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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 10 June 2014
Energy and Climate Change
Climate Change: International Cooperation
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department will be attending the high-level Ministerial Dialogue on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action on 6 June 2014 in Bonn, Germany; what the Government's aims are in such talks; and if he will make a statement. [198587]
Gregory Barker: The UK is represented at senior official levels at Bonn. It is a mid-year meeting paving the way for the Lima Conference of Parties (COP) in December and Ministers do not usually attend the Bonn meetings.
Treasury
Apprentices
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the contribution by the Deputy Leader of the House, Official Report, columns 841-2, on new clause 1 of the Deregulation Bill, how the information-sharing gateway will operate. [199417]
Mr Gauke: HMRC requires specific legal authority or a ‘gateway’ in order to be able to disclose information it holds in connection with its functions. Once this is in place, HMRC requires any disclosure of information to a public sector body to be governed by a robust memorandum of understanding. This will set out:
The legal basis for sharing the information;
The agreed administrative arrangements, including timescales, persons involved, security arrangements and frequency of disclosure;
The circumstances (if any) under which the data may be disclosed and the sanctions that protect against unlawful disclosure of the information; and
The mechanism for maintaining an audit trail or record for HMRC of all external disclosures of data.
HMRC has a duty to ensure that any information transfers to a public sector body are legal and secure. HMRC also seeks an ongoing assurance that the transferred information will be treated in accordance with agreed standards and protocols. In addition, even where a legal gateway exists, any information disclosures must be compliant with both the Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act.
Welfare Tax Credits
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of the average claim for tax credit made by people who were (a) out of work, (b) self-employed and (c) employed in each of the last five years. [198956]
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Nicky Morgan: The following table is based on finalised tax credits administrative data for each financial year.
| Average tax credit award for households who are classified as 'in work' | ||||
| Average tax credit award for households who are classified as 'out of work' (£) | Households who are classified as self employed only (£) | Households who are classified as employed only (£) | Households who are classified as both employed and self employed (£) | |
| Note: These figures have been rounded to the nearest £100. | ||||
The increase in average tax credit awards in 2012-13 can largely be explained by the removal of the ‘Second Income Threshold’ in April 2012. This policy removed a number of higher income households from the tax credit population. As higher income households generally have lower tax credits awards, the effect of removing these households increases the average award.
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of tax credit claimants were (a) out of work, (b) self-employed and (c) employed in each of the last five years. [198957]
Nicky Morgan: The following table is based on finalised tax credits administrative data for each financial year.
| Tax year | Proportion of households in receipt of tax credits who are classified as ‘in work' | |||
| Proportion of households in receipt of tax credits who are classified as 'out of work' (%) | Households who are classified as self employed only (%) | Households who are classified as employed only (%) | Households who are classified as both employed and self employed (%) | |
The increase in the proportion of out of work and self employed households in 2012-13 (and the decrease in the proportion of employed households) can largely be explained by the removal of the ‘Second Income Threshold’ of tax credits in April 2012. This policy change removed a large number of higher income households from the population. As self employed and out of work households generally have lower incomes, they were less affected by this change and so their proportion in the population has increased.
Culture, Media and Sport
Academic Year
Mr Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what assessment his Department has made of the economic effects of
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deregulating school holidays on
(a)
tourism-related jobs in seaside and coastal areas and
(b)
seaside economies in general; [199378]
(2) what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Government’s proposed Deregulation Bill on tourism employment in England. [199379]
Mr Vaizey: At present, local authorities set term and holiday dates for about 30% of secondary schools and 70% of primary schools (around half of all registered pupils). The Deregulation Bill gives more schools the flexibility to make changes should they wish to, although the experience of the academies programme and voluntary aided (church) schools, suggests that only a small percentage of schools are likely to vary their term dates.
The Department for Education has produced an assessment of the impact of the changes. While there will be greater flexibility, we expect that sensible conversations between the local authority and schools on co-ordination will take place. Variations to term dates could also help businesses and employers, for example, in areas of high-seasonal employment where employees may welcome the chance to holiday outside of peak tourist periods. For example, Bishop Bronescombe school in St Austell has a two-week half term in May/June to accommodate parents’ seasonal employment patterns.
A separate assessment of the specific impact on tourism-related jobs in seaside towns or seaside economies has not been carried out.
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions his Ministers or officials in his Department have had with colleagues in the Department for Education on the effect of deregulating school holidays on the tourism industry. [199380]
Mr Vaizey: DCMS officials meet with their Department for Education counterparts regularly and discuss a range of issues.
Libraries
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 1 May 2014, Official Report, columns 809-10W, on Arts Council England, how much Arts Council England spending on libraries was obtained from (a) grant-in-aid and lottery funding in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14. [199319]
Mr Vaizey: Arts Council England spending on libraries for the years requested is shown in the following table:
| £ | ||
| 2012-13 | 2013-14 | |
Libraries are funded by local authorities, who have a statutory duty to maintain local library services.
Press
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to meet victims of press abuse and their representatives. [199346]
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Mr Vaizey: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has received a formal request for a meeting, which he has accepted. This will be held in due course.
Justice
Courts: Telephone Services
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many calls were made on higher-rate telephone numbers to (a) magistrates' courts, (b) county courts and county court money claims centres in England in 2012-13 and 2013-14; and what the average duration was of calls to such numbers. [198816]
Mr Vara: I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to him on 12 May 2014, Official Report, columns 413-14W (for volume and average duration of calls), and on 10 April 2014, Official Report, columns 396-97W (for a note on money claims centres).
Legal Aid Scheme
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much has been spent on (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in (A) England and (B) York in each year since 1995; [198527]
(2) how many and what proportion of people with cases before (a) civil and (b) criminal courts received legal aid in (i) England and (ii) York in each year since 1995. [198528]
Mr Vara: The amount spent on (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid in (i) cash (ie net of operating receipts) and (ii) real terms in each of the last 20 years was provided by way of a written response on 18 June 2013 to the hon. Member’s parliamentary question 160682.
The Legal Aid Agency does not record the number of people who receive legal aid. Instead it records the number of 'acts of assistance'. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person. As the categorisation of legal aid has changed over the last 20 years, acts of assistance relating to representation in court cannot be accurately compared over time. The total acts of assistance relating to civil and criminal cases from 1995 onwards were provided by way of a written response on 18 June 2013 to the hon. Member’s parliamentary question 160683.
With regard to the breakdowns requested for England and York, to extract the information requested from the Legal Aid Agency's IT Systems would incur disproportionate cost.
Sir Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons legal aid funding in relation to the case of the constituent of the hon. Member for Workington, Gary Tomlinson, Claim Number OWH0080, Cert number JBIRQK61BB77/A/E/1, was withdrawn. [199025]
Mr Vara:
The receipt of legal aid is considered to be personal data and the Department has obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 which would prevent it from disclosing this type of information. Furthermore,
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the Legal Aid Agency is further prohibited by statute from disclosing information relating to the provision of legal aid in individual cases (under section 34 of the LASPO Act 2012, section 20 of the Access to Justice Act 1999, and before this under section 38 of the Legal Aid Act 1988).
Mortgages: Repossession Orders
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many mortgage possession claims were approved by the courts in each (a) region of England and (b) London borough in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement. [199139]
Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice collects data on mortgage possession claims and these are published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics
The tables provided give figures on the number of mortgage claims in the County courts from 2011-12 to 2013-14.
Surveillance: Aircraft
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what role the Information Commissioner's Office has in (a) the trial of the Aeroyn Skyranger drone around Gatwick airport and (b) any other use of other surveillance aircraft operated by Government Departments, agents or public bodies in the UK. [199439]
Simon Hughes: The Information Commissioner’s Office has no specific role in the trial of the Aeryon Skyranger drone around Gatwick airport. Members of the Information Commissioner’s staff sit on the Cross-Government Working Group on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems. They advise on any data protection compliance issues that arise.
In addition the ICO is currently consulting on its revised CCTV code of practice which includes a section on remotely operated vehicles, or drones:
http://ico.org.uk/about_us/consultations/our_consultations
Verne Prison
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the ability for individuals detained for immigration purposes at HM Prison The Verne to access (a) legal and (b) health services. [199170]
Jeremy Wright: HM Prison The Verne started taking immigration detainees from 24 March 2014 as scheduled. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) will retain The Verne as a prison in the short term.
While The Verne retains its designation as a prison it will be governed by Prison Rules rather than Detention Centre Rules. Detainees held at The Verne are treated in the same way as other detainees held within the prison estate. As such they have access to appropriate heath care and legal advice. Independent immigration advice is provided on site by Migrant Help. In addition, detainees are able to telephone Detention Action, and BID (Bail for Immigration detainees).
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Transport
Consultants
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a breakdown by firm of expenditure by his Department on (a) consultants and (b) consultancy firms in each of the last four years. [199392]
Stephen Hammond: Information requested will be deposited in the Library and provides the spend details per financial year for the period 2010 to 2014.
Driving Offences: Insurance
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cases of uninsured drivers have been reported, by region, in each of the last five years. [199253]
Mr Goodwill: It is not possible to calculate the number of uninsured drivers. However, the number of uninsured vehicles in Great Britain has fallen to 1 million from 1.4 million in 2010 due to a combination of police enforcement activity and the continuous insurance enforcement scheme. We do not have a breakdown by region.
East Coast Railway Line
Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of rail freight access and path allocation over the Welwyn Viaduct beyond January 2018; and what discussions he held with rail freight (a) operators and (b) industry groups regarding future freight access over the Welwyn Viaduct before he approved the InterCity East Coast invitation to tender. [199251]
Stephen Hammond: The East Coast Main Line franchise was the subject of a full consultation prior to the issue of the Invitation to Tender. The Freight Operating Companies and the Rail Freight Group were included in this consultation and at least two of the Freight Operating Companies responded.
The primary responsibility for the allocation of paths on the rail network rests with Network Rail. However, Network Rail needs to take account not only of the Department's requirements in its franchise specifications but also of existing track access rights held by other train operators, passenger and freight, subject to the ORR's responsibilities as independent regulator.
The Department is represented on the cross-industry planning (the IPG) group that has been established to review future capacity requirements of all operators on the route.
Greenfield Station
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers used Greenfield station in Greater Manchester in each year since 2010. [199383]
Stephen Hammond: Estimates of the number of passengers using each station on the rail network are published on the Office of Rail Regulation’s website at the following link:
http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/station-usage-estimates
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The methodology for this data set has changed over time as improvements have been made, so the estimates from different years may not have been produced on a consistent basis. Details of the methodology changes made each year can be found in the accompanying reports.
High Speed 2 Railway Line
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the costs to date has been of the preparation work for the connection of High Speed 2 to High Speed 1. [199307]
Mr Goodwill: In response to the HS2 Plus report by Sir David Higgins, the Secretary of State for Transport, has decided to remove the HS1-HS2 link from the Phase One Hybrid Bill. The proposed link required too many compromises in terms of impacts on freight, passengers and the community in Camden.
We believe there is a good strategic case for links to the continent but we need to select the right long term answer. The Secretary of State has therefore asked HS2 Ltd and Network Rail to consider how to improve connections from HS2 and the existing rail network to the Continent. We are currently developing the scope of the proposed study, which will explore options that will stand the test of time. As a result, at this stage no significant costs have been incurred in relation to the study.
Roads: Safety
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made by his Department's Justice for Vulnerable Road Users Working Group. [198917]
Mr Goodwill: The Justice for Vulnerable Road Users group is a sub-group of the Cycling Stakeholder Forum. It includes representatives from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Metropolitan Police, Crown Prosecution Service, Sentencing Council, CTC, British Cycling and RoadPeace. The next meeting is scheduled for later this month.
The remit of the group is set out in a terms of reference agreed by the membership. The group has recently looked into whether it would be possible to link data to see how many fatal road traffic accidents have resulted into convictions and this will most likely be discussed at the forthcoming meeting. Many of the other concerns of the Group should be covered in the forthcoming Ministry of Justice Review of Motoring Offences.
Rolling Stock: Greater Manchester
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with train operating companies in Greater Manchester on last minute reductions in train configurations. [199384]
Stephen Hammond:
The franchise agreement between the Government and each individual train operator includes benchmarks in key performance areas. The Department monitors each train operator’s overall performance against these areas every four weeks and there are clear actions set out in the franchise agreement
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should performance drop below what is expected. This regular monitoring includes monthly meetings with their senior management where performance figures are scrutinised and challenged.
Short-forming (last minute reductions in train configurations) is included in this monitoring, and therefore in the monthly meetings. It is the train operator that decides on whether a service is to be short-formed, and if contractual benchmark figures are breached, the Department does take enforcement action.
Some services in Greater Manchester are sponsored and specified by Transport for Greater Manchester, who also monitor the performance of the operators concerned.
Secondment
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people working in (a) HS2 Ltd and (b) his Department are (i) on secondment, (ii) on loan and (iii) paid for by another company; and in each case what the parent company or organisation of such people was. [199305]
Mr Goodwill: The number of people seconded and loaned to my whole Department and HS2 Ltd are set out in the following tables.
| HS2 Ltd | ||
| Parent company/organisation | Number of secondees | Unpaid1 |
| 1 Payments are invoiced to HS2 Ltd. | ||
| DFT | ||
| Total | ||
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The Department does not hold information centrally on the parent company or organisation where they have come from.
Education
Free School Meals
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all schools can provide free school meals for infant children by September 2014. [198708]
Mr Laws: The Government are providing substantial funding to enable schools to offer free meals to all infant pupils from September 2014, including over £1 billion additional revenue funding over the two years 2014 to 2016 and £150 million capital funding in 2014-15. The revenue funding includes transitional funding to small schools, worth a minimum of £3,000, which qualifying schools will be able to use to help them overcome delivery challenges.
We are also funding a national support service, run by school food experts, which is providing advice and guidance to schools that need assistance in implementing universal infant free school meals. The support includes a telephone helpline, the sharing of good practice, and an intensive face-to-face support service for schools facing significant challenges.
John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of schools which will be unable to provide universal free school meals for infant children from September 2014. [198709]
Mr Laws: From September, all state-funded schools in England will be under a statutory duty to offer a free school lunch to all infant pupils. Based on the feedback we are receiving, the vast majority of schools are already on track to deliver this policy and we are supporting the other schools to do so.
GCSE
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education in how many schools no pupils were entered for GCSEs in (a) history and (b) biology, chemistry and physics in the latest period for which figures are available. [198647]
Mr Laws: Of the 3,0241 state-funded mainstream schools:
(a) 19 schools entered no pupils for GCSE history or ancient history in 2012/13.
(b) 299 schools entered no pupils for biology, chemistry and physics in 2012/13.
This information can be downloaded from the Performance Tables website2.
1 State-funded mainstream schools included in Performance Tables only. This includes academies, free schools and city technology colleges but excludes independent schools, special schools, alternative provisions and pupil referral units.
2 http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download _data.html
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many pupils have applied to be assessed for a GCSE grade on the basis of coursework under the 50 per cent rule in each of the last five years; [199136]
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(2) if he will commission a review of the 50 per cent rule whereby a GCSE grade may only be awarded for course assessment in the event of a student being severely incapacitated through illness; and if he will make a statement; [199134]
(3) what recent representations he has received on the 50 per cent rule whereby a GCSE grade may only be awarded for course assessment in the event of a student being severely incapacitated through illness; and if he will make a statement. [199135]
Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education recently received a letter from the hon. Member on this issue, raising the case of a student in her constituency, to which he has responded. From time to time Ministers receive representations from members of the public, and from hon. Members on their behalf, on the same matter.
Neither the Department nor the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation holds information on the number of pupils who have applied to be assessed for a GCSE grade on the basis of coursework. This information may be held by individual awarding bodies.
The rules governing the circumstances in which a GCSE grade may be awarded to a student who has not completed all the elements of the assessment are a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the hon. Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Health
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010. [198866]
Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education is responsible for a wide range of issues which relate to a number of the key determinants of children's well-being as captured in the ONS' Children's well-being measures in the Measuring National Well-being Programme. These include policies designed to raise educational attainment, promote take-up of early years education, tackle bullying in schools and reduce child poverty.
Members: Correspondence
Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North dated 30 April 2014, ref 2014/0036207, on behalf of a constituent. [198878]
Mr Timpson: The hon. Member wrote to Peter Lauener, chief executive of the Education Funding Agency, on 30 April 2014 about admissions arrangements at Walsall academy. He copied his letter to the Secretary of State for Education, Mr Lauener replied to the hon. Member on 14 May.
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Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central received by his office on 29 May 2014, relating to the recent situation in Birmingham. [199163]
Mr Timpson: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Education to the House on 9 June 2014, Official Report, columns 264-66, which addressed the questions raised in his letter.
Park View Educational Trust
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what reports on the management, financial conduct and teaching standards at the Park View Education Trust he has requested since the school became an academy; [198914]
(2) when (a) he and (b) officials in his Department first heard about allegations of misconduct at the Park View Educational Trust. [198888]
Mr Timpson: The allegations made in relation to Park View Educational Trust in Birmingham are very serious and are being investigated. The Secretary of State for Education made a statement to the House on 9 June 2014 on the allegations.
Pre-school Education
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many free early years education places were provided in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years. [198568]
Elizabeth Truss: Information on the take up of free early years places in Suffolk and England is shown in the following table.
| Number of three and four-year-olds benefiting from funded early education places1 | ||
| Suffolk | England | |
| 1 Count of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year. Number of three and four-year-olds in schools may include some two-year-olds. Any child attending more than one provider will have only been counted once. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Notes: 1. The data is not available at parliamentary constituency level and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. 2. The response covers the information requested for England only. Source: Early Years Census (EYC), School Census (SC) and School Level Annual School Census (SLASC). | ||
Primary Education: Admissions
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to his Department's School Admissions Code, published in February 2012, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the consistent and effectual application of sections 2.16 and 2.17 of that code to primary education admissions for summer-born children. [198714]
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Mr Laws: We published advice on the admission of summer-born children in July 2013. We are now monitoring the impact of this advice and have committed to review it one year after its publication.
Officials are investigating cases referred to them to ensure admission authorities are complying with the provisions in the code.
Pupils: North East
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much in pupil premium has been paid to (a) first, (b) middle and (c) upper schools in (i) Hexham, (ii) Northumberland and (iii) the North East to date. [198548]
Mr Laws: Figures showing the pupil premium allocations to schools in the Hexham constituency area, Northumberland local authority, and the north-east in the financial years 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 are given in the following tables. These include allocations to academies in each area in each year. The figures for secondary schools include middle schools and all-through schools.
| £ | |||||
| 2011-12 Deprivation Premium | 2011-12 Service Child Premium | 2011-12 LAC Premium | 2012-13 Deprivation Premium | 2012-13 Service Child Premium | |
| £ | |||||
| 2012-13 LAC Premium | 2013-14 Deprivation Premium | 2013-14 Service Child Premium | 2013-14 LAC Premium | Total, 2011-12 to 2013-14 | |
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| Notes: 1. There is no published service child premium data at a school level for data protection reasons. 2. The looked-after children (LAC) premium is allocated at a local authority level, so no school or constituency level information is available. 3. The deprivation premium figures relate to mainstream primary, secondary, middle and all-through schools. However the local authority totals for the service child and LAC premiums also include local authority maintained special schools, special academies, pupil referral units, alternative provision academies, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, and pupils aged 4 and above with an AP type of not in school. | |||||
Schools: Curriculum
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will introduce the teaching of the dangers of pornography into the school syllabus. [199200]
Elizabeth Truss: Teaching about sex and relationship education (SRE) is already compulsory in maintained secondary schools, and academies are expected to provide SRE as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.
When teaching SRE, all schools must have regard to the Secretary of State's statutory guidance, which sets out that SRE should be age-appropriate. Schools should ensure SRE supports young people to develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour. Schools are encouraged to develop their SRE practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals who are best placed to provide schools with up-to-date materials and advice on changing technologies.
Schools will welcome the new supplementary advice, ‘Sex and relationships education (SRE) for the 21st century', published recently by the PSHE Association, the Sex Education Forum and Brook. This addresses changes in technology and legislation since 2000, and will equip teachers to help protect children and young people from inappropriate online content, including the dangers of pornography, and from online bullying, harassment and exploitation.
Schools: Radicalism
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish his correspondence with the Secretary of State for the Home Department relating to extremism in schools. [198881]
Mr Timpson: In line with long-standing precedent, the Government do not normally publish internal correspondence between Departments.
Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on what dates he has met the Secretary of State for the Home Department to discuss extremism in schools since May 2010. [198882]
Mr Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects.
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Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he was first informed about concerns relating to extremism in schools. [198883]
Mr Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education established a dedicated due diligence and counter extremism division within the Department for Education in October 2010 in order to tackle the threat of extremism in schools. The Government’s revised “Prevent” strategy, published in June 2011, set out a general assessment of the threat. The Government have always been very clear that there is no place for extremist views in any school.
Home Department
Animal Experiments
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what scientific purposes she has licensed procedures on animals that were likely to cause severe suffering since 2010; and what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of animals experiencing severe suffering in scientific procedures. [198600]
Norman Baker: The information asked for is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Government only authorises procedures on animals after rigorous checks. Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 there is a statutory requirement for scrutiny by, in the first instance, the Animal Welfare Ethical Review Body at the Establishment where the work will be performed, and then an assessment is made by the Home Office Inspectorate. In addition, projects are referred to the Animals in Science Committee for scrutiny where they propose the use of non-human primates in severe protocols and other projects that ministers consider require further consideration.
One of the key factors in the assessment of licence applications is the harm-benefit analysis, which has been part of our assessment process since 1986. The parameters considered in this analysis are described in Appendix I of the Operational Guidance to the 1986 Act. A harm-benefit analysis determines whether the proposed harms to the animals are justified by the likely benefits to be delivered from the project. Inspectors give advice on minimising harms during their assessment of project licence applications. Licensees have a legal responsibility to ensure that work is undertaken on animals in the least severe manner possible whilst delivering their scientific objectives. This year we are undertaking a review of the harm-benefit analysis process, with advice from the Animals in Science Committee, to determine if there are further refinements we can make to the process.
I am committed to working to reduce the number of animals used in scientific procedures. The Coalition Commitment delivery plan "Working to reduce the use of animals in research" was published in February 2014. In particular, the Home Office Inspectorate is working with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on methods of refinement of the most severe models to avoid or reduce animal suffering. This has included careful consideration of models of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, seizures,
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rheumatoid arthritis and sepsis. Inspectors are actively promulgating the recommendations from each of these reports.
In addition, the Home Office has published advisory notes on recording and reporting actual severity, as required by the transposed European Directive from 2013. From data collected we will provide clarity on the burden of harm and, over time, should give an indication of the effectiveness of refinement methods, particularly for the most severe procedures. It is important to note that procedures classified as severe represent only a small percentage of total procedures.
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will measure changes in the number of animals used in scientific procedures in the UK following publication of “Working to reduce the use of animals in scientific research” in July 2011. [198633]
Norman Baker: The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain for 2013 will be published on 10 July 2014. I will be publishing a progress report on the Coalition Commitment “Working to reduce the use of animals in research” in early 2015.
Animal Experiments: EU Law
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) cats, (b) dogs and (c) horses were retired and rehomed under European Union Directive 2010/63/EU in 2013. [198950]
Norman Baker: The Home Office does not hold the information requested.
Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, authority may be given to re-home animals where those animals were bred or held for supply for use in regulated procedures, or were intended for use in regulated procedures, or have been used in regulated procedures. This may also apply to animals which are being kept under the care of the Named Veterinary Surgeon after completing procedures and is always contingent on our acceptance of certain reassurances relating to Section 17A of the Act. Records of each animal re-homed would be kept locally at the licensed establishment so that they can be available to Home Office Inspectors on request.
European Directive 2010/63/EU, which was implemented in the UK and other Member States on 1 January 2013, does not provide legal grounds on which the UK can impose a mandatory obligation of re-homing under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Nevertheless, we have provided guidance on re-homing animals in our Guidance on the Operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1983, section 5.21.
Asylum: Children
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 6 May 2014, Official Report, column 66W, on asylum: children, which local authorities have been granted extra funding because of their special circumstances. [198606]
James Brokenshire: The following local authorities receive additional funding due to special circumstances:
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Croydon, Kent, and Hillingdon local authorities have been granted additional funding which in the past was part of the “Gateway” arrangements, that has been superseded by enhanced rates. This is due to the larger than normal volumes of care leavers received in those local authorities, in comparison to other local authorities.
Solihull local authority were not part of the “Gateway” arrangements but have since been granted additional enhanced payments for the same reasons.
Asylum: Housing
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were accommodated in (a) hotels and (b) bed and breakfasts, hostels and other establishments that provide lodging paid on a short-term basis in (i) Barnsley, (ii) Yorkshire and Humberside and (iii) the UK in each year since May 2010. [199171]
James Brokenshire: The Department does not collect specific data on asylum applicants accommodated in contingency accommodation. COMPASS providers have a responsibility to provide suitable accommodation to asylum applicants. The COMPASS contracts allow providers to use alternative or temporary initial accommodation (IA) as contingency in exceptional circumstances, for example when the existing nominated IA is full. This may include the use of hotels for a short term period until such time as the asylum seeker is accommodated in the IA or provided with dispersal accommodation.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure oversight and scrutiny of private contractors responsible for the accommodation of asylum seekers. [199173]
James Brokenshire: The providers are contractually required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation to comply with the Housing Act 2004 and the Decent Homes Standard. The COMPASS contracts contain high standards and requirements to be met by providers in the services they provide to asylum applicants. The contracts also contain robust monitoring mechanism including regular meetings and inspection of services. Where standards are not met, providers reimburse the department in the form of service credits.
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to ensure proper support and welfare is available to asylum seekers accommodated in hotels and other establishments that provide lodging paid on a short-term basis. [199174]
James Brokenshire:
The Home Office has a rigorous contract compliance regime in place including monthly meetings with providers, quarterly and biannual strategic meetings. These aim to ensure the required performance standards expected of all providers as defined in the contracts is met. In addition, the COMPASS contracts contain minimum standards of welfare that the provider must ensure is provided to asylum applicants, this includes briefing applicants on services to which they are entitled.
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For example giving details of how to use facilities in the accommodation, access to essential services in the local area and contact details for the provider and department so any concerns can be addressed.
British Nationality
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for citizenship were made in each year since 2009 from males recruited into the armed forces from Belize; and if she will make a statement. [198550]
James Brokenshire: Information on whether individuals from Belize have been recruited into the armed forces and applied for British citizenship was not aggregated in national reporting systems prior to November 2012. This information could be obtained only by a disproportionately expensive manual case by case search to collate the data.
There are no such applications recorded since November 2012.
Crime Prevention: Northern Ireland
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps officials in her Department have taken with their Northern Ireland counterparts to ensure that best practice on the prevention of hate crime is shared across all administrations of the United Kingdom. [199387]
Norman Baker: Policing and criminal justice issues in Northern Ireland and Scotland are devolved matters. However, the Home Office works closely with Departments and the police across all devolved Administrations, to ensure that best practice, including criminal legislation, guidance for police officers and reporting facilities for victims, is shared to help prevent and tackle hate crime.
Drugs: Misuse
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested and charged with possession of class (a) A, (b) B and (c) C drugs in (i) Bury St Edmunds, (ii) Suffolk and (iii) England and Wales in each of the last five years. [198565]
Norman Baker: The information requested is not available centrally. Data on arrests for drug offences reported to the Home Office cannot be separated to identify arrests for possession of specific drugs.
Data on resultant charges are not collected centrally.
Firearms: Licensing
Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Fire Arms Certificate (a) applications and (b) renewals were made in (i) 2011, (ii) 2012 and (iii) 2013. [198723]
Norman Baker: Available data relate to the financial years 2010/11 to 2012/13 and were published in Table 1 of ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales 2012/13’, available online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firearm-and-shotgun-certificates-in-england-and-wales-2012-to-2013
For easy reference, data are also provided in the table below. Data relating to 2013-14 will be published on 7 August 2014.
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| Number of new and renewal applications for firearm certificates in England and Wales, 2010-11 to 2012-131 | ||||
| New applications | Renewal applications | |||
| Granted | Refused | Granted | Refused | |
| 1Source: These statistics are obtained from the National Firearms Licensing Management System. | ||||
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the EU on firearms' control and the European Firearms' Pass. [198750]
Norman Baker: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these meetings are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Gov.uk website:
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/ministerial-data-home-office
Health
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use in formulating policy her Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics since the introduction of that index in 2011; and what policies her Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that index since 2010. [198870]
Karen Bradley: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is measuring National Wellbeing, not as an index but through a framework of 41 indicators which capture social progress around important aspects of life for individuals, communities and the nation. The statistics are experimental and as such we should not expect to have examples of major policies that have been heavily influenced by the well-being data at this stage. However, there is much work going on across government which is detailed in the evidence provided to the Environmental Audit Committee for its inquiry into well-being. This can be found at:
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/environmental-audit-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/well-being/
Immigration Controls
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department gives on appropriate action to be taken by border staff dealing with a parent with a British passport entering the UK with their child who has a different surname. [198583]
James Brokenshire:
Checks are conducted on passengers arriving in the UK in accordance with the Border Force Operating Mandate, regardless of nationality. Border Force staff also undergo mandatory training to ensure they are aware of their statutory duty to safeguard the welfare of children. Where a child is encountered at the
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border, and it is not immediately apparent that the accompanying adult is their parent or guardian, officers will ask questions to satisfy themselves of the child's welfare and to discharge their statutory duty. This will be done as quickly and as sensitively as possible to avoid unnecessary delay to the passengers' journey.
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions British passport holders were questioned on return to the UK in regard to problems with their child's name on documentation in the last three years. [198584]
James Brokenshire: Border Force does not record the occasions when British parents have been questioned about their child's name on their return to the United Kingdom.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 7 April 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee. [198700]
Karen Bradley: The Home Department has no record of receiving the correspondence referred to in this parliamentary question.
North Yorkshire Police
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much revenue funding her Department has allocated to the North Yorkshire Police Authority in (a) cash and (b) real terms in each year since 1995-96. [198504]
Damian Green: Table 1 shows the amount of core Government revenue funding provided by the Home Office to the North Yorkshire police authority (from November 2012 the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire) since 1995-96.
The figures in the table represent the amount of revenue funding provided by the Home Office to North Yorkshire. However, due to changes in police revenue funding over this time period (which include a move away from regional crime squads and a change in the way pensions are funded), it is difficult to compare spending power between years.
From 2014-15, the Home Office is also paying out council tax freeze grant funding relating to the 2011-12 and 2013-14 schemes and local council tax support funding to Police and Crime Commissioners in England. This amount was previously paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). This
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will total £7.9 million for North Yorkshire in 2014-15 and is excluded from the table to assist comparison with previous years.
In addition, the police in England also receive central Government grant from other sources including the DCLG. They also receive funding from the police precept component of council tax and a small amount of income from charging for additional services.
| Total HO funding | ||
| Cash1 | Real (2012-13 prices)2 | |
| 1 Figures include specific grants that have since been rolled into Police Main Grant (including Rule 2 Grant, the Neighbourhood Policing Fund and, from 2013-14, the Community Safety Fund) in order to provide consistency over the time period. 2 Real figures are calculated using the latest GDP deflators. These are updated and published regularly by Her Majesty’s Treasury and therefore can change the way that the real figures in the table are represented. 3 From 2013-14 formula grant funding which in previous years had been paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government was transferred to the Home Office to pay to PCCs. This amounted to £29.6 million in 2013-14 and £28.2 million in 2014-15. | ||
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many full-time equivalent police officers of each rank and grade were employed by North Yorkshire police on (a) 31 March and (b) 30 September in each year since 2004; [198505]
(2) how many full-time equivalent (a) police officers, (b) police community support officers and (c) police civilian staff were employed by North Yorkshire police on (i) 31 March and (ii) 30 September in each year since 2004. [198506]
Damian Green: The following table contains the requested data and covers the period up until 30 September 2013. Figures as at 31 March 2014 are due to be published 17 July 2014.
| Number of full-time equivalent1 police officers by rank2, police community support officers and police staff3 employed by North Yorkshire police on 31 March and 30 September in each year from 2004-13 | ||||||||||
| Police officer | ||||||||||
| ACPO | Chief Superintendent | Superintendent | Chief Inspector | Inspector | Sergeant | Constable | Total | Police Community Support Officer | Police staff | |
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| 1 This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. 2 Figures for police officers by rank as at 30 September are not regularly published; they have not been verified by police forces and should be treated as provisional. 3 This excludes designated officers and traffic wardens. Source: Home Office | ||||||||||
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime detection rate was for North Yorkshire police force in each year since 2004-05. [198507]
Norman Baker: The information requested is shown in the following table.
Most of this information was also published by the Home Office in its “Crimes Detected in England and Wales, 2012/13” bulletin. Overall detection rates are available in table 3 for all police forces from the year 2005/06 onwards.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/224022/hosb0213-pfatabs.ods
Detections have now been replaced by a new outcomes framework, which includes a broader range of “outcomes” for crimes dealt with by the police, and therefore provides greater transparency on how crimes are resolved. The former detections framework only covered a subset of the new outcomes and therefore of the ways crimes are “resolved”. Statistics for the year 2013/14 onwards will focus on the new outcomes framework, rather than detections.
| Detection rates for offences recorded by the police in North Yorkshire (excluding fraud) | |
| Overall detection rate (%) | |
| Notes: 1. The detection rates shown are calculated by dividing the total number of detections in each year by the total number of crimes in that year. However, the detections will not all refer to crimes committed in the year in question. 2. From 1 April 2007, new rules governing non-sanction detections significantly limited the occasions for which such administrative disposals can be applied. 3. Fraud offences are excluded because of the transition from police forces recording fraud to Action Fraud doing so. This transition took place during 2012/13, and so to allow a fair comparison over time, fraud offences and detections have been excluded for all years. | |
Passports
Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional support she is providing to the Passport Office to ensure it continues to meet the deadlines for applications to be processed and returned during the holiday period. [198792]
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James Brokenshire: Her Majesty’s Passport Office looks to ensure that adequate resources are in place to meet demand while ensuring that resources are proportionate to that demand. Contingencies are in place to coincide with peak periods of demand e.g. school breaks and summer holidays.
This primarily involves staff working overtime but also includes, as required, the redeployment of resources to support passport application examination staff and to assist in the handling of customer contact.
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many passport renewals have been completed within the advertised three week turnaround time from receipt in the last period for which figures are available; [198797]
(2) what performance indicators for the renewal of existing passports have been met by each passport office administrative centre. [198798]
James Brokenshire: Straightforward passport applications from applicants in the UK have a published expected turnaround of three weeks. For the financial year 2013-14, 99.58% of customers received their passports within that period.
Achievement of turnaround times is a national objective and specific targets are not focused on individual offices. This approach allows HM Passport Office to channel resources and distribute applications to meet capacity.
Police
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 7 May 2014, Official Report, column 222W, on teachers: guidance, if she will place in the Library a copy of the guidance her Department provides to police services as to whether or not to notify arrests to regulators. [198603]
Damian Green: The guidance to police services on the Notifiable Occupations Scheme is contained in “Home Office circular 6/2006 The notifiable occupations scheme: revised guidance for police forces”. This guidance is available on the Government website gov.uk.
The scheme is currently under review.
Stop and Search
Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to her statement of 30 April 2014, Official Report, column 831, on Stop-and-Search, which police forces have signed up to the revised code on stop-and-search to date. [198635]
Damian Green: The Home Office is currently in discussion with all police forces on the Best Use of Stop and Search Scheme. The scheme already has the backing of the Metropolitan police—the biggest user of stop and search in the country—and the intention is to launch the scheme in the summer.
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Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Armed Conflict: Children
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is giving to the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict for the campaign to eradicate the recruitment of children by government armed forces by 2016. [198848]
Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides funding of £150,000 over three years (January 2013-December 2015) to the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict. These funds strengthen the UN SRSG's capacity to monitor violations committed against children in situations of concern, in line with UNSC Resolutions 1612, 1882, 1998 on children and armed conflict and including countries covered by the UN SRSG's campaign, such as Burma and South Sudan.
Children and Armed Conflict is an important personal priority. I am leading a campaign to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers and to protect children from becoming victims of sexual violence in five priority countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, Chad and Burma. I have raised the issue with a number of leaders, including most recently with the Somali President during a visit in April.
The UN SRSG will take part in the End Sexual Violence in Conflict Summit, from 10-13 June in London, where she will join a Ministerial roundtable that I am hosting on Children and Armed Conflict.
Ascension Island
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of living conditions and labour standards on commercial vessels long-lining in the waters of Ascension Island from 2010 to 2013. [198678]
Mark Simmonds: The Ascension Island Government are legally responsible for administering the marine fishery in the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Fishing Zone centred on the island.
No assessment of living conditions and labour standards on commercial vessels carrying out licensed long-line fishing, or otherwise, in the waters of Ascension Island from 2010 to 2013 has been carried out. The primary responsibility for the setting and enforcement of such standards lies with the flag state of each vessel.
The Ascension Island Government paused the issuing of licences for commercial long-line fishing from 1 January 2014 in order to undertake a full review of the management of its fisheries with a view to a new structure to be put in place by 2015. Revised conditions for licences will form part of that outcome.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he took to ensure that the foreign commercial vessels fishing in the waters of Ascension Island from 2010 to 2013 did not use slave labour. [198679]
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Mark Simmonds: The Ascension Island Government are legally responsible for administering the marine fishery in the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Fishing Zone centred on the Island.
There is no condition placed in the licences issued by the Ascension Island Government from 2010 to 2013 relating to slave labour. The primary responsibility for the setting and enforcement of standards on such matters lies with the flag state of each vessel.
The Ascension Island Government paused the issuing of licences for commercial long-line fishing from 1 January 2014 in order to undertake a full review of the management of its fisheries with a view to a new structure to be put in place by 2015. Revised conditions for licences will form a part of that outcome.
Brazil
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the government of Brazil on the issue of the recent increase in the number of disappeared persons in that country. [198747]
Mr Swire: We have regular discussions on human rights with the Brazilian Government. Most recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised this during his second visit to Brazil in February for the Strategic Dialogue. The UK also holds regular discussions of Human Rights and public security through the EU namely, initiatives, the Brazil-EU Human Rights Dialogue, the last of which was held on 25 April in Brasilia.
Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what extra consular assistance his Department will provide for British citizens in Brazil attending the World Cup. [198806]
Mark Simmonds: During the World Cup, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will have a comprehensive consular plan in place to assist any British nationals that require our assistance. This includes a consular operations centre in Rio de Janeiro on the day preceding, the day of and the day following all England games, a dedicated consular telephone number (which has been advertised on our travel advice and in the Football Supporters Federation’s tournament and match day programmes), a team of consular officers at every England game and consular officers from around the region and Portugal on stand-by to assist the Brazil network with any consular surges. We will also have a rapid deployment team from the Americas region on stand-by should they be required.
In the build up to the World Cup, we have run a comprehensive travel advice campaign called “Be on the Ball” that has featured Twitter Q&A sessions, attendance at fans forums in London, media interviews in printed and video forms. We have also run a number of exercises across the Brazil network so that consular officials are prepared should we need to assist British nationals in the case of major incidents.
I visited Sao Paulo on 4 June to view preparations which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is making to give consular assistance during the World Cup. I also
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met the deputy mayor of Sao Paulo to discuss the local preparations for the tournament.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has also been working with the Football Association, UK Football Policing Unit, Brazilian local authorities and other stakeholders on contingency and crisis planning.
Central African Republic
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the conflict in Central African Republic as described in UN OCHA Central African Republic Situation Report No. 2. [199119]
Mark Simmonds: Reports from the Central African Republic (CAR), including those of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), show that the country remains beset by violence and instability. We welcome the vital ongoing work of African Union, French and EU security forces, without whom the situation would likely be far worse. The UK will continue to work with the UN to ensure the effective deployment of the UN Peacekeeping Operation (MINUSCA), and with the AU to support MISCA’s efforts ahead of the transition to MINUSCA. I last discussed the situation in CAR with interim President Catherine Samba-Panza on 23 May.
Diego Garcia
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that reparations will be paid to HM Treasury as a result of damage caused by discharges in the Diego Garcia lagoon in the British Indian Overseas Territory by US vessels and those responsible for causing that damage are prosecuted. [199021]
Mark Simmonds: It is not clear what if any damage has been caused by the discharges by US vessels in the Diego Garcia lagoon, and the Government look forward to the conclusions of a joint UK-US study of the lagoon water and its coral which will conclude this summer. The US have already committed to spending several million dollars over 2014-16 to ensure that they comply with our no-discharge policy.
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress his Department is making on ensuring that a British-led team of experts carries out a scientific assessment of discharges by US vessels in the Diego Garcia lagoon in the British Indian Overseas Territory. [199022]
Mark Simmonds: The joint UK-US study of the lagoon water and its coral, which began in January 2014, is well under way and due to conclude this summer, as planned.
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the findings from the US Senate Intelligence Committee, what information his Department holds on the number of detainees held in Diego Garcia. [199176]
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Hugh Robertson: There are no detainees on Diego Garcia and the British Government is aware of no evidence that US detainees have been held on Diego Garcia since September 2001. The findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee remain classified and we have not seen them.
Eritrea
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the release of political prisoners in Eritrea with his Eritrean counterpart. [198578]
Mark Simmonds: We remain deeply concerned at the continued arbitrary detention of political prisoners in Eritrea, including some detained without trial since September 2001. Our ambassador in Asmara and EU counterparts regularly raise this with the Eritrean Government, calling for their release. I have raised human rights issues with the Foreign Minister and, most recently, FCO officials raised the issue with the Eritrean ambassador in March 2014. We will continue to do so at every opportunity.
Middle East
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for the Middle East peace process of recent reports that Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said his organisation will not renounce violence or recognise Israel. [198658]
Hugh Robertson: Reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under a Palestinian Authority committed to peace with Israel is a necessary step towards resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and a key element of a viable negotiated solution. We welcome the formation on 2 June of a new interim technocratic government for the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We have made clear that our continued support to the new Palestinian Government will rest on their commitment to the principle of non-violence, a negotiated two state solution, and an acceptance of all previous agreements and obligations, including Israel’s legitimate right to exist. We now look to the new government to demonstrate these commitments through its actions as well as its words.
Morocco
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether the new protocol to the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement will benefit the Saharawi population or Moroccan settlers. [199435]
Hugh Robertson: The protocol requires Morocco to provide regular and detailed reports on the geographical distribution of European funds for structural support and infrastructure as well as the impact on jobs and investments. Since the protocol has not yet entered into force this reporting has not yet begun.