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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 3 April 2014

Cabinet Office

Census

Mike Gapes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the Debate of 3 March 2014, Official Report, columns 726-32W, on Census (Kashmiri ethnic representation), if he will add a category of Kashmiri to the tick boxes on the census. [194387]

Mr Hurd: No decision has been made on the topics or questions that could be considered for a future census.

Census: Internet

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he will take to ensure that people who do not have online access will be able to participate in the census in 2021. [194655]

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:

In the absence of the Director General of the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office about what steps will be taken to ensure that people who do not have online access will be able to participate in the Census in 2021 (194655).

The National Statistician's recommendation for the census and future provision of population statistics in England and Wales was announced on 27th March 2014. Although the Board of the UK Statistics Authority has accepted and endorsed the recommendation it is a matter for the Government and Parliament to determine arrangements for census-taking in the future.

If the Government accepts the National Statistician's recommendation for a predominantly online census in 2021, supplemented by the further use of administrative and survey data, the Office for National Statistics recognises that special care would need to be taken to support those who are unable to complete the census online.

Internet access, via computers, tablets and mobile devices, is increasing all the time. At present more than 80 per cent of households in the UK say they use the internet daily. While we cannot guess what levels of internet access will be in 2021 we recognise that there will be people who will need help. We would do everything we can to make sure that everyone who asks for help in completing a census online receives it. Detailed arrangements will be considered once the Government and Parliament have made a decision on the National Statistician's recommendation. As with previous censuses we would expect there to be a team of field staff to help people to complete a form, and for those who require it, a paper form will still be available.

Diabetes

Mr Sanders: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the standardised mortality rate from diabetes was in each parliamentary constituency in the latest year for which figures are available; and what the average standardised mortality rate from diabetes in England was in each of the last 15 years. [194564]

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

Letter from Caron Walker, dated April 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 what the standardised mortality rates from Diabetes were in each Parliamentary constituency in the latest year for which figures are available; and what the average standardised mortality rate from diabetes in England has been in each of the last 15 years. [194564]

Table 1 provides the age-standardised mortality rate where diabetes mellitus was the underlying cause of death in each parliamentary constituency in England. Rates based on low numbers are susceptible to inaccurate interpretation, so rates based on aggregated figures for deaths registered between 2010 and 2012 (the latest year available) have been provided.

Table 2 provides the age-standardised mortality rate where diabetes mellitus was the underlying cause of death in England, for deaths registered in each year from 1998 to 2012 (the latest year available).

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

Pensioners: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people (a) of pensionable age and (b) over 80 years old there are in Brigg and Goole constituency. [194488]

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

Letter from Caron Walker, dated April 2014:

On behalf of the 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 how many people (a) of pensionable age and (b) over 80 years old there are in Brigg and Goole constituency (194488).

ONS publishes annual estimates of the resident population of the UK, by age, as at 30 June each year. The latest available estimates show that there were an estimated 20,037 people of pensionable age in Brigg and Goole parliamentary constituency at mid-2012.

The estimate of pensionable age gives the number of women aged 61 and over, and men aged 65 and over, which is the closest available approximation to state pension age at mid-2012 that can be obtained for population estimates by parliamentary constituency.

The estimated population of Brigg and Goole parliamentary constituency who were aged 80 and over (that is, have passed their 80th birthday) at mid-2012 is 4,546.

The latest population estimates for parliamentary constituencies in England and Wales were published on 26 November 2013 and are available on the ONS website at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/sape/parliament-constituency-pop-est/mid-2012/index.html

Prostate Cancer

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) incidence rate and (b) age standardised incidents rate of prostate cancer in (i) England and (ii) each parliamentary constituency was in the latest year for which figures are available. [194373]

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

Letter from Joe Grice, dated April 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 what the (a) incidence rate and (b) age standardised incidents rate of prostate cancer in (i) England and (ii) each parliamentary constituency was in the latest year for which figures are available [194373].

The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2011 Table 1 provides the (a) unstandardised incidence rate and (b) age-standardised rate of prostate cancer for (i) England and (ii) each parliamentary constituency in England for 2011.

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

The latest published figures on cancer survival in England are available on the National Statistics website at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cancer-unit/cancer-survival/index.html

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many men in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) England died from advanced prostate cancer in each of the last five years. [194484]

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

Letter from Glen Watson:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many men in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) England died from advanced prostate cancer in each of the last five years. (194484)

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Table 1 attached provides the number of deaths where prostate cancer was the underlying cause of death, in Brigg and Goole parliamentary constituency and England, for deaths registered between 2008 and 2012 (the latest year available).

Internationally accepted guidance from the World Health Organisation requires any conditions that contributed directly to a death to be recorded on the death certificate. In cases where a cancer is deemed to have contributed to a death, medical practitioners and coroners are not required to specify whether the cancer was advanced at the time of death.

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and underlying cause (including cancer), are published annually on the ONS website at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475

Unemployment: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the percentage change in long-term youth unemployment was in each constituency between 2010 and the most recent period for which figures are available. [194345]

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

Letter from Joe Grice, dated April 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Cabinet Office what the percentage change in long term youth unemployment was in each constituency between 2010 and the most recent period for which figures are available. (194345)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates on duration of youth unemployment for parliamentary constituencies are not available due to small sample sizes.

As an alternative, we have provided the number of people in each parliamentary constituency aged under 25 years who were claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for more than 12 months, for May 2010 and February 2014, the latest period available, along with the percentage change over that period. As the information requested is quite extensive, a copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

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

A copy of the table will be placed in the Library of the House.

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Prime Minister

Sri Lanka

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with his Commonwealth counterparts on the resolution passed by the 25th Human Rights Council session on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka. [194375]

The Prime Minister: Ahead of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution vote on Sri Lanka on 27 March, I personally engaged with a wide range of UNHRC member states, including those from the Commonwealth, as did the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and other Ministers.

We will work closely with our international partners to support the implementation of the resolution establishing an international investigation. We believe that progress on accountability, human rights and reconciliation is important in establishing an enduring peace in Sri Lanka. Such progress will ensure Sri Lanka can reach its full potential as a strong and prosperous nation.

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Attorney-General

Domestic Violence

Helen Jones: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions have been (a) commenced, (b) resulted in a non-custodial sentence and (c) resulted in a custodial sentence for (i) witness intimidation, (ii) perverting the cause of justice and (iii) conspiracy to pervert the course of justice as a result of incidents arising from cases involving domestic violence in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [194444]

The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts which were flagged as involving domestic violence, rather than the number of defendants or cases prosecuted.

The data are accurate only to the extent that the flag has been correctly applied.

Offences of perverting the course of justice are charged under Common Law, conspiracy to pervert justice, by way of Section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977 and intimidation of a witness or juror by way of Section 51 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

The following table shows, for each of the last five years, the number of these offences charged and reaching a first hearing at magistrates courts, which were identified as involving domestic violence.

There is no indication of the final prosecution outcome, or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is also often the case that an individual defendant is charged with more than one offence against the same victim.

It is not possible to centrally disaggregate offences charged by way of Section 51 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, to separately identify those offences relating to witnesses from those concerning jurors. Such information could only be obtained through a manual search of records, which would incur disproportionate cost.

The CPS does not hold records of sentences imposed following a conviction. Statistics relating to sentences are maintained by the Ministry of Justice.

Helen Jones: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been prosecuted under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 for breach of a non-molestation order in each police force area in each year since that Act came into force. [194445]

The Solicitor-General: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service do not identify the number of people prosecuted for a breach of a non-molestation order. Such information could only be obtained through a manual search of records, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Attorney-General what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by the Law Officers' Departments were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194213]

The Solicitor-General: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 721W.

Home Department

Airwave Service

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers about proposals for the emergency services communications network to be operated on a commercially available network. [193999]

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Damian Green: The recommendation to base the replacement communication system, for the emergency services, on a commercially available network was agreed during development of the Emergency Service Mobile Communications Programme Business Case. This preferred direction of travel and alternative options, were briefed to ACPO, and were written with the involvement, assurance and approval of the three emergency services, funding Departments and the devolved Governments of Wales and Scotland.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts with her Department are held by Airwave; what the value is of each such contract; and when each such contract is due for renewal. [194012]

Karen Bradley: The Home Department has 57 contracts with Airwave Solutions Limited. The total whole-life value of all the contracts is estimated at £4.18 billion (the cost may vary, depending on usage). All contracts commenced between 21 September 2001 and 31 December 2005 and are due for expiry between 21 September 2016 to 31 December 2020.

Entry Clearances: Entertainers

Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the efficiency and consistency with which the Permitted Paid Engagements scheme has been applied to musicians, composers and artists visiting the UK. [194465]

James Brokenshire: The Permitted Paid Engagements (PPE) visitor route was introduced in 2012 for professionals carrying out paid engagements in the UK for up to one month. It extends to musicians, composers and artists.

Feedback received from businesses and arts organisations shows that this route is working as intended and offers greater flexibility for professionals undertaking paid engagements. We work closely with operational colleagues and regularly seek feedback from partners to ensure the route is working as intended.

Foreign Workers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward legislative proposals to regulate workers posted to the UK by companies. [194553]

James Brokenshire: Non-EEA nationals posted to the UK branch of their company are already regulated under the Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) route, as set out in the immigration rules.

Non-EEA nationals posted to the UK as contractual service suppliers under an international trade agreement are regulated under the Tier 5 (International Agreement) route.

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the number of illegal immigrants employed in the UK; and what change there has been in this number since May 2010. [192961]

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James Brokenshire [holding answer 24 March 2014]: HM Government have not made any estimate of the number of illegal migrants currently employed in the UK. Given the clandestine nature of illegal migrants, any estimation is, by definition, extremely difficult and prone to considerable uncertainty.

However, the Government take illegal immigration very seriously and are focusing on measures to ensure that illegal migrants cannot live, work or abuse benefits and services in the UK. The Immigration Bill will prevent illegal migrants from accessing and abusing public services. It will also strengthen our existing arrangements to prevent illegal working, by making it easier to enforce penalties on employers found to be employing illegal workers; reform the removals and appeals system, making it simpler to remove those with no right to be in the UK; and end the abuse of Article 8 of the ECHR—the right to respect for private and family life. Parallel changes to secondary legislation will also double the maximum penalty for employing an illegal worker and strengthen the scheme as a whole, including by simplifying the checks employers must perform.

Overseas Students

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to record the departure of non-EU students as they leave the UK at the end of their studies. [191828]

James Brokenshire: The Office for National Statistics long-term international migration data include estimates of the numbers of students leaving the UK. At the request of the Home Office and other migration statistics users, the ONS has improved its methodology with an aim to identify emigrants who had originally arrived as students. This has assisted in assessing the contribution of students to overall net migration. It is estimated that 49,000 non-EU migrants, who had previously immigrated for study, had emigrated from the UK in the year ending September 2013.

HM Government have made a commitment to reintroduce exit checks. By 2015, we will have checks in place on those who leave the UK by scheduled international air, sea and rail services. Introducing exit checks will improve our ability to confirm departure and to identify those who have failed to leave the UK when they should have done so.

Sexual Offences

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men were victims of sexual violence in each of the last three years. [194459]

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 Joe Grice:

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 how many men were victims of sexual violence in each of the last three years. (194459)

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Figures are provided for the last three financial years (April to March) from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). This shows the number of men (in thousands) aged 16-59 years old who were victims of sexual assault in the last year. Figures for the year 2013/14 will be published in July 2014.

These figures are estimated based on a sample of the population and thus are subject to variability around the estimates. The apparent changes between the years shown are not statistically significant. The crime statistics data published by the ONS cover England and Wales only. There are separate crime surveys covering Scotland and Northern Ireland. Crime data for Scotland can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/crime-and-justice-survey

and data for Northern Ireland at:

http://www.dojni.gov.uk/index/statistics-research/stats-research-publications/northern-ireland-crime-survey-s-r.htm

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Greece

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what discussions he has had with EU counterparts about an EU response to the Greek Government's proposed amendment to Article 19 of that country's draft immigration code; [194074]

(2) if he will make representations to the Greek Government about their amendment to Article 19 of that country's draft immigration code, which would allow for the arrest, prosecution and deportation of migrants who report law enforcement abuse; [194075]

(3) what steps his Department is taking to respond to the Greek Government's decision to remove the humanitarian clause from that country's immigration code. [194076]

Mr Lidington: The Greek Government have not taken a decision to amend Article 19 of the Greek immigration code and withdrew the previously proposed amendment on 19 March. Migration policy is a matter for individual EU member states.

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194221]

Mr Lidington: It is not possible to provide data at the level of detail requested without incurring disproportionate cost, as the authority to enter into contracts under £80,000 is devolved to posts overseas and information on these is held locally. However, we can provide the 20 highest value contracts awarded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 2009, these are:

£90 million to £100 million

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1. Vodafone Cable and Wireless—ECHO telecommunications programme

2. G4S—Afghanistan Guarding

£30 million to £90 million

3. Computacenter—Firecrest/Desktop Infrastructure Contract

4. Detica—Service Management Integrator Framework

5. GardaWorld—Baghdad Guarding

6. ISS—Facilities Management (Asia Pac)

7. Bouyeges—Abuja Offices construction

£0 million to £30 million

8. G4S-UK Guarding

9. Pickfords Move Management

10. Oracle—Software Licenses

11. KBR—Iraq/Afghan Personnel Support

12. GardaWorld—Libya Guarding

13. CBM—Mogadishu Office Construction

14. Capgemini—Prism

15. Pepco Energy Services—Washington Mechanical & Electrical Plant

16. GIBS—Damascus Office Construction

17. Microsoft—Software Licenses

18. Allen Vanguard—Electronic Counter Measure Enhancement

19. G4S—Somalia/Somaliland Close Protection

20. Vodafone Cable and Wireless—Government Convergence Framework

Russia

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what asset freezes and visa bans he plans to impose following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. [194558]

Mr Lidington: On 17 March, the EU Foreign Affairs Council imposed asset freezes and visa bans on 21 individuals responsible for undermining Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. On 21 March, following the illegal referendum in Crimea, the European Council decided a further 12 individuals should be added to this list. The European Council Conclusions of 6 and 17 March stated that any further steps by the Russian Federation to destabilise the situation in Ukraine would lead to additional and far-reaching consequences for relations in a broad range of economic areas. The European Commission has been tasked with preparing possible measures and the UK is firmly behind this preparatory work being undertaken as a matter of urgency to ensure the EU can respond swiftly if needed.

Sri Lanka

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will take to support the investigation by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights into alleged serious violations and abuses of human rights and related crimes in Sri Lanka. [194376]

Mr Swire: We welcome the passing of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on Sri Lanka on 27 March, which established an international investigation into alleged violations and abuses of international law on both sides of the military conflict in Sri Lanka, in addition to calling for progress on human rights and reconciliation. We were a main co-sponsor of the resolution

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and will give full support to the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in establishing an international investigation, as mandated by the UN Human Rights Council.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Asbestos

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether all buildings (a) owned and (b) used by his Department have been inspected in order to identify asbestos; and how frequently such inspections for asbestos occur. [194337]

Jenny Willott: The Department does not own any buildings. For buildings used by the Department, asbestos records are maintained by the Department's Facilities Management provider. All records are regularly reviewed. Before any refurbishment work is carried out to buildings, further risk assessments are undertaken.

Conditions of Employment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will introduce joint and several liability across the UK labour market to ensure subcontractors throughout a supply chain comply with employment law obligations. [194556]

Jenny Willott: There are currently no plans to introduce joint and several liability across the UK labour market.

Foreign Workers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment of whether companies that post workers to the UK from other countries can create unfair competition for UK businesses. [194557]

Jenny Willott: There are currently no plans to make such an assessment.

Workers posted to the UK are entitled to the same employment rights as UK workers and are able to enforce these at an employment tribunal.

Green Investment Bank

Mr Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he next expects to meet the Green Investment Bank to discuss whether its investment strategy is in line with the waste hierarchy. [903459]

Michael Fallon: The role of the Green Investment Bank (GIB) is to help green infrastructure projects obtain the financing they need. GIB's investment criteria are designed to ensure the bank only provides finance to projects that achieve at least one of the five green purposes specified for GIB in legislation. These include diverting waste from landfill and reducing carbon emissions. Questions of whether or not a particular waste management project is appropriate, taking into account policy considerations such as the waste hierarchy, are addressed separately by the relevant planning authorities as part of the planning approval process.

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Industrial Health and Safety

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which trades unions are involved with health and safety committees in his Department. [194158]

Jenny Willott: The BIS London Health, Safety and Welfare Committee core membership includes a trade union side drawn from members in the building, who choose their representatives for each meeting in accordance with their own procedures. Unions recognised in BIS are the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), Prospect and First Division Association (FDA). A trade union representative from the Departmental Trade Union and Central London Trade Union sides may also attend.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what health and safety committees operate in his Department. [194172]

Jenny Willott: The BIS London Health, Safety and Welfare Committee consists of representatives from BIS Management, Core Estates and HR as necessary. There is also trade union representation.

The committee is chaired by the Director of Estates (or nominated substitute) and aims to meet quarterly, with emergency meetings convened if necessary.

As other BIS Head Offices are situated in buildings owned by other bodies, such as the Department for Education and Companies House, BIS feeds into their health and safety arrangements as appropriate for tenants.

National Careers Service

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the current marketing and advertising strategy document of the National Careers Service. [194169]

Matthew Hancock: The strategy for marketing the National Careers Service is to target the following groups, within the Government's wider strategy on marketing expenditure:

individuals who are looking to advance their career;

those who are looking for a better job to support a change in circumstances; and

those who have been or are about to be made redundant.

Paternity Pay

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many men received statutory paternity pay for (a) ordinary paternity leave and (b) additional paternity leave in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13. [194505]

Jenny Willott: The Government collect data on the total amount of ordinary statutory paternity pay and additional statutory paternity pay reclaimed by employers and uses these to estimate the number of men taking ordinary and additional paternity leave. The figures for 2011-12 and 2012-13 are as follows:

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The numbers above relate to statutory payments paid by employers to their employees and the employer has claimed the statutory payment back. Some employers do not claim statutory payments back (this is especially true when the employer pays occupational paternity pay above the statutory rate).

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194212]

Jenny Willott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) on 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 721W.

South West

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many posts in his Department will be relocated to the south-west in the next five years. [194572]

Jenny Willott: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills currently has staff located in three main areas—London, Sheffield and Cardiff with a smaller presence in many other locations, including Bristol. The Department also has a number of partner organisations located in the south-west, including the Met Office in Exeter, the Research Councils in Swindon and the Higher Education Funding Council for England in Bristol.

The Department is not currently considering relocating any staff in the short to medium term.

Students: Fees and Charges

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what estimate he has made of the proportion of undergraduate university courses charged at the maximum tuition fee allowed; [194234]

(2) what estimate he has made of the average total tuition fees incurred by a UK citizen studying full-time for an undergraduate degree at a university in England or Wales. [194236]

Mr Willetts: According to data published by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) in July 2013, the average tuition fee for students studying full time for an undergraduate degree and postgraduate initial teacher training at English institutions with access agreements was £8,499. This figure represents the most recent published estimate prior to the start of the 2013/14 academic year and is an average of “headline” fees. The average after fee waivers are taken into account is £8,247, and after all institutional support is taken into account the average cost per student is estimated to be £7,860. OFFA has not published separate information relating only to fees for full-time first degree courses, nor are tuition fee data disaggregated to the level of individual courses.

These estimates represent fees charged to both UK citizens and other EU citizens, as all are charged the same fees.

OFFA's remit applies only to English universities and colleges. As higher education is a devolved matter, information on tuition fees in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.

UK Trade & Investment: Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps UK Trade & Investment has taken to help export business in Morecambe and the surrounding area. [194559]

Michael Fallon: United Kingdom Trade & Investment (UKTI) is committed to helping companies in Morecambe and the surrounding area to start exporting, and to expand into new markets. Since April 2013 UKTI has provided bespoke support for 32 separate businesses in my hon. Friend's constituency, which includes nine companies on the Passport to Export international trade development programme. In this same time period, UKTI has delivered 1,714 services to 650 businesses across all of Lancashire.

I would encourage all Morecambe businesses to take advantage of the support available from UKTI. There will be a range of free events across the North West during Export Week, 7 to 11 April, and throughout the International Festival for Business in Liverpool in June and July. We want to work with all MPs to participate in promotion events in their respective constituencies.

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Northern Ireland

Electoral Register: Young People

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of those aged under 25 years in Northern Ireland are registered to vote. [194490]

Mr Robathan: The estimated proportion of the eligible population registered in Northern Ireland in December 2013 was as follows:

Under 20—64.7%

20-29—78.2%

We do not hold figures relating only to those under 25.

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by her Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194227]

Mrs Villiers: Because of the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, my Department does not hold details for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost. The contracts awarded by my Department since April 2010 are as follows:

The majority of contracts used by my Department are awarded by the Department of Finance and Personnel Central Procurement Directorate or the Central Government Procurement Service. These are generally awarded for a range of Northern Ireland Civil Service or Whitehall Departments which enable NIO to draw services from them.

Should you wish to establish details of these contracts you should contact these organisations directly at the following addresses:

DFP Central Procurement Directorate

www.dfpni.gov.uk/cpd

Central Government Procurement Service

www.civilservice.gov.uk/networks/gps

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Wales

GCSE and A-levels

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many students sat A-levels in (a) mathematics, (b) further mathematics, (c) physics, (d) chemistry and (e) biology in (i) Flintshire council area and (ii) Wrexham council area in (A) 2009 and (B) 2013; [194069]

(2) how many students obtained eight GCSE B grades or above in (a) Flintshire council area and (b) Wrexham council area in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2013. [194072]

Mr David Jones: This information relates to a devolved matter and is not held by the UK Government. I have therefore written to the Minister for Education and Skills in the Welsh Government seeking the information requested.

I will write to the hon. Gentleman when further information is received, and place a copy in the Library of the House.

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194231]

Stephen Crabb: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude) on 2 April, Official Report, column 721W.

Scotland

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194228]

David Mundell: Other than minor or bespoke purchases, the Scotland Office does not undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises existing service contracts between suppliers and the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice. Since May 2010, only one contract has been issued directly by the Scotland Office. This was issued to the Royal Mail in 2011-12 for its role in providing candidates' free mailing in the Scottish Parliament election of 2011, the value of which was just over £6.4 million.

Culture, Media and Sport

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by her Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194216]

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Mrs Grant: Under this Government's transparency programme, contracts are published on Contracts Finder, which is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Sunrise Radio

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has discussed with Ofcom the future of licences held by Sunrise; and if she will take steps to urge Ofcom to retender the Slough licence. [194159]

Mr Vaizey: I have had no discussions with Ofcom on this subject. Under the powers in the Communications Act 2003, the allocation of spectrum, licences and regulation of content for the commercial radio sector is the responsibility of the independent regulator, Ofcom. It is a well-established principle that the Government do not intervene in the award of licences.

Telecommunications

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reform the Electronic Communications Code. [193135]

Mr Vaizey: Since the Law Commission published its report on the reform of the Electronic Communications Code in February 2013, DCMS has been considering the implications of the recommendations on network roll-out and service provision to consumers. In January 2014 we published an economic analysis of the impact of various wayleave valuation regimes. A copy of this report has been placed in the House of Commons Library. The analysis work is ongoing and I will make public the plans to reform the Electronic Communications Code in due course.

International Development

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by her Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194225]

Lynne Featherstone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to her by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 2 Apr 2014, Official Report, column 721W.

Justice

Computer Misuse Act 1990

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2014, Official Report, column 209W, on the Computer Misuse Act 1990, how his Department measures compliance with the Government's cyber security strategy when rehabilitating and managing offenders convicted under the Computer Misuse Act 1990; and if he will make a statement. [192506]

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Jeremy Wright: Public protection is the first priority in offender management and it is rehabilitation that best secures this in the long term. Those working with offenders may routinely assess risk and progress of sentenced offenders under supervision in the community or custody. These assessments will in turn inform offender management decisions regarding the interventions offered or controls applied to an individual.

Progress against the Government's wider cyber security strategy was published in December 2013.

Driving Offences

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders received a driving ban alongside a prison sentence of a longer length in each of the last five years. [191436]

Jeremy Wright: When the courts impose a driving ban and a custodial sentence at the same time, they already make some allowance for the length of time that the offender would normally serve in prison before becoming eligible for release, in order to ensure that disqualification has the desired impact. There are provisions in the Coroner's and Justice Act 2009 which will give this statutory force. These will be commenced in due course.

We want to make sure that road traffic offenders face the full consequences of the punishment for their offence. When an offender commits a serious road traffic offence that attracts both a custodial sentence and disqualification from driving, it is essential for public confidence in the criminal justice system that the driving ban has full effect on the offender; he should not benefit from, in effect, a reduction in the length of the ban whilst he serves time in prison. These provisions will ensure that, as now, the court will determine the appropriate length of the ban for the purposes of the offence but it will then be required to extend the ban to take account of time to be spent in prison. This will ensure that there is consistency of action in every case and that driving bans bear equally on all offenders.

The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case. This centrally held information records the period of disqualification into one of thirteen bands. As the exact length of driving ban is not available, it is not possibly to identify how many offenders received a driving ban alongside a prison sentence of a longer length. This detailed information may be held on the court record but due to the size and complexity is not reported centrally to the MOJ. As such, the information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders received a driving ban before the age of 17 in each of the last three years; and in what proportion of such cases the ban expired before the offender's 17th birthday. [191437]

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Jeremy Wright: The table sets out the number of driving disqualifications for all motoring offences at all courts, for offenders aged under 17 years, in England and Wales from 2009 to 2012 (the latest data available). It is not possible to provide the more detailed information requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

A disqualification of an offender aged under 17 means they cannot apply for or be issued with a driving licence until their disqualification period has passed.

Family Proceedings

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many parents represented themselves at court in child proceedings in the most recent period for which figures are available. [192290]

Mr Vara: Information on the legal representation of parties in family courts is available at a national level in table 2.4 of Court Statistics Quarterly, the latest edition of which is available at this link:

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

However, you should note that this information relates to whether parties have a recorded representative, rather than whether they are litigants in person. It is also based on the number of disposals, rather than parents, and cases may of course involve multiple disposals.

Parties with no legal representation are not a new phenomenon in our courts. Judges are used to helping persons with no legal representation, including explaining procedures and what is expected of them. We have also taken steps to help people who either want or have to represent themselves in court, including publishing a revised guide for separating parents and increased training for judges. The link to the guide is:

http://hmctsformfinder.justice.gov.uk/courtfinder/forms/cb7-eng.pdf

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what (a) gender, (b) religion or faith, (c) ethnicity and (d) grade of the staff in each prison in England and Wales was on 1 March in each of the last five years. [192975]

Jeremy Wright: The information requested on headcount of staff in each public sector prison, as at 31 March 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and 31 December 2013, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) ethnicity (iii) religion

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and (iv) grade, has been placed in the House of Commons Library. Information on religion has only been available since 31 March 2013. These are the closest publication dates to the dates requested.

We have maintained a consistent ratio of non-operational and operational staff since 2009 while we have been reforming and modernising the prison estate to ensure best value for the taxpayer, while also providing safe and secure prisons that deliver effective rehabilitation.

We are committed to equal opportunities employment and are striving to improve the diversity of the work force, which has always proved a challenge due to factors such as regional patterns of ethnicity and the geographical isolation of prisons.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what data his Department collects on the number of men in prison who have been victims of sexual abuse; [191433]

(2) what data his Department collects on the number of (a) men and (b) women in prison who had alcohol-related issues prior to conviction; [191434]

(3) what data his Department collects on the number of men and women in prison who have previously been in local authority care. [191435]

Jeremy Wright: Prisoners are assessed on entry to prison for addiction problems and there is a package of support available to them. The MOJ's Transforming Rehabilitation programme will provide individual support to all released prisoners. This will include identifying risks and needs for individual ex-prisoners, and providing services to address them.

The Ministry of Justice does not collect these data centrally on a regular basis. However, a survey of 1,435 adult prisoners sentenced to between one month and four years in 2005 and 2006 (Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction—SPCR) provides self-reported estimates for each question.

The full reports can be accessed on the gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/surveying-prisoner-crime-reduction-spcr

Prisoners: Publications

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what restrictions, by category of prisoner, are placed on access to (a) a prisoner's own books and (b) books from the prison library in the first four weeks of a prison sentence. [193597]

Jeremy Wright: Up to 12 books may be held by prisoners in their cell at any one time. Prisoners may have additional books stored locally at the prison. Every prison has a library, to which every prisoner has access.

Access to books is not determined by category of prisoner and nor does it differ for those in the first four weeks of their sentence.

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Probation

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to ensure that the probation contracts in England and Wales are let without risk to the public or waste of public money. [193895]

Jeremy Wright: Under our reforms the market will be opened up to a diverse range of new rehabilitation providers, so that we get the best out of the public, voluntary and private sectors, at the local as well as national level. Protecting the public must remain our top priority and the new National Probation Service will manage all offenders who pose a high risk of harm to the public or have committed the most serious offences. The Secretary of State will continue to issue national standards for the management of offenders, and the Government will place contractual requirements on Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) to ensure that the risk of harm posed by offenders is effectively managed. Providers bidding to run CRCs will need to demonstrate in their bids how they would deliver high quality rehabilitative support to offenders, and they will be held to account to deliver these services in their contracts. Bidders will also need to demonstrate how they will maintain a work force with appropriate levels of competence and training to deliver these services.

Our proposals will be affordable within the context of the MOJ commitment to deliver annual savings of over £2 billion by 2014-15. We plan to make efficiency savings through the use of competition, the introduction of private and voluntary sector providers, and by consolidating back-office functions within the public sector. Releasing these efficiency savings will enable us to invest in rehabilitation and extend provision to support supervision to a wider group of offenders.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the timetable is for the contracting-out of the Probation Service during 2014. [194199]

Jeremy Wright: Under our reforms the market will be opened up to a diverse range of new rehabilitation providers, so that we get the best out of the public, voluntary and private sectors, at the local as well as national level. A more diverse market of rehabilitation providers will bring innovation in rehabilitative services, helping to deliver a real reduction in reoffending rates. The process to establish the owners of the 21 new Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) with responsibility for the provision of rehabilitation services is well under way. We will assess the bids we receive over the summer, and expect to sign contracts with new CRC owners later this year. We remain committed to seeing Payment by Results rolled out across the system by 2015.

Sentencing

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people given custodial sentences for non-payment of (a) a television licence, (b) vehicle excise duty and (c) council tax in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013 were sentenced to (A) up to three months, (B) up to six months, (C) up to 12 months and (D) over 12 months; [193388]

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(2) how many people appearing in court for non-payment of (a) a television licence, (b) vehicle excise duty and (c) council tax in each year since 2010 were found (i) guilty and (ii) not guilty. [193400]

Jeremy Wright: The offences of using a TV receiver without a valid licence and of failure to hold a valid vehicle excise duty licence (tax disc) are not punishable by imprisonment, so offenders cannot be sentenced to custody for these offences. Failing to pay council tax is not a criminal offence.

Offenders found guilty of TV licence or vehicle excise evasion may be sentenced to a fine. Failure to pay a fine can lead, following enforcement action and as a last resort, to committal to prison for fine default. Failure to pay council tax is pursued through the civil courts and can also lead, ultimately, to committal to prison.

Data for receptions into prison for defaulting on the TV licence fine, in England and Wales, 2008 to 2012 can be viewed in Table 1. Receptions for defaulting on the vehicle excise duty fine cannot be separately identified.

Data in relation to failure to pay council tax are shown in Table 2.

The number of defendants proceeded against in magistrates courts, and found guilty and sentenced in all courts for installing or using a television receiver without the appropriate licence, in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2012, can be viewed in Table 3.

The number of defendants proceeded against in magistrates courts, and found guilty and sentenced in all courts, for keeping a motor vehicle on the highway without a current vehicle excise licence, in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2012, can be viewed in Table 4.

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Special Educational Needs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, columns 652-53W, on special educational needs, whether his Department has any plans in future to commence publishing figures on the proportion of hearings where (a) local authorities and (b) parents were legally represented. [194156]

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Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) publish data on the First-tier Tribunal Special Educational Needs and Disability (FtT SEND) regularly in a quarterly internet publication which includes data on a number of other tribunals. Data for the academic year September 2012 to August 2013 were published in December 2013 and can be found at:

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

The published data do not provide information on representation at hearings because the current IT system does not have the facility to record details of legal representation at the actual hearing. To change this position would incur cost which could not be justified by any benefit to HMCTS. Therefore, there are no plans to collect this information.

Television: Licensing

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what information (a) his Department and (b) HM Tribunals Service hold on the age of people (i) prosecuted and convicted for television licence evasion and (ii) imprisoned for non-payment of a fine for television licence evasion; [194291]

(2) what information (a) his Department and (b) HM Tribunals Service hold on the socio-economic status of people (i) prosecuted and convicted for television licence evasion and (ii) imprisoned for non-payment of a fine for television licence evasion; [194290]

(3) what information (a) his Department and (b) HM Tribunals Service hold on the gender of people (i) prosecuted and convicted for television licence evasion and (ii) imprisoned for non-payment of a fine for television licence evasion. [194289]

Jeremy Wright: No published information is available. The information in the table is taken from a live case management system. As such, it is subject to change and is not checked to the level of Official Statistics. No information is available in respect of socio-economic status of those prosecuted or convicted or imprisoned for non-payment of a fine in respect of television licence evasion. The Government have said that we will examine whether television licence evasion should be decriminalised.

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Verne Prison

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his plans are for HMP The Verne. [193595]

Jeremy Wright: HM Prison The Verne started taking immigration detainees as scheduled from 24 March 2014. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will retain The Verne as a prison in the short term but its population will comprise immigration detainees as planned with the Home Office.

NOMS intends to review the designation of The Verne later this year, with the intention of completing the re-designation to an immigration removal centre by the end of September 2014.

All foreign national offenders (FNOs) sentenced to custody are referred to the Home Office for it to consider deportation at the earliest possible opportunity.

The Ministry of Justice and the Home Office are committed to working together to expedite the removal

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of foreign criminals. NOMS will always supply sufficient prison places for those committed by the courts.

Working Hours

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [193969]

Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice and its executive agencies the HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS), the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) and the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), offer flexible working opportunities to all employees, not just those with family or caring responsibilities

The table at annex A shows the proportion of officials within the Ministry of Justice with flexible working arrangements.

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