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Written Answers to Questions

Monday 7 April 2014

Women and Equalities

Equal Pay

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what the average change was in the gender pay gap in the (a) public and (b) private sector between 2008 and 2013. [194897]

Jenny Willott: The gender pay gap decreased by 4.7 percentage points in the public sector and by 1.2 percentage points in the private sector between 2008 and 2013. This information is published by the ONS as part of its annual survey of hours and earnings. The figures are shown in the following table.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Agriculture: Technology

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the £60 million provided to support proof of concept development of near-market agricultural innovations described in “A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies” has been allocated. [194321]

Mr Willetts: To date, 11 feasibility studies have been agreed, which will be supported by £2.8 million of Government funding and £1.4 million of industry co-investment. A further tranche of funding will be announced shortly.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to “A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies”, if he will list the activities undertaken by the UK Trade and Investment Business Ambassador to champion UK agri-tech; and which early stage markets have been identified for future growth. [194467]

Mr Willetts: James Townshend, the UK Business Ambassador for agri-tech, has undertaken the following activities to raise the UK's reputation in agri-tech; to support inward investment and exports:

2013

London—18 April. Met Hamish Renton, UK dairy specialist, in advance of visit to Qatar in May 2013.

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London—29 April. Met the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), to discuss HMG Agri-Tech Industrial Strategy.

London—30 April. Attended and delivered the keynote speech at the UK Dairy Export Forum.

London—8 May. Met the Ambassador of Belarus to the UK to discuss potential business opportunities in Belarus for UK agricultural companies.

Qatar—20-23 May. Led a scoping mission aimed at positioning UK companies to win potential contracts.

Turkey—1 September. Visited the Agroexpo/Animal Expo, Eurasia.

Angola—8-9 October. Led, with my noble friend Lord Marland, a multi-sector trade mission to Luanda, which included calls on the Angolan Ministers for Finance, Petroleum, Agriculture, Defence, Energy, Trade and Industry and Education.

2014

Burma—19-23 January. A scoping visit and meetings with key decision makers and practitioners.

Early stage markets already identified are Angola and Qatar and we continue to keep our activity under review.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to “A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies”, for what reason Qatar was chosen as the first country for UK Trade and Investment to work with. [194468]

Mr Willetts: Qatar was chosen because of its Government's commitment to increase agricultural production over the coming years with the aim of becoming less reliant on imported food and more self-sufficient. This may offer important future opportunities for UK agri-tech organisations.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to “A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies”, what progress UK Trade and Investment has made on identifying possibilities for UK-based food and drink producers through the High Value Opportunity Programme for Food Security. [194469]

Mr Willetts: The scope of the High Value Opportunity for Food Security is dependent on the national strategies to be published by key target markets. Prospects for UK-based food and drink producers will become clearer once these strategies are published.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to “A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies”, how many times the Leadership Council has met; and what the items for discussion were at each meeting. [194470]

Mr Willetts: The Agri-Tech Leadership Council has met four times. The items discussed are set out in the following table:

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In addition, the Leadership Council held a telephone conference on 24 February 2014 which discussed the proposed timetable and actions for commissioning the Centre for Agri-Informatics and Metrics of Sustainability, and arrangements for evaluating the Agri-Tech Strategy.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to “A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies”, what progress has been made in identifying skills needed to support the agri-tech research progress; and what steps he is taking to ensure the identified skills are being procured. [194477]

Mr Willetts: The Agri-Tech Strategy Leadership Council is delivering the skills commitments in the Strategy. Current work includes working with the UK research councils and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to map the gaps in research skills; working with the Agri-Skills Forum to promote the professionalisation of careers in agriculture; and working with Government to help shape the new Rural Development Programme with respect to agri-skills.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to “A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies”, how

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much of the £90 million to establish centres for agricultural innovation has been allocated; and how many such centres have been established. [194478]

Mr Willetts: Following the launch of the strategy we prioritised the Agri-Tech Catalyst, to encourage collaboration between industry and academia. We have been engaging further with industry to ensure the centres are developed as true partnerships. The process to establish the Centre for Agricultural Informatics and Metrics of Sustainability will be launched this spring. Therefore, to date, no centres have been fully established or money allocated.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to “A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies”, what progress he has made in establishing a Centre for Agricultural Informatics. [194481]

Mr Willetts: Over the last few months we have held a number of discussions and consultation events to identify priorities for this centre and others that will follow. Building on this input, a sub-group of the Agri-Tech Leadership Council has developed a specification that will be published later this month. The application process will open shortly thereafter.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to “A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies”, whether UK Trade & Investment has established a new dedicated team to increase the volume and value of overseas investment into the UK agri-tech sector. [194482]

Mr Willetts: Yes. The Agri-Tech Investment Organisation was established on 1 August 2013 within UK Trade and Investment. It is staffed by a mix of civil servants and industry experts dedicated to increasing the value and volume of overseas investment into the UK agri-tech sector.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to “A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies”, what progress has been made in mapping and evaluating private and government funding available for research, translation and innovation. [194535]

Mr Willetts: The UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies contains a number of actions for Industry, Government and the science base.

Action No. 1 commits the Leadership Council, working alongside others, to conduct a comprehensive mapping and evaluation of private and Government funding available for research, translation and innovation.

Work to deliver this action started at the end of March this year, led by the Agri-Tech Leadership Council. We expect the findings to be presented by the end of 2014.

Apprentices: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships were started in the Brigg and Goole constituency in each industrial sector in each of the last five years. [194612]

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Matthew Hancock: Apprenticeship data are not available by industrial sector. Within an industry, a learner may undertake a wide range of apprenticeship frameworks.

Data are available by sector subject area. The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts from 2008/09 to 2012/13 in Brigg and Goole constituency by sector subject area.

Apprentices: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships commenced in each sector in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire in the last 12 months. [194363]

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Matthew Hancock: Table 1 following shows the number of apprenticeship starts in the 2012/13 academic year by Sector Subject Area for Pendle parliamentary constituency and Lancashire local education authority.

Asbestos

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many claims for asbestos-related illnesses were made against his Department in each year since 2003. [194358]

Jenny Willott: The asbestos-related personal injury claims for which the Department is responsible are mainly historical liabilities that were assumed by the Department from various bodies, including former nationalised industries, whose liabilities transferred to the Department (as previously constituted) when those bodies ceased to exist.

Based on available data, the number of claims for the years in question are listed by category, and are as follows:

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Business

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of small and medium-sized businesses were registered in each parliamentary constituency; and what the equivalent figures were in each of the last five years. [195022]

Michael Fallon: There is no central register of businesses. Companies House does have a register of companies but it cannot determine the number of companies classified as small and medium sized as defined by the Companies Act 2006. Information on companies registered in each parliamentary constituency could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses are registered in each constituency; and how many businesses were so registered in each of the last five years. [195028]

Michael Fallon: Companies House cannot identify the number of new businesses registered in each constituency, as there is no central register of businesses.

Companies House does have a register of companies, but information on companies registered in each constituency could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Business: Billing

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects to publish his Department's response to the consultation on building a responsible payment culture. [194885]

Matthew Hancock: We are currently analysing responses to the Government's discussion paper on building a more responsible payment culture and will publish the response shortly.

Employee Ownership

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have applied to be an employee shareholder under the Government’s Shares for Rights Scheme to date. [194810]

Jenny Willott: There is no requirement for someone using the employee shareholder employment status to register with any Government Department or agency. Therefore, Government do not hold numbers.

The employee shareholder employment status is a voluntary option that people may wish to consider using.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies have applied to participate in the Government's Shares for Rights Scheme to date. [194811]

Jenny Willott: There is no requirement for companies considering using the employee shareholder employment status to register with any Government Department or agency. Therefore, Government do not hold numbers.

The employee shareholder employment status is a voluntary option that people may wish to consider using.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which independent advisers have been paid to advise employees about the Government’s Shares for Rights Scheme to date. [194813]

Jenny Willott: The Government do not hold information on independent advisers used by individuals in relation to the employee shareholder employment status.

It is for the individual to make their own decision about who to approach for independent advice, and a matter for the individual and company to agree the payment for independent advice.

Foreign Investment in UK: Israel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of changes in the number of people in employment due to Israeli companies investing in the UK in 2013. [194652]

Michael Fallon: During the 2012-13 financial year UK Trade & Investment recorded 18 inward investment projects from Israel landing into the UK. It is estimated that these investment projects have brought with them 246 new jobs and 12 safeguarded jobs for the UK.

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Higher Education

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any alternative learning providers have not met the standards he recently announced on (a) quality assurance, (b) financial sustainability and (c) management and governance. [194323]

Mr Willetts: To date, 16 alternative providers that applied to have courses designated under the new specific course designation arrangements have not met the standards required. Three applications were rejected because of quality assurance; 13 applications were rejected because of concerns over financial sustainability.

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to monitor whether alternative learning providers are meeting the standards he recently set out on (a) quality assurance, (b) financial sustainability and (c) management and governance; and how he plans to facilitate the meeting of those standards. [194324]

Mr Willetts: Under the new specific course designation arrangements alternative learning providers are required immediately to notify the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) of any material changes which may affect their financial sustainability or quality of provision. HEFCE will also run an annual monitoring exercise to collect information about the ongoing financial sustainability, quality of provision, and changes to management and governance arrangements at alternative learning providers.

Minimum Wage

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of (a) people, (b) men and (c) women were in (i) work, (ii) full-time work and (iii) part-time work in each constituency earn the national minimum wage; and what those figures were in each year since 2010. [195026]

Jenny Willott: The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Hourly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided by the Office for National Statistics for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence.

Estimates for the number and proportion of national minimum wage jobs at sub-regional geographies such as parliamentary constituency are not available for reasons of quality.

Related information is available in the National Minimum Wage Low Pay Commission Report 2014, which contains some estimates for minimum wage jobs, as defined above, by regions, gender and full-time/part-time:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288841/The_National_Minimum_ Wage_LPC_Report_2014.pdf

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New Businesses: Young People

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people applied to the 2014 Sirius Programme for young entrepreneurs; and if he will make a statement. [194417]

Matthew Hancock: The Sirius Programme, led by UK Trade & Investment, enables talented graduates with innovative start up ideas to start a business in the UK. Successful applicants receive support via a structured mentoring programme and participants requiring a visa are able to access support through a dedicated visa route for the Sirius Programme. The current programme is a two year pilot-the first round was launched on 6 September 2013 and closed on 15 January 2014. A total of 1,543 people applied.

A second round of the Sirius Programme will open shortly.

Overseas Students

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment of the findings of the Oxford Economics report commissioned by the University of Sheffield entitled the Economic Costs and Benefits of International Students, January 2013. [194284]

Mr Willetts: The Government welcome the benefits that international students bring to the UK as highlighted in the Oxford Economics report entitled Economic Costs and Benefits of International Students, January 2013.

In July the same year, we published our International Education Strategy which estimated that in 2011/12 international higher education students contributed £10.2 billion to the UK economy through tuition fees and living expenses. The strategy also recognised the wider benefits that students bring in boosting the local economy where they study, as well as enhancing our cultural life, and broadening the educational experience of the UK students they study alongside. It is because we value this contribution that there is no cap on the number of genuine overseas students who can come to the UK, nor do we have plans to introduce one.

After completion of study, all students who can secure a skilled job from a licensed sponsor and are paid at least £20,300 are welcome to stay and work in the UK. Those who complete a PhD have up to a year to find a graduate level job and move on to Tier 2 or move on to the graduate entrepreneur or exceptional talent schemes in Tier 1.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the economic benefits to the UK of international students. [194285] [194285]

Mr Willetts: The Government's International Education Strategy, published in July 2013, included an analysis of the value of international education to the UK. This analysis showed that international students across all parts of the education sector (higher education, further education, English language training, and independent schools) were estimated to contribute £13.6 billion to the UK economy in 2011. More recent data indicate that this figure rose to £13.9 billion in 2012.

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International students also bring indirect economic benefits to the UK, including: strengthening the quality, diversity and reputation of the UK education sector; providing a pipeline of prospective students who may study at higher levels in the UK; and improving overseas business, research, social and cultural links.

The International Education Strategy and the accompanying analytical narrative can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-education-strategy-global-growth-and-prosperity

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment of the effect on higher education providers of charging fees to international students for use of the NHS. [194286] [194286]

Mr Willetts: The Home Office published an impact assessment on its website on the 11 October 2013 entitled “Regulating migrant access to health services in the UK”, in which it estimates the impact of implementing a health surcharge as outlined in the Immigration Bill. The Home Office predicts that implementing a health surcharge could cause Tier 4 visa grants to fall by approximately 830, which will have an impact on higher education providers of approximately £11 million per year. The surcharge is £200 per annum for most migrants; however, to reflect their contribution to UK growth, a concession was factored into the Immigration Bill for students—they will pay £150 per annum rather than the full cost.

BIS will continue to work closely with the Home Office and the higher education sector to monitor the effects of the surcharge on student numbers and to ensure that the impact is manageable.

Students: Loans

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) whether recent increases in the estimated RAB rate for student loans go beyond his Department's target impairment for student loans; [194353]

(2) what his Department's current target impairment for student loans is; how such a level was decided on; when this target was introduced; and what change there has been in this target since its introduction; [194350]

(3) if he will publish regular information on the level of his Department's target impairment for student loans. [194351]

Mr Willetts: This Department does not set a target for impairment of student loans. Our reforms were designed to put higher education on a sustainable footing. Universities are now well-funded and this is driving up the quality of the student experience and helping to stimulate economic growth, while keeping access to higher education free at the point of entry.

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the effect on his Department's total resource Departmental Expenditure Limits of the revised guidance on revaluation of student loan impairments in each of the next three years. [194354]

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Mr Willetts: Student loan repayments are managed annually under government budgeting rules and any changes, for whatever reason, in forecast repayments, are considered as part of the Parliamentary Supply Process.

Additional supply was agreed between this Department and HM Treasury, and approved by Parliament as part of the 2013-14 Supplementary Estimates process.

Deputy Prime Minister

Electoral Register: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of eligible voters in Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency who will not be auto-enrolled under individual electoral registration. [194730]

Greg Clark: The information can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-confirming-electors-through-data-matching

Cabinet Office

All Party Groups

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2014, Official Report, column 300W, on All Party Groups, on how many occasions his Department has instructed its civil servants not to give evidence to All Party Parliamentary Groups in each of the last 10 years. [194729]

Mr Maude: The information requested is not held centrally.

Aspire to Change

Mr Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much has been paid by his Department to Aspire to Change (A2C) since its formation; for what purpose each payment was made; what assessment he has made of the value for money of such payments; and if he will make a statement. [194435]

Mr Maude: Since 2011, details of contracts above the value of £10,000 have been published on the Contracts Finder website at:

http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk

In addition, this policy extends to Cabinet Office expenditure over £25,000, which is published at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

Cancer

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made on the development of an indicator on five year survival rates from all cancers to support early diagnosis and reduction of preventable mortality from cancer. [194932]

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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 question to ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the development of an indicator on five year survival rates from all cancers to support early diagnosis and reduction of preventable mortality from cancer. [194932]

ONS published an index of survival for all cancers combined at five years after diagnosis in December 2013. This was for patients diagnosed from 1996 to 2011 and followed up to 31 December 2012. The index was produced for each of the 25 NHS England Area Teams, and for England as a whole.

For further information please follow the link provided:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/cancer-unit/a-cancer-survival-index-for-clinical-commissioning-groups/index.html

The next edition of this new statistical series is expected to be published in December 2014.

Census: Internet

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the percentage target was for people responding to the census online in 2011; and what proportion of people so responded. [194654]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated April 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the percentage target was for people responding to the census online in 2011; and what proportion of people so responded. 194654

There was no target percentage for online response. However, in order to ensure that the online census would be able to handle the load, it was necessary to make an estimate of the number of households responding online. That estimate was 25 percent. The actual proportion of online responses was 16 percent.

Please find below a link to a report on the ONS website that shows 'How did we do in 2011?'. This includes links to online take-up rates detailing the percentage of household questionnaires returned online for the 2011 Census in England and Wales. Online returns are shown for the following levels of geography: Region, Local Authority District (LAD), Ward and Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) and also a report on 'Providing the Online Census'.

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/how-our-census-works/how-did-we-do-in-2011-/index.html

Civil Service

Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made on reform of the Civil Service; and if he will make a statement. [194874]

Mr Maude: In July 2013 we published a One Year On report that gave a frank account of progress against the Civil Service Reform Plan. This is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-reform-plan-one-year-on--2

I took the opportunity to update the House on progress during the backbench debate on Civil Service Reform on 3 April 2014 and will update the House further in our Two Years On report this summer.

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Committee on the Grant of Honours Decorations and Medals

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the members of the Honours Committee in each of the last five years. [194884]

Mr Maude: The voting membership of the Main Honours Committee comprises Head of the Civil Service (chair); chairs of the nine Honours Committees; Chief of the Defence Staff; Permanent Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; another Permanent Secretary; Cabinet Secretary and a representative from the Prime Minister's Office. Current membership of all honours committees is available at:

www.gov.uk/honours-committees

A copy of the table listing the membership of the committee over the past five years will be placed in the Library of the House.

Conditions of Employment

Mr Umunna: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department holds on the number of individuals employed on zero-hours contracts by (a) region and (b) gender; and what research his Department has commissioned on that matter. [195252]

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 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 Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills holds on the number of individuals employed on zero-hours contracts by (a) region and (b) gender; and what research the Department has commissioned on that matter. (195252)

Current estimates of the number of people on zero hours contracts are based on responses to a question on the ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS). While the LFS is the largest continuous household survey conducted in the UK, this question depends on employees knowing and correctly reporting their terms of employment. These estimates can be found in the following link:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/business-transparency/freedom-of-information/what-can-i-request/published-ad-hoc-data/labour/march-2014/zero-hours-analysis.xls

To improve the estimate of the number of people employed on zero hours contracts, ONS is conducting a survey of businesses, as they will be better placed to respond about employees' contractual arrangements. ONS announced this development in a news release published on 22 August 2013:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/mro/news-release/ons-announces-additional-estimate-of-zero-hours-contracts/zhc0813.html

The first results from this survey will be available at end April 2014. These estimates will be accompanied by an analytical article that will also incorporate LFS based estimates, in order to present a more complete view of zero hours contracts.

As this article will provide a more comprehensive picture of the overall issue of zero hours, including statistics from both surveys, and consideration of the definitional aspects of zero hours contracts, it will be a much more robust and reliable source of the information you have requested.

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Electoral Register: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of eligible voters not registered to vote in Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency. [194733]

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 estimate has been made of the number of eligible voters not registered to vote in Newcastle upon Tyne constituency (194733).

ONS does not have the data required to answer your question. Data are collected on the number of people who are registered to vote in the UK, but no data are collected on the number of people who are eligible to vote but who choose not to register.

The ONS population estimates are of the resident population and will include some people who are not eligible to vote. Therefore the number of unregistered electors cannot be calculated based on the difference between the population estimate and the number of registered electors.

Local Government: ICT

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many local authorities have adopted the Government’s public service network to date. [194950]

Mr Hurd: 570 local authorities have completed compliance.

Location

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many Civil Service jobs dealing primarily with reserved and excepted matters have been transferred from Northern Ireland in the last six years; and how many such jobs are planned to be so transferred in the next year; [194750]

(2) how many Civil Service posts were relocated from London to Northern Ireland in the last six years. [194751]

Mr Maude: Cabinet Office does not hold data centrally on the transfer of civil servants across the United Kingdom. Workforce planning is primarily the responsibility of each individual Department to determine.

Mobile Phones

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what steps he is taking to reduce the costs of central Government mobile telephone contracts; [194799]

(2) what guidance his Department has issued on the mobile telephone contracts for telephones used by Government employees; [194731]

(3) what proportion of Government (a) spending on mobile telephony services and (b) contracts for mobile telephony services are with each mobile telephone provider. [194732]

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Mr Hurd: The Cabinet Office has not issued specific guidance on this matter, although the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) issues various procurement guidance to Government.

The Cabinet Office does not hold complete data for all telephony spend, but departmental data will be available via Contracts Finder.

CCS contracts are awarded following open competition on the basis of best value for money.

Pensioners: Mortgages

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the proportion of pensioners who pay mortgages. [195011]

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

According to the latest English Housing Survey there are approximately 6 million households in England, where the household reference person is aged 65 or over. Of these, around 326,000 are owner occupiers who are buying their home with a mortgage.

Based on these figures, the Department estimates that approximately 5% of pensioner households are likely to be paying a mortgage.

Source:

English Housing Survey Headline Report 2012-13; Table 1, Demographic and economic characteristics by tenure.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284648/English_Housing_Survey_ Headline_Report_2012-13.pdf

Social Networking

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what guidelines are in place for (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers on the use of social media; [194622]

(2) whether the Civil Service Code applies to activities carried out on social media. [194605]

Mr Maude: Guidance for Departments on the use of social media is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-media-guidance-for-civil-servants

Copies are also available in the Library of the House.

Treasury

Air Passenger Duty: Northern Ireland

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effect on the Northern Ireland economy of the Irish Government's decision to remove airport passenger duty; [194604]

(2) what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the rate of airport passenger duty on levels of tourism in Northern Ireland. [194697]

Nicky Morgan: The rates of air passenger duty in bands B, C and D for all direct long-haul flights departing from Northern Ireland airports have been devolved to

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the Northern Ireland Assembly Government. This recognises Northern Ireland's unique circumstances. The Assembly Government have set these rates to zero.

Budget 2014 announced reform of air passenger duty with the abolition of bands C and D from 1 April 2015. This will eliminate the two highest rates of air passenger duty charged on connected long-haul flights departing from Northern Ireland, cutting tax for passengers travelling to China, India, South Asia and the Caribbean.

The reform tackles the unfairness of the present system of air passenger duty created by the previous Government. Beyond this reform, air passenger duty remains a relatively fair and efficient tax, and continues to make an important contribution to deficit reduction. The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review as part of the ongoing Budget process.

Cathedrals: Repairs and Maintenance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of cathedrals that will benefit from the grant scheme for repairs announced in the 2014 Budget. [193665]

Mr Vaizey: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Up to 42 Anglican and 18 Roman Catholic cathedrals stand to benefit from the new grant scheme for cathedral repairs announced in the Budget.

Children: Day Care

Andrew Percy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families eligible for tax-free childcare in Brigg and Goole constituency. [193623]

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not available.

Coinage

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 31 March 2014, Official Report, column 469W, on coinage, if he will place in the Library any analysis undertaken by his Department on the projected costs to industry of the introduction of the new £1 coin. [194696]

Nicky Morgan: The Budget announced that the existing £1 coin will be replaced with a more modern and secure design. After 30 years in circulation, the current coin has become vulnerable to counterfeiting.

There will be a public consultation this summer which will focus on how to manage impacts on industry and other affected parties. We will work with industry to identify and scope any costs arising from introduction of the new coin, and are consulting on the detail of the design and specification to ensure that costs are minimised.

More details of the consultation process will be published in due course.

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Employee Ownership

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what total value has been claimed in tax deductions for issuance of shares to employees under the Government's Shares for Rights Scheme to date; [194814]

(2) what the total value is of shares bought under the Government's Shares for Rights Scheme to date. [194812]

Mr Gauke: The employee shareholder employment status has been available since 1 September 2013. Details of the total value of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since that date, and of the Exchequer impact of the tax rules for these shares, are not available.

Enterprise Investment Scheme

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to consult on changes to the eligibility for the Enterprise Investment Scheme announced in Budget 2014; and whether owners and promoters of community energy schemes will be included in the stakeholders consulted. [194552]

Mr Gauke: The Budget announcement ensures that the venture capital schemes continue to support smaller and growing businesses in a targeted and effective way.

The Government consulted extensively with stakeholders when similar action was taken to exclude companies benefiting from feed-in tariffs in 2011.

Further information on the detail of the change to exclude companies benefiting from renewables obligation certificates and/or the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme from the venture capital schemes will be published shortly, ahead of the publication of legislation.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Mr Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many appeals made to the Equitable Life Payment Scheme have taken (a) more than one month, (b) more than three months, (c) more than six months and (d) over a year to decide. [194937]

Sajid Javid: The data are not recorded. The Independent Review Panel aims to reach a decision within three months. However, the amount of time taken to process an appeal depends upon the complexity of the case, the quality of the information supplied by the policyholder and the need for investigation with other parties.

Foreign Workers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to compel companies that post workers to the UK to retain copies of employment contracts and pay slips in the UK. [194555]

Mr Gauke: There are no plans to compel foreign companies posting employees to the UK to retain employment contracts and pay slips here. However, there are already obligations for record keeping imposed

7 Apr 2014 : Column 19W

under EU law if the posted worker is from a European economic area (EEA) country and is liable to UK national insurance contributions. When workers are posted to the UK from a country outside the EEA, obligations to retain tax and national insurance-related records fall on the client company in the UK.

Income Tax

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the number of people currently paying income tax and national insurance contributions (NICs) who would not be doing so if the personal allowance threshold were lifted in 2014-15 to £12,000 per annum and the threshold at which NICs are paid were raised to the same level. [194900]

Mr Gauke: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 439W.

Inheritance Tax: Agriculture

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account is taken of historic economic activity and future agricultural production in agricultural relief for inheritance tax. [194713]

Mr Gauke: Agricultural property relief is based on the value of agricultural property including land; crops and buildings used for agricultural purposes and is given at a rate of 50% or 100% of that value depending on the circumstance.

If historic economic activity and future agricultural production affect the value of agricultural property they will be reflected in the amount of the relief available.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent guidance he has issued on criteria for agricultural relief for inheritance tax. [194714]

Mr Gauke: Information about agricultural property relief, including the criteria for the relief, can be found on the HMRC website:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/inheritancetax/pass-money-property/agricultural-relief.htm

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to amend the criteria for agricultural relief for inheritance tax; and if he will make a statement. [194715]

Mr Gauke: There are currently no plans to amend the criteria for agricultural property relief for inheritance tax.

However, all taxes are kept under review.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households have used the (a) the Help to Buy (Equity Loan) and (b) Help to Buy (Mortgage Guarantee) scheme; and how many households he originally expected to use each scheme. [194511]

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Sajid Javid: The information requested is as follows:

(a) In the 11 months to the end of February 2014, over 28,000 households have bought or reserved a new build home through the Help to Buy: equity loan scheme. In its first three years, from 2013-14 to 2015-16, the scheme is expected to help at least 74,000 home buyers purchase a new build home.

(b) On 23 March, the Prime Minister announced that there have been 2,572 mortgages supported by the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme in its first four months. The contingent liability that the Government have set aside for the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme is large enough to support £130 billion of mortgages.

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the equity loan for new homes in the Help to Buy scheme to older properties. [194544]

Sajid Javid: The Help to Buy: equity loan scheme was set up to help creditworthy households buy a home and to increase the supply of housing. The scheme is therefore only available for new build homes. The mortgage guarantee scheme is available for both new build and existing properties.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applicants to the Help to Buy (Mortgage Guarantee) scheme to date were not born in England (a) in absolute terms and (b) as a percentage of overall applicants. [194545]

Sajid Javid: The Government are collecting data on the mortgages supported by the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme and will report in due course.

Natural Resources

Dr Whitehead: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to implement the recommendations made by the Natural Capital Committee in its Second state of natural capital report which are relevant to his Department. [194466]

Nicky Morgan: The NCC’s report contains a range of recommendations which the Government need to consider collectively. The Government will respond to the NCC’s report once they have fully considered it.

Occupational Pensions

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) the number of people in private sector defined benefit pension schemes and (b) the number of such people he expects to switch to defined contribution pension schemes as a result of planned changes to pensions announced in the 2014 Budget Statement. [194800]

Mr Gauke: The information is as follows:

(a) Information on the number of people in private sector defined benefit schemes is available from the ONS Occupational Pensions Scheme Survey at the following location

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/fi/occupational-pension-schemes-survey/2012/stb-opss-2012.html

(b) The Government published a consultation, “Freedom and Choice in Pensions” alongside Budget 2014, where they are considering how the planned changes should apply in the case of defined benefit schemes.

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Overseas Residence: Landlords

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the value was of penalties issued to overseas landlords who failed to submit the tax returns issued to them in each of the tax years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; [194576]

(2) what proportion by value was paid of the penalties that were issued to overseas landlords who failed to submit the tax returns issued to them in each of the tax years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; [194577]

(3) how much rental income was declared by overseas landlords in each of the tax years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; [194578]

(4) what the total value of tax self-assessed by overseas landlords was; and what proportion was paid in each of the tax years (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13; [194579]

(5) how many overseas landlords had their application to have rent paid to them without tax being deducted at source (a) approved and (b) declined in each of the tax years (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13; [194581]

(6) what the five most common reasons were for declining an application from an overseas landlord to have rent paid to them without tax being deducted at source in each of the tax years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; [194582]

(7) how many overseas landlords had tax returns issued to them in each of the tax years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; [194583]

(8) how many overseas landlords submitted the tax returns issued to them in each of the tax years (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13. [194584]

Mr Gauke: Overseas landlords in the UK typically operate through the non-resident landlord (NRL) scheme. Their tax liabilities and any penalties are reported and collected via the self-assessment system. The data requested under Questions 3398N, 3399N, 3400N, 3401N, 3409N and 3410N could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

The number of applications for the NRL scheme, which will vary slightly from the actual number that are registered, that have been made to HMRC for the last five tax years are:

Around 12% of applications for the NRL scheme are returned as they have incomplete data, the reason for which is not recorded.

Revenue and Customs: South West

Mr Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many posts HM Revenue and Customs will relocate to the South West in the next five years. [194570]

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Mr Gauke: HMRC is currently reviewing its workforce plans for the remainder of the 2010-13 spending review period up to 31 March 2016. HMRC does not allocate posts on a regional basis and has no plans to relocate posts to the South West from other parts of the country.

Service Charges

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to set a time limit within which property management companies will have to produce their service charge accounts. [194294]

Kris Hopkins: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Landlord and tenant legislation already provides leaseholders with the right to request a summary of service charge information, whether or not a residential lease makes provision for the way in which service charges are to be accounted for.

This information must be provided within one month of the request, or six months of the end of the accounting period, whichever is later. Where the summary concerns more than four dwellings it must be certified by a qualified accountant as a fair summary supported by accounts, receipts and other documents.

Leaseholders also have the right to request a summary of the charges, and to inspect the accounts, receipts and other documents supporting the summary.

Tax Collection

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to introduce a registration scheme to monitor the flow and location of posted workers to assist tax collecting agencies in inspection and enforcement. [194554]

Mr Gauke: There is no intention to introduce a registration scheme for posted workers coming to the UK. Under its existing risk-based employer compliance activity, HM Revenue and Customs is able to identify workers posted to the UK to ensure that UK tax and national insurance legislation is being complied with.

Taxation: Golf

Dr Fox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the European Court of Justice ruling on the Bridport and West Dorset case of 19 December 2013, what measures will be taken to ensure that the refund of VAT to member-owned golf clubs will be distributed to club members. [194532]

Mr Gauke: The Government are currently considering how to respond to the ruling by the European Court of Justice ruling on the Bridport and West Dorset case of 19 December 2013.

Dr Fox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much corporation tax has been paid to the Exchequer in respect of visitors fees for member-owned golf clubs since 1990; [194533]

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(2) with reference to the rules set out in the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) manual BIM24000, whether HMRC has collected the appropriate rates of corporation tax from member-owned golf clubs; and what steps HMRC plans to take to recoup tax losses due to unlawful tax declarations by member-owned golf clubs where they have been found to have underpaid corporation tax. [194534]

Mr Gauke: The information requested for corporation tax paid in respect of visitors fees for member-owned golf clubs is not available.

I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Tewkesbury (Mr Robertson), on 6 September 2012, Official Report, columns 396-97W. HMRC is committed to tackling people who deliberately break the rules and challenge those who bend the rules, whoever they may be. HMRC applies a risk-based approach to its compliance work, as well as carrying out random inquiries to support its understanding of the risks posed by different types of taxpayers and businesses. However, HMRC is unable to disclose any information on its activities that would risk breaching its duty of confidentiality. Therefore, I cannot comment on any action that HMRC may undertake in tackling any particular taxpayer or group of taxpayers.

TSB

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with TSB Bank about the decision to close bank accounts of customers who are in order and credit but are not wanted; and if he will make a statement. [194619]

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with, and receive representations from, a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sector as part of the usual policymaking process. It is not Government practice to provide details of all such representations.

The terms and conditions that a bank offers an account on is a commercial decision for individual banks and building societies. The Government do not comment on commercial decisions.

UK Financial Investments

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of review assessments are completed by each of the banks in which UK Financial Investments owns a stake; and if he will make a statement. [194683]

Sajid Javid: The PRA's approach to supervision, as described in its published Approach documents, is consistent across all firms irrespective of Government ownership. The PRA will undertake risk assessments of the material risks facing the firms it regulates, in line with its statutory objectives. For example, the PRA is complying with the EBA recommendation on Asset Quality Reviews (AQRs) in full.

The EBA recommends that national authorities should assess and identify high risk asset classes in banks' credit portfolios. The EBA's recommendation sets a

7 Apr 2014 : Column 24W

timeline for all national authorities, including the UK Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), to complete AQRs by no later than 31 October 2014.

Under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 section 348, the PRA is restricted from disclosing confidential information in relation to the firms it supervises.

Northern Ireland

Location

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions she held with ministerial colleagues on the relocation of central Civil Service posts to Northern Ireland. [194749]

Mrs Villiers: I have had no such discussions with ministerial colleagues.

National Crime Agency

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether she considers the failure of the Northern Ireland Executive to allow the National Crime Agency to operate fully in Northern Ireland is beginning to have a significantly detrimental impact on the fight against organised crime in Northern Ireland. [194667]

Mrs Villiers: There is an increasing risk of such an impact. The National Crime Agency is committed to assisting the Police Service of Northern Ireland to tackle serious and organised crime in Northern Ireland, as far as the restrictions on its powers permit. However, its activities in devolved areas have been curtailed and the capability that the Agency has available in Northern Ireland is therefore less than that available in the rest of the UK. This is of particular concern in areas where the Police Service of Northern Ireland or other Northern Ireland agencies do not have the powers or expertise to replace NCA capabilities, such as civil asset recovery.

Politics and Government

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department has spent on legacy issues in each year since 2010; and how many staff are employed on dealing with such legacy issues. [194858]

Mrs Villiers: It is not possible to provide a breakdown of spend by the Northern Ireland Office on legacy issues annually since 2010 as matters related cut across so many aspects of the Department's work.

Within the Northern Ireland Office's Engagement Group there is a Legacy Unit which currently consists of four members of staff. This unit deals with a wide range of issues arising from Northern Ireland's troubled past, including calls for further inquiries and reviews; legal challenges brought in relation to legacy cases; applications for public interest immunity; and compensation for certain miscarriages of justice. In addition, the Legacy Unit oversees the sponsorship of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains.

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Telephone Tapping

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the implications for security in Northern Ireland of recent reports of the taping of telephone calls made to and from police stations in the Republic of Ireland; and whether she has made representations to the Irish Government on that matter. [194888]

Mrs Villiers: I meet regularly with members of the Irish Government including Justice Minister, Alan Shatter where we discuss a range of issues. This is a matter for the Irish Government, but I have received reassurance from Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore that these matters will not undermine the co-operation arrangements between An Garda Siochána and the PSNI.

Terrorism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of dissident republican links with Al-Qaeda involving the supply of weaponry and expertise in warfare. [194635]

Mrs Villiers: I am aware of media speculation on this issue. Terrorists around the world have attempted to use online information to seek to build their capabilities in order to carry out violent attacks. Measures are in place to seek to limit access to information online which might assist in the commission of an act of terrorism, and the Government and law enforcement agencies are committed to apprehending and prosecuting those who contravene the law in this regard.

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee will be given access to papers previously withheld from freedom of information requests as part of its current inquiry into the administrative scheme for the on-the-runs. [194901]

Mrs Villiers: The inquiry led by Lady Justice Hallett has access to all papers that it requests or requires from my Department, in order to produce a full public account of the ‘on the runs' administrative scheme.

Culture, Media and Sport

Arts Council England

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England spent on consultants in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14. [194314]

Mr Vaizey [holding answer 2 April 2014]: The Arts Council makes decisions on consultancy spend at arm’s length from Government, although since 2010 they have been urged to reduce this spending to ensure more money goes to the frontline. The Arts Council has supplied the following information on spend on consultants in the years requested:

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Channel Three

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will review the regulations applying to Channel 3 licence holders and the business practices of their subsidiary companies; [194610]

(2) if she will review the Channel 3 licence arrangements to prevent licence holders promoting other businesses owned by them through online and broadcast media platforms. [194611]

Mr Vaizey: The Government have no plans to review the licensing arrangements for Channel 3. The regulator, Ofcom, has recently renewed the Channel 3 licences for 10 years, from 1 Jan 2015. No prohibitions on ownership of commercial websites or radio stations have been introduced. Ofcom's rules around cross-promotion relate only to the promotion of other broadcasting-related services.

Cultural Heritage: Exports

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total value was of items covered by Waverley criteria where (a) a decision on the licence application was deferred and (b) the items were subsequently exported in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13; what the percentage by value was of those items subsequently exported in each such year; how many cases there were covered by the Waverley criteria where (A) a decision on the licence application was deferred and (B) items were subsequently exported in each such year; what the percentage by number of cases was of those items subsequently exported in each such year; and if she will make a statement. [195012]

Mr Vaizey: The information requested is contained in the export of objects of cultural interest Statistical Release 2012-13. This is available on the gov.uk website at the following address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/export-of-objects-of-cultural-interest-statistical-release-2012-13

I will arrange for copies of the Statistical Release to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Further information is available on the Arts Council's website at:

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/what-we-do/supporting-museums/cultural-property/export-controls/reviewing-committee

Football

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on establishing an expert group on the way forward for football supporter club ownership. [194797]

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Mrs Grant: All aspects of a potential expert group on supporter ownership in football are under consideration, including suitable government representation on the group.

Gaming Machines

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of the excessive use of fixed-odds betting terminals on people with a gambling addiction. [194899]

Mrs Grant: The Government are undertaking a policy review of gambling, which includes consideration of Category B2 gaming machines. This will report shortly.

Mobile Phones

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the costs mobile telephone companies charge customers who go over their allocated data usage; and if she will make a statement. [194752]

Mr Vaizey: The UK mobile market is highly competitive and retail tariffs are not regulated. The Government have therefore not made any assessment of the costs incurred by customers for exceeding their allocated data usage. Through the Telecoms Consumer Action Plan, DCMS is working with the industry and Ofcom to ensure that all contract terms and conditions are transparent from the outset. Provided that, when the contract is signed, it is made clear when these charges will be incurred and how much they will be, it is an issue between the customer and the company concerned.

Public Appointments

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of people appointed to boards or other public bodies sponsored by her Department were (a) men and (b) women in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14. [195025]

Mrs Grant: The proportions of people appointed by DCMS to its public bodies was:

2010-11: 42 women (41%) and 60 men (59%)

2011-12: 34 women (33%) and 69 men (67%)

2012-13: 32 women (35%) and 59 men (65%)

We do not currently have complete information for 2013-14 since, in relation to recent appointments, there are some announcements that are yet to be made. However, in relation to the period April 2013 to September 2013, 14 women (36%) and 25 men (64%) were appointed.

By way of comparison, the right hon. and learned Member might be interested to know that in 2006-07 the percentages of women and men appointed were 31% and 69% respectively.

Public Expenditure

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will set out for 2014-15 spend by functional flows to (a) museums and galleries, (b) communications, (c) libraries, (d) tourism, (e)

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Royal Parks,

(f)

equalities,

(g)

BBC public sector broadcasting,

(h)

S4C,

(i)

arts,

(j)

sports,

(k)

gambling and National Lottery,

(l)

architecture and the historic environment and

(m)

the creative industries, disaggregating between (i) grant-in-aid and (ii) Lottery and between (A) capital and (B) current. [194852]

Mrs Grant: The information is as follows.

Public Libraries

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made on the Government's strategy to encourage the use of libraries; and if she will make a statement. [195214]

Mr Vaizey: Details of the various developments in library services in England during 2012-13, including a range of innovative approaches to the task of delivering a comprehensive and efficient service, are set out in the annual report to Parliament. The report, titled ‘Report under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 for 2012/2013', was laid before the Houses of Parliament on 17 December 2013 and was published on the GOV.UK website in January 2014.

Sports

Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many adults in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have taken part in at least one sporting activity each week in each of the last five years. [194328]

Mrs Grant: Participation data are from the Active People Survey which measures the number of people aged 16 and above taking part in sport in England.

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Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on grassroots sport in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years. [194329]

Mrs Grant: Figures in the table for constituency, local authority and region show Sport England direct investment only. The figures in these columns do not include the money from Sport England's £493 million investment in national governing bodies of sport, or its investment in other national partners, which is channelled to all parts of England. Figures for England show a combined total for all of Sport England's investment in grassroots sport.

Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people aged between 16 and 25 years old who live in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have taken part in at least one sporting activity each week in each of the last five years. [194335]

Mrs Grant: Participation data are from the Active People Survey which measures the number of people aged 16 and above taking part in sport in England.

Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK took part in at least one sporting activity each week in each of the last five years. [194336]

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Mrs Grant: Participation data are from the Active People Survey which measures the number of people aged 16 and above taking part in sport in England:

Child participation data are taken from the Taking Part survey which measures the number of children aged between five and 15 taking part in sport in England. The percentage participation among children aged five to 15 in sport over the past five years for the UK was: