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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 13 March 2014
International Development
Developing Countries: Food
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research her Department has conducted into the effects on developing nations of the UK's support of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition. [190941]
Lynne Featherstone: Every DFID New Alliance programme, including both country-level food security and nutrition programmes and funding for wider agricultural policy reforms, is subject to annual review. This year, partner Governments will conduct their first annual reviews of the effects of the New Alliance at country level. Reviews will help track progress against the topline New Alliance goal: to lift 50 million people in developing African nations out of poverty over 10 years, through increasing investment in agriculture.
DFID has worked with the Future Agricultures Consortium on New Alliance evaluation, and is assisting World Bank research on responsible investment in New Alliance partner countries.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how UK funds to the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition are allocated. [190942]
Lynne Featherstone: UK investment in the New Alliance is split between commitments to food security, agriculture and nutrition programmes in six partner countries, and a range of wider enabling actions including policy tools and agricultural technology.
The UK has New Alliance programme commitments in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ghana, Malawi and Nigeria. The commitment listed in each country's Co-operation Framework is what the UK will invest in food security and agriculture over three years. All New Alliance funding contributes to the topline New Alliance goal: to lift 50 million people in Africa out of poverty over 10 years through investing in agriculture.
Ukraine
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures she has put in place to protect civilians in the event of an escalation of the situation in Ukraine. [191080]
Mr Lidington: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
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I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Prime Minister to the House on 10 March 2014, Official Report, columns 25-43. In his statement the Prime Minister made it clear that what has happened to Ukraine is “completely indefensible”.
The UK Government along with international partners are committed to protecting the right of the people of Ukraine to determine their own future. The priority now is to deter further Russian military action and de-escalate. The situation must be dealt with through diplomacy and mediation in the relevant international organisations, such as the UN and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). We are committed to supporting such steps.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Iran
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he bring forward proposals to impose further sanctions against the Government of Iran for its continued support of terrorism in (a) Iraq, (b) Syria and (c) Israel; and if he will be make a statement. [191100]
Hugh Robertson: We have serious concerns about Iran's support for militant groups in the middle east, including Hezbollah's military wing, Palestinian rejectionist groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas, and Iraqi Shi’a militia groups. There is a significant body of international sanctions which target such activity, including UN prohibitions on the export of weapons by Iran, and EU and UN sanctions targeting leading members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of human rights abuses in Iran; if he will raise that matter at the United Nations; and if he will make a statement. [191101]
Hugh Robertson: Despite some small but positive initial steps by President Rouhani, the human rights situation in Iran remains dire. The latest report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Dr Shaheed, is due to be published within the next week. The UK will be making a statement on human rights in Iran during the current session of the UN Human Rights Council, and will be co-sponsoring the resolution to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for a further year.
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had at the United Nations about the Iranian nuclear programme; and if he will be make a statement. [191102]
Hugh Robertson:
The UK regularly discusses the Iranian nuclear issue at the UN, both at ministerial and official level. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), last visited the UN in September 2013, where the issue was discussed. UK
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officials regularly attend meetings of the 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee on implementation of UN sanctions against Iran. The UK also sits on the Board of the International Atomic Energy Agency—the specialised agency of the United Nations tasked with monitoring Iran's nuclear programme, including concerns about its possible military dimensions.
Iran: Syria
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what recent reports he has received of weapons from Iran reaching Syria across Iraqi airspace; if he will raise that matter at the United Nations; and if he will be make a statement; [191103]
(2) what recent reports he has received of (a) military and (b) financial support of the Syrian Government by the Government of Iran; if he will raise this issue at the United Nations; and if he will make a statement; [191117]
(3) what recent discussions he has had at the United Nations about the financial and military support given to the Government of Syria by the Government of Iran; and if he will make a statement. [191118]
Hugh Robertson: Iran continues to support the Assad regime through the provision of IRGC Qods Force personnel, weaponry and billions of dollars of financial support. The UK has raised concerns about this with the Iranian Government. We have also raised concerns with the Iraqi Government over the suggestion that Iranian support for Assad has been transiting through Iraqi airspace. We regularly raise concerns about member states' financial and military support to the Syrian regime, in the United Nations. Export of weapons by Iran is prohibited under UN Security Council Resolutions.
Middle East
Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of recent reports that Israeli forces intercepted an Iranian shipment of advanced, long-range M-302 missiles bound for Gaza. [191134]
Hugh Robertson: The reports are a matter of concern. Details are still emerging but, if confirmed, an Iranian shipment of weapons would be a troubling development for anyone who supports peace and stability in the region.
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Yemen
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Yemeni Government on the recruitment of children by the militia in that country. [191070]
Hugh Robertson: We have encouraged the international community to highlight the issue of the recruitment of child soldiers in Yemen, most recently in February through UN Security Council Resolution 2140 (2014) on Yemen, which expressed concern that children continue to be recruited by armed groups and Government forces.
The UK also endorsed the recent EU Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions to end the use and recruitment of children by Yemeni Government forces.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions (a) he and (b) other Ministers of his Department have had on the recruitment of children by the Yemeni militia. [191071]
Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has had no recent discussions on the recruitment of child soldiers in Yemen. We will however continue to use multilateral forums such as the UN and EU to make progress on tackling this issue. I will also raise this during my regular discussions with Yemeni interlocutors.
Electoral Commission Committee
Absent Voting
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what percentage of postal votes were cast in the 100 constituencies with the largest amount of postal votes in the most recent general election. [190399]
Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission has provided the following table, which shows the 100 constituencies where the largest number of postal votes were issued at 2010 general election, in descending order. It also shows the total number of postal votes at the count as a percentage of all votes at the count.
| Constituency name 2010 | Electorate | Total number of votes at the count1 | Number of postal ballot papers issued | Number of postal votes included at the count | Percentage of postal votes at the count |
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| 1 Includes ballots rejected at the count. | |||||
Electoral Register
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what current campaign the Electoral Commission has to increase registration of (a) UK citizens living abroad and (b) UK citizens living in the UK. [190820]
Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission refers the hon. Gentleman to its earlier reply (189414) of 6 March 2014, Official Report, column 891W, in which it outlined details of current and forthcoming Electoral Commission campaigns to increase registration in the UK and for UK citizens living abroad, and the relevant targets for those campaigns.
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what account the Electoral Commission took of the contribution of the requirement to provide photo identification to vote in the US in developing policy on the introduction of photo identification for voting in the UK. [190824]
Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that following its January 2014 recommendation that voters in Great Britain should be required to produce identification at polling stations for elections from 2019 at the latest onwards, it is now undertaking further detailed work to develop a proportionate and accessible scheme for verifying the identity of electors. This will take into account evidence from other comparable democracies which have introduced similar requirements, including the United States of America.
The Commission will publish detailed proposals for a proof of identity scheme by the end of 2014.
Electoral Register: Fraud
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, in which local authorities in England the Commission believes electoral fraud is a significant problem. [190817]
Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that in its January 2014 Electoral Fraud review
http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/164609/Electoral-fraud-review-final-report.pdf
it identified 16 local authority areas in England where there appears to be a greater risk of cases of electoral fraud being reported. This greater risk is specific to individual wards within those 16 local authority areas.
The areas that the Commission has identified are:
Birmingham
Blackburn with Darwen
Bradford
Burnley
Calderdale
Coventry
Derby
Hyndburn
Kirklees
Oldham
Pendle
Peterborough
Slough
Tower Hamlets
Walsall
Woking
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Voting Methods
Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many (a) items of correspondence and (b) meetings with Ministers the Electoral Commission has had on (i) postal ballot restrictions and (ii) use of photo ID for voting, in each of the last four years. [190401]
Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has met and corresponded with Ministers regularly over the last four years on matters pertaining to the full range of its responsibilities, including proposed changes to the handling of completed postal ballot applications and the potential use of photo ID for voting.
The Commission will continue to update Ministers on the progress of its work in this area.
Cabinet Office
Census
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether figures for the number of UK citizens in any of the last three censuses have been subsequently amended. [190816]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer if figures for the number of UK citizens in any of the last three censuses have been subsequently amended. (190816)
As the census is a devolved matter in Scotland and Northern Ireland I am replying with regard to the census in England and Wales only.
Information on citizenship is not collected directly from the census. A question on passport held was included in the census in England and Wales for the first time in 2011, from which proxy information on citizenship has been derived and published in Key Statistics table KS205EW:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/KS205EW
The figures relating to the number of UK citizens have not been amended.
Conditions of Employment: Wrexham
Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of children living in households in Wrexham constituency where one or both parents are (a) working part-time because they are unable to find full-time work and (b) employed on a zero-hours contract. [191112]
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Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking what recent estimate he has made of the number of children living in households in Wrexham constituency where one or both parents are (a) working part-time because they are unable to find full-time work and (b) employed on a zero-hours contract. (191112)
The Office for National Statistics compiles statistics for people working in part-time jobs because they could not find a full time post from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). However, estimates of the number of children living in households where one or both parents are working part-time because they are unable to find full-time work for the requested geography is not available due to small sample sizes.
Estimates relating to zero-hour contracts are also available from the LFS; however, full estimates of the total number of people in employment on such contracts are not available from this source. This is, in part, due to reporting error as respondents may fail to identify their type of employment contract correctly. Therefore we have not been able to state how many children are living in households where one or both parents are working on zero hour contracts in Wrexham constituency.
Employment
Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people are employed in the (a) commerce and (b) manufacturing sectors in (i) Wrexham constituency, (ii) Wales and (iii) the UK. [191137]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many people are employed in the (a) commerce and (b) manufacturing sectors in (i) Wrexham constituency, (ii) Wales and (iii) the UK. [191137]
Annual employment statistics are available from the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). Table 1 as follows contains estimates of the number employed in businesses considered to be part of industries involved in commerce for Wrexham constituency, Wales and the UK in 2012, the most recent year that figures are available. Although there is no standard definition of commerce used by the Office for National Statistics, in this table commerce is taken to be the service sector with public administration, education, health and arts, entertainment and recreation removed. This is intended to reflect businesses that are involved in the activity of buying and selling. Table 2 contains estimates of the number employed in the manufacturing sector for these areas.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1-Employment in 2012 for commerce | |||
| Commerce industries | Wrexham constituency | Wales | UK |
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| Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and so the sum of the employment in individual industries may not add up to the total. | |||
| Table 2-Employment in 2012 for the manufacturing sector | ||
| Wrexham constituency | Wales | UK |
Government Departments: Procurement
Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Government contracts have been awarded to companies based in Brigg and Goole constituency since May 2010; and what the value of such awards was. [191363]
Mr Hurd: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Livingston (Graeme Morrice) on 16 December 2013, Official Report, column 453W.
Housing: Prices
Teresa Pearce: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the cost of purchasing a home in (a) London and (b) the South East in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [191336]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the cost of purchasing a home in (a) London and (b) the South East in each of the last five years (191336).
Table 1 shows the mean house price for both London and the South East, based on houses purchased using a mortgage only, in each of the last five years. This only represents the purchase price and will not include any other costs associated with purchasing a house such as stamp duty and legal fees. Data for 2013 are scheduled to be published 25 March 2014.
| Table 1: Mean house prices for London and the South East 2008 to 2012 | ||
| £ | ||
| Mean house price: London1, 2 | Mean house price: South East1, 2 | |
| 1 Mean house prices (mortgage purchases only) taken from table 23 of the ONS annual House Price Index reference table 2 Prices rounded to nearest £1,000 | ||
India
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how long he expects the investigation into alleged UK involvement in the attack on the Golden Temple, Amritsar in 1984 will take; and whether all the proceedings and findings of the investigation will be published. [183276]
Mr Swire: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
On 13 January the Cabinet Secretary was asked by the Prime Minister to lead an urgent review into allegations of UK involvement in the Indian operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar in June 1984. His investigation has now concluded and his final report was published on 4 February and can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alleged-uk-link-to-operation-at-sri-harmandir-sahib-amritsar-1984
Military Medals Review
James Wharton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) when the Honours and Decorations Committee last met to consider the recommendations put forward by Sir John Holmes regarding the rules for the awarding of military medals; [191245]
(2) when the Honours and Decorations Committee's report from its last meeting to consider the recommendations of Sir John Holmes will go forward for final approval. [191246]
Mr Maude: The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee) met in January 2014 and considered a number of recommendations put forward by Sir John Holmes regarding the rules for awarding military medals. The Committee's report is now in the process of being formally approved.
Ovarian Cancer
Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in each of the last three years; and what the survival rate of women with ovarian cancer has been in each of the last three years. [191414]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in each of the last three years; and what the survival rate of women with ovarian cancer has been in each of the last three years [191414].
The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2011. Table 1 provides the number of newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer in women in England, for the years 2009 to 2011.
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ONS publishes one and five-year cancer net survival estimates for England, for 21 common cancers, including ovarian cancer. The latest figures are for adults diagnosed during the period 2007-2011 and followed up to 2012. Table 2 provides one and five-year net survival estimates for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in this and the two preceding periods (women diagnosed 2006-2010, followed up to 2011, and women diagnosed 2005-2009, followed up to 2011).
The latest published figures on cancer incidence in England are available on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/cancer-statistics-registrations--england--series-mb1-/index.html
The latest published figures on cancer survival in England are available on the National Statistics website at:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cancer-unit/cancer-survival/index.html
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| Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer1, England, 2009-112 | |
| Registrations | |
| 1 Cancer of the ovary (including associated ligaments and ducts) is coded as C56, C57.0-C57.7 according to the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10). 2 Cancer incidence figures are based on newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. Note: Figures for England exclude cancer registrations for non-residents Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS) | |
| Table 2: One-year and five-year net survival (percentage)1, with 95% confidence intervals (CI)2, for women (15 to 99 years)3 diagnosed with ovarian cancer4 during 2005-11, England | ||||
| Diagnosis and follow up period | One-year relative survival (percentage) | Lower and upper CI | Five-year relative survival (percentage) | Lower and upper CI |
| 1 Net survival is an estimate of the probability of survival for the given time after diagnosis of the cancer, assuming that no other cause of death occurs. 2 A 95% confidence interval is a measure of the uncertainty around an estimate. It provides a range around the estimated value within which we have a 95% level of confidence that the true value for the population is likely to fall. 3 All women (aged 15 to 99 years) in England who were diagnosed during 2005-11 with ovarian cancer as an invasive, primary, malignant neoplasm were eligible for analysis. Ineligible patients were those whose tumour was benign (not malignant) or in situ (malignant but not invasive) or of uncertain behaviour (uncertain whether benign or malignant), or for which the organ of origin was unknown. 4 Ovarian cancer (including associated ligaments and ducts) is coded as C56, C57.0-C57.7 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Source: Office for National Statistics and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine | ||||
Pay: Wrexham
Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what change there has been in median gross pay for women in Wrexham constituency since 2010; [191115]
(2) what change there has been in median gross weekly earnings for (a) men and (b) women in Wrexham constituency since 2010. [191138]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there has been in median gross weekly earnings for (a) men and (b) women in Wrexham constituency since 2010(191138) and what change there has been in median gross pay for women in Wrexham constituency since 2010.(191115)
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed. I attach a table showing estimates of median gross weekly earnings for employees in Wrexham constituency from 2010 to 2013, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided for male employees and female employees.
In order to account for a discontinuity in the series in 2011, percentage changes between 2010 and 2013 were calculated by compounding growth rates between individual years. Consequently, the percentage changes shown in the table do not correspond precisely to the actual percentage differences between the 2010 and 2013 earnings estimates.
| Median gross weekly earnings for employees1 in Wrexham constituency between April 2010 and April 2013 | ||
| Year (April) | Male | Female |
| 1 Employee jobs are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed. Figures relate to employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. ASHE is based on a 1% sample of jobs taken from HM Revenue and Customs' Pay As You Earn (PAYE) records. Consequently, individuals with more than one job may appear in the sample more than once. 2 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. 3 2011 results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. 4 Estimates for years prior to 2011 are based on SOC 2000 and estimates for years after 2011 are based on SOC 2010. Figures are only considered to be directly comparable if they are based on the same SOC. 5 In order to account for the series discontinuity, percentage changes between 2010 and 2013 were calculated by compounding growth rates between individual years. Consequently, the percentage changes shown in the table do not correspond precisely to the actual percentage differences between the 2010 and 2013 earnings estimates. Guide to quality: The coefficient of variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure; the smaller the CV value, the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: * CV > 5% and <=10% ** CV > 10% and <=20%. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office tor National Statistics. | ||
Unemployment: Older People
Ian Lucas:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of jobseekers over the age of (a) 50 and (b) 60 in (i) Wrexham constituency,
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(ii) Wales and (iii) the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available. [191125]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Caron Walker, dated March 2014:
On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office for the number of jobseekers over the age of (a) 50 and (b) 60 in (i) Wrexham constituency, (ii) Wales and (iii) the UK in the most recent period for which figures are available. (191125)
For this question Jobseekers has been interpreted as those claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) which covers about half of those considered to be unemployed. The Office for National Statistics (0NS) compiles data on the number of people claiming JSA from the Jobcentre Plus Administrative System.
The table shows the number of people aged 50 to 59, 60 and over and 50 and over who were claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in January 2014 resident in the requested geographies.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Number1 of people claiming jobseeker's allowance, January 2014, not seasonally adjusted | |||
| Number | |||
| Aged 50 to 59 | Aged 60 and over | Aged 50 and over | |
| 1 Rounded to nearest 5. Totals may not equal the sum of the independently rounded components. Source: Jobcentre Plus Administrative System. | |||
Attorney-General
Stalking
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Attorney-General how many Crown Prosecution lawyers have been trained to deal with offences of stalking under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, in each Crown Prosecution Service area; and if he will make a statement. [191332]
The Attorney-General:
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) updated its Legal Guidance on Stalking and Harassment to reflect the new stalking offences under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 prior to commencement of the stalking offences on 25 November 2012. In addition, the CPS developed an online e-Learning course called Cyber Crime: Cyber Stalking in September 2012, which is accessible to all prosecutors. This course includes cyber stalking, non-cyber stalking and harassment. The course was revised in November 2012 to take into account the new stalking
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offences. The CPS maintains a central record of the number of prosecutors who have been trained to deal with stalking and harassment offences by way of the e-Learning course.
The following data were extracted from the CPS HR Database on 11 March 2014. The data are based on those barristers or solicitors who hold a practising certificate in the relevant period. The data cover the period 1 November 2012 (the month when the online e-Learning module was revised to include the new stalking offences) to 28 February 2014 (this is the latest possible data available). The data include only those lawyers who have completed the whole course, including the evaluation module, as the database records e-learning based on completion of all elements of the course.
| CPS Cyber Stalking e-Learning completions: Lawyers by CPS area | ||
| Group | Area | Total |
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Attorney-General in respect of how many alleged offences under section 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 proceedings are currently active in magistrates and Crown courts in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [191333]
The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintain a central record of the number of offences charged under section 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 that reached a first hearing in the magistrates court but these records are held for finalised cases only. It is not possible to ascertain the number of currently active prosecutions. Such information could be obtained only through a manual search of records which would incur disproportionate cost.
The CPS case management system records the number of finalised cases which reached a first hearing in the magistrates court as follows:
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | ||
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|
Protection from Harassment Act 1997 {4A(l)(a)(b)(ii) and (5)} | |||
There is no indication of final outcome or if the offence charged was the offence at finalisation.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Attorney-General in respect of how many alleged offences under section 2A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 proceedings are currently active in magistrates courts in England and Wales. [191334]
The Attorney-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintain a central record of the number of offences charged under section 2A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 that reached a first hearing in the magistrates court but these records are held for finalised cases only. It is not possible to ascertain the number of currently active prosecutions. Such information could be obtained only through a manual search of records which would incur disproportionate cost.
The CPS case management system records the number of finalised cases which reached a first hearing in the magistrates court as follows:
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | ||
There is no indication of final outcome or if the offence charged was the offence at finalisation.
Culture, Media and Sport
Betting Shops: Licensing
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many times her Department has met (a) local authorities and (b) local government representative bodies to discuss licensing of betting shops since the appointment of the Minister with responsibility for sport, tourism and equalities; [191344]
(2) how many times her Department has met (a) the National Association of Bookmakers and (b) representatives from individual bookmakers since the appointment of the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities. [191343]
Mrs Grant: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has held separate discussions with both the Association of British Bookmakers and local authorities in relation to gambling matters. Since October 2013, DCMS has attended local government forums, written to local authorities and betting operators and held several ministerial meetings with bookmakers and gambling campaign groups.
Broadband: Rural Areas
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to ensure that superfast broadband reaches rural areas. [903029]
Mr Vaizey: The Government have committed a total of £790 million to support superfast broadband roll-out across the UK. This includes £1,211 million announced on 25 February 2014 to support roll-out in Wales, to add to the £56.9 million that we have already committed to the Welsh Government's project to provide superfast broadband coverage to 691,000 premises in Wales.
We are also investing £10 million to explore how to provide superfast broadband to the hardest to reach parts of the UK.
Direct Selling
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the recommendations of the all-party parliamentary group on nuisance calls' report into nuisance calls; and whether she will issue a formal response to that report. [190939]
Mr Vaizey: Tackling nuisance calls is a priority for the Department and we note with interest the recommendations of the all-party parliamentary group on Nuisance Calls. We welcome the work that has been undertaken by them in this important area of concern for consumers and while no formal response will be issued, the APPG report has been very helpful in informing our thinking in this area that will be detailed further in our forthcoming action plan.
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to publish her Department's action plan on nuisance calls. [191044]
Mr Vaizey: Tackling nuisance calls is a priority for the Department and we will shortly publish our action plan, which will set out our achievements to date, work that is currently under way and our plans for the future.
English Heritage
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the resource needs of English Heritage over the next five years. [903013]
Mr Vaizey: We announced plans at the last spending round to create a new business model for English Heritage, supported by £85 million of Government investment. A full business case for the new model is currently being finalised, which includes estimates of the capital and resource funding required.
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Film: Shropshire
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will hold discussions with UK and international film production companies to promote Shropshire as a film location. [903026]
Mr Vaizey: The British Film Commission and Creative England hold regular discussions with film production companies to promote the UK, including Shropshire, as a film destination. It is this success, along with our world-class talent and crew, studio space and generous tax reliefs that attracted investment in UK film production of over £1 billion last year.
Gaming Machines
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the research on fixed- odds betting terminals to be conducted by the Responsible Gambling Trust is due to be completed and published. [191342]
Mrs Grant: The Responsible Gambling Trust's research programme into category B gaming machines is due to report and be made public in autumn 2014.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of whether £100 stakes in fixed-odds betting terminal machines in betting shops contribute to problem gambling. [903031]
Mrs Grant: The Government remain concerned about fixed odds betting terminals and their potential association with an elevated risk of gambling harm. The review previously announced by the Prime Minister will determine what further measures may be necessary in addition to enhanced player protection measures introduced earlier this month.
Local Press
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information her Department holds on the number of local newspapers that have closed since May 2010; and what steps she plans to take to support such newspapers. [903018]
Mr Vaizey: The Department does not hold that information. Our local press plays a valuable role in local communities and we appreciate the challenges facing the sector. We have removed cross-media ownership rules to allow the development of new business models, and in addition, the Local Audit and Accountability Bill will prevent unfair competition from council newspapers.
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Telecommunications
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what timetable her Department has adopted for reform of the Electronic Communications Code. [191277]
Mr Vaizey: Since the Law Commission published its report on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code in February 2013, my Department has been considering the implications of the recommendations on network roll-out and service provision to consumers. In January 2014 we published an economic analysis of the impact of various wayleave valuation regimes. A copy of this report has been placed in the House of Commons Library. The analysis work is ongoing and I will make public the timetable for the reform of the Electronic Communications Code in due course.
Television: Licensing
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people were fined for not holding a television licence in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency, (b) Medway, (c) Kent and (d) England in 2013. [190967]
Mr Vaizey: The statistics for the number of people fined for not holding a television licence in the UK in 2013 are compiled by the Ministry of Justice. They will be published on the Ministry of Justice website in May 2014. The published figures will not be broken down into specific areas or constituencies.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Apprentices
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England employed an apprentice in each of the last five years. [191278]
Matthew Hancock: Information is not available on the number of businesses employing apprentices.
Table 1 shows the number of employer workplaces (site level) in Coventry North East Constituency, Coventry Local Education Authority, the West Midlands and England that employed apprentices from 2010/11 to 2012/13. Information for earlier years is not readily available.
| Table 1: Employer Workplaces that Employed Apprentices by Geography, 2010/11 to 2012/13 | |||
| 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | |
| Notes: 1. The figures are a count of number of individual employer workplaces (site level). 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. Geographic information is based on the delivery location of the Apprenticeship. Note that some employer workplaces deliver Apprenticeship in more than one location. Source: Individualised Learner Record | |||
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Ballooning: Safety
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has made about the regulatory burden imposed by the European Aviation Safety Agency on hot air balloon manufacturers; and if he will make a statement. [190781]
Mr Goodwill: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Transport.
The adoption of common type certification and airworthiness standards for balloons has benefited balloon manufacturers by enabling them to freely market their products in all member states. However, we recognise that some aspects of the EU implementing rules on aviation safety may place a disproportionate burden on the general aviation sector, including balloon manufacturers. We have raised this concern with the European Commission and the European Aviation Safety Agency. They accept that the implementing rules need to be proportionate to the activity been undertaken. As a result, areas of possible over-regulation of the general aviation sector are being addressed under the European Commission's general aviation strategy and its REFIT programme.
Cybercrime: Crime Prevention
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what contribution cyber-security exports made to the UK economy in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13. [191109]
Michael Fallon: The total value of UK cyber-security exports is as follows:
| £ million | |
| 1 Data not available. | |
Data for 2013 will be available later this year.
Electric Vehicles
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support the use of electric vehicles. [190962]
Michael Fallon: The Government committed £400 million to support the early market for ultra low emission vehicles to 2015 and have committed a further £500 million from 2015 to 2020.
In January 2014, we launched a joint Government and industry information campaign to enthuse and engage vehicle purchasers and dispel widespread myths. The UK currently has one of the most comprehensive support packages anywhere in the world with discounts for eligible vehicles, grants for chargepoints at home, on the street and in train station car parks, and a growing network of super-fast rapid chargepoints which will be Europe's best by 2015.
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We also have a consistent set of tax incentives driving fleet and private purchasers towards ever cleaner cars and we are revising Government buying standards to increase adoption within the public sector.
We are now developing our proposals for the shape of our 2015-20 support package and analysing contributions from industry to our recent call for evidence. We aim to finalise a draft package of measures by the spring, before seeking state aid clearance from the European Commission.
Energy: Industry
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer given to the hon. Member for Corby of 27 February 2014, Official Report, columns 406-07, how much compensation beyond the £28 million already stated for the Emissions Trading System is expected to be provided; and when that additional compensation will be provided. [191141]
Michael Fallon: Compensation for the EU Emissions Trading System runs from January 2013 to March 2016. In addition to the £28 million already paid out in compensation, we expect to pay a further £60 million over the life of the scheme.
ICT: Employment
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of jobs which remain unfilled in the UK online and digital industries due to a lack of people with the prerequisite skills for those jobs. [191111]
Matthew Hancock: Data from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills ‘Employer Skills Survey' give us a snapshot of vacancies at a particular time. The 2013 survey showed that the Information Economy sector had around 6,000 vacancies that were deemed to be hard to fill for skills-related reasons. The sector also reported higher than average skill shortage vacancies (6.9 per 1,000 employees as opposed to 5.4 for all sectors) at the time of the survey.
Source:
BIS analysis of UKCES Employer Skills Survey 2013:
http://www.ukces.org.uk/publications/er81-ukces-ess-13
Land Registry
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what data the Land Registry holds on the number of leasehold domestic premises in (a) Worthing West constituency, (b) Worthing borough, (c) Arun district, (d) West Sussex county, (e) South East England region, (f) England and (g) England and Wales; what data collection the Land Registry makes on housing tenure types; and if he will make a statement. [191127]
Michael Fallon: Land Registry does not hold data which would identify a property as domestic or commercial. However, the number can be split between those owned by private and non-private individuals. Land Registry does not store data at constituency level; Worthing West constituency comprises Worthing district and a small area of Arun district. Therefore, data for both districts have been provided, along with the combined figure.
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| Leasehold titles | Leasehold titles owned by private individuals | Leasehold titles not owned by private individuals | |
As part of the process of registration, Land Registry holds and collects data on the tenure type of every registered property. This tenure can be absolute freehold or leasehold, possessory freehold or leasehold, qualified freehold or leasehold or good leasehold. On its website, Land Registry provides a dataset inventory showing the electronic data it holds, but the actual tenure data requested are not published.
Motor Vehicles: Insurance
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the Competition Commission's decision not to consider issues specific to Northern Ireland within its inquiry into the car insurance industry. [191262]
Jenny Willott: It is for the UK's independent competition authorities to decide on the scope of their inquiries following consultation with affected parties. In this case, the Competition Commission (CC) initially considered that the private motor insurance industry in Northern Ireland might contain aspects of competition which differed from that of the rest of the United Kingdom. However, on examination of the market in Northern Ireland, the CC did not consider it to be significantly different from the picture of competition in the rest of the UK, and therefore assessed it as a part of the full investigation. The CC's provisional assessment of the Northern Irish market is set out in Appendix 5.2 of its Provisional Findings report, published on 19 December 2013.
Official Receiver
Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many complaints about the Official Receiver were received in each year between 2010 and 2014. [190894]
Jenny Willott: Since 2010, the Insolvency Service received the following number of complaints about the official receiver:
| Official receiver complaints | |
| 1 Unknown. | |
The Insolvency Service does not hold any records to identify separately complaints about official receivers for 2009/10. In that year 224 total complaints were received.