) dates, (c) value, (d) contracted services to be provided and (e) location in Afghanistan are of any contracts to UK-based private military security companies for work in Afghanistan. [190064]

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Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence does not currently have any contracts with UK-based private military security companies in Afghanistan.

Armed Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost to his Department of the historical branches of each of the armed forces was in each year since 2010. [189280]

Anna Soubry: We estimate that the annual running costs of each of the service historical branches have been as follows in each of the last three financial years:

These figures include the cost of employment of the staff and an assessment of the associated overhead, for example, IT provision.

Armed Forces Covenant

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many bids were submitted to the Armed Forces Covenant (LIBOR) Fund in each year since 2012; and how many such bids were successful. [189290]

Anna Soubry: I am pleased to confirm that we have now allocated almost £35 million through the covenant LIBOR fund to support charities and others in delivering 97 projects that will benefit the armed forces community. The fund is now closed, and a small residual sum is being held for contingency purposes. The grants were made in three tranches between December 2012 and December 2013.

In June 2013, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government was making a permanent financial commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant through a new fund worth £10 million per year. This will be made available from April 2015 and officials are currently working on the design of the new scheme. Details will be announced later this year.

The requested breakdown is provided in the following table:

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the companies with which his Department holds contracts have signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant. [189292]

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Anna Soubry: As at 27 February 2014,112 organisations have signed a Corporate Covenant; of these, 31 have contracts with the Ministry of Defence.

We make every effort to encourage organisations to sign a Corporate Covenant pledge, and the scheme continues to receive a great deal of interest. It provides an excellent opportunity for businesses and other organisations to declare their support for members of the armed forces community who work for and use their services. This is a voluntary scheme which allows each organisation to reach their own decisions about the level of support they provide.

Armed Forces: Criminal Records

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information and guidance is issued to service personnel in advance of a summary hearing relating to the implications of punishments issued under the National Police Records (Recordable Offences) Regulation 2000. [189806]

Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Prisons and Rehabilitation, my hon. Friend the Member for Kenilworth and Southam (Jeremy Wright), on 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 244W. Sentences imposed at a summary hearing are treated in the same way as sentences imposed by the court martial or indeed as those imposed in the magistrates or Crown courts.

An individual accused of a service offence is provided with a copy of a booklet entitled ‘Your rights if you are accused of an offence’. This is published as an annex to the Manual of Service Law, which is available on the internet at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/manual-of-service-law-forms-and-leaflets

The booklet was updated in February 2013 and now includes guidance on how a conviction imposed at a summary hearing may be recorded on the Police National Computer.

Armed Forces: Hearing Aids

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving members of the armed forces were issued with hearing aids from 2000 to 2013. [189677]

Anna Soubry: Between February 2007 and 31 December 2013, 254 personnel had a record of being provided with or using a hearing aid on their service primary health care patient record. If hearing aids were provided by the NHS or another external provider, this information may not be captured in the patient record.

Similar data cannot be provided prior to February 2007, as primary health care data were not held centrally at that time.

Army Reserve: Staffordshire

Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many new army reserve recruits there were in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire in each of the last five years. [189970]

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Anna Soubry: The number of Army reserve recruits, whose postal county is recorded as Staffordshire, is shown in the following table. Information prior to 2010, or specifically for Cannock Chase constituency, is not held in the format requested.

Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in ‘five’ have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military personnel are stationed in each of the British Overseas Territories. [189022]

Mr Francois: UK Military personnel are stationed in the Falkland Islands, Ascension Island, Gibraltar, the British Indian Ocean Territories and the Sovereign base areas in Cyprus. The establishment at each location is as set out in the following table.

Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. The exact numbers of personnel currently located in each overseas territory may vary from published statistics as personnel either change location or are deployed on operations.

The other UK overseas territories have no permanent UK military presence.

Defence Discount Service

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many (a) national, (b) regional and (c) local businesses have signed up to the Defence Discount Service; [189286]

(2) how many individuals from the (a) regular serving armed forces, (b) reserve forces, (c) veterans from all branches, (d) MoD civil servants, (e) cadet forces, (f) NATO personnel, (g) spouses and partners, (h) war service widows and widowers and (i) bereaved family members have purchased or registered for a Defence Privilege Card. [189287]

Anna Soubry: As at 27 February 2014, the number of card-holders from each category is as follows:

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To date, 433 national and 1,416 local businesses have signed up to the Defence Discount Service. Data for regional businesses are not captured.

Military Law

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the Queen's Regulations for the Army are not published online; and what plans he has to so publish those regulations. [189764]

Anna Soubry: The Army is currently in the process of updating Queen's Regulations with a view to them being available through the Army's internet site. On current plans, I anticipate that they will be made available by 31 March 2015.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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. [188312]

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

The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has nine officials working in his office. The breakdown is shown in the following table:

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The Secretary of State also has two Special Advisers.

Each of the other Ministry of Defence Ministers has four or fewer officials working directly for them in their private offices, and to protect individual privacy these numbers have not been disclosed.