Stalking

Mr Llwyd: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted

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under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. [191735]

The Solicitor-General: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answers the Attorney-General gave him on the 13 March 2014, Official Report, column 290W.

Mr Llwyd: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been charged under (a) section 2A and (b) section 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in each police force in England and Wales since those sections came into force. [191736]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains 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. Offences data are not held by defendant or outcome.

The CPS case management system shows that the number of offences charged under section 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in each police force area which reached a first hearing in the magistrates court are as follows:

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Northern Ireland

Corporation Tax

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the devolution of responsibility for levying of corporation tax to the Northern Ireland Assembly. [191889]

Mrs Villiers: I regularly hold discussions with Treasury Ministers, including the Chancellor, on a wide range of economic issues including the potential devolution of corporation tax powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

As set out in ‘Building a Prosperous and United Community’, the Government will make a final decision on the devolution of corporation tax powers no later than the autumn statement 2014.

Electoral Register

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the voter registration effects in Northern Ireland. [191856]

Mr Robathan: The Northern Ireland electoral register was published on 1 December 2013 and more people were registered during last year's canvass than during the previous canvass in 2007. Approximately 88.3% of the eligible population is now registered to vote. This is close to the highest number since the introduction of individual electoral registration in Northern Ireland.

The Chief Electoral Officer has arranged an extensive programme of registration surgeries, in co-operation with local councils, in advance of the elections in May 2014.

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the role of alleged dissident republicans in illegal fuel laundering. [191860]

Mrs Villiers: Fuel laundering continues to offer significant profits to organised crime groups, and some of these may involve dissident republicans.

National Crime Agency

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Social Democratic and Labour party on the introduction of the National Crime Agency for Northern Ireland. [191874]

Mrs Villiers: It is vital that the people of Northern Ireland are afforded the same protection from organised crime as the rest of the United Kingdom now does through the work of the National Crime Agency. I continue to urge the Northern Ireland parties to regard protecting the public as their key priority and that they should allow the agency to work properly in Northern Ireland for the good of everyone who lives there.

I have had a number of discussions with the SDLP on the importance of allowing the NCA to become fully operational in Northern Ireland.

Older Workers

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on providing older workers in Northern Ireland with adequate skills training. [191854]

Mrs Villiers: These matters are devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive and developing skills training in Northern Ireland is the responsibility for the Northern Ireland Minister for Employment and Learning.

Northern Ireland continues to be successful in attracting direct foreign investment—in part because of its highly skilled workforce—and I have had discussions with several Northern Ireland Ministers on the need to ensure that all sections of the workforce are adequately trained to meet needs of business and potential investors.

I am due to meet the Northern Ireland Minister for Employment and Learning and will discuss the issue of skills training with him then.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been made available to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. [191858]

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Mrs Villiers: Police funding is a matter for the Department of Justice and Northern Ireland Policing Board. However, in recognition of the SEVERE threat for terrorism the following additional funding has been made available to PSNI since the devolution of policing and justice in 2010:

As the hon. Gentleman is aware, this additional funding has been committed despite this being a time of unprecedented pressures on the public finances as a result of the fiscal position inherited by the Government in 2010.

Terrorism

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many successful prosecutions of alleged republican terrorists there have been in the last 12 months. [191857]

Mrs Villiers: These are matters for the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service which acts independently of Government. The hon. Gentleman may wish to contact them regarding this matter.

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she last met the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to discuss terrorist activity. [191876]

Mrs Villiers: I hold regular meetings with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. We discuss a range of subjects including security matters.

Education

Children: Autism

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many available school places there are at schools that provide specialist support for children and young people on the autism spectrum in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) London, (d) Lambeth and (e) Streatham parliamentary constituency; and how many such places will be available in each of the next 15 years. [191883]

Mr Timpson: These figures are not collected centrally. The Department for Education does not collect information on the number of places available to provide specialist support in schools for children and young people on the autism spectrum. Local authorities are expected to keep their arrangements for providing special educational needs under review.

We do collect the numbers of pupils in special schools in England with a primary need of ‘Autistic Spectrum Disorder’ and they are given in the following table.

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Information on special educational needs is published annually in the publication ‘Special Educational Needs in England’, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2013

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve the education of children on the autistic spectrum. [192331]

Mr Timpson: Children on the autism spectrum will benefit from the changes to the special educational needs system which the Government are bringing about through the Children and Families Act 2014, including the strengthened arrangements, through 0-25 Education, Health and Care plans, for the transition from children's services to adulthood which young people with autism can find particularly difficult.

The Department for Education is funding the Autism Education Trust to provide training to early years, school and further education staff on autism. From January 2012 to February 2014, 22,451 staff have received level 1 basic awareness training, 3,214 have received level 2 hands-on tools and techniques training and 775 have received level 3 training for those who want to develop their knowledge of autism further and those who will themselves take on a training role, such as school Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators.

The Department is also funding three autism organisations from 2013 to 2015, including Ambitious about Autism, to work with four general further education colleges and schools to test innovative ways of supporting the transition of young people with autism from school to college and the National Autistic Society to help young people with autism take part in the development of local offers, to provide advice to professionals and to fund an exclusion adviser for parents and professionals.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year. [191806]

Elizabeth Truss: Since May 2010 the Department for Education has reduced the size of its estate from 30 properties, at a cost of circa £51 million per annum, to 11 properties costing circa £34 million per annum. This is a saving of circa £17 million per annum. The Department is planning to further reduce the size of the estate to six properties. This will achieve further annual savings to

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the Department of circa £2.5 million. The Department also plans to vacate Sanctuary Buildings at lease expiry in 2017.

The Department for Education, including the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), has the following vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS property database.

The Department for Education properties are legacy Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) properties which became the Department's responsibility following the closure of the TEC in the early 2000s. The Department had successfully sub-let a number of facilities, although over the last three years some of the sub-tenants have operated lease break options and the properties are again vacant.

These properties are advertised on the Government Property Unit's e-PIMS property database for use by other Government Departments and we are also marketing these facilities to the private sector, via letting agents, to secure new sub-tenants in order to mitigate costs, including business rates. The Department has offered all vacant properties listed above to the Government business incubator initiative and for free schools.

Primary Education: Academies

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of state-funded primary schools have acquired academy status in each local authority. [192209]

Mr Timpson: A table showing the proportion for each local authority has been placed in the House Library.

Secure Accommodation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the annual cost of transporting children from secure children's homes in London and the South East to elsewhere in the UK. [192205]

Mr Timpson: The financial responsibility for transporting welfare young people to and from secure children's homes is a matter for the placing local authority.

The financial responsibility for transporting justice young people to and from secure children's homes is a matter for the Youth Justice Board (YJB).

Teachers: Training

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of teachers teaching in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) London, (d) Lambeth and (e) Streatham parliamentary constituency have undertaken specialist

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training on educational provision for children and young people on the autism spectrum in each of the last five years. [191882]

Mr Timpson: These figures are not collected centrally. Schools make their own decisions on what training their staffs need to support their pupils based on the individual circumstances of the school.

The Department for Education funds the Autism Education Trust (AET) to provide tiered training on autism: basic awareness training for teaching and non-teaching staff at level 1; practical knowledge and hands-on tools and techniques for all staff working directly with children and young people with autistic spectrum disorders at level 2; and level 3 training for those seeking more advanced knowledge and those pursuing a training role, such as lead practitioners in autism and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators. Between 2011 and 2013 the AET received grant funding to provide training to schools, and from 2013 to 2015 is receiving funding under contract to provide training to early years providers, schools and further education colleges.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of British intervention on the level of opium production in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, since 2001. [191930]

Hugh Robertson: In the early years of the intervention it is clear the International Community underestimated the complexity of the problem and the length of time needed to address the drugs trade and build up the capabilities of the Afghan Government after three decades of civil war. Achieving a permanent reduction in opium cultivation will take decades; it needs a strong Afghan lead supported by effective regional and international action. Despite falls in cultivation between 2007 and 2010, the narcotics trade in Helmand remains strong and entrenched in the political, social and economic fabric of the province. Ongoing challenges of poverty, insecurity and effective rule of law continue to create the conditions where some communities are dependent on opium cultivation to survive. Helmand is particularly susceptible to this problem due to its relatively porous border with Pakistan which is exploited by smugglers, and its history of opium production. This, however, should not detract from the progress made in security, political participation, improvements in education and health care that have been achieved in Helmand with the support of the UK.

Significantly reducing opium production in Helmand will require a generation of effort and Afghan will. The UK will continue to support efforts to provide a viable alternative to poppy cultivation in Helmand. We will do so through the Comprehensive Agriculture and Rural Development Facility (CARD-F), which promotes legal rural employment and income opportunities by increasing the profitability of local agriculture and small business.

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Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the levels of opium cultivation in the area within a 10-mile radius of Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, in each of the last three years. [191931]

Hugh Robertson: The UK does not produce its own data on Afghan poppy cultivation, but contributes funding for the UN Office Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which conducts its own annual survey of opium production and cultivation across Afghanistan's 34 provinces. While UNODC opium cultivation figures do not specifically focus on the 10-mile radius around Camp Bastion, the 2013 UNODC Opium Survey reported 19,136 hectares of opium cultivation in the district of Nad' Ali, up from 8,038 in 2012 and 5,413 hectares in 2011. This is the closest district to Camp Bastion for which cultivation figures are available.

The 2013 UNODC Opium Survey reported that with 100,693 hectares in 2013 (48% of total cultivation in Afghanistan), Helmand remains Afghanistan's single largest opium-cultivating province. Cultivation in Helmand was estimated at 65,045 hectares and 63,307 hectares in 2010 and 2011. Ongoing challenges of poverty, insecurity and effective rule of law continue to create the conditions where some communities are dependent on opium cultivation to survive.

BBC World Service

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer from the Deputy Prime Minister of 12 March 2014, Official Report, column 316, what Korean language service the BBC World Service previously offered; for how long it had made such transmissions; what the cost of that service was; and what savings were made when that service was discontinued. [192233]

Mr Swire: I would like to clarify the answer given by the Deputy Prime Minister on 12 March 2014, Official Report, columns 315-6, concerning proposals to initiate BBC World Service transmissions to the Korean peninsula and his remarks on a review of that. The review carried out in 2013 was on the viability of a BBC World Service Korean language service. There has not previously been a Korean language service offered by the BBC World Service, so the question of savings from its discontinuation has never arisen.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina towards EU accession. [191834]

Mr Lidington: Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) leaders have made little recent progress towards EU accession. Continuing protests across BiH demonstrate clearly that many people feel frustrated with the slow progress their country is making on its economic, social and political reforms, and the impact that this is having on BiH's path towards the EU. The UK continues to engage with BiH's leaders to encourage them to respond to the population's calls for reform. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right

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hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has consistently made clear that the UK remains committed to supporting BiH on its path towards EU membership including in his statement of 11 February immediately after the protests first broke out. The Secretary of State has also raised the importance of continuing commitment to BiH's EU path with his EU colleagues.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year. [191809]

Mr Lidington: No buildings for which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is responsible for business rates were vacant in the current financial year in the UK. Two FCO-owned freehold properties recorded on the e-PIMS database have been partly under refurbishment or otherwise unavailable for use during the current financial year as the Department progresses a project to consolidate its London headquarters in King Charles street (KCS) by late 2015:

FCO main building, King Charles street, London SW1A 2AH (KCS);

Old Admiralty Building, London, SW1A 2AP (OAB).

Business rates due on these two properties during the current financial year total £4,104,760 and £1,664,490 respectively.

During the current financial year the FCO has so far received a refund of £45,992.00 for empty property rate relief for areas of the KCS building, and a refund of £173,987.31 for empty property rate relief for areas of the OAB.

Information on overseas properties is not held centrally and would in any case not be covered by the e-PIMS database.

At the time of the last general election the central Government estate was far larger than required and taxpayers were paying to maintain, run and rent under-occupied properties while parts of the freehold estate remained vacant. The Government Property Unit has therefore been helping Departments to rationalise their portions of the Central Civil Estate by taking a whole of Government view of property. Since the 2010 general election over £1.25 billion has been raised by selling surplus freehold properties. Through the exiting of property across the central civil estate, cumulative, gross run rate savings of over £454 million per annum have also been delivered.

Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end, the Government are looking to explore all disposal options, including commercially sub-letting all or part of the space, and the listing of surplus property on the gov.uk website. Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end but cannot yet be sold or sub-let commercially, the Space for Growth scheme, run by the Government Property Unit, invites small and medium-sized businesses, charities and social enterprises to utilise this space free of charge, boosting economic growth. Over 1,500 workstation spaces are now available in 57 different locations around England.

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Middle East

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he or officials in his Department have had with the Israeli Government about recent deaths of Palestinians following encounters with Israeli forces. [191897]

Hugh Robertson: We make frequent representations to the Israeli authorities about Israel Defence Forces' use of live fire and appropriate force in both Gaza and the West Bank, as well as about the process for investigating such incidents.

North Korea

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the publication of the UN Commission of Inquiry's report and the UN Human Rights Council resolution on North Korea, what mechanisms will be implemented to ensure ongoing monitoring, investigation and reporting on human rights in North Korea by the UN, including violations of women's rights as a result of sexual violence and human trafficking; and if he will make representations that the mandate and resources of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea should be strengthened and increased and that a database of evidence and testimonies to support a process of justice and accountability should be established. [192048]

Mr Swire: The United Nations Commission of Inquiry investigating human rights violations in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has recommended the creation of a new structure, based in the region, that can continue the Commission's work of collecting and documenting reports and testimony of human rights violations. The UK supports this proposal and is working for its inclusion in the DPRK resolution at the Human Rights Council, alongside renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in the DPRK.

Russia

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take to prevent further acts of aggression by Russia. [191862]

Mr Lidington: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 18 March 2014, Official Report, column 514W

Ukraine

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken or is supporting at the United Nations to diminish tensions in Ukraine. [191738]

Mr Lidington: On 15 March the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met to vote on a draft resolution on Ukraine. The resolution was co-sponsored by 42 members of the UN including the UK and all other EU member states and invited Council Members to uphold the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of

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a UN member state, and reaffirm core UN principles. The resolution was supported by 13 of the 15 Security Council members. China abstained and Russia used its veto to prevent the resolution being passed. Nevertheless the vote delivers a resounding international condemnation of Russian efforts to annex Crimea, and makes clear Russia's isolation in the Security Council and in the international community.

On 13 March the UNSC held its sixth urgent session on the crisis in Ukraine since 28 February. Jeffrey Feltman, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs underlined UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's concern regarding the deterioration of the situation in Crimea and rising tensions in eastern Ukraine.

During the meeting, the UK ambassador to the UN made a statement which praised the restraint shown by Ukraine in the face of repeated provocation. He expressed the UK's deep concern about the decision to hold a referendum in Crimea on 16 March and about the legislative steps Russia was taking to facilitate it. He urged Russia to de-escalate and return its forces to their bases; allow international monitors into Crimea; distance itself from the proposed referendum; and agree to dialogue with Ukraine. In the afternoon, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk briefed the UNSC and spoke powerfully about Russia's violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity.

At the UK's request, the UN Security Council held closed consultations to discuss the situation in Ukraine on 6 March. During the meeting, the UK expressed regret that UN Envoy Robert Serry's visit to Crimea had been obstructed by threats and cut short and stressed that Russia should withdraw all its forces to their bases and to the levels agreed under the Black Sea Fleet basing agreements. The UK declared the decision of the Crimean Parliament to hold a referendum as illegal under Article 73 of the Ukrainian Constitution and had already been ruled as such by the Ukrainian Electoral Commission.

Following a request by Russia, the UN Security Council held a public meeting on Ukraine on 3 March. During this meeting, the UK ambassador to the UN made a strong statement in which he condemned Russian actions in Ukraine.

On 1 March the UK called an urgent meeting of the UNSC. In the meeting the UK expressed deep concern at the escalation of tensions in the Crimean Peninsula, and the fact that the Russian Parliament had authorised Russian military action on Ukrainian soil against the wishes of the Ukrainian Government. We called upon all political actors to show restraint. Members of the Council called for international monitors to be sent to Ukraine to observe the situation.

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on Ukraine. [191946]

Mr Lidington: NATO has a valuable political role to play in support of the international effort towards de-escalation. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and I are all in regular contact with our counterparts in the Alliance.

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In addition to bilateral discussions, NATO Allies have held regular discussions about Ukraine in the North Atlantic Council, most recently on 17 March. Allies have also discussed Ukraine during meetings of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the NATO-Russia Council. These discussions with Allies in these forums have culminated in NATO making strong political statements, including today's statement on the so-called referendum in Crimea. In addition, as a consequence of Russian actions, Allies have agreed to suspend all working level and operational activity conducted under the NATO-Russia Council until the Foreign Ministers’ meeting in April.

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on Ukraine. [191947]

Mr Lidington: I hold regular discussions on security issues with the UK Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly ahead of its spring and annual sessions. I remain open to requests for discussion and briefing sessions from the UK Delegation.

Regular contact between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and both the NATO Parliamentary Assembly President and the UK Delegation is conducted at official level.

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Secretary of State on Ukraine. [191948]

Mr Lidington: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) met US Secretary of State John Kerry on the morning of Friday 14 March. The Foreign Secretary and other key international partners were briefed by Secretary Kerry on Friday evening following his bilateral with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and subsequently on the evening of Sunday 16 March after the Crimean referendum. The Foreign Secretary and the US Secretary of State remain in close contact as the situation develops.

United Arab Emirates

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the convictions of Khalifa Rabeiah and Othman al-Shehhi in the United Arab Emirates. [191767]

Hugh Robertson: We have received no specific reports of the convictions of these individuals.

United Russia

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance he has given to the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on political groupings and other associations with United Russia. [192130]

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Mr Lidington: Political guidance for Members of Parliament and peers who are members of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is a matter for political parties. The UK Government provide briefing to the UK Delegation on all plenary agenda items, including debates, in advance of each PACE plenary session. This briefing consists of re-stating of existing UK Government positions or policy. For example, in advance of PACE'S most recent session in January 2014, briefing was provided on issues as diverse as climate change, preventing racism and intolerance, the impact of ICT on democracy, Syria, Ukraine and Palestine.

Vietnam

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the improvement of human rights in Vietnam. [191842]

Mr Swire: We highlight Vietnam as a country of concern in the annual Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights report.

Our main concerns relate to freedom of expression and use of the death penalty. We continue to raise these issues with the Vietnamese Government at all levels. We use the annual UK-Vietnam Strategic Dialogue to engage on human rights and have recently supported a visit by Lord Dubs, Vice Chair of the all-party group on the abolition of the death penalty, in February 2014. His visit aimed to encourage greater debate in Vietnam and the reduction of crimes punishable by death.

Our embassy in Vietnam continues to support projects funded by our Human Rights and Democracy Fund, focusing on improving journalists' safety, access to information and legal protection.

We also continue to work closely with our international partners, supporting the annual EU-Human Rights Dialogue. In February we participated in the UN Universal Periodic Review recommending improvements to freedom of expression. Vietnam is due to respond in June.

International Development

Developing Countries: Gender

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure a gender goal is included in the post-2015 framework in the post-millennium development goals agenda. [192218]

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Solihull (Lorely Burt) on 24 October 2013, Official Report, column 269W.

UN Commission on the Status of Women

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to support women's social and political participation in fragile states at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. [192217]

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Lynne Featherstone: Our objective at the 58th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is to secure agreed conclusions, including on women's social and political participation in fragile states, that reflect lessons learnt from the millennium development goals and support the UK's call for a standalone goal on gender equality, and mainstreaming of this issue across the post-2015 framework.

Work and Pensions

Carrington Wire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether members of the Carrington Wire Pension Fund are able to access the Pension Protection Fund. [192207]

Steve Webb: The Carrington Wire Defined Benefit Pension Scheme entered a Pension Protection Fund (PPF) assessment period in February 2013.

During a PPF assessment period the PPF establishes whether the scheme can afford to secure benefits which are at least equal to the compensation that the PPF would pay. The scheme will transfer to the PPF unless it has sufficient assets to pay benefits greater or equal to PPF compensation levels or it is rescued, for instance, by another employer taking responsibility for it.

Foreign Companies: Pensions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure that any foreign company found to have abandoned its pension responsibilities to UK pension holders can be made to refund that pension deficit. [192208]

Steve Webb: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the written answer I gave him on 23 January 2014, Official Report, column 267W.

Housing Benefit: Corby

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much in discretionary housing payments has been allocated in Corby and East Northamptonshire constituency for those affected by the under-occupancy penalty in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15. [192229]

Steve Webb: Discretionary housing payments (DHP) are allocated by local authority, not parliamentary constituency. The following table details the overall DHP allocation and the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS) element for Corby and East Northamptonshire local authorities.

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Incapacity Benefit

Dame Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2014, Official Report, column 848W, on incapacity benefit, what estimate his Department originally made of the number of Incapacity Benefit claimants who would be migrated to employment and support allowance; what his Department's latest estimate of the number of such claimants is; and what proportion of such claimants are still to be migrated. [191719]

Mike Penning: The Department published an impact assessment on the migration of existing incapacity benefits customers to employment and support allowance (ESA) which can be found on the internet at the following link:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/875/pdfs/uksiem_20100875_en.pdf

The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA), the work capability assessment (WCA) and the reassessment of incapacity benefit claimants. The latest WCA report on incapacity benefit reassessment was published in January 2014 and can be found on the internet at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-january-2014

The latest official statistics show that as of March 2013, 77% of claimants had been found to be eligible for ESA. Around 27% of the caseload had by March 2013 yet to commence the migration process.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on the Jobcentre estate in 2012-13. [192190]

Mike Penning: It is not possible to provide a figure specifically for the delivery of Jobcentre business, as other parts of the Department, such as staff from the Corporate Centre, the Pensions Service and Child Maintenance Divisions are co-located in Jobcentre sites, and each business unit pays for its space proportionate to its occupancy.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he has issued on the requirement to have £16,000 or less in savings for eligibility for income-based jobseeker's allowance. [191792]

Esther McVey: For jobseeker's allowance (JSA), guidance on the requirement to have £16,000 or less in capital and savings is in the JSA procedural guidance. Corresponding guidance for Decision Makers is in the Decision Makers Guide, chapter 29.

Public facing communications are available via the:

Government website www.gov.uk;

information leaflet INF4: changes you must tell us about; and

jobseeker's allowance: help while you look for work leaflet.

There has always been a level above which income-based JSA was not payable if savings were held since 1996.

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Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people who were entitled to contributory jobseeker's allowance when they first claimed ceased claiming that benefit within (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five and (f) six months of making their initial claim in each of the last two years for which figures are available; [192210]

(2) how many people who were entitled to income-related jobseeker's allowance (JSA), but not to contributory JSA, when they first claimed ceased claiming that benefit within (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four, (e) five and (f) six months of making their initial claim in each of the last two years for which figures are available. [192211]

Esther McVey: The volumes of successful new claims in 2010/11 and 2011/12 which were entitled to contributory jobseeker's allowance at the time of claim by duration of claim:

The volumes of successful new claims in 2010/11 and 2011/12 which were entitled to income-related but not contributory jobseeker's allowance at the time of claim by duration of claim:

Jobseeker's Allowance: Disqualification

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received sanctions of their jobseeker's allowance for non-attendance in (a) Portsmouth South constituency, (b) Portsmouth, (c) Hampshire and (d) England to date. [191713]

Esther McVey: The information requested is shown in the following table.

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Poverty: Children

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the effect of the removal of the under-occupancy penalty on the number of children living in relative income poverty. [191718]

Esther McVey: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

This Government have made good progress in tackling the root causes of child poverty and have recently published the 2014-17 draft child poverty strategy for consultation which outlines the actions we are taking. The latest figures from 2011-12 show that 2.3 million (17%) children are in relative income poverty—down 300,000 since 2009-10. These are the lowest level since the mid-1980s.

Trade Union Officials

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in those years. [190698]

Mike Penning: The information is as follows:

1. The Department provides no funding for any trade-union- related activities. However, it does allow time for these activities to be undertaken.

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2. The Department did not report on the amount of trade union activities taken by our representatives in the years 2011-12 and 2012-13, as such the figures shown are estimates based on the allocation of time we allowed for union representatives to use on trade union activities.

3. The Department has undergone a significant amount of change in its facility time arrangements over the last 12 months as it has introduced the Cabinet Office reforms from June 2013. This has resulted in a decrease in the amount of time taken by our people for trade union activities.

4. The data relating to 2013-14 cover the period April 2013 to December 2013.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the differential payment regime in the Work programme in reducing creaming and parking. [192191]

Esther McVey: The independent evaluation explores the pricing structure of the Work programme. The Department will publish findings once the independent evaluation of the Work programme is complete.

Scotland

Unemployment

10. Mr Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many 18-to-24 year olds in Scotland have been unemployed for two years or more. [903089]

David Mundell: Latest official labour market statistics from today show that in February the number of 18 to 24-year-olds claiming jobseeker’s allowance in Scotland for over 24 months was 1,900.

11. Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many 18-to-24 year olds in Scotland have been unemployed for two years or more. [903091]

David Mundell: Latest official labour market statistics from today show that in February the number of 18 to 24-year-olds claiming jobseeker’s allowance in Scotland for over 24 months was 1,900.

Scottish Independence

12. Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to participate in the debate on Scottish independence. [903092]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: My ministerial colleagues, my officials and I, engage with businesses of all sizes across Scotland on a regular basis, encouraging them to fully participate in the debate on Scottish independence.

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Business

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the potential cost to cross-border companies if Scotland becomes independent. [903079]

David Mundell: Government estimates suggest that the transaction costs of an international border to Scottish firms would be around £600 million, and about £500 million to firms in the continuing UK.

Pay

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the change to average wages in Scotland since 2010. [191840]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: Official ONS data taken from Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) Results for the years 1997 to 2013, published on 27 February 2014, show that median gross annual earnings in Scotland rose by 5.0% between the years 2010 and 2013.

Unemployment: Young People

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people aged 18 to 24 years in Scotland have been unemployed for (a) six months, (b) one year, (c) two years and (d) more than two years. [191839]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: According to the latest official statistics, in January 2014 the number of 18 to 24-year-olds in Scotland claiming unemployment benefit was as follows: 8,700 claiming for over six months, 4,700 claiming over 12 months and 2,000 claiming for over 24 months.

Justice

Electronic Tagging

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have been electronically monitored under Part 3 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 since its introduction. [191651]

Jeremy Wright: Data required to disaggregate the number of new electronic monitoring starts by legislative provision under which electronic monitoring was imposed are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Family Proceedings: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many private family law cases there were in (a) Gwent and (b) Wales civil and family tribunals cluster between April 2012 and April 2013; and in how many such cases both parties had legal representation. [191564]

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Mr Vara: Information for parties representation is available for family courts at a national level in table 2.4 of Court Statistics Quarterly and it is available at this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2013

Breaking down the parties’ representation figures for Wales nationally and for Gwent locally, private law disposals in Family Proceedings courts and County courts are listed in the following table:

Homicide

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what representations he has received on legislation on killing by one punch; and if he will make a statement; [190184]

(2) what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals on killing by one punch; and if he will make a statement; [190185]

(3) if he will introduce a mandatory 10-year minimum prison sentence for anyone who kills someone with a single punch while under the influence of alcohol; and if he will make a statement. [190186][Official Report, 28 April 2014, Vol. 579, c. 8MC.]

Jeremy Wright: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has not received any recent representations on legislation relating to killing by one punch. Such offending behaviour is covered by the existing offence of manslaughter and we have no plans to change the law in this area.

Manslaughter carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, which gives the courts full flexibility to deal with all the circumstances of the cases which come before them. This is particularly important as manslaughter covers a broad range of behaviour. The Court of Appeal issued a guideline judgment in 2009 on sentencing for unlawful act manslaughter in which it stated that attention should be paid to the problem of gratuitous, unprovoked violence in our city centres and streets.

Life Imprisonment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received a life sentence in each of the last three decades; what length of sentence each served; how many such prisoners are still in prison; and how many such prisoners died while serving their sentence. [190386]

Jeremy Wright: A life sentence is mandatory on conviction for murder and is the maximum penalty available for other very serious offences. When imposing a life sentence, the court must determine whether the offence is so exceptionally serious that a whole life order must be imposed or, if not, what minimum term must be served for the purposes of punishment and deterrence before the offender is eligible to be considered for

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release by the Parole Board. A life sentence prisoner with a minimum term will be released only if and when the Parole Board is satisfied that it is safe to do so. If released, the offender will remain on licence and subject to recall to prison for the rest of his or her life. All offenders serving a life sentence, therefore, remain subject to the sentence for the whole of their lives.

Reliable electronic records on sentences given to offenders are only available from 1984 onwards. A manual search through all sentencing records prior to this date would be required to identify the number of offenders given life sentences. Completing this exercise would be at a disproportionate cost.

Table 1 therefore presents the number of offenders sentenced to life imprisonment for each of the last three decades since 1984, up to and including 2012 which is the latest full year for which data are available. Data for 2013 are due for publication in May 2014.

Reliable electronic records on prisoner discharges are only available from 1992 onwards. A manual search through all prisoner records prior to this date would be required to identify which of those were serving life sentences, and how long they served. Completing this exercise would be at a disproportionate cost.

The Ministry of Justice has, however, published the average time served by prisoners discharged on first release from prison on life licence. For the period 2002 to 2012, which is the latest available, this information can be found in Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2012, Discharge Tables 2012, Table A3.5. Data for 2013 are due for publication in April 2014. Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2012 is available at this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offender-management-statistics-quarterly--2

There were 7,463 life prisoners held in prisons in England and Wales on 31 December 2013. Of these, 7,188 received their sentence in or after 1980. There were 164 life prisoners for whom a sentence date has not been updated or completed on the administrative IT system from which this information is taken. Although not recorded electronically, this information will be recorded on each individual’s prison record and will therefore be known to NOMS staff dealing with their case. Table 2 presents this information broken down by decade.

Reliable electronic records on the number of deaths of life sentenced prisoners are only available from 1990 onwards.

Although the database on deaths in prison custody holds details of deaths since 1978, information on the sentence of prisoners is not recorded for all prisoners who died prior to 1990. To ascertain this information a manual search through all prisoner records prior to this date would be required to identify which of those were serving life sentences and died in prison custody. Completing this exercise would be at a disproportionate cost.

Table 3 therefore presents the number of deaths of life sentenced prisoners who were sentenced to life imprisonment since 1980, for each decade since 1990 up to and including 2012, which is the latest full year for which data are available. Data for 2013 are due for publication in April 2014.

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All of these tables have been produced using information taken from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Mediation: Matrimonial Proceedings

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment the Government have made of trends in the take-up of mediation following recent legal aid changes applicable to matrimonial law. [180342]

Simon Hughes: Monthly data are collated by the Legal Aid Agency on the number of mediation cases which receive public funding for the mediation information and assessment meeting (MIAM) and for mediation starts. The position in respect of privately funded mediation is unknown.

Available comparative data for the period April-September 2013 over the same period for 2012 show a 51% decrease in MIAMs; and a 34% decrease in mediation starts.

Although a case-on-case analysis is not possible, the data available suggest the take-up of mediation following a MIAM remains steady and year on year between 2011 and 2013 it has averaged at about 51%. For the period April-September 2013 the take-up of mediation as a

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percentage of MIAMs undertaken was 65%, well above the average, suggesting that a greater percentage of people are progressing to mediation.

While the number of referrals to MIAMs and couples starting mediation has fallen, the percentage of cases where full or partial mediation agreements are reached increased to 73% (4,066 of the 5,589) in April-September 2013, compared with 70% (5124 out of the 7,310) during the same period in 2012.

The Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Authority are monitoring referral levels to ensure that services can be accessed from ever local area. More widely, the Government are committed to making sure that more people make use of mediation rather than go through the confrontational and stressful experience of going to court. The Children and Families Act 2014 places a legal obligation on an applicant to attend MIAM to consider mediation before being able to issue court proceedings in certain private family law matters (unless exemptions apply—such as increase in domestic violence).

We are undertaking a range of activities to raise awareness of family mediation and the fact that it is still in scope for public funding, for those that qualify. In addition the Department is working closely with the mediation profession and recently held a roundtable event to discuss current issues. We have also provided posters and leaflets to help services promote themselves.

Prisoners' Release

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many releases from prison in error there have been in each month since May 2010, by category of prisoner. [189947]

Jeremy Wright: Releases in error are taken very seriously and action has been taken to tighten processes and focus managers’ attention in this area. All incidents are subject to investigation. The majority of prisoners released in error are returned to custody quickly. Releases in error are infrequent. In the 12 months to September 2013 there were 46 releases in error from prison, which equated to 0.06% of all discharges from prison. These are the latest data on discharges from prison. This compares with 68 releases in error in 2009-10.

It is not possible to provide details of releases in error by category of prisoner. The category of prisoner at time of release in error is not recorded in incident reports and live data show details of the current security category only. No category A prisoners have been released in error since May 2010.

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Prisoners: Death

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) self-inflicted, (b) non self-inflicted, (c) other non-natural causes, (d) restraint, (e) homicide, (f) awaiting classification deaths there were in (i) adult male prisons, (ii) adult female prisons, (iii) youth male prisons and (iv) youth female prisons in each year since 2010; [191290]

(2) how many deaths in custody in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 were prisoners of black, Asian and minority ethnic origin. [191292]

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service classification system for deaths in prison custody uses the following terms: self-inflicted, natural causes,

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homicide, other: non-natural, and other: awaiting further information. A range of statistics on deaths in prison custody is published annually in the Safety in Custody statistical bulletin supplementary tables on deaths with updates on the number of deaths of prison custody published quarterly. This bulletin is published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics

The supplementary tables on deaths in prison custody cover the period between 1978 and 2012; statistics for 2013 are due for publication on 24 April 2014.

As some prisons share both adult and youth functions statistics on the number of deaths in prison custody is presented in Table 1 by gender and age. Table 2 presents the number of deaths in prison custody of black, Asian, mixed and other non-white ethnic groups. Minority groups of white ethnicity will not be included in this table as they will be classified in the broader white ethnic group.

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