Unmanned Air Vehicles

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional surveillance capability the Watchkeeper system will provide over the Hermes 450 UAV following the commencement of army trials. [192368]

Mr Francois: The H-450 tactical unmanned air system currently provides operational commanders in Helmand with a 24 hour, Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability supplying accurate, timely and high-quality imagery intelligence to support

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decision making, using electro-optical and infrared sensors. Watchkeeper, while similar in appearance to H-450, is fitted with an additional sensor payload of a synthetic aperture radar/ground-moving target indicator radar. This radar will create a persistent and flexible all-weather ISTAR capability with the ability to conduct surveillance through cloud and obscuration. This radar also allows Watchkeeper to conduct wide-area surveillance of a battlefield and, when operated as part of an integrated ISTAR network, will enable Watchkeeper to cue and direct other ISTAR platforms. With improved sensor range when compared with the optical systems, the radar will also enable the covert surveillance of targets.

Culture, Media and Sport

Football

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on bringing forward legislative proposals to abolish the Football League creditors' rule; and if she will make a statement. [192979]

Mrs Grant: The Government have no current plans to legislate regarding the insolvency of football clubs. The football authorities have made significant moves over recent years to put their clubs on a stronger financial footing, principally through the introduction of financial fair play rules, and I hope that these rules will negate the need for football to rely on the football creditors rule in cases of club insolvencies. I will continue to monitor this area closely, however, and will not hesitate to bring forward legislation if required.

Gambling: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of people in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Pendle constituency who suffer from a gambling addiction. [192374]

Mrs Grant: The Government do not hold problem gambling statistics on a local level. However the latest Health Survey for England recorded an overall problem gambling rate of between 0.4% and 0.5%, depending on the measure used.

Nurseries

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of workplace nurseries available to staff in (a) her Department and (b) her Department's Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies in (i) 2010, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [192440]

Mrs Grant: DCMS employees have not had access to workplace nurseries in 2010, 2013-14 and 2014-15. DCMS has one Executive agency, The Royal Parks. Its employees do not have access to workplace nurseries. DCMS does not hold this information for its 44 arm’s length bodies.

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Television: Licensing

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was raised from the payment of licence fees to the BBC in the last year for which figures are available; and how much additional funding her Department provided to the BBC in that year. [192372]

Mr Vaizey: The BBC's annual report 2013 contains details of all the BBC's income, and its expenditure for 2012-13. In this the total income from licence fees collected for the period was £3.7 billion. The BBC receives no additional funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Cabinet Office

Charities

Martin Horwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what steps he is taking to encourage charities to become signatories to the Financial Reporting Council’s UK Stewardship Code; [192620]

(2) what steps he is taking to incentivise charities to manage their assets in a manner compliant with the Financial Reporting Council’s UK Stewardship Code. [192631]

Mr Hurd: The Financial Reporting Council’s Stewardship Code does not direct itself to matters particular to charities such as their responsibilities under charity law and their focus on beneficiaries. “Good Governance—a Code for the Voluntary and Community Sector” developed by a coalition of charity and voluntary sector bodies is a code designed for charities and the voluntary sector. This code has the support of the Charity Commission which encourages its adoption through publications and signposting on its website.

Conditions of Employment: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber who have jobs which primarily require working (i) during the day and (ii) at night. [192966]

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 Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office for the estimate of the number in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber who have jobs which primarily require working (i) during the day and (ii) at night. (192966)

Estimates of employment are derived the Labour Force Survey (LFS). During the survey, people who are identified as being in employment are asked about their regular pattern of work and whether it is usual for them to work (i) during the day, (ii) during the evening and (iii) at night. Respondents can say "yes" to any categories that apply. For those working 'during the evening' these hours are commonly between 15:00 and 24:00 and 'at night'

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they are commonly between 18:00 and 06:00. Therefore in some instances respondents may work both evenings and nights.

Estimates derived from this question are available for the Yorkshire and the Humber. However, estimates for the Brigg and Goole parliamentary constituency are not available because the limited size of the LFS sample means that they are not of sufficient quality. The available estimates are given in the attached table along with the employment total to provide context.

Diabetes

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people died as a result of diabetes in (a) 2008 and (b) 2013. [192501]

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton dated March 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Health how many people died as a result of diabetes in (a) 2008 and (b) 2013. (192501)

Table 1 provides the number of deaths where diabetes mellitus was the underlying cause of death in England and Wales, for deaths registered 2008 and 2012 (the latest year available).

Figures for 2013 will be available in July 2014. The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause, marital status, and place of death are published annually on the National Statistics website at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/mortality-statistics--deaths-registered-in-england-and-wales--series-dr-/index.html

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Government Departments: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what payroll deductions other than trade unions subscriptions are made from Government Department employees through the check-off system. [192676]

Mr Maude: It is a matter for each Government Department to decide which organisations can collect their subscriptions through the employers' payroll service.

Manufactured Goods: Sales

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what purposes information provided via the UK manufacturers’ sales by product (Prodcom) form is used. [192495]

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated March 2014:

On behalf of the 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, for what purposes information provided via the UK Manufacturers’ Sales by Product (PRODCOM) form is utilised (192495).

The UK Manufacturers’ Sales by Product (PRODCOM) provides a comprehensive picture of industrial production in the UK. The statistics help users (such as Government, Policy Makers, Business/Market Analysts, and Trade Associations) gauge market share, and businesses to better understand how to establish new markets for their products.

The PRODCOM Survey is carried out annually by all EU member states, under EU regulation. This enables comparison and, where possible, produces a picture of emerging developments of an industry or product in a European context.

PRODCOM statistics are used to produce the UK National Accounts Supply and Use Tables, an integral part of measurement of UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The PRODCOM Survey identifies businesses that make particular products, and are also used to create a sampling frame for the ONS Producer Price Index (PPI). The PPI is a monthly survey that measures the price changes of goods bought and sold by UK manufacturers and provides a key measure of inflation.

More detailed information on uses and users of the PRODCOM statistics is provided in our User Engagement Report, which is published on the Office for National Statistics website:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/business-and-energy/manufacturing/user-engagement-and-survey-management/prodcom-user-engagement.pdf

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will review the requirements for small and medium-sized enterprises to complete the UK manufacturers' sales by product (Prodcom) form on an annual basis. [192498]

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated March 2014:

On behalf of the 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 if he will review the requirements for small and medium-sized enterprises to complete the UK Manufacturers' Sales by Product (PRODCOM) form on an annual basis (192498).

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The PRODCOM Survey is carried out annually in the UK under an EU regulation which requires each member state to capture data covering 90% of the Mining and Manufacturing activities as defined in the European Classification of Economic Activities (NACE). This requires robust sampling methods, to ensure suitable quality results, while minimising the burden on business.

To ensure the EU regulation is met, all manufacturing businesses with employment of more than 100 are selected to complete the PRODCOM questionnaire every year. In some industries, where product sales are more variable, businesses with employment of more than 20 are also sampled every year. In general, for smaller businesses only a small proportion of are selected and they then stay in the sample for 10 years.

It is ONS policy to regularly review the samples for all of our surveys, and the last review for the PRODCOM Survey was in 2009. There are currently no plans to exclude small and medium-sized enterprises from the sample as this would impact the quality of results and our compliance with EU regulations and wider user needs. However, we are reviewing the sample design in 2014/15. The results from this investigation and any plans to change the sample design will be published on the ONS website.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many businesses in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency were required to return the UK manufacturers' sales by product (Prodcom) form in the year ending 31 January 2014. [192499]

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated March 2014:

On behalf of the 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 how many businesses in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency were required to return the UK Manufacturers' Sales by Product (PRODCOM) form in the year ending 31 January 2014 (192499).

The number of UK businesses selected to complete the PRODCOM questionnaire was 21,704 in the year ending 31 January 2014. Of these, 1,480 businesses were in Scotland, and 26 in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency.

Profumo Inquiry

Frank Dobson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2014, Official Report, column 469W on the Profumo Inquiry, who holds the requested information; and how does the fact that requested data is not held centrally affect the comment by Lord Wallace of Saltaire that papers relating to the interviews by Lord Denning should not be published while those interviewed are still alive. [192614]

Mr Maude: Lord Wallace of Saltaire set out the Government's approach on 18 July 2013, Official Report, House of Lords, column 873.

Trade

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the total amount was of financial penalties collected in respect of breaches of section 4 of the Statistics of Trade Act 1947 in each of the most recent three years for which figures are available; [192496]

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(2) what assessment he has made of the number of businesses in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who have incurred penalties under section 4 of the Statistics of Trade Act 1947 in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [192497]

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 Parliamentary Questions on behalf of the Minister for the Cabinet Office, asking for (1) the total amount of financial penalties collected in respect of breach of section 4 of the Statistics of Trade Act 1947 and (2) what assessment he has made of the number of businesses in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency, who have incurred penalties under this section; in each of the last three years, for which figures are available (192496 and 192497).

The Statistics of Trade Act (STA) 1947 only extends to Great Britain encompassing England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland collects under the provisions of The Statistics of Trade and Employment (Northern Ireland) Order 1988.

The following table shows the total financial penalties incurred and the corresponding number of businesses penalised under the STA for the last three years:

No businesses in Scotland incurred penalties during 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Unemployment: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobseekers over the age of (a) 50 and (b) 60 years old in Brigg and Goole constituency. [192967]

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 the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobseekers over the age of (a) 50 and (b) 60 years old in Brigg and Goole constituency. (192967)

For this question Jobseekers has been interpreted as those claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) which covers about half of those considered to be unemployed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles data on the number of people claiming JSA from the JobcentrePlus Administrative System.

The table shows the number of people aged 50 to 59, 60 and over and 50 and over who were claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance in February 2014 resident in the requested parliamentary constituency.

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

24 Mar 2014 : Column 68W

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what estimate he has made of the number of (a) male and (b) female postgraduate students in Afghanistan; [192263]

(2) what recent estimate he has made of the number of undergraduate students in Afghanistan. [192264]

Hugh Robertson: According to the Afghan Central Statistics Organization (CSO), data collected from the Afghanistan Ministry of Higher Education show that 160,781 students studied in public and private universities in 2012-13. This included 28,713 female students. The Ministry also recorded that 13,061 students graduated from public universities in 2012-13, which included 2,256 female students. There are no CSO data on the number of students that graduated from private universities during that period. The data do not distinguish between undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Arctic

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department will take with the Arctic Council and its member states to implement the recent resolution of the EU Parliament on protecting the Arctic environment and (a) create a conservation area in the waters around the North Pole, (b) develop an agreement to prevent pollution from Arctic drilling and (c) institute a ban on industrialised fishing. [192765]

Mark Simmonds: Our officials are attending the Arctic Council meeting of senior arctic officials taking place in Canada this week. We will (a) reiterate our support for the principle of designating marine protected areas in international waters, where the science supports it; (b) welcome the work of the Arctic Council’s task force that is developing an oil spill prevention agreement between the Arctic states, and encourage its early conclusion; and (c) consider the emerging outcomes of discussions between the five coastal Arctic states to identify interim precautionary measures to prevent future fisheries in the Arctic high seas.

Burma

Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether HM Ambassador to Burma has discussed with the Government of Burma their failure to implement drug eradication agreements with the Restoration Council of Shan State and UNODC. [192973]

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Mr Swire: HM Ambassador to Burma has not discussed with the Burmese Government the implementation of drug eradication agreements with the Restoration Council of Shan State and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

China

Mr Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress his Department has made in securing Mark Reilly's freedom to leave China and return to the UK. [192540]

Mr Swire: Consular staff in China are in regular contact with Mr Reilly and have provided assistance to him since his return to China. They last spoke with him on 13 March 2014. We have raised his case, with the Chinese authorities. I last did so when I met with Minister Wang Chao on 27 February 2014. The Chinese have made clear that their judicial processes have to be followed. We will continue to provide Mr Reilly with all appropriate support and assistance.

Colombia

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason no representative of the UK Embassy in Colombia has visited Francisco Toloza, Huber Ballesteros and David Ravelo in the last six months. [192829]

Mr Swire: The UK cannot interfere in Colombia's judicial process nor can we visit non-British nationals without the permission of the Colombian authorities.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Embassy in Colombia will observe the trials of Francisco Toloza, Huber Ballesteros and David Ravelo. [192830]

Mr Swire: The embassy is monitoring the trials of Huber Ballesteros, David Ravelo and Francisco Toloza.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Colombian Government about extra-judicial killings. [192831]

Mr Swire: During Colombia's universal periodic review in April 2013 the UK recommended that all cases of extra-judicial killings be investigated promptly and in line with international humanitarian and international human rights law. The Permanent Under-Secretary and the ambassador also made representations to the Colombian Government on this point in 2013.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Deputy Prime Minister both raised wider human rights issues with President Santos during their visit to Colombia in February.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the killing of human rights activists in Colombia in 2013; and what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in that country. [192832]

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Mr Swire: We are aware of the report by non-government organisation (NGO) coalition 'We are Defenders' which suggests that attacks against Human Rights Defenders in 2013 went down by 4% while assassinations increased by 10% from the previous year. Guaranteeing the security of human rights defenders remains a top priority for the Colombian Government and the National Protection Unit, whose budget is around £120 million and provides protection to over 2,500 human rights defenders.

The British embassy continues to publicly support the work of human rights defenders and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Deputy Prime Minister both raised the issue of their security with President Santos in February.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations and on what dates the UK Embassy in Colombia has made to the Colombian authorities about the prison conditions and health of and the security risks to Francisco Toloza, Huber Ballesteros and David Ravelo. [192853]

Mr Swire: The British embassy in Bogota is currently requesting permission from the relevant authorities to visit Mr Ballesteros.

In December 2012 embassy staff visited Mr Ravelo in jail and the ambassador also wrote to the Attorney-General's office.

The embassy will write to the Colombian authorities regarding the charges against Mr Toloza.

EU External Relations

Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which countries the EU acting as a legal personality has concluded co-operation agreements in the field of justice and home affairs. [191707]

Mr Lidington: In the course of this Government, agreements with JHA content have been concluded with the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Canada, Cape Verde, Colombia, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Republic of Korea, Peru, San Marino, Switzerland, Turkey, and the USA.

Kenya

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many vehicles are owned or leased by the British High Commission in Nairobi; and what the make of each such vehicle is. [192414]

Mr Lidington: The British High Commission (BHC) in Nairobi has 67 vehicles in its general purpose fleet. 38 of those are owned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the remainder are owned by other UK Government Departments working in Kenya. The FCO vehicles are:

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The vehicles are used for the official business and operations of the British High Commission in Nairobi.

Nurseries

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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. [192445]

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth has two workplace nurseries. Both nurseries were operating in 2010 and 2013-14 and both will be operating in 2014-15. Since September 2013 FCO staff have also been able to use the House of Commons onsite nursery.

None of our non-departmental public bodies operate a workplace nursery. Nor did they in 2010 or 2013-14. They do not have plans to open one this financial year.

Republic of Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what official visits to the UK President Higgins of Ireland made prior to April 2014. [192502]

Mr Lidington: President Higgins has made several official visits to the UK, most recently in July 2013.

Russia

Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the restrictions announced in respect of Mr Slutsky, a member of the Russian Parliament, apply to his privileges and immunities as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; and if he will make a statement. [192493]

Mr Lidington: Membership of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe does not prevent the European Union from designating any individual under Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP nor from them being subject to both the asset freeze and travel ban provisions set out in that Decision. However, article l(3)(a) of the Council decision 2014/145/CFSP provides for an exemption to the travel ban where a member state is bound by an obligation of international law as a host country to an international intergovernmental organisation. The general agreement on privileges and immunities of

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the Council of Europe requires states parties (including the UK) to allow representatives free movement to and from the place of meeting of the Assembly. EU member states also have the discretion under article 1(6) of the Council decision to consider granting an exemption to a designated person where travel is justified on other grounds including on the grounds of attending intergovernmental meetings.

Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2014, Official Report, column 49W, on Russia, whether the Government have made an attempt to have a discussion with Council of Europe counterparts about suspending the Russian Federation from membership. [192494]

Mr Lidington: We have not had or requested any discussions with Council of Europe counterparts on the Russian Federation's membership. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) met Secretary General Jagland of the Council of Europe on 20 March 2014 when he discussed the situation in Ukraine and the role of the Council of Europe.

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to impose visa bans and asset freezes on named Russian officials associated with the Magnitsky case. [192677]

Mr Lidington: The UK does not intend to introduce a US-style "Magnitsky list". We have a robust visa regime which enables us to deny entry to those who commit human rights abuses. It is a declared policy of the present Government that people against whom there is credible evidence of complicity in the abuse of human rights should not normally expect to be granted admission to the United Kingdom.

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on implementation of the Resolution of the House of 7 March 2012 relating to human rights abuses and the death of Sergei Magnitsky. [192678]

Mr Lidington: The discussion on Sergei Magnitsky in the House on 7 March 2012 was an important opportunity to hear a range of views on this worrying case. However, the UK does not intend to implement the resolution of that discussion to introduce a US-style "Magnitsky list". It is a declared policy of the present Government that people against whom there is credible evidence of complicity in the abuse of human rights, should not normally expect to be granted admission to the United Kingdom.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department has received on the effect of EU sanctions on Russia on the economy of Cyprus. [192710]

Mr Lidington: Along with other EU member states, Cyprus has been clear in sending a united EU message to Russia that its actions are in flagrant breach of

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international law and will incur consequences. We remain in close contact with the Cypriot Government and I discussed the Ukraine crisis with Cypriot Foreign Minister Kasoulides during his visit to London on 13 March 2014.

UN Open-ended Working Group on Ageing

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which is the lead Department for the UK’s participation in the UN open-ended working group on ageing. [192632]

Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has represented the UK at the UN open-ended working group on ageing and consulted widely with relevant Government Departments to inform the UK approach.

Venezuela

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Venezuela on freedom of press and speech and the detention of political opponents; and if he will make a statement. [192259]

Mr Swire: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), commented on the situation in Venezuela on 18 February, during an official visit to Brazil. He expressed concern at the reports of violence associated with protests and the arrests of students and opposition politicians. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs highlighted the importance of freedom of expression and of the press and the right to protest peacefully.

I have written to the Venezuelan embassy in London emphasising the importance of respecting peaceful protest and creating the right conditions for dialogue to take place between the parties. 1 have also asked to speak to my Venezuelan opposite number. I will continue to monitor the situation carefully, and call on all sides to refrain from violence, to reduce tensions and to create the conditions for genuine dialogue.

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton also made statements on 14 and 21 February regarding the situation in Venezuela on behalf of all member states. The Government fully supports those statements.

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on political unrest in Venezuela; and if he will make a statement. [192260]

Mr Swire: I am deeply concerned about the reports of violence associated with protests in various cities in Venezuela since early February. I receive regular reports on the situation from our embassy in Caracas.

The majority of the demonstrations, including large-scale gatherings organised by the Government or by the opposition, have been peaceful, but some disturbances have been marred by violence. At least 30 people have been killed and over 350 injured. About half the victims are anti-Government protestors, but members of the

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police and national guard, pro-government supporters and bystanders have also been killed. According to official figures, there have been over 1,600 detainees, out of which around 1,300 have been released on parole and await trial. Over 100 remain in detention also awaiting trial. Over 40 police officers are being investigated for using excessive force in dealing with protestors, of which 15 have been detained.

The number and frequency of the incidents has decreased in the last two weeks but there are still violent incidents. We continue to the monitor the situation carefully, and call on all sides to refrain from violence, to reduce tensions and to create the conditions for genuine dialogue.

The UNASUR group of South American countries agreed on 12 March to send a commission of Foreign Ministers to Venezuela by early April to accompany, support and advise a broad and constructive process of political dialogue. We hope that this can play a positive role in helping to prevent violence and to promote reconciliation in Venezuela.

Education

Academies

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of academy trusts have applied to open a free school. [192221]

Mr Timpson: There are 2,581 academy trusts in England. 207 (8%) of the free school applications submitted in application waves 1 to 5 have been submitted by, or have links to, academy trusts. Some academy trusts have applied a number of times.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many academy trusts account returns remain outstanding. [192304]

Mr Timpson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham), on 18 March, Official Report, column 555W.

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many academy trusts did not submit their account returns on time in each year since 2011; [192305]

(2) what proportion of academy trusts did not submit their account returns on time (a) in the current year, (b) in 2013, (c) in 2012 and (d) in 2011. [192306]

Mr Timpson: The number and proportion of academy trusts that did not submit an accounts return on time is detailed in the following table:

Academies were not required to submit accounts returns prior to 2010-11.

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Adoption

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that children and adoptive parents receive support beyond the initial stages of the adoption process. [903202]

Mr Timpson: People who adopt are making a life changing decision, both for themselves and the children they adopt.

Research indicates a high level of need among adoptive families for therapeutic services often many years after the adoption process has ended.

It is for this reason that we have committed £19.3 million into an Adoption Support Fund to make therapeutic support much more widely accessible, timely and of high quality for adoptive families.

Children and Young People: Autism

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to improve the education of children on the autism spectrum. [192755]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education continues to fund 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 over 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.

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of teachers teaching in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Essex and (d) Chelmsford constituency undertook specialist training on educational provision for children and young people on the autism spectrum in each of the last five years. [192349]

Mr Timpson: These figures are not collected centrally. Schools make their own decisions on what training their staff 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

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received grant funding under grant from the Department to provide training to schools and from 2013 to 2015 is contracted to provide training to early years providers, schools and further education colleges.

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the quality of educational provision for children and young people on the autism spectrum in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) London, (d) the London borough of Lambeth and (e) Streatham constituency. [192472]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education recognises that provision for all children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) across England, including those on the autism spectrum, needs to be improved and that is why we are taking forward the reforms in the Children and Families Act, which recently received Royal Assent. Part 3 of the Act will bring about significant reforms to the SEN system from which children and young people with autism will benefit along with their peers, in particular from earlier, and more comprehensive, assessment and intervention and stronger arrangements for the transition from children's to adult services, which many on the spectrum can find extremely difficult.

In 2008 the Autism Education Trust published a report “Educational provision for children and young people living in England”. That report found that

“practice in many mainstream and special schools had improved tremendously over recent years”

but that there was still much to be done

“in reaching staff in schools who are not yet familiar with the particular needs of pupils on the autism spectrum and who struggle to teach them effectively”.

The Government have continued to fund the trust, putting the emphasis on improving awareness and skills among early years, schools and further education staff. 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.

Education, including SEN, is a devolved matter and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have responsibility for autism educational provision in their administrations.

Children’s Centres

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many Sure Start centres have reduced the services they offer since May 2010; [192307]

(2) how many Sure Start centres have fewer staff now than in May 2010. [192314]

Elizabeth Truss: Local authorities are responsible for, and retain the flexibility for, children's centres provision in their area. They have a statutory duty to consult if any changes are planned and to ensure there is a sufficient number of children's centres to meet the needs of their local communities.

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Diabetes

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken since 2010 to ensure that (a) primary and (b) secondary schools are equipped to support children with diabetes. [192597]

Mr Laws: Schools are already required to support children with long-term medical conditions such as diabetes. 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 such as diabetes.

From September 2014, there will be a new duty, which was 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 like diabetes.

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Education: Essex

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in (a) Chelmsford constituency and (b) Essex continued into (i) further education, (ii) higher education (iii) apprenticeships in each the last five years for which figures are available. [192350]

Matthew Hancock: Destination measures data, following key stage 4 and key stage 5, are published at local authority level for the year 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 following tables.

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

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

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Foster Care

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department takes to identify unutilised foster carers. [192802]

Mr Timpson: The Department does not collect information of unutilised foster carers.

However, Ofsted collects annual statistics supplied by local authority fostering services and independent fostering services, which include occupancy rates of foster places. Details can be found at:

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

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department takes to assist local authorities which possess insufficient foster carers. [192803]

Mr Timpson: I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave him on 10 December 2013, Official Report, column 213W; 6 January 2014, Official Report column 94W; and 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 542W, which set out a range of activities the Government is funding to support the recruitment and retention of foster carers by local authorities.

Free School Meals

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to help schools that are unable to deliver free infant school meals in September 2014 because of a lack of capital funding. [192335]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education has previously confirmed that it would be allocating £150 million in the 2014-15 financial year to support the implementation of the universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) policy. Local authorities (LAs) are also free to use their budgets for improvement and maintenance to support this objective. We allocated £1.4 billion to schools, LAs and the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund for maintenance and improvement in 2014-15.

On 6 March we launched a package of implementation support measures to help schools to provide meals to eligible pupils. This includes a national UIFSM support service, run by school food experts, which will offer advice and guidance to schools that need assistance in implementing UIFSM, The support will include a telephone helpline, the sharing of good practice, and intensive face-to-face support

The Department also announced on 6 March that it would be providing transitional funding to small schools with eligible pupils, worth a minimum of £3,000, which qualifying schools will be able to use to help them overcome delivery challenges.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what extra funding his Department plans to provide to smaller schools to help them to provide free school meals for under-sevens; and if he will make a statement. [192735]

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Mr Laws: On 6 March the Department for Education announced that we will allocate additional funding totalling £22.5 million in the 2014-15 financial year to help small schools (those with a total roll of up to 150 pupils according to the January 2014 Schools Census) with the transitional costs of implementing the universal infant free school meals policy.

Schools eligible for this funding will receive a minimum of £3,000 to be spent as they choose in support of their implementation of the policy, including for the purpose of improving kitchen or dining equipment.

Further information is available in the departmental advice document on universal infant free school meals, which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will allow a transitional period for schools to prepare to provide free school meals for under-sevens in cases where those schools need to set up their own kitchens; and if he will make a statement. [192736]

Mr Laws: The Government announced in September 2013 that state-funded schools will be required to offer free school meals to infant pupils from September 2014, giving schools a full year to put arrangements in place. We know from the universal free school meal pilots, in which schools were required to provide meals to all infant pupils and all key stage 2 pupils, that it is possible for schools to prepare to implement this policy with much less notice.

In order to help schools to implement universal infant free school meals in September 2014 we have put in place a national support service, run by school food experts. The assistance available through that service includes a telephone helpline, the sharing of good practice, and intensive face-to-face support. We are also providing additional funding of £22.5 million to help small schools with the transition to providing meals for all their infant pupils.

Free Schools

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the names are of the free school projects proposed to open in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 that have been cancelled or withdrawn; and what the pre-opening expenditure was for each of those projects. [191590]

Mr Timpson: The revenue funding provided to free schools that opened, or projects that planned to open, in 2011 and 2012 is published online:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/revenue-expenditure-for-free-schools

This publication includes pre-opening expenditure levels. When a project is cancelled or withdrawn, the Department for Education seeks to reclaim as much pre-opening expenditure as possible.

The publication will be updated shortly to include free schools that opened, or projects that planned to open, in 2013.

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ICT: Curriculum

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made on encouraging computer science and programming in UK schools. [192351]

Elizabeth Truss: As part of the reforms to the national curriculum, the Department for Education is strengthening the teaching of computing in schools by replacing information and communications technology with computing. The new programmes of study for computing, which will be taught in maintained schools from September 2014, have a much greater emphasis on computer science. For example, pupils at key stage 1 will be taught to create and debug simple programs and key stage 3 pupils will be taught to use two or more programming languages.

We are also working with exam boards and sector experts to review the computer science GCSE and A level so that they reflect and build upon the changes made to the curriculum. The inclusion of computer science in the English Baccalaureate will provide further encouragement for pupils to take up the subject at GCSE level. We are also providing funding for several projects to help teachers acquire the necessary subject knowledge and skills to teach the new computing curriculum.

We are funding the British Computer Society to build a network of 400 'Master Teachers', create online teach-yourself resources and deliver 800 in-school workshops to help primary school teachers improve their subject knowledge. A further £500,000 competitive match-funded scheme was announced on 4 February 2014 to support excellent computing teaching and lever additional investment and engagement from business.

Languages: Curriculum

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to expand the languages curriculum to encompass Urdu. [192434]

Elizabeth Truss: Schools are already able to choose which modern foreign languages they teach, and these can include Urdu. The new programme of study for languages, to be taught in maintained schools from September 2014, makes clear that learning a foreign language should provide an opening to other cultures, foster pupils' curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world.

Mathematics: Teachers

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how the mathematics teachers recently brought by his Department from Shanghai to England to help raise standards were chosen; who those teachers are; and which schools they came from. [192916]

Elizabeth Truss: We launched the maths teacher exchange between England and China in March 2014. Up to 60 teachers from each country will participate in the exchange which will start in the autumn term of the next academic year. Teachers from Shanghai will be sent to English schools designated as centres of excellence for maths.

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We are in the process of confirming arrangements, including which teachers and schools will take part. The programme will be managed through our Maths Hubs network which will be in place by September.

Private Education: Offences Against Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) has received any allegations of child abuse in independent schools that occurred before the establishment of the NCTL; and what powers the NCTL has to follow up any such allegations. [192695]

Mr Timpson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 3 March 2014, Official Report, columns 676-77W, to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson). 16 of the cases referred to relate to incidents that are alleged to have occurred prior to the establishment of National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL).

The Teachers' Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012 provide NCTL with the power to regulate teachers including those in independent schools. These regulations provide for any referral to be investigated regardless of the date of the alleged incident.

Pupil Exclusions

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of school-age pupils who have been illegally excluded from school in each of the last five years. [192512]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education's statutory guidance makes clear that all exclusions from school must be lawful, reasonable and fair. The guidance sets out schools' responsibilities in relation to exclusion and includes examples of unlawful use of exclusion. There is no excuse for a school not to adhere to the correct process, and Ofsted takes seriously any evidence that a school has acted unlawfully in its use of exclusion.

Pupil Referral Units

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average cost per pupil of running a pupil referral unit was in the last year for which figures are available. [192568]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not routinely collect data on the average per pupil cost of running a pupil referral unit. Pupil referral units cater for a diverse range of needs and so the actual cost per pupil will vary significantly between institutions.

The Department introduced new funding arrangements in April 2013 that take account of this variation. The new system offers stability for pupil referral units by providing £8,000 for each identified alternative provision place. This funding is supplemented by local authorities or schools when they place pupils into a pupil referral unit. The amount of top-up funding provided is determined locally to reflect the actual costs of educating pupils at that pupil referral unit.

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Early Education: Funding

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding was allocated for disadvantaged two year olds in Rotherham in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15. [192809]

Elizabeth Truss: Figures for the amount of funding allocated to deliver the early education entitlement for two-year-olds in Rotherham are published online.

Figures for 2013-14 can be found at:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130903192841/http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/ earlylearningandchildcare/delivery/free%20entitlement%20to%20early%20education/b0070114/eefortwoyearolds/la-funding-allocations

Figures for 2014-15 can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-for-learning-for-2-year-olds-letter-from-elizabeth-truss

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the education funding per pupil is in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Brent for 2014-15. [192248]

Mr Laws: The information requested is provided in the table.

In addition, schools will receive money from the pupil premium for pupils recorded on the January 2014 School Census: £1,300 for each primary pupil, and £935 for each secondary pupil, known to have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years; £1,900 per pupil for each pupil recorded as adopted from care under the Adoption and Children Act 2002 or who has left care under a Special Guardianship or Residence Order; and £300 for each pupil whose parents were in the armed services in the last four years or is in receipt of a child pension from the Ministry of Defence.

School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list all (a) primary and (b) secondary schools which have successfully implemented the School Information (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 to date. [R] [192810]

Mr Laws: The Secretary of State for Education has not assessed implementation levels centrally and therefore lists of schools are not available. However, Ofsted checks school websites routinely 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

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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.

School Funding

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the statement of 13 March 2014 by the Minister for Schools, how much of the funding announced will come from (a) his Department's budget and (b) the Treasury. [192041]

Mr Laws: The Government have agreed to provide £350 million in 2015-16 to the least fairly-funded local authorities in England. We are able to achieve this without any local authority receiving a cut to its per-pupil schools budget.

We are able to deliver this boost by using money from within our protected schools budget and because HM Treasury will provide additional funding as required.

The Department for Education intends to find the majority of the £350 million from within its existing protected schools budget as determined at the Spending Round in June 2013. Based on current forecasts, the Treasury will provide around £90 million in addition to the Department's contribution.

The precise level of any additional funding from the Treasury will become clear when we have final data on pupil numbers.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the statement by the Minister for Schools, of 13 March 2014, Official Report, columns 427-42, on school funding, whether any of the funding announced will generate a Barnett consequential. [192042]

Mr Laws: The Government have agreed to provide £350 million in 2015-16 to the least fairly-funded local authorities in England. We are able to achieve this without any local authority receiving a cut to its per-pupil schools budget.

The Department for Education intends to find the majority of the £350 million from within its existing protected schools budget as determined at the Spending Round in June 2013, with additional money from the Treasury as required. Any funding provided by the Treasury will be agreed by the end of 2014 and will attract Barnett consequentials in the normal way.

School Facilities

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on opening up school facilities to the local community for use outside of the school day. [192551]

Elizabeth Truss: The out-of-hours term time and holiday child care that schools provide are vital to working parents. Many parents still find that the high cost and inflexibility of child care is a barrier to working, or increasing their working hours. The Government want more schools to make their facilities available to the local community. The Department for Education believes that if schools open up their facilities, it can make them a valuable resource and can strengthen links with the wider community that they serve. The Department wants to encourage more schools to offer child care

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between 8am to 6pm during term time and during school holidays by removing all unnecessary red tape and increasing freedoms. For example, we are removing the need for schools to have to consult when introducing community facilities and to have regard to guidance from the Secretary of State for Education, or local authorities and we are clarifying the rules on charging for community facilities.

Schools: Collective Worship

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the number of schools in (a) England and (b) Gloucestershire which carry out collective acts of Christian worship each day; what proportion those schools form of the total number of schools which are required to do so; and if he will make a statement. [192737]

Elizabeth Truss: All publicly funded maintained schools in England remain legally required to provide a daily act of worship for all registered pupils up to age 18 and the Government have no plans to change this. It does not, however, collect data on school provision in this area.

International Development

Developing Countries: Education

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding her Department has contributed to the Global Partnership for Education Fund in each of the last five years. [192720]

Lynne Featherstone: The Department for International Development has contributed the following amounts to the Global Partnership for Education in the past five years:

These figures are rounded to the nearest million pounds.

Nepal

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes her Department supports to support job creation in Nepal; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of those programmes. [192739]

Mr Duncan: DFID Nepal's operational plan aims to create 230,000 jobs. Job creation is an important part of DFID's economic development work in Nepal, with five programmes delivering important results for poor

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people. The Employment Fund Programme (£14 million) has trained 48,000 new entrants to the job market, of which half are women and girls, since 2011. The Nepal Market Development Programme (£14.5 million) has increased the incomes of 48,000 small farmers since 2011. The Rural Access Programme, Phase 3 (£39.9 million) has created 80,400 short-term jobs. The Multi-Stakeholder Forestry Programme (£20 million) has contributed to the creation of 14,600 jobs since 2011. The Access to Finance Programme (£29.7 million) has helped provide new loans to 2,100 poor households in its first year and, on completion in 2018, will have generated 88,000 jobs.

Nurseries

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate she has made of the number of workplace nurseries available to staff in (a) her Department and (b) her Department's non-departmental public body in (i) 2010, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [192448]

Mr Duncan: Workplace nurseries are not available to staff working for DFID or the Department’s non-departmental public bodies.

Overseas Aid

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will publish a detailed list of end-point recipients of aid allocated by her Department in each of the last three years. [192731]

Justine Greening: Official UK spend on international development by country, type and year up to 2012 is published in DFID's National Statistics publication, “Statistics on International Development” 2013, which is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/about/statistics

Information in relation to 2013 will be published in autumn 2014.

Palestinian Authority

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department contributed to the (a) Palestinian Authority and (b) Palestinian Authority general budget in each of the last three years; and how such contributions are distributed. [192811]

Mr Duncan: The UK's financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority over the last three years was:

Our financial assistance is provided through a World Bank Trust Fund.

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Palestinians

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department allocated in aid to the Palestinian Territories in each of the last five years. [R] [192732]

Mr Duncan: The amount of aid allocated to the Palestinian Territories in each of the last five years was:

UN Commission On the Status of Women

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will press for the inclusion of a strong gender goal in discussions on the post-2015 development agenda at the Commission on the Status of Women. [192491]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK has been clear in its call for a standalone goal on gender equality and girls and women's empowerment as well as ensuring that these issues are addressed throughout the goals and targets in the framework to be agreed by members of the United Nations. The UK's statement at the Commission on the Status of Women highlighted the need for a standalone goal on gender equality, and the empowerment of girls and women in the post-2015 framework.

We are working with others across the international community, including civil society, to ensure that this is achieved.

Justice

Barristers

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many incidents of barristers terminating their contractual involvement in cases there have been since the introduction of changes to very high cost case fees in December 2013. [192214]

Mr Vara: Very high cost cases represent a tiny number of criminal trials—less than 1% of the total Crown court cases in the last year were classified as VHCCs. On average 10,000 trials are listed to be heard in the Crown court each quarter. Despite their tiny number in comparison to wider Crown court trials, VHCCs are disproportionately expensive.

Forty-one barristers terminated very high cost case contracts following the change in rates announced in November 2013. This relates to seven cases.

Coroners

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance he has issued to coroners in England and Wales on the storage and retention of files over 30 years old. [192068]

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Simon Hughes: Regulation 27 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1629/regulation/27/made

states that a document related to a coroner investigation must be retained by, or on behalf of, the coroner for at least 15 years from the date on which the investigation is completed.

The regulation allows a court or the Chief Coroner to direct a coroner to keep a document for a different length of time. I understand that the Chief Coroner intends to issue joint guidance with the Keeper of Public Records to coroners on retention of documents in due course (see paragraphs 181-182 of the Chief Coroner's Guide to the Coroners and Justice Act 2009:

http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/coroners/guidance/chief-coroners-guide-to-act-sept2013.pdf

Courts

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) which towns in England and Wales have more than one court housed in separate buildings; and which type of court in each case; [192344]

(2) which towns in England and Wales have only a (a) magistrates court, (b) crown court and (c) county court; [192346]

(3) which towns in England and Wales have more than one court in the same building. [192528]

Mr Vara: Details of the Government Central Estate, such as the property name, location and type of court are recorded on the Central Government property database e-PIMS. These records are available from the following link:

www.data.gov.uk/dataset/epims

Courts: Television

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent on televising courts to date. [190213]

Mr Vara: Filming and broadcasting from the Court of Appeal began for the first time on the 31 October 2013. The media organisations that are permitted to film and record in the Court of Appeal have met the costs for the televising of courts to, date. These media organisations will continue to meet these costs for the duration of three years from the date that broadcasting commenced, as outlined in their agreement with the Lord Chancellor.

The Supreme Court has televised its own proceedings since October 2009 and has spent a total of £821,000 to the end of January 2014, including running costs, equipment costs, and archiving costs, which are met from the Supreme Court's own budget settlement.

Crime: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of trends in the level of crime in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years. [192964]

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Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated March 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics {ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for the Home Department for the total number of crimes recorded by the police in Yorkshire and Humber region, in each of the past five years.

Police recorded crime figures are provided for the last five financial years (April to March) for the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Note: Data on police recorded crime are designated as Official Statistics following the UK Statistics Authority's decision to withdraw the National Statistics badge from the police recorded crime data series. The full assessment report can be found on the UK Statistics Authority website.

These data have been published by the ONS and have been extracted from the data tables within the file entitled 'Recorded crime data at police force area level (including pivot table) from 2002/03'. This file is available here:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-324159

Consistent with published ONS crime trends data, the table above show figures for financial year periods, with the last data point covering the year ending March 2013. ONS have published data covering a more recent time period, with most recent data available is for the year to September 2013, where there were 356,284 crimes recorded by the police in the Yorkshire and Humber Region. This figure has an overlap of six months (October 2012 to March 2013) with the 2012/13 financial year.

Police recorded crime data covering the year to September can be found in the 'Police Force Area Data Tables-Crime in England and Wales, Year Ending September 2013' file, available here:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-326518

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of time taken is to determine an appeal of an initial award made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. [188602]

Mr Vara: The First-tier Tribunal—Criminal Injuries Compensation (CIC), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against decisions made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on claims tor compensation for criminal injuries.

In the financial year 2012-13, the average length of time between an appeal being lodged with the tribunal to determination was 59.1 weeks¹. CIC appeals frequently involve requests for further evidence, including medical evidence, and a number of cases are stayed while a lead case is determined. These issues, together with the age of the cases presented to the tribunal, have an inevitable effect on the average time taken. The Government are

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prioritising those cases that have been waiting the longest in order to ensure that they are resolved as quickly as possible.

¹ This is Management Information only and not subject to the same level of checks as Official Statistics.

Custodial Treatment

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders who received a custodial sentence have previously served (a) no, (b) between one and four, (c) between five and nine and (d) more than 10 community sentences in the most recent year for which figures are available. [179869]

Jeremy Wright: The Government are committed to transforming the way that offenders are rehabilitated in the community, so that more offenders engage with court orders and post-release supervision and fewer reoffend. By drawing on the best of the public, voluntary and private sectors the Government wish to see new, innovative approaches to tackling our current stubbornly high reoffending rates. From 11 December provisions in the Crime and Courts Act 2013 will require community orders to include a punitive element.

In order to impose a custodial sentence the court must be satisfied that the offence(s) is/are so serious that neither a fine alone nor a community sentence can be justified, and in considering seriousness the court must treat recent and relevant convictions as an aggravating factor.

The number of offenders who received a custodial sentence in 2012 and who had previously not been sentenced to a community order, or had received between one and four; between five and nine, or more than 10 community orders, is shown in the following table. Of those offenders sentenced to immediate custody in 2012, 72% had at least one previous custodial sentence.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to ensure that claimants required to present their appeals against the refusal of employment and support allowance on a Saturday have advocate support. [189746]

Mr Vara: The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service, hears appeals against the Department for Work

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and Pensions' decisions on a range of benefits, including employment and support allowance. The tribunal is designed to hear appeals from individuals without the need, for support from advocates.

The panel that hears the appeal, which will comprise experts such as judges, doctors, translators, and mental health experts, will guide the appellant through the appeal process. An appeal is inquisitorial rather than adversarial in nature. Appellants may engage advocates to help in preparing for or attending an appeal, but this is a matter entirely for the individual.

Appellants are asked before their case is listed if there are any days of the week, from Monday to Saturday, when they would be unable to attend a hearing. If Saturday is not convenient they can say so. Hearings which are held on a Saturday proceed exactly as they would on a weekday.

If an appellant has engaged an advocate but the advocate is not available to attend the scheduled hearing the matter will be put to a judge as to whether the hearing should be re-listed.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [191812]

Simon Hughes: Information on empty property business rates paid on vacant properties owned by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) or any Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of the MOJ is not held centrally.

Empty properties are eligible for a temporary exemption from business rates for a period of six months for industrial properties and three months for other properties. Once this period has expired, empty business properties are liable for full business rates. There are permanent exemptions for empty properties with a rateable value of less than £2,600, listed buildings, charities and community and amateur sports clubs.

The Government Property Unit has been supporting departments to rationalise the Government's estate by taking a cross-Government view of property. Since 2010, over £1.25 billion has been raised by selling surplus freehold properties. Through leaving property across the central civil estate, we have also delivered cumulative, gross run rate savings of over £454 million per year. Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end, the Government looks to explore all disposal options, including commercially sub-letting all or part of the space. Surplus property is listed on gov.uk

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 for free, boosting economic growth. Over 1,500 workstation spaces are now available in 57 different locations around England.

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Essex Probation

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what complaints against Essex Probation were upheld in each month since November 2013; what (a) response was made and (b) steps were taken by Essex Probation in each such case; and if he will make a statement. [192559]

Jeremy Wright: Since November 2013, one complaint against Essex Probation Trust has been upheld and two have been partially upheld. It would not be appropriate to disclose detailed information about responses to complaints (other than to the complainants), as they contain personal information.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to announce the membership of the board to succeed Essex Probation Trust; and if he will make a statement. [192560]

Jeremy Wright: From 1 June 2014, responsibility for probation provision in Essex will become the responsibility of the National Probation Service and the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) for Essex. The National Probation Service will form part of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and will be accountable to the Secretary of State, via the chief executive of NOMS. The appointment of the chief executive of the CRC was announced on 2 December 2013. We are in the process of selecting the other CRC board members and these appointments will be announced in due course.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much Essex Probation (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on security in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014 to date. [192561]

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not collected centrally and could not be obtained within the timescale. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he plans to take to increase the cost-effectiveness of Essex Probation in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [192563]

Jeremy Wright: As in all areas of the country, our Transforming Rehabilitation proposals will tackle high rates of reoffending by opening up the market to a wide range of providers, encouraging innovation in the way that we rehabilitate offenders, extending rehabilitation to offenders sentenced to less than 12 months in prison, and introducing "through-the-gate" support to offenders before release. By introducing competition within probation services, and paying providers for their success in reducing reoffending, we will drive efficiency, getting better value for money for the taxpayer.

We are on course to deliver these changes. The contract with Essex Probation Trust will end on 31 May, after which offender rehabilitation services will be delivered by the new national probation service and community rehabilitation companies.

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Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times the Chief Executive of Essex Probation has met hon. Members since November 2013; when and for what purpose each such meeting took place; where each such meeting took place; what the duration of each such meeting was; and if he will make a statement. [192581]

Jeremy Wright: On 20 December 2013, the chief executive met my hon. Friend the Member for Clacton (Mr Carswell) at Essex Probation head office, to discuss offender accommodation.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress Essex Probation Trust has made since November 2013 on the integrated Offender Management project; how much has been spent by Essex Probation Trust on that project to date; and if he will make a statement. [192582]

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not collected centrally and could not be obtained within the time scale. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a record of Essex Probation's government procurement card transactions indicating the (a) date, (b) merchant and (c) amount of each such transaction since November 2013; and if he will make a statement. [192583]

Jeremy Wright: When Essex Probation Trust has provided us with the requested information, I will arrange for it to be placed in the Library.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many members of the public have attended each meeting of the Essex Probation Trust in each month since November 2013; and if he will make a statement. [192584]

Jeremy Wright: No members of the public have attended Essex Probation Board meetings since November 2013.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress his Department has made in the winding up of Essex Probation Trust; how much he plans to pay members of the Essex Probation Board in redundancy payments; and if he will make a statement. [192585]

Jeremy Wright: A notice of termination in relation to the Secretary of State's contract with Essex Probation Trust was issued on 17 January 2014. It will come into effect oh 31 May 2014. The trust, in consultation with the National Offender Management Service, is engaged in completing scoping of the outstanding tasks that are needed before the trust can be dissolved. This work will continue for a short period after contract termination, principally to finalise the annual accounts and associated financial statements.

Probation Trust appointments are regulated by the Code of Practice of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. They do not attract redundancy payments.

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Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department plans to pay each member of Essex Probation Trust Board in each of the next six months; and if he will make a statement. [192621]

Jeremy Wright: The chair of Essex Probation Trust receives annual remuneration of £17,600. He will be paid at this rate during the continued operation of the trust board. The other trust members, other than the chief executive, who is an employee of the trust, are paid an hourly allowance of £15.40.

Legal Aid Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements he has put in place to mitigate the effects of planned reductions to legal aid under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on (a) unaccompanied migrant children who have made Article 8 right to private life and family claims, (b) unaccompanied migrant children who have mixed claims and (c) trafficked children who are seeking leave to remain from his Department and have Article 8 claims; and if he will make a statement. [192051]

Mr Vara: Legal aid funding remains available for asylum cases, which account for the vast majority of unaccompanied children. Legal aid also remains available for immigration advice for an application to enter or remain in the UK for victims of trafficking, including children.

Unaccompanied children would have a social worker assigned to them and receive the full range of support and services as all looked after children. For those over 18, many will be treated as care leavers and will continue to be entitled to a range of support from local authorities.

The immigration process is designed to be straightforward and easy to navigate. Therefore people in immigration cases should generally be able to deal with their own application and not need a lawyer. In the relatively few cases that are more complex, pro-bono advice or access to a law centre is an option for further support.

The Government had to take difficult decisions to respond to the unprecedented economic challenge we are facing, and the Ministry of Justice is making significant reductions to its budget as part of this. Legal aid could not be exempt from these tough choices—but we have ensured it remains available in cases that need it most.

Magistrates: Training

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on TV licensing training for magistrates in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012. [192326]

Mr Vara: This information is not collated centrally. It could be provided only at disproportionate cost by contacting each of the 26 local regions of Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service to isolate the information from the individual training records for 23,244 magistrates (1 April 2013).

The Judicial college provides comprehensive training materials which are always available to all members of the judiciary.