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Written Answers to Questions

Monday 10 March 2014

Treasury

Child Benefit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of child benefit for the first child was in real terms in each of the last 30 years. [190179]

Nicky Morgan: The information to answer this question is publicly available.

Child Benefit Rates for 1977-99 (Table 1):

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199899/cmselect/cmsocsec/114/11404.htm#note12#note12

Child Benefit Rates for 1992-2013 (Appendix B):

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/286670/Child_Benefit_statistics_geographical_analysis_August_2013.xls

Consumer Prices Indices:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl= Consumer+Price+Indices

Child benefit is uprated by CPI unless there is a policy decision otherwise. In 2010 Government took the decision that CPI was the most suitable measure of inflation and switched from using the RPI to CPI for the uprating of benefits. This change came in to effect from 2011.

Credit Unions

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people who use credit unions in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK. [190336]

Sajid Javid: The Government do not hold information on number of credit unions’ members. The data are held by the regulatory authorities—the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority.

Credit: Interest Rates

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority regarding fees charged by payday lenders. [190251]

Sajid Javid: Government Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations as part of the usual policy making process.

The Government have legislated to require the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to introduce a cap on the cost of payday loans. The FCA will design a cap to include the fees and charges which may be incurred in relation to a payday loan, including default fees and charges and rollover fees.

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The FCA has also recently committed that it will consider carrying out a thematic review of market practice in relation to fees and charges across the consumer credit market, once it assumes regulatory responsibility for consumer credit on 1 April 2014.

Export Duties: Arts

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the potential benefit of introducing export duty exemptions for creative media companies. [190595]

Mr Gauke: There are currently no export duties payable on goods exported from the UK.

However, with regard to corporate tax, there are three specific tax reliefs available to the creative industries. These are: film tax relief; animation tax relief; and high-end television tax relief. A fourth corporate relief for video games will be introduced following state aid approval.

Exports

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies export products from the UK; and how much such firms contribute annually to the Exchequer in (a) corporation tax and (b) export duty. [190612]

Mr Gauke: The number of companies that exported products from the UK in 2012 was 145,708¹.

An estimate of the total amount of corporation tax paid by exporting companies could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is because there is no reliable source linking trade in goods data with corporation tax data, and it would involve considerable effort to identify and match the relevant data.

There are currently no export duties on goods exported from the UK.

¹Source:

UK Trade in Goods by Business Characteristics, HM Revenue and Customs

Financial Services

Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representatives of commercial debt management firms were formally met by officials of the Financial Conduct Authority between October and December 2013. [190711]

Sajid Javid: This question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the hon. Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Income Tax: National Insurance

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on merging income tax and national insurance. [190446]

Mr Gauke: The Government undertook detailed consultative work with a range of external stakeholders in 2011 and 2012 regarding the operational integration of income tax and national insurance.

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Autumn Statement 2012 announced that the Government would wait until existing planned changes to the personal tax system, such as Real Time Information, were further established before proceeding with additional external consultation.

Minimum Wage: Yorkshire and the Humber

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fines have been issued to employers in (a) Leeds North West constituency, (b) West Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and the Humber for not paying the national minimum wage since March 2013; and what the total value of fines is in each such area.[190684]

Mr Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC enforces the national minimum wage legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and has done so since the introduction of NMW in April 1999. It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.

HMRC does not capture complaints or the outcomes of its investigations by reference to Government regions, constituencies or county. Its management information relates to the work of teams who are multi-located. Additionally, because it resources to risk, work relating to a specific geographical area is not always done by the NMW team based in that area.

Prior to 6 April 2009, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued penalty notices to those employers who failed to comply, within 28 days, with an enforcement notice. A new enforcement regime, introduced m April 2009, saw the introduction of automatic penalties for employers who are found to have underpaid their workers. Between 1 April 2013 and 28 February 2104, HMRC has issued 561 penalties for non payment of national minimum wage, with a combined value of £671,524.

Money Laundering: EU Law

Mr Sutcliffe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will press for amendments allowing national Governments’ discretion to exempt low-risk industries from the provisions of the fourth EU anti-money laundering directive; and if he will make a statement. [190268]

Sajid Javid: The aim of the fourth money laundering directive is to update EU member states' anti money laundering and counter terrorist financing regimes to reflect the revised global standards agreed through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), as well as the European Commission's review of the implementation of the third directive.

The new FATF standards embed a risk-based approach to ensure that measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing risks are proportionate and effective. The Government continue to work to ensure that this principle is applied, so EU member states are able to exempt sectors identified as low-risk from certain provisions of the new directive.

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Non-domestic Rates: Dartford

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many small businesses in Dartford will benefit from the extension of the small business rate relief scheme to March 2015. [190628]

Mr Gauke: No estimate has been made by the Treasury of the number of small businesses in Dartford that will benefit from the extension of the small business rate relief (SBRR) scheme which was announced at autumn statement 2013.

The Government estimate that around 540,000 small businesses in England will benefit from the extension of the SBRR and that around 74,000 of these small businesses will be in the south-east.

Proceeds of Crime: Ukraine

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to prevent money from Ukraine derived from illegal sources entering the British financial system. [189886]

Sajid Javid: The current situation in Ukraine is of deep concern across Government. The UK is committed to providing technical advice to the Ukrainian authorities with respect to identifying, confiscating and returning improperly acquired assets and is pushing for the immediate imposition of asset freezing measures across the EU in support of this.

The Government's approach to anti-money laundering is designed to make the UK financial system a hostile environment for money laundering.

The Treasury has contacted anti-money laundering supervisors highlighting the role that robust beneficial ownership checks by firms can play in preventing the facilitation of corrupt asset flight. The Treasury has suggested that supervisors emphasise the increased risk in relation to Ukraine to their firms and remind them of the need to have appropriate systems and controls for due diligence, ongoing monitoring and reporting of suspicious transactions, including PEP and beneficial ownership checks.

The Treasury welcomes the Financial Conduct Authority's decision to issue a notice to financial institutions following recent developments in the country. The notice reminds firms of their legal obligations under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. It also notes that developments in Ukraine highlight the continuing need for vigilance and robust systems and controls in dealing with actual or potential politically exposed persons (PEPs).

Research: Finance

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Analysis Paper No. 3, Insights from international benchmarking of the UK science and innovation system, published in January 2014, paragraph 6, whether he is considering proposing targets for increasing public and private research and development spending to meet the 2.9% average of the UK's competitors. [190356]

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Mr Willetts: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

BIS Analysis Paper Number 3 reviews the UK's performance against relevant comparator countries on a range of science and innovation indicators. The evidence shows that the UK's total investment in R&D has been relatively static at around 1.8% of GDP, whereas comparator countries spend on average 2.9% of GDP. It does not suggest that setting a 2.9% R&D target is the best approach to increase our performance.

The Government are preparing a Science and Innovation Strategy for autumn statement 2014. Through consultation, we will take views on how to deliver the research and innovation infrastructure needed to ensure that the UK's capabilities remain world-leading, playing a key role in economic growth and scientific excellence.

VAT

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he decided not to charge VAT on the sale of cryptocurrencies. [190434]

Mr Gauke: Although they have a number of unique characteristics, cryptocurrencies could be used as a speculative investment or in place of a currency in certain circumstances. The VAT treatment that has been applied to them is therefore consistent with the VAT treatment for financial products of this sort, which ensures that different instruments being used for the same purpose will receive the same VAT treatment. It is clearly stated in the HMRC brief that the treatment is subject to further EU or regulatory developments.

Video Games: Tax Allowances

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department has taken with the UK video gaming industry to supply the relevant information to the European Commission on tax breaks for the industry. [190857]

Mr Gauke: The Government remain committed to introducing video games tax relief as soon as possible. As part of its investigation, the Commission has asked for more evidence on the UK video games sector. The Government responded to this request as quickly and fully as possible, with support from the industry.

The investigation remains confidential and the Government are not able to provide any more detail at this stage.

Working Tax Credit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people changing from a single working tax credit claim to a joint claim have had to submit a fresh application in each of the last five years; what the average back-dated payment was to such an applicant in each such year; and what average time was taken for the joint claim to be paid in each such year. [190400]

Nicky Morgan: This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

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Education

Academies

Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the total value of all land owned by schools where title deeds have been transferred from local authorities to academies. [189956]

Mr Timpson: The value of academy trusts' land in the Department's consolidated accounts for financial year 2012-13 is £5.718 billion. The Department based this figure on a valuation commissioned to prepare its accounts. The valuation takes no account of how academy trusts have valued land in their own accounts or whether the academy trusts have title to the land. The Department instead values land that academy trusts own or have the sole long-term use of. We cannot therefore estimate the value of land where local authorities have transferred title to academy trusts.

Academies: Dudley

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the financial consequences are of moving to academy status for schools in the metropolitan borough of Dudley. [189857]

Mr Timpson: Becoming an academy brings a number of benefits, including more control over how schools can use their funding.

Academies and local authority maintained schools receive comparable funding. The main difference is that as an academy, all the funding intended for schools passes directly to them rather than a proportion being held back by the local authority. Academies receive an Education Services Grant to cover the cost of services that local authorities provide to maintained schools.

Schools also receive start-up grants to help with costs of becoming an academy, such as legal fees, which have to be paid prior to the point of opening.

All Party Physical Activity Commission

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish his Department's evidence to the All-Party Commission on Physical Activity. [190581]

Mr Timpson: ‘Moving More, Living More'—a cross-Government strategy to promote physical activity—was launched on 13 February 2014. A copy of the strategy has been sent to the All-Party Commission on behalf of the Government as evidence of their commitment to physical activity. A copy of this document will be placed in the Library.

Care Proceedings

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which local authorities offer family group conferences to families undergoing care proceedings. [190545]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold this information centrally.

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The Government recognise the importance of family group conferences as good practice in pre-proceedings and is currently funding the Family Rights Group to develop an accreditation framework to increase quality and consistency of provision and to increase the use of them at pre-proceedings stages.

Children: Day Care

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what services and support his Department plans to provide to families who will be ineligible for the Government's new child care scheme; [190551]

(2) what steps his Department is taking to support low-income families to access affordable and quality child care and to ensure that no children miss out on the early stages of education. [190552]

Elizabeth Truss: The Government are taking comprehensive action to improve the affordability, availability and quality of child care and early education. Low income families can claim up to 70% of their child care costs through working tax credit. Budget 2013 announced that an additional £200 million would be allocated to child-care support through universal credit (UC) from 2016. Child care support under UC will be extended for the first time to those working fewer than 16 hours, enabling parents to take the first steps into work.

In addition to this, the new tax-free child care scheme will cover 20%, equivalent to the basic rate of tax of working families' child care costs up to a limit of £6,000 per year per child. This will be available to families who are not already eligible to claim up to 70% of their child care costs through working tax credit.

All three and four-year-olds are entitled to a funded early education place. In September 2010, we increased the number of hours for which children are eligible to 15 hours. Additionally, since 1 September 2013, local authorities have been under a statutory duty to secure a free nursery place for any eligible two-year-old. By October 2013, local authorities reported that around 92,000 two-year-olds were already accessing a place, 70% of the way towards the 130,000 places planned for the first year. From September 2014, this entitlement will be extended to include those low income working families, reaching around 40% of all two-year-olds in England.

The Government are also putting in place a number of measures to support the development of accessible, affordable high quality child care provision across the country, including:

1. creating new child minder agencies;

2. making it easier for schools to take two-year-olds and to offer out-of-school-hours facilities;

3. simplifying the regulatory framework and planning rules so nurseries can expand more easily; and

4. improving the funding system to increase consistency across local authorities and maximise the funding that reaches the frontline.

Children: Literacy

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of 11 year olds in England are not deemed to have the required level of literacy. [190860]

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Mr Laws: For pupils aged 11 at the end of key stage 2 in the 2012-13 academic year, 14% did not achieve level 4 or above in reading, 26% did not achieve level 4 or above in grammar, punctuation and spelling and 17% did not achieve level 4 or above in writing teacher assessments.

More detail can be found in table 2 of the statistical first release ‘National curriculum assessments at key stage 2 in England: academic year 2012 to 2013’:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2012-to-2013

Children: Social Services

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 211W, on Children's Social Services, how many local authorities have stopped using the Integrated Children's System since 2006. [190471]

Mr Timpson: The Government do not collect information on the IT systems used by local authorities. It is the responsibility of local authorities to determine how ICT systems can be best used to support the delivery of social care services.

Children’s Centres

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which children's centres offer (a) antenatal appointments, (b) birth registration and (c) parenting classes. [190544]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not hold information about which children's centres offer (a) antenatal appointments, (b) birth registration and (c) parenting classes.

The core purpose of children's centres is to improve outcomes for young children and their families and reduce inequalities between families in greatest need and their peers. Within this core purpose, local authorities have flexibility to design and develop the services that are right for their own communities.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many children's centres have closed since May 2010; [190648]

(2) how many children's centres which moved outside of local authority control are still in operation under a new legal structure, such as a charity or co-operative, since 2010; [190649]

(3) how many children's centres are currently (a) run by private sector companies and (b) consulting on proposals to be run by private sector companies. [190651]

Elizabeth Truss: As of 30 November 2013, 3,055 local authority designated children's centres were open. There were a further 501 sites which were designated as children's centres in April 2010 that remain open and offering services to families and children as part of a network of children’s centres. Information from local authorities shows that 65 centres have closed since April 2010. Six new centres have opened.

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The Department for Education does not collect the number of children's centres that have moved outside of local authority control which are still in operation under a new legal structure, such as a charity or co-operative.

It does not hold information on the number of children's centres that are currently (a) run by private sector companies and (b) consulting on proposals to be run by private sector companies.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funds were ringfenced for children's centres in 2010. [190650]

Elizabeth Truss: Information on the funding for children's centres in 2010-11 is available at:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.Uk/20130903173913/http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/earlylearningandchildcare/delivery/funding/a0071955/lagrant

The 2010-11 Memorandum of Grant for the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant and Aiming High for Disabled Children Grant is also available from this link. This Memorandum contains full information on the grant, including details of ring-fencing arrangements.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funds other than funding for disadvantaged two-year-olds are ringfenced for children's centres in the current financial year. [190652]

Elizabeth Truss: The Early Intervention Grant was established in April 2011 to give local authorities the freedom to make decisions on how best to target resources on supporting early intervention and other valuable services to meet the needs of their communities. The Early Intervention Grant transferred into the new business rates retention system of local government finance in 2013-14. It is non-ringfenced and unhypothecated so that local authorities retain the flexibility to make the most effective use of funding available.

£533 million is being provided to local authorities to deliver early education for two-year-olds this year, rising to £755 million next year.

Education: Qualifications

Mr Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will introduce universal qualifications for functional skills to better allow employers to understand an individual's competencies. [190405]

Matthew Hancock: As part of the new study programmes, all young people who have not yet achieved a grade C or above in English and/or mathematics at GCSE must continue to study these subjects post-16, whether they are enrolled with a school, college or work-based learning provider, or doing a traineeship.

This requirement will be enforced by making it a condition of 16-19 funding from September 2014. Providers will be funded per student and so providers will lose funding if they do not offer teaching in English and/or mathematics to students without GCSEs (A*-C) in these subjects.

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Students whose initial assessment shows they are not ready to re-take GCSEs may take one of the interim qualifications as a stepping stone to GCSE, which can include functional skills and free-standing mathematics qualifications recognised by the funding condition.

Equality

Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2014, Official Report, column 817W, on equality, what his Department's total expenditure on equality and diversity was in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2013-14; and what the cost of the full-time equivalent officials who advised on quality and diversity was in each year since 2008-09. [190149]

Elizabeth Truss: We are unable to provide a total expenditure figure for equality and diversity in 2008-09 due to changes in the Department's financial management system. Expenditure in 2009-10 was £327,280 and to date in 2013-14 is £98,997.

We are unable to provide costs of the full-time equivalent officials who have advised on equality and diversity since 2008-09 as we do not hold historical data on the individuals and their grades. In 2009-10 there were five full-time equivalent officials supporting equality and diversity compared with the current 1.2 full-time equivalent officials at an annual cost of £44,965.

Female Genital Mutilation

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that schools have policies in place to (a) help to identify girls who have undergone female genital mutilation and (b) refer them to appropriate support; [190516]

(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that teachers receive adequate training in recognising children at risk of female genital mutilation; and if he will make a statement. [190521]

Mr Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), set out our intentions in a statement on 25 February following a meeting with campaigners earlier that day. This statement has been published and is available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/michael-gove-guidance-for-schools-on-female-genital-mutilation

Any member of staff in a school who has concerns that a child may be suffering, or be likely to suffer, significant harm has a responsibility to take appropriate action, working with other services as needed.

All staff members should receive appropriate child protection training which is regularly updated to enable them to discharge that responsibility. School governing bodies and proprietors must ensure that the policies, procedures and training in their schools or colleges are effective and comply with relevant legislation.

Harperbury Free School

Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on Harperbury free school. [190513]

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Mr Timpson: Officials from the Department for Education have had many discussions with their colleagues in the Department of Health on Harperbury free school. They continue to work together to establish whether the site owned by the Department of Health demonstrates value for money for the taxpayer if it is developed for the free school.

In addition, my noble Friend Lord Nash, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education, has recently discussed the matter with my noble Friend Earl Howe, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality.

Internet

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what services his Department provides that are (a) available online only and (b) planned to move to online only. [190363]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not have any publicly facing digital services which are online only, nor does it plan to do so.

Although it is the aim to make Government services digital by default, the Government also recognise that not everyone who uses these services is online, so digital support will continue to be available to those users that need it.

Ofsted

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects the Ofsted Data Dashboard to be updated with the 2013 results. [190135]

Mr Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his response has been placed in the House Library.

Regulation

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many draft regulations were raised by his Department in each of the last five years; and how many such regulations (a) were and (b) were not consulted upon. [190510]

Elizabeth Truss: The following table shows the number of SIs, both regulations and orders, laid in draft by the Department for Education and subject to the approval of Parliament before they were made in each of the last five calendar years. Those numbers have been taken from the records held by the Legal Adviser's Office.

Although we believe that these records are reasonably accurate, we cannot confirm this. The last column shows how many of those instruments were the subject of a consultation through the Department's external website.

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Schools: Standards

Mr Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make employability and employment outcomes key measures of accountability for schools. [190431]

Mr Laws: I announced in October 2013 that we would like to include destination measures as a headline measure for secondary school accountability. This will show the percentage of pupils who went on to sustained education, employment or training during the year after they finished their key stage 4 qualifications.

We currently publish experimental statistics to show this information. The data can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations

We are continuing developmental work on these experimental statistics and once we are clear that they are robust, we will use the destination measures data as headline indicators in key stage 4 and key stage 5 performance tables.

Students: Finance

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to his answer of 13 February 2014, Official Report, column 825W, on students: finance, for what reason his Department has not compared the number of 18-year-olds affected by changes in funding for full-time education with the 16 to 18 cohort in full-time education. [190472]

Matthew Hancock: The impact assessment published on 13 January looked at the impact of the funding reduction for 18-year-olds based primarily on data from the 2012-13 Individualised Learner Record. While this contains data about 16 to 18-year-olds enrolled at colleges, it does not include 16 to 18-year-olds studying in schools. Only around 15% of 18-year-olds funded by the Department for Education are enrolled in schools. Data for a number of the variables covered in the impact assessment are not available from the schools census, which is why we excluded school data from various parts of the analysis.

Teachers: Training

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) number, (b) ethnicity, (c) gender and (d) age was of trainees recruited to each provider's initial teacher training undergraduate primary programmes in the (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14 academic years. [190703]

Mr Laws: Provider-level data for 2012-13 and 2013-14 will be published in the initial teacher training performance profiles in September 2014 and September 2015 respectively. The published data report numbers of undergraduate trainees at each provider, but do not identify the characteristics of undergraduate trainees separately. The latest published data can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-performance-profiles-2013-management-data

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Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) number, (b) ethnicity, (c) gender and (d) age of trainees recruited to each of School Direct, Schools Direct (salaried), Higher Education Provider and Teach First was in the (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14 academic years. [190704]

Mr Laws: Provider-level data for 2012-13 and 2013-14 will be published in the initial teacher training performance profiles in September 2014 and September 2015 respectively. The published data report numbers of trainees and their characteristics at each higher education institution and identify trainees on Teach First programmes separately. The 2014 and 2015 publications will also include comparable data about School Direct.

The latest published data can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-performance-profiles-2013-management-data

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what account he plans to take of (a) the future viability of higher education Initial Teacher Training (ITT) provision in London, (b) the costs and risks of Ofsted inspections of ITT, (c) the effect on regional supply and demand, (d) the effect on the subject knowledge enhancement programmes provided by universities, (e) the effect on the capacity of universities to provide support for school and college improvement, (f) continuous professional development and the administration of ITT, (g) student access to learning resources, libraries and services such as counselling and (h) demand from ITT students for academic qualifications when making 2015-16 ITT allocations; and if he will make a statement. [190707]

Mr Laws: As we have for previous years, we will consider a range of factors in the allocation of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) places for the 2015-16 academic year. However, it is too early in the process to confirm exactly which factors can and cannot be taken into account.

This summer we will publish information on the range of factors that we will consider in the allocation of places. This information will help schools and ITT providers as they request and plan the delivery of places.

World War I: Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what teaching resources are being provided to schools to help engage students in the centenary of the First World War; and who is responsible for the co-ordination of such resources. [190856]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education and Department for Communities and Local Government are jointly funding the First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme. This is led by the Institute of Education (IOE), the principal co-ordinator of educational resources for schools for the First World War centenary. Through a dedicated website and Battlefield Tours Programme, leading educational experts from the IOE are creating and sharing teaching ideas and resources on a wide range of topics surrounding the war and these will continue to develop and expand in their range and depth over the next five years. A number of other key organisations are also producing resources to commemorate the centenary.

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When teaching about the First World War it is up to schools and teachers to decide what resources they use.

Northern Ireland

Internet

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what services her Department provides that are (a) available online only and (b) planned to move to online only. [190369]

Mrs Villiers: My Department does not provide any online services nor do we have any plans to do so.

Terrorism

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) pursuant to her written statement of 25 February 2014, Official Report, columns 16-18WS, on High Court judgment, what the current status is of the 187 administrative letters sent to on-the-runs; whether the letters have been rescinded; and if she will make a statement; [190556]

(2) whether the IRA members suspected of the murder of Chief Superintendant Breen and Superintendent Buchanan in March 1989 are amongst the 187 on-the-runs who received so-called comfort or administrative letters; and if she will make a statement. [190586]

Mrs Villiers: 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 for dealing with so called “on-the-runs” 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.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the judgment in the case of John Downey, whether she plans to correct the answer of 10 January 2011 given by the right hon. Member for North Shropshire to the hon. Member for North Down, Official Report, column 46W, on on-the-runs; and if she will make a statement. [190585]

Mrs Villiers: At the time of this parliamentary question (January 2010) the general issue of "on-the-runs" had been raised with my predecessor on a number of occasions during the course of regular meetings.

Work and Pensions

Apprentices

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to encourage under-19 school leavers to start apprenticeships. [190550]

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Esther McVey: The Department offers a comprehensive menu of tailored support to encourage under 19-year-olds, including school leavers, to start apprenticeships.

Jobcentre Work Coaches discuss opportunities available at fortnightly job search reviews, advising young people to register on the National Apprenticeship Service vacancy site, in order to apply for apprenticeship vacancies. Work Coaches also offer an interview with a National Careers Service adviser who can refer young people to a sector based work academy or Traineeship opportunity, both of which can lead to an apprenticeship job.

In addition to this the Department's local and national Partnership Managers also promote apprenticeships to employers as part of the menu of services available to help with their recruitment needs.

Attendance Allowance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2014, Official Report, column 675W, on attendance allowance, what steps officials in his Department take to ascertain that claimants already in receipt of attendance allowance are still eligible for that benefit once they have moved into residential care. [190784]

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 26 February 2014, Official Report, column 371W.

Credit Unions

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the growth of credit union membership since the award of the Credit Union Expansion Project contract to the Association of British Credit Unions in April 2013. [190433]

Steve Webb: Figures from the Prudential Regulation Authority show that over 1 million people are adult members of credit unions.

The DWP Credit Union Expansion Project contract began in May 2013. We are taking steps to help build the capacity and capability of the sector, by developing and introducing to credit unions an automated decision-making tool, encouraging participating credit unions to review the services and products they offer, and enhance their business processes. Once these measures are embedded and credit unions are ready to cope with increasing membership numbers we will step up the marketing and recruitment phases of the project.

While taking these early steps the overall membership of participating credit unions has increased by 34,295.

The project is about more than increasing credit union membership; it is about taking the right steps to ensure a sustainable future for the sector.

Employment and Support Allowance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2013, Official Report, column 669W, on employment and support allowance, what medical conditions have been diagnosed in each person transferred from incapacity benefit to jobseeker's allowance after having been seen by an assessor; and how many such people have been diagnosed with each such condition. [190127]

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Esther McVey: I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 11 February 2014, Official Report, columns 583W.

Employment Services

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing a jobseeker classification instrument. [190525]

Esther McVey: DWP has not estimated the cost of implementing any such tool.

The JSCI tool piloted in the Department identified 32% of those people who ended up as long-term unemployed. This means that for every individual who is correctly identified and given additional help to get into work, we would also be helping two individuals who would not become long-term unemployed.

Because the JSCI tool did not match claimants to the types of intervention that may help reduce their risk of becoming long-term unemployed, this could be fully explored only by an operational trial of a segmentation approach.

Any assessment about the potential cost of a segmentation model would need to include the relative effectiveness and costs of interventions alongside the costs of administering the tool.

Housing Benefit

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the method used by the Valuation Office Agency to calculate the shared accommodation rate so that those with a specific need receive the help to which they are entitled. [190132]

Esther McVey: The Rent Services in England, Scotland and Wales are responsible for determining the annual LHA rates (including the Shared Accommodation Rates), in accordance with the legislation which lays down the appropriate uprating method.

Housing Benefit: Disability

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to encourage local authorities to make longer term awards of discretionary housing payments for those people with disabilities. [190410]

Steve Webb: As announced in the autumn statement discretionary housing payment (DHP) funding will actually be increased by £40 million in 2014-15 to £165 million. The increase in DHP for 2014-15 is relative to the previously announced Government allocation for 2014-15 of £125 million.

This gives local authorities the confidence they need to make longer-term awards for people with on-going needs.

DWP provides local authorities (LAs) with a guidance manual regarding DHPs, along with a good practice guide which offers advice on how DHPs can be used to provide support to claimants affected by some of the key welfare reforms. The guidance is clear that LAs can consider making long-term or indefinite awards for disabled people. Guidance for 2014-15 is currently being reviewed and will continue to highlight this.

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This information for 2013-14 can be accessed through the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/233096/discretionary-housing-payments-guide.pdf

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the use of discretionary housing payment to deal with people affected by the under-occupancy penalty over the next two financial years; and if he will make a statement. [190409]

Steve Webb: The Department has commissioned an independent two-year evaluation to monitor the effects of the removal of the spare room subsidy, including the use of discretionary housing payments. The final report will be published in 2015.

In addition the Department is collating and publishing information about the use of discretionary housing payments by local authorities in Great Britain twice yearly. The information covering the period April 2013 to September 2013 was published on 20 December 2013 and can be accessed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-discretionary-housing-payments

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in discretionary housing payments has been allocated in (a) England and (b) Birmingham for those affected by the under-occupancy penalty in (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16. [190411]

Esther McVey: The information is as follows:

(a) Please find below, a table detailing the allocations for England. The figures for 2015-16 will be decided in due course.

(b) Please find below, a table detailing DHP allocations for Birmingham in relation to the removal of the spare room subsidy, including the total allocations for the respective years. The figures for 2015-16 will be decided in due course.

In 2013-14 the Government contribution to discretionary housing payments was increased to £180 million in Great Britain (GB). While local authorities are able to use all of the funding as they decide in line with local priorities, £55 million was specifically allocated on the basis of the estimated impacts of the removal of the

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spare room subsidy. This includes £20 million that local authorities are able to bid for should they need more funding.

In 2014-15 the Government will continue to support those affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy. Out of a total Government contribution for discretionary housing payments of £165 million in GB, £60 million has been specifically allocated on the basis of the impacts of the policy.

Internet

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what services his Department provides that are (a) available online only and (b) planned to move to online only. [190374]

Esther McVey: We do not provide any service that is purely online. All our online services have the provision of alternative channels to support vulnerable customers and those without the skills or access to them.

Lone Parents

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of children in each income decile and of each ethnicity live in lone parent households. [190547]

Esther McVey: Figures are drawn from the Households Below Average Income and Family Resources Survey annual reports and have been provided on a three year average covering 2009-10 to 2011-12 to overcome sample volatility.

For the analysis lone parents have been identified at the family level rather than the household. Families (or benefit units) are defined as a single adult or couple living as married and any dependent children. A household is a single person or group of people living at the same address as their only or main residence, who either share one meal a day together, or share the living accommodation (i.e. the living room). A household will consist of one or more families. As a result, families are a more suitable level for identifying children with lone parents.

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Older Workers: Training

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that older workers have access to training to improve their skills and employability. [190094]

Esther McVey: Local jobcentres have the freedom to innovate approaches to help older people. Jobcentre work coaches have the flexibility to offer older people a comprehensive menu of help which includes apprenticeships, skills provision and job search support. All claimants who are long-term unemployed can access the tailored, back-to-work support, on offer from the Work wrogramme.

Community learning is also an important part of the wider learning and skills offer for older people. It is funded through an annual budget of £210 million managed by the Skills Funding Agency and most provision is delivered or commissioned by local authority providers, FE colleges, large voluntary organisations and other providers.

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Pensions Regulator

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2014, Official Report, column 685W, on pensions regulator, on what grounds the regulator did not take action in three cases; and who the 26 employers were. [190575]

Steve Webb: The regulator determined that the threshold for taking regulatory action had not been met in these cases.

It is not possible to provide any further details given the information remains commercially sensitive and is held in confidence.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the extent to which the commitment to 90 per cent of expected pension entitlement for those involved in the Financial Assistance Scheme has been reached. [190492]

Steve Webb: We have not made such an assessment. The rules of the Financial Assistance Scheme are structured to provide 90% of a person's accrued pension, as at the date the scheme began to wind up—subject to a cap. Therefore, with the exception of those whose assistance is capped—323 individuals as at January 2014—everyone involved with the Financial Assistance Scheme will get a pension on this basis.

Poverty: Children

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the changes in the level of absolute child poverty since May 2010; and if he will make a statement. [190558]

Esther McVey: The absolute poverty threshold has been rebased. Under the new baseline, absolute child poverty was reported at 2.3 million (18%) in 2010-11. Under the old baseline, it was reported at 1.4 million (11%). These changes result from a reclassification and in no way represent a real change in children's circumstances in 2010-11.

From 2009-10 to 2011-12 the number of children in absolute poverty increased by 300,000. However, combined low income and material deprivation has remained about the same. This shows that families with children have not reported a reduction in their capacity to buy goods and services. Over the same period relative poverty decreased by 300,000 and is now at its lowest level since the mid-1980s.

Separated People

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of which interventions funded by the Innovation Fund for new support services for separating parents have been effective in fostering collaborative relationships between parents after separation. [190726]

Steve Webb: It would be premature to make any such assessment in advance of the formal evaluation of these projects. We have set aside funding to ensure that this evaluation is carried out effectively and have plans in

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place. The results will be made available once the projects have had sufficient numbers of participants to enable a robust evaluation. In some cases this may mean the project will have to have run its full course.

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents have been supported by the Innovation Fund for new support services for separating parents to date. [190727]

Steve Webb: As at 31 January 2014, 3,724 parents had participated in the seven first round Innovation Fund projects. The other 10 round two projects were not up and running at that time.

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to continue funding for the Innovation Fund for new support services for separating parents after 2014. [190728]

Steve Webb: The 17 Innovation Fund projects have been set up as pilots to learn what works in helping separated parents to resolve conflict and collaborate better. Consequently, the Innovation Fund is by its nature time limited. The final evaluation of outcomes from these projects will inform funding plans beyond the finishing date of March 2015. This could include the potential wider roll-out of those interventions that have proved to represent value for money.

Social Security Benefits

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of all claims for (a) jobseeker's allowance, (b) incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance or employment and support allowance and (c) income support in the last 10 years have lasted for (i) less than three months, (ii) between three and six months, (iii) between six and 12 months, (iv) between one and two years and (v) over two years. [190436]

Esther McVey: Information regarding the number of benefit recipients, at a point in time in each of the last 10 years, by duration can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp

Guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have had their benefits reduced to the maximum under the benefit cap (a) nationally and (b) in Scotland to date. [190509]

Esther McVey: By January 2014, 38,665 households nationally and 1,476 households in Scotland have had their benefits reduced as a result of the benefit cap since the cap was introduced. This information is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/benefit-cap-statistics

Social Security Benefits: British Nationals Abroad

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2014, Official Report, column 532W, on USA, whether UK citizens in receipt of benefits extradited to the US will still have access to benefits if released on bail. [190795]

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Esther McVey: If someone is extradited but not then imprisoned, the position concerning the individual circumstances will be considered. It may be possible to pay a benefit overseas under normal temporary absence rules, however working age benefits are not paid to a person who is resident in the United States, regardless of the reason they are there.

Unemployment: Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what additional help his Department offers to young unemployed people in regions of high unemployment. [190574]

Esther McVey: The number of young people claiming benefit has fallen for the last 20 consecutive months and over the last year has fallen in every region of the UK. Young people get the tailored help they need to find work through Jobcentre Plus, the Youth Contract and the Work programme. In addition, through the flexible support fund, Jobcentre Plus district managers have discretion to provide help to meet the specific needs of the local labour market.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who have begun claiming universal credit in a pilot area have (a) moved to live in an area where universal credit is not being piloted, (b) formed a new relationship such that they are classified as part of a couple and (c) have had a child. [190476]

Esther McVey: The specific information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the universal credit programme will start accepting claims from people currently eligible for or claiming employment support allowance. [190478]

Esther McVey: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith) on 5 December 2013, Official Report, column 65WS.

The UC service will be fully available in each part of Great Britain during 2016, having closed down new claims to the legacy benefits it replaced; with a majority of the remaining legacy caseload moving to UC during 2016 and 2017.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how people who begin claiming universal credit in a pilot area will be treated if they (a) move to live in an area where universal credit is not being piloted, (b) form a new relationship such that they are classified as part of a couple and (c) have a child. [190479]

Esther McVey: Universal credit (UC) is now live in nine locations across the UK and as a result a number of claimants in receipt of UC have had changes in circumstances which result in:

1. change of address where they have moved out of the prescribed post code area;

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2. starting a relationship which results in them becoming a couple;

3. having a child or a child joining the UC household.

In each of the above scenarios the claimant will continue to receive UC.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the progress of the Work programme best practice group; and if he will make a statement. [190524]

Esther McVey: The group will be making its final recommendations to the Minister for Employment later this spring, though it has already made a number of helpful suggestions which have been welcomed, including building the capability of Voluntary and Community Sector, so the huge potential of this sector can be better harnessed to support some of the very hardest to help back to work.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people have started their own business with support from the Work programme; [190526]

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people who have begun an apprenticeship through support provided on the Work programme; and if he will make a statement. [190529]

Esther McVey: The data requested are not available. Participants on the work programme are some of the hardest people to help into work, what we do know from the latest industry published statistics is that from June 2011 to December 2013 498,000 people have been helped into work by the Work programme.

Working Conditions: Temperature

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many companies have been prosecuted for breaching regulation 7 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, specifying the reasonable temperature of indoor workplaces since 1992. [190845]

Mike Penning: Two companies have been prosecuted under section 7 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations since 1992.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints about unreasonable working temperatures have been received by the Health and Safety Executive since the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 came into effect. [190846]

Mike Penning: The information requested is not collated centrally in a readily retrievable format and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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Energy and Climate Change

Electricity: Prices

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of likely changes in wholesale electricity prices in the period 2014 to 2018; and whether the influence of the Carbon Price Floor has been incorporated into those estimates. [R] [190561]

Michael Fallon: Future wholesale electricity prices are largely determined by the relative prices of coal and gas, and are therefore uncertain.

In September 2013, DECC published projections for wholesale electricity prices under three different scenarios for fossil fuel prices. These projections include the impact of the Carbon Price Floor as well as other policies affecting the costs and mix of generation.

The relevant information is shown in the following table.

Energy Company Obligation

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to publish his consultation on changes to the Energy Company Obligation and the equality impact assessment of such changes. [190763]

Gregory Barker: The consultation on the future of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) was published on 5 March 2014 and is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-future-of-the-energy-company-obligation

The consultation runs until 16 April 2014.

The Government intend to publish a final impact assessment on the final ECO proposals, following the consultation, and this will include an equality assessment.

Energy Supply

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what comparative estimate his Department has made of (a) clean spark spreads as applicable to gas generation and (b) clean dark spreads as applicable to coal generation, including the effect of the Carbon Price Floor, for winter 2015 and winter 2014; and whether they are consistent with recognised market data such as ICIS Heren. [R] [190579]

Michael Fallon: The Department does not make its own estimates of short-term clean spark and dark spreads. For short-term spreads, we typically use market data from sources such as ICIS Heren.

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Energy: Conservation

Mr Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much each of the Big Six energy companies should have spent on energy conservation schemes to fulfil their statutory obligations in the last three years; and how much those energy companies spent on such schemes. [190088]

Gregory Barker: Under both the current Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, and the previous schemes CERT and CESP, energy companies are set targets in terms of outputs rather than expenditure. The relevant orders do not specify how much money energy companies have to spend to fulfil their statutory obligations and it is for energy companies to decide how they meet their obligations.

Under ECO, DECC has received monthly information on how much energy companies have spent to meet the obligations. More information on ECO costs is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/260907/eco_delivery_costs.pdf

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent meetings he has had with British Gas to discuss energy efficiency measures in solid wall properties. [190748]

Gregory Barker: DECC officials regularly meet with all ECO obligated energy suppliers to discuss all aspects of ECO delivery.

All meetings between external organisations and DECC Ministers are published on a quarterly basis on the GOV.UK website and are downloadable from this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keyrwords= &publication_filter_option=transparency- data&topics%5B%5D=all&departments%5B%5D=department-of- energy-climate-change&direction=after&date=2011-03-01

Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to lay regulations in respect of section 43 of the Energy Act 2011. [190756]

Gregory Barker: The Department intends to publicly consult on the regulations relating to Minimum Standards of Energy Efficiency in the Private Rental Sector (secondary regulations for section 43 of the Energy Act 2011) before summer 2014. Laying the regulations will be determined by parliamentary timetable.

Energy: Meters

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many UK households currently have insufficient communications coverage to enable smart meters to work to their full capability. [190242]

Michael Fallon: Some energy suppliers are already offering smart metering services ahead of the Government’s mandated roll-out. We do not hold detailed information on the extent of communications coverage in relation to these services, but they typically depend on standard mobile phone network services.

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Wide area communications coverage for the mandated roll-out will be provided through the Data and Communications Company (DCC). The DCC is currently developing its infrastructure and services in readiness for Initial Live Operations from late 2015.

The DCC has committed to WAN coverage targets of not less than 99.25% of GB premises by 2020, when suppliers are required to complete the roll-out. In the meantime it is obliged under its licence to seek ways of providing coverage for the remaining premises subject to technical feasibility and disproportionate cost.

Fuel Poverty

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department took to mark cold homes week. [190532]

Gregory Barker: The Department has been providing wide-ranging support throughout the winter to help people stay warm this winter, including through the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation and the warm home discount.

The Department has also established the Big Energy Saving Network, committing nearly £2 million to its first two years of operation to grant fund community organisations to help vulnerable consumers switch to a better deal and take up of energy efficiency offers. In the week before cold homes week, the Big Energy Saving Week campaign was launched in Parliament by the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), and I. This campaign, which ran from 27 to 31 January 2014, highlighted the help that is available to consumers to reduce their energy costs. There were over 300 consumer-facing events throughout Great Britain, gaining local and national media coverage. There will be an evaluation of the success of the week, prepared by campaign co-ordinators Citizens Advice, later this spring.

Fuel Poverty: Rural Areas

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the incidence of fuel poverty in rural off-gas grid areas; and what steps he is taking to tackle such fuel poverty. [190134]

Gregory Barker: The 2011 statistics for fuel poverty in England show that around one in five fuel poor households were located in rural areas. About half of these households do not have access to mains gas. This equates to approximately 269,000 households. In total, there are 2.4 million fuel poor households. The average fuel poverty gap for rural off-gas grid households is £982 compared to £438 for all households.

Since January 2013, we have helped over 450,000 households to stay warm and upgrade their homes through the Green Deal, Energy Company Obligation and cashback offers. We are determined to go further and are consulting on options to incentivise the delivery of energy efficiency improvements to the rural fuel poor under ECO.

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We are also looking at new ways to target support off-grid, including improving access to data on off-gas grid areas to help our delivery partners.

Recognising that not every household uses gas, we target the warm home discount—worth £135 this winter— through electricity bills. The scheme reaches over 2 million low-income households annually.

Housing: Insulation

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the Energy Company Obligation has been spent on insulating solid wall properties to date. [190764]

Gregory Barker: As of the end of December 2013, 27,518 solid wall measures had been installed under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).

Under ECO obligated companies are set carbon reduction and home heating cost reduction targets; there is no requirement as to what companies spend to meet the targets set.

DECC does not hold information on the overall expenditure by energy companies on a particular measure delivered under ECO.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of uninsulated solid-wall properties in (a) Nottingham city, (b) Nottinghamshire county, (c) the east midlands and (d) the UK. [190765]

Gregory Barker: Estimates of the number of uninsulated solid wall properties for the areas specified are not available. DECC publishes regular estimates of home insulation levels in Great Britain. The most recent publication, which contains estimates for the end of September 2013, estimated that there are around 7.6 million uninsulated solid wall properties in Great Britain. This estimate will next be updated on 20 March 2014.

The full publication is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-september-2013

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the name and size is of each offshore wind farm around the UK coast that currently (a) is operating, (b) is under construction, (c) has been granted planning permission but not started construction and (d) is applying for planning permission; and what the name of the company operating each such wind farm is. [190832]

Gregory Barker: The current status of UK offshore wind pipeline is:

(a)Operational

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(b) Under construction

(c) Awaiting construction

(d) Planning submitted

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We are expecting that other offshore wind projects that are not currently in the planning system will come forward in future years.

Defence

Aircraft Carriers

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the re-baselining of the QE Class aircraft carrier has been completed and whether the programme has been re-approved. [190161]

Mr Dunne: As announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for

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Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 6 November 2013,

Official Report

, columns 251-4, following agreement of a new Heads of Terms for the programme between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, the programme has been re-baselined at £6.2 billion. The revised programme will be subject to formal re-approval by the MOD approval authorities. We expect this to take place in the spring.

Appeals

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many appeals were brought against his Department in (a) employment tribunals and (b) other courts in each year since 2010; and of these how many were granted. [189284]

Anna Soubry: The Ministry of Defence does not hold the requested information.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) sexual harassment referrals there were from the armed forces in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013; how many such cases were directed for trial; how many trials were held; how many guilty verdicts were recorded; what the gender was of each person so referred to in the cases; and if he will make a statement. [188152]

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

Substantive answer from Anna Soubry to Madeleine Moon:

In my answer of 24 February 2014 (Official Report, column 64W) I promised to write in response to your question on the number of rapes, sexual assaults and sexual harassment referrals for 2012 and 2013.

All allegations of rape, sexual assault and sexual theme harassment made by members of the Armed Forces will be thoroughly investigated by either the civil or service police, depending upon who has jurisdiction. The following tables provide details of the number of allegations of rape, sexual assaults and sexual theme harassment referred by the Service Police in 2012 and 2013. Reference to Sexual Assault covers offences under sections 2 and 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (s2 & s3 SOA 03), and sexual harassment as offences with a sexual theme within section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (s2 PH97).

In addition to the 26 referrals, 13 males remain under investigation for rape allegations in 2013.

Referrals by the Service Police for rape and section 2 sexual assault offences are made to the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA). Referrals by the Service Police for section 3 sexual assault offences are made to the Commanding Officer. It is then for the Commanding Officer to decide whether to refer them on to the SPA.

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The following tables provide details of referrals to the SPA each year in 2012 and 2013, the number directed for trial, the number not directed for trial, the number of trials held and the number of convictions.

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Service Police records are based on the number of referrals, whilst SPA records are based on the number of cases (each of which may comprise a number of referrals). Decisions on cases are therefore best compared to the number of cases referred, rather than the number of individuals referred.

The SPA often receives referrals in one year and the cases are directed, disposed and/or tried in the following year, so there is no direct correlation to the number of cases brought in any one year.