Fraud

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to improve the performance of each police force in England in handling cases referred to them by the City of London Fraud Unit; and what the percentage detection is for such cases in each police force area. [196507]

Damian Green: The response of individual police forces to fraud is a matter for the respective police and crime commissioner. However the Government are committed to assisting and, supported by £30 million of Government investment in regional organised crime units last year, the police are improving consistency and uplifting their investigative capabilities in areas including cyber crime and fraud. In addition, we have committed as part of the National Cyber Security Programme to train 5,000 police officers in cyber crime by 2015.

From 1 April 2013, all police forces have been required to return outcomes under Home Office Counting Rules for fraud and cyber crimes to the City of London police (which runs the Action Fraud service). The data for the 2013-14 financial year are currently being collated and analysed by City of London police, and will be made available to police forces shortly.

Human Trafficking

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the nationality and gender was of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in February 2014; in which (a) region

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and

(b)

county each of the suspected victims was found; which agency referred each person to the scheme; in which town the shelter in which they were placed was for the relevant period; and what contact has been made with each victim to ensure they are not re-trafficked. [196685]

Karen Bradley: In February 2014, there were 126 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army. In the interests of victim safety, only the region in which the victim was encountered is provided, and not which town they were placed in. Once an individual receives a Conclusive Grounds decision, they will be given tailored support to safely return home or integrate in the UK. Once they exit the service, no formal mechanisms exist to maintain contact.

Human Trafficking: Albania

Sir John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make a comparative assessment of the sources, reliability and mutual compatibility of the statistics on the number of human trafficking victims from Albania given in parliamentary written answers and in the annual reports of the National Crime Agency. [196038]

Karen Bradley: A comparative assessment has been made.

Parliamentary questions regularly ask for specific details about suspected victims of trafficking referred to the trafficking victim support service operated by the Salvation Army.

The source of this data is the Salvation Army records.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) publishes statistics each year on the number of potential victims who have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism.

The source of this data is the NCA records.

The two sets of figures measure slightly different things but are mutually compatible.

Not all of the potential victims who are referred to the National Referral Mechanism will then be referred to the Salvation Army for victim support. Some might not receive a positive reasonable grounds decision and others might not want Government-funded support.

We would therefore expect the number of cases referred to the National Referral Mechanism, reported by the NCA, to be higher than the number of cases referred to the Salvation Army for victim support, reported by the regular parliamentary questions.

This is borne out by our comparative assessment. The table below lists the PQs that have requested data about the number of potential victims referred to the Salvation Army, and lists the number of Albanian victims supported each month.

In total, these data indicate that there were 139 Albanian adult victims referred to the Salvation Army for victim support in 2013 in England and Wales.

This is lower than the 208 potential adult Albanian victims who were originally referred to the National Referral Mechanism in 2013 from England and Wales, as reported in the NCA’s annual report.

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Licensing Laws: Wales

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for what reasons premises in Wales have not been included in the extension of licensing hours during the FIFA World Cup. [195384]

(2) if she will include premises in Wales in the extension of licensing hours during FIFA World Cup matches. [195385]

Norman Baker: The Government consulted publicly on whether licensing hours should be relaxed during the FIFA World Cup 2014. A range of representations were made both for and against the proposal. We received a total of 1,468 responses to the online consultation. 77% (1,095 respondents) believed that any national relaxation of licensing hours should apply to England and Wales. However, only 2% (25 respondents) identified themselves as living or working in Wales.

While a majority of Welsh respondents favoured a relaxation for England and Wales, there was a difference between English and Welsh respondents about how the relaxation might be delivered. There was a clear majority of Welsh respondents who favoured using the Temporary Event Notice system, rather than a blanket relaxation, while of English respondents the majority (74%) favoured a blanket relaxation. This is consistent with what the Government has opted to do: a national blanket relaxation in England, with licensed premises able to use the Temporary Event Notice system in Wales.

Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003 allows the relevant Secretary of State to make an order relaxing opening hours for licensed premises to mark occasions of ‘exceptional international, national or local significance’. The Government considers that the England football team’s participation in the FIFA World Cup 2014 is an event of exceptional national significance in England.

The Government has therefore decided not to include Wales in the relaxation of licensing hours for the FIFA World Cup 2014. However, licensed premises in Wales wishing to remain open beyond their licensed hours will be able to do so by using the Temporary Event Notice procedure.

Policy

Mr O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances she uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools she uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if she will make a statement. [196465]

Karen Bradley: The Green Book and associated supplementary guidance is publicly available on the Treasury website. It sets out a range of approaches and methods that may be appropriate in a number of different appraisal circumstances.

Tranquillisers

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tackle the street trade in prescription tranquilisers. [196615]

Norman Baker: We are fully aware of the dangers of the misuse of prescription drugs such as tranquilisers, and law enforcement authorities have a robust range of powers available to deal with those who engage in the diversion and illicit trade of such drugs, particularly where those drugs are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Police forces use these powers to tackle the trade of such substances in their area, and action is

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also being taken to tackle illicit online sales. For instance, the Medicines Healthcare and Regulatory Products Agency works closely with Internet Service Providers to close down websites that are illicitly selling prescription drugs to UK consumers. In June 2013, the Agency and Border Force collaborated on Operation Pangea, an annual international initiative which in the UK led to the seizure of 3.7 million doses of unlicensed medicine worth approximately £12.2 million.

As well as cracking down on the illicit supply of prescription drugs, we are taking steps to increase our understanding of the problem. This is why in September 2013 the Home Secretary asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to explore the potential for medical and social harms arising from the diversion and illicit supply of prescription drugs. I have asked that this work includes consideration of the prevalence of misuse, user demographics, and the most common drugs being misused. The Advisory Council is likely to report later in the year.

House of Commons Commission

Stationery

Mr Redwood: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, what levels of stock the House of Commons Commission holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables. [196210]

John Thurso: The House purchases stationery, printer cartridges, fasteners and other consumable items through a contract providing a next day delivery service. No central stocks are held.

Northern Ireland

Female Genital Mutilation

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the prevalence of female genital mutilation in Northern Ireland. [196576]

Mrs Villiers: I am not aware of any recent cases of female genital mutilation being reported in Northern Ireland.

Female genital mutilation is a horrific form of child abuse and violence against women and girls, and the Northern Ireland Executive has put in place a number of safeguarding structures, policies and procedures designed to protect females.

The Civil Law Reform division of the Northern Ireland Executive Department of Finance and Personnel consulted on draft multi-agency practice guidelines on female genital mutilation earlier this year which were based on the Home Office’s guidelines.

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Foreign Investment in UK

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she is taking in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Executive to increase foreign direct investment to Northern Ireland. [196579]

Mrs Villiers: The successful G8 summit and follow-up investment conference have highlighted Northern Ireland as a great place in which to invest.

I continue to work in partnership with the Northern Ireland Executive Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment to attract foreign direct investment to Northern Ireland building on the success of the Northern Ireland Investment conference at which the Prime Minister made the keynote address.

On 7 November I co-hosted, with Arlene Foster, the Northern Ireland Investment Seminar at Lancaster house for a number of high commissioners and ambassadors to explain the benefits for their respective countries of trade and investment in Northern Ireland. NIO and Invest NI officials are now meeting the trade and commercial officers from the embassies with a view to inviting their respective ambassador to lead a trade delegation to Northern Ireland on a visit co-hosted by myself and the DETI Minister.

The first two of these ambassadorial visits will take place in September and October and it is envisaged that other visits will take place over the coming 12 months.

Arlene Foster has also invited me to participate with her at SIAL 2014 which will take place in Paris in October. SIAL is the world’s premier food exhibition and will provide a good opportunity to promote the excellence of Northern Ireland produce to the international food industry.

Freedom of Information

Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to her Department remained unanswered (a) after 20 days and (b) after 90 days at 1 April 2014; and (i) how many and (ii) what the subject matter is of any such requests that remained unanswered after 180 days at that date. [196717]

Mrs Villiers: At 1 April 2014, there was one request remaining unanswered after 20 days and one request remaining unanswered after 90 days. There were no requests remaining unanswered after 180 days at 1 April 2014.

Northern Ireland Government

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when she last held a meeting with the Northern Ireland Minister for Social Development. [196658]

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Mrs Villiers: I was due to meet the Northern Ireland Social Development Minister in March but unfortunately the meeting had to be postponed. My private office has suggested further dates to his and is waiting to hear back.

Trade Unions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether her Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system. [196770]

Mrs Villiers: My Department’s payroll services are provided by the Ministry of Justice. My understanding is that they have no current plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system.

World Expo: Italy

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with UK Trade & Investment on ensuring that Northern Ireland is represented in planning for the UK pavilion at Milan Expo 2015. [196580]

Mrs Villiers: UKTI and Invest NI have a close working relationship and cooperate whenever possible to attract trade and investment to Northern Ireland.

I am advised that UKTI has already initiated discussions with Invest NI on Northern Ireland's representation there.

World War I: Anniversaries

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent meetings she has had on First World War centenary commemorations in Northern Ireland. [196659]

Mrs Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office plays a co-ordination role with the aim of ensuring that First World War commemorations are implemented in Northern Ireland in a manner which promotes reconciliation and enhances prospects for a peaceful, shared future.

Officials from my Department sit on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Programme Board for First World War Centenary Commemorations. They also have regular contact with officials in the British embassy Dublin, the Irish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, and sit on the Northern Ireland First World War Centenary Committee chaired by the right hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Mr Donaldson).

I receive regular updates on this work and will attend a number of events being planned to mark this important centenary over the course of the coming months. These events will take place in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and France.

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Prime Minister

National Insurance Contributions

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to his letter of April 2014 sent to small businesses on employment allowance, if he will clarify who was meant by the use of we in the third paragraph; and whether he has discussed the neutrality of such a phase with the Electoral Commission. [196673]

The Prime Minister: As set out in the Programme for Government, this Government have a long-term plan to build a new economy, which supports sustainable growth and enterprise. The employment allowance was introduced to promote both growth and employment, particularly among small businesses. I have had no discussion with the Electoral Commission on the letter.

Scotland

Stationery

Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what levels of stock his Department holds of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables. [196216]

David Mundell: In recent years, as e-communication has increased, the expenditure on stationery items has decreased. This coupled with rigorous control measures, has enabled the Scotland Office to maintain a low level of stock of (a) stationery, (b) printer cartridges, (c) treasury tags and other fasteners and (d) other office consumables.

Trade Unions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system. [196771]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly; all staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other Government bodies who remain responsible for all employment matters including payroll deductions for trade union subscriptions.

Treasury

Capital Gains Tax

Mr Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the reasons are for the difference in the most recent forecast capital gains tax revenue for 2013-14 and the forecast made in Budget 2013; [195688]

(2) what the reasons were for the fall in capital gains tax revenue in 2012-13; [195715]

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(3) what the reasons are for forecast capital gains tax revenue in 2013-14 being below that of 2011-12. [195716]

Mr Gauke: The details of the forecasts are set out in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook publications. The Office for Budget Responsibility was created in 2010 and provides the authoritative and independent forecasts for the UK’s economy and public finances.

http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/category/publications/

Employee Ownership

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 18W, on employee ownership (1) if he will make an estimate of the total value of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013; [196169]

(2) for what reason the details of the total value of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013 are not available; [196168]

(3) for what reason the details of the Exchequer impact of the tax rules for the shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013 are not available. [196170]

(4) if he will make an estimate of the Exchequer impact of the tax rules for shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013. [196171]

Mr Gauke: Employers are not required to provide details of any shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements to HM Revenue and Customs until they submit their annual employment-related securities return for 2013-14. No details or estimates of the total value of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements since 1 September 2013 are currently available.

Estimates of the Exchequer impact of the capital gains tax exemption and the income tax and national insurance treatment of shares awarded under employee shareholder agreements in tax years to 2017-18 can be found at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tiin/emp-shareholder-status.pdf

Inheritance Tax

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of raising the £325,000 inheritance tax threshold to (a) £1 million and (b) £500,000 in each of the next five financial years. [195626]

Mr Gauke: This Government have no current plans to increase the inheritance tax threshold.

Minimum Wage: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to tackle cases of employees in Northern Ireland being paid below the minimum wage. [196655]

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Mr Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously and HMRC enforce the NMW legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.

HMRC has an NMW enforcement team based in Belfast, and that team investigates all complaints received by the Pay and Work Rights helpline relating to Northern Ireland-based employers alongside employers who are based and trading in the wider UK. The NMW Belfast team works closely with other Northern Ireland enforcement agencies including the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, Home Office Immigration and Enforcement and Department of Employment and Learning.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to reduce the amount of stamp duty paid by first-time home buyers. [196306]

Mr Gauke: The stamp duty land tax relief for first time buyers in existence between March 2010 and March 2012 was found by HMRC to be ineffective in increasing the number of first time buyers entering the market.

The Government are instead taking other steps to support those wishing to purchase a home, such as the Help to Buy and NewBuy schemes.

Tax Allowances: Pensions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of men and women who make use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit; and if he will assess the potential effects of increasing that limit on couples saving together for retirement. [196630]

Mr Gauke: As shown in HMRC’s published statistics (Table PEN3 available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/259967/pen3.pdf)

in 2011-12 around 20,000 unemployed adults made or received contributions into their personal pensions. 6,000 of these individuals made use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit of £3,600 including basic rate tax relief.

A further 10,000 children, 10,000 individuals in full time education and 10,000 carers made or received contributions into their personal pensions. Of these, around a quarter made use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit.

Of the individuals mentioned above who made use of the non-earnings pension contribution limit in 2011-12, around two thirds were female.

The Government have made no assessment of the effects of increasing the limit on couples saving together for retirement but keeps all tax policies under review.

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Taxation

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on combining national insurance and income tax. [196602]

Mr Gauke: As set out at autumn statement 2012, the Government will wait for further progress on planned operational changes to the tax system before formally consulting on the operational integration of income tax and NICs.

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Taxation: Business

Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to reduce taxation on small businesses; and if he will make a statement. [196013]

Mr Gauke: The Government are committed to make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business and has focused a number of measures specifically on small businesses.

These include a £2,000 employment allowance available from April 2014 to support small businesses aspiring to hire their first employee or expand their work force; and, as set out in the autumn statement 2013, a £1 billion package of business rates measures, 90% of which is going to businesses occupying small premises. The Government are also increasing the payable R&D tax credit for loss-making SMEs from 11% to 14.5 from April 2014, providing particular support for early-stage companies and start-ups, who face the greatest risks and barriers to R&D investment.

Fuel costs are also significant for many small businesses so the Government have implemented the longest duty freeze for over 20 years. In total, by 2015-16 a small business with a van will have saved £1,300 and a haulier £21,000.

Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to improve support for small and medium-sized enterprises which are in need of short-term assistance and flexibility through improved partnership working between the HM Revenue and Custom's (HMRC) simplified import VAT accounting duty deferment team and the HMRC debt management and time-to-pay teams; and if he will make a statement. [196640]

Mr Gauke: The Simplified Import VAT Accounting (SIVA) scheme is a trade facilitation measure that reduces compliance costs for legitimate traders through the removal of the requirement to provide a guarantee to secure import VAT paid through the duty deferment scheme.

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The risk to the tax revenue by traders operating SIVA is potentially very large as the period between the tax due being deferred and being collected by HMRC may result in a failure to pay. The setting of the SIVA approval criteria has to strike a balance between ensuring the trade receive the maximum benefit from the scheme, while at the same time protecting the revenue.

Businesses have to demonstrate ongoing compliance with the SIVA requirements. The SIVA team monitor this through internal systems, including any outstanding debts or Time-to Pay agreements requested. When they identify a business experiencing difficulties, they advise them of the potential impact on their SIVA approval. Warning letters are issued by the team to businesses who fail to comply and only if there is evidence of continued non-compliance is the approval removed.

The current procedures provide an appropriate balance between trade facilitation and protection of the revenue.

Wales

Trade Unions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system. [196774]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right. As the Ministry of Justice is the main employer of staff at the Wales Office, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for North West Cambridgeshire (Mr Vara), on 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 172W.

Work and Pensions

Atos Healthcare

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish his Department's risk assessment of the transfer of his Department's contract with Atos Healthcare for provision of work capability assessments to a new provider; and what steps he is taking to mitigate the risks identified in that assessment. [195735]

Mike Penning: The transition from Atos Healthcare to the new provider in 2015 provides a further opportunity to improve the service the Department offers to claimants and customers. The Department will manage the transition carefully to mitigate the impact on claimants and customers and to further mitigate any risks the new provider will initially use elements of the Atos infrastructure already in place, including IT, Estate and Atos employees (subject to TUPE).

The priority for the new provider will be to deliver the best possible service for claimants, increase the volume of assessments carried out and reduce waiting times.

Children

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Minister in his Department has responsibility for assessing the effect of his Department's policies on the welfare of children. [196502]

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Esther McVey: Each of the Department’s Ministers is responsible for assessing the effect of their policies on the welfare of children.

Employment Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times he has written to work programme providers or their representative body about the progress of employment support allowance claimants since June 2011. [196105]

Esther McVey: It is not possible to separately identify the written correspondence from the Secretary of State, to work programme providers or their representative body about the progress of employment support allowance claimants since June 2011 other than at disproportionate costs.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of jobseeker's allowance claimants were subject to sanctions in each county in the most recent period for which figures are available. [196651]

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Information on JSA sanctions, including a range of geographical breakdowns is published and available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

JSA claimant count data by geographical area are published and available at:

https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/

Occupational Pensions: Skipton

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many and what proportion of businesses in Skipton and Ripon constituency have not yet met their staging date for automatic enrolment for workplace pensions; [196596]

(2) how many businesses in Skipton and Ripon constituency will be issued with staging dates for automatic enrolment between 1 April 2014 and 1 April 2015. [196597]

Steve Webb: The information is not available in the format requested.

This is because staging data are often based on details such as the address of an employer’s head office, or their admin hub. It therefore does not necessarily reflect where the workers are based e.g. an employer might have a head office in London but have staff based all over the country.

The Pensions Regulator publishes monthly the volume of employers that have registered that they have met their duties along with the volume of workers automatically enrolled. As at 31 March 2014, 10,817 employers have registered with The Pensions Regulator that they have met the duties and enrolled more than 3.24 million workers.

Further information can be found at:

http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/automatic-enrolment-monthly-registration-report.pdf

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The Pensions Regulator estimates that there will be in the range of 30,000 to 35,000 employers across the UK commencing their automatic enrolment duties from 1 April 2014 to 1 April 2015. This is an approximate range; several factors affect these numbers. For example, an employer may bring their staging date forward, an employer may cease trading, or an employer who has a number of affiliated employers in their group may choose to stage them all in the same period.

The Pensions Regulator has published a staging forecast which can be found at:

http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/automatic-enrolment-employer-staging-forecast.pdf

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that the staging dates for automatic enrolment for workplace pensions are being effectively communicated to businesses in Skipton and Ripon constituency. [196671]

Steve Webb: The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has responsibility for educating and enabling employers in order to maximise compliance. TPR is writing to employers 12 months and one month prior to their staging date to alert them to their new responsibilities.

Where an employer provides an e-mail address to TPR they will also receive a series of e-mails informing them what stage they should be at and signposting guidance and tools that have been provided by the Regulator. This includes an interactive planning tool to assist employers in getting ready, a staging date tool to find out your staging date, and detailed guides. They have also established a customer support centre for employers to discuss any questions they may have.

An advertising campaign aimed at employers has also been used to raise awareness and guide employers to the Regulator’s website to help them in their preparations.

Pensions: Females

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to increase understanding of pensions and retirement planning amongst women. [196632]

Steve Webb: The Department is taking a range of steps to address understanding of pensions and retirement planning, including amongst women.

The DWP is working closely with the Money Advice Service (MAS), the government body with responsibility for improving the British public’s financial capability, including tackling the knowledge gaps which can inhibit individuals from saving into pensions.

The Department is facilitating joint-working between its information services and those of The Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS), which is playing an important role in supporting individuals who are automatically enrolled, and MAS. The DWP will also support MAS in increasing its reach, including through contact channels with DWP customers.

As part of automatic enrolment, to encourage women to continue to save in a workplace pension we are running an awareness campaign with supporting information that emphasises the importance of saving for retirement and outlines the benefits of saving in a

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workplace pension. This reaches women via the use of appropriate media channels and by working in partnership with trusted brands.

We are creating a simpler state pension so that everybody can know both what counts towards their state pension and how much they can expect to receive. We will take account of the different ways in which men and women are affected by the reforms in our communications approach. Our strategy includes using partnerships with media outlets most likely to reach these women to make them aware of the changes. We will evaluate the impact of our communications to make sure we are reaching women to increase their awareness and understanding.

Policy

Mr O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in which circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement. [196606]

Esther McVey: The Green Book and associated supplementary guidance is publicly available on the Treasury website. It sets out a range of approaches and methods that may be appropriate in a number of different appraisal circumstances.

Remploy

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what happens to a Remploy worker personal budget if the full amount is not used by the individual within 18 months. [196631]

Mike Penning: Personal budgets are an important part of the £8 million People Help and Support Package (PHSP) which was not available for those affected by the 2008 Modernisation Plan. Personal budgets provide additional support where other sources of funding are unavailable.

There is no specific funding allocation for personal budgets within the £8 million PHSP package and the budget for each former Remploy disabled employee is allocated based on individual need.

We anticipate that all funding for the PHSP package will be utilised by the time the last People Help and Support Package period is completed.

Latest figures as of 18 April 2014 show 1,516 disabled former Remploy workers have chosen to work with our Personal Case Workers to find another job and 727 are in work.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to make it easier to report benefit fraud allegations. [196633]

Esther McVey: The public can report benefit fraud by telephoning the National Benefit Fraud Hotline which is a confidential free phone service that anyone can use anonymously to report their suspicions. The service is widely used handling over 350,000 referrals in 2013/14.

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Alternatively an allegation can be made using an online facility, by letter, or by telephoning a Jobcentre Plus office.

We recently ran a communications campaign pilot to test the effectiveness of communications in reducing fraud and error and we are looking to expand this activity. Our communication campaign aims to challenge and change attitudes and behaviours towards benefit fraud. This includes improving awareness of the need for claimants to report changes in their circumstances and encouraging the general public to report potential benefit fraud.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 103-4W, on state retirement pensions, if he will assess whether a woman born on 6 April 1981 who was in continuous employment from her 21st birthday until her state pension age as derived in line with the practice outlined in the Pensions Bill, had worked consistently in contracted-in employment for 30 hours a week in a role which paid the national minimum wage, had average female life expectancy, in line with the most recent ONS population projections, and was subject to any other assumptions used in the impact assessment which accompanied the Pensions Bill, would receive a different level of pension at the point of retirement under the single tier mechanism than they would have expected under the current pension system; and what the difference in the level of pension would be. [196652]

Steve Webb: The state pension reforms radically simplify state pension provision, by replacing the current, two-tiered pension system with a simpler single-tier state pension for people reaching state pension age after 6 April 2016.

The majority of people reaching state pension age in the 40 years after the new state pension is implemented will have a higher pension income overall over the course of their retirement as a result of the reforms. The new state pension will also underpin automatic enrolment, which will see around 9 million people saving more, or saving for the first time, into a workplace pension.

The Pensions Bill provides for the Government to carry out a review of state pension age every Parliament. It is our intention that state pension ages will only be finalised once someone is within 10 years of their proposed state pension age. Because this date will be affected by future changes in longevity, at this point we cannot say with certainty what will be the state pension age for people born in the 1980s. In addition, any calculation on pension entitlement would also depend on decisions that have not yet been taken, including the starting rate for the single tier. Furthermore, future state pension levels are determined by up-rating decisions taken by Governments on a year-by-year basis. Therefore, while we have forecast the possible impacts of the new system at a population level, it is not possible to give definitive statements of the future state pension entitlements for individuals who do not yet have a set state pension age, whether under the current system or under the single-tier-pension.

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For the first few cohorts of people reaching state pension age from April 2016, the Government will provide a statement service to help them plan for retirement.

Culture, Media and Sport

Advertising

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to give the Advertising Standards Agency the power to fine advertisers for serious breaches of the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising. [196541]

Mr Vaizey: Ofcom already has the power to fine advertisers for serious breaches of the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising. The ASA is responsible for administering the Code of Broadcast Advertising, but is able to refer broadcasters to Ofcom for further action, including imposing fines, if needed. There are no plans to change this system.

Consultants

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 145W on consultants, how much spending on consultancy was spent on (a) Olympic delivery, (b) the broadband delivery programme and (c) other consultancy spending. [196665]

Mr Vaizey: DCMS has spent the following amounts on consultancy services since 2010-11:

The figures for 2013-14 are currently unaudited. The figures now include the expenditure on external legal advice related to programme support, but excludes spending on legal services from the Treasury Solicitor and the providers of recruitment services. This has been done in order to arrive at figures that more directly relate to the providers of consultancy.

Heritage Lottery Fund

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, column 311W, on public expenditure, what the (a) actual 2010-11 income and (b) projected 2015-16 income is for the Heritage Lottery Fund. [196718]

Mr Vaizey: In 2010-11, the Heritage Lottery Fund’s net income from the national lottery (after its contribution to the Olympics had been deducted) was £217 million. Based on the current level of ticket sales, HLF income from the lottery in 2015-16 is estimated to be £360 million.

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Museums and Galleries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many paintings, artefacts and other objects were lent from the collections of grant-in-aid funded national museums and galleries to other grant-in-aid funded national museums and galleries in each year since 2010-11; [196682]

(2) how many paintings, artefacts and other objects were lent from the collections of grant-in-aid funded national museums and galleries to regional museums and galleries in each year since 2010-11. [196689]

Mr Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has collected and published the following data about the number of venues in the United Kingdom to which the sponsored national museums have lent objects from their collections.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on whether the Government of Burma plans to open a country office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in that country. [196636]

Mr Swire: It has been over 18 months since President Thein Sein committed to opening an in-country Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This would allow for more constructive relations between the international community and the Government on human rights. Most recently, the British ambassador raised the issue with the Burmese Foreign Minister on 31 March. We continue to call on the Government to publish a timeline for the opening of the Office, with a mandate that includes monitoring and technical assistance.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of steps taken by the Burmese Government to (a) prevent sexual violence and (b) end impunity for sexual offences allegedly committed by the Burmese military. [196637]

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Mr Swire: During his visit to the UK last year, President Thein Sein welcomed the initiative of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on preventing sexual violence in conflict (PSVI). We continue to encourage Burma to join 146 nations and endorse the declaration on PSVI. The launch in October 2013 of the Burmese Government’s National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (NSPAW) committed Burma

“to develop and strengthen laws, systems, structures and practices to eliminate all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls and to respond to the needs of women and girls affected by violence”.

We are clear, however, that all of these steps need to be accompanied by actions leading to real progress in Burma. We remain concerned by continued reports of sexual violence against women, including reports of crimes committed by members of the Burmese military. We regularly lobby the Burmese Government on the rights of women, particularly on preventing sexual violence in conflict areas. We continue to make clear that where serious crimes have been committed, those who have perpetrated them should be held accountable for their actions. I raised the issue of sexual violence directly with senior Ministers, the commander in chief and the northern commander during my visit to Burma in January. More recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised the issue in a call with the Burmese Foreign Minister on 28 April.

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reasons the Government received from the Chinese Government for the cancellation of the UK-China human rights dialogue in April 2014; and when the Government were informed of that cancellation. [196634]

Mr Swire: The dialogue was originally scheduled for 15-16 April, but China informed us of its decision to postpone on 7 April. An open exchange of views on human rights is in the interests of both sides, and is an important part of our bilateral relationship. We are working with the Chinese Government to reschedule the dialogue as soon as possible.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the next UK-China human rights dialogue to take place. [196635]

Mr Swire: We consider the human rights dialogue to be an important part of our bilateral relationship with China. We are working with the Chinese Government to reschedule the dialogue as soon as possible.

Commonwealth

Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the export and trade promotion work of UK Trade and Investment is focused on Commonwealth countries. [195635]

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

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UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has a presence in 23 Commonwealth markets, accounting for approximately 21% of UKTI overseas headcount.

United Nations

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the UK contributed towards the funding of the United Nations and International Monetary Fund in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013. [196109]

Mr Lidington: The UK makes numerous contributions to the many different parts of the UN system and UN-led activities. Payments come from a wide range of British Government Departments. Our two largest assessed, or mandatory, payments are for the UN Regular Budget and the UN Peacekeeping Budget.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) pays the UK’s share of the UN Regular Budget, which covers core UN Secretariat costs and the UN’s political activities. During the last three calendar years, the UK made assessed contributions to the UN Regular Budget in US dollars as follows:

The UN Peacekeeping Budget follows the UN’s financial year (July to June). The UK’s assessed contributions in the last four UN financial years in US dollars is shown in the following table.

The UK, typically through the relevant lead Whitehall Department in the appropriate field, also makes many other substantial payments into the UN system. For UN specialised agencies, these are mostly voluntary contributions, with some assessed contributions e.g. for core costs. Additionally, there are many significant voluntary contributions to UN funds and programmes and other UN bodies depending on how they support UK objectives and priorities. The Department for International Development is the largest contributor of voluntary funding, of all British Government Departments.

The UK does not have an annual subscription to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and does not contribute to its administration costs. These are financed out of the IMF’s own revenue. As per the annual accounts of the National Loan Fund, published to Parliament, the Government’s quota subscription and lending to the IMF at the end of each financial year is shown in the following table.

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Uzbekistan

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has made any recent representations to the Government of Uzbekistan regarding the imprisonment of the journalist, Salidzhon Abdurakhmanov. [196144]

Mr Lidington: We, along with our European partners, have raised the case of Mr Abdurakhmanov with the Uzbek authorities at ministerial and official level on several occasions. The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, raised this issue with the Uzbek Foreign Minister when he visited London last November. Our embassy in Tashkent is in contact with the Uzbek human rights organisation, Ezgulik, which visited Mr Abdurakhmanov in custody in January. Baroness Warsi discussed a range of human rights issues, including freedom of expression, with Ministers and senior officials when she visited Uzbekistan earlier this month.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) reporting has consistently highlighted our concerns about freedom of the press and harassment of journalists in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan remains on the list of Countries of Concern in the FCO’s annual Human Rights and Democracy Report, reflecting long-standing concerns about the overall human rights situation in Uzbekistan. Our embassy in Tashkent regularly raises these issues with the Uzbek authorities and funds projects that support good governance and human rights. We also continue to encourage further progress towards full implementation of Uzbekistan’s international human rights commitments.

Defence

Armed Forces: Mortgages

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that mortgage lenders are aware of the Armed Forces Help to Buy scheme. [196660]

Mr Dunne: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence in September 2013, the Forces Help to Buy scheme was launched on 1 April 2014. The Department has worked closely with the Council of Mortgage Lenders throughout the development and roll-out of the scheme. There have also been consultations with a range of other bodies, such as the Building Societies Association, the Association of Mortgage Intermediaries and the Financial Conduct Authority, as well as with individual mortgage lenders.

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Military Decorations

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military medals have received Royal approval following the Honours and Decorations Committee meeting in January 2014. [196550]

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

An announcement will be made once the full set of reviews is complete and has been approved.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fisheries

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions on IUU fishing took place at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels on 24 March 2014. [196598]

George Eustice: The Council of Ministers on 24 March agreed to list Belize, Guinea and Cambodia as non-cooperating third countries, acting insufficiently in fighting against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Under the EU IUU Regulation, any imports into the EU of any fisheries products caught by these flag state vessels will be banned. In addition, Ministers discussed the proposed review of the IUU Regulation and the Commission confirmed its intention to undertake the review next year.

Litter

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what comparative assessment he has made of the performance of programmes in the UK and other EU countries which aim to reduce litter; and if he will make a statement. [196504]

Dan Rogerson: The Government have not carried out any comparative assessment of the performance of litter reduction programmes in the UK and the rest of the EU.

Policy

Mr O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement. [196463]

Dan Rogerson: The Green Book and associated supplementary guidance is publicly available on the Treasury website. It sets out a range of approaches and methods that may be appropriate in a number of different appraisal circumstances.

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Health

Ambulance Services: East Midlands

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much grant his Department has supplied (a) in cash terms and (b) in real terms in 2010 prices to the East Midlands Ambulance Service in each financial year since 2010-11. [196620]

Dr Poulter: National health service trusts do not receive funding directly from the Department of Health. In contrast to primary care trusts (PCTs) (and now NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs)),

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NHS trusts are not funded directly by the Secretary of State, from sums voted by Parliament.

NHS trusts are semi-autonomous organisations whose income derives from the provision of services, formerly to PCTs, now to NHS England and CCGs, through what might be described as trading activity.

The NHS trust regime has similarities to the regime for Government Trading Funds, where expenditure for Government activity is met from income from third parties, rather than direct funding from resources voted to the Department.

The following table, taken directly from East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust year-end accounts, summarises the income received in the year 2010-11 to 2012-13.

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Arthritis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on whether drinking milk reduces the development of arthritis. [195891]

Jane Ellison: Milk and dairy products, such as cheese and yoghurt, are good sources of protein and calcium.

Public Health England does not hold and is not aware of data showing that drinking milk reduces the development of arthritis.

Results from a recent study suggest that frequent milk consumption maybe associated with slowing the progression of knee osteoarthritis for women, but not for men. The study did not consider whether milk could reduce the development of arthritis in general, but examined a single aspect of osteoarthritis progression in the knee joint of people who already had the condition.

An important limitation of this study is that it was observational. The slower progression of osteoarthritis observed in women who drank more milk could have been influenced by other factors.

Better Care Fund

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for changes in the geographic criteria for Better Care Fund submissions. [196624]

Norman Lamb: As set out in the NHS England Planning guidance published in December 2013, local councils and clinical commissioning groups must agree a Better Care Fund plan with its local health and wellbeing board.

The requirement that Better Care Fund plans must align to the 151 health and wellbeing board areas has not changed since the Better Care Fund policy was announced following the 2013 spending review and the publication of the draft and final planning guidance.

Cancer

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the role of the Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set in the assurance and planning process for cancer services and care. [195757]

Jane Ellison: The Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (CCG OIS) is a tool that supports commissioners to drive improvement and set priorities. The CCG OIS, together with a range of other measures, plays an important role in helping clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to understand: how local populations are engaging with local health services; what their outcomes are; and to identify priorities for improvement.

The 2014-15 CCG OIS contains a range of indicators to support commissioners to understand key local issues in relation to cancer survival and early diagnosis including:

Under 75 mortality rate from cancer;

Cancer: diagnosis via emergency routes;

Cancer: record of stage at diagnosis;

Cancer: early detection;

Lung cancer: record of stage at diagnosis; and

Breast cancer: mortality.

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CCGs are autonomous organisations, whose strength lies in their clinical leadership and freedom to commission those services that deliver outcomes that are both clinically effective and cost effective for local populations.

NHS England, through its local area teams, uses the CCG Assurance Framework to assess whether CCGs are meeting their statutory duty to deliver continuous overall improvement in the health outcomes of local populations. Integral to the assurance assessment is consideration of a range of timely indicators, quality metrics and other outcomes measures to make an overall assessment of progress towards delivering improved outcomes. This includes the CCG OIS.

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to support NHS staff to deliver an improved experience of care for cancer patients. [195758]

Jane Ellison: Through the Mandate, we have asked NHS England to deliver continued improvements in relation to the experience of care, including cancer care, and Health Education England to ensure that current and future national health service and public health staff receive high quality education, training and development to enable them to deliver the highest possible quality of prevention and care for patients and the public now and in the future.

NHS England's business plan focuses on the fundamental cultural change to put people at the centre of the NHS. In 2014-15 it is overseeing a programme to improve cancer patient experience and is currently undertaking a review of its insight programme and strategy. By working with NHS Improving Quality, Macmillan and other partners, with oversight from NHS England and the Cancer Patient Experience Advisory Group, improvements will be made at provider level. In particular, the cancer patient experience survey will be a key tool to deliver this.

This month, NHS England is introducing the Staff Friends and Family Test for all NHS trusts in England, as research shows the strong link between levels of staff engagement and quality of patient experience.

Health Education England, as the national leadership body for education, training and development of the health work force will ensure that the right numbers of health professionals are trained—with the right skills and behaviours—to support delivery of high quality service and health improvement across England.

The response to the Francis Inquiry sets out a wide range of measures to create a culture of openness where staff are supported to deliver compassionate care and improve patient safety. For example, 10,000 nurses and midwives will have taken part in a new leadership programme by April 2015 which is focused on championing compassionate, patient-centred care.

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that patients have access to continuous innovation in oncology after the Cancer Drugs Fund expires in 2016. [R] [196684]

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend the Cancer Drug Fund beyond 2016. [196757]

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Norman Lamb: We have committed to continuing the Cancer Drugs Fund until the end of March 2016. We will consider carefully with NHS England how, in the longer term, we can support patients in accessing the cancer drugs that could benefit them at a cost that represents value to the national health service.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 33-4W, on cancer, how many

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GPs have completed the four modules of the online learning tool for GPs on late diagnosis. [196754]

Jane Ellison: The requested information is not centrally collected.

However, evaluation reports provided by British Medical Journal Learning throughout 2013 included information on total number of users who accessed the online learning modules and a breakdown of users by profession. The information is presented in the following table:

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 33-34W, on cancer, when he expects the updated National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines to be published. [196755]

Norman Lamb: We understand that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence currently expects to issue its updated clinical guideline on suspected cancer in May 2015. Further information can be found at:

http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG/Wave0/618

Cerebral Palsy

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on a clinical guideline for cerebral palsy. [195702]

Norman Lamb: The Department has asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to develop a clinical guideline on cerebral palsy. We have had no recent discussions with NICE on this topic.

Cystic Fibrosis

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust's reported entitled, Hope for more: Improving access to lung transplantation and care for people with cystic fibrosis in respect of the donor lung utilisation rate for transplantation; what measures his Department has identified as having the greatest potential to increased utilisation; and if he will make a statement; [195888]

(2) what recent assessment he has made of the psychological support available to people with cystic fibrosis after lung transplantation; [195889]

(3) what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the current arrangements for donor lung allocation for people with cystic fibrosis. [195890]

Jane Ellison: At present, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) allocates donated deceased lungs to designated transplant centres on a zonal basis, and the centre is responsible for selecting the patient. The transplant surgeon will use their clinical knowledge to assess both the donor lungs and potential recipients to find the best match, based on aspects such as the risks associated with the lungs and the severity of the patient's condition. The current lung allocation system is monitored closely to ensure there is equity for patients across the United Kingdom. NHSBT continue to consider practical steps within the current system which could improve patient outcomes.

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

Decisions about psychosocial support available to people with cystic fibrosis after lung transplantation are a matter for clinicians and commissioners when drawing up the provision of care services for patients.

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Dementia

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people with dementia in each county are aged (a) under 65, (b) 65 to 80 and (c) over 80. [196638]

Norman Lamb: Information on proportions of people with dementia in each county by age is not collected

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centrally. Information is only available on the total number of people with a diagnosis of dementia.

The latest information is for 2012-13 and sub-national information is only available by region, area team and Clinical Commissioning Group. Information by region and area team is provided in the following tables. Information by Clinical Commissioning Group has been placed in the Library.

Drugs: Side Effects

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of deaths caused by adverse reactions to prescribed drugs in each of the last four years. [195685]

Norman Lamb: Reports of ‘suspected’ adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines through the spontaneous reporting scheme: the Yellow Card scheme. The scheme collects ADR reports from across the whole United Kingdom and includes all medicines, including those from prescriptions, over-the-counter or general retail sales. Reports are also received for herbal medicines and other unlicensed medicines.

The following table provides a breakdown of the total number of UK spontaneous ‘suspected’ ADR reports received by the MHRA during the last four years with a fatal outcome.

It should be noted that these data represent all UK spontaneous ‘suspected’ ADR reports with a fatal outcome received through the Yellow Card scheme. The data cannot be stratified according to licensed or unlicensed medicines.

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Epilepsy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 38W, on epilepsy, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department had before 1 January to discuss the removal of pre-conception counselling for women taking anti-epilepsy medications from the Quality and Outcomes Framework; and how many such meetings were with Sanofi. [196753]

Norman Lamb: There have been no meetings involving Ministers or officials with Sanofi on the removal of the indicator in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) regarding pre-conception counselling for women taking anti-epilepsy medications.

The changes to the QOF are part of a wide ranging set of changes to the general practitioner (GP) contract for 2014-15. It is intended that these contract changes will encourage GPs and their practice teams to provide more personalised and proactive care for patients.

Changes to the QOF were negotiated with the General Practitioners Committee, which is part of the British Medical Association.

Food: Standards

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the prevalence of food fraud in restaurants and food outlets. [195906]

Jane Ellison: There has been no specific assessment made of overall levels of food fraud in United Kingdom food outlets.

Sampling data held centrally by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) indicate that for 2013, the overall non-compliance rate for local authority testing for all meat substitution was 13.5% from the 4,052 samples. The FSA is looking at whether any co-ordinated action is needed in response to these findings, though these figures should not be considered as constituting a likely assessment of levels of fraud as non-compliance can be for a range of reasons, of which fraud may be one.

Local authority sampling is generally targeted towards areas where they expect to find problems and therefore levels of non-compliance tend to be higher than would be expected for randomised surveys of foods of the market.

Food authenticity and food adulteration issues have been prioritised as part of the FSA co-ordinated programme of food sampling carried out by local authorities. In cases of non-compliance, enforcement is carried out by local authority enforcement officers, and where food fraud is suspected, this information will be passed on to the FSA.

The FSA has encouraged a greater level of reporting of suspected food fraud, and this is reflected in the increased number of intelligence reports received. Since 2007, the amount of intelligence received and inputted on to the food fraud database has risen from 49 reports in 2007 to 1,538 in 2013. However, this does not necessarily indicate an increase in the level of food fraud, but does demonstrate an increase in the reporting of suspected issues.

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Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he has taken to improve co-ordination on food standards enforcement across local authority areas; [195907]

(2) what steps he has taken to promote best practice in food standards enforcement across the UK. [195909]

Jane Ellison: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the central competent authority for food safety, but the majority of food law enforcement is delegated to local authorities throughout the United Kingdom. Local authorities (LAs) carry out checks of all food businesses in their area to ensure compliance with food safety/traceability and labelling requirements.

The FSA monitors and audits local authority enforcement of food standards. When areas of best practice are identified, the agency promotes them to LAs by various means, which help support a consistent approach across enforcement authorities. These include: providing guidance and advice available online; updating courses within its comprehensive annual training programme for enforcement officers; and liaising directly with LAs through the regional team who disseminate key messages from the FSA.

Measures to co-ordinate food standards enforcement across LAs are kept under continual review by the FSA to improve effectiveness of delivery. In doing this, the FSA works closely with local authorities and trading standards professional bodies. The methods for co-ordination range from communication of guidance and direct support. Measures include funding of the UK-wide national co-ordinated food sampling programme, fighting funds to local authorities taking enforcement action on issues of national interest and the support of expert enforcement advisory groups (on issues such as food standards and food fraud) that provide advice on consistent application of food standards law. It also includes the use of data and intelligence collected from local authorities when carrying out controls which can then be used to inform future enforcement.