Teachers: Veterans

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many service leavers have (a) applied to and (b) been accepted on the Troops to Teachers programme to date. [192172]

Mr Laws: The Troops to Teachers undergraduate programme is a brand new programme, which started in January 2014. It provides a route into teaching for non-graduates with relevant skills and experience. It is a school-based two year programme, at the end of which service leavers will have both a degree and Qualified Teacher Status.

982 service leavers submitted an initial application to cohort 1 of the new undergraduate Troops to Teachers programme. 332 of these applications went forward to be considered by the initial teacher training provider,

3 Apr 2014 : Column 789W

which is the normal first stage for initial teacher training applications. 41 service leavers joined the Troops to Teachers programme in January 2014.

These figures represent only the first cohort of Troops to Teachers trainees. We are looking forward to more service leavers joining the programme this September.

Health

Abortion

Jim Dobbin: 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. [194371]

Jane Ellison: This information is not available.

Ambulance Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of ambulance service category A 8-minute responses were initially met by (a) a team and vehicle capable of providing patient transport, (b) first or co-responders and (c) paramedics using a motorbike or car in the last 12 months. [194073]

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.

This information is held by individual ambulance trusts. There are 11 ambulance trusts in England:

Isle of Wight NHS Trust;

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust;

East Of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust;

London Ambulance Service NHS Trust;

North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust;

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust;

South Central Ambulance. Service NHS Foundation Trust;

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust;

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust;

West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust; and

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Cancer

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of (a) physicists, (b) radiotherapists and (c) chemotherapy nurses working in cancer care; and what his estimate is of the optimum level of each of those specialists in cancer care. [194497]

Dr Poulter: The Department does not hold information on the number of physicists, radiotherapists and chemotherapy nurses working in cancer care.

The Society of Radiographers estimate that there are between 5,000 and 6,000 therapeutic radiographers (by headcount) registered in the United Kingdom.

In relation to the national health service, the latest annual workforce census data, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) on 25

3 Apr 2014 : Column 790W

March 2014, provide information on therapeutic radiography staff and radiotherapy physics staff and shows that as at 30 September 2013 there were 2,372 full-time equivalent (headcount 2,644) qualified therapeutic radiography staff and 1,146 full-time equivalent (headcount 1,214) qualified radiotherapy physics staff working in the NHS in England.

The Government set up Health Education England (HEE) to deliver a better health and health care work force for England. HEE is responsible for ensuring a secure work force supply for the future balancing need against demand. In their Workforce plan published in December 2013 HEE confirmed a planned 3.1 % increase in the 2014-15 education and training commissions for therapeutic radiographers and a planned 9% increase in the 2014-15 education and training commissions for pre-registration adult nursing.

The Government have supported the development of a range of specialist roles within nursing. It is for local NHS organisations with their knowledge of the health care needs of their local population to invest in training for specialist skills and to deploy specialist nurses. In this context, the Government recognise that more could be done by some local health care organisations to prioritise preventative care and better support for people in their own homes and communities. Specialist nurses can play an important role in this which can both save the NHS money and, more importantly, provide better care for patients.

Dementia

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have a strategy to ensure that the carer of every person who is admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of dementia is provided with advice and support. [194066]

Norman Lamb: Information on how many national health service trusts have such a strategy is not collected centrally.

To help improve the care of people with dementia NHS England has introduced a voluntary scheme for acute trust providers—Commissioning for Quality and Innovation, (CQUIN)—that incentivises the recognition of people with dementia in hospitals and emphasises the importance of the best care pathway for people who have dementia.

The CQUIN scheme also requires hospitals to support and review the experience of carers on a regular basis. Providers must undertake a monthly audit of carers of people with dementia to test whether they feel supported and report the findings to their board at least twice per year.

Drugs: Misuse

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of the illegal use of controlled substances in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) Brigg and Goole constituency. [194486]

Jane Ellison: The data are not available in the format requested; however, the Home Office published report 'The Economic and Social Costs of Class A Drug Use

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in England and Wales' estimated the cost of class A drug use to the NHS in England to be £488 million per year.

Foetal Death

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether evidence held by his Department about the disposal of foetal remains without the consent of the parents will be referred to the police under the Human Tissue Act 2004. [194504]

Dr Poulter: There is no evidence from information provided to us that any offence has been committed under the Human Tissue Act 2004. The Human Tissue Authority's (HTA) code of practice on disposal covers the need for sensitive handling when dealing with disposal of fotal remains. It highlights the importance of sensitive communication to provide the woman with full information on the disposal options available to her and makes clear that her wishes are of paramount importance and should be respected and acted upon.

The HTA will be revising its code of practice to ensure that guidance regarding disposal of fotal tissue is clear and will work with others to improve guidance in this area. The HTA will also undertake greater scrutiny of procedures for the disposal of fotal remains in HTA inspections of licensed establishments in the post-mortem sector and work closely with the Care Quality Commission on how it will, in future, cover disposal of fotal remains in its inspections.

The information held by the Department was provided by the Channel 4 ‘Dispatches’ programme. It is a copy of the information Channel 4 received from national health service acute trusts and NHS acute foundation trusts in England following requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This is not information collected by the Department or provided directly to us by the

3 Apr 2014 : Column 792W

trusts or foundation trusts and we are unable to confirm its completeness or verify its accuracy. However, a copy of the information has been placed in the Library.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much funding his Department spent on (a) genito-urinary medicine and (b) sexual health in each of the last five years; [194209]

(2) how many (a) sexual health and (b) GUM clinics there were in England in each of the last five years; [194210]

(3) how many members of staff were employed in (a) sexual health and (b) GUM clinics in England in each of the last five years. [194211]

Jane Ellison: Information on the numbers of genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics in England is contained in the following table. Information on the number of sexual health clinics, and numbers of staff working in sexual health and GUM clinics, is not collected centrally.

The following table contains information on funds spent on genito-urinary medicine derived from the Department's programme budgeting data. It is based on the World Health Organisation's international classification of diseases and may differ from the scope/coverage of the GUM specialty in England. Improvements to the programme budgeting data calculation methodology, mean that these figures cannot be used to analyse changes in investment between years.

It is not possible to identify funding spent on contraception and sexual health from funds spent on maternity and reproductive health services.

Health Services

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he gave to (a) primary care trusts and (b) clinical commissioning groups about adherence to NICE guidelines in commissioning services. [194451]

Jane Ellison: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines are recommendations by NICE on the appropriate treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions within the national health service.

While NICE guidelines are not mandatory, the Department expects providers and commissioners to take into account any relevant NICE guidelines on commissioning services as they commission high-quality care to meet the needs of patients.

“NICE Support for commissioning” helps commissioners to work with clinicians and managers to commission high-quality evidence-based care. Commissioning care in line with NICE quality standards and guidance should enable commissioners to be confident that the services they are commissioning are cost-effective and focused on driving up quality.

“NICE Support for commissioning” comprises web-based resources supporting quality improvement and service redesign. They accompany NICE quality standards and are available on the home page for each published quality standard.

Support for commissioning also signposts to other implementation support tools to assist with quality improvement and provides information on key clinical, cost and service-related issues to consider during the

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commissioning process. Each Commissioning Support contains a commissioning and benchmarking tool, which is a resource that can be used to estimate and inform the level of service needed locally as well as the cost of local commissioning decisions.

In addition, the NICE Commissioning resources page signposts to NICE products of value to commissioners, including NICE Pathways, Referral advice, Cost savings, NICE ‘do not do’ recommendations database, Social Value Judgments and the NICE field team.

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many independent funding requests and better care better value decisions were submitted to English primary care trusts in 2012-13 and to clinical commissioning groups in 2013-14; and what proportion of each of these were (a) approved and (b) appealed by the patient in each year. [194452]

Dr Poulter: The data requested are not collected centrally. Data for individual funding requests are collected locally by clinical commissioning groups and formerly primary care trusts.

Hospitals: Drugs

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances a carer may administer a person's medication in hospital. [194085]

Dr Poulter: Hospital nurses can use the expertise of carers, and recognise that because carers know and understand the patient so well their help in administering medicines can in some cases be invaluable. This can be especially important when swallowing is difficult and extra help is needed, or when patients need to take critical medicines in order to minimise the risks of omitted and delayed doses. The Nursing and Midwifery Council welcomes and supports the self-administration of medicinal products and the administration of medication by carers wherever it is appropriate.

Local hospital policies will apply in these situations and all national health service trusts should have their own medicine management policies and procedures. These should include how to minimise and manage omitted and delayed medicines and have regard to the National Patient Safety Agency's Rapid Response Report 2010/RRR009, Reducing harm from omitted and delayed medication in hospitals.

Jimmy Savile

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health establishments are now covered by his Department's investigation into historical abuse by Jimmy Savile; when he plans that the review findings will be published; and what the timetable is for the investigation. [194389]

Norman Lamb: Investigations have commenced into the activities of Jimmy Savile relating to the following national health service hospitals¹:

¹ The names of the hospitals are taken from the information received from the Metropolitan Police Service. These include hospitals that may have closed in which case the information has been passed on to the legacy organisation.

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1. Leeds General Infirmary (including St James's Hospital as it is part of the same Trust as Leeds General Infirmary)

2. Stoke Mandeville Hospital

3. Broadmoor Hospital

4. High Royds Psychiatric Hospital

5. Dewsbury Hospital

6. Great Ormond Street Hospital

7. Moss Side Hospital (previously part of Ashworth Hospital)

8. Exeter Hospital

9. Portsmouth Hospital

10. St Catherine's Hospital Birkenhead

11. Cardiff Royal Infirmary

12. Rampton Hospital

13. Saxondale Hospital

14. Barnet General Hospital

15. Booth Hall Children's Hospital

16. De La Pole Hospital

17. Dryburn Hospital

18. Hammersmith Hospital

19. Leavesden Secure Mental Hospital

20. Marsden Hospital

21. Maudsley Hospital

22. North Manchester General Hospital

23. Odstock Hospital

24. Pinderfields Hospital

25. Prestwich Psychiatric Hospital

26. Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead

27. Royal Free Hospital, London

28. Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle

29. Seacroft Hospital, Leeds

30. St Mary's Hospital, Carshalton

31. Whitby Memorial Hospital

32. Wythenshawe Hospital

33. Woodhouse Eaves Children's Convalescent Home, Leicester

An investigation has also been commissioned by Sue Ryder in relation to Wheatfields Hospice in Leeds.

The final reports of all the investigations will aim to be completed by June 2014.

It is vital that all NHS and Department of Health investigations and their reports are thorough and complete, and reflect all the evidence.

In order to ensure the investigations are rigorous and independently scrutinised, the Secretary of State for Health, appointed Kate Lampard to provide independent assurance that the Department and relevant NHS organisations' investigations are following a robust and thorough process aimed at protecting the interest of patients. Her assurance report will be published alongside the final reports from the investigations.

To ensure that lessons are learnt, findings from all trust investigations will feed into Kate Lampard's second phase of work where she will report back on any themes emerging in relation to safeguarding, access and fundraising.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to receive a reply to his letter to the Chief Executive, NHS Trust Development Authority, of 10 February 2014. [194377]

3 Apr 2014 : Column 795W

Jane Ellison: The Chief Executive of the NHS Trust Development Authority replied on 2 April 2014 to the hon. Member's letter dated 10 February 2014.

Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department has taken to develop a population-wide measure of levels of loneliness for inclusion in the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework; [194498]

(2) if he will include a population-wide measure of levels of loneliness in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. [194499]

Norman Lamb: The Department is exploring the feasibility of a population-wide measure of loneliness for inclusion into both the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework and the Public Health Outcome Framework as a sub-indicator, shared across both frameworks. However, this will depend on availability of appropriate data sources and funding.

There is already a measure of social isolation in the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework which is shared with the Public Health Outcomes Framework 2013-15.

Mental Health Services: Children

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in providing funding for counselling and psychotherapy for pupils in schools. [194173]

Norman Lamb: Funding for counselling in schools is the responsibility of the Department for Education. However, children's mental health is a key priority for this Government and we all have a part to play.

The Department of Health is investing £54 million from 2011 to 2015 in the Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme. This programme includes training for service leaders, supervisors and therapists with a combination of outreach continuing professional development and postgraduate qualifications.

The Department of Health has also funded the MindEd e-portal which I launched on 25 March. This interactive e-learning programme will extend the skills and knowledge of staff working in a range of settings, such as teachers, social workers and counsellors, on matters relating to children and young people's mental health. The project also incorporates Counselling MindEd, delivered by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, which aims to develop e-Learning in evidence-based interventions and outcome monitoring specifically for school and youth counsellors and supervisors, closely linked to the core MindEd content and delivered within the same overall MindEd e-portal.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have been treated in adult mental health wards in each of the last five years. [194390]

Norman Lamb: Data on the number of children treated in adult mental health wards in each of the last five years can be found in the table.

3 Apr 2014 : Column 796W

More information is available in ‘Monthly MHMDS Report: A special feature on people under l8s admitted to adult mental health wards’ published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on 11 March 2014, available at:

www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13697/ment-heal-month-13-14-novf-sf-report.pdf

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current average waiting time is for talking therapies for children with mental health problems, by local health area. [194391]

Norman Lamb: The data on waiting times for talking therapies for children with mental health problems are not yet collected centrally. The data being requested would be available only from local services.

Ministers' Private Offices

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on works and refurbishments to offices allocated to Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months. [193996]

Dr Poulter [holding answer 31 March 2014]: In the last 12 months the Department has spent £6,551.92 on works and refurbishments to offices allocated to Ministers. This compares to an average of £22,201 per year during the last three years of the previous Government.

Mobility: Children

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many NHS trusts have developed an action plan for the delivery of mobility services for children based on the best performing providers identified by innovation, health and wealth; [194064]

(2) what the average waiting time was for children requiring wheelchairs in each NHS trust in each of the last five years. [194065]

3 Apr 2014 : Column 797W

Dr Poulter: Data are not collected centrally on the number of specialised providers with action plans for the deliverability of mobility services, nor is there any data held centrally on waiting times for specialised wheelchairs for children.

NHS: Innovation

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the cancellation of the commissioning for quality and innovation pre-qualification criteria on the uptake of the high impact innovations identified through innovation, health and wealth. [194062]

Dr Poulter: High impact innovations, as set out in ‘Innovation Health and Wealth, Accelerating Adoption and Diffusion in the NHS’, published in December 2011, are no longer subject to Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) pre-qualification criteria. However, they are now identified in both the NHS Standard Contract and the mandatory Service Development Improvement Plan (SDIP). The SDIP provides commissioners with a mechanism to work with providers to implement the six high impact innovations.

Following its decision to remove the high impact innovations from CQUIN, NHS England is mitigating any potential reduction in uptake by working with the Institute of Financial Management Industry, Academic Health Science Networks and the Royal College of Anaesthetists, to strategically roll out the new Operating Procedure Code Supplement for these technologies. This will create an improved Hospital Episode Statistical data set, which will be recorded as part of the innovation scorecard; thus highlighting variation in uptake, so that it can be addressed.

NHS: Intellectual Property

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have strategies to exploit the commercial advantage of intellectual property developed at the trust; and if he will make a statement. [194060]

Dr Poulter: Information concerning the number of national health service trusts that have strategies to exploit the commercial advantage of intellectual property developed at the trust is not held centrally.

It is good practice for NHS trust research and development departments to have their own processes in place to manage Intellectual Property. There are also seven NHS Innovation Hubs, which provide advice and support to trusts relating to Intellectual Property, including securing patents where appropriate.

See the following link for a full list of NHS Innovation Hubs in England:

www.innovations.nhs.uk

Parkinson's Disease

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requirements there are on hospital trusts to stock medication for Parkinson's disease in their emergency medications cupboards. [194084]

3 Apr 2014 : Column 798W

Norman Lamb: The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) issued a rapid response report (RRR) on omitted and delayed medicines on 24 February 2010, (NSPA/2010/RRR009) Reducing harm from omitted and delayed medicines in hospital, which applies to the NHS in both England and Wales:

www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/patient-safety-topics/medication-safety/?entryid45=66720&p=2

This identified medicines used to treat Parkinson's disease as critical medicines. Although emergency medicine cupboards are not mentioned directly in the RRR, NHS organisations have to review and where necessary make changes to systems for the supply of critical medicines within and outside of hours to minimise risks.

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194223]

Dr Poulter: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Chris Leslie) on 21 January 2014, Official Report, columns 146-48W, which set out the 10 largest contracts that have been let by the Department since the financial year 2010-11.

Collecting information on 20 largest contracts by value let and the 20 lowest value contracts for each financial year since 2009-10 would incur a disproportionate cost as information requested to this level is not held in a standardised format.

Under this Government's transparency programme, further details on published contracts are available on Contracts Finder at:

www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Prostate Cancer

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average life expectancy is of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement. [194370]

Jane Ellison: The Government's Mandate to NHS England sets out an ambition to make England one of the most successful countries in Europe at preventing premature deaths from all cancers, including prostate cancer.

Cancer indicators in the NHS Outcomes Framework and the Public Health Outcomes Framework will help NHS England to assess progress in improving cancer survival and mortality for men with prostate cancer.

Data related to men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer are not collected to permit the calculation of a reliable figure for average life expectancy.

Smoking: Health Education

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by the QUIT campaign in each of the last five years. [194500]

3 Apr 2014 : Column 799W

Jane Ellison: The total Department of Health spend on national anti-smoking campaigns (Smokefree) over the last five years is as follows:

Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs and VAT). All figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.

Further information on the harms of smoking and also in the range of Smokefree support products can be found on the Smokefree website at:

www.nhs.uk/smokefree

Surgery

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital procedures have been carried out using intra-operative fluid management technologies in each NHS trust in each of the last five years. [194063]

Jane Ellison: This information is not available in the format requested.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre has advised that it is not possible to identify procedures that have been carried out using intra-operative fluid management technologies.

Tattooing and Skin Piercing

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that approved training and qualifications for practice of tattoos and piercings are carried out by qualified practitioners; [194077]

(2) if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure consistency of training and skills for practitioners of tattooing and piercing. [194078]

Jane Ellison: Under the provisions of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, practitioners are required to be registered with their local authorities and to adhere to any local bylaws regarding hygiene and infection control. There are also provisions in the 1982 Act and the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, which enable local authorities to act in respect of individuals who are operating in an unhygienic or unsafe manner.

There are currently no formally recognised qualifications or training courses for tattooing or body piercing. There are no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure consistency of training and skills for practitioners of tattooing and piercing. We consider this is an area where progress can be most quickly and effectively made by practitioners, their organisations, industry bodies, training bodies and enforcement authorities working together to agree on suitable standards of good practice and competency.

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Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to regulate temporary tattooing and piercing establishments such as tattoo fairs and pop-up shops; and if he will make a statement. [194086]

Jane Ellison: There is already legislation in place to regulate all tattoo and body piercing establishments. The provisions of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 include among other things:

14 Acupuncture.

(1) A person shall not in any area in which this section is in force carry on the practice of acupuncture unless he is registered by the local authority for the area under this section.

(2) A person shall only carry on the practice of acupuncture in any area in which this section is in force in premises registered by the local authority for the area under this section; but a person who is registered under this section does not contravene this subsection merely because he sometimes visits people to give them treatment at their request.

This language is replicated in respect of tattooing.

The London Local Authorities Act 1991 also provides a system of licensing for premises in London on “such terms and conditions and subject to such restrictions as may be specified” including infection control.

There are also sections in the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 which have been used by local environmental health officers to take action in respect of unsafe or unhygienic practitioners.

Telemedicine

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedure NHS England uses to benchmark the reduction of inappropriate face-to-face contact in line with Commissioning for Quality and Innovation guidance. [194058]

Dr Poulter: NHS England's work on digitisation of transactions in the NHS is focused on freeing-up clinicians' time and improving patient experience.

NHS England has no plans to develop a metric to specifically measure inappropriate face to face time.

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if NHS England will publish updates on (a) the three million lives programme and (b) NHS adoption of telehealth and telecare models of service provision. [194059]

Norman Lamb: NHS England has undertaken a rapid review of the 3millionlives programme since taking over responsibility for it in April 2013, which has resulted in a significant shift in strategic direction-a redefined vision, mission and objectives for delivery, strong clinical and technological advocacy and support around the programme.

The new Technology Enabled Care Services Programme is a national initiative which aims to improve the lives of people with long term conditions through the use of technologies such as telehealth, telecare, telemonitoring, telecoaching and self-care applications.

Working collaboratively with stakeholders from industry, the NHS, social care, housing, the third sector, commissioners and providers, NHS England has identified the issues and barriers to the wider adoption of technology enabled care services. Stakeholders' recommendations

3 Apr 2014 : Column 801W

will be set out in the Technology Enabled Care Services Improvement Plan 2014-17, due to be published later this month.

NHS England recognises the potential of telehealth and telecare to significantly improve health outcomes, empower patients to self-manage their conditions, and provide care that is convenient, accessible and cost-effective.

While there are pioneering individuals and organisations who have led the way in deploying services underpinned by these types of technologies in England, such services have not been deployed at scale. The Technology Enabled Care Services Improvement Plan 2014-17 will include steps the NHS can take to increase adoption, and the Technology Enabled Care Services Programme will provide support through training and mentoring in the skills necessary to commission and procure these types of services.

Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Conservation

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to help households improve their energy efficiency. [903482]

Gregory Barker: Over 600,000 homes have received energy efficiency improvements so far as a result of the coalition's energy company obligation and Green Deal initiatives. Green Deal assessments are stimulating interest and there had been over 160,000 by the end of February. Yesterday we announced additional £88 million from the Government to drive street-by-street roll out under the Green Deal Communities scheme.

We expect the Green Deal market to continue to expand in 2014 and beyond.

Energy: Housing

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of how many houses in the UK have an energy efficiency certificate. [193738]

Stephen Williams [holding answer 31 March 2014]: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

I assume the question is about the number of houses in the United Kingdom that have an energy performance certificate. No estimates of the number of houses in the United Kingdom with an energy performance certificate are made.

On 31 March 2014, the Energy Performance of Buildings Domestic Register recorded a total of 11,295,855 domestic energy performance certificates as having been lodged on the Register since 2007. This total includes all such certificates lodged in England and Wales, including those instances where a property may have more than one certificate, for example, cases where additional energy performance certificates have been commissioned and lodged for the same property at different times. The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold details of energy performance certificates lodged in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

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Energy: Multiple Occupation

Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what consultation he plans on regulations relating to houses in multiple occupation as part of the forthcoming consultation on regulations relating to minimum standards of energy efficiency for the private rented sector. [194160]

Gregory Barker: The Department intends to publically consult on the regulations relating to Minimum Standards of Energy Efficiency in the Private Rental Sector (secondary regulations for section 43 of the Energy Act 2011) before summer 2014. How the regulations may apply to houses in multiple occupation is expected to form part of this consultation.

Fuel Oil: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of properties in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire that do not have mains gas access and which use domestic heating oil. [194362]

Gregory Barker: Estimates for the number of households which do not have mains gas and which use domestic heating oil are not available. However, the number of households that did not have access to a mains gas supply can be estimated by combining figures for the lower layer super output areas that most closely match the Pendle constituency.

In 2012, there were approximately 1,300 households (3%) which had no access to mains gas in Pendle. The number of households that did not have access to mains gas in Lancashire is estimated to be 32,000 (6% of households within Lancashire). These data are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lsoa-estimates-of-households-not-connected-to-the-gas-network

Fuel Poverty: South Yorkshire

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of children in (a) Rotherham constituency and (b) South Yorkshire living in fuel poverty. [194592]

Gregory Barker: Fuel poverty is measured at the household level rather than the individual level and detailed data on the age of household occupants is not available at the sub-regional level.

The number of households in fuel poverty in England, which contain at least one child under the age of 16, was 898,000 in 2011. This is equivalent to about 38% of all fuel poor households.

The total numbers of households in fuel poverty for the areas in 2011 were estimated as:

Rotherham constituency-about 3,960 fuel poor households (around 11% of all households in the constituency)

South Yorkshire-about 62,750 fuel poor households (around 11% of all households in the county)

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Housing: Insulation

Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the number of treatable cavity wall homes in areas prone to flooding treated with inappropriate filling agents. [194136]

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold data on the materials that have been used to fill individual cavity walls.

Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the average treatment cost to insulate (a) narrow cavity hard-to-treat walls, (b) uneven cavities in walls constructed of natural stone, (c) homes with defective or missing damp proof courses, (d) solid wall properties treatable with internal cladding and (e) solid wall properties treatable with external cladding. [194137]

Gregory Barker: The Government's most recent assessment of the costs and benefits of energy efficiency measures are set out the Assessment of Impacts which was published 5 March 2014 alongside the Future of the Energy Company Obligation consultation, available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/286926/The_Future_of_the_ Energy_Company_ Obligation_Assessment_of_Impacts.pdf

For the purpose of this assessment, we assumed that the average installation cost for all Hard to Treat Cavity Wall Insulation measures was £1,296. We assumed that the installation cost for Internal and External Solid Wall Insulation (SWI) varies by property size, ranging from around £4,000 to £8,000 for Internal SWI and around £8,000 to £14,000 for External SWI.

Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of homes classified as solid wall construction and built before 1920 that possess fillable cavities. [194138]

Gregory Barker: The English Housing Survey shows there were 4 million homes built in England before 1919 of non cavity wall construction. It is possible that a proportion of these could possess fillable cavities, although no estimate on how many is available.

The tool used to produce the above figure can be accessed from the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cambridge-housing-energy-tool-guidance-note

Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what account he took of the estimates of numbers of homes with (a) partial fill cavity walls, (b) uneven cavities in natural stone walls, (c) defective or missing damp proof courses and (d) party wall cavities in the 2012 inbuilt report on hard to treat homes in the revised plans for treatment targets under the ECO scheme. [194246]

Gregory Barker: The Government's assessment of the number of households that could be supported by the proposed new ECO targets currently being consulted

3 Apr 2014 : Column 804W

on is set out in the 5 March publication The Future of the Energy Company Obligation: Assessment of Impacts', available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/286926/The_Future_of_the_Energy _Company_ Obligation_Assessment_of_Impacts.pdf

Evidence from the Inbuilt report on various types of Hard To Treat cavity walls informed the Government's assumptions on the technical potential for these measures. Party wall cavities were not considered in the Inbuilt report, and the Government did not estimate the uptake of this technology in the Assessment of Impacts.

Members: Correspondence

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Sunderland Central dated 27 February 2014 relating to the Eggborough power station. [194302]

Gregory Barker: I would like to apologise on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change for the delay in replying to the hon. Member. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy has since responded to this letter on 1 April 2014.

Nuclear Power Stations

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what costs were incurred by (a) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and (b) his Department with external suppliers (i) in total, (ii) with Deloitte, (iii) with Burges Salmon, (iv) with QinetiQ, (v) with Project Time & Cost and (vi) with other external consultancies on the Magnox and RSRL contract preparation and award between January 2011 and March 2014. [194483]

Michael Fallon: In line with best practice, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which is responsible for running the competition to appoint a new Parent Body Organisation to take ownership of Magnox Ltd and Research Sites Restoration Ltd (RSRL), has used external advisers to provide it with assurance and specialist advice on the competition and contract preparation. Between January 2012 and the end of March 2014 the NDA spent a total of £2,958,234 on external advisers: £106,389 with Deloitte; £2,804,845 with Burges Salmon; and £47,000 with QinetiQ. The NDA has used no other external advisers. The Department for Energy and Climate Change has incurred no costs on external suppliers in relation to the competition.

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194219]

Gregory Barker: The information requested is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The directorates of the Department of Energy and Climate Change carry out their own purchasing with professional support from a procurement team.

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Contracts of the Department are published on the Cabinet Office Website which can be found at:

www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk

The Department would be able to provide further information by narrowing the scope, if specific procurement projects were identified.

The following table from the Department’s financial records show the total spend with 20 suppliers of the highest value. This value can be made up of one or many contracts between April 2013 and February 2014.

Renewable Energy

Dr Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what modelling he has undertaken of the viability of the offtaker of last resort system for independent renewable energy generators under the revised arrangements for auctions for contracts for difference for established technologies. [194245]

Gregory Barker: We do not consider that the method of allocating Contracts for Difference (CfDs) has a direct impact on the viability of the offtaker of last resort (OLR).

We have recently consulted on the OLR and are currently considering responses. Based on those responses, we will consider whether further modelling is necessary to ensure/verify that the OLR is viable as proposed.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, columns 340-1W, on warm home discount scheme, on what date his Department will publish its consultation on changes to the warm home discount for 2015-16 onwards. [194785]

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Gregory Barker: We plan to publish the consultation on changes to the warm home discount for 2015-16 later this spring. We have not set a date for publication.

Defence

Afghanistan

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many visits Ministers in his Department have made to the bases of regiments which returned from operational duties in Afghanistan in the last three years. [192863]

Mr Francois: Ministers, and the Prime Minister, travel on a regular basis to visit personnel deployed in Afghanistan and has done so for a number of years. Ministers also attend the Task Force Helmand homecoming parades in London, which include representatives of all the units that deployed. The Prime Minister hosted members of 1st Mechanised Brigade in the Palace of Westminster following their parade in October last year.

In February 2013, the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Anna Soubry), visited Aldershot to visit 1st Battalion, Irish Guards following their return from operational duties in Afghanistan. In addition, in December last year the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology (Philip Dunne) attended the thanksgiving and memorial service in Salisbury Cathedral for 1st Mechanised Brigade.

Air Force: Deployment

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which RAF personnel of each (a) rank, (b) duty and (c) location are currently serving overseas. [193207]

Mr Francois: The information will take time to collate. I will write to the right hon. Member as soon as it is available.

Substantive answer from Mark Francois to Nicholas Soames:

I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question about Royal Air Force personnel currently serving overseas on 25 March 2014 (Official Report, column 180W).

Following further investigation a full and accurate response to this question could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

However, details of Royal Air Force personnel located overseas are published in the Ministry of Defence Quarterly Location Statistics table 1.1b (UK Regular Forces by Country) showing the position as at 1 January 2014. Copies of the Quarterly Location Statistics are available in the Library of the House. These figures can also be found on the following Defence Statistics website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/location-of-uk-regular-service-and-civilian-personnel-quarterly-statistics-2014

Air Force: Training

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel are taking part in the Seedcorn initiative; what the location is of each such person; and with what equipment such personnel are training. [194241]

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Anna Soubry: As announced in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review the UK retains Seedcorn Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) capability with personnel embedded in MPA capabilities of our closest allies. The number and location of personnel and equipment are as follows:

Aircraft Carriers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much electricity is consumed by a Queen Elizabeth class carrier when it is alongside with no internal power generation taking place. [194520]

Mr Dunne: It is estimated that when connected to a shore power supply a Queen Elizabeth class carrier will continuously draw up to 8 MW of electricity.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work is required to the docks at Portsmouth to accommodate the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers. [194521]

Mr Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 November 2013, Official Report, column 400W, to the hon. Member for Portsmouth South (Mr Hancock).

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether both Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers can be docked at Portsmouth harbour simultaneously. [194522]

Mr Dunne: Yes. Significant new investment in HM Naval Base Portsmouth, including the strengthening of jetties, installing new power supplies and other infrastructure changes is required to accommodate both carriers. This

3 Apr 2014 : Column 808W

work has already commenced and will continue to expand. The initial capability will be completed in time for the arrival of the first of class, HMS Queen Elizabeth, at her home port.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) beam and (b) draft is of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier when it is loaded to its maximum configuration. [194527]

Mr Dunne: When loaded to its maximum configuration a Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier will have a beam of 39 metres and a draft of 10 metres.

Algeria

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what non-lethal military support his Department has provided to Algeria in each year since 2012. [194082]

Dr Murrison: The UK provides military support to the Algerian armed forces mainly through the provision of academic and specialised UK based courses. In 2012, 31 Algerian students from the Algerian armed forces attended UK military courses, and in 2013 seven students came to the UK for training. The courses attended since 2012 are:

Royal College of Defence Studies

Initial Naval Training (Officers) at BRNC Dartmouth

RAF Initial Officer Training at RAF Cranwell

Economic Exclusion Zone Protection Officer Course (one in 2012 delivered in the UK, one in 2013 delivered in Gibraltar)

Stabilisation and Peace Support Operation

Board and Search Training

English Language Training

HM Common Time course

International Principal Warfare Officers' Course

RIB training

International Air Battle Management Course

Multinational Peace Support Operations Instructor Training Course

Design and Evaluation of Peace Support Operations Training

In addition to this, in 2013, delegations from the Algerian armed forces visited the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, and the Defence Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury. In March 2014, a delegation from the Ministry of Defence's Surgeon General's department visited Algiers to discuss potential areas for co-operation with the Algerian military medical services.

Armed Forces

Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on where the UK ranks worldwide in terms of its number of deployable forces. [192990]

Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence does not hold comparative information on this topic, and conducting analysis of each nation's deployable force numbers is not straightforward. The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010, our ongoing work to deliver the Future Force and emerging work on the Joint Expeditionary Force, ensures that the UK has the appropriate number

3 Apr 2014 : Column 809W

of deployable forces to meet our requirements. The UK does remain one of the very few countries that can deploy and sustain a brigade size force, together with its air and maritime enablers, for intervention and enduring stabilisation operations, almost anywhere in the world. We can also deploy three brigades with air and maritime enablers, for a limited time and with sufficient warning, for a larger one-off intervention.

Armed Forces: Firearms

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the armed forces will tender for the successor to the SA80 L86A2. [194154]

Mr Dunne: There are currently no plans to replace the SA80 L86A2.

Army: Length of Service

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average career length is of a soldier in each regiment or unit who enlisted (a) aged under 18 and (b) aged 18 or above. [194161]

Anna Soubry: The average career length by regiment or corps is shown in the following table.

3 Apr 2014 : Column 810W

Army: Recruitment

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) junior entry and (b) standard entry soldiers enlisted in the Army in 2012-13; and how many such people left before completing Phase 2 training. [194162]

Anna Soubry: The minimum age for enlisting in the Army is 16 and those between the ages of 16 and 17, or in some cases 17.5, are trained as Junior Entry. The remainder are trained as Standard Entry. Those who commenced training in either the Junior Entry or Senior Entry cohorts in 2012-13, and of those who subsequently discharged prior to completing Phase 2 training are shown in the following table:

Individuals may withdraw or be discharged for a number of reasons, including medical and fitness factors, disciplinary reasons, or voluntary withdrawal. Personnel under 18 have a statutory right to discharge from the armed forces if they wish to leave.

Figures have been rounded to 10; numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

D-Day Landings: Anniversaries

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps his Department is taking to facilitate the attendance of (a) veterans, (b) armed forces' widows, (c) armed forces' spouses and (d) carers to the 70th anniversary D-Day commemoration events at (i) Portsmouth on 5 June 2014, (ii) London on 22 June 2014, (iii) York on 20 July 2014 and (iv) London on 16 October 2014; [194124]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2014, Official Report, column 181W, on D-Day Landings: anniversaries, with which service and veterans' charities his Department has been liaising for each of the 70th anniversary D-Day commemoration events in the UK; [194125]

(3) pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2014, Official Report, column 181W, on D-Day landings: anniversaries, on what date his Department received confirmation that each of the 70th anniversary D-Day commemoration events in the UK would take place; [194130]

(4) pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2014, Official Report, column 181W, on D-Day landings: anniversaries, how many (a) veterans, (b) armed forces' widows, (c) armed forces' spouses and (d) carers his Department expects will be in attendance for each of the 70th anniversary D-Day commemoration events in the UK. [194131]

Anna Soubry: The 70th Anniversary D-Day commemorative events in Portsmouth are being organised by Portsmouth city council, and the military is supporting the event as requested. Similarly, the services are supporting events planned by the Normandy Veterans Association (NVA). The Department is unable to predict the numbers who may be present at any of these events and has received no requests to facilitate attendance.

3 Apr 2014 : Column 811W

The Ministry of Defence was made aware of Portsmouth city council's planned events in April 2013. We were informed about the majority of NVA events in February 2013, and the National Memorial Arboretum event in November 2013. We have been working closely with the Royal British Legion and the NVA on the planned events to mark this significant anniversary, and have ensured that a range of service charities and associations are kept informed, including COBSEO, the Confederation of Service Charities.

Libya

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what non-lethal military support his Department has provided to Libya in each year since 2012. [194081]

Dr Murrison: Since 2012 the UK has provided advice, training and Defence Education to Libya.

An advisory team was established in Tripoli in 2012 to support the UK/Libya relationship and provide advice through a number of personnel embedded in the Libyan Ministry of Defence, Navy, Air Force, Land Forces and Border Security Force.

In 2013 the advisory team was renamed the Defence Advisory and Training Team (DATT) to reflect the variety of support programmes, including strategic communication, developing explosive ordnance disposal schools, supporting the creation of a joint operational planning staff and naval training. The DATT currently numbers 34 personnel which includes a senior disarmament adviser working with the Government of Libya, the UN and international partners on disarmament issues. The DATT also provides the platform for Short Term Training Team deployments from the UK.

In 2013 HMS Echo surveyed the coast off Tripoli including a number of ports and in February 2014 the Libyans signed a data sharing agreement with the UK Hydrographic Office.

Libyan personnel have undergone defence education and training in the UK including: English Language Training, Initial Officer Training, Economic Exclusion Zone Protection Officers courses and Managing Defence in the Wider Security Context.

In November 2013 the UK also established a Defence Section within the British Embassy, Tripoli with a defence attaché.

NATO

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in how many joint NATO training exercises in which countries the UK plans to participate in the next six months. [194061]

Dr Murrison: In the next six months the UK is planning to participate in 37 joint and multinational training exercises in a NATO context.

These exercises will take place on the territory of, in the waters around or in the skies above the following countries:

Canada

Croatia

Denmark

Estonia

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France

Germany

Greenland

Italy

Latvia

Lithuania

Norway

Poland

Slovenia

Spain

Turkey

UK

USA.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets and how many service personnel were involved in NATO exercise Joint Warrior from (a) the UK, (b) NATO members and (c) non-NATO members in each of the last two years. [194176]

Dr Murrison: The tables detail the number and type of assets together with the number of service personnel from the UK, NATO members, and non-NATO members involved in Exercise Joint Warrior for the last two years.

Maritime Units represent the number of Ships and Submarines, Land Units represent Brigades/Battery/Legion/Squadron participating and Air Units represent the number of aircraft taking part.

Personnel numbers are rounded approximations as exact numbers vary day to day. In 2013 approximately 50 personnel and 40 augmentees from Joint Force Air Component HQ and 50 Air Surveillance and Control System personnel at RAF Bulmer also participated as part of their normal duties.

3 Apr 2014 : Column 813W

Portsmouth Dockyard

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what interruption to commercial and recreational shipping traffic is expected during the dredging of Portsmouth Harbour. [194531]

Mr Dunne: Portsmouth is a busy military port, which also manages commercial and recreational traffic flows, and the maintenance of harbour facilities, including dredging, around harbour users' requirements is routine business.

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194217]

Mr Dunne: As part of this Government's commitment to increase transparency, central Government Departments have been required to publish information about the contracts they award on Contracts Finder, which is available at:

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

In addition, details of spend in excess of £25,000 are published on the gov.uk website:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-finance-transparency-dataset

Service Complaints Commissioner

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget of the Service Complaints Commission has been in each year of its operation; how many staff have been employed by that Commission; how such figures will change after April 2014; and if he will make a statement. [193110]

Anna Soubry: The annual budget of the Service Complaints Commissioner can be found in the Annual Reports at the following links:

http://armedforcescomplaints.independent.gov.uk/linkedfiles/afcindependent/423526_sccar_annualrep_tag.pdf

http://armedforcescomplaints.independent.gov.uk/linkedfiles/afcindependent/scc_2009_ar.pdf

http://armedforcescomplaints.independent.gov.uk/linkedfiles/afcindependent/scc_annual_report_2010_with_erratum.pdf

http://armedforcescomplaints.independent.gov.uk/linkedfiles/afcindependent/sccannualreport2011web.pdf

http://armedforcescomplaints.independent.gov.uk/linkedfiles/afcindependent/426354_ssc_ar_2012.pdf

The number of staff employed by the Commissioner at the end of each calendar year, excluding the Commissioner herself is shown in the following table:

3 Apr 2014 : Column 814W

Resource requirements are kept under review and we will continue to do so as we implement the recent announcement of a Service Complaints Ombudsman.

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) with reference to paragraphs 7.22, 7.21 and 7.7 of Joint Service Publication 832, if he will place in the Library and on his Department's website a copy of the Service inquiry regarding the collision of two Tornado aircraft over the Moray Firth on 3 July 2012; [194550]

(2) whether any other aircraft were operating in the area at the time of the collision between the two Tornado aircraft above the Moray Firth on 3 July 2012. [194551]

Dr Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), on 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 639W. It would be inappropriate to comment on any details relating to this incident prior to the publication of the Service Inquiry.

Tunisia

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what non-lethal military support his Department has provided to Tunisia in each year since 2012. [194080]

Dr Murrison: The UK strongly supports Tunisia's democratic transition and we are working to assist the Tunisian authorities as they deliver change. Since 2012, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has provided the following support to the Tunisian armed forces:

In June 2012 the MOD and Department for Transport delivered Explosive Detection Equipment Training to the Tunisian armed forces in Tunisia;

In May 2012, Tunisian military delegates attended an Economic Exclusion Zone course in the UK;

In January 2014, a small team delivered a presentation to the Tunisian armed forces on the UK's approach to Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR);

There are currently two Tunisian students enrolled on the International Sub Lieutenant's course in the UK.

Women and Equalities

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by the Government Equalities Office were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194222]

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

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

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Transport

Air Routes

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the expanded Air Development Fund announced in the Budget Statement 2014 will apply throughout the UK: and how that fund will operate in the devolved jurisdictions. [193868]

Mr Goodwill: The Chancellor announced in this year's Budget that funding to maintain existing air connectivity to London—first announced in the 2013 spending round last June—will increase from £10 million to £20 million per year, and would be expanded to include provision for start-up aid for new air routes from UK regional airports, including those in the devolved Administrations, which handle fewer than 5 million passengers per year.

The Department for Transport is working with the Treasury to develop guidance that will clarify how the Government will ordinarily expect to interpret the European Union State aid guidelines on start-up aid for new air routes, and explain how the funding process will operate across the UK.

Directly Operated Railways

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what Directly Operated Railways' total staffing budget was in each of the years since 2010-11; and what its planned staffing budget is for 2014-15 and 2015-16; [194502]

(2) how many staff were employed by Directly Operated Railways in March (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012, (d) 2013 and (e) 2014. [194501]

Stephen Hammond: The total budgeted staff costs for the years in question are as follows.

As with all other costs associated with Directly Operated Railways (DOR), these are recovered through a combination of a management charge to their subsidiary (East Coast Main Line Company Ltd), charges to the performance bond which was secured from National Express following the early termination of their franchise in 2009 and fees charged to the Department for Transport for services in connection with the Rail Franchising (Direct Awards) programme.

The total headcount in DOR for the years in question are set out in the following table.

3 Apr 2014 : Column 816W

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what subsidiary companies of Directly Operated Railways have been created in connection with the direct awards programme. [194503]

Stephen Hammond: The following subsidiary companies owned by Directly Operated Railways have been used in connection with the Direct Awards programme.

West Coast Main Line Company Limited

Northern Trains Limited

GW Railway Limited

South Eastern Trains Limited

Thameslink Limited

All of these companies are currently dormant.

The company also owns the East Coast Main Line Company Ltd which operates rail services on the East Coast Main Line and the following companies, both of which are dormant.

OQS Rail Limited

Hay's Rail limited

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Welsh Government or the Official Opposition on Barnett consequentials for Wales resulting from future High Speed 2 expenditure. [193879]

Mr Goodwill: Ministers in the Department for Transport are in regular contact with the Welsh Assembly on a variety of matters; however, Ministers have not received representations from the Welsh Government or the Official Opposition regarding HS2 and Barnett consequentials.

Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-transparency-data#meetings

Procurement

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) 20 highest and (b) 20 lowest value contracts awarded by his Department were in each financial year since 2009-10. [194229]

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, on 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 721W.

Railways: Sanitation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who is responsible for enforcing standards in

3 Apr 2014 : Column 817W

the hygiene of toilets on trains; and who is accountable for any failings in this area. [194496]

Stephen Hammond: It is a matter for the Train Operator to ensure that the appropriate standards of cleanliness are met on trains.

More information can be obtained from the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) which can be contacted at:

2^nd Floor

200 Aldersgate Street

London

EC1A 4HD

Tel: 020 7841 8000

Railways: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish and place in the Library all correspondence sent in the last five years between the Welsh and UK Governments on electrification of the mainline between Swansea and London. [193785]

Stephen Hammond: My officials will collate the key correspondence sent in the last five years between Ministers in Welsh and UK Government on electrification of the mainline between Swansea and London and deposit this in the Libraries of the House.