Offshore Industry
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support UK manufacturing in offshore projects based on the UK continental shelf. [191351]
Michael Fallon: The Oil and Gas Strategy launched in March 2013 was developed in partnership with industry. It offers investment confidence and security by setting out a clear path to exploit the UK's remaining resources and overcome an increasingly challenging production environment. The UK supply chain is integral to the success of the UK continental shelf and Government and industry have committed to work together to strengthen it.
We are also working to ensure UK firms can exploit opportunities on the UK continental shelf and build on the £27 billion of revenues (in 2011) which they already generate in the UK. Fabrication has been identified as one area to target to ensure the industry remains competitive in UK as well as international markets.
Technology: Young People
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of young people without a university qualification working in the (a) high-tech manufacturing and (b) space industry. [190889]
Michael Fallon: High-tech manufacturing is defined by international organisations including Eurostat as the industries manufacturing pharmaceuticals; computer, electronics and optical products; or aircraft, spacecraft and related machinery (Standard Industrial Classification 21, 26 and 30.3).
According to the Labour Force Survey (LFS), around 61% of those aged 16 to 24 working in high-tech manufacturing in the year to September 2013 did not have a higher education qualification. We have used the LFS, although it is a survey of individuals, to provide this answer as it includes information on the age and qualifications of workers. However, the Office for National Statistic's preferred sources for industry employment statistics are employer surveys, so rather than providing an estimated level we have provided a percentage estimate.
There are no data held by Government available on the number of young people without a university qualification working in the space industry.
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Treasury
Bank Services
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what right of appeal account holders have in disputes over dormant bank accounts. [191076]
Sajid Javid: Account holders and their heirs are able to reclaim money from dormant bank accounts at any time.
If an account holder has a complaint about a dormant bank account, their first recourse should be to their bank's customer complaints department. If the account holder is not happy with their bank's response, they will be eligible to apply to have a further review conducted by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS provides a free and independent dispute resolution service for bank customers.
Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks
Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what (a) amount and (b) percentage per average bottle alcohol excise duty increased between (i) 1997 and 2010 and (ii) 2010 and 2014; and if he will make a statement. [191676]
Nicky Morgan: Current and historic Wine of Fresh Grape and Made Wine duty rates for each strength-related band are available in table 12 of HMRC's monthly Alcohol Bulletin, which is published here:
https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx
The average wine bottle falls into the tax category for still wine of alcoholic strength 5.5% to 15%.
Mortgages
Mr Kennedy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with mortgage lenders on their policy that domestic mortgages must be repaid in full before the mortgagor's 75th birthday. [190899]
Sajid Javid: The Government are determined that lenders should treat borrowers fairly. The independent Financial Conduct Authority sets the rules lenders are required to meet to ensure that consumers are treated fairly.
The Financial Services Authority conducted a wholesale review of mortgage regulation in the UK, the 'Mortgage Market Review', which will be implemented by the Financial Conduct Authority in April this year.
The Mortgage Market Review rules ensure that lenders carry out a robust assessment of the affordability of any mortgage, including for mortgages that extend into the borrower's retirement. Where older consumers have the means to support repayments, as many do through employment, pensions, or other sources of income such as investments, the rules do not prevent them from accessing a mortgage.
As long as lenders are meeting the appropriate legal and regulatory requirements, decisions on whether to apply age limits to their mortgage products are commercial decisions for individual lenders.
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Stamp Duty Land Tax: Greater London
Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the potential for devolution of stamp duty land tax to the London Assembly. [190753]
Mr Gauke: SDLT is an important source of Government revenue, raising several billion pounds each year to help pay for the essential services the Government provide and support on a national basis.
Different tax rates in different parts of the country are likely to create a distortive effect around borders, with negative effects on the property markets either side of the borders.
Devolution of SDLT to sub-national authorities would represent a significant change to the existing tax system with potential legal, economic and constitutional implications.
There are no currently no plans to devolve these powers to the London assembly but the Government continue to keep all taxes under review.
VAT: Tourism
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the potential benefits of a sector-specific cut in VAT for the tourism industry. [191207]
Mr Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 11 February 2014, Official Report, columns 212-14WH.
Video Games: Regulation
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on reducing the regulatory burden on video games producers. [190605]
Mr Gauke: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with ministerial colleagues and others, as part of the process of policy formulation and development. As has been the case under successive Administrations, it is not the Treasury's practice to publish details of such meetings.
The Government remain committed to introducing tax relief for video games producers as soon as possible; efficiency and simplification were key design aspects for the relief.
Northern Ireland
Army
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment she has made of the investigation into the operation of the Military Reaction Force in Northern Ireland. [191261]
Mrs Villiers: As allegations against the Military Reaction Force are being considered by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, it would be inappropriate for me to comment at this time.
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Education
Children: Autism
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he has issued to schools on ensuring inclusive practice for children with autism spectrum disorders. [191372]
Mr Timpson: The Department for Education funds the Autism Education Trust which provides training to mainstream early years, school and further education providers on autism and meeting the needs of children and young people with the condition. The trust has also developed “Tools for Teachers”, which brings together resources for meeting these children's and young people's needs and advice on how to use them.
The Department will be publishing a new Special Educational Needs Code of Practice for approval by Parliament in due course. This will provide improved guidance on identifying children and young people's needs and providing for them in appropriate settings.
Children's Centres
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department last visited a Sure Start children's centre that was not in their constituency. [191374]
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Elizabeth Truss: The most recent official visits to children's centres made by Ministers at the Department for Education are as follows:
The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) visited Norwood Kennedy Leigh Family Centre, Hendon on 3 November 2013.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, my hon. Friend the Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mr Timpson) visited Stone Grove Children's Centre, Edgware on 27 November 2012.
I visited Westfield Children's Centre, Watford, Hertfordshire on 13 November 2013.
These visits do not include political or constituency visits.
Secure Accommodation
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many places are occupied in each secure children's home; and what the total capacity is of each such institution. [191385]
Mr Timpson: The following table indicates the number of places licensed by Ofsted for each secure children's home (SCH), the number of places actually being offered by each home and the occupancy split by welfare and justice young people. The occupancy has been averaged out over a seven-day period to provide a more accurate current occupancy rate.
| SCH/Provider | Beds available | Welfare beds | Welfare beds occupied average last seven days | Justice beds | Justice beds occupied average last seven days |
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Agriculture: Environment Protection
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with regard to the environmental land management scheme announced on 26 February 2014, if he will provide further details on (a) how the scheme will be targeted, (b) whether specific local areas have been identified for the scheme, (c) what the (i) minimum and (ii) maximum grants available to farmers are, (d) when the scheme will be open for applications to farmers and (e) what assessment his Department has made of the potential environmental benefits of this scheme. [190487]
George Eustice: The recent announcement described the priorities for and main elements of the new environmental land management scheme. Among other things, it responds to the views expressed in the CAP Implementation consultation exercise we undertook in last November. We will be making further details available over the coming months, including about targeting, payment rates and expected benefits. Once this design phase has been completed we will need approval from the European Commission before we implement the new scheme.
Ash Dieback Disease
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the geographical spread and impact of ash dieback disease. [190903]
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Dan Rogerson: As of 3 March there were a total of 632 confirmed findings of ash dieback caused by ‘Chalara fraxinea’ in the UK, of which 405 were in England. The total is made up of 26 nurseries, 345 recent planting sites and 261 in the wider environment. While there has been a steady increase in the number of findings since the national survey undertaken in November 2012, there has been a fairly modest spread of the disease over the last year.
To date, ‘Chalara’ has been confirmed in: Derbyshire, Dorset, Somerset, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Devon, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Leicestershire and Northumberland.
Epidemiological modelling on the basis of current evidence suggests that the pathogen is likely to continue to spread in Great Britain, although there is likely to be noticeable regional variation, with areas in the south east, east and south-west most affected. These predictions are likely to change as additional information becomes available from ongoing research.
Ferrets: Tagging
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received from (a) the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and (b) the Countryside Alliance on micro-chipping ferrets to reduce thefts of those animals. [191381]
George Eustice: The Department has received no such representations.
Hill Farming
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to ensure that the upland entry level scheme is maintained; and what discussions he has had of other funding mechanisms to assist upland farmers. [191286]
George Eustice: On 19 December last year we announced that the new environmental land management scheme, which is being finalised, would replace existing Entry Level Stewardship. Independent scientific scrutiny has shown the need for a more targeted approach that better delivers environmental outcomes. The new scheme will be open to upland farmers.
However, in recognition of the particular hardships faced by upland farmers, and the marginal basis on which they operate, we also announced that we would equalise direct payment rates between upland and lowland farmers by increasing the rate per hectare in the non-moorland Severely Disadvantaged Areas (SDA). In addition, we undertook to carry out further modelling to look at an increase to the direct payment rate in the moorlands. We expect to make an announcement on the moorland rate later in the spring.
Our proposals were subject to full public consultation and we continue to work with a range of upland stakeholders, including those who make up DEFRA's Direct Payments Consultative Group.
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Energy and Climate Change
Coal Gasification and Carbon Sequestration: North East
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the future prospects for coal gasification and carbon capture and storage projects in the North East. [190613]
Michael Fallon: The Government undertook a feasibility study of underground coal gasification (UCG) in 20041 which concluded that, in conjunction with carbon capture and storage, UCG has the potential to contribute to the UK's energy requirements.
The Coal Authority is the licensing body for the exploitation of coal and, as of now, six conditional licences have been issued near offshore in the North East and there are another two applications pending decision in the region.
There are not yet any CCS prospects in the North East but a pilot study is being funded in Teesside.
1 “Review of the feasibility of Underground Coal Gasification in the UK” was published in October 2004 (DTI/Pub URN 04/1643):
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file19143.pdf
Energy: Competition
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2014, Official Report, column 401, on energy market competition, by what criteria his Department assesses the competitiveness of the energy market. [190666]
Michael Fallon: There are established competition indicators including market characteristics (such as market concentration) and market outcomes (such as prices and profits and levels of consumer engagement). These are set out in the Competition Commission Guidelines for market investigations:
http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/assets/competitioncommission/docs/2013/publications/cc3_revised_.pdf
The independent competition authorities (Ofgem, Oft and the new Competition and Markets Authority) are currently carrying out an energy market competition assessment.
The competition authorities published their assessment framework on 19 December and are due to report in spring 2014:
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/85260/assessmentframework18decfinal.pdf
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wirral South of 27 February 2014, Official Report, column 398, on energy prices, what the evidential basis is for the statement that next-day trading has increased to more than 50% of electricity. [190668]
Michael Fallon:
The Department of Energy and Climate Change has calculated that, on average, for 2013 just over 52% of UK electricity generated was traded within the day-ahead markets. This calculation was made using
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data on UK electricity trading volumes and generation from a variety of sources. The data are a mixture of auction, exchange traded and OTC trading data for day-ahead UK electricity volumes. These are then compared to UK generation data. The data sources used for this are:
Day-ahead APX and N2EX electricity auction volumes data (sourced from Bloomberg);
Day-ahead OTC electricity volume data from the London Energy Broker's Association (LEBA) (sourced from the LEBA website);
UK electricity generation data (sourced from the Elexon website).
Energy: Coventry
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the Coventry Switch and Save scheme supported by the Cheaper Energy Together fund. [191201]
Michael Fallon: The Department has published an assessment of schemes supported by the Cheaper Energy Together scheme, including the Coventry city council scheme. This is available at this link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/253862/Helping_Customers_Switch _Collective_ Switching_and_Beyond_final__2_.pdf
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding his Department has allocated to the Coventry Switch and Save scheme through the Cheaper Energy Together fund. [191281]
Michael Fallon: The Department allocated funding of £63,000 to Coventry city council through the Cheaper Energy Together fund.
Energy: Prices
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2014, Official Report, column 990, on the wholesale energy market, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of the effects of ring- fencing between supply and generation businesses within vertically integrated companies. [191285]
Michael Fallon: The Government use impact assessments to assess the costs and benefits of Government policy. For example the Department undertook an impact assessment on the costs and benefits of taking powers in the Energy Act to address liquidity.
Ring-fencing between supply and generation businesses is not a Government policy and therefore the Department has not undertaken a formal impact assessment on the potential effects.
Fracking
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the proportion of UK energy which may be supplied through extraction of shale gas over the next 20 years. [190969]
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Michael Fallon: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has not carried out an assessment of the proportion of UK energy which shale gas might supply over the next 20 years. The Department has, however, published an Environmental Report which is currently out for consultation as part of the process of strategic environmental assessment for further onshore licensing. The report is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/environmental-report-for-further-onshore-oil-and-gas-licensing
On the assumptions of its high scenario, this report estimates that production on new licences over 20 years could be some 4 to 8 trillion cubic feet. In addition, the British Geological Society (BGS) published an estimate of the gas in place in the Bowland-Hodder shale that underlies northern England, last year. It estimated that the most probable value of gas in place as 1,300 trillion cubic feet. The BGS is currently conducting a study of the Kimmeridge Clay of the Weald Basin in Surrey and Sussex, and the Oil-Shale Group of the Midland Valley in Scotland.
The Department's energy projections suggests that over the next two decades, overall primary energy demand in the UK is expected to remain roughly stable, with gas accounting for over a third of such demand. Until further exploration and testing can be done to determine the extent of shale gas that can be technically and commercially recovered, however, it is impossible to estimate the proportion it might supply in the UK's future energy mix.
Green Deal Scheme
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, columns 11-12W, on the Green Deal scheme, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) Green Deal assessments made, (b) Green Deal plans installed and billed and (c) energy company obligation measures installed in (i) the UK, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England and (iv) Wales in each month since June 2013. [191284]
Gregory Barker: The Department publishes the number of Green Deal assessments lodged in Great Britain in each month in Table 2 of its monthly Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Official Statistics release:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-february-2014)
Table (a) presents separately the number of Green Deal assessments lodged in England, Scotland and Wales for each month between June and September 2013.
| Table (a): Number of Green Deal Assessments lodged in England, Scotland and Wales, by month | |||
| England | Scotland | Wales | |
The Department publishes the number of Green Deal plans in Table 3 of its monthly Official Statistics release. The Department will publish geographic
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breakdowns of Green Deal plans installed and billed in its next quarterly release, which is planned for publication on 20 March 2014.
The Department publishes the provisional number of ECO measures installed in Great Britain in each month in Table 5 of the monthly Official Statistics release. Table (b) following presents separately the provisional number of ECO measures installed in England, Scotland and Wales for each month between June and September 2013.
| Table b: Provisional number of ECO measures installed in England, Scotland and Wales, by month1,2,3 | |||
| Installation month | England | Scotland | Wales |
| 1 ECO measures installed in earlier installation months can be notified at a later date under some circumstances. Some notified measures can be reallocated to different ECO sub-obligations and so are subject to change. 2 The sum of these breakdowns do not match the Great Britain figures published in the monthly Official Statistics release. Monthly figures are based on later cuts of data. 3 Excludes a small number of ECO measures where the address is unknown. | |||
Green Deal and ECO do not cover Northern Ireland and, hence, United Kingdom figures are not applicable.
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Housing: Insulation
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for West Dunbartonshire of 27 February 2014, Official Report, column 389, on energy efficiency, what his Department's policy is on loft insulation. [190670]
Gregory Barker: It is important that lofts with inadequate insulation should be fully insulated. It is also important that, wherever possible, those that can afford to pay for this themselves do so—ideally as part of a wider package of measures, and not rely on subsidy which is best reserved for the most needy.
Natural Gas
Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many connections to the gas grid have been made in each constituency in each year since 2010. [191005]
Michael Fallon: The figures set out as follows are for gas grid connections that fall under the eight gas distribution networks in Great Britain. These figures are not typically recorded by constituency. These figures do not include gas transmission, nor do they include Independent Gas Transporters (IGTs) as IGTs are not regulated (they are part of a relative price control as part of Ofgem's remit).
Please see following figures from 1 April 2010 until 31 March 2013:
| 2010-11 | |||||
| New housing | Existing housing | Industrial/commercial | Fuel poor | Total | |
| 2011-12 | |||||
| New housing | Existing housing | Industrial/commercial | Fuel poor | Total | |
| 2012-13 | |||||
| New housing | Existing housing | Industrial/commercial | Fuel poor | Total | |
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Total gas grid connections over this period are 170,958. Of this figure, 90,437 connections were as part of the Domestic Load Connection Allowance scheme and 38,204 as part of the Fuel Poverty Extension scheme (or Assisted Gas Connection scheme). The remaining 42,317 connections are new housing connections and non-domestic connections (35,507 and 6,810 respectively).
Radioactive Materials: Irish Sea
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many incidents of safety breaches occurred during transport of nuclear material through the Irish Sea in each of the last five years. [191264]
Michael Fallon: The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has published reports on three incidents during the last five years that involved radioactive material being shipped via ports which would have travelled through the Irish sea. All incidents were reported and addressed. These incidents represented breaches of the regulations covering the transport of radioactive material but did not affect the safety of the packages involved and had no radiological implications. Reports of these incidents can be found on the ONR website at:
www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/transport/guidance.htm
under reference '2009033' in the 2010 report and references ‘2011028' and ‘2011026' in the 2011 report.
Renewable Energy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much investment in the Green Energy sector there was in each year between 2005 and 2013. [190662]
Gregory Barker: At present, there is no official statistical definition of “green sector” or “low carbon” so investment figures are not recorded in these terms.
DECC, BIS and DEFRA have recently commissioned work to produce a range of statistics on the green energy sector later this year.
Office for National Statistics data (ONS Annual Business Survey) are available for investment in the electricity sector, and these figures indicate that, from 2005 to 2009, average investment in the electricity sector was around £5 billion per year. This has increased in the period since 2010 to almost £8 billion per year, with investment in 2012 exceeding £10 billion—the highest figure on record.
Sellafield
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what reports he has received of safety breaches during the clearance of the Pile Fuel Storage Pond at Sellafield nuclear plant. [191265]
Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has not received any reports of safety breaches in this respect. Similarly, the Office for Nuclear Regulation assures me that it has not received any reports of safety breaches meeting the reporting criteria during clearance operations within this facility.
Communities and Local Government
Betting Shops
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities, which have issued Article 4 directions, have subsequently received planning applications for change of use to a betting shop in the last year. [191346]
Nick Boles: This information is not held centrally.
Community Assets
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many facilities have been listed as assets of community value under the Localism Act 2011 to date. [190964]
Stephen Williams: Local authorities are responsible for administering the assets of community value scheme. The Government do not require local authorities to report on the numbers and types of buildings and facilities that have been nominated and listed as assets of community value. However we estimate that from February of this year over 900 assets have been listed across England.
Empty Property
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of empty homes in (a) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in each of the last three financial years. [190963]
Stephen Williams: Statistics on vacant dwellings in England and in each local authority district are published in the Department's live table 615 which is available at the following link. This table shows the annual total numbers of empty homes and those vacant longer than six months and also vacants in the local authority, housing association and other public sector tenures:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
Data are collected only at local authority district level and not available by parliamentary constituency. As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September
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2012,
Official Report
, columns 31-33WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by Government office region. Local authority figures from which regional estimates can be calculated can be found at the above link.
The figures show that the number of long-term empty homes in England has fallen by over 40,800 from October 2010 to October 2012.
In addition, I would note that the New Homes Bonus also records long-term empty homes being brought back into use, and figures show that it has recorded 93,000 homes to date (over a longer time period) being returned to occupation.
Fire Services: Floods
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many flood rescues and flood evacuations were carried out in England by firefighters from each fire and rescue service in each of the months of December 2013, January and February 2014. [191035]
Brandon Lewis: The Department receives fire and rescue incident data to a quarterly timetable and data for this period are not yet available.
Homelessness: Females
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish data on the level of women's homelessness; and if he will ensure that such data include (a) the number of women who become homeless in a reporting period and (b) the length of their homelessness. [191329]
Kris Hopkins: The Department already collects and publishes some information relating to homeless women. In particular, figures on the following are collected on quarterly returns from local authorities and published at
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness
Households in the 'household member pregnant' priority need category accepted as homeless during the quarter
one-person female households accepted as homeless during the quarter
lone parent households with a female applicant accepted as homeless during the quarter
one-person female households in temporary accommodation at the end of the quarter,
lone parent households with a female applicant in temporary accommodation at the end of the quarter
The Department has no plans to collect any further information relating directly to homeless women. Along with other Government Departments, it is seeking to reduce the data reporting burden that it places on local authorities, in line with the Single Data list arrangements that have been agreed with the Local Government Association. More details of these arrangements are available at:
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https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/making-local-councils-more-transparent-and-accountable-to-local-people/supporting-pages/single-data-list
We have one of the strongest safety nets in the world—protected in law—which means that people with a priority need for accommodation will always have a roof over their heads. We have maintained our £470 million investment to help prevent and tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to tackle women's homelessness. [191330]
Kris Hopkins: This Government have invested £470 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness over the spending review period. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.
The Government are committed to tackling and preventing all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping We have:
Invested nearly £2 million to stop the unlawful practice of councils placing families in bed and breakfast for more than six weeks;
Supported the roll out of 'No Second Night Out' schemes across England, helping 67% of rough sleepers off the streets after a single night;
Invested £42.5 million to improve rough sleeper hostels;
Made it easier for councils to help move homeless families out of temporary accommodation more quickly by using good-quality privately rented accommodation—backed up by a £1 billion investment to expand the rented sector; and
Supported local authorities to deliver high quality housing solutions for vulnerable people through the Gold Standard scheme. Councils aiming for the Standard are supported by £1.7 million worth of training and other support.
Housing: Construction
Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on the Get Britain Building Scheme in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013. [190130]
Kris Hopkins [holding answer 5 March 2014]:The Get Britain Building programme is on track and on course, and the spending reflects the timetable of the programme. It has been helping clear up the mess that we inherited from the Labour Government's housing bust.
My answer to the hon. Member of 27 February 2014, Official Report, column 445W, outlined the progress to date in unlocking stalled sites (with 11,165 starts as of that date), and how the programme is supporting new build housing to be completed by 2015.
The prospectus for the first round of Get Britain Building programme was published on 22 December 2011. The prospectus for the second round was published on 21 June 2012. In both cases, the expressions of interest received after each prospectus were followed by due diligence and a contract agreement process. In that light, there was no expenditure in 2011, £29 million in 2012 and £281 million in 2013. The remainder of the budget will be spent by 2014-15 to the planned timetable.
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Each contract agreement includes arrangements for the financial drawdowns under the facility, and there may be a number of drawdowns as a site is built out. Since interest is payable on the loans, contractors will drawdown the agreed development finance as needed. This explains why government expenditure will be incurred over the course of the programme rather than all up front; however, the existence of the finance facility in itself gives developers the confidence and financial security to get building again.
Local Government: Assets
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many bowling greens have been listed as assets of community value. [190316]
Stephen Williams [holding answer 6 March 2014]:Local authorities are responsible for administering the Assets of Community Value scheme. The Government do not require local authorities to report on the numbers and types of buildings and facilities that have been nominated and listed as Assets of Community Value. Under the scheme, local authorities maintain a list of assets that have been listed in their area which they must make available on request. The proposed new local government Transparency Code also recommends that councils publish their own community assets online.
Recovery Ministerial Group
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps to assist communities affected by the flooding and bad weather since the Christmas storm his Department has taken as a result of decisions of the Ministerial Recovery Working Group. [186140]
Brandon Lewis [holding answer 4 February 2014]: So far the Government have taken a number of steps to provide financial and logistical support to affected households, businesses and local authorities in England. These include:
a number of enhancements to the Bellwin Scheme, including upfront payments to ease cashflow and an extension to the eligible spending period;
a scheme to support councils to provide a council tax discount where homes have been flooded;
a £76.5 million Severe Weather Recovery Scheme to support local authorities with recovery issues;
£31 million to improve rail resilience;
£130 million of Grant in Aid Scheme for repairs and rebuild of flood assets;
£10 million to support famers suffering waterlogged fields;
business rate relief for businesses affected by flooding;
£10 million of support for small and medium enterprise for clean-up costs, materials and exceptional costs to help them continue trading;
£2 million for firms in flood affected areas which rely on tourism;
£5 million to repair and restore sports facilities;
£100,000 to help with urgent repair work for churches damaged in flood affected areas.
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Further details on the £5,000 “repair and renew” grant for all affected homeowners and businesses has been announced. The information can be found on my Department's web pages here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-support-package-for-homeowners-and-businesses
£750 million from the major banks has been made available to provide financial support to businesses and individual customers affected by the floods.
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs will consider any request for a Time To Pay extension for customers affected by the recent flooding.
National Fire assets have been pre-deployed and deployed as and when needed to affected areas.
In addition, Somerset will receive more than £20 million to deal with—and recover from—the severe floods.
I would refer the hon. Member to the statements that Government Ministers have made to the House on flood recovery to date.
Right to Buy Scheme
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reducing the qualifying period of right to buy from five to three years on the feasibility of local authorities ensuring a replacement of homes sold. [191288]
Kris Hopkins: The Government intend to reduce the qualifying period for the right to buy from five years to three years through the Deregulation Bill. We have produced an impact assessment on this change, including its impact on replacement policy.
The impact assessment shows that the change to the qualifying period will enable increased home ownership among social tenants, while ensuring sufficient sales receipts to deliver a new home for each additional home sold under the reinvigorated right to buy nationally.
The impact assessment was cleared by the Regulatory Policy Committee on 4 March and will be published on the Deregulation Bill website shortly:
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2013-14/deregulation.html
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities ensure a one-for-one replacement of homes sold under right to buy. [191289]
Kris Hopkins: This Government have committed to re-invest, for the first time ever, the additional receipts from right to buy sales in new affordable rented housing. Our aim, across the country as a whole, is to deliver a new home for each additional home sold under the reinvigorated right to buy.
The one-for-one replacement policy applies to additional local authority sales, that is sales above the level forecast before the reinvigoration of the policy in April 2012. Since the reinvigoration, local authorities have sold 13,800 homes, approximately 8,300 of which are additional, and over 2,000 dwellings have been started on site or acquired.
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There will be a time lag between the right to buy sale and the construction of the new build home, but the replacement timetable is in control of the local authority. If a council were to fail to spend the receipts within three years, it would be required to return the unspent money to Government with interest. This provides a strong financial incentive for any slow-coach councils to use this new funding and get on with building more homes for local people.
Trade Union Officials
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the amount spent by local authorities on funding for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three financial years. [190992]
Brandon Lewis: My Department does not collate data on the amounts spent by local authorities on funding for staff to carry out trade union activities. There should be full transparency about the level of facility time given to trade unions and we intend to ensure this happens at a local level by requiring councils to publish on-line details of the amounts spent on providing support and facilities to trade union representatives in their work forces.
Councils should review the merits of using publicly funded full-time union officials. In March 2013, we issued advice to councils on how they could follow the example set by my Department by ensuring that no employees spend all their working hours on trade union duties and by restricting the amount of facility time offered to private sector levels. I am placing a copy of this guidance in the Library of the House.
Work and Pensions
Beaches
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what obligations public beach operators have to carry out risk assessments and provide a minimum level of lifesaving equipment on public beaches. [191361]
Mike Penning: Public beach operators may be required to carry out risk assessments under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. This will depend on whether they are an employer and the nature and level of control they have over work activities taking place at the beach. Depending on the particular circumstances a risk assessment may lead to the provision of rescue and lifesaving equipment as part of a package of reasonably practicable risk control measures.
Under civil law, public beach operators may need to consider their wider public safety responsibilities; this may direct them towards the provision of rescue equipment at particular locations.
Children: Maintenance
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the policy set out in his Department's 2012-2017 Child Maintenance Arrears and Compliance Strategy to act within 72 hours of a missed child maintenance payment applies to Child Support Agency cases with a current liability. [191066]
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Steve Webb: Yes, in general, the policy set out in the 2012-17 Child Maintenance Arrears and Compliance Strategy does apply to Child Support Agency cases with a current liability. However, there are instances where the circumstances of the case mean this approach is not appropriate. For example, a payment via a Deduction from Earnings Order is actually not legally due until after the set payment date, even though there may be an agreement or established practice for it to be paid earlier. Consequently there are some missed payments which the agency does not act on within the 72 hour window, even if notified.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what proportion of cases paying 90% or more of their child maintenance liability using the Child Support Agency collection service in the quarter to December 2013 were paying their child maintenance through a deduction from (a) an earnings order, (b) a regular deduction order and (c) other enforced method of payment; [191083]
(2) what proportion of non-resident parents who were making child maintenance arrears payments in December 2013 were making arrears payments as a result of (a) a voluntary agreement, (b) a deductions from earnings order or (c) other enforcement action. [191084]
Steve Webb: As of December 2013, of the 337,500 cases contributing 90% or more towards their liability via the collection service, 29% of these cases had a preferred method of collection as deduction from earnings order/request. Of the 244,500 cases contributing towards arrears, 29% had a preferred method of collection recorded as deduction from earnings order/request.
A regular deduction order is classed as an enforcement action and these are not classed as a method of maintenance collection. Those who have paid due to enforcement action will also have a preferred method of collection recorded on the system. Consequently, it is not possible to identify those who have contributed towards their liability or arrears voluntarily and those who have contributed as a result of enforcement action.
The Agency does not hold information on the actual method of collection, but does record the non-resident parent's preferred method of collection. It is possible that maintenance is actually paid via a different method.
Enforcement information is routinely published in the Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics which is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/286597/csa_qtr_summ_stats_dec13.pdf
HIV Infection
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the Terrence Higgins Trust report on HIV and poverty, published in February 2014, if he will review the effectiveness of the assessment used to decide whether HIV positive people are entitled to the help they need. [190862]
Mike Penning: Assessment for entitlement to personal independence payment (PIP) and employment and support allowance (ESA) is based on the impact of an individual's health condition or impairment, rather than the condition itself.
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We continually improve and refine the processes for both assessments to ensure that they are as fair and accurate as possible. Additionally, the first independent review of the PIP assessment is expected to report to Parliament by the end of 2014 and we recently announced the appointment of Dr Paul Litchfield to carry out the fifth statutory independent review of the work capability assessment for ESA.
Housing Benefit
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of administering housing benefit in each of the last four years. [191378]
Steve Webb: While housing benefit is within the remit of DWP, we do not estimate the cost of administering this benefit. However, local authorities do include the cost of administering this service as part of their Revenue Outturns that they submit to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Jobseeker's Allowance
John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to his Department was of administering jobseeker's allowance in each of the last four years. [191379]
Mike Penning: The costs of administering JSA in the following years was:
2011-12: £730 million
2012-13: £702 million
Data are not available in a comparable format for the previous two years.
The data supplied are the sum of both the New Claims and Live load costs for each of the financial years.
The costs include management and support and non-staff costs but exclude arm’s length bodies and NDPBs.
The costs also include an apportionment of the costs of the corporate directorates (HR, Finance, IT) plus an apportionment of shared services costs.
Local Welfare Assistance Fund
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received supporting the removal of the Local Welfare Assistance Fund. [190637]
Steve Webb: Funding has not ended. It was always the intention that 2014-15 would be the last year of separate funding for local welfare provision from the Department for Work and Pensions. Councils will continue to provide support to those in their community who face financial difficulties or who find themselves in unavoidable circumstances.
In contrast to a centralised grant system that was poorly targeted councils can now choose how to best to support local welfare needs within their areas.
This Government continue to provide support to local authorities through general funds as part of the Government's commitment to reducing ring-fencing and ending top-down Whitehall control.
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Personal Independence Payment
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the total cost to the public purse of the higher rate mobility component of personal independence payment with eligibility criteria set at (a) 50 and (b) 20 metres in (i) 2014-15, (ii) 2015-16, (iii) 2016-17 and (iv) 2017-18. [191072]
Mike Penning: The up-to-date information requested is not available and gathering it would take the costs of responding to the question over the disproportionate cost threshold.
Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2014, Official Report, column 564W, on personal independence payment, what monitoring of the proportion of new claims referrals that involve a consultation assessment his Department is undertaking. [191247]
Mike Penning: Although the Department does not hold robust, validated data on the number of face-to-face PIP consultations undertaken by the assessment providers, the providers do monitor this themselves. The providers' management information is examined against original assumptions about the proportion of referrals resulting in a face-to-face consultation, as part of the regular performance management discussions between the Department and providers.
Universal Credit: Northern Ireland
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the system for paying benefits into Post Office card accounts under the universal credit programme. [191348]
Steve Webb: DWP officials hold regular discussions with Northern Ireland counterparts on all elements of universal credit payments, including payments into a Post Office card account (POCA).
Work Capability Assessment
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to improve the claimant experience of the work capability assessment. [191279]
Mike Penning: The Department is committed to improving the claimant experience of the work capability assessment. The independent review process plays a key role in helping us do this.
The Department has implemented or is in the process of implementing over 50 recommendations made by Professor Harrington across his three independent reviews.
The fourth independent review, undertaken by Dr Paul Litchfield, was published on 12 December 2013. It made a number of further recommendations to improve further the WCA. The Department welcomes Dr Litchfield's review and is currently considering how to respond to each recommendation. The Government intend to publish their response before the end of March 2014.
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Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the suitability of the work capability assessment to establish the fitness to work of those suffering from (a) mental, (b) progressive or (c) fluctuating illnesses. [191280]
Mike Penning: The Evidence Based Review of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is a study that provided a unique opportunity to understand how we might make the assessment more accurate by systematically reviewing the existing descriptors alongside a different version of the assessment, which was developed by disability representative organisations.
The study included claimants with a range of health conditions, the vast majority of whom had mental health problems or other conditions that would be commonly recognised as fluctuating conditions.
The findings suggest that overall the WCA works as intended and is a valid assessment relative to independent experts' opinion about individuals' fitness for work that can support decisions about who should be paid ESA.
This study is an important step in developing understanding of this complex area. The Department is currently considering the findings of the Evidence Based Review and will set out what we intend to do as a result as part of our response to Dr Litchfield's independent review, which is due to be published before the end of March.
Defence
Armed Forces
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full-time staff are currently employed in each of the armed forces historical branches. [190912]
Dr Murrison: The following table shows the number of full-time staff currently employed in each of the armed forces historical branches. These are all civilian staff.
| Service | Number of staff employed full-time in AF historical branches |
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In addition, there are two further Army posts and one RAF post which are currently vacant. There are also two temporary posts in the Army historical branch; one ends in April 2015 and the other December 2016.
Armed Forces Covenant
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many local authorities have adopted the Armed Forces Covenant to date; and how many remain to do so. [190970]
Dr Murrison: As of 11 March 2014, 399 out of 407 local authorities in Great Britain had signed a community covenant pledging to work to bring the civilian and armed forces communities closer together. We have held discussions with all the remaining authorities, tabled as follows, and we are working to finalise signing dates. The following reflects our understanding of the local authorities' plans.
| Expected timescale for signature | |
Armed Forces: Higher Education
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving armed forces officers have undertaken full-time postgraduate degrees funded by his Department in external educational establishments in each year since 2010; and what the type of degree and subject studied were. [190909]
Dr Murrison: Information held by the Ministry of Defence on numbers of Service officers engaged in full-time postgraduate education in external educational establishments in academic years 2010-13 (September 2010-August 2014) is provided in the following tables. The main areas of research are strategic studies, security and development studies, international relations, business management and engineering.
| Royal Navy | ||||||
| Starting academic year | Hudson Visiting Fellow (Oxford University) | MPhil | Systems Engineering | MBA | MA/MSc | PhD |
| 1 Starts Easter 2014 | ||||||
| Army | |
| Starting academic year | MPhil |
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| Royal Air Force | |||
| Starting academic year | MPhil | MSc | MA |
Armed Forces: Horses
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of feeding, watering and maintaining the armed forces' ceremonial horses was in each year since 2010. [190905]
Dr Murrison: Military horses are a powerful symbol of our operational military heritage, enhancing the standing of the sovereign and the country before national and international audiences. To best maintain their health and welfare, horses must be fit, watered and looked after correctly.
Information on the cost of maintaining ceremonial horses is not held in the format requested. However, the cost of feeding, watering and bedding ceremonial horses for each financial year (FY) since 2010 is as follows:
| Financial year | £ million |
Armed Forces: Training
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many international military personnel and from what countries attended (a) RAF Cranwell, (b) Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, (c) Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and (d) the Defence Academy, Shrivenham in each year since 2010. [190904]
Dr Murrison: The tables that show how many international military personnel and from what countries attended RAF Cranwell, Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and the Defence Academy, Shrivenham in each year since 2010 will be placed in the Library of the House. Figures for 2014 are as of 11 March 2014.
Although the vast majority of those attending the Defence Academy are military personnel there are also some non-military personnel. It is not possible to separate these figures without incurring disproportionate costs.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual running costs for basic training services were at (a) RAF Cranwell, (b) Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, (c) Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and (d) the Defence Academy, Shrivenham in each year since 2010. [190908]
Dr Murrison: We do not separately record that element of the running costs of the establishments listed that is attributable solely to basic training services.
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Falkland Islands
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will investigate what happened to the citation written for Corporal Stewart McLaughlin who was killed in the Falkland Islands in 1982. [191388]
Dr Murrison: There is no dispute about Corporal McLaughlin's brave actions during the Battle of Mount Longdon in 1982. However, there are a number of hurdles that any recommendation for an honour or award must clear as it goes through the chain of command and finally to the Honours and Awards Committee. A recommendation may fall at any time in this process and it has long been our policy that unsuccessful citations are not retained. There is no provision to grant awards retrospectively so, given the passage of time in this case, it is difficult to see what value an investigation would add as it would not change the outcome. This has been explained to Corporal McLaughlin's family.
Military Attachés
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the salary bands for UK defence attachés are; and how many fall within each band. [190907]
Dr Murrison: The salary bands for UK defence attachés (DA) are the same basic pay bands that all full-time military officers are paid across the three services. Within the military salary bands are a number of annual incremental levels of pay which are rank and seniority related (dependent on the number of years served within each military rank). Defence attachés ranks range from OF3 (Major and equivalent) to OF7 (Major General and equivalent). Pay ranges for financial year (FY) 2013-14 were:
| Rank | Number of UK attachés | Pay range within rank |
|
| ||
|
| ||
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|
| ||
Total pay related costs for military UK Defence Section personnel since 2009 are as follows:
| Financial year | £ million |
These costs include allowances, pensions contributions and ERNIC etc. and also reflect non-commissioned officers who work for the DAs at post as military support staff.
Defence attachés are a key component in delivering the International Defence Engagement Strategy, which provides the means by which the UK uses its Defence assets and activities to achieve influence internationally. This includes promoting UK prosperity, understanding other nations security objectives, capabilities and intents, and building international capability. The rank of any particular DA post is determined by the complexity and extent of the role, the importance to the UK of a country, the need to ensure DAs are not over-matched by colleagues from other nations and cultural norms in some regions that place significant store on seniority.
Nuclear Submarines
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department became aware of the detection of low levels of radioactivity in cooling water surrounding a prototype core at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment at Dounreay; and when he first made the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency aware of this issue. [191068]
Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence first detected small additional levels of radioactivity in the cooling water within the reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment in January 2012, as part of routine monitoring. The Defence Nuclear Regulator was informed immediately and following the completion of initial investigation work and a series of trials to determine the likely cause of the issue, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency was made aware in October 2012, before reactor operations restarted in November 2012.
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Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has reviewed its plans to operate successor submarines without mid-life refuelling in the light of the incident on the Dounreay prototype in 2012. [191073]
Mr Dunne: The reactor plant and reactor core for the Successor submarines are based on a completely different design to those at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment at HMS Vulcan, near Dounreay. We continue to plan to operate the Successor submarines without the need for mid-life refuelling.
However, I have asked the chief scientific adviser to review again the evidence on which the decision not to operate a test reactor was based, and to report on the appropriateness of that decision.
RAF Henlow
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the running costs of the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit at RAF Henlow were in each year since 2010. [190910]
Dr Murrison: The running costs of individual units are not collated at a single point. For example, infrastructure costs (including utilities) are managed through Regional Prime Contracts which do not split out individual units. Similarly, equipment costs can also not be split out. For this reason, the running costs of the Defence Cultural Support Unit cannot be provided.
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel of what rank and service have attended the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit at RAF Henlow for each year since 2010. [190911]
Dr Murrison: The Defence Cultural Specialist Unit is tasked to provide cultural and human terrain specialist force elements, in order to deliver the cultural support for army and defence operations, and wider military tasks. They do this by sending individual personnel to perform specialised tasks in support of units and headquarters in the UK and on operations overseas.
The unit is manned by personnel from all three services and has a headquarters element plus a pool of deployable personnel. Personnel are typically posted into the unit for between two and three years and the strength of the unit since 2010 is as follows:
| As at 31 December each year: | Strength |
RAF Northolt
Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the continued classification of RAF Northolt as a military aerodrome; and what account that policy takes of the proportion of flights using that aerodrome that are commercial. [191136]
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Mr Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Worcestershire (Sir Peter Luff), on 28 November 2011, Official Report, column 689W, to the hon. Member for Cambridge (Dr Huppert).
Civilian Commercial movements at RAF Northolt continue to utilise irreducible spare capacity at this military aerodrome to ensure we get the best return for the taxpayer.
Red Arrows
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the running costs of the Red Arrows were in each year since 2010. [190913]
Dr Murrison: The available figures for the running costs of the Red Arrows for the last two financial years (FY) are as follows:
| Financial year | £ million |
These figures include all operating costs, but exclude asset depreciation and the capital cost of aircraft or buildings.
Ministry of Defence officials are collating the information requested for FY 2010-11 and I will write to the hon. Member when this work is complete.
Reserve Forces
Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of the ceremonial duties performed by the London Regiment was in each year since 2010. [190906]
Dr Murrison: The London Regiment has not undertaken any State Ceremonial or public duty events from 2010 to date.
State Ceremonial duties are defined as ‘events of National importance which help uphold the Sovereign's Majesty'. Public duties are routine activities held on a daily basis, in some cases, providing personnel for events such as the Queen's Guard at a number of locations such as Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
Although not classed as either State Ceremonial or public duties, the London Regiment participates in the annual Lord Mayor's Show as an integral part of the procession. In 2013 the Regiment provided the Guard of Honour at the invitation of the Lord Mayor.
Home Department
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre have arrest powers. [191205]
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Damian Green: The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Command is fully integrated within the National Crime Agency (NCA). As part of the NCA, the CEOP Command is able to draw on the whole of the NCA's resources. The NCA works as a flexible organisation and as such there will be NCA officers whose work covers a range of serious and organised crime threats.
In total the NCA has 1,900 officers who currently hold arrest powers who can be called upon to tackle child exploitation. This number is for NCA permanent officers and does not include secondees or those attached to the NCA.
It is the ambition of the Director General to increase this number over time to enhance the capabilities of the NCA and meet any operational surge.
Childbirth
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the number of births which took place where no medical attendant was present in each of the last five years; [191263]
(2) what plans she has to promote child protection through more stringent enforcement of the Birth and Death Registration Act 1953; [191266]
(3) pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, column 732W, of the 113 cases of births in the last five years not registered with the General Register Office, what assessment has been made of those births not registered; and whether any of these cases have been the subject of police investigations, care orders or serious case reviews; [191267]
(4) pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, column 732W, of the 113 cases of births in the last five years not registered with the General Register Office, how many remain unregistered; [191268]
(5) pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, column 732W, of the 113 cases of births in the last five years not registered with the General Register Office, what assessment has been made of the whereabouts and wellbeing status of these cases. [191269]
James Brokenshire: The General Register Office (GRO) is responsible for administering the law and processes for birth registration in England and Wales. The 113 births referred to in the answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, columns 731-32W, remain unregistered. GRO records do not indicate whether any of these cases have been the subject of police investigations, care orders or serious case reviews.
There are a number of possible reasons for a delay in birth registration and each case needs to be handled with sensitivity. Any enforcement action under the Birth and Death Registration Act 1953 is considered in this context.
Issues such as monitoring the level of medical attendance at births and assessing the whereabouts and wellbeing of children whose birth has not been registered are matters for a number of other organisations, rather than GRO.
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Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken in response to recommendations 5.1 and 5.66 in the Report on an unannounced inspection of Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, 28 January to 8 February 2013 published by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. [191308]
James Brokenshire: In line with a protocol with Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons, a service improvement plan is drawn up within two months of an inspection to address each recommendation and outline what action will be taken. The Home Office then has 18 months to effect improvements.
Recommendation 5.1, that detainees held in the First Night Last Night Unit (FNLNU) should have access to an open and full regime in a clean and properly ventilated environment, was accepted in part.
Improvements to access the full centre regime and increased ventilation are limited by the building design and could be addressed only at considerable cost.
At the time of the inspection, women were held in the FNLNU. A dedicated women's unit at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) opened shortly afterwards in March 2013.
The service provider has taken action to improve the admissions process, and to reduce time spent in the unit. The on-site Home Office team monitors access to the regime on a daily basis and lengths of stay in the unit to ensure that these are limited to five days or seven days where a flight has been set. Immediately following the inspection new cleaning schedules were introduced throughout the IRC.
Point 5.66 that detainees should be given a bail application form during their induction interviews is no longer part of the Home Office induction procedures. Detainees are signposted to IRC Libraries, legal advice surgeries and welfare officers for advice and forms to make a bail application.