Defence

Afghanistan

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to paragraph 39 of the final report of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism dated 28 February 2014, if he will publish the investigations report on civilian casualties through use of remotely piloted aircraft by the UK in Afghanistan. [191671]

Mr Francois: Any incident involving civilian casualties is a matter of deep regret and we take every possible measure to avoid such incidents. The report of UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, dated 28 February 2014, details the only known incident in over 57,000 hours of UK Reaper operations that resulted in the deaths of civilians. This incident took place on 25 March 2011 and resulted in the death of four civilians in addition to two insurgents. An International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) investigation was carried out and concluded that the actions of the Reaper crew had been in accordance with extant procedures and ISAF rules of engagement. As this was an ISAF investigation, any final decision on the report’s disclosure sits within the ISAF chain of command.

Air Force: Equipment

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the (a) quantity and (b) value is of all transport equipment tangible fixed asset items valued at £1 million or over held on Air Command's balance sheet; [191185]

(2) what the (a) quantity and (b) value is of all plant and machinery tangible fixed asset items valued at £1 million or over held on Air Command's balance sheet. [191186]

20 Mar 2014 : Column 701W

Mr Dunne: All of Air Command's tangible fixed asset items with a value of over £1 million are held on the Defence Equipment and Support balance sheet. The total number and value of assets valued over £1 million at present Net Book Value, rounded to the nearest million, is shown in the following table.

Armed Forces: Rape

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the military prosecutor who made the decision not to bring any charges in relation to the rape allegation brought by Corporal Anne-Marie Ellement had undertaken the specialist training on rape and sexual offences compulsory for CPS prosecutors who work on rape cases at the time of that decision. [191580]

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

Army Personnel Centre

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost under each category of expenditure was at the Army Personnel Centre at Kentigern House in each of the last 10 years. [192045]

Dr Murrison: The information available on the operating costs of the Army Personnel Centre is as follows:

Defence: Procurement

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of 2014DIN01-023, Engagement with suppliers, contractors and former bidders following termination of the Material Strategy GO-CO procurement. [192013]

Mr Dunne: A copy of the Defence Instruction Notice has been placed in the Library of the House.

20 Mar 2014 : Column 702W

Dounreay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which radionuclides were emitted from the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment at Dounreay following the January 2012 incident; and in what quantities. [192046]

Mr Dunne: Discharges from the Naval Reactor Test Establishment have remained well within the limits approved by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The most up-to-date figures are from 2012, and are shown in the following tables.

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Commodore at Faslane Naval Base was alerted that collant radioactivity had been detected in the prototype reactor at NRTE Dounreay. [192099]

Mr Philip Hammond: The then Naval Base Commander Clyde was briefed in June 2012 on the issue with the reactor at the Naval Reactor Test Establishment. The brief was given on a need-to-know basis because of the potential impact on submarine operations if a similar issue arose on an in-service submarine. He was also briefed that there was no safety or environmental risk.

Military Bases

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost in each category of expenditure was of (a) RAF Leuchars, (b) HMNB Clyde, (c) RM Condor, (d) Headquarters 2nd Division, (e) Headquarters 51 Brigade, (f) Redford Barracks, (g) Dreghorn Barracks, (h) RAF Kinloss, (i) Fort George Barracks, (j) Glencorse Barracks, (k) Defence Munitions Centre Crombie, (l) Defence Munitions Centre Beith, (m) Defence Munitions Centre Glen Douglas, (n) HMS Gannet, (o) RNAD Coulport, (p) MOD Hebrides Ranges, (q) British Underwater Testing and Evaluation Centre, (r) Loch Ewe fuel depot, (s) Garelochead Defence training centre and oil fuel depot, (t) HMS Caledonia, (u) Rosyth Defence Estate and (v) West Freugh training ranges area in each of the last two years. [192115]

Dr Murrison: This information will take time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

Military Bases: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, columns 14-15W, on military bases: Yorkshire and the Humber, if he will place in the Library copies of

20 Mar 2014 : Column 703W

all letters and emails sent by his Department, the CDS, the CGS, or officers or officials working for them to, or received from the officer commanding 15 Brigade or from officers or officials working in 15 Brigade headquarters about the proposal to merge 15 Brigade into a new Adaptive Force Brigade and about where the new Adaptive Force Brigade headquarters should be based. [192160]

Mr Francois: Basing decisions were taken by the Army Command Group. We are checking whether it sent or received any relevant communications on this matter and I will write to the hon. Member as I originally committed to do during my meeting with him in January of this year.

MOD St Athan

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of the provision of functional skills training for MoD St Athan by Bridgend College in each year since 2008; what the projected costs of the provision of functional skills training by a private contractor in future years; whether an assessment of the business case for the transfer of that training to a contracted provider was carried out prior to the decision to make that transfer; and if he will make a statement. [191784]

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

RAF Mildenhall

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether US C-17 aircraft carrying MQ-1 Predators refuel at RAF Mildenhall. [191667]

Mr Francois: United States Air Force C-17 aircraft carrying MQ-1 Predators are permitted to land at RAF Mildenhall for refuelling under standing Diplomatic Flight Clearance arrangements. The Ministry of Defence has consulted its records for the last 12 months and no such flights have taken place during this period.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of potential effects of the five additional Reaper remotely-piloted aircraft systems procured under an urgent operational requirement on the final part of the armed forces redundancy programme. [191662]

Mr Francois: There will be no redundancies in the final phase of the programme associated with the introduction into service of Reaper remotely piloted air system.

Culture, Media and Sport

National Museum of Computing

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her answer of 24 February 2014, Official Report, column 148W, on the National Museum of Computing, what response she has had to her letter; and what progress the Arts Council has made in mediation of the disagreement. [192292]

20 Mar 2014 : Column 704W

Mr Vaizey: I have had no response to the letter to which the hon. Member refers. I understand that the Arts Council England have reiterated their offer of mediation and remain keen to support a positive outcome to the dispute.

UN Commission on the Status of Women

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to highlight the importance of women in the workplace at the forthcoming discussions on decent work at the UN Commission on the Status of Women 2014. [192127]

Mrs Grant: On 11 March the UK delivered its national statement at the EU Commission on the Status of Women. The statement drew attention to the need for more women to be empowered and achieve economic independence. We took the opportunity to highlight the importance of enabling more women and girls to participate in education and training, preparing them for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.

At the Commission the Minister for Women and Equalities, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), co-hosted an international event with Glaxo SmithKline and the Tanzanian Government, specifically to promote women working in STEM industries.

A panel session entitled “The transition of women from education to full employment and decent work, with a particular focus on employment in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)” was held at the UN on 18 March. UK officials attended the session.

World War I: Anniversaries

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what type of wreath or floral tribute the Government will use in official ceremonies to commemorate the outbreak of the First World War. [191895]

Mrs Grant: The Government are currently considering the exact details of the commemoration of the outbreak, and all other forthcoming anniversaries, of the first world war. This includes floral tributes, wreaths and other commemorative tributes.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Cable Systems

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the approved cables initiative; and whether he has considered bringing forward legislative proposals to ensure that only cables compliant with British, European or international standards which carry a third-party certificate are sold in the UK. [192388]

Michael Fallon: I am aware of the objectives of the approved cables initiative and have previously been made aware of the concerns of the cable industry. To help address these concerns, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has undertaken an assessment of the

20 Mar 2014 : Column 705W

state of the UK market and determined that although there was lack of awareness of the existing product safety legislation, there was not significant evidence of unsafe cables.

There is robust product safety legislation relating to cables, requiring them to be safe. Safety is determined on the basis of good engineering practice. Manufacturers self-assess their conformity with the legislation. The principle of the legislation is that use of a standard is not mandatory. However, manufacturers have the option of using relevant standards to demonstrate that their products are compliant with the requirements of the legislation. The legislation forms part of the European legislation regulating the internal market; additional legislative requirements, such as for third-party testing, would constitute an unlawful technical barrier to trade.

Green Investment Bank

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what discussions he has had with local authorities on promoting the Green Investment Bank's new green loan scheme; [192370]

(2) what discussions he has had with the Green Investment Bank on the uptake of the new green loan scheme by local authorities. [192369]

Michael Fallon: I am currently exploring with the Green Investment Bank how this Department can help promote implementation of energy efficiency measures within the public sector generally, including helping to raise awareness of the Green Investment Bank's new green loan facility as a means of financing such measures.

Intellectual Property

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that registered intellectual property is used productively; and if he will make a statement. [191962]

Mr Willetts: The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) provides support and information to business on how to make the most of all forms of intellectual property (IP), whether registered or unregistered. In 2013 the IPO launched “IP for Business”, a set of training tools and advice to help businesses understand IP and how it can be used within a business to generate revenue. The IPO also funds 300 IP audits, targeted through partners at high growth businesses. These audits provide businesses with a detailed report, created by an IP expert, to help them develop an IP management strategy to make sure they get maximum value from their IP.

Investment: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister on potential economic effects of private sector investment into the Northern Ireland economy by companies located in the South East of England. [192364]

Matthew Hancock: The UK Government are working with the Northern Ireland Executive to stimulate inward investment. Over 700 foreign investors have chosen Northern Ireland because it is an excellent place to do

20 Mar 2014 : Column 706W

business, benefiting from a competitive environment, highly educated workforce and reliable infrastructure.

The 2014 Budget also includes a number of measures which will further help Northern Ireland businesses to invest and export. Increases in the Annual Investment Allowance for all businesses and Enhanced Capital Allowances for a pilot Enterprise Zone near Coleraine will allow businesses to claim deductions in tax more quickly, supporting them to invest and expand.

Overseas Trade: Ukraine

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the value of bilateral trade between the UK and Ukraine in 2013. [192366]

Michael Fallon: The estimated value of bilateral trade between the UK and Ukraine in 2013 is £996 million (in goods only)¹.

An estimate of the value of total (goods and services) bilateral trade between the UK and Ukraine in 2013 will be published by the ONS on 31 October 2014.

¹Source:

ONS

Patents

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the UK economy of patent trolls and patent assertion entities. [191963]

Mr Willetts: We have no current estimate of the annual cost to the UK economy. However, the UK Intellectual Property Office has commissioned work on patent litigation in the UK, as part of an international study. This included a review of actions by Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs) by Dr Luke McDonagh of London School of Economics. Its results showed that PAE actions in UK courts were usually unsuccessful and that their business model is not attractive if they have to run the risk of costs after losing. Fewer than a dozen cases reached the UK courts in the period 2000-08. This is a much smaller proportion than the “troll” litigation evident in the USA.

Students: Loans

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the RAB charge on student loans. [192816]

Mr Willetts: This Department has been reviewing our modelling of the RAB charge on student loans. We currently estimate the RAB charge on student loans to be around 45%, which reflects our current estimate of the costs to Government of the higher education subsidy to students. By its nature an estimate is subject to change as it is highly dependent on macroeconomic circumstances, and the growth of graduate earnings over the next 30 years.

We will continue to review our estimates in line with the latest data and advice from experts and stakeholders.

20 Mar 2014 : Column 707W

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, how many new apprenticeships have been created as part of the Wind Turbine Engineering Apprenticeship Scheme. [192026]

Matthew Hancock: The National Skills Academy for Power, have reported that around 80 full-time apprentices have either completed or are shortly to complete, the Wind Turbine Engineering Apprenticeship Scheme.

Official Statistics on apprenticeships are not broken down to this level of detail.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, which higher education and professional institutions are including more offshore wind specific content in engineering courses. [192027]

Michael Fallon: The National Skills Academy for Power reports six further education colleges are in discussions to include offshore wind content in their engineering courses.

Justice

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many appeals against decisions on

20 Mar 2014 : Column 708W

entitlement to

(a)

employment and support allowance and

(b)

personal independence payment there were in each month in each of the last three years in each court and in each local authority area. [187550]

Mr Vara: The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service, hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ decisions on a range of benefits, including employment and support allowance (ESA) and personal independence payment (PIP).

Data for the Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) Tribunal cannot be provided by local authority area. All appeals to the tribunal are registered in the processing centre in the region where the appellant lives, and data can be broken down to the level of these processing centres and to the venue in which they were heard.

(a) Due to the volume of data required to answer the question in respect of appeals made against decisions about claims for ESA, I will arrange for this information, broken down by SSCS tribunal venue and processing centre, to be placed in the Library of the House.

(b) PIP is progressively replacing disability living allowance from April 2013. There are a number of stages a claim made to the DWP must pass through before an appeal reaches the tribunal. Therefore the tribunal only started to receive appeals made against PIP decisions in July 2013.

The following tables show the number of PIP appeals received by the tribunal from April to September 2013 (the latest period for which information is available) by (1) SSCS hearing venue and by (2) processing centre.

Treasury

Air Passenger Duty

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of how much air passenger duty revenue is lost annually as a result of passengers multi-ticketing via foreign hub airports; and if he will make a statement; [191851]

(2) how much air passenger duty revenue he expects will not accrue to the Exchequer in 2013-14 as a result of multi-ticketing via foreign hubs; and if he will make a statement. [191852]

Nicky Morgan: Air passenger duty is calculated on a passenger's final destination. The liability of a journey from the UK will be the same whether the journey is made by using a single, direct flight from the UK, or by using two or more connected flights through foreign hub airports.

20 Mar 2014 : Column 709W

A journey using separate unconnected tickets has practical and financial implications including no protection on the cost of missed connections. Data are not held on the number of UK passenger journeys to foreign hub airports that may be part of a longer journey using unconnected tickets.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 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. [191814]

Nicky Morgan: As HM Treasury has no vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database, the Department has therefore made no estimates for empty property business rates.

Minimum Wage: Northern Ireland

Dr McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fines have been imposed to employers in Northern Ireland since 2012 for not paying the national minimum wage. [191892]

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

Prior to 6 April 2009, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued penalty notices to those employers who failed to comply, within 28 days, with an enforcement notice. A new enforcement regime, introduced in April 2009, saw the introduction of automatic penalties for employers who are found to have underpaid their workers.

The number and value of penalties issued to Northern Ireland employers in the financial year 2012-13 is set out in the following table:

Tax Evasion: Fuels

Dr McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the loss of tax revenue arising from fuel laundering across the land border with the Republic of Ireland; [191890]

(2) how many prosecutions have been brought forward against those dealing in illegal fuel laundering in the last five years. [191859]

Nicky Morgan: No assessment has been made of the loss of revenue purely as a result of fuel laundering across the border with Ireland. However, tax gap figures

20 Mar 2014 : Column 710W

published in the document at the following link estimates the market share for all illicit diesel in Northern Ireland at 12-13% in 2011-12. Petrol fraud is negligible.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-2013.pdf

The following table shows the number of individuals prosecuted for fuel fraud offences in Northern Ireland where this information is held up to 2010-11 the information collected recorded the number of prosecution cases—which could be against more than one individual, and is incomplete. In addition, it is not possible to split out those prosecuted solely for fuel laundering.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) fights fraud on a wide range of fronts, from special units performing thousands of roadside checks to raiding laundering plants. The UK has recently announced, jointly with Ireland, an improved new marker for rebated fuel, which will make it much harder to launder marked fuel and sell it at a profit.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Dr McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss of revenue arising from cigarette smuggling across the land border with the Republic of Ireland. [191891]

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not available.

Estimates of total revenue losses associated with the cigarette illicit market for the UK are published in “Tobacco Tax Gap estimates: 2012-13”. These estimates cannot be disaggregated by country or by the type of illicit activity e.g. through smuggling, counterfeiting or other fraud.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/ttg-2013.pdf

Education

Academies

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what contact his Department has had with the largest 10 academy chains to confirm whether they plan to make an application for a free school in the next (a) year, (b) two years and (c) three years. [192223]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education has not asked academy chains to confirm whether they plan to make any applications for a free school in the next year, two years or three years.

Adoption: Norfolk

Mr Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many children were put up for adoption by Norfolk County Council social services against the wishes of their birth family in each of the last 10 years; [192352]

20 Mar 2014 : Column 711W

(2) how many applications to foster or adopt were made by relatives of the child's parents in (a) North West Norfolk constituency, (b) Norfolk and (c) the UK in each of the last 10 years; and how many such applications were successful in each area and in each year. [192353]

Mr Timpson: Information on looked-after children for whom the local authority has made the decision that the child should be placed for adoption and the number of children who were placed for adoption at 31 March by Norfolk county council social services without the consent of their parent or guardian can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption

The Department for Education started collecting information on children placed for adoption broken down by parental consent from local authorities in England in 2007; therefore, information prior to this period is not available. Information on children for whom the local authority has made the decision that they should be placed for adoption is only available from 2009.

The Department does not collect information on applications to foster or adopt. However, Ofsted collect a range of information on the numbers and profile of foster carers and foster places and placements, in both local authority and independent services, through their annual collection of data relating to adoption services. 2013 Ofsted data can be found at:

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/fostering-quality-assurance-and-data-forms-2012-13-first-statistical-release

Children: Diabetes

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department gives to teachers and teaching support staff on supporting children with type one diabetes. [192297]

Mr Timpson: Non-statutory guidance, “Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings”, is available to schools to help them manage medicines and support children with medical needs.

From September 2014, there will be a new duty, (introduced in the Children and Families Act 2014), on governing bodies of maintained schools (and proprietors of academies) to make arrangements to support pupils at school with medical conditions and to have regard to

20 Mar 2014 : Column 712W

statutory guidance. The guidance (upon which we have consulted publicly) will set out the requirements on schools to support children with medical conditions, which we would expect them to apply to conditions such as diabetes.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what training schemes his Department has in place to enable teachers to support children who have type one diabetes. [192298]

Mr Timpson: The training of school staff to support pupils with medical conditions is a matter for schools. However, the Department for Education fully expects them to be aware of and understand the needs of pupils with medical conditions such as diabetes, and to put arrangements in place to provide effective support. This should include ensuring that school staff receive suitable training.

From September 2014, there will be a new duty, (introduced in the Children and Families Act 2014), on governing bodies of maintained schools (and proprietors of academies) to make arrangements to support pupils at school with medical conditions and to have regard to statutory guidance. The guidance (upon which we have consulted publicly) will set out the requirements on schools to support children with medical conditions, which we would expect them to apply to conditions such as diabetes. The guidance will set out expectations in respect of staff training.

Education: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in (a) Denton and Reddish constituency, (b) Stockport metropolitan borough and (c) Tameside metropolitan borough council continued into (i) further education, (ii) higher education and (ii) apprenticeships in the last five years for which figures are available. [192141]

Matthew Hancock: Destination Measures data, following key stage 4 and key stage 5, are published at local authority level for the years 2009/10 and 2010/11. Parliamentary constituency level data are published for 2010/11 only. The requested data, for the available years, are shown in the tables. The information is taken from Statistical First Release data, which are available at:

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

20 Mar 2014 : Column 713W

20 Mar 2014 : Column 714W

Education: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and Humber continued into (i) further education, (ii) higher education and (iii) apprenticeships in the last five years for which figures are available. [192394]

Matthew Hancock: Destination Measures data, following key stage 4 and key stage 5, are published at local authority level for the years 2009/10 and 2010/11. Parliamentary constituency level data are published for 2010/11 only.

The requested data, for the available years, are shown in the tables.

The information is taken from Statistical First Release data, which are available at:

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

20 Mar 2014 : Column 715W

20 Mar 2014 : Column 716W

Faith Schools

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has carried out any form of assessment of the number of state-funded schools where religious items or articles of clothing form part of the school's (a) pupil and (b) staff uniform policy. [192224]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education has not conducted any assessment of the number of state-funded schools where religious items or clothing form part of the uniform policy for pupils or staff.

It is for the governing body of each school to decide whether pupils should wear a uniform, and if so, what that should be. We do, however, expect schools to have full regard to their responsibilities under equalities law, and to act sensibly, fairly and flexibly in the interests of all their students in setting their school uniform policy.

Any dress code for school staff is an issue for the employer, whether that is the governing body or the local authority. As part of the general terms and conditions of employment agreed with employees, employers should consider an appropriate dress code, relevant to the individual setting, taking into account the requirements of the post and having proper regard to equality and diversity considerations.

School uniform guidance can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform

Free School Meals: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire were eligible for but did not claim free school meals in the latest period for which figures are available. [192429]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education routinely collects information on pupils who are both eligible for and claiming free school meals. This information is published in the “Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2013” Statistical First Release¹. Information on the number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals but do not claim them is not collected by the Department.

The Department has published a research paper “Pupils not claiming free school meals: 2013”² which presents estimates of the numbers and proportions of pupils who are entitled to receive free school meals but are not claiming. The paper compares registration rates for children aged between 4 and 15 and highlights regions and local authorities where under-registration rates are high. Figures from this paper show the under-registration rate for Lancashire local authority is 6% compared with an England average of 11%.

¹ Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2013

² Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupils-not-claiming-free-school-meals-2013

Free Schools

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many representations he has received from local authorities indicating that the local authority does not require a proposed free school; and whether this has led to any proposed free school applications being withdrawn. [192225]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education does not hold this information centrally and collecting it would incur disproportionate cost.

Under section 9 of the Academies Act 2010, the Department writes to local authorities where a free school is being proposed to seek their views on the impact that establishing the school would likely have on existing schools and colleges.

Local authorities often take this opportunity to indicate whether they support or oppose the establishment of a free school.

20 Mar 2014 : Column 717W

Any representations from local authorities are considered by the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), before he decides to enter into a funding agreement with the relevant academy trust.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of free schools approved to date are faith schools. [192226]

Mr Timpson: 37 of 142 open mainstream free schools have a faith designation (26%); this compares to 34% of all state-funded mainstream schools.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of faith free schools opened to date have met the 50% target of children and young people attending the school who do not belong to that faith. [192227]

Mr Timpson: There is no target for the proportion of children attending a free school who do not belong to the designated faith of such a school. When over-subscribed, faith designated free schools may take account of faith in allocating up to 50% of their places. The remaining places must be allocated on the basis of over-subscription criteria not related to faith, and may be filled by pupils of the faith, other faiths or none.

GCSE

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) converter academies and (b) maintained schools achieved a higher percentage of students achieving five GCSE A* to C grades including English and mathematics than the previous year in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13. [192423]

Mr Laws: The requested information is published in the 2012/13 performance tables¹.

¹ Available at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) converter academies and (b) maintained schools achieved a lower percentage of students achieving five GCSE A* to C grades including English and mathematics than the previous year in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13. [192424]

Mr Laws: The requested information is published in the 2012/13 performance tables¹.

¹ Available at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) converter academies and (b) maintained schools achieved a higher percentage of students achieving five GCSE A* to C grades than the previous year in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13. [192425]

Mr Laws: The requested information is publicly available in the 2010/11¹, 2011/12² and 2012/13³ performance tables.

20 Mar 2014 : Column 718W

¹ Available at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html

² Available at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2012/download_data.html

³ Available at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2011/download_data.html

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) converter academies and (b) maintained schools achieved a lower percentage of students achieving five GCSE A* to C grades than the previous year in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13. [192426]

Mr Laws: The requested information is publicly available in the 2010/11¹, 2011/12² and 2012/13³ performance tables.

¹ Available at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download_data.html

² Available at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2012/download_data.html

³ Available at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/2011/download_data.html

Grant Maintained Schools

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 13 February 2014, Official Report, column 816W, on community schools, how many maintained schools his Department believes to be underperforming. [192222]

Mr Laws: Of the 4,125 maintained mainstream secondary schools, 154 were classified as underperforming in the 2012/13 academic year. Of the 15,351 maintained mainstream primary schools, 767 were classified as underperforming in the 2012/13 academic year.

Headteachers

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of maintained schools have changed their head teacher since September 2011. [192308]

Mr Laws: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of maintained schools that have opened since September 2011 have changed their head teacher since that date. [192313]

Mr Laws: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of state-funded schools have changed their head teacher since September 2011. [192316]

20 Mar 2014 : Column 719W

Mr Laws: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of free schools have changed their head teacher since opening. [192321]

Mr Timpson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of state-funded schools that have opened since September 2011 have changed their head teacher since opening. [192322]

Mr Laws: The information requested is not held centrally.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what education funding per pupil was in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Brent in each year since 2009-10. [192300]

Mr Laws: The total per pupil revenue funding figures for financial years 2009-10 to 2012-13 for Staffordshire and Brent are provided in the following table. The figures are for all funded pupils aged three to 15 and are in cash terms:

The DSG plus grants figures for financial years 2009-10 to 2010-11 do not include funding from the Young People's Learning Agency to ensure that figures are on the basis of funding for pupils aged three to 15 and are comparable with figures for financial years 2011-12 to 2012-13.

In financial year 2013-14, the DSG was reformed to allocate funding to local authorities in three blocks (schools, early years and high needs) and so figures are not comparable to previous years. The schools block per pupil unit of funding (SBUF), which does not cover funding for early years or high needs, was £4,310 for Staffordshire and £5,066 for Brent. The early years block per pupil units of funding in 2013-14 were £3,515

20 Mar 2014 : Column 720W

for Staffordshire and £5,930 for Brent. In 2013-14, high needs funding was no longer allocated on a per-pupil basis. However total high needs block funding for the year was £57.483 million for Staffordshire and £53.7 million for Brent.

In addition, since financial year 2011-12 schools have received pupil premium per qualifying pupil, which targets funding at pupils from the most deprived backgrounds to help them achieve their full potential. In 2012-13, coverage was expanded to include pupils known to have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years. The amounts per pupil for each type of pupil are shown in the following table in cash terms:

School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the implementation of the School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012. [R] [192341]

Mr Laws: Ofsted routinely checks school websites before inspections. If a parent, or other party, believes that a school is not complying with the requirements, they are entitled to raise this with the governing body. If their complaint is not resolved and they believe that the school has failed to discharge its duty or acted unreasonably, they can raise their complaint with the Secretary of State.

Schools: Inspections

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) converter academies and (b) maintained schools received a (i) higher and (ii) lower Ofsted inspection result than they had received in their previous inspections in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13. [192215]

Mr Timpson: In January this year, the Department for Education published an analysis of Ofsted inspection outcomes for converter academies and maintained schools in the report “Performance of converter academies in 2012 to2013^”1. It showed that in 2012/13 converter academies previously rated as either “good” or “satisfactory” were more likely to improve their rating than local authority (LA) maintained mainstream schools, and also showed converter academies previously rated as “outstanding” were more likely to retain that rating than LA maintained mainstream schools.

¹ Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/performance-of-converter-academies-in-2012-to-2013

20 Mar 2014 : Column 721W

Students: Personal Records

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on students' personal information being (a) sold to the private sector for means of advertising and (b) used to improve electoral registration of students. [191923]

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

In line with the Data Protection Act 1998, organisations collecting data from individuals should inform people, at the point of collection, how their personal data will be used, who it might be shared with and for what purpose(s).

Data can only be shared and used for the purposes notified and the individual should be able to request that their information is not shared with third parties.

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which contractors will be responsible for the professional skills test for initial teacher training entrants for the 2014-15 academic year. [192131]

Mr Laws: No contract has been agreed with any contractor as yet. The Department for Education is in the process of negotiating a contract through a framework agreement. Once a contract has been signed we will make public the identity of the contractor.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what further information he will give to initial teacher training providers about candidates who were incorrectly notified that they had failed the professional skills test. [192132]

Mr Laws: The pprofessional skills test results database has been updated to reflect the change in outcome for those candidates who were incorrectly notified that they had failed their skills test. Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers have access to this database.

Any candidate affected in this way was instructed to contact the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) if they wanted to discuss their options.

The STA have also written to all providers of ITT courses to inform them of the issue.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to offer compensation to initial teacher training applicants who have been wrongly advised that they failed the professional skills test and denied the opportunity to train as teachers. [192133]

Mr Laws: The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) has written to candidates who were incorrectly notified that they had failed the professional skills tests and provided a helpline number to contact should they wish to discuss their options or seek support.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in Brigg and Goole constituency participate in the Schools Direct programme. [192277]

20 Mar 2014 : Column 722W

Mr Laws: Our records show that there are no School Direct lead schools located in the parliamentary constituency of Brigg and Goole.

However, many School Direct lead schools work in partnership with other schools to deliver the programme.

Teachers: Veterans

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of initial teacher trainees were service leavers in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11, (d) 2011-12, (e) 2012-13 and (f) the current academic year to date. [192174]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education does not hold this information prior to March 2011. Between 2010 and 2012/13, 0.12% of initial teacher training (ITT) trainees declared themselves as having an armed forces background. ITT census information and performance profiles can be found online at:

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/careers/training anddevelopment/initial/b00204146/itt-data-and-surveys/trainee-census

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-performance-profiles-2013-for-the-academic-year-2011-to-2012

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census

Cabinet Office

Average Earnings: Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what change there has been in median gross weekly earnings for (a) men and (b) women in Vale of Clwyd constituency since 2010. [192077]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what change there has been in median gross weekly earnings for (a) men and (b) women in Vale of Clwyd constituency since 2010. (192077).

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.

The following table shows estimates of median gross weekly earnings for employees in Vale of Clwyd constituency from 2010 to 2013, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided for male employees and female employees.

In order to account for a discontinuity in the series in 2011, percentage changes between 2010 and 2013 were calculated by compounding growth rates between individual years. Consequently, the percentage changes shown in the table do not correspond precisely to the actual percentage differences between the 2010 and 2013 earnings estimates.

20 Mar 2014 : Column 723W

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people and what proportion of the working age population have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for over (a) two and (b) five years in (i) Scotland and (ii) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency. [192483]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people and what proportion of the working age population have been in receipt of jobseekers' allowance for over (a) two and (b) five years in (i) Scotland and (ii) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency. (192483)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles data on the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance from the Jobcentre Plus Administrative System.

The table shows the number of people and proportion of the population aged 16 to 64 years who had been claiming Jobseeker's Allowance over two, two to five and over five years in February 2014, resident in the requested geographies.

National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

20 Mar 2014 : Column 724W

Nurseries

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of workplace nurseries available to staff in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies in (i) 2010, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [192438]

Mr Maude: The Government's child care offer will provide flexible support for all eligible working families while maintaining a free, universal early education support. Alongside this, the Government are also taking action to drive up the supply of high quality child care provision and to open up more choice for parents.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Washington and Sunderland West on 3 March 2014, Official Report, column 664W.

Prostate Cancer

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2014, Official Report, column 587W, on prostate cancer, what the standardised mortality rate from prostate cancer was in each parliamentary constituency in the latest year for which figures are available. [192712]

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

Letter from Glen Watson:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the standardised mortality rate from prostate cancer was in each parliamentary constituency in the latest year for which figures are available. [192712]

Table 1 provides the age standardised mortality rate where prostate cancer was the underlying cause of death, for each parliamentary constituency in England and Wales, for deaths registered in 2012 (the latest year available).

A copy of Table 1 has been placed in the Library of the House.

Health

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Salisbury of 28 February 2014, Official Report, column 569W, on abortion, what process the Chief Medical Officer follows to detect discrepancies in abortion notifications; and what resources the Chief Medical Officer has for that task. [192050]

20 Mar 2014 : Column 725W

Jane Ellison: Departmental officials inspect and record the information received on the HSA4 abortion notification form, carry out validation checks and return forms to practitioners for additional information as necessary. Additionally, selected forms are scrutinised by a departmental medical practitioner who may request further detail from the patients' medical records via the terminating doctor. Information about checks made by the Department is contained in the publication “Department of Health checks made on HSA4 forms for data quality and monitoring the Abortion Act”, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

During 2013-14, there were five people involved full-time in processing and validating the abortion notification forms sent to the Chief Medical Officer.

Congenital Abnormalities

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many ground E abortions for spina bifida were diagnosed by (a) ultrasound and (b) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what other methods of diagnosis were listed under other; and how many such diagnoses which did not result in abortion were recorded in the same period; [192164]

(2) how many ground E abortions for anencephaly were diagnosed by (a) ultrasound and (b) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what other methods of diagnosis were listed under other; and how many such diagnoses which did not result in abortion were recorded in the same period. [192163]

Jane Ellison: This information cannot be provided.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many cases leading to ground E abortions of club foot were diagnosed by (a) ultrasound and (b) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what those other methods of diagnosis were; and how many such diagnoses which did not result in abortion were recorded in that period; [192165]

(2) how many cases leading to ground E abortions of congenital malformations of the musculoskeletal system were diagnosed by (a) ultrasound and (b) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what those other methods of diagnosis were; and how many such diagnoses which did not result in abortion were recorded in that period; [192161]

(3) how many cases leading to ground E abortions of cleft lip were diagnosed by (a) ultrasound and (b) other diagnostic tests in each of the last 10 years; what those other methods of diagnosis were; and how many such diagnoses which did not result in abortion were recorded in that period. [192162]

Jane Ellison: This information cannot be provided.

Diabetes: Children

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children of (a) pre-school, (b) primary school and (c) secondary school age were diagnosed with type one diabetes in each of the last 10 years. [192295]

20 Mar 2014 : Column 726W

Jane Ellison: The Department does not collect information centrally on the number of children with type 1 diabetes.

The majority of children with diabetes have their disease managed through specialist paediatric diabetes services.

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have presented at accident and emergency departments direct from school requiring treatment for type one diabetes-related problems in the last year. [192299]

Jane Ellison: The following table shows a count of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances excluding planned attendances for children aged 0 to 17 with a diagnosis of “diabetes and other endocrinological conditions”.

We cannot distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes in A&E data and the data may contain records of other endocrinological conditions.

It should be noted that A&E attendances do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one attendance within the year.

Reference should be made to the notes when interpreting the data.

Health Professions: Regulation

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many healthcare professionals in the NHS are not regulated by statutory regulation. [192348]

Dr Poulter: The information requested is not available centrally.

Health: Equality

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Marmot Review on health inequalities in England. [192105]

20 Mar 2014 : Column 727W

Jane Ellison: We accepted the findings of “Fair Society, Healthy Lives - the strategic review of health inequalities in England post 2010” (the Marmot Review) in the public health “Healthy Lives, Healthy People” (2010).

The review identified a social gradient in health—where the lower a person's position, the worse his or her health. Action, it said, should focus on reducing the gradient—and be proportionate to the level of disadvantage. We have adopted this approach. For example, in our maternal and child health programmes by increasing by 50% the number of health visitors by 2015, and more than doubling the number of places on the Family Nurse Partnership programme, which supports vulnerable first-time mothers.

We also helped establish and sponsor the UCL Institute of Health Equity—led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot. The Institute is continuing to develop the evidence on health inequalities, promote good practice and support policy development to help deliver this agenda.

We are putting health inequalities—and the poor health outcomes that result—at the heart of everything we do across the health system, working with Public Health England and NHS England, and backed it by new legal health inequalities duties.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the recommendations of the Marmot Review on health inequalities in England are being implemented across all relevant Government Departments. [192106]

Jane Ellison: We accepted the findings of “Fair Society, Healthy Lives - the strategic review of health inequalities in England post 2010” (the Marmot Review) in the public health white paper “Healthy Lives, Healthy People” (2010). These findings apply across all Government Departments; given the link between social circumstances, health and health inequalities.

We have used the review—and the priorities it identified —to support our work with colleagues across government to reinvigorate action on child poverty; raise educational attainment; support families; improve social mobility and promote work as a route out of poverty. These steps will help people take control over their own lives, fulfil their potential and reduce health inequalities.

We sponsor and fund the UCL Institute of Health Equity—led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot—to build the evidence on health inequalities and support government and local systems implement the review's findings.

Medical Records: Databases

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether commercial re-use licences for hospital episode statistics and other medical information gathered from NHS patients remain in operation. [192291]

Dr Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) have confirmed that some re-use agreements do remain in place, for specific organisations in relation to approved purposes. The purpose of each application is carefully considered by HSCIC before it is agreed, including its benefit to the health and care system.

20 Mar 2014 : Column 728W

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will commission a national survey of investment in mental health services in 2013-14; [192108]

(2) when he plans to publish data on mental health spending in 2012-13; [192361]

(3) what progress he has made on extending patient choice of provider of mental health services. [192362]

Norman Lamb: The Department has no plans to commission a national survey of investment in mental health services for 2013-14. The Department stopped commissioning the national surveys of investment in mental health services in 2012 as the new landscape for health services and the abolition of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities prevented continuation of these surveys in their existing format. The Department is committed to reducing the data burden placed on organisations and has no plans to commission any further surveys of this type.

NHS England published expenditure data for 2012-13 on 21 February 2014 which shows expenditure on mental health in 2012-13 was £11.28 billion. This information is available on their website at:

www.england.nhs.uk/resources/resources-for-ccgs/prog-budgeting/

and the document has been placed in the Library.

Ensuring patients have more say in how their care is delivered and embedding choice are key themes in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to ensure we put the patient first and drive improvements in quality. As part of this, “No decision about me, without me” (2012) set out the Government's intention to extend choice to mental health.

The National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 were published in November 2013 to extend the legal right to choice of provider at first out-patient appointment in mental health from 1 April 2014.

Extending choice to mental health from April is also a priority in “Closing the Gap: Priorities for essential change in mental health” (2014), to enable patients to choose which provider and consultant or mental health professional will be in charge of their care for their first out-patient appointment. The “NHS Mandate 2014/15” commits NHS England to ensure patients' rights to choice are embedded by 2015.

We held the third Choice in Mental Health workshop on 12 March 2014 where we set out the critical steps required to start implementing choice from 1 April 2014 and the programme of work to deliver the NHS Mandate commitment to embed choice in mental health by 2015.

Mental Health: Northern Ireland

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on mental health issues in each of the last four years; [191945]

(2) what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on suicide prevention in Northern Ireland. [191924]

20 Mar 2014 : Column 729W

Norman Lamb: Ministers in the Department of Health have not corresponded with those at the Northern Ireland Executive to discuss mental health issues in the past four years.

However, officials liaise regularly with colleagues in Northern Ireland over transfers of patients who are detained under our respective mental health legislation. They also have discussions where judicial reviews or other issues may have implications for each other's legislation. In the past four years none of the issues raised has required inter-ministerial correspondence.

Suicide prevention is a devolved matter. No discussions have taken place between Ministers at the Department and the Northern Ireland Executive about suicide prevention in Northern Ireland.

However, officials within the Department have had contact with officials in Northern Ireland so that they can work collaboratively on the issue where appropriate.

NHS England

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who authorised the continuing payment of the salary of the national director for human resources, Jo-Anne Wass of NHS England during her secondment to the University of Leeds. [192421]

Jane Ellison: It is for NHS England to authorise the terms of any secondment and the associated remuneration arrangements.

NHS England has advised that the secondment arrangements for Jo-Anne Wass were agreed by its remuneration committee, as would be the case for any very senior staff secondment.

NHS: Innovation

Heather Wheeler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients NHS England plans to fund for treatment for each of the technologies within its Commissioning through Evaluation programme in the year beginning April 2014; [192002]

Jane Ellison: There are a number of technologies which will be covered in the Commissioning through Evaluation scheme (CtE) in the year beginning April 2014.

NHS England's CtE scheme for Selective Internal Radiation Therapy went live in 2013 and will provide treatment for around 220 patients per year.

Three new interventional cardiology CtE schemes are due to go live in the next few weeks and are expected to treat around 1,000 patients in a full year.

The Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy CtE scheme, also due to go live shortly, will provide around 100 operations in a full year.

Heather Wheeler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to promote innovation in specialised services following the indefinite suspension of the Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund; and if he will make a statement. [192003]

Jane Ellison: From April 2013, it became the responsibility of NHS England to directly commission specialised and highly specialised services.

20 Mar 2014 : Column 730W

NHS England has a unique opportunity to promote innovative specialised care as part of its direct commissioning responsibilities, and is working with around 1,700 clinical leaders and patient representatives across the country as part of the clinical reference group structure to identify, test and prioritise improvements to patient care, outcomes and experience.

Examples of this include NHS England's novel Commissioning through Evaluation programme, partnership working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the National Institute for Healthcare Research to identify research and evaluation priorities and undertake early consideration of new evidence, the development of quality dashboards, and the opportunity for stakeholders to propose service changes as part of our wider strategy development.

Agreed innovations can now be more consistently and promptly rolled out across the country as part of consistent national service specifications and policies, and form part of the contracts with all commissioned providers.