Home Department

Asylum: Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 111W, on asylum: children, what funding her Department provides to local authorities to help cover the costs of supporting care-leavers who are asylum seekers; and how the Department monitors the use of that funding. [196547]

James Brokenshire: Local authorities are able to claim funding of £95 per day for each asylum seeker they support who is aged under 16 and £71 per day for each asylum seeker they support who is aged 16 or 17. Local authorities who continue to support care leavers past the age of 18 may apply for funding of £150 per week for each supported person above a threshold of 25 cases.

A small number of local authorities receive extra funding because of their special circumstances, for example if they receive an exceptionally large number of cases.

In order to claim the funding local authorities are required to submit detailed information about their expenditure, to ensure that it is incurred only for supporting cases eligible to the funding.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2014, Official Report, columns 352-3W, on asylum: children, if she will publish a breakdown by constituency of the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in each of the last 10 years. [197188]

James Brokenshire: Figures for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children by parliamentary constituency are not collected by the Home Office.

The Home Office publishes aggregate statistics on asylum applications from unaccompanied asylum seeking children in tables as_08 and as_08_q (Asylum data tables Volume 2) of Immigration Statistics. Figures based on revised counting rules appear in the latest release Immigration Statistics October to December 2013 which is available from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2013

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Asylum: Housing

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the National Audit Office Report, COMPASS contracts for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers, published in January 2014, what steps she has taken in response to recommendations f, g and h in that report. [196732]

James Brokenshire: With reference to the National Audit Office Report, COMPASS contracts for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers, the Home Department has undertaken the following steps in response to recommendations f, g and h in the report:

f. The Department should work with providers to ensure that they review the arrangements for property maintenance, including the process for managing properties between occupants, and look at ways to reduce the backlog.

The Department has completed a review of the process used by COMPASS providers to manage property standards and is working closely with all providers to improve the standard of accommodation. Joint housing inspections are now routinely undertaken by the providers' housing officers and the Department's contract compliance teams. Our priority is achieving plans that ensure providers respond more quickly to property defects and to increase accommodation quality over the lifetime of the contract.

g. The Department should work with providers to ensure that they audit the training of housing officer staff, with particular regard to understanding service users’ needs, and ensure that arrangements for accessing properties are being applied consistently.

Providers are required by contract to ensure that their staff are adequately trained in customer care and cultural awareness and that they conduct themselves in a polite, sensitive and professional manner. Providers have committed to improving in this area of their service delivery and the Department will continue to monitor this closely.

h. The Department should work with providers to ensure that they develop appropriate mechanisms to capture feedback from service users about their experiences living in asylum accommodation—for example customer satisfaction surveys or focus groups.

Customer satisfaction surveys and focus groups do not currently form part of the COMPASS contract. However, the Department recognises the benefits of having an independent measure of customer satisfaction and is committed to implementing this for COMPASS Services. Consultation with providers has started and a process for capturing customer satisfaction is currently being piloted.

Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to relocate (a) staff and (b) offices of her Department to Brighton; and if she will make a statement. [197449]

Karen Bradley: The Department has no plans to (a) relocate staff to Brighton and (b) relocate offices to Brighton.

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Female Genital Mutilation

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on giving consideration in the asylum process to the risk of returning girls to countries where there is a high likelihood of female genital mutilation being carried out. [196715]

James Brokenshire: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 March 2014, Official Report, column 685W, to the right hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East (Mr Brown).

Overseas Domestic Workers Steering Group

Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many meetings of the Overseas Domestic Workers Steering Group have been held since 2010; [196824]

(2) what the current membership is of the Overseas Domestic Workers Steering Group; [196825]

(3) when the last meeting of the Overseas Domestic Workers Steering Group was held. [196826]

Karen Bradley: The Overseas Domestic Worker Steering Group no longer meets, therefore there is no current membership. The last meeting was on 19 November 2010.

The Home Office is carefully considering all the recommendations of the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny Committee’s report on the Modern Slavery Bill.

Police: Remembrance Day

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will require local police forces to cover the costs of police presence at Remembrance Sunday events. [196984]

Damian Green: The attendance of police officers at Remembrance Sunday events is an operational matter for individual chief constables. If the organisers of such events request additional policing (referred to as Special Police Services), the relevant Police and Crime Commissioner decides whether to charge for it.

Proceeds of Crime

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the proposal set out in Baroness Newlove's report, Our Vision for Safe and Active Communities, for a Bling Back scheme where money made from selling local drug dealers' assets is handed back to the neighbourhood. [197219]

Karen Bradley: There has been a scheme since 2004 whereby a proportion of the proceeds of crime recovered from drug dealers and other criminals are returned to law enforcement agencies. The money returned to law enforcement has been used to support a continued increase in the amounts recovered from criminals and can be invested in community projects.

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Smuggling: Tobacco

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products on the work of the (a) police and (b) UK Border Force in combating the trade in illicit tobacco. [196880]

James Brokenshire: The introduction of plain packaging is likely to have a limited impact. Border Force does not target on the basis of brand, rather by identifying goods and people that are known to, or may, represent a risk to the UK using analysis and intelligence-based risk indicators to inform intervention at the earliest and most appropriate opportunity.

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations her Department has received from (a) police and crime commissioners and (b) the UK Border Force on the potential effect of the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products on combating the trade in illicit tobacco. [196881]

James Brokenshire: To date our records show no representations have been made by Border Force and police and crime commissioners.

UK Border Agency

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the UK were (i) on zero-hours contracts and (ii) temporary staff in each of the last two years up to the most recent period for which records are available. [107179]

Karen Bradley: The UK Border Agency was absorbed into the Home Office on 1 April 2013; its successor business areas are UK Visas and Immigration and Immigration Enforcement.

(i) The Home Office and its agencies do not employ and have not employed staff on zero-hours contracts.

(ii) A geographical breakdown of temporary staff employed in UK Border Agency/successor business areas in each of the last two years is shown at Table 1.

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Note:

Office for National Statistics defines temporary staff as those civil servants with contracts of employment of less than one year; staff with fixed-term appointments and permanent staff are reported separately by all Government Departments, as are agency and contingent workers.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Asylum

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on developing international frameworks and forums to provide refugees from climate-induced displacement with legal protection, including legally-worded definitions for such cases. [196876]

Mark Simmonds: The Government support work to establish how existing international institutions and frameworks can be used to address climate change induced migration. Refugee status under existing international and EU legislation is based on the risk of persecution, and it is Government policy to avoid developing separate frameworks that could duplicate or contradict this. The Government are also committed to securing an ambitious and legally-binding climate agreement next year at Paris COP 21 to limit the damage caused by anthropogenic climate change.

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Business: Human Rights

Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the effect of his Department's Action Plan on Business and Human Rights since its launch in September 2013. [197163]

Mr Hague: The UK Action Plan on Business and Human Rights was the first country plan produced, setting out how the Government will implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We reported progress in implementation in the recently launched Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Human Rights Report.

Internationally the UK’s plan has shown our commitment to the widespread uptake of the UN Guiding Principles. Other countries have sought our guidance and advice in developing and producing their own plans.

The Action Plan has set out our expectations of UK business and industry on business and human rights, to encourage initiatives to introduce human rights due diligence and remedy measures into their policies and operations. The Companies Act now requires listed companies to report on their human rights impacts, and The Home Office published a draft Modern Slavery Bill last December to strengthen law enforcement capability to combat human trafficking and labour exploitation.

We are committed to reviewing the effectiveness of our Action Plan in 2015.

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 January 2012, Official Report, column 260W, on China: animal welfare, whether his Department has made representations to the Chinese government on standards of animal welfare in fur farms in China. [196946]

Mr Swire: We have not made specific representations on animal welfare in fur farms. However the UK is supportive of international efforts to protect animal welfare. We hosted a high level international conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade in London in February 2014 where the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), spoke to highlight the importance of action on this issue.

Over 40 countries, including China, participated in the conference, during which we secured significant commitments, including on the ivory trade, on Government procurement of wildlife products, and on treating international wildlife trafficking as a serious organised crime. We are following up with China and other participating countries on this issue.

Following the conference, Chinese authorities have passed a new law making the consumption of rare wild animals an offence punishable by 10 years in prison.

Colombia

Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has had with (a) representatives of the Colombian

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Government,

(b)

Colombian civil society and

(c)

Colombian businesses to discuss his Department's Action Plan on Business and Human Rights since its launch in September 2013. [107176]

Mr Hague: I visited Colombia in February this year and discussed business and human rights in my meetings with President Santos, and in meetings with the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Trade, and with civil society. I welcomed the development of the Colombian national policy on business and human rights during these meetings and raised the importance of protecting trade unionists and human rights defenders. We have a strong partnership with the Government of Colombia on implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, in the context of the November 2011 Joint Declaration on Human Rights by the Prime Minister and President Santos.

In addition, British embassy officials in Bogota have had several meetings with the Colombian Government, civil society and businesses in Colombia to discuss the UK Action plan on business and human rights in line with our commitment to working for widespread international uptake of the UN Guiding Principles and to developing partnerships with other countries to progress this.

Last year, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded a project to assist Colombia in drafting its national policy. The Colombian public policy on business and human rights has been formed as a result of consultation across 33 regions and involving over 19,000 people.

Iran

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library an inventory of the property of the Government destroyed by rioters in HM Embassy in Tehran in 2011. [196823]

Hugh Robertson: The British embassy in Tehran was overrun by a mob on 29 November 2011, resulting in the withdrawal of all embassy staff. I am placing a list of the property damaged in the Library of the House.

Israel

Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Islington of 2 September 2013, Official Report, columns 294-95W, on Israel, what recent steps he has taken to raise allegations of corporate complicity in human rights abuses and international law violations by G4S in Israeli prisons with G4S. [197161]

Hugh Robertson: International law does not impose direct obligations on corporations. However, the British Government encourage British companies to show respect for human rights in their operations in the UK and internationally. This is why in September 2013, we launched the UK action plan based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Through the Overseas Business Risk Service, we provide online advice to raise awareness of the key security and political risks which British businesses may face when operating abroad, including in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

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Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Israeli Government on extending to UK citizens of Palestinian origin visiting Israel similar concessions to those Israel has offered to the US Administration in exchange for Israel’s entry to the US visa waiver scheme. [197379]

Hugh Robertson: We have not made any representations to the Israeli authorities on this issue.

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with Israeli authorities on discrimination against UK citizens of Palestinian or Arab origin by Israeli border control. [197383]

Hugh Robertson: Our embassy in Tel Aviv raises complaints where British nationals appear to have been subjected to differential treatment by Israeli border control on the basis of their race or ethnicity with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Middle East

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take in response to the withdrawal of the Israeli government from US-sponsored peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. [197316]

Hugh Robertson: We remain fully committed to supporting efforts for peace and I will visit the region to that end in the near future. We urge the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to use the coming weeks to find the common ground and political strength needed to resume the peace negotiations and encourage other countries to maintain support for that objective.

Nigeria

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok in north-eastern Nigeria on 14 April 2014; and what reports he has received on their current location. [197334]

Mark Simmonds: Approximately 230 schoolgirls were taken. A small number appear to have escaped or been released. There is no confirmation of the current location or condition of those still being held. Most reports suggest the girls were initially taken to the Sambisa forest, where insurgents are believed to have a number of camps. The girls may have now been split into several smaller groups.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss the abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok in north-eastern Nigeria on 14 April 2014 at the next European Union meeting of Foreign Ministers. [197335]

Mark Simmonds: We expect the next Foreign Affairs Council to focus on Ukraine. Nigeria is not currently on the agenda. Our high commissioner in Abuja has discussed the abductions with his EU colleagues.

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Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed with his Nigerian counterpart the recent abduction of schoolgirls in that country; and when he next intends to raise this issue. [197337]

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), spoke to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs on 18 April about the case. The Foreign Secretary expressed the UK’s sympathies about this outrageous crime and offered UK assistance to Nigerian efforts to recover the girls.

Officials at our high commission in Abuja have met their Nigerian security and military counterparts regularly since the abductions and have repeated the Foreign Secretary’s offer of assistance.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the demolition on 2 and 3 April of EU-funded projects in Area C near the E1-settlement bloc; and whether he has demanded compensation following these actions. [197317]

Hugh Robertson: We have not made representations in response to the specific demolition cited, nor demanded compensation. However, officials from our embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised the issue of demolitions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the office of Prime Minister Netanyahu on 1 May. We regularly make clear, publicly and privately, to Israel our serious concerns about the demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure and forced transfer of population in Area C and East Jerusalem.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department gives alongside UK non-governmental organisations operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to assist in obtaining compensation from the Israeli authorities for projects demolished in Area C. [197319]

Hugh Robertson: We have not provided support to non-governmental organisations operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) to assist in obtaining compensation from the Israeli authorities for projects demolished in Area C. However, we continue to support Palestinians facing demolition or eviction orders in the OPTs through support to the Norwegian Refugee Council legal aid programme, which helps individuals to challenge these in the Israeli legal system.

St Lucia

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the St Lucia Government on delays in the criminal justice system in homicide cases in that country. [197360]

Mark Simmonds: Our officials have had a number of discussions with the Government of St Lucia about delays in the criminal justice system, particularly in

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relation to cases involving British nationals. In December last year, our high commissioner to St Lucia raised the issue with the St Lucian Home Affairs Minister and in April 2014, the British resident commissioner raised the issue with the St Lucian Prime Minister. I also wrote to the Prime Minister of St Lucia in September about the delays in the criminal justice system.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office supports wider government efforts to build the St Lucian Government’s capacity to prosecute serious crime. This includes the deployment of a Crown Prosecution Service criminal justice adviser (CJA) to the Eastern Caribbean. The CJA provides strategic analysis and advice to politicians and practitioners (judiciary, prosecutors and investigators) in order to improve the efficiency of the justice system and remove blockages to effective prosecutions.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he is making to encourage the Government of St Lucia to take steps to progress the trial of the defendants accused of murdering Gloria Greenwood. [197361]

Mark Simmonds: As soon as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was informed of the death of a British national, consular officials contacted the St Lucian authorities about the investigation into Mrs Greenwood’s tragic death. They remain in regular contact. Most recently, St Lucia’s Crown Prosecution Service informed our officials that a pre-trial hearing had been adjourned until 8 May. We will continue to press upon the St Lucian authorities the importance we place on bringing this case to trial. Consular officials have updated Mrs Greenwood’s family and continue to provide full consular assistance.

Trade Unions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system. [196766]

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recently reviewed the check-off arrangements and is considering the findings of that review.

Ukraine

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received advice on the legality of the removal from power of President Yanukovich, pursuant to Article 111 of the Constitution of Ukraine. [196901]

Mr Lidington: The Government are not in a position to comment on the legal system in Ukraine. On 21 February, agreement was reached between the then opposition leaders and the then President, Viktor Yanukovych to resolve the political crisis afflicting Ukraine by: signing a new law within 48 hours to reinstate the 2004 Constitution; holding pre-term presidential elections in 2014; and conducting a comprehensive constitutional reform. However, later that day Yanutouych fled Kyiv, abandoning his office as Head of State and was therefore not in a position to fulfill the obligation he undertook to sign the law reinstating the 2004 constitution.

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As the Ukrainian Government had already been dissolved by Yanukovych, Parliament was the only legitimate state body remaining. In view of Yanukovych’s action to effectively remove himself from office, Parliament approved a Bill to remove Yanukovych from power, appoint an acting president and, in line with the constitution, to hold presidential elections within 90 days. The Bill was approved by an overwhelming majority, including by representatives of Yanukovych’s Party of the Regions which remains the largest faction in the Rada.

Western Sahara

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to establish a sustained, independent and impartial human rights monitoring mechanism, covering both the territory and the camps of Western Sahara. [196568]

Hugh Robertson: Her Majesty’s Government strongly encourage progress towards effective human rights monitoring in Western Sahara and the refugee camps in Tindouf. The UN Security Council has welcomed Morocco’s recent positive steps in this regard including strengthening the National Council on Human Rights and working with the Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council, including the visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights planned for 2014. We also welcome Morocco’s recent commitments to investigate complaints of human rights violations made to the National Council for Human Rights (CNDH) within three months, and to end military tribunal trials for civilians. We regularly raise human rights during dialogue with the parties to the dispute over the territory, and in discussions at the UN Security Council. I raised human rights issues during my visit to Morocco in March.

Zimbabwe

Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on how many UK citizens are not being paid those Zimbabwean Government pensions to which they are entitled; and what steps the UK Government is taking to end that default. [197409]

Mark Simmonds: The Overseas Service Pensioners Association (OSPA) have estimated that there are approximately 1,250 to 1,500 pensioners who are entitled to a pension from the Government of Zimbabwe, of whom 300 to 400 are estimated to be resident in the UK. This is unverified by the Government of Zimbabwe.

The payment of Zimbabwe public service pensions is the responsibility of the Government of Zimbabwe. We appreciate the frustration and financial burden the non-payment of pensions puts on many pensioners and have continually pressed the Government of Zimbabwe to fulfil their obligations.

Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when officials of his Department in Harare last met the Zimbabwean government director of pensions to discuss distribution of the funds reserved for payment to overseas pensioners; and if he will make a statement. [197410]

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Mark Simmonds: We continue to pursue a resolution to the non-payment of Zimbabwe civil servant pensions and are in regular contact with the interested parties, including the Overseas Service Pensioners Association (OSPA) and the Federal Pensioners Association in Harare.

UK officials last spoke with the Director of Pensions at the end of January and are still pursuing a response from the Zimbabwean Civil Service Commission to our letter from December 2013. We have also raised the issue since with other interlocutors, including the Zimbabwean ambassador in London.

Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date officials of his Department were informed that arrangements had failed for a commercial bank to facilitate payments to overseas pensioners out of funds reserved by the Government of Zimbabwe; and when he expects an alternative service provider to be in place. [197411]

Mark Simmonds: We were in regular contact with the commercial bank following the request by the Government of Zimbabwe to facilitate the payment of pensions. They formally confirmed to the Government of Zimbabwe on 6 November that they were unable to act as the service provider, though had informed us of this decision in the preceding weeks.

The payment of Zimbabwe public service pensions is the responsibility of the Government of Zimbabwe. We will continue to encourage them, and any possible service provider, to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

International Development

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the work undertaken by the Sustainable Harvest Group on assisting land husbandry and sustainable crop yields. [196789]

Lynne Featherstone: No assessment has been made of the work undertaken by the Sustainable Harvest Group on assisting land husbandry and sustainable crop yields.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to (a) prevent forced displacement induced by climate change and (b) otherwise assist affected populations. [196590]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK’s £3.87 billion International Climate Fund (ICF), managed by DFID, aims, among other things, to prevent climate-induced migration in two ways. Firstly, by providing support for emissions reductions to limit the levels of climate change. This is by far the most effective way of reducing the numbers of people displaced by climate change.

Secondly, providing 50% of ICF funds to help over 20 million of the most climate vulnerable people adapt to the impacts of climate change and avoid being displaced. For example; reducing the impacts of floods and droughts,

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introducing climate resilient crops, and providing insurance against climate-induced crop failures.

Developing Countries: Disability

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to promote the rights of women with disabilities and to ensure such women are empowered and achieve gender equality to the same extent as women without disabilities. [197191]

Justine Greening: DFID has put girls and women at the heart of international development and is committed to working with the Governments of developing countries to ensure that the issues faced by all vulnerable girls and women, including those with disabilities, are addressed in its programmes.

On 13 May 2014, the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014 will come into law. This means that before development or humanitarian assistance is provided, the impact on gender equality including for men and women with disabilities must be considered within the poverty focus of the International Development Act.

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to emphasise the importance of education provisions and support for disabled children, their teachers and families in order to ensure that Millennium Development Goal 2 is attained. [197192]

Justine Greening: The UK Government’s programmes and partnerships are focused on ensuring better inclusion of children with disabilities. For example, the Girls’ Education Challenge is supporting over £9 million of disability-focused programmes.

In September 2013 we announced two additional commitments to step up our support; ensuring all DFID funded education construction is fully accessible and improving data on children with disabilities.

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what steps she is taking to ensure that people with one or more physical, sensory, intellectual or mental health impairments are explicitly mentioned in the Sustainable Development Goals and their attendant targets and indicators; [197194]

(2) what steps she is taking to ensure that people (a) with disabilities and (b) affected by disabilities are given full consideration in the Sustainable Development Goals and their attendant targets and indicators. [197193]

Justine Greening: The UK is pushing for the principle of ‘Leave no one behind’ to be included in the MDGs successor development framework, which was a central element of the report prepared for the UN Secretary General by the High Level Panel, co-chaired by the Prime Minister. We should ensure that no person, regardless of disability, is denied universal human rights and basic opportunities.

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Ethiopia

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department has provided to the Rema project to introduce sustainable solar lighting in Ethiopia. [196746]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK has not provided any direct support to the projects that have provided solar energy in Rema, Ethiopia.

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Malawi

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department allocated in support to Malawi in each of the last five years; and what proportion of this funding was intended for use by (a) the Malawi Government and (b) non-governmental organisations working in the country. [196890]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Government have provided the following support:

Information regarding specific projects is available on the Development Tracker:

www.dfid.gov.uk

Nigeria

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to support the Nigerian Government in their efforts to protect schools in north-eastern Nigeria and to re-open schools that have closed for security reasons. [197336]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID is supporting the Nigerian Government to reduce instability in the north-east of Nigeria, helping to provide a more stable and secure environment for schools to operate. This approach includes DFID Nigeria’s Stability and Reconciliation Programme, which promotes conflict resolution and supports local organisations to tackle violence against women and girls. DFID also supports the Presidential Initiative for the North East, which is promoting economic recovery and meeting basic needs, including education.

DFID’s education programme operates in eleven states in Nigeria, including the north-eastern state of Bauchi. Here DFID is working with UNICEF and the state government to improve girls’ access to better education.

Overseas Aid: Disability

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department will take to engage with smaller (a) international non-government organisations and (b) non-governmental organisations in its future work on disability. [197330]

Justine Greening: DFID already works closely with many INGOs and NGOs working on disability. In the UK, the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for International Development chairs regular civil society outreach meetings with UK-based NGOs working on disability, and DFID officials work with BOND’s Disability and Development umbrella group for NGOs. Similarly, DFID country offices work closely with local civil society organisations, including those working on disability.

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make accessibility and coverage of disability a core element of all her Department's funded programmes and monitor this across all currently funded programmes. [197332]

Justine Greening: DFID carries out country-level poverty analysis and social impact appraisal of all UK-supported development programmes to ensure the benefits of development and poverty reduction are inclusive.

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many full-time equivalent staff in her Department have responsibility for disability policy. [197333]

Justine Greening: DFID has a core team of disability experts who provide specific guidance on disability across different sectors. In addition, there are 80 social development advisors who have responsibility for considering social development—including disability—across all aspects of policy and programming in DFID’s devolved structure; and one full-time equivalent staff working on central disability policy.

Pacific Islands

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2014, Official Report, columns 568-9W, on Pacific Islands, to question 196375, how much support and under what categories her Department gave directly to Pacific Island countries in 2013-14. [197058]

Mr Duncan: I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer given to her by the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), on 5 March 2014, Official Report, column 871.

Peru

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research support her Department provides on the potential effect of climate change on sustainability of agriculture in the Peruvian Altiplano. [196788]

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Lynne Featherstone: DFID supports international agricultural research through a number of channels. For example, it is one of the largest funders of the CGIAR, a global agricultural research partnership. The CGIAR undertakes research through its programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), which includes a component that works with farmers in the Altiplano to understand their strategies for coping with climate variability.

Trade Unions

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department has any plans to end the employee trade union membership dues check-off system. [196768]

Mr Duncan: These arrangements are kept under review.

Uganda

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which civil society organisations her Department supports in Uganda; and what policy each such organisation has towards the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act. [196594]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK funds a number of civil society organisations in Uganda, including around 70 through the multi-donor Democratic Governance Facility. DFID has assessed our programme to ensure that UK aid could continue to be spent effectively and with maximum impact, and to ensure it was not being provided to organisations that proactively and publically promoted the Act. Following this, the UK and other donors agreed to indefinitely suspend funding through the Democratic Governance Facility to one organisation. We will continue to monitor this situation. The UK strongly opposes discrimination on any grounds.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Adult Education

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria were used for targeting the Skills Funding Agency's reduction in funding for adult qualifications; and what account the decisions to reduce that funding took of each such course's effect on (a) skills development and (b) employability of participants. [196904]

Matthew Hancock: The Skills Funding Agency’s review of vocational qualifications is not about a reduction in funding. Within agreed budgets, the review has sought to ensure funding is redirected in support of qualifications which are high-quality, demanded by learners and valued by employers. The Agency has removed these low-quality qualifications from the scope of public funding to ensure we only fund those vocational qualifications which are recognised by employers and enable someone to be employable in a particular occupation or sector. The goal is to promote both the skills development and employability of participants.

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Apprentices

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will undertake a comparative assessment of Government spending on apprenticeships in the UK and Germany. [196549]

Matthew Hancock: A wide variety of public sources frequently make comparative assessment of international apprenticeships systems.

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what incentives his Department has made available to small and medium-sized businesses to take on apprentices. [197164]

Matthew Hancock: We introduced the Apprenticeship Grant for Employers, providing £1,500 payments to encourage and support smaller employers to take on young apprentices. The 2014 Budget made available £170 million additional funding over 2014-18, which will provide over 100,000 additional incentive payments.

This is in addition to wider steps taken to make apprenticeships more attractive and accessible by simplifying the recruitment process and removing unnecessary bureaucracy.

Bankruptcy

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the monetary value to the wider economy of a bankruptcy restriction order or undertaking. [196337]

Jenny Willott: No monetary value assessment to the wider economy of a bankruptcy restrictions order or undertaking has been undertaken.

Copyright

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the Intellectual Property Office’s response to its call for evidence on the effect of the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 will be published. [197350]

Mr Willetts: The Government are drawing on responses to our call for evidence on transitional provisions for the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to inform our forthcoming consultation on the issue. The Government are currently carrying out further work to develop assessments of various options for transitional provisions, and intend to publish our consultation document and accompanying impact assessment later this year.

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure a smooth and effective transitional period for the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. [197352]

Mr Willetts: The Government are committed to consulting on how and when to introduce the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to ensure a fair and proportionate transitional period.

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The first stage of this consultation process was a call for evidence which was launched in October 2013. The Government have reviewed the responses and are preparing an impact assessment and consultation document that will allow the Government to make proposals on transitional provisions and consult on these.

Disabled Students’ Allowances

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his plans are for the future of the disabled students' allowance; and if he will make a statement. [197154]

Mr Willetts: I refer the right hon. Member to the written statement I made on 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 1-2WS.

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to disabled students' allowances on the number of disabled students completing higher or further education; [196514]

(2) whether he has carried out an equalities impact assessment of the changes to disabled students' allowances which were announced on 7 April 2014. [196612]

Mr Willetts: The announced changes to disabled students' allowances (DSAs) will be subject to a full equality analysis to determine the impact of these changes on students with protected characteristics. The equality analysis will be given full consideration before regulations are laid before the House.

These changes will apply to all full-time, full-time distance learning, part-time and postgraduate students in higher education applying for DSA for the first time from the 2015/16 academic year. DSAs are not available to further education students, as the Government provide learning support funding to further education colleges and providers to help meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

Disclosure of Information

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2014, Official Report, column 793W, on disclosure of information, when he expects the Government's response to the Whistleblowing Framework call for evidence will be published. [197186]

Jenny Willott: The Government response is currently being finalised and will be published soon.

Education: Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many prisoners did not have (a) Key Stage 1, (b) Key Stage 2 and (c) Key Stage 3 qualifications in (i) English and (ii) mathematics when they entered prison in each of the last five years; [197098]

(2) how many prisoners reached (a) Key Stage 1, (b) Key Stage 2 and (c) Key Stage 3 qualifications in (i) English and (ii) mathematics whilst in prison in each of the last five years. [197099]

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Matthew Hancock: We do not centrally hold information on prior attainment.

Work is under way to introduce, this summer, mandatory education assessment by the Offenders’ Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) provider for all newly-received prisoners. This will ensure that all offenders, not just those that go on to learning, receive a learning assessment (focused around English and maths, but also covering learning difficulties and disabilities).

Table 1 shows Offender Learner English and Maths Achievements for the 2012/13 academic year. The data are broken down by Level rather than Key Stage as this is the appropriate measure for further education qualifications.

Information on Offender Learner English and maths achievements by level for 2010/11 and 2011/12 is published as a Supplementary Table to a Statistical First Release. Data for earlier years are not available on a comparable basis.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/284253/January2013_OLASS_Participation_Achievement.xls

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-further-education-and-skills

Export Credit Guarantees

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the default rate has been on each of the Government's export guarantee funds since May 2010. [196948]

Michael Fallon: UK Export Finance (UKEF) supports UK exports, principally through the provision of guarantees to banks extending loans to overseas buyers and insurance to UK exporters against the risk of non-payment. From 1 May 2010 to 31 March 2014, the percentage of guarantees and insurance policies issued by UKEF that have subsequently defaulted resulting in a claim being paid, or where a claim is currently under examination, is 0.2%.

Given the tenor of transactions that UKEF typically supports, which can be up to 15 years, an in-year default rate does not give a clear indicator of the performance of UKEF’s portfolio. In accordance with the financial objectives and risk measures agreed with HM Treasury, UKEF measures the Expected Loss of its portfolio. Expected Loss is the statistical estimate of the amount of UKEF’s contingent liability which could be expected to turn into claims that are irrecoverable.

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Full details of UKEF’s performance and risk management can be found in its annual report and accounts, which is available in the Libraries of the House.

Exports: Government Assistance

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses received support through the UK Guarantees Exports Refinancing Facility in 2013-14. [196716]

Michael Fallon: Following the Chancellor’s announcement in the 2014 Budget, UK Export Finance formally launched the Export Refinancing Facility (ERF) on 30 April 2014.

ERF is aimed at supporting UK bids for projects that require finance above $150 million. As these projects typically involve lengthy contract negotiations, it may be some time before we see a pipeline of deals that benefit from the ERF.

Fire Prevention: Furniture

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effects of amending the Furniture and Furnishing (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 on the number of house fires. [196877]

Michael Fallon: BIS is currently exploring options for a revised match test in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988. It will not have a material effect on the fire safety of UK domestic upholstered furniture, but could lead to a small overall decrease in house fires as it will include currently unregulated materials in products which can contribute to the ignitability of furniture. The test will also reduce the levels of flame retardant chemicals in UK furniture. These contribute to smoke toxicity when burned and can have adverse effects on human health and the environment when they break down into constituent parts. These changes should bring savings to the industry of £30-50 million a year.

Foreign Investment in UK

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that as economic recovery takes hold proportionately more inward investment will be directed to areas beyond the South East. [197288]

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has overall responsibility within Government for the attraction and retention of foreign direct investment across the UK. UKTI works in partnership with each of the Local Enterprise Partnerships in England, and through representatives of each of the devolved Administrations and London, to maximise the potential of the UK to attract inward investment. UKTI operates under the

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“UK First” principle, providing foreign investors with all the information and advice necessary to ensure that the UK is the preferred global location for their investment.

UKTI is supporting cross-Government efforts to rebalance the economy in line with the Government’s Industrial Strategy. For example, UKTI focuses on promoting the UK’s strengths in industry sectors, such as advanced manufacturing and food and drink, where the opportunities for the UK to compete for foreign direct investment projects are often in areas beyond the South East. In 2012/13, UKTI recorded a total of 1,599 inward investment projects won for the UK, including 67 projects in Wales, 38 projects in Northern Ireland, 111 projects in Scotland, 759 projects in England (excluding London) and 584 projects in London.

Further Education

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to put in place an inspection regime for the quality of education at private further education colleges. [196977]

Matthew Hancock: There are no plans to change the remit of the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED) inspection regime.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the budget for further education was in 2005-06. [197009]

Matthew Hancock: The budget for further education in 2005-06 was published in the 2005 Departmental Report for the Department for Education and Skills. Please see Section E—Annexes. This report is now available on the gov.uk website:

www.gov.uk

The total resource budget for further education, adult learning and skills and lifelong learning for 2005-06 was £9,139 million.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-and-skills-departmental-report-2005

Higher Education

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Government spent on full-time university education for undergraduates in 2013-14. [196524]

Mr Willetts: Full-time undergraduate student support expenditure by the Student Loans Company for the 2013-14 financial year included £8.9 billion of cash outlay on maintenance and fee loans and £1.9 billion of grant expenditure (on maintenance grants and other allowances). These totals include expenditure on English-domiciled students in the UK and EU students in England.

For the financial year 2013-14, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) estimates that £2.1 billion of the expenditure set out in the 2014 grant letter refers to teaching grant for full-time undergraduate study. It is not possible to calculate a full-time undergraduate share of every element of recurrent teaching grant such as senior professional pay, teaching strategy funding,

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institution-specific initiatives or additional funding for equivalent level qualifications and vulnerable science subjects.

The figures do not include expenditure by other Governments Departments.

Holiday Leave

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the level of denial of paid statutory holiday entitlement in the workplace; and what steps he is taking to tackle such a refusal of statutory rights. [196508]

Jenny Willott: The Working Time Regulations entitle all workers in the UK to 5.6 weeks paid annual leave. This is an important right, and evidence suggests that the number of employees not taking it is very small. Labour Force Survey analysis shows that the vast majority of workers (95%) report receiving their entitlement to paid leave. Similarly the 4^th Work Life Balance Employees survey indicates that 93% of employees receive their full statutory annual leave entitlement.

Statutory holiday entitlement can be calculated online at:

www.gov.uk/calculate-your-holiday-entitlement

Workers who think they may not be receiving their full statutory entitlement should contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368, or ACAS:

www.acas.org.uk

for free and confidential advice.

Insolvency

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Insolvency Service paid for fruitless payments in respect of individual and corporate insolvencies in each of the last five years. [196416]

Jenny Willott: The information requested is presented in the following table.

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) official receivers and (b) all Insolvency Service officials who will receive training leading to a (i) personal insolvency partial licence and (ii) corporate insolvency partial licence. [196532]

Jenny Willott: The legislation relating to official receivers and Insolvency Service technical staff does not require study to hold an insolvency practitioners’ licence and, as such, no staff will receive training that will lead to either a personal insolvency partial licence or a corporate insolvency partial licence.

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Under S399(1) of the Insolvency Act 1986 “………the official receiver, in relation to any bankruptcy, winding up, individual voluntary arrangement, debt relief order or application for such an order is any person who by virtue of the following provisions ………….is authorised to act as the official receiver ………..” and S399(2) “The Secretary of State may ……. appoint persons to the office of official receiver ……………….”.

All technical staff are required to study for, and pass, a bespoke accredited training programme at qualifications and credit framework level 3 and are required to undertake a minimum of five days continuous professional development per year.

Incidentally, over 50% of official receivers hold a professional qualification e.g. ACCA.

Local Growth Fund

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful bids from Local Enterprise Partnerships for the Local Growth Fund to date. [195055]

Michael Fallon: All 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) submitted their Strategic Economic Plans to Government by 31 March 2014. Given the highly competitive nature of the Local Growth Fund (LGF), it will be over-subscribed and therefore there will be successful and unsuccessful bids to the fund. The assessment process is under way, but it is too early to say how many bids will and will not be successful.

New Businesses: Coventry

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support business start-ups in (a) Coventry North East constituency and (b) Coventry. [197003]

Matthew Hancock: We continue to work hard to provide the right support to make life easier for people looking to start a business and those looking to grow their business.

The home for Government services and information online is

www.gov.uk

One of the tools available is the ‘Finance and Support Finder;' a searchable database of publicly-backed sources of finance and business support. The website

www.greatbusiness.gov.uk

also provides support and advice for entrepreneurs starting out as well as for anyone trying to grow a business.

In addition to online support, the Business Support Helpline is available to provide a quick response on queries about starting a business, or a personalised and in-depth advice service for more complex needs. Start-Up Loans provide start-up funding and intensive support to entrepreneurs to enable them to start a business. The Start-Up Loans Schemehas so far helped 26 companies in Coventry North East with a value of £108,400, and 75 companies in Coventry with a value of £359,617.

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New Businesses: Older People

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to support elderly first-time entrepreneurs. [196834]

Matthew Hancock: People of all ages and experiences are setting up and growing businesses all the time. We continue to work hard to provide the right support to make life easier for them all.

Gov.uk is the home for Government services and information online:

www.gov.uk

One of the tools available is the ‘Business Finance and Support Finder;' a source of Government-backed support and finance for business. The website:

www.greatbusiness.gov.uk

also provides support and advice for anyone trying to grow a business as well as for entrepreneurs starting out.

In addition to online support, the Business Support Helpline is available to provide a quick response on queries about starting a business, or a personalised and in-depth advice service for more complex needs. For those looking for start-up finance and advice there are Start-Up Loans: Seven loans worth a total of £37,000 have been drawn down in Windsor since the scheme began in 2012.

New Businesses: Swindon

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new businesses have been registered in Swindon since 2010. [197030]

Michael Fallon: Companies House confirms that since 2010, 5,308 companies have been registered in Swindon. This figure is based on company registration data from postcode areas, which can cross town boundaries, and should be considered an approximation.

Official Receiver

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many directors of each Official Receiver’s office were disqualified in the year ending 31 March 2014. [196336]

Jenny Willott: Detailed in the following table is the office breakdown for the number of directors disqualified in the year ended 31 March 2014.

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Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many statements of fact were submitted by each Official Receiver's office in the year ending 31 March 2014. [196338]

Jenny Willott: Detailed in the following table is the office breakdown for the number of statements of fact (Criminal Referrals), in the year ended 31 March 2014.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) location, (b) number of staff, including remote workers, and (c) number of full-time equivalent staff was of each Official Receiver's office. [196417]

Jenny Willott: Official Receiver Services operates a number of Commands, with a named Grade 7 Official Receiver responsible for the operation of each command. Each Command operates across between one and three locations.

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The following table shows a snapshot of staff in post (and the appropriate full-time equivalent (FTE) figure) in Official Receiver commands and their locations as at 22 April 2014. The total includes some staff who have agreed to exit as part of previous/on-going voluntary exit/redundancy schemes, whose exit dates lie beyond that date.

Remote workers are staff who work at a location other than their own office for up to two days a week. Members of staff who work remotely remain based at their principal location and, as such, are recorded as part of the staffing complement of their principal location.

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Official Receiver: Kingston Upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff in the Hull Official Receiver’s office have been offered voluntary redundancy terms. [196333]

Jenny Willott: All 43 employees in Hull have been offered work in the Insolvency Service’s Leeds office as well as assistance with travel. Voluntary redundancy terms have also been offered to all 43 employees in case they do not wish to or are unable to make the move. Employees who choose not to relocate will be eligible for assistance from the Insolvency Service’s outplacement support programme, and will be given priority access to vacancies across the wider civil service.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will (a) publish and (b) provide to the recognised trade unions a detailed cost analysis for the closure of Hull Official Receiver's office. [196339]

Jenny Willott: The Insolvency Service has provided a cost analysis to the trade unions on a confidential basis. In view of its commercial nature, I do not consider it appropriate to publish this information.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what facilities his Department has identified to allow (a) company directors, (b) bankrupts and (c) others to be interviewed locally after the closure of the Hull Official Receiver's office. [196343]

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Jenny Willott: The Insolvency Service announced its decision to close its Hull office on 27 March 2014 and indicated that the intention was to preserve the services to customers by opening an interview facility in the Hull area. Also on 27 March 2014 I wrote to local Members of Parliament to share their views on local issues that might influence the location of a local interview facility. These views, along with analysis of customer information, will be used to select the precise location. The facility will be operational by the time of the closure, in November 2014.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the potential cost of buying out the lease for the Hull Official Receiver's office. [196418]

Jenny Willott: No assessment of the costs of buying out the lease has been made. The financial information considered when the decision to close the office was made assumed that the Insolvency Service would be responsible for lease payments until the lease end in September 2016.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on which date authority was given for the closure of the Hull Official Receiver's office; and who gave such authority. [196419]

Jenny Willott: The decision to close the Insolvency Service office in Hull was made by the Insolvency Service Board on 18 March 2014.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what negotiations took place with trade unions prior to the decision to close the Hull Official Receiver's office; and on what dates those negotiations took place. [196420]

Jenny Willott: Extensive discussions have taken place between the Insolvency Service and trade union officials in connection with the estates review of our 36 offices throughout the last two years, in the context of continued falling case numbers. As a result of this ongoing consultation, changes have been made to our excess fares, home moves and flexible working policies, to support those affected by office closures. The trade unions were made aware on 25 February 2014 that the future of the Hull office was being considered, and were invited to provide any views they wished. Following the announcement of the office closure on 27 March 2014 a 90-day formal consultation period with employees and their trade unions representatives commenced. The purpose of the consultation is to ensure that the Insolvency Service explores what the decision means for each of its employees, as well as discussing and agreeing the support that it can provide.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that the Official Receiver's statutory duties are completed in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire once the Hull Official Receiver's office is closed. [196421]

Jenny Willott: The official receiver's office will be based in Leeds and in common with other official receivers, will be responsible for insolvencies over a geographical area, which will include the East Riding of

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Yorkshire and Hull. An interview facility will be opened in the Hull area so that face-to-face interviews can be undertaken locally as needed and there is no reduction in the service provided to customers.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what review was undertaken of the Hull Official Receiver's office before his Department's decision to close that office; what the timescale for that review was; and what evidence was collected in that review. [196422]

Jenny Willott: The decision on Hull was one of a number of decisions made by the Insolvency Service Board in the context of a review of its estate. That review covered all 36 buildings occupied by the Insolvency Service and had the objectives of ensuring that its estate met its needs to provide efficiency and excellent customer service and to reduce costs against a context of significant falls in case numbers. The review of the estates strategy started in early 2013 and Hull was in the final phase of buildings being reviewed in February 2014. The Board considered the options of remaining in the same accommodation in Hull, moving to alternative Government property in Hull and moving the Hull operation to Leeds. The evidence collected comprised, for each option, impact on customers, impact on employees, an assessment of strategic benefits, financial impact and how any move could be delivered.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what alternative office accommodation was sought in the Hull area to reduce the operating costs of the Hull Official Receiver's office. [196430]

Jenny Willott: Alternative Government accommodation was sought through the Government Property Unit and its online database and various possibilities considered. The costs of such alternative accommodation in Hull were included in reaching the final decision to close the Hull office.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much work from outside the Hull region was undertaken by staff in the Hull Official Receiver's office in the last 12 months. [196798]

Jenny Willott: The Official Receiver's office in Hull imported 866 cases from outside the Hull region in the last 12 months.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what bodies he consulted before the decision was made to close the Hull Official Receiver's office. [196799]

Jenny Willott: Extensive discussions have taken place between the Insolvency Service and trade union officials in connection with the estates review, in the context of the estates strategy. As customer service will be maintained in the Hull area, no other bodies were contacted prior to the decision.

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Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research he commissioned on the effects of the closure of the Hull Official Receiver's office before the decision to close that office; and if he will make a statement. [196800]

Jenny Willott: Before taking the decision to close the Hull office, the Insolvency Service reviewed: the impact on customers, employees, and the agency's finances; the strategic viability of the move; and how it could be delivered.

Overseas Students

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he made of the total financial contribution made by non-EU students to the UK's higher education sector. [196535]

Mr Willetts: The Government’s International Education Strategy, published in July 2013, included an analysis of the value of international students to the UK. Expenditure on tuition fees and living expenses were shown to be the two largest components of UK higher education (HE) exports. The international education strategy can be found at:

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

More recent data for the 2012/13 academic year are now available. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes data on the sources of income for all higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK on an annual basis. In 2012/13 tuition fee income from non-EU students at UK HEIs was £3.5 billion.

In addition, BIS has estimated that living expenses of non-EU students was £4.3 billion in 2012/13. Some of this expenditure is likely to flow to HEIs (e.g. via accommodation services).

International students also bring indirect economic benefits to the HE sector, including strengthening the quality, diversity and reputation of the sector and improving overseas business, research, social and cultural links.

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial effect on UK higher education institutions of the reduction in non-EU students in 2012-13. [196536]

Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes data on the sources of income for all higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK on an annual basis. These data show that, despite a slight fall in student numbers, tuition fee income from non-EU students in 2012-13 was £3.5 billion, an increase of 9.1% on 2011-12.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) produces an annual report on the financial health of the publicly funded higher education sector in England. Their most recent report, published in March 2014, also states that income from non-EU students rose in 2012-13 and shows that HEIs are expecting tuition fee income from non-EU students to rise by 9.7% in real terms in 2013-14.

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The most recent HEFCE report can be found at:

http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/hefce/content/pubs/2014/201402/HEFCE2014_02.pdf

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many foreign students from which countries applied to study in the UK in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14. [196802]

Mr Willetts: A complete count of applicants from overseas countries is not available centrally. The number of applicants from each overseas country who apply to full-time undergraduate courses via UCAS is available from the UCAS website at

http://www.ucas.com/data-analysis/data-resources

However, not all overseas applicants apply via the UCAS application scheme. In addition, the UCAS figures do not cover applicants to postgraduate courses.

Package Holidays: EU Action

Mr Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received about the implications of the proposed EU Package Travel Directive on insolvency protection for consumers; and if he will make a statement. [196425]

Jenny Willott: BIS officials are in regular contact with a variety of organisations that have a particular interest in the implications of the proposed Directive, including the elements covering insolvency protection for consumers. Those organisations are among the 42 that responded to this Department’s Call for Evidence on the Proposal for a New Directive on Package Travel and Assisted Travel Arrangements. Responses commenting on the insolvency protection proposals were received from a wide range of organisations, representing the interests of the travel trade, consumers, tourism, and legal firms.

Policy

Mr O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 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. [196457]

Jenny Willott: 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.