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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 2 April 2014

Northern Ireland

IRA Victims: Libyan Government Compensation

7. Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on gaining compensation from the Libyan Government for the victims of terrorist acts perpetrated by the IRA. [903399]

Mr Robathan: As the Prime Minister said during Prime Ministers Questions on 26 March 2014, the British Government have raised repeatedly with the Libyan Government, at the highest levels, the importance of them engaging with UK victims seeking redress. This includes those seeking compensation through private campaigns, and their legal representatives.

On-the-runs: Letters

9. Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on the review of so-called letters of comfort issued to on-the-runs. [903401]

Mrs Villiers: On 11 March 2014 I appointed Lady Justice Hallett to carry out an independent inquiry into the administrative scheme dealing with so-called “on- the runs”.

The terms of reference require the provision of a full public account of the operation and extent of the scheme.

I will lay a copy of the report before the House as soon as practicable after I receive it.

Government Spending Allocation

10. Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking to increase the amount of Government spending allocated to Northern Ireland. [903402]

Mr Robathan: The Government continue to provide considered additional support and, as a result of spending decisions announced at Budget, the Executive will receive positive Barnett consequentials of over £21 million. However, the long-term answer for the Northern Ireland economy is a private sector revival and not increases in Government spending.

Reduction in Public Sector Employment

13. Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the effect of reductions in the number of people employed in the public sector in Northern Ireland. [903405]

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Mr Robathan: The Government are committed to rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy in favour of the private sector, which we and the Executive believe is the best way to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future. Over the last year, private sector jobs in Northern Ireland have increased by 10,490 and public sector jobs by 1,790.

Economic Development

14. Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on economic development in Northern Ireland. [903406]

Mrs Villiers: I regularly hold discussions with Executive Ministers on a range of economic issues.

Last week, I chaired a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Task Force on Banking and Access to Finance which was established to help Northern Ireland businesses access finance.

15. Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on economic development in Northern Ireland. [903407]

Mrs Villiers: I regularly hold discussions with Executive Ministers on a range of economic issues.

Last week, I chaired a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Task Force on Banking and Access to Finance which was established to help Northern Ireland businesses access finance.

Trade Unions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether her Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision. [194045]

Mrs Villiers: My Department's payroll services are provided by the Ministry of Justice. We would therefore inherit any changes to the contract with the payroll provider made by the MOJ in relation to this issue. My understanding is that currently the MOJ has no plans to amend provisions relating to the check-off union subscription although options for change are being kept under review.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Competition Commission

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the Competition Commission's incomplete (a) market investigations, (b) merger inquiries, (c) regulatory references and (d) undertakings or order reviews will be continued by which new enforcers after 1 April 2014. [194146]

Jenny Willott: All of the Competition Commission's incomplete work passed to the Competition and Markets Authority on 1 April 2014. This includes five market investigations, 10 merger inquiries, one regulatory reference, and no reviews of orders or undertakings.

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Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what incentives his Department provides to companies who pioneer initiatives designed to tackle unemployment. [194316]

Matthew Hancock: “Small business; GREAT ambition”, published on 7 December 2013, is our commitment to making it easier for ambitious small businesses to grow. One of those commitments is to make it easier for businesses to take on new staff, through the reforming of employment law and making it simpler and cheaper to employ people.

More than 95,000 small businesses have been helped with the recruitment process through universal jobmatch, a free online service launched in November 2012. And to help businesses understand what they need to do when taking on new staff, we have created an “Employing staff for the first time tool” on gov.uk. We are cutting the cost of employment through the new £2,000 employment allowance, which will help 1.25 million employers reduce their national insurance bills. We are also abolishing employer national insurance contributions for under 21-year-olds earning less than £813 a week from April 2015.

To encourage small businesses to take on apprentices, we introduced the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers scheme which provides a £1,500 grant per apprentice for the first 10 16-to-24 apprentices recruited. Budget 2014 announced further funding of £85 million in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 to extend this scheme which will provide over 100,000 grants to employers.

More widely, our £3.2 billion Regional Growth Fund is a flexible and competitive fund operating across England from 2011 to 2017, creating jobs into the mid-2020s. The objectives of the Regional Growth Fund are to create economic growth by levering private sector investment and creating additional sustainable private sector employment and in particular, to rebalance the economy by helping those areas and communities that are currently dependent on the public sector. To date, the Fund has supported 400 awards totalling £2.6 billion of RGF and £14.7 billion of private sector investment, delivering 550,000 jobs.

EU External Trade: South East Asia

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that European Commission free trade agreement negotiations with (a) Thailand and (b) India safeguard access to affordable medicines; and if he will make a statement. [193854]

Michael Fallon: EU Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) include a chapter on the protection, enforcement and promotion of intellectual property (IP) rights. While the protection of IP is one of a number of factors that determine the cost of medicines, we actively seek to ensure that provisions on IP rights in EU FTAs do not have negative impacts on the ability of the poorest to access low-cost medicines.

On Thailand, we engage with the Commission and stand ready to support a constructive dialogue between the EU, the Government of Thailand and interested

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non-governmental organisations to establish the right balance between incentivising private sector investment in Thailand and ensuring that the FTA should not undermine access to essential medicines.

The UK welcomed the joint declaration by EU Trade Commissioner de Gucht and Indian Trade Minister Sharma in December 2010 that nothing in the EU-India FTA would prevent the poorest from accessing life-saving medicines. We continue to engage with the European Commission to ensure that this is the case.

Higher Education: Cheshire

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students started at Russell Group universities to study STEM subjects from (a) City of Chester constituency and (b) Cheshire West and Chester council area in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2013. [194071]

Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The numbers of entrants to UK Russell Group universities to study STEM subjects who were domiciled in (a) City of Chester constituency and (b) Cheshire West and Chester council area prior to their course by level of study has been provided in the following table for the academic years 2009/10 to 2012/13.

Information for the 2013/14 academic year will become available from the HESA in January 2015.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance he has given to local enterprise partnerships about the inclusion of higher education in their strategic economic plans. [193952]

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Michael Fallon: Local leaders and businesses, as represented by local enterprise partnerships are best placed to decide the economic priorities for their area and these will be highlighted in their strategic economic plans.

Higher Education leaders are well represented on LEP boards and this demonstrates the importance of HE, not only in delivering high-level skills, jobs and growth, but in ensuring that universities can play a key role in influencing the local economy.

Office of Fair Trading

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the Office of Fair Trading's incomplete (a) market studies, (b) competition enforcement cases and (c) consumer enforcement cases will be continued by which new enforcers after 1 April 2014. [194145]

Jenny Willott: All of the Office of Fair Trading's (OFT) incomplete market studies, competition enforcement cases and consumer enforcement cases, along with related projects, will be continued by the Competition and Markets Authority from 1 April 2014. This includes one market study, 11 competition enforcement cases, and two consumer enforcement cases. The figure for consumer enforcement cases does not include cases under the Estate Agents Act 1979—the OFT will pass four of these cases to Powys Trading Standards—or ongoing joint enforcement collaboration with the EU Consumer Protection Cooperation network. Information on which bodies will take on all of the responsibilities of the OFT is currently available at:

http://www.oft.gov.uk/about-the-oft/work-and-responsibilities/

Science: Higher Education

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage alternative providers of higher education to offer courses in STEM subjects. [193954]

Mr Willetts: The Government's reforms to higher education are encouraging alternative providers of higher education to enter the sector and so enhancing the choices available to students. All providers of higher education are free to develop and offer courses in response to student demand.

Courses such as Science, Technology and Engineering typically have teaching costs that cannot be met by tuition fees alone. The Government provide funding, through the Higher Education Council for England (HEFCE) to meet the teaching costs of these high-cost subjects. Under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, HEFCE is able to allocate funding to prescribed institutions of Higher Education in England. Alternative providers are not prescribed institutions of higher education and are not subject to the same regulatory conditions.

Students: Loans

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will increase the maximum amount that students at alternative providers can borrow from the Student Loans Company to £9,000. [193953]

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Mr Willetts: There are no plans to increase the maximum amount that students at alternative providers can borrow from the Student Loans Company to £9,000. Alternative providers are not subject to the same regulatory conditions as those providers whose students can access fee loans of up to £9,000. In particular, the fees that they may charge students are not subject to a cap, nor are these providers required to put in place an Access Agreement.

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the timetable is for the proposed selling of the pre-2012 student loan book. [194235]

Mr Willetts: The Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) book will be disposed of in a number of tranches, and it is the intention to complete the sale of the first tranche before the end of the 2015/16 financial year.

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of student loans issued under (a) the pre-2012 funding system and (b) the new system that will be fully or partially written off. [194237]

Mr Willetts: We estimate that around 40% of students supported under the pre-2012 funding system will benefit from having some or all of their loan written off.

We estimate that around 60% of students supported under the post-2012 funding system will benefit from having some or all of their loan written off.

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library an updated version of the ready reckoner on student loans and debt repayment reflecting his most recent estimate on future earnings, fees and RAB charges. [194238]

Mr Willetts: The ready reckoner was replaced in 2012 by the simplified student loan repayment model, which was published on the gov.uk website. This Department will publish an updated version of the simplified model on the gov.uk website when the BIS accounts are published in June this year.

Vocational Training

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what provision exists under his Department's Traineeships Programme for individuals with special needs. [194303]

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Education have worked closely to ensure that traineeships are accessible to learners with special needs and that those learners are supported during their participation on the programme. The Government believe that it is extremely important that young people and adults with special needs are able to access good quality vocational education and skills training to help in employment, participate in their community and lead a more independent life.

Young people aged 16 to 18 with statements of special educational needs (SEN), or aged 16 to 25 with Learning Difficulty Assessments (LDA) or Education, Health

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and Care (EHC) plans, can access traineeships and will continue to get the co-ordinated support the statement, LDA or EHC plan provides.

BIS provides Learning Support funding to colleges and providers to help them meet the additional needs of learners aged 19 to 24 who do not have a LDA or an EHC plan and who self-declare a learning difficulty and/or disability so that they can participate fully in education and training, including traineeships. Learning Support can cover a range of needs including funding to pay for specialist equipment and helpers; arranging note takers; talking to college staff about the particular help someone may need in lectures and seminars or discussing any special arrangements for exams. This funding also helps colleges and providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and meet the costs of reasonable adjustments as set out in the Equality Act 2010.

Young people with special needs can also choose to undertake a supported internship rather than a traineeship. Supported internships are open to young people aged 16 to 24 with a statement of SEN, a LDA or an EHC plan and who need more help to make the transition from education into employment. Supported internships offer a structured study programme, based primarily at an employer, and are tailored to the individual needs of a young person with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to equip them with the skills they need for the workplace. Both the young person and the employer will receive support from an expert job coach throughout the supported internship.

Women and Equalities

Older Workers

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what progress she has made on appointing a business champion for older workers. [193486]

Jenny Willott: The Department for Work and Pensions is currently developing a job specification and draft programme for an older worker's business champion, whose role will be to promote the business benefits of recruiting and retaining older workers.

Working Hours

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what proportion of employees in the Government Equalities Office of what (a) Civil Service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time. [193965]

Mrs Grant: The Department has a flexible working guide and working from home policy which allows employees to work from home, compressed hours, job share and during term-time only. Remote working facilities are available to all staff, enabling them to work from home or other locations as if they are in the office. Staff at all grades can work from home by agreement.

The proportion of employees in the Government Equalities Office (a) civil service pay grade and (b) gender are shown in the tables:

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We do not keep central records of employees who work flexi time. Staff can work flexi time by agreement. Staff at all grades can work from home on an ad-hoc basis with agreement from their line Managers.

Attorney-General

Fraud

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General against what corporate defendants the Serious Fraud Office has brought enforcement actions in the last 10 years; what the outcome of each such action was; what civil recovery was ordered in each successful case; what criminal fines were imposed in each successful case; and under what primary legislation each case was brought. [192848]

The Solicitor-General: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has brought enforcement actions against 11 corporate defendants in the last 10 years, as set out in the following table.

Before 2008, all successful SFO prosecutions were of individuals. The following table shows the fines and civil recovery orders (CROs) in SFO cases involving corporates since then.

The above proceedings marked “CRO” were commenced in accordance with Chapter 2 of Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

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Severn Trent Water Ltd pleaded guilty to an offence under the Water Industry Act 1991.

Mabey and Johnson Ltd pleaded guilty to offences under the Criminal Law Act 1977, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 and United Nations Act 1946.

BAE Systems plc pleaded guilty to an offence of failing to maintain adequate accounting records under the Companies Act 1985.

Innospec Ltd pleaded guilty to an offence under the Criminal Law Act 1977.

In 2006, the SFO brought charges against five companies in relation to alleged price fixing of pharmaceutical products. The five companies were Kent Pharmaceuticals, Norton Healthcare Ltd, Generics (UK) Ltd, Ranbaxy (UK) Ltd, and Goldshield Group plc. In 2008, a judge ordered the acquittal of all five companies.

If a company is to be prosecuted, it is usually necessary in cases to demonstrate that the controlling minds of a company were knowing participants in the criminality being alleged. This can be difficult to prove, especially in complex cases, and so most SFO prosecutions have been of individuals rather than companies. Other outcomes are also possible. In 2010, BAE Systems plc agreed to make a £29.5 million payment for the benefit of the people of Tanzania, following a settlement with the SFO and the US Department of Justice. Last year, Oxford University Press (owners of Oxford Publishing Ltd) unilaterally offered to contribute £2 million to not-for-profit organisations for teacher training and other educational purposes in sub-Saharan Africa.

Working Hours

Lucy Powell: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of employees in the Law Officers' Departments of each (a) civil service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time. [193956]

The Solicitor-General: Tables containing the information requested where available have been deposited in the Library of the House.

Health

Abortion

Mr Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that sex-selective abortion does not place in the UK; [194256]

(2) if he will bring forward proposals to amend HAS4 abortion referral forms to include a declaration on the part of registered medical practitioners that they are satisfied that the women is not seeking an abortion on the grounds of foetal sex. [194257]

Jane Ellison: There are no plans to record the gender of the foetus on HSA4 forms. Abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal. The 1967 Abortion Act states that two practitioners have to be:

“of the opinion, formed in good faith”

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that the woman has grounds for an abortion according to the criteria set out in that Act. By signing the form, the terminating doctor is confirming that the abortion is being carried out in compliance with the Abortion Act.

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2014, Official Report, column 949W, on abortion, how many Ground E terminations were permitted due to a sex-linked inherited condition in the foetus in each of the last five years for which records are available. [194306]

Jane Ellison: This information is not available.

Antibiotics

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with (a) the British Medical Association and (b) GPs' representatives about over prescription of antibiotics. [193759]

Jane Ellison: Ministers have not had a recent meeting with the British Medical Association or general practitioner (GP) representatives on the specific issue of the inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics.

However, officials in the Department continue to collaborate closely with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) on improving GP prescribing through TARGET (Treat Antibiotics Responsibly, Guidance and Educational Tool), which is available on the RCGP website. This resource has been updated to build the case for action and to provide materials about appropriate use of antibiotics. Engaging with GPs on the antimicrobial resistance also extends to Public Health England's co-ordinating group for the implementation of the UK five-year Antimicrobial Strategy. We understand that this co-ordination group has an active representative from the RCGP.

The Department will continue to seek engagement with all stakeholders on the implementation on the Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and will be publishing an update on these plans in April 2014.

Arthritis: Young People

Mrs Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to raise public awareness of juvenile idiopathic arthritis among (a) GPs, (b) the general public, (c) school teachers and (d) schoolchildren in England. [193819]

Dr Poulter: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care, which is evidence-based and aimed at health, public health and social care practitioners. Information on juvenile idiopathic arthritis, including that aimed at the general public, is available on the NICE website. Additionally the NHS Choices website contains information aimed at the general public on the condition.

The Department for Education is not aware of any steps that have been taken to raise the awareness of juvenile idiopathic arthritis among school teachers or children in England.

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Mrs Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the quality and geographical provision of health services provided to patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in England. [193820]

Dr Poulter: NHS England has advised that the Paediatric Medicine Clinical Reference Group is currently developing a paediatric rheumatology quality dashboard which they anticipate will go live during 2014; this focuses on outcomes for children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

The geographical coverage of rheumatology services for children was part of the service specification compliance undertaken between NHS England and providers of the service during 2013-14. It is anticipated that the results of this will be soon be available.

The following table gives the latest available data on the number of finished admission episodes for children aged 0-17 years with a primary diagnosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis in England, by Strategic Health Authority (SHA) of treatment for 2010-11 to 2012-13.

Breast Cancer

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department offers to clinical commissioning groups on how they should best use the NICE breast cancer quality standard. [193853]

Jane Ellison: The Department has not issued any guidance to clinical commissioning groups on how to use the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) breast cancer quality standard.

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It is the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups to decide how best to use the NICE breast cancer quality standard.

NICE quality standards are a concise set of statements designed to drive and measure priority quality improvements within a particular area of care. They are derived from the best available evidence and set out the markers of high-quality, cost-effective care.

While providers and commissioners must have regard to the NICE quality standards in planning and delivering services, the quality standards do not provide a comprehensive service specification and are not mandatory. However NHS England continues to champion their use with providers and commissioners.

Buildings

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what refurbishments have been carried out by his Department since May 2010; what the cost of such refurbishment was by category of expenditure; what refurbishments are planned; and what the estimated cost is of such future refurbishments. [193985]

Dr Poulter [holding answer 31 March 2014]: The Department has updated its buildings to accommodate existing and new organisations. As a result, we have been able to reduce our number of property holdings by nine, which has resulted in savings of £5.5 million per annum, and delivered a number of improvements to our lighting, heating and cooling systems which will make our buildings more energy-efficient and help towards delivering our Greener Government targets.

Expenditure on office refurbishment undertaken by the Department since May 2010 is as follows. Refurbishment costs relate to the general fit out, improvement and provision of furniture and equipment and exclude building repair and maintenance. It is not possible to provide a more detailed breakdown of this expenditure by category of refurbishment without incurring disproportionate cost.

Planned refurbishment with estimated costs for 2014-15, where known, are as follows:

Cystic Fibrosis

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current arrangements for donor lung allocation for people with cystic fibrosis. [193764]

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Jane Ellison: The current lung allocation system, including those to cystic fibrosis patients, is monitored closely to ensure there is equity for patients across the United Kingdom. The most recent analysis showed no statistically significant differences in allocation across the UK lung transplant centres. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) continue to consider practical steps within the current allocation system which could improve patient outcomes.

Lung allocation policy is developed by the Cardiothoracic Organs Advisory Group. It is presently reviewing the current approach, focusing on equity and better outcomes for patients. Any recommendations to change allocation policy will be considered by NHSBT, who will check to ensure that they meet the aims of the allocation system and that they have the support of transplant stakeholders before making any changes.

Health Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to holding surgeries and awareness events on men's health at sports clubs and public houses. [193761]

Jane Ellison: In April 2013 we transferred responsibility for improving public health to local authorities, giving them the flexibility to innovate and tailor services to meet local individual and population needs.

Men and women aged 40 to 74 who have not been diagnosed with an existing vascular disease, or are being treated for certain risk factors, should be offered a free NHS Health Check every five years. Local authorities are looking at innovative ways of delivering the programme including targeting harder to reach groups, including men, and the Department is aware that events have been held in sports clubs.

Health Professions: Regulation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 663W, on health professionals, if he will publish the robust evidence-based cost-benefit risk analysis of the regulation of unregulated health care professionals. [193771]

Dr Poulter: The answer of 4 March 2011 related to the regulation of the health care science work force and not unregulated health care professionals more generally.

Modernising Scientific Careers has put in place standardised and accredited education and training programmes for the health care science work force that enable formalised regulation, whether voluntary or statutory.

For those health care scientists not regulated by statute the Academy for Healthcare Science holds a voluntary register and will be seeking accreditation from the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care.

Health Services: Staffordshire

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the Distressed Economy Strategic Review in the NHS in North Staffordshire;

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when that review will report; and what the terms of reference of that review are. [193889]

Jane Ellison: NHS England has advised that the work to which the question refers is entitled ‘Intensive Planning Support to Challenged Local Health Economies’. Staffordshire has been identified as one of 11 challenged local health economies.

This is being jointly commissioned by NHS England, the NHS Trust Development Authority and Monitor, and will provide commissioners and providers in the 11 areas with intensive support for the development of fully aligned five-year strategic plans. Support will include a diagnosis of supply and demand, analysis of possible options, and development of an implementation plan.

Supplier bids have been submitted to Monitor, which is leading the procurement process, and are now being considered. It is expected that contracts will commence in April 2014 and end in June 2014.

NHS: Drugs

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on the use of unlicensed medicines in the NHS where licensed medicines exist. [194015]

Norman Lamb: Unlicensed medicines can be prescribed to meet the specific clinical needs of an individual patient. Such decisions need to be made in discussion with the patient concerned, taking into account the General Medical Council's prescribing guidance on unlicensed medicines.

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the time scales are for delivering the commitment in the 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme for his Department to work with industry and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to support further consideration of issues and potential resolutions around the use of unlicensed comparators. [194016]

Norman Lamb: Departmental officials are working with industry and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to deliver the commitment in the 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme relating to the use of unlicensed comparators in NICE technology appraisal guidance. There is no set time scale for delivery of this commitment as yet.

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions his Department has requested the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to perform a technology appraisal on an unlicensed medicine; and on what basis such a request was made in each case. [194017]

Norman Lamb: We have not referred any unlicensed drugs to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal programme.

However, we have asked NICE to produce guidance on the 'off-label' use of immunosuppressants for renal transplantation in adults and children (TA85 and TA99) and on Velcade (bortezomib) and thalidomide for multiple myeloma (TA228).

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Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on how many occasions the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has not recommended a licensed treatment where an unlicensed comparator was used in the relevant health technology appraisal; [194018]

(2) what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the use by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence of unlicensed comparators in technology appraisals on the regulatory incentives for the development of licensed (a) paediatric medicines and (b) medicines for rare diseases. [194020]

Norman Lamb: Since 2007, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not issued any technology appraisal guidance which did not recommend a drug or treatment on the basis of a comparison with an unlicensed medicinal product. To include information relating to the period prior to 2007 would incur disproportionate cost.

The Department has made no assessment of the effect of NICE's use of unlicensed comparators in technology appraisals on the development of medicines for children and for rare diseases. There are a number of incentives at European Union level to encourage the development and authorisation of paediatric medicines and orphan medicines for rare diseases.

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to determine whether an unlicensed medicine is in established use within the NHS. [194019]

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) follows a rigorous process for determining the appropriateness of comparator technologies in its technology appraisals.

This includes consideration of evidence from clinical experts and manufacturers on comparator technologies that may not have a marketing authorisation but which are in established use within the national health service.

NICE'S ‘Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal’, is available on its website at:

www.nice.org.uk/media/D45/1E/GuideToMethodsTechnologyAppraisal2013.pdf

NHS: Finance

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the statement in the NHS Confederation's 2015 Challenge, that it is very possible that the current basis of the NHS, free for all at the point of need, will become unsustainable in the future; and if he will make a statement. [193982]

Dr Poulter: The principles underpinning the national health service, enshrined in the NHS Constitution, include that it provides a comprehensive service available to all based on clinical need and that NHS services are free of charge except in limited circumstances sanctioned by Parliament.

Rising demands and continued fiscal constraint means that the NHS faces challenges in ensuring that it remains financially sustainable in the future. The Government believe that the answer to these challenges lies in changing

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the way services are delivered and keeping people well and independent for longer, not in altering the fundamental principles that underpin the NHS.

Organs: Donors

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in (a) Redcar and Cleveland, (b) Middlesbrough, (c) the North East and (d) England are registered organ donors. [194023]

Jane Ellison: The information requested is in the following table:

Respite Care

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve respite care provision in (a) Peterborough and (b) England; and if he will make a statement. [193860]

Norman Lamb: A range of respite support is currently available in Peterborough, including home-based respite, day services, a Shared Lives scheme, residential respite and emergency respite. Over 2013-14 the Council spent £1.16 million on commissioned respite services amounting to 1,294 weeks of respite over the year. In addition, the Council and the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are working together to improve respite provision through joined-up commissioning and multi-disciplinary approaches to assessment and case management. Peterborough City Council and Peterborough CCG will be using Better Care Fund opportunities to further develop carer support to meet the anticipated changes in the Care Bill.

We have provided £400 million to the national health service over four years from 2011 for carers to have breaks from their caring responsibilities. From 2013, the allocation of resources to CCGs, including appropriate investment for carers' support and breaks, has been a matter for NHS England. In the 2013 spending review, we announced the £3.8.billion Better Care Fund, which includes £130 million funding for carers' breaks for 2015-16.

The provisions in the Care Bill will help to ensure that local authorities, through a carer's assessment, meet a carer's eligible needs for support, including providing respite care.

Self-harm: Young People

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to prevent incidents of self-harm in the under 18-years-old age group. [193752]

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Norman Lamb: The Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is there to support children of school age who are found to be self-harming.

Spotting the signs of mental health problems early in children and young people is essential to prevent problems from escalating and continuing into adulthood. That is why on 25 March 2014 I launched an interactive e-learning programme via an ePortal. This is an educational and advice programme to improve mental health outcomes for children. Funded by the Department of Health, it will extend the skills and knowledge of NHS clinicians, staff working in other settings, such as teachers, social workers, and counsellors and supervisors working in a range of educational and youth organisations. This will also explore whether e-therapy options can be delivered to children and young people, such as computerised cognitive behavioural therapy.

Children's mental health is a priority for this Government. That is why we are investing £54 million over the four-year period 2011 to 2015 in the Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme to drive service transformation in CAMHS—giving children and young people improved access to the best mental health care by embedding evidence-based practice and making sure whole services use session by session outcome monitoring.

Emergency departments should aim to refer all those who present with self-harm for a psychosocial assessment, as set out in National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. We expect general practitioners to refer people who disclose self-harm to psychological therapies as appropriate. In the revised Public Health Outcomes Framework, we have therefore introduced a new indicator that is specifically about self-harm. Under this indication we will measure: attendances at emergency departments for self-harm per 100,000 population and percentage of attendances at emergency departments for self-harm that received a psychosocial assessment.

The Department, with key partners, is currently looking at the options available for taking forward a new survey of children and young people to look at the prevalence of mental health conditions including self-harm. We are seeking advice on the options for the survey, and what such a survey would be able to tell us.

Self harm has a strong association with subsequent suicide. At least half of all people who die by suicide have a history of self-harm so it should always be taken seriously, as evidence of underlying distress or mental illness. This is why the Government's suicide prevention strategy highlights people with a history of self-harm as a high-risk group. We strongly support working closely with families and made this clear in the “Information sharing and suicide prevention: Consensus statement”, published alongside the first annual report on the suicide prevention strategy.

Sepsis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with sepsis in each of the last five years. [193760]

Dr Poulter: Relevant information requested is provided in the following tables. It is provided two different measures-‘provider spells’ and ‘finished consultant episodes’.

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A 'provider spell' is essentially a hospital stay, namely the period between admission to hospital and the discharge from hospital of a patient.

Such provider spells comprise of one or more 'finished consultant episodes' (FCEs), each of which is the interval of care under one consultant. Patients with sepsis may be transferred between consultants and so finished consultant episodes may double count the incidence of sepsis, as one incident of sepsis could be treated by more than one consultant. For completeness however, both sets of data are presented as follows.

The total count of provider spells with a mention of sepsis¹ in any episode in the last five years is set out in the following table:

¹ Admissions with a diagnostic mention of the following: A39.2 (Acute meningococcaemia), A39.3 (Chronic meningococcaemia), A39.4 (Meningococcaemia, unspecified), A40 (Streptococcal sepsis), A41 (Other sepsis). The codes for sepsis in the table are those that ONS uses for the counting of deaths from sepsis.

The following data are the numbers of FCEs.

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Skin Cancer

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he intends to make to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the use of ipilimumab as a first line treatment for advanced melanoma. [193885]

Norman Lamb: We have no immediate plans to make any representations to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence regarding its technology appraisal of ipilimumab (Yervoy) for previously untreated unresectable stage III or IV malignant melanoma.

However, as a stakeholder in this appraisal, the Department will consider making representations as part of the appraisal process.

Social Services

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings officials in his Department have had with officials from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the implications of the Consumer Rights Bill for (a) users of personal care budgets and (b) providers of personal care budgets; and what the civil service grades of officials present were. [193791]

Norman Lamb: There has been regular informal contact between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Department of Health policy officials regarding the impact of the Consumer Rights Bill, as is usual for the development of primary legislation. This includes contact with policy officials within the adult social care directorate in the Department of Health covering issues including personal budgets and the adult social care market.

In addition, BIS consulted widely on consumer law reform in 2008 and 2012, and published a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny in 2013. BIS has also completed full impact assessments for the provisions in the Bill.

Streptococcus

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born with Group B streptococcus in each of the last five years. [193775]

Dr Poulter: Public Health England (PHE) does not have data on the number of babies born each year with group B streptococcus (GBS) colonisation.

PHE does have surveillance data collected from routine laboratory reporting outlining the numbers of babies less than seven days old diagnosed with GBS bacteraemia (“early onset disease”).

Data supplied in the following table are the annual counts of GBS bacteraemia in babies with early onset disease in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; 2008 to 2012

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The early onset GBS bacteraemia data are published as part of the Health Protection Report series, the most recent streptococcal infection report was published in November 2013.

Tobacco: Packaging

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account he has taken of the decision by the Belgian Government not to pursue a policy of standard packaging of tobacco. [193769]

Jane Ellison: We are aware of the efforts of other countries to focus on reducing the harms associated with tobacco. It is for the Belgian Government to decide how they proceed with tobacco control measures based on their national circumstances.

Trade Unions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision. [194041]

Dr Poulter: In accordance with the request from the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Department of Health and its Executive agencies (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and Public Health England) have undertaken a review of the provision of the check-off facility.

Working Hours

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of employees in his Department of what (a) Civil Service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time. [193966]

Dr Poulter: Decisions on flexible working patterns are taken locally by line managers. This means that information about flexi-time, home working, compressed hours and job-share arrangements would incur disproportionate costs to establish.

However, information about part-time (which includes reduced-hours and term-time working) and full-time working patterns by grade and gender and related topics are available publicly in the Government's "Workforce Equality information 2014" report, Annex A, tables 2 and 29. This can be accessed at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-equality-information-2014

The two tables relevant to this question are reproduced as follows:

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International Development

Ethiopia

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will itemise all sectoral budget support given to the Ethiopian Government in the last two years. [194298]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID has provided the following sector budget support to the Ethiopian Government over the financial years 2012-13 and 2013-14:

Trade Unions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision. [194043]

Mr Duncan: The Department is undertaking a review of the provision of check-off.

Working Hours

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of employees in her Department of what (a) civil service pay grade and (b) gender work (i) reduced hours, (ii) flexi-time, (iii) from home, (iv) a compressed working week, (v) job share, (vi) term-time only and (vii) part-time. [193968]

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Mr Duncan: Information on the proportion of employees who work flexibly in DFID by pay grade is as follows:

Information by gender is outlined as follows:

DFID managers agree any flexible working and home working arrangements in line with our policies. Information is not centrally recorded.

Fewer than five people work have formal contracted job-share arrangements or work term time.

Treasury

Annuities

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on average returns from annuities; [193947]

(2) what plans the Government have to ensure that a range of good value financial options are available for those approaching retirement; [193934]

(3) what estimate he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on (a) prices and (b) availability of annuities; [194273]

(4) what estimate he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the price of an annuity for those with pension pots worth (a) £10,000, (b) £20,000, (c) £30,000, (d) £40,000, (e) £50,000 and (f) £100,000; [194274]

(5) what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the availability of an annuity for those with pension pots worth (a) £10,000, (b) £20,000, (c) £30,000, (d) £40,000, (e) £50,000 and (f) £100,000. [194275]

Mr Gauke: At Budget, the Government announced significant reforms to the pensions market, giving people greater choice about how to access their defined contribution pension savings. The Government expect the change to the pensions market to stimulate innovation and new competition in the retirement income market. This new

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flexibility will help consumers choosing to buy an annuity to get a better deal in a much more competitive market place.

The shape of the market will be driven by the choices consumers make, placing power back into the hands of savers. As retirement changes, many people may opt to buy an annuity later in life, allowing them to benefit from higher annuity rates or at a time that better suits their individual circumstances.

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when the Financial Conduct Authority will publish the results of its review into the effectiveness of the Current Account Switching Service; [193796]

(2) when he expects the Financial Conduct Authority to publish the results of its study of the costs and benefits of account number portability; [193875]

(3) when he expects personal current account customers to be able to access transactional data on their account in a standardised and downloadable format for use as a comparison tool; [193797]

(4) when the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority will publish a review of their work on removing barriers to entry and expansion in retail banking. [193798]

Sajid Javid: Budget 2014 detailed the latest steps in the Government's programme of reforms to improve competition in banking.

This included confirmation that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will commence a study of the costs and benefits of account number portability alongside its planned review in September into the effectiveness of the Current Account Switching Service; that the largest personal current account providers will give their customers access transactional level data on their personal current accounts in a standardised and downloadable format, which can be used in comparison tools, by the end of 2014; and that the FCA and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) will publish a review of their work on removing barriers to entry and expansion in retail banking later this year.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Payment Systems Regulator will launch its market study into the ownership of payment systems by the largest banks. [193799]

Sajid Javid: The Budget announced that the Market Investigation Reference powers of the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) would be commenced on 1 April 2014. Any decision regarding whether or when to use these powers will be for the PSR to take, once it is established.

Business: Government Assistance

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what funds were disbursed through the Enterprise Investment Scheme to film projects in each month since June 2010. [194281]

Mr Gauke: The information held on HMRC’s systems does not distinguish what funds have been raised through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) in film projects and this could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

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Fixed Interest Securities: Pensioners

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether pensioners resident in the UK who are not British citizens will be eligible to subscribe to his proposed fixed-rate savings bonds for pensioners. [192867]

Sajid Javid: The fixed-rate savings bonds announced at Budget 2014 will be open to pensioners resident in the UK ages 65 and over with a UK bank account in their name, subject to the terms and conditions of the products which will be decided in advance of launch.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has reached an agreement with the Northern Ireland Executive not to impose financial penalties should the under-occupancy penalty fail to be introduced in Northern Ireland. [184907]

Mr Gauke: The Government have been clear that the delay in implementing welfare reforms is having a negative impact on the Exchequer and that the UK Government will, under the principles set out in the Statement of Funding Policy, seek to recover costs incurred from January 2014 onwards, including in relation to the removal of the spare room subsidy.

Money Advice Service

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people received face-to-face guidance from the Money Advice Service in each of the last five years. [193943]

Sajid Javid: The Consumer Financial Education Body, called the Money Advice Service (MAS) from April 2011, came into existence in April 2010. Figures for face-to-face money advice sessions over this period are as follows:

National Savings Bonds: Pensioners

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the costs to the public purse of the introduction of the pensioner bond in each of the next 20 financial years. [193912]

Sajid Javid: Our central assumption of the annual costs of the NS&I fixed-rate savings bond for people aged 65 or over has been certified by the Office of Budget Responsibility. Details are set out in the Budget policy costings document.

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https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295067/PU1638_policy_costings_bud_2014_with_correction_slip.pdf

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rate of return will be offered through the new pensioner bond. [193913]

Sajid Javid: The interest rates offered on the National Savings and Investments (NS&I) fixed-rate bonds for people aged 65 or over announced at Budget 2014 will be finalised at autumn statement, to take account of prevailing market conditions at that time.

However for the purposes of costing the measure, the central assumption made is that NS&I will launch a one year bond paying 2.8% gross/annual equivalent rate (AER) and a three year bond paying 4.0% gross/AER, with an investment limit of £10,000 per bond.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what criteria people will be eligible for the new pensioner bond. [193914]

Sajid Javid: National Savings and Investments (NS&I) products are open to investors with a UK bank account in their name who can satisfy the terms and conditions. The fixed-rate savings bonds announced at Budget 2014 will be open to investors aged 65 and over, with precise terms and conditions of the products to be confirmed before launch.

Occupational Pensions

Mr Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the effect of extending the rights to exercise choice in the future investment of the proceeds of defined contribution pensions to all pension holders who have bought an annuity since 6 April 2013. [194191]

Mr Gauke: Unwinding annuities bought since 6 April 2013 would involve interfering with contracts already concluded. It would undermine legal certainty and the rule of law if annuity providers were no longer able to rely on contracts which they had entered into in good faith, under the law as it then stood.

An annuity carries a substitute cancellation right which acts as a 30-day cooling off period. In reaction to the recent announcements, many providers have extended this period to enable consumers to make more informed decisions. The Government are working with industry to ensure that those people who have purchased an annuity and are still within their cooling off period can take advantage of increased flexibility next year, and are not disadvantaged if they wish to do so.

Office of Tax Simplification

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) civil servants and (b) part-time private sector secondees have worked or are expected to work at the Office of Tax Simplification during (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14. [181128]

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Mr Gauke: The OTS was set up by the Chancellor in July 2010 as an independent office to advise on tax simplification. It has completed reviews into tax reliefs, small business tax, pensioner taxation, and share schemes. It is about to publish reports on employee benefits and expenses, and the taxation of partnerships.

Details of the OTS team are available on the OTS website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-tax-simplification

Pensions

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the pension proposals on social care for the elderly. [R] [193903]

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the costs of social care in old age. [193927]

Mr Gauke: This measure fundamentally changes the way that people can access their retirement savings, and so, depending on the decisions they make, people may increase or decrease their chances of being eligible for means-tested services at some point in their retirement.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the change in the number of people who will rely wholly on the single tier state pension as a result of the planned changes to pensions from April 2015; [193921]

(2) what estimate he has made of the impact of the planned changes to pensions on the number of people relying on (a) housing benefit, (b) pensioner credit and (c) other means-tested pensioner support. [193937]

Mr Gauke: The impact will depend on how people choose to use their pension savings, which is difficult to predict. Depending on the choices they make, people may be either more or less likely to become eligible for means-tested benefits at some point in their retirement, compared with the current system. However we are talking about people who have saved for their future and therefore we would expect the numbers choosing to rely solely on welfare benefits to be small. The introduction of the single tier pension also means that fewer people would be eligible for pension credit even if they chose to rely on the state.

The increased freedom and flexibility announced at the Budget will not change the size of the pension that people have, but will give them more options regarding how to use it. For that reason, we do not anticipate that it will change the number of people who rely wholly on the state pension to support them in retirement.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions from April 2015 on the availability of long-term investment funds for infrastructure projects. [193922]

Mr Gauke: The Government welcome the increased appetite among insurers for investments in infrastructure. Insurers want to invest in infrastructure because the

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regular cash flow profile and potential long duration of these investments is attractive for backing long-term liabilities.

The Government believe infrastructure assets will remain an attractive investment for the purpose of providing a regular source of income in retirement.

The Government recognise the important role private sector defined benefit schemes play in funding long-term investment in the UK economy. The Government are consulting on whether to permit transfers from defined benefits schemes under the new freedoms.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what provision he has made for financial guidance for individuals on the planned changes to pensions; [193923]

(2) whether the guidance which the Government are proposing for those who access their pension savings at age 55 will be available at the point at which they (a) withdraw from their pensions savings or (b) enter full retirement; [193931]

(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that the guidance that people receive as they approach the point of drawing down their pension will be both sufficient and independent; [193932]

(4) what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority about changes in regulation of the financial services market to protect people accessing their pension savings at the age of 55; [193936]

(5) whether the guidance given to those approaching retirement will be a specific recommendation of a product to secure the best income in retirement. [194272]

Mr Gauke: At Budget, the Government announced significant reforms to the pensions market, giving people greater choice about how they access their defined contribution savings. Alongside this, the Government announced a new guarantee that everyone with a defined contribution pension will be offered free and impartial face to face guidance on their financial choices in retirement when they retire. The Government will introduce a new duty on pension providers and trust-based schemes to deliver this 'guidance guarantee' and this will take effect by April 2015. The Government are consulting on how best to deliver this guidance as part of their consultation, 'Flexibility and Choice in Pensions'.

The guidance will ensure that consumers are empowered and equipped to make the most of their pension savings, and to make decisions that best suit their personal circumstances and risk appetite for the duration of their retirement.

The Government have asked the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), working closely with the Pensions Regulator and the Department for Work and Pensions, to co-ordinate the development of robust standards for this guidance and a framework for monitoring compliance. In developing these standards the FCA will work in partnership with consumer groups, the Pensions Advisory Service, and the Money Advice Service.

The Government intend that this guidance will be a critical step for consumers at the point of retirement, where they will be able to talk through available options and explore those which could best suit their personal circumstances. It will be impartial and will not recommend specific products or providers.

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The Government also recognise that people may need financial guidance later in retirement as their circumstances change. The Government are seeking views as part of the consultation on what more can be done to ensure that guidance is available at key decision points during retirement.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) who will provide face-to-face financial guidance introduced as a result of the planned changes to pensions; [193924]

(2) what estimate he has made of the costs of providing free financial guidance to people at the point of retirement; [193930]

(3) what assessment he has made of the capacity of the financial services sector to provide face-to-face guidance to 500,000 people a year; [193946]

(4) if he will publish the analysis underlying the decision to allocate £20 million to the provision of consumer advice for pensions; [194249]

(5) if he will publish the analysis underlying the feasibility of delivering face-to-face financial guidance to an additional 500,000 people from April 2015. [194250]

Mr Gauke: The Government announced at Budget a new guarantee that everyone with defined contribution pension savings will be offered free and impartial face-to-face guidance at the point of retirement on their financial choices.

The guidance guarantee builds on the Association of British Insurers' (ABI) commitment that pension providers will provide, at the point of retirement:

“a conversation for customers with their pension provider or an impartial advice or guidance service about their retirement options.”

However the Government want to go further by ensuring that all consumers reaching retirement receive good quality guidance that meets their needs and stimulates active and informed choices.

The Government are specifically consulting, as part of their consultation, 'Flexibility and Choice in Pensions', on whether pension providers should be allowed to deliver this guidance themselves (in accordance with strict standards) or whether it must always be delivered by independent third parties.

The Government have been clear that a duty will be placed on pension providers to offer and fund this guidance guarantee. The Government's aim is that the guidance guarantee meets consumers' needs and works in their interests, and is delivered efficiently and in a way which avoids unnecessary compliance cost.

The Government are making available a development fund of up to £20 million to get this initiative up and running; it could be used, for example, to develop tools and materials, training or capacity building. Further details on how the development fund could be spent and disbursed will be published in the summer as part of the Government's response.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on (a) low, (b) middle and (c) higher income earners. [193925]

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Mr Gauke: The proposed changes will enable individuals to access their defined contribution pension savings as they wish at the point of retirement, subject to their marginal rate of income tax (rather than the current 55% charge for full withdrawal): Under the previous system, only individuals with less than £18,000 of total pension savings, and those with a guaranteed annual income in retirement of over £20,000 (the equivalent of a pension pot of around £310,000 at today's annuity rates) were allowed full flexibility. The changes the Government propose will entitle everyone to full flexibility regardless of their total defined contribution pension savings.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on opportunities for tax evasion by higher rate tax payers. [193928]

Mr Gauke: The Treasury is consulting on how best to deliver the Government's aims for pension flexibility. This will ensure that the legislation is robust and does not open opportunities for evasion.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the housing market. [193929]

Mr Gauke: The Government published a consultation, "Freedom of Choice in Pensions" alongside Budget 2014, where it is considering how the planned changes could potentially impact on investment in the wider economy.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what provisions will be in place to ensure people retain assets to support them in very old age. [193933]

Mr Gauke: The proposed changes will ensure that individuals benefit from having additional flexibility and choice over how they access their pension savings. The Government recognise that people will need the right support and guidance to make decisions that best suit their evolving personal circumstances. The Government will therefore introduce a new 'guidance guarantee' to ensure that everyone approaching retirement receives free and impartial face-to-face guidance on their available choices.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the need to reform pensions tax relief. [193938]

Mr Gauke: The planned changes do not affect pensions tax relief during the accumulation phase. This Government have already taken action to restrict the generosity of pensions tax relief to make it affordable by legislating to restrict the annual and lifetime allowances.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of allowing people to withdraw pension savings at the age of 55 at a marginal rate of tax on the level of such savings. [193940]

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Mr Gauke: At Budget 2014, the Government announced changes which give greater flexibility to many individuals with private pension savings.

It is estimated that these changes will promote greater saving into pension schemes as described in the 'Budget 2014: Policy Costings' document (p.12), as certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility. This is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295067/PU1638_policy_costings_bud_2014_with_correction_slip.pdf

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the average cost of independent financial advice; [193941]

(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions on the average cost of face-to-face financial guidance. [193942]

Mr Gauke: The Government are currently consulting on how best to deliver the 'at retirement guidance guarantee' announced at Budget through their consultation 'Freedom and Choice in Pensions'.

The Government have made available a development fund of up to £20 million to get the guidance initiative up and running. Ongoing delivery costs of this guidance to consumers will be met by providers.

The Government intend that this guidance will be a critical step for consumers at the point of retirement, where they will be able to talk through available options and explore those which could best suit their personal circumstances. This guidance is not designed to replace the services of professional financial advice, and many consumers will want to seek further assistance or advice following their guidance session, in particular to help them purchase a product. The Government are working with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to explore the extent to which regulated advice can be made more affordable through more cost effective delivery, such as through the development of online delivery channels.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the planned changes to pensions for low and middle pensioner income. [193949]

Mr Gauke: The proposed changes will enable individuals to access their defined contribution pension savings as they wish at the point of retirement, subject to their marginal rate of income tax (rather than the current 55% charge for full withdrawal). Under the previous system, only individuals with less than £18,000 of total pension savings, and those with a guaranteed annual income in retirement of over £20,000 (the equivalent of a pension pot of around £310,000 at today's annuity rates) were allowed full flexibility. The changes the Government propose will entitle everyone to full flexibility regardless of their total defined contribution pension savings.

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will publish the analysis underlying the costings of the policy of reducing the withdrawal tax rate for income from pensions from 55% to the marginal rate of income tax; [194247]

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(2) what assumption he has made about the number of (a) basic, (b) higher and (c) additional rate tax payers who will cease to purchase an annuity as a result of the changes announced in Budget 2014; [194253]

(3) what estimate he has made of the effect on revenue of the planned changes to the pensions system in each year from 2016 to 2025; [194254]

(4) what assumptions he has made about the number of people who will continue to take out an annuity; [194255]

(5) what estimate has been made of the total amount of pensions savings which will be withdrawn from pension schemes in each of the 15 financial years from April 2015. [193935]

Mr Gauke: At Budget 2014, the Government announced changes which give greater flexibility to many individuals with private pension savings.

(i) The methodology behind this costing—which was certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility—can be seen in the 'Budget 2014: Policy Costings' document (p.11), available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295067/PU1638_policy_costings_bud_2014_with_correction_slip.pdf

(ii) Estimates of the number of individuals paying different marginal rates who will cease to purchase an annuity are not available.

(iii) The expected impact over the forecast period of the changes can be found in Table 2.1 (p.56) of the Red Book here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/293759/37630_Budget_2014_Web_Accessible.pdf

The estimated long run income tax impact may be found in Chart 1.11 also published in the Red Book (p.45).

(iv) As can be seen in the 'Budget 2014: Policy Costings' document, the Government estimates that around 30% of people in defined contribution schemes will decide to drawdown their pension at a faster rate than via an annuity.

(v) An estimate of the total amount of pension savings withdrawn from .pension schemes in each of the 15 financial years from April 2015 is not available.

It is estimated that these changes will promote greater saving into pension schemes as described in the 'Budget 2014: Policy Costings' document (p.12), as certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility. This is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295067/PU1638_policy_costings_bud_2014_with_correction_slip.pdf

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the effect of the changes on the distribution of pensions tax relief by income decile; [194251]

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(2) what estimate he has made of the effect of the changes on the overall level of tax paid by an individual in each income decile. [194252]

Mr Gauke: An estimate of any potential change in the distribution of pensions tax relief by income decile as a result of the greater flexibility afforded to pensioners at Budget 2014 is not available.

An estimate of the overall levels of tax paid by income decile as a result of the greater flexibility afforded to pensioners at Budget 2014 is not available.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Mr Gordon Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the publication by the Office for National Statistics entitled Scotland-Household Taxes and Benefits: update, if he will publish the data contained in that document on non-cash benefits from public spending, cash benefits and taxes paid by decile groups as it relates to Scotland. [193841]

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 Glen Watson, dated April 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the publication by the Office for National Statistics entitled "Scotland-Household Taxes and Benefits: update", if he will publish the data contained in that document on non-cash benefits from public spending, cash benefits and taxes paid by decile groups as it relates to Scotland (193841).

The table shows the average income and state benefits received and taxes paid by Scottish households in each income decile.

These estimates are produced from the UK's Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income data series, which is based on Living Costs and Food Survey, an annual survey of approximately 5,500 households. The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income annual publication only includes analysis of taxes paid and state benefits received by different income deciles for the UK as a whole, and ONS does not regularly publish household income analysis by decile group for individual nations or regions of the UK.

These estimates, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Restricting the survey data to only Scottish households is likely to result in a relatively higher degree of uncertainty around these estimates compared with those published in the Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income. In order to increase the sample number of households available for this analysis, and so reduce the uncertainty of the estimates, three financial years of survey data from Scotland have been combined.

2 Apr 2014 : Column 677W

2 Apr 2014 : Column 678W