Defibrillators: Hampshire

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many publicly accessible defibrillators there are in (a) Hampshire and (b) Southampton; and whether there is a register or map showing where such defibrillators are located. [198420]

Jane Ellison: The South Central Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust is responsible for the deployment and use of public access defibrillators in Hampshire and Southampton.

According to the information collected by the trust, there are at least 263 public access defibrillators across Hampshire, and nine in Southampton.

A map of the locations of the defibrillators is available on the trust’s website at:

www.scas.nhs.uk/campaigns/startaheart.ashx

The trust has also developed a mobile phone application which displays the location of available units to users, which is also available through its website.

Diabetes

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent work his Department has undertaken to raise awareness of the effects of diabetes on people with that condition; and if he will make a statement. [198155]

Jane Ellison: The NHS Health Check raises awareness of diabetes and its symptoms by assessing and discussing with participants the risk factors for this disease, along with other conditions relevant to the programme. Between April and December 2013, over two million people were offered an NHS Health Check and almost one million people took up the offer.

Action for Diabetes, published in January 2014, sets out NHS England’s broad vision and direction for supporting improvements in outcomes for people with and at risk of diabetes in the coming years, both as a direct commissioner and by providing support to the commissioning system. The report is available at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/act-for-diabetes.pdf

In addition, NHS Improving Quality is working with NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Diabetes to identify potential areas of service improvement. Work focusing on the cardiovascular health of people with diabetic-related foot disease is currently being developed and will be delivered during 2014-15.

Ministers have participated in a number of parliamentary and external events to raise awareness of diabetes. Diabetes and its effects also feature throughout Living Well for Longer, the Department’s recent publication on preventing premature mortality.

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Health Services: Fareham

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent per capita in each general practice area in Fareham constituency in the last year for which information is available. [198156]

Norman Lamb: The information is shown in the following table.

The closest geographical boundary to the question is the area covered by NHS Fareham and Gosport Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

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Health Services: Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new members of (a) staff and (b) nursing staff have been taken on by the NHS in North Herefordshire in the last 12 months. [198083]

Dr Poulter: The information is available neither in the format requested nor specifically for the North Herefordshire area. Wye Valley NHS Trust provides health services across Herefordshire and further afield. 2gether NHS Foundation Trust provides social and mental health care services across Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

Information on how many new members of staff and doctors and nursing staff have been taken on by Wye Valley NHS Trust and 2gether NHS Foundation Trust from January 2013 to January 2014 is shown in the following table:

Health Services: Recreation Spaces

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the beneficial effects on patient well-being and rate of recovery of hospital beds overlooking green spaces; [198308]

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(2) what studies his Department has assessed on the treatment of depression and anxiety by increasing access to green spaces in urban areas. [198306]

Norman Lamb: Health care facilities should provide a therapeutic environment in which the overall design of the building contributes to the process of healing. In 2013, the Department published design guidance for acute and mental health hospital in-patient settings acknowledging that views outside, together with access to sunshine or direct daylight, have been shown to benefit a patient's recovery. This might include landscaped gardens or a courtyard with good-quality natural planting. Copies of the guidance, ‘Health Building Note 04-01: Adult in-patient facilities’ and ‘Health Building Note 03-01: Adult Acute Mental Health Units’, have been placed in the Library.

Hepatitis

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department, NHS England, Public Health England, clinical commissioning groups and local authorities co-ordinate a national approach to improving the prevention, testing, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C. [198360]

Jane Ellison: Public Health England is currently working with NHS England and other partners to reduce the burden of disease from hepatitis C through a suite of activities to improve awareness, prevention, testing and diagnosis, referral into care, and treatment outcomes. The Department is supportive of this work, and is helping to facilitate it.

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the feasibility of effectively eliminating hepatitis C in the UK in the next 15 to 20 years. [198361]

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) is committed to working with NHS England and other partners to reduce the burden of disease from hepatitis C through a suite of activities to improve awareness, prevention, testing and diagnosis, referral into care, and treatment outcomes

The feasibility of elimination—that is the reduction to zero of the incidence of disease or infection in England—has not been formally assessed and it is likely to be difficult in the absence of an effective vaccine. However, PHE has recently completed modelling work to assess the potential impact of increased uptake and new therapies on reducing the future burden of hepatitis C-related end stage liver disease in England. This work is being finalised and will be published shortly.

Injuries: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have been treated in hospital for (a) burns from hair straighteners and (b) injuries from trampolines in each year since 2010. [198342]

Jane Ellison: Information on in-patients admitted to hospitals and on patients attending accident and emergency departments in England is collected by the Health and

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Social Care Information Centre in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database. Patients with injuries due to hair straighteners and trampolines will be included in HES, but the information collected centrally is insufficiently detailed for these cases to be identified as a separate category.

James Cook University Hospital

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on demand for accident and emergency services at James Cook university hospital of the proposed closure of minor injuries units at (a) East Cleveland and (b) Guisborough hospitals. [198111]

Jane Ellison: No such assessment has been made. This is a local process, not one led from Whitehall. The Government have made it clear that any proposed service reconfiguration should be clinically led, not driven from the top down. A public consultation on the proposed changes in South Tees NHS Foundation Trust is currently taking place and is due to close on 31 July. No decisions have been made on the proposed closure of the minor injuries units at East Cleveland and Guisborough hospitals.

Liver Diseases

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of deaths from (a) liver disease and (b) viral hepatitis which were preventable in the last year for which figures are available. [198103]

Jane Ellison: Liver disease registered as the underlying cause of death accounts for 2% of all deaths in England and 3% if all mentions are counted. Viral liver disease is registered for less than 0.1% of all deaths.

The main liver viral hepatitides are; A, B, C, D, E. Occasionally, other viruses cause hepatitis. Most people with hepatitis clear the virus after an acute infection. Death from acute viral hepatitis is very rare, a very small number of patients will be referred for liver transplantation. A proportion of deaths from chronic hepatitis B may be preventable by vaccination and treatment. A proportion of deaths from chronic hepatitis C may be preventable by antiviral therapies. A significant proportion of hepatitis B and C is acquired outside the United Kingdom and therefore it is important to identify people carrying the viruses and offer treatment and vaccination to the close contacts of people with chronic hepatitis as appropriate.

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what response his Department plans to make to the findings and recommendations of the All-Party Parliamentary Hepatology Group's recent report into liver disease, Today's Complacency, Tomorrow's Catastrophe, published on 25 March 2014; and if he will make a statement; [198359]

(2) what assessment he has made of progress in reducing avoidable deaths from liver disease as set out in his call to action to reduce avoidable premature mortality; and what further steps his Department will be taking. [198362]

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Jane Ellison: Improving outcomes for people with liver disease is a priority and tackling it is reflected in the NHS Outcomes Framework, the Public Health Outcomes Framework and in the Government’s mandate to the national health service.

Building on last year’s ‘Call to Action’, ‘Living Well for Longer: National Support for Local Action to Reduce Premature Avoidable Mortality’ brings together the national actions which will be taken by the Department and wider Government, NHS England and Public Health England (PHE), to reduce premature mortality in England. It focuses on the five big killers including liver disease and includes a system wide delivery plan for 2014-15. This plan reflects the key actions which will be taken to reduce premature mortality taking into account the commitments that each of these organisations have made in their 2014-15 business plan. Progress against these commitments will be tracked and reported on next year.

In addition, PHE is meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Hepatology Group, and other stakeholders, in July to discuss the recommendations of its recent report into liver disease.

Maternity Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what proportion of the maternity tariff is spent on insurance. [198341]

Dr Poulter: The size of contributions made to the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts differs between maternity providers and this information is not collected centrally.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of NHS trusts have conducted a review of their maternity work force needs in each year since 2010. [198343]

Dr Poulter: The Department does not have information about the proportion or numbers of reviews that have taken place.

Health Education England is responsible for maintaining midwifery training numbers at a sufficient level to meet service demand. As part of their work-force planning process, all local maternity service providers should work with their local education and training boards to review their work-force requirements each year to inform the commissioning of training places and ensure services are tailored to local needs.

Currently, there are 21,881 qualified full-time equivalent midwives, an increase of 8.7% since May 2010 and a record 6,000 in training.

Medical Records: Databases

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what technology he plans to use to restrict the sharing of NHS patient data extracted under care.data to countries inside the European Economic Area. [198108]

Dr Poulter: The Data Protection Act (1998) allows personal data to be transferred to countries within the European Economic Area (EEA) on the same basis as transferring data within the United Kingdom. Personal

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data can only be sent to a country or territory outside the EEA if an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of individuals when processing their personal data is ensured.

Every application for information will be considered by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), in line with the Data Protection Act, taking account of their location if it is outside the UK.

HSCIC is required to generally publish the information it collects or may derive from a collection, but not in forms which would identify or enable the identification of individual patients or service users. HSCIC’s published data will be openly available via its website.

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2014, Official Report, column 355W, on medical records databases, for what reason NHS England did not finalise the remedial action to be taken for breach of contract before the original planned start date for extra extraction under care.data. [198419]

Norman Lamb: In the early stages of the care.data programme, NHS England's focus was on support to general practitioner practices, to help them ensure their patients were appropriately informed about care.data.

NHS: Finance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that a proportion of any future underspend within the NHS is allocated to nurses' pay. [198082]

Dr Poulter: The Department has made available in subsequent years the underspends delivered by local national health service organisations, but is not prescriptive on how those organisations use that funding.

NHS: Pensions

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to increase the required contributions to NHS pensions before the introduction of the new pension scheme in 2015. [198084]

Dr Poulter: There are no plans to further raise employer or employee contributions to the NHS Pension Scheme before reformed arrangements are introduced on 1 April 2015.

NHS: Staff

Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by each of the 28 cancer networks in England in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; [198198]

(2) how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by strategic health authorities in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many such staff worked specifically in cancer networks; [198197]

(3) how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by NHS England to work on cancer policy at a national level in each of the last two years. [198266]

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Jane Ellison: The information requested on staffing levels is not held centrally. Prior to 1 April 2013, staffing levels for both clinical networks, including cancer networks, and strategic health authorities, including staff working specifically in cancer networks, were a matter for local national health service organisations.

NHS England does not employ people to work on disease-specific policy areas. It is structured according to five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework. Only National Clinical Directors (NCD) are employed to work on specific conditions. There is one NCD for cancer employed on a 0.4 full-time equivalent basis. It is likely that most directorates will have roles contributing to improved outcomes for people with, and at risk of cancer, but NHS England does not record staff time in a way which would make this quantifiable.

NHS: Translation Services

Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of translation and interpreter services used by each individual NHS trust in England and Wales in each of the last five years. [198333]

Norman Lamb: This information is not held centrally. National health service organisations have duties under equality legislation which include making sure that their communities can understand information about NHS services and that patients and clinicians can communicate with each other. However, the Department would encourage NHS organisations to be efficient and save money where possible by working together and sharing resources.

Older People: Loneliness

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to tackle the impact of loneliness on the quality of life of elderly people. [198384]

Norman Lamb: The Department is working with a number of organisations including the Campaign to End Loneliness and the Royal Voluntary Service to promote ways to tackle loneliness and the Silverline which provides a helpline offering support to older people.

A measure of social isolation will be published this year as part of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework to raise visibility and to support local authorities to address the issue of social isolation in their local communities. This measure will be shared with the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

We are reforming social care and the Care Bill places more emphasis on prevention-preventing, reducing and delaying crisis, tackling loneliness and isolation are key parts of prevention.

Permanent Injury Benefit

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have had their permanent injury benefit reduced because of the change from sickness benefit to employment and support allowance. [198357]

Norman Lamb: The information requested could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

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Prescription Drugs

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department takes to prevent the over-prescribing of psychotropic drugs in hospitals; [198058]

(2) which protocols are used in hospitals for withdrawal treatment following long and short-term use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs. [198059]

Norman Lamb: NHS England works with system partners, including training agencies, professional bodies and professional regulators to urge that staff, including those working in hospitals, are appropriately trained, supervised and appraised to monitor practice. In mental health, NHS England is exploring how to modernise the electronic care records system so that it is easier for appropriate prescribing and monitoring to be undertaken.

The Secretary of State for Health and NHS England would also expect hospitals to take account of relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Prescriptions

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether data on prescriptions dispensed in hospitals are collected centrally. [198382]

Norman Lamb: There are various sources of data on medicines in hospitals. The Health and Social Care Information Centre publishes annually the document, ‘Hospital Prescribing: England’, the latest copy of which is available at:

www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB12651

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2014, Official Report, column 244W, on prescriptions: fees and charges, what the cost of administering the exemption arrangements for prescription charges was in each of the last 10 years. [198340]

Norman Lamb: The following table provides an estimate of direct and overhead costs for the administration of prescription pre-payment, maternity exemption and medical exemption certificates for the latest eight financial years in England. These costs are the only elements of the prescription charging system that can be separately identified for England. Information prior to 2006-07 is not retained by the NHS Business Services Authority.

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Prisoners: Prescription Drugs

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to prevent over-prescribing or mis-prescribing of psychotropic drugs to prisoners; [198060]

(2) what data his Department collects on prescriptions dispensed to prisoners; [198140]

(3) which protocols are used in prisons for withdrawal of treatment following long and short-term use of benzodiazepines and Z-drugs. [198061]

Norman Lamb: Information on the number of prisoners who are prescribed a particular medicine or class of medicine is not collected centrally, nor are data held relating to prescription items dispensed in prisons.

NHS England commissions all pharmacy services in prisons in England. It is responsible for the quality of service and for ensuring that good practice guidelines are followed in relation to the prescribing, safe use and treatment following withdrawal of psychotropic drugs treatments, including benzodiazepines and Z-drugs. Where healthcare professionals have concerns about prescribing decisions in relation to psychotropic drug treatment in prisons, they should record these as medication safety incidents and report them to the local medicines management committee for possible further investigation. NHS England commissioners also require healthcare providers to report these incidents in patient safety contract monitoring.

Prison pharmacy services currently follow guidelines set out in A Pharmacy Service for Prisoners, issued by the Department in 2003. NHS England is currently reviewing this guidance, and updated guidance will be published in due course. A copy of the current guidance has already been placed in the Library.

Detailed guidance on benzodiazepine detoxification for prisoners is included in Clinical Management of Drug Dependence in the Adult Prison Setting, published by the Department in 2006. A copy has already been placed in the Library. Clinicians are expected to follow this and other relevant guidance such as that published by the Royal College of General Practitioners’ Secure Environments Group on Safer Prescribing in Prisons.

Staff

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in his Department are on the Connecting programme; and how many and what proportion of those officials have spent time working in mental health. [198344]

Dr Poulter: As of 12 May 2014, 242 officials have spent time in health and care organisations as part of the Department’s ‘Connecting to patients and people

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who use services’ programme. Of these, 68 (28%) have been on placements in mental health trusts or organisations with a mental health focus, including care homes.

As part of the Connecting programme, departmental officials commonly encounter other environments where mental health issues are prevalent, including the acute sector and social/community care situations.

Transvaginal Mesh Implants

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of healthcare professionals who (a) are aware of and (b) use the databases of the British Society of Urogynaecology and the British Association of Urological Surgeons to record adverse effects in transvaginal mesh implants; [198348]

(2) what representation he has received from (a) patients, (b) professional bodies, (c) the MHRA and (d) mesh manufacturers on a mandatory adverse effect register for transvaginal mesh implants; [198352]

(3) what representations he has received from (a) patients, (b) professional bodies, (c) the MHRA and (d) mesh manufacturers on the use of the databases of the British Society of Urogynaecology and British Association of Urological Surgeons to record adverse effects in transvaginal mesh implants; [198349]

(4) what assessment his Department has made as to the accuracy of the databases of the British Society of Urogynaecology and British Association of Urological Surgeons as indicators of the total number of adverse effects in transvaginal mesh implants; [198350]

(5) what consideration he has given to making the reporting of adverse effects in transvaginal mesh implants mandatory; [198351]

(6) what plans his Department has to (a) commission research on, (b) consult on and (c) introduce a standard patient consent form for transvaginal mesh implants; [198353]

(7) what discussions his Department has had about transvaginal mesh implants with (a) the Scottish Government, (b) NHS Scotland, (c) NHS England and (d) NHS Wales in the last three years. [198354]

Norman Lamb: The Department, NHS England and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have been working collaboratively to address the serious concerns that have been raised about transvaginal mesh implants. A working group has been set up to discuss these and will cover a range of issues including better collection and co-ordination of information on patient outcomes including complications, incident reporting and the need for a register. It will also consider how the British Society of Urogynaecology/the British Association of Urological Surgeons databases can assist in providing information on the use of transvaginal mesh implants, patient outcomes and complications and the use of these databases by professionals. The working group will also look at ways of working with devolved Administrations to improve incident reporting to the MHRA and the development of patient consent forms.

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Viruses

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department has received reports of UK nationals having contracted the MERS virus; [198309]

(2) what discussions he has had with the World Health Organisation and his counterparts in Saudi Arabia on the risk of MERS virus spreading to (a) the UK and (b) other countries; [198310]

(3) if his Department will put safety precautions in place for UK nationals returning from Saudi Arabia at risk of having contracted the MERS virus; [198334]

(4) if he will take steps to ensure the safety of UK nationals at risk of contracting MERS virus whilst travelling to and from Saudi Arabia. [198335]

Jane Ellison: Public Health England (PHE) has identified three United Kingdom nationals who have contracted the MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV). These cases occurred in 2013 and were all part of the same cluster. The primary case had travelled to the Middle East and the other two cases were contacts in the UK.

In the case of an unusual infectious disease incident or outbreak outside of the UK, discussions are held by UK health officials primarily from PHE, with officials in European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) to identify the risk of the infection spreading outside of the country of origin. PHE is in close liaison with WHO and ECDC to monitor international developments and re-evaluate risk assessments whenever there is significant new data to review. In the case of MERS-CoV, these have been on-going since the virus first appeared in 2012.

Risk assessments have been agreed between WHO regions as well as the member states served by ECDC. These are published appropriately and all organisations agree that the risk of contracting MERS-CoV outside of the Middle East is very low. The risk of a foreigner contracting the virus whilst in the Middle East may be slightly higher than within the UK, but is still very low and does not warrant a change in the travel advice that is currently given.

Information is available to general practitioners and health professionals that describes the condition, how it is transmitted and caught, the signs and symptoms, and what to do should they suspect one of their patients may have MERS. Testing is available seven days a week through the PHE laboratory network. Hospital clinicians have been given guidance on the assessment of possible cases of MERS and infection control procedures to follow for suspected cases.

Information for UK nationals going to and from the Middle East is available through PHE’s website and The National Travel Health Network and Centre provides health information for both health professionals and travellers. All travellers to the Middle East are advised to practise good general hygiene measures, such as regular hand washing before and after visiting farms, barns or market areas, especially where camels are present. They are also advised to avoid unnecessary contact with camels and avoid raw camel milk/camel

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products from the Middle East, particularly if they have chronic health conditions, as they may be at a higher risk of MERS-CoV.

All travellers are advised generally to avoid the consumption of any type of raw milk, raw milk products and any food that may be contaminated with animal secretions unless it has been peeled and cleaned and/or thoroughly cooked.

Travellers returning from the Middle East with severe respiratory symptoms should seek medical advice and mention their travel history so that appropriate measures and testing can be undertaken. People who are acutely ill with an infectious disease are advised not to travel.

PHE is also working with the airports to produce information for passengers on MERS-CoV and the practical steps they can take to minimise the risk of getting infected. This will be displayed at arrivals and departures at the airports.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made on the potential effect of MERS virus in the UK. [198311]

Jane Ellison: The risk of infection with MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) to United Kingdom residents in the UK remains very low. The risk assessment carried out by Public Health England (PHE) was last updated on 2 May and still reflects what is considered to be a very low risk for UK citizens. PHE is liaising closely with international agencies such as the World Health Organization and its emergency committee which will be considering the most recent situation.

PHE remains vigilant and closely monitors developments in the Middle East and in the rest of the world where new cases have emerged, and continues to liaise with international colleagues to assess the situation.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Cayman Islands

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reduction he expects in the Cayman Islands Government budget and on the Cayman Islands Government provision of funds this year and next to the Cayman Turtle Farm; and if he will make a statement. [198481]

Mark Simmonds: The Cayman Islands Government and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office signed in November 2011 the Framework for Fiscal Responsibility. This sets out the agreed principles for credible and sustainable financial management, including limits for public borrowing. The Cayman Islands Government are responsible for decisions on taxation and public spending, including deciding on the allocation of the resources to the turtle farm.

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received the World Society for the Protection of Animals' recent report The Cayman Turtle Farm: A Continued Case for Change. [198482]

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Mark Simmonds: I have received a copy of the report and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is analysing it in detail. However, it is the delegated responsibility of the Cayman Islands Government to manage their natural resources effectively and appropriately and for them to consider how best to respond to the report.

Nigeria

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the number of UK nationals living or working in Nigeria; and whether his Department has issued any updated advice to them since the abduction of more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls. [198260]

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) estimates that there are approximately 20,000 British nationals living or working in Nigeria.

We offer advice to those resident in, or travelling to Nigeria, through FCO Travel Advice. This Travel Advice was updated in the week commencing 14 April, around the time of the abduction of the school girls, to ensure that it provided British nationals travelling to, or working in, Nigeria the best possible information and advice on the potential threats and dangers.

Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response the UK has made to the application of the Marshall Islands to the International Court of Justice in respect of compliance by the UK with Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. [198273]

Hugh Robertson: The UK is currently considering its response to the proceedings instituted by the Marshall Islands in the International Court of Justice on 24 April 2014. The UK is confident of its record in progressing nuclear disarmament in accordance with its obligations under the 1968 treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and will defend its position robustly.

Nuclear Weapons

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what level of representation the UK will have at the humanitarian effects of nuclear weapons war conference being hosted by the Austrian Government in December 2014. [198274]

Hugh Robertson: We have not received an invitation from Austria to this conference, and have therefore not yet made a decision on whether the UK will attend. I will update the House when a decision has been made.

Property

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the total market value of his Department's properties in each country. [198406]

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Mr Lidington: The net book value of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s property (land and buildings) in the UK and overseas as at 31 March 2014 was £2,015 million. This excludes property held by our non-departmental public bodies. Individual valuations per country cannot be provided as this information is commercially sensitive.

Treasury

Child Benefit: EU Nationals

Mark Reckless: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate by country of residence of the child he has made of the number of migrants residing in the UK who claimed benefits on behalf of children living abroad during 2013. [183448]

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many non-UK EEA nationals had dependants eligible to receive child benefit where the dependant is (a) in the UK and (b) outside the UK on 1 January 2014; and how much has been paid in such a fashion in each of the last three years; [181673]

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many citizens of other EU member states currently living in the UK receive child benefit; [184509]

(2) how many migrants from EU countries living in the UK receive child benefit. [191453]

Nicky Morgan: HMRC is not able to provide the information in the manner requested. HMRC does not record the nationality of the claimant receiving child benefit for children living in another member state.

Published child benefit statistics provide annual estimates of the number of families and children claiming. The latest available (August 2012) show that there were 7.92 million families, responsible for 13.77 million children and qualifying young people receiving child benefit.

The main purpose of child benefit is to support families in the UK. Consequently, the rules generally do not provide for them to be paid in respect of children who live abroad.

Nevertheless, child benefit is a family benefit under EC Regulation 883/2004. This regulation protects the social security rights of nationals of all member states of the European economic area, including the UK, and Switzerland when they exercise their rights of free movement under EU law.

HMRC holds information on the number of child benefit awards under EC Regulation 883/2004. As at 31 December 2013, there were 20,400 ongoing child benefit awards under the EC regulation in respect of 34.268 children living in another member state.

This is a fall of 3,682 (15.3%) awards in respect of 5,903 (14.7%) fewer children since 31 December 2012.

The breakdown by member state is as follows:

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As announced in the 2014 Budget, to prevent EEA migrants claiming benefits they are not entitled to, the Government will increase compliance checks to establish whether EEA migrants meet the entitlement conditions to receive child benefit.

Under domestic law, in order to claim child benefit EEA migrants must be present in the UK, ordinarily resident and have a right to reside in the UK and their children must live in the UK.

The recent changes to migrants’ access to benefits announced by the Government sends a strong message that the UK benefit system is not open to abuse, as well as deterring those who may seek residence in the UK primarily to claim benefits.

Strengthening compliance checks will help prevent EEA migrants from claiming, and continuing to claim, benefits they are not entitled to. Checks will be applied to both new claims and existing awards.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the size, in square metres, of the offices assigned to each of his Department's Ministers is; and how many officials, at what grade, work in the private offices of each of his Department's Ministers. [188327]

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Andrea Leadsom: I can confirm that Ministers have a total of 256.08 sq m of office space currently assigned to them.

In total, there are 35 staff working in ministerial offices, compared to 38 members of staff in 2009.

This is as follows:

Range B: 6

Range C: 8

Range D: 13

Range E: 5

Range E2: 2

SCS:1

These figures are based on the latest data available for staffing numbers for HMT Treasury as of May 2014.

Money Lenders

Pamela Nash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many reports the Illegal Money Lending Team in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) the UK received in each of the last four years for which figures are available. [198400]

Andrea Leadsom: The Government have ensured that Illegal Money Lending Teams within Local Authority Trading Standards have a clear statutory remit and powers to tackle illegal lenders. This is complemented by a new role for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), as part of the transfer of consumer credit regulation to the FCA on 1 April 2014.

The Illegal Money Lending Teams have powers to prosecute those who are found to be lending illegally and causing harm to some of the most vulnerable consumers. The FCA has equivalent powers.

Illegal Money Lending Teams are also focused on raising consumer awareness of illegal money lenders and encourage members of the public to report illegal money lenders through the ‘Stop Loan Sharks’ campaign.

Both the FCA and Illegal Money Lending Teams have a strong track record of taking enforcement action against illegal money lenders.

The Scotland Illegal Money Lending Team records actionable intelligence and does not hold data on the total number of reports. The number of actionable reports for the last four years are:

The Wales Illegal Money Lending Team’s total number of reports as currently available are:

The England Illegal Money Lending Team’s total number of reports as currently available are:

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In Northern Ireland, Trading Standards is a devolved matter and therefore, the Government do not sponsor Illegal Money Lending Teams there.

Pay

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many and what proportion of (a) directly employed staff and (b) contracted staff in HM Revenue and Customs are paid less than the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; [198151]

(2) how many and what proportion of staff employed by (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) via his Department's sub-contractors are paid an hourly rate that is lower than the living wage in each site of employment in each parliamentary constituency. [195542]

Mr Gauke: 99.81% of HMRC’s staff are paid above the living wage.

HM Treasury fully complies with EU procurement directives and awards contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer. Nevertheless, we have encouraged contractors to commit to paying a living wage and expect all employers to pay at least the national minimum wage.

The Government support businesses that choose to pay the Living Wage. However the Government’s main policy on wages is the National Minimum Wage, which has continued to protect the relative wages of the low paid. This is independently set by the Low Pay Commission at a level that maximises their wages without reducing employment prospect. It is for workers and employers to decide the level of wages above the minimum wage based on current circumstances. This includes the Government as a procurer and an employer. Over 95%, around 20 million employees, earn above the minimum wage and the majority of public sector workers currently earn above the Living Wage.

Under the Data Protection Act we are unable to provide a full table breaking down the proportion of staff in each constituency being paid below the Living Wage.

Pensions: Teachers

Mr McFadden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish estimates produced by the Government Actuary's Department for his Department of any additional monies received from extra contributions to the Teachers' Pension Scheme before 19 March 2014. [195215]

Danny Alexander: The Government Actuary's Department did not produce estimates for HM Treasury of additional monies received from extra contributions to the Teachers' Pension scheme before 19 March 2014.

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Premium Bonds: Scotland

Richard Burden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contingency plans are in place for the future administration of Premium Bonds currently administered in Scotland and held by residents in England, Northern Ireland and Wales in the event of Scottish independence; and if he will make a statement. [190813]

Danny Alexander: National Savings and Investments (NS&I) is a UK institution, operating from a number of sites within the UK and abroad.

The powers governing NS&I products come from UK primary and secondary legislation. Only individuals with a UK bank account are eligible to buy NS&I products. In the event of independence, the current rules would prohibit individuals with only a Scottish bank account from buying NS&I products.

Any changes to these rules would depend on negotiations between the UK and Scottish Governments in the event of independence. Both Governments have said that there can be no pre-negotiations on what the terms of independence might be before the referendum takes place.

The UK Government believe that Scotland is better off as part of the UK, and the UK is better off with Scotland in it.

Private Finance Initiative

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to increase value for money for the Exchequer from private finance initiative arrangements. [198322]

Danny Alexander: PF2 is one of a range of procurement routes available to projects. Value for money is the primary driver when choosing a procurement route.

PF2 offers improved value for money for the public sector and the taxpayer compared to the private finance initiative. An improved procurement process, public sector equity co-investment, more efficient risk allocation and greater flexibility of service provision have improved the cost-effectiveness of PF2 relative to the private finance initiative.

The Government have taken significant steps to improve the cost-effectiveness of existing PFI contracts, including delivery of £1.5 billion of savings, which has been assured by the National Audit Office, and identifying potential further savings of more than £1 billion.

Regeneration: Brent

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had on the regeneration of the Brent Cross area with (a) Brent Council and (b) resident groups in Brent. [195723]

Danny Alexander: The Government have committed to working with the London borough of Barnet to look at its proposals for the regeneration of Brent Cross. It is a matter for Barnet council to discuss its plans with relevant stakeholders including Brent council.

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Tax Evasion

Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the public purse was of tax evasion cases brought on behalf of HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many such cases resulted in a guilty verdict; and how much has been recovered following successful prosecution of those cases. [198305]

Mr Gauke: HMRC does not calculate the cost of individual tax evasion cases. The majority of such cases are dealt with using cost-effective civil settlement procedures. HMRC also has the power to investigate criminally those who seek to defraud the Exchequer, and it publishes its policy around when it will use this power.

HMRC is not a prosecuting authority. Where cases do proceed to the criminal courts the prosecution is carried out by the relevant independent prosecuting authority. This is the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in Scotland, and the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPSNI).

Details of the total number of individuals convicted for tax offences are set out in the following table. These include offences in relation to both direct and indirect tax, excise duties and tax credits.

HMRC does not calculate how much has been recovered following successful prosecution. Individual cases are passed back for recovery action of tax evaded to compliance and debt teams. Additionally, fines, compensation orders and confiscation orders may in relevant circumstances be imposed by the courts. No central record is kept of all monies subsequently recovered in relation to specific convictions and therefore this information would be available only through manual intervention at disproportionate cost.

VAT: Electronic Publishing

Mr Tom Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effect of VAT at 20% on eBooks on reading and literacy levels of young and teenage readers; [198449]

(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of standard rate VAT on eBooks on (a) the UK's creative industries, (b) progress towards achieving the Government's aim of making the UK a hub for digital innovation and (c) benefits to the education sector from digital technology; [198446]

(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that VAT on eBooks at a standard rate will not damage UK authors and publishers and the UK book sector; [198450]

(4) on what grounds he decided to introduce VAT at 20% on eBooks while maintaining zero rate VAT on printed books; [198451]

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(5) what assessment he has made of the effect on publishers, authors and consumers of the proposed changes to VAT on eBooks in 2015; [198452]

(6) what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK eBook market of the imposition of VAT at 20%. [198453]

Mr Gauke: The UK applies the standard rate of VAT to digital books and the zero rate of VAT to physical books.

The application of VAT in the EU, including rates and flexibilities afforded to member states in this regard, is governed by EU law. The sale of a digital book is classified as an electronic service and attracts the standard rate of VAT under EU law.

Legal advice obtained by the Government indicates there is no scope to change the VAT treatment of the sale of digital book and similar products under EU law. As such, no assessments have been made of the type referred to by the hon. Member.

From 1 January 2015, VAT legislation across the EU will change to tax the supply of broadcasting, telecoms and electronically supplied services (including eBooks) at the place of consumption.

HMRC has published information on the VAT changes which includes a summary of the impacts:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/264626/7._VAT_-_place_of_supply_and_the_introduction_of_the_Mini_One-Stop_Shop.pdf

Welfare Tax Credits

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many single people have had sanctions placed on their tax credits on the ground that someone else was also resident at the property in the last three years; and how many such sanctions have subsequently been overturned. [198297]

Nicky Morgan: HMRC does not have data on undeclared partner interventions before 2011-12.

During the 2011-12 tax year HMRC carried out compliance interventions on 30,869 single person claims with a suspected undeclared partner and amended 15,705 awards as a result.

During the 2012-13 tax year HMRC carried out compliance interventions on 105,521 single person claims with a suspected undeclared partner and amended 43,092 awards as a result.

During the 2013-14 tax year HMRC carried out compliance interventions on 140,923 single person claims with a suspected undeclared partner and amended 28,516 awards as a result.

HMRC does not hold the requested data for the number of decisions subsequently overturned on appeal.

The change in level of award amendments over the three years reflects the fact that good progress was made in identifying cases in 2011 and 2012.

Justice

Advisory Bodies

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the annual cost is of the (a) administration of advisory committees, (b) HM Courts and Tribunals

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Service staff servicing such committees and

(c)

training and recruiting members of such committees. [198013]

Mr Vara: A local advisory committee is responsible for the recruitment of magistrates in a particular area, and for advising on issues relating to the conduct of magistrates following their appointment. The work of the committee is supported by HMCTS staff but the specific costs of administration for the committee and the costs of HMCTS staff supporting its work are not available as these are not recorded separately.

The cost of training advisory committee members in the financial year 2013-14 was £17,401.45.

Convictions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 54 of the Criminal Law Act 1977 in each of the last four years; [196439]

(2) how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 1 or section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, where the offence was not committed against a child under the age of 16 years, in each of the last four years; [196329]

(3) how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to sections 30 to 41 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, where the offence was committed against an adult, in each of the last four years; [196330]

(4) how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 3 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 in each of the last four years; [196331]

(5) how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each of the last four years; [196332]

(6) how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 1 of the Indecency with Children Act 1960 in each of the last four years; [196436]

(7) how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 in each of the last four years; [196438]

(8) how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to sections 3 to 4, 9 to 12, 14 to 20, 25 to 26, 47 to 50, 52 to 53, 57 to 59, 61 and sections 66 to 67 where the offence was committed against a child under the age of 16 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each of the last four years. [196443]

Jeremy Wright: The number of offenders found guilty at all courts of the offences specified in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, the Indecency with Children Act 1960, the Sexual Offences Act 1967 and the Criminal Law Act 1977, in England and Wales, from 2008 to 2012 is provided in the tables.

Please note that offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 sections 9 to 12, 14 to 19, 25 to 26, 47 to 50 provide data where the victim can be specifically identified as a child, whereas offences under sections 3, 4, 52 to 53, 57 to 59, 61 and 66 to 67, are not specific to the age of the victim.

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The tables do not include data for offences under section 5 of the Sexual Offences Act 1967, or under section 3 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000. These offences, along with section 54 of the Criminal Law Act 1977, were repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and there have been no convictions in the last four years.

The number of offenders found guilty of offences under section 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 was provided in answer to PQ 193582 and can be found at 1 April 2014, Official Report,column 638W. It is not possible to separate out the age of the victims of offences under section 2.

Similarly, it is not possible to separate out the age of the victim of offences committed under sections 30—41 Sexual Offences Act 2003 from centrally held data. For data on offences under this legislation as a whole, I refer the hon. lady to the answer provided to PQ 193810, which can be found at 7 April 2014, Official Report,column 136W.

Section 20 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 deals with offences in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Statistics for these offences in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government, with those in Northern Ireland being a matter for the Department of Justice Northern Ireland

Court proceedings data for England and Wales for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.

The Government take very seriously all matters relating to the sexual abuse of children and adults. Our laws in these areas are rightly robust and clear. The 2003 Act, which came into effect in May 2004, significantly modernised and strengthened the laws on sexual offences in England and Wales.

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Coroners: Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent in each of the last four years on counsel fees related to inquests into the deaths of those in custody. [197654]

Mr Vara: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is able to identify fees paid to counsel for inquest cases funded under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (“LASPO”) Act 2012 from April 2013 onwards. For the financial year 2013-14, the total value of counsel fees paid relating to inquests into the deaths of those in custody under the LASPO Act totalled £10,574.40.

This figure represents only those cases under the LASPO Act where payment has been made during 2013-14. Very few inquests that have been funded under the LASPO Act have been billed and paid in that period, as many are ongoing. Cases typically take over a year from approval of funding to payment of the final bill.

The total figure of £10,574.40 does not include information recorded in the LAA’s new costs management system, upon which a small pilot group of providers are currently processing their claims. The volume of claims being processed through this system represents around 1% of all claims.

The Legal Aid Agency does not hold the information requested centrally for cases funded under the Access to Justice Act 1999 (i.e. cases originally submitted prior to April 2013). Under the Access to Justice Act, ad hoc payments were made aggregating fees for the instructed solicitors and counsel on the case, and it is not possible to disaggregate the costs without checking each individual file.

Courts: Translation Services

Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of translation and interpreter services used by (a) the courts system, (b) Crown courts and (c) magistrates courts in (i) Bury St Edmunds, (ii) Suffolk, (iii) the East of England and (iv) England and Wales in each of the last five years. [198315]

Mr Vara: To provide you with the information requested on overall spend for the last five years in (a) the courts system, (b) Crown courts and (c) magistrates courts in (i) Bury St Edmunds, (ii) Suffolk, (iii) the East of England and (iv) England and Wales, would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

The Department does not hold centrally all of the information that has been requested. In order to provide the information we would be required to obtain a number of large reports from individual locations. The relevant data must then be manually extracted and linked to a timesheet and collated.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme took over (a) six months and (b) 12 months before an initial decision was reached in each of the last five years. [197798]

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Damian Green: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) publishes this information in their annual reports, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=criminal-injuries-comensation-authority&publication_type=corporate-reports

CICA aims to make compensation payments as quickly as possible. However it is vital these cases are properly investigated and claimants are able to have a full assessment of their needs to ensure they receive the compensation they deserve. This can often mean looking at the longer term implications before making a final decision. As CICA has made clear in its recent annual reports, the organisation is focusing on resolving the claims that have been waiting the longest. These are typically from people whose injuries have had a larger impact on their life.

Employment Tribunals Service

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been paid to Jadu Ltd for its work on the employment tribunal fees and remission database to date. [196487]

Mr Vara: Jadu is a good example of how small businesses in the private sector can help transform our justice system, driving innovation and better value for hardworking taxpayers—and it's something I want to see much more of.

By unlocking the massive potential of small firms we can improve efficiency in the criminal justice system and provide a boost for the recovering British economy.

Spend with Jadu (for ET Fee project) is £1,782,411.51 up to 31 March 2014.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in what proportion of cases costs have been awarded to an employer following an unsuccessful claim being brought against them at each stage of the proceedings at an employment tribunal in each of the last five years. [198065]

Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice publishes Official Statistics, annually, on costs awards made in employment tribunal claims. It also reports on the numbers of cases disposed of by employment tribunals. Data on costs awards are at table E12, and data on disposals of complaints are available at table E2 which shows distribution of disposed complaints by type and by jurisdiction in the latest release, available here:

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

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the highest compensation payment ordered in employment tribunal cases relating to discrimination on the grounds of (a) sex, (b) disability, (c) religion, (d) sexual orientation, (e) age and (f) race was in each of the last five years; and if he will list the nature of the complaint upheld in each case; [198068]

(2) what the average compensation payment ordered in employment tribunal cases relating to discrimination on the grounds of race was, by ethnicity of complainant, in each of the last five years; [198069]

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(3) what the average compensation payment ordered in employment tribunal cases relating to discrimination on the grounds of religion was by the religious belief of the complainant in each of the last five years. [198070]

Mr Vara: I am answering these questions together.

Data on highest compensation awards for discrimination jurisdictions for the last five years are set out in Tables E6 to E10 of the latest Official Statistics release published by the Ministry of Justice, which can be accessed here:

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

Data on average compensation awards in race discrimination and religious discrimination claims are set out in Tables E6 and E9 of that publication, respectively.

Information on the nature of complaints upheld, and the type of race or religion relevant to individual claims, is not recorded centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost following a manual trawl of all relevant tribunal files. The records retention and disposal schedule applicable to such tribunal files also means that information covering each of the last five years would not be held.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average compensation payment to people of each gender was ordered in employment tribunal cases relating to claims of discrimination on the grounds of sex in each of the last five years. [198087]

Mr Vara: Average compensation awards in sex discrimination employment tribunal claims are shown in Table E7 of the latest Official Statistics release published by the Ministry of Justice, which can be accessed here:

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

The table provides data on the average compensation awarded in cases relating to sex discrimination broken down by gender.