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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 11 June 2014

Cabinet Office

Cancer

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what the mortality rate from cancer has been in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) East Lancashire and (c) the North West in each of the last 15 years; [199660]

(2) how many men in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire died from advanced prostate cancer in 2012. [199653]

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated June 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office:

1. How many men in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire died from advanced prostate cancer in 2012 (199653)

2. What the mortality rate from cancer has been in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) East Lancashire and (c) the North West in each of the last 15 years (199660)

The most recent figures available are for 2012. Table 1 provides the number of deaths where prostate cancer was the underlying cause of death for males in 1(a) Pendle parliamentary constituency and 1(b) Lancashire county, for deaths registered in 2012.

Table 2 provides the age-standardised mortality rate where cancer was the underlying cause of death for 2(a) Pendle parliamentary constituency, 2(b) East Lancashire clinical commissioning group and 2(c) the North West region from 1998 to 2012, where available. Rates are not presented for Pendle before 2001 and for East Lancashire before 2002 because the corresponding population estimates are not available.

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and underlying cause, are published annually on the ONS website at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-27475

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Civil Servants: Absenteeism

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many days of employee absence there were in each Government Department in each of the last 10 years. [198582]

Mr Maude: It is for individual Departments to provide detailed information on absence for each of the last 10 years.

This Government are working to reduce civil service absence levels and we know that the average days lost per employee has fallen from 8.7 in June 2010 to 7.4 in December 2013. Average working days lost per staff year are now at their lowest reported figure since 1999, while the total number of days lost in the civil service is at its lowest recorded level.

The figures for the Cabinet Office are:

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and can be found online here at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-absence-data

Government Departments: Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many publications by Government departments have included the term long-term economic plan in the last 12 months; and how much those publications have cost; [199525]

(2) if he will publish any advice from the Permanent Secretary of Government Communications to political parties on the use of specific terms issued in the last 12 months. [199522]

Mr Maude: Public Government documents are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications

Information on costs is not held centrally.

All Government communications officials are bound by the Civil Service code. There is no longer a Permanent Secretary of Government Communications.

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what mechanisms are in place to allow an investigation into an allegation that an individual Minister may have breached the Ministerial Code of Conduct during their time in office when that Minister is no longer a serving Minister; who is responsible for initiating such an investigation; and if he will make a statement. [198573]

Mr Maude: The Ministerial Code sets out the process for investigating alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code.

Ovarian Cancer: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of women in Pendle constituency were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in each of the last five years. [199659]

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

Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated June 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many

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and what proportion of women in Pendle constituency were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in each of the last five years [199659].

The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2011. Table 1 provides the number of (a) newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer, and (b) the proportion (as a crude cancer incidence rate) of newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer amongst females in Pendle parliamentary constituency, for the years 2007 to 2011.

Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number and proportion of women in Pendle parliamentary constituency diagnosed with ovarian cancer, as it is possible that one woman could be diagnosed with more than one case of primary ovarian cancer.

The latest published figures on cancer incidence for England are available in the following link:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/cancer-statistics-registrations--england--series-mb1-/index.html

Public Sector: Complaints

Mr Buckland: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what recent assessment he has made of the ease of use for the public of the complaints systems across public services; and if he will make a statement; [198659]

(2) what assessment he has made of levels of public confidence in complaints systems across public services; [198660]

(3) how many complaints were received by each ombudsman service in England in each of the last five years; [198690]

(4) if he will assess the potential merits of introducing an automatic trigger for inspections of individual public services when a certain number of people using that service have made complaints about it; [198691]

(5) if he will assess the potential merits of allowing designated bodies to be given the power to make super-complaints against public service providers such as those that exist in private markets; [198692]

(6) what assessment he has made of the benefits of future mergers of public service ombudsman services in England. [199679]

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Mr Maude: The Government are considering recent reports of the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this, the Cabinet Office is working to investigate further how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the Public Sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to the PASC in due course. I am happy to discuss this matter further with my hon. Friend.

The annual reports and accounts of the public service ombudsmen in the UK provide details of their performance over the past 12 months including information about complaints received.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Biodiversity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how much (a) his Department and (b) the Joint Nature Conservation Committee spent on biodiversity research in (i) the UK and (ii) the Overseas Territories in each of the last four years. [198675]

(2) how much his Department spent on biodiversity conservation in (a) the UK and (b) the Overseas Territories in 2013-14. [198676]

Dan Rogerson: We are collating the information requested and will place it in the House Library as soon as possible.

Floods: Insurance

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria will be used to determine whether a property owner is eligible to access building insurance policies within Flood Re. [199499]

Dan Rogerson: The criteria that the insurance industry will use to determine if a property is eligible for cover through Flood Re were set out in the information note published in March. It can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/292353/water-bill-flood-insurance-scope-flood-re.pdf

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of research carried out by the British Insurance Brokers Association into the difficulties that groups excluded from accessing buildings insurance within Flood Re are experiencing in accessing affordable flood insurance; and if he will make a statement. [199500]

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Dan Rogerson: The survey by the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) has been considered with interest.

DEFRA has commissioned its own research to monitor the market for flood insurance. This will include the market for domestic insurance, for which Flood Re has been designed, and the market for commercial flood insurance, for which Flood Re was not designed.

I am planning to discuss this issue of commercial flood insurance with BIBA and representative organisations from the property sector at a round table meeting later this month.

Sewers: Urban Areas

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government expect to implement all the measures contained in Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act regarding sustainable urban drainage systems in this Parliament. [198995]

Dan Rogerson: The Government remain committed to implementing sustainable drainage systems at the earliest available opportunity, but not in a way that affects development. A statement, which will set out our plans in greater detail, will be made in the summer. It has become clear that, as previously hoped for, we will not be commencing schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act in October 2014.

Northern Ireland

Welfare Reform

14. Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the effect of the Government’s welfare reform policies in Northern Ireland. [904141]

Mr Robathan: We have worked hard with the Executive to adapt our reforms flexibly to Northern Ireland circumstances. They will ensure work always pays and help lift people out of poverty by moving them into work. When fully implemented, universal credit will make over 3 million low to middle income households across the UK better off.

Marching Season

15. Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she has taken to ensure that the Police Service of Northern Ireland has adequate resources to ensure a peaceful marching season. [904142]

Mrs Villiers: The issue of police resources is primarily a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. However, I have regular discussions with the Chief Constable and David Ford concerning police resources.

The additional £231 million funding provided to the PSNI by the Government for national security matters releases resources to assist with the policing of matters such as parading and public order.

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Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland

Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has to reappoint the Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. [199255]

Mrs Villiers: In May, I reappointed William Smith to the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland for a further five year term. There is currently one remaining vacancy in the position of member and I plan to launch a competition to fill this position in the autumn. This will ensure that the Commission will have its full complement of members well in advance of when preparations need to commence for the next review of parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland, which is likely to be around late 2015.

Freedom of Information

Mr Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many freedom of information requests to her Department remain unanswered after (a) 20 and (b) 90 days on 1 April 2014; and which freedom of information requests to her Department on what subjects remain unanswered. [199011]

Mrs Villiers: At 1 April 2014, there was one request remaining unanswered after 20 days and one request remaining unanswered after 90 days. The subject matters associated with these unanswered requests relate to the arm shipments in the 1970s and 1980s from Libya to Ireland, and matters relating to a High Court injunction concerning the release of inquest papers by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: Rural Areas

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to monitor the delivery of the Mobile Infrastructure Project and to bring adequate mobile telephone coverage to people living in remote and rural areas. [199164]

Mr Vaizey: I hold regular meetings with supplier Arqiva to discuss the Mobile Infrastructure Project and officials in BDUK are in regular contact with Arqiva to monitor and assess progress.

Cathedrals: Repairs and Maintenance

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which cathedrals will receive funding from the new grant scheme for cathedral repairs announced in Budget 2014. [198924]

Mr Vaizey: The First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund is open to all Anglican and Catholic cathedrals in England. Applications for the first round will be considered by the expert panel later this month.

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Direct Selling: Pendle

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints of (a) unsolicited marketing calls and (b) silent or abandoned calls were made by people in Pendle in each of the last five years. [198975]

Mr Vaizey: The data recording these figures are not broken down by individual constituencies.

Embassies: Iran

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will provide a detailed itemised inventory of what works of art from Government collections were on loan to the British Embassy and Residence in Tehran at the time of the riots in November 2011; and what claims for compensation for loss, damage or destruction have been made by the Government to insurers in respect of those items. [199398]

Mr Vaizey: The following Government Art Collection (GAC) works of art were on display in Tehran when the British embassy was attacked in November 2011:

0/664 George Hayter—Queen Victoria (1819-1901) Reigned 1837-1901—oil painting;

5230 Ahmad—Fath 'Ali Shah (1797-1834) 2nd Qajar Shah of Iran—oil painting;

0/663 Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (after)—King Edward VII (1841-1910) Reigned 1901-10—oil painting;

17351 Adrian Berg—Gloucester Gate, Regent's Park, June—oil painting;

13319 Cedric Morris—Tulips and Iris—oil painting; and

0/661 Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (after)—King George V (1865-1936) Reigned 1910-36—oil painting.

The GAC does not—and is not permitted under Government accounting regulations—to insure its own works on a commercial basis. They are Crown Property and displayed at the Government’s own risk within HMG buildings.

Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the Flood Relief Fund for Sport announced to restore damaged pitches, sport centres and facilities has been (a) allocated to local authorities and (b) received by sports facilities to date. [198649]

Mrs Grant: Sport England's Flood Relief Fund has made a total of 225 awards to date, totalling £515,542, of which:

(a) Three awards totalling £6,560 have been made to local authorities; and

(b) 222 awards totalling £508,982 have been made to sports clubs.

The fund will remain open for applications until autumn.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the Tourism Industry Fund for businesses in flood-affected parts of England has been (a) allocated to local authorities and (b) received by businesses to date. [198653]

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Mrs Grant: The Government's tourism package on flood support was not grant based but, alongside a marketing programme, was funded business support offered via local workshops and drop in clinics to tourism and tourism related businesses. These sessions were organised locally by Destination Organisations on behalf of VisitEngland. They were accessed by over 700 businesses. Money was only allocated to local authorities where they were the accountable body for the Destination Organisations. This totalled £83,798 but not all Destination Organisations have local authorities as their accountable body.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 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. [198865]

Mrs Grant: 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.

Since the introduction of the ONS framework for measuring National Wellbeing in 2011, DCMS has worked closely with the ONS to introduce sport and culture participation measures within ONS’ national well-being headline measures for adults (May 2013). In January this year, measures of sport and culture were also included within ONS’ initial national child well-being measures. DCMS’ National Statistic ‘Taking Part’, on culture and sport engagement, has measured subjective well-being since 2005-06. In 2012 ONS’ subjective well-being questions were also added to support further analysis of well-being impacts.

Our policies of ‘Getting more people playing sport’ and ‘Supporting vibrant and sustainable arts and culture’ are directly linked to ONS’ national well-being measurement. DCMS continues to work to better understand and consider the impact of its sectors and policy on people’s well-being across a number of the domains in ONS’ national well-being measures including health, education, crime and unemployment. For example, in our recently released reports on ‘Quantifying the Social Impacts of Culture and Sport¹, and ‘Quantifying and Valuing the Wellbeing Impacts of Culture and Sport².

¹Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quantifying-the-social-impacts-of-sport-and-culture

²Available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quantifying-and-valuing-the-wellbeing-impacts-of-culture-and-sport

Internet

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on allowing internet service providers to restructure charging arrangements for faster network access. [198725]

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Mr Vaizey: The Government support an open internet, and believe that self-regulation is the best approach to achieve this. We expect ISPs to be transparent with their customers regarding their terms and conditions at the point of sale, including any traffic management practices, in order to allow consumers to make an informed choice and consider any alternative providers.

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 the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council spent on libraries in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12. [199320]

Mr Vaizey: The Annual Report and Financial Statements for the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council indicates that the grant in aid grants payable for specific library activities for the financial years requested is as shown in the following table:

Television: Licensing

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in Warrington North constituency are currently in receipt of a free television licence. [198622]

Mr Vaizey: The data recording how many individuals are currently in receipt of a free television licence are not broken down by individual constituencies or regions.

Tourism

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to work with counterparts in other EU member states to encourage tourism to the UK from Europe. [199032]

Mrs Grant: VisitEngland works closely with a network of national tourism organisations through the National Tourism Board Forum. Members include:

Ireland;

Germany;

Switzerland;

France;

Malta;

Denmark;

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Austria;

Montenegro; and

Belgium.

Activities of the forum include: regular meetings, sharing insights and best practice and marketing development.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations his Department has received from UNESCO on the proposed Navitus Bay Wind Farm development. [198602]

Mr Vaizey: UNESCO has submitted representations from its Advisory Body the IUCN about the proposed Navitus Bay Wind Farm development. The development is being considered by the planning authorities and these views have been submitted as part of this process.

Scotland

Social Rented Housing

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many tenants in Scotland arranged mutually exchanges to elsewhere in the UK through HomeSwap Direct in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [199058]

David Mundell: Details of the number of moves that have taken place under the HomeSwap Direct Scheme from Scotland to elsewhere in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years are not held centrally. This information is more likely to be held by social housing providers.

Sovereignty

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the (a) scope, (b) date and (c) cost of contracts for public relations services commissioned by his Department from (i) Engine Partners and (ii) other public affairs and public relations consultancies since May 2011. [198681]

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not entered into any contracts for public relations services with (i) Engine Partners and (ii) other public affairs and public relations consultancies since May 2011.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent steps the Government have taken to persuade the Scottish people that they would have a better future within the UK. [199077]

David Mundell: In order to inform and support the debate on Scotland’s future, the UK Government have undertaken a detailed programme of analysis on the contribution that Scotland makes to the UK and benefits Scotland gets from being part of the United Kingdom. The Scotland analysis programme has published 14 papers on economic, domestic and international issues. The series is available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scotland-analysis

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The Government are also publishing a range of easily accessible factsheets and booklets which are being widely disseminated to stakeholders in Scotland. These are available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scottish-independence-referendum-factsheets

and

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scottish-independence-referendum-scotland-in-the-uk

Government Ministers are also participating in a wide range of meetings, visits and events with communities right across Scotland.

Attorney-General

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Attorney-General for how many acts of violence in prisons the Crown Prosecution Service decided to (a) bring or (b) not bring a prosecution for each type of offence in each of the last four years. [199512]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of cases where the CPS has been asked to make a charging decision and the decision made, either to charge or to take no further action. No record is held as to where an alleged offence was said to have taken place. To obtain details of alleged acts of violence in prisons referred to the CPS for a charging decision would require a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files to be undertaken at a disproportionate cost.

Women and Equalities

Equality

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities if he will make it his policy that the Government adopt when designing domestic policy the same gender equality provisions as contained in the International (Gender Equality) Act 2014 for development assistance provision. [198707]

Mrs Grant: Public bodies in England, Scotland and Wales are subject to s149 of the Equality Act 2010 (Public Sector Equality Duty), which requires them to have due regard to the need to advance equality of opportunity between different groups, for example between men and women in carrying out their functions including policy development.

Defence

Air Force: Military Bases

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what current RAF airfields have (a) standard airfield concrete runways and (b) asphaltic concrete runways. [199133]

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Mr Dunne: There are no RAF airfields that have a concrete only runway.

The following RAF airfields have a asphaltic/concrete runway:

RAF Benson (Joint Helicopter Command Base)

RAF College Cranwell

RAF Coningsby

RAF Leeming

RAF Leuchars

RAF Lossiemouth

RAF Marham

RAF Odiham (Joint Helicopter Command Base)

RAF Scampton

RAF Shawbury

RAF Waddington

RAF Valley

Fuels: Gosport

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 610W, on fuels: Gosport, when he expects the work to establish the preferred options and costs of replacement for the fuel tanks at the oil fuel depot in Gosport to be complete. [198720]

Mr Dunne: Work on the preferred options and costs of replacement for the fuel tanks at the oil fuel depot in Gosport is continuing and is expected to be completed by the end of the 2014.

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many high-temperature concrete vertical landing pads will be constructed to accommodate the Joint Strike Fighter; where they will be located; and what estimate he has made of their cost. [199117]

Mr Dunne: On current plans there will be three high-temperature concrete vertical landing pads constructed to accommodate the Joint Strike Fighter. These landing pads will be located at RAF Marham and the estimated cost is in the region of £7.5 million. This figure will be refined once planning for this matter progresses.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the unit production cost of the Joint Strike Fighter. [199130]

Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence routinely monitors the unit production cost for the Joint Strike Fighter as part of its normal procurement activity. The Department does not publish cost estimates as to do so would undermine its commercial position.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the major factors that could change the unit production cost of the Joint Strike Fighter. [199131]

Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence has a comprehensive understanding of all major factors that effect unit production cost. These are constantly managed as part of our procurement and risk management process.

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Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total amount is of the financial risk provision within the Joint Strike Fighter programme budget. [199132]

Mr Dunne: The financial risk provision within the UK Joint Strike Fighter Programme has been calculated in line with Ministry of Defence policy. The Department does not publish its financial risk provision as to do so could undermine its commercial position.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Joint Strike Fighter B procured by the RAF will have Block 3i software. [199143]

Mr Dunne: All UK F-35Bs delivered prior to the end of 2017 will be upgraded to, or delivered with, Block 3i software.

Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on a Tornado Collision Warning System since 1991. [199146]

Mr Dunne: Total spend from 1999 to 31 March 2014, including the concept, assessment and development, manufacture and In-service phase, is some £49.7 million.

It is not possible to confirm the total spend on a Tornado collision warning system prior to 1999; expenditure records are no longer held centrally and the retrieval of available information would be possible only at disproportionate cost.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the progress on the trial installation and testing of the Tornado Collision Warning System at BAE Systems, Warton. [199147]

Mr Dunne: Progress continues to be made with the trial installation and testing of a Collision Warning System (CWS) for Tornado GR4. Installation of CWS on two aircraft is complete and testing is ongoing. The Ministry of Defence is working closely with BAE Systems to ensure delivery of a capability as soon as practicable.

Education

Children: Databases

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the answer of 12 May 2014, Official Report, columns 366-7W, on children: databases, what his Department's policy is on sharing information in respect of vulnerable children and children at risk. [198604]

Mr Timpson: The statutory guidance, “Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2013”, is very clear that the effective sharing of information between professionals and local agencies is essential for accurate identification, assessment and provision of services for vulnerable children. The Department for Education's policy is clear that fears about sharing information cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the need to promote the welfare and protect the safety of children.

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Disabled Students’ Allowances

Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the proposed changes to Disabled Students' Allowance and their effect on young people with special educational needs or a disability. [198939]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have worked closely together, throughout the passage of the Children and Families Act 2014, on the implications for young people with special education needs and disabilities regarding their transition to Higher Education. As a result of these discussions, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice were strengthened to support a better transition to Higher Education. There continues to be close liaison between the two Departments about broader policies that affect young people with special educational needs and disability.

Newspaper Press: Retail Trade

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department's policy is on the easy visibility and access for children to overly sexualised and graphic magazines and periodicals in retail stores. [199203]

Mr Timpson: In December 2010 the Government commissioned Reg Bailey, the chief executive of Mothers' Union, to carry out a review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. He published his report, ‘Letting Children be Children’, in June 2011. The Government welcomed Mr Bailey's analysis and the thrust of all the recommendations he made, including that newspapers and magazines with sexualised images on their covers should not be displayed in easy sight of children. We welcome the action taken by publishers, distributors and retailers to promote the observance of the industry code of practice on the display of these magazines.

Schools: Staff

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department gives local authorities on the suspension of school staff. [199180]

Mr Laws: The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009 require local authority-maintained schools to establish procedures to regulate the conduct and discipline of staff, including the suspension of staff. This requirement is set out in the Department's guidance on Managing Staff Employment in Schools. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) also provides detailed advice for all employers including self-governing schools and local authorities on the suspension of school staff.

Sexualisation of Young People Review

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made of the review Sexualisation of Young People by Dr. Linda Papadopoulos. [199353]

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Mr Timpson: In December 2010 the Government commissioned Reg Bailey, the chief executive of Mothers' Union, to carry out a review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. Mr Bailey drew upon the review by Dr Papadopoulos and its evidence base in making his recommendations in his report, ‘Letting Children be Children', published in June 2011. The Government welcomed Mr Bailey's analysis and the thrust of all the recommendations he made, and there has been progress on many of these.

Special Educational Needs

Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the written statement by the Minister for Universities and Science of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on Higher Education: student support, what revisions he plans to make to the draft statutory guidance, Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years. [199003]

Mr Timpson: There has been close liaison between the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills throughout the passage of the Children and Families Act 2014. As a result, no changes will need to be made to the draft statutory guidance, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years.

Swimming: Children

Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to improve access to swimming lessons for schoolchildren. [199325]

Mr Timpson: Swimming is part of the national curriculum, and all pupils must be taught to swim at least 25 metres unaided and be able to use recognised swimming strokes by the end of key stage 2 (age 11). It remains compulsory in the national curriculum following the curriculum review.

The Government have committed over £450 million of ring-fenced funding up to and including 2015/16 for primary schools to improve their provision of physical education and sport. Schools have the freedom to use the funding for additional provision for swimming but this must be for activity over and above the national curriculum requirements.

The Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) is the national governing body for swimming in England. Their ‘Learn to Swim’ programme and award scheme has helped millions of children to swim and they provide a range of resources for schools to support high quality swimming instruction.

Teachers: Bolton

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) headteachers, (b) deputy headteachers and (c) teachers in Bolton Local Education Authority took early retirement on the grounds of ill-health in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13. [199211]

Mr Laws: Between April 2010 and March 2013 there were seven teachers who retired on ill-health grounds from publicly-funded schools in Bolton local authority.

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Given the very small number of people involved, the statistics provided have not included a grade or year split to avoid disclosing data on specific individuals.

Teachers: Training

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will allow universities offering Initial Teacher Training programmes to apply for additional places when they fill their annual allocation. [199362]

Mr Laws: On 5 June 2014 the National College for Teaching and Leadership announced that a limited number of additional postgraduate places in certain subjects have been made available to higher education institutions (HEIs). Places will be allocated only to the HEIs that have already filled their courses or are close to doing so and have extra candidates looking to train with them.

Communities and Local Government

Advertising

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will establish an ombudsman to cover complaints on the use of overly sexualised content on images and displays on high streets and other business advertisements easily visible to the public which are not covered by the Advertising Standards Association or police and crime commissioners. [199202]

Nick Boles: The responsibility for controlling the content of advertisements lies with the Advertising Standards Association, and therefore, the establishment of an ombudsman would simply duplicate this role.

The control of advertisements within the planning regime is carried out on the grounds of amenity and public safety as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England Regulations) 2007, as amended. It is up to the local planning authority to decide whether the image poses a threat to either of these and what to do as a result.

The local planning authority can serve a discontinuance notice where it is satisfied that an advertisement is having a significant effect on the amenity of a locality, or is a danger to members of the public. If people think the local planning authority has failed to act when they should have done, they can ask the Local Government Ombudsman to investigate their concerns.

Bellwin Scheme

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 18 March 2014, Official Report, columns 527-8W, on the Bellwin scheme, how much has been (a) allocated to and (b) received by each of the authorities which have registered for funding under the Bellwin scheme. [198704]

Brandon Lewis: Bellwin provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help them meet uninsurable costs they incur when responding to a major emergency

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in their area. The level of funding over time is causally linked to the scale of flooding or other emergency. As was the case under previous and current Administrations, it operates by local authorities retrospectively claiming spending back.

As at 9 June, 110 local authorities have registered for the December 2013 to February 2014 severe weather events. They now have until 30 June 2014 to submit their formal claims. However, only 20 local authorities have submitted formal claims so far.

A table deposited in the Library lists the reimbursement payments that have been made to date. In the remaining cases, the claims have literally just been received or we are waiting for the local authorities to provide supporting information. All valid claims will be paid quickly.

Fire Services: Pensions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish the costed potential changes to firefighter pensions. [199467]

Brandon Lewis: Earlier this year I met with the Union leadership and agreed to their request for the Government Actuary’s Department to cost alternative pension scheme designs for them. E-mails received from the Union’s consulting actuary set out a range of alternative scheme designs to be costed on behalf of the Union. Each of these alternative scheme designs concerned variations on the early retirement factors for firefighters who retired before age 60. In each instance the Department provided the letters from the Government Actuary’s Department to the Union at the earliest possible point in time. No other proposals were costed by the Government Actuary’s Department and the Union did not request the preparation of any other costings.

These costings were conducted during a period of constructive discussion and the Union leadership knew we were considering these proposals. I had been clear that it was only possible to consider such proposals during a period when strike action was in abeyance. Rather than continue and finalise that constructive process the Union leadership chose to call a halt to them prematurely by announcing further unnecessary strike action.

The Fire Brigades Union has launched a correspondence campaign to release this information, which is odd given that it is information that they already hold. To provide transparency over the process, I am publishing copies of the relevant papers on the firefighter pensions webpage at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms

and will place copies in the Library of the House.

Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the Severe Weather Recovery Scheme awarded to local authorities for costs incurred during the recent floods has been (a) allocated to and (b) received by local authorities to date. [198648]

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Brandon Lewis: £73.5 million has been allocated to, and received by, local authorities for costs incurred during the recent floods under the first phase of the Severe Weather Recovery Scheme. The closing date for the second tranche of the funding was 6 June.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the Government's Council Tax Relief Fund for people whose homes have been flooded has been (a) allocated to local authorities and (b) received by residents to date. [198657]

Brandon Lewis: As at 2 June 2014, 4,031 households were in receipt of a council tax discount from their local authority as a result of the impact of flooding. There are no set or advance allocations to councils. The fund works by councils retrospectively claiming back the cost of the council tax relief (in the same way, for example, as the Bellwin Scheme has always worked). Local authorities recently submitted the first round of claims for reimbursement. Subject to data checking, we expect reimbursement payments in the region of £1.8 million to be made shortly.

Further information on the available flood support schemes is available on the gov.uk website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-support-package-for-homeowners-and-businesses

Homelessness

Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what change there was in the number of homelessness acceptances arising from the end of a private sector tenancy in (a) Bury St Edmunds, (b) Suffolk and (c) England and Wales in each of the last five years. [198572]

Kris Hopkins: To assist public scrutiny, a table showing homelessness acceptances due to loss of private sector tenancy, by local authority, in each year from 2003 to 2013 is available in the Library of the House,

Data are not collected by parliamentary constituency.

The dataset shows that under the last Administration, the average numbers were higher than under this Administration, especially when taking into account the changes in the overall size of the private rented sector.

I would note that the rental sector policies of HM Opposition would make the problem worse, by reducing availability of private rented accommodation, forcing up rents and discouraging investment in the private rented sector. By contrast, this Government are increasing house building, delivering £19.5 billion of investment in affordable housing, supporting billions of private investment in new private rented accommodation, providing £470 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness, and avoiding the excessive regulation which would harm the interests of tenants.

Housing: Construction

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of homes in (a) Ebbsfleet and (b) other planned garden cities will be (i) wheelchair accessible and (ii) built to lifetime homes standards. [199288]

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Nick Boles: It is important that all locally-led large scale new developments like Ebbsfleet incorporate a high standard of design, and I am keen to see the use of design tools like Building for Life 12 which can serve this objective. Responsibility for delivering on the local plans for Ebbsfleet will sit with the new Urban Development Corporation and it would be premature to make any commitments on design standards at this stage. Ultimately, the development should be created in partnership with local communities and it should reflect and respond to their needs.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average price has been for houses sold under (a) the Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee and (b) the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Pendle. [198937]

Kris Hopkins: The information is as follows:

(a) Data on the Help to Buy: Mortgage Guarantee scheme are published by the Treasury. Figures to 31 March 2014 are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014

(b) For the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, figures for the average purchase price of properties are available at district council level, with the most recent official statistics relating to sales under the scheme to 30 April 2014.

(i) As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, column 32WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by government office region.

(ii) The average figure for that period across the twelve district council areas of Lancashire is £176,888. The figure for Lancashire can be compared with a national average of £205,424, as published at

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics

(iii) In Pendle, only one sale had been completed by 30 April 2014, and so quoting the average figure for that area would lead to disclosure of the purchase price of that property. This might be regarded as creating an unacceptably high risk of disclosing personal data and a statistical distortion.

Figures for the numbers of sales under the Help to Buy equity loan scheme as at 30 April 2014 broken down by local authority and postcode sector are available at

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics

I have also placed a copy of the table in the Library of the House.

Translation Services

Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost was of translation and interpreter services used by each borough and county council in England and Wales in each of the last five years. [198563]

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Brandon Lewis: This information is not centrally held.

As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 12 March 2013, Official Report, column 5WS, we have given guidance to local authorities to stop translating into foreign languages, as it wastes taxpayers' money, undermines community cohesion, promotes segregation and discourages integration into British society.

In that statement, it was noted that estimates had suggested that local authorities were previously spending nearly £20 million a year translating into foreign languages. This illustrates the scope for councils to make savings by stopping such translation, using the money instead to support frontline services and keep council tax down.

Treasury

Bank Services

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority to publish their review on removing barriers to entry and expansion in retail banking. [198990]

Andrea Leadsom: Budget 2014 detailed that the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority will publish a review of their work on removing barriers to entry and expansion in retail banking later this year.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Payments System Regulator on its market study into the ownership of payments systems by the largest banks. [198991]

Andrea Leadsom: At Budget 2014, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the competition powers of the payment systems regulator would be switched on with immediate effect. This enables the regulator to conduct a market study on ownership of the payment systems and, depending on the outcome, to refer the question of ownership to the Competition and Markets Authority. The decision about whether to commence a market study is one for the regulator.

Banks: Regulation

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Prudential Regulatory Authority will report on details of new bank authorisations. [198922]

Andrea Leadsom: The Prudential Regulation Authority will report on details of new bank authorisations as part of the Annual Report and Accounts.

Credit Unions

Mr Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many people were members of a credit union in each (a) region of England and (b) each borough of London in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement; [199109]

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(2) what estimate he has made of (a) the number of members of credit unions and (b) their total savings in each (i) region of the UK and (ii) London borough in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12, (C) 2012-13 and (D) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement; [199108]

(3) what estimate he has made of total lending by (a) credit unions and (b) community development finance institutions in each (i) region of England and (ii) London borough in (A) 2011-12, (B) 2012-13 and (C) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement. [199110]

Andrea Leadsom: The Government do not hold information on the numbers of credit union members or their total savings or lending by region. The data are held by the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority.

Debts: Advisory Services

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the provision of debt advice for carers in a) Glasgow North West, b) Glasgow, c) Scotland and d) the UK. [198898]

Andrea Leadsom: The Money Advice Service (MAS) is responsible for the coordination of debt advice funding across the UK and has a statutory duty to improve the quality, consistency and availability of debt advice. In 2013-14 MAS funded 163,000 debt advice sessions in England and Wales. MAS also co-funds debt advice in Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Government, which in the last financial year led to more than 11,000 people receiving advice.

MAS research shows that 4% of the clients of its funded services are carers. Research also suggests that advice over the phone can be particularly useful for carers and MAS has expanded its funded services to enable them to provide advice in this way. Carers are also able to access free debt advice over the phone from National Debtline and StepChange Debt Charity.

In Glasgow, there are two targeted projects which meet carers’ specific needs. These are:

Yorkhill Families Money and Debt Advice Support Project: Yorkhill hospital and Glasgow Central Citizens Advice Bureau together provide advice to families who are financially vulnerable because of their children’s long-term health condition; and

Glasgow Association for Mental Health Money and Debt Project, which provides free face-to-face advice debt advice to people with mental health problems across Glasgow and their carers.

Financial Services: Social Networking

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had on the development of guidance on the use of social media for promotion of financial services. [198928]

Andrea Leadsom: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for conduct supervision of regulated financial firms, including their responsible promotion of products and services.

In 2010 the then Financial Services Authority issued some high-level guidelines on use of ‘new media’—including social media—for such promotions. Since April 2013 the FCA has been engaging with industry, looking further at how social media interacts with FCA rules, and has committed to issue further guidelines later this summer.

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Mortgages

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people having difficulty making mortgage repayments have requested help from the Financial Ombudsman Service in each of the last three years. [199080]

Andrea Leadsom: The Government do not collect data on the number of cases referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS routinely collects and publishes statistics about the complaints referred to them, which it makes publicly available on its website.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the Help to Buy Scheme to housing built with local affordable conditions attached. [199044]

Andrea Leadsom: The Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme offers lenders the option to purchase a guarantee on mortgages where the borrower has a deposit of between 5% and 20% of the value of the property. A mortgage supported by the mortgage guarantee scheme works in exactly the same way as any other mortgage, but has to comply with the requirements set out in the scheme rules. In particular, the scheme rules exclude the use of the mortgage guarantee alongside other Government schemes or shared ownership schemes.

The Help to Buy: equity loan scheme is managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government and is available to all those who aspire to own a new build home, but struggle to access or afford the repayments on a low deposit mortgage. The scheme is open to first time buyers and to those looking to move up the housing ladder.

While the Government keep all schemes, including Help to Buy, under review, the Government currently have no plans to extend the Help to Buy scheme.

Further information about both parts of the Help to Buy scheme can be found at:

http://www.helptobuy.org.uk/home

Mortgages: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) Help to Buy Mortgage Guarantees and (b) Help to Buy: Equity Loans have been taken out in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Pendle to date. [198974]

Andrea Leadsom: The Government publish quarterly official statistics relating to the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The first of these were published on 29 May 2014.

This report, along with accompanying tables, can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014

The Government also publish monthly statistics on the number of homes purchased with the support of the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme, by local authority in England. This data can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-monthly-statistics

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Mortgages: West Midlands

Steve McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many homes in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Birmingham have been bought under the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme to date. [198626]

Andrea Leadsom: The Government publish quarterly official statistics relating to the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme. The first of these were published on 29 May 2014.

This report, along with accompanying tables, can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-buy-mortgage-guarantee-scheme-quarterly-statistics-october-2013-to-march-2014

Natural Resources

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal steps he has taken to promote the circular economy and sustainable use of resources. [199547]

Nicky Morgan: The £8 per tonne escalator in the standard rate of landfill tax has been extremely successful in reducing waste sent to landfill and providing certainty to the industry to invest in alternative technologies which help to ensure a more sustainable use of resources. Budget 2014 provided further certainty on the future of both the standard and lower rates by confirming that they will not be eroded by inflation in future years.

Budget 2014 also announced an additional £5 million of funding to tackle waste crime, which will assist in the Environment Agency's drive to ensure effective compliance and enforcement with waste legislation.

North Sea Oil

Mr Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding for the extraction of North Sea oil has come from (a) the Government, (b) the Scottish Executive and (c) the private sector in each of the last 20 years. [198595]

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Government Departments and agencies, including notably the Department of Energy and Climate Change and its predecessor Departments, have for many years supported research aimed at identifying UK hydrocarbon potential and finding ways of finding and extracting it more cost-effectively. Comprehensive records of the amount spent on such activities by year across Government are not available.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have detailed information on the annual expenditure of the Scottish Executive.

Estimates of total annual pre-tax expenditure in £ billions by the private sector on finding and developing UK hydrocarbons (oil and gas, in the North sea as well as elsewhere in the UK and on the UK Continental Shelf) for the period 1994–2013 are given in the following table. More detailed information through to 2012 is available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-uk-field-data#ukcs-income-and-expenditure

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Revenue and Customs

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the minutes of the meetings of the HM Revenue and Customs' Board and associated sub-committees for (a) 2013 and (b) 2014. [198899]

Mr Gauke: It is HMRC's policy to publish Board and Executive Committee minutes annually. The HMRC website is due to be updated with these in the next month. HMRC's annual report contains a summary of the key areas of work for each sub-committee over the previous year.

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what issues the HM Revenue and Customs' Scrutiny Committee has addressed since its establishment in 2013. [198900]

Mr Gauke: The remit of the Scrutiny Committee is to advise the Board and Principal Accounting Officer on issues referred by the Board for in-depth review, challenge or assurance. Since its establishment in 2013, the Committee has reviewed the departmental security strategy as well as the Department’s complaints handling processes.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that Natwest and other subsidiaries of RBS remain as competitive as possible in the banking sector. [199219]

Andrea Leadsom: On 1 November 2013, RBS committed to a new direction, focussing on its core British business, supporting British families and companies. RBS's new direction is supported wholeheartedly by the Bank of England, UKFI and the Government.

RBS and its subsidiaries retain their own independent boards and management teams for strategic and operational decision-making.

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The Government's shareholding in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is managed on a commercial and arm's length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI).

Venture Capital

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission an assessment of the amount of investment in small and medium-sized enterprises from peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding platforms. [198923]

Andrea Leadsom: Crowdfunding and peer to peer lending are innovative new forms of finance that support competition in the business lending sector. The Government have taken a number of steps to support their growth.

The Government have no current plans to commission an assessment of the amount of investment in small and medium-sized enterprises from peer to peer lending and crowdfunding platforms.

Home Department

Boston College

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions the Prime Minister has had with the US President and others on the release of the files held by Boston College relating to Northern Ireland. [198589]

Damian Green: 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 ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently published on the Cabinet Office website which is available here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-ministers-gifts-and-hospitality-july-to-september-2013

Human Trafficking

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of victims of human trafficking through the UK; and if she will make a statement. [198785]

Karen Bradley: In 2013 the UK National Referral Mechanism (NRM) received 1,746 referrals of potential victims of trafficking. However, trafficking is a covert crime and victims are often hidden, making it difficult to establish the true scale of the issue.

The National Crime Agency’s UK Human Trafficking Centre publishes an annual assessment of the number of victims of human trafficking. The most recent assessment was published in August 2013 and can be found on the NCA website:

www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk

The Government are determined to lead the global fight against human trafficking (including modern slavery), and has introduced the Modern Slavery Bill. The Bill

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will give law enforcement the tools to stamp out modern slavery, and enhance protection for victims. To complement the Bill, the Government are also ramping up non-legislative action to tackle this abhorrent crime.

Knives: Crime

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of measures adopted following the Kinsella Review of anti-knife crime projects, published in February 2011; and if she will make a statement. [198893]

Norman Baker: There has been no formal assessment of the measures introduced following the publication of the Kinsella Review. However, we keep the current Ending Gang and Youth Violence programme under close review, which supports the work of the 33 areas in England and Wales identified as having the most significant gang problems. This programme is aimed at tackling gang and youth violence and includes knife crime. Our assessment of the first year (2012-13) of the programme was positive, with local areas considering it to have been a success. We are currently finalising the assessment of the second year (2013-14).

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what Government funding has been provided for tackling teenage knife crime in each year since publication of the Kinsella Review in February 2011. [198894]

Norman Baker: On 2 February 2011, Official Report, column 46WS, the Home Secretary announced £18 million funding to tackle knife, gun and gang crime. The funding was given to police, local agencies and the voluntary sector to tackle serious youth violence and prevent young people entering a cycle of crime. This funding addressed issues of gang and youth violence including knife crime.

The two year funding supported enforcement and prevention work by police in three knife crime hotspot areas, alongside positive activities for young people and local work to bring about long-term changes in attitudes and behaviours. The money included up to:

£3.75 million (£2 million in 2011-12 and £1.75 million in 2012-13) for the three police forces areas where more than half of the country’s knife crime occurs—the Metropolitan Police Service, Greater Manchester, and the West Midlands.

£4 million (£2 million in 2011-12 and £1.75 million in 2012-13 ) for a ‘communities against gangs, guns and knives’ fund—for local voluntary organisations across England and Wales working with young people to stop involvement in knife and gang violence.

£10 million for prevention and diversionary activities and engagement with young people at risk of becoming involved in crime, including knife related violence

£1 million to support the development of anti-knife, gun and gang crime materials for schools and a good practice website to enable local projects to share knowledge and expertise. About 280 practitioners are now sharing information through the Knowledge Hub set up in the Local Government Association website.

£250,000 for 2011-12 of the Ben Kinsella Fund (in addition to the £250,000 provided for 2010-11) for young people to run anti-knife crime projects in their local area.

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Police

Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of working time police officers in each police force spent on frontline policing duties in England and Wales in each of the last five years. [198566]

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.

The Home Office does however collect police officer functions data which are used by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to calculate the number of operational frontline police officers in each police force area. These figures (and information on visible police officers) are published from 2010 onwards as part of the ‘Valuing the Police’ inspection programme, which can be found at:

http://www.hmic.gov.uk/data/valuing-the-police-data/

These figures relate to each officer’s predominant function over the year, rather than the proportion of their working time.

Surveillance: Aircraft

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the potential need for a separate national policy on the collection, use and retention of data gathered by unmanned or other surveillance aircraft operating in the UK. [199442]

Damian Green: None. Existing regulation and guidance, which includes the surveillance camera code of practice issued under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, applies to the use of aircraft including remotely piloted aerial vehicles. The code provides a framework of good practice for surveillance camera operators in England and Wales and sets out obligations arising from other legislation, including those for the processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act 1998. Any covert surveillance undertaken by a public authority which is likely to obtain private information would be subject to authorisation under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has made an assessment of the advice of Jemima Stratford QC to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones; and if she will make a statement. [199444]

Damian Green: Existing regulation and guidance, which includes the Covert Surveillance and Property Interference Code of Practice, applies to the use of aircraft including remotely piloted aerial vehicles. The Code provides a framework of good practice for public authorities using covert surveillance techniques. The Department has noted the responses by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones to the recent consultation on a revised version of the Code and intend to lay a further draft before Parliament in due course.

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Energy and Climate Change

Dungeness B Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information has been provided to his Department by (a) EDF Energy and (b) the Office for Nuclear Regulation on the application by EDF Energy to extend the operating life of the Dungeness B reactor. [198936]

Michael Fallon: In December 2013, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) received a notification from EDF Energy of the intention to extend the planned operating life of Dungeness B AGR power station (as required under the Nuclear Liabilities Funding Agreement). Information relating to this process was shared with the Department. The decision on whether in practice to extend the life of the plant will be a commercial matter for EDF Energy. This is subject to the relevant safety and security regulations.

Energy: Business

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with (a) electricity generators and (b) representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises and consumer groups on proposals to assist small business energy consumers. [198927]

Michael Fallon: DECC Ministers and officials meet industry representatives and consumer groups on a regular basis to discuss market issues.

In July last year, No. 10 and DECC set up a joint working group with industry and consumer groups to look at ways for improving the transparency and fairness of the energy market for small businesses. At the end of 2013, the working group published the Small Business Energy Communiqué, an agreement with industry to make it easier for small businesses to get a better deal in the energy market.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/small-business-energy-working-group-communique

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will list the energy companies which have agreed to (a) introduce arrangements before the end of 2014 to limit bad bills to businesses to one year where the supplier is at fault and (b) end automatic roll-overs for new customers. [199028]

Michael Fallon: British Gas, Edf Energy, E.ON, First Utility, Good Energy, Opus Energy, RWE nPower, Scottish Power and SSE publically announced that they plan to limit back bills where the company is at fault to one year by the end of 2013, or as soon as practically possible in 2014.

British Gas, Edf Energy, E.ON, First Utility, RWE nPower, Scottish Power and SSE announced their intention to end the use of automatic rollover contracts for new customers before the end of 2014.

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Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1119W, on energy prices, what estimate his Department has made of changes to the wholesale cost of (a) electricity and (b) gas in (i) 2013 and (ii) January to May 2014. [198624]

Gregory Barker: The average GB wholesale electricity price in January 2013 was 5.00 pence/kWh. By December 2013 this had risen by 2% to 5.10 pence/kWh. The average price for January 2014 was 4.78 pence/kWh. By May 2014 this had fallen by 17% to 3.97 pence/kWh.

The average GB wholesale gas price in January 2013 was 2.28 pence/kWh. By December 2013 this had risen by 4% to 2.37 pence/kWh. The average price for January 2014 was 2.22 pence/kWh. By May 2014 this had fallen by 30% to 1.55 pence/kWh.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1119W, on energy prices, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) wholesale and (b) retail cost of (i) electricity and (ii) gas in 2013. [198625]

Gregory Barker: The average GB wholesale electricity price in 2013 was 4.98 pence/kWh¹. For gas, it was 2.32 pence/kWh².

These prices do not necessarily reflect the costs faced by energy suppliers, who typically buy their energy over a period of time using forward contracts—a practice known as hedging. The particular hedging strategies employed by different suppliers are commercially confidential and not known to Government.

¹ Source: data received by DECC from commercial price reporting companies.

² Ibid.

Sir Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to provide assistance to people with cold-related health conditions who are struggling to pay their heating bills. [198929]

Gregory Barker: The evidence is clear that living in cold homes can have a substantial range of negative health impacts. We have a strong package of policies already delivering assistance to those in need.

These include:

the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) which funds efficient boilers and insulation measures to low income and vulnerable households and is now guaranteed until at least 2017;

the Warm Home Discount scheme, which gave over 1.2 million of the lowest income pensioners £135 off their electricity bills in winter 2013-14, and supported more than 2 million households in total;

Winter Fuel and Cold Weather payments which provide support to pensioners and vulnerable low income groups; and

the Big Energy Saving Network which is providing outreach to consumers, helping them understand tariffs and switching options as well as how they could benefit from energy efficiency programmes available to them.

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In July 2013 DECC published the document Fuel Poverty: a framework for future action, this stated Government's intention to continue to prioritise ‘vulnerable' fuel poor households (ie those containing an elderly person, a child or someone who is long term sick or disabled) within fuel poverty policies.

We have been discussing links between fuel poverty and health with colleagues in the Department of Health, and Public Health England, at all levels, including ministerial, as part of our preparation for a new fuel poverty strategy.

Energy: Waste

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of export of refuse-derived fuel and solid recovered fuel for use in energy from waste plants overseas has on the ability of the UK to meet renewable energy targets; and if he will make a statement. [198891]

Gregory Barker: DECC has not made an assessment of the effect of export of refuse-derived fuel and solid recovered fuel may have on the ability to meet renewable energy targets.

We are making good progress towards meeting our 2020 target. In 2012 4.2% of UK energy consumption was met by renewables, up from 3.8% in 2011. Our latest estimates suggest that the UK is currently on course to meet our next interim renewable target of 5.4% for 2013-14.

Fuel Poverty

Sir Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on support for people in fuel poverty who suffer from cold-related health conditions. [198976]

Gregory Barker: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change met my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health in February 2014, specifically to discuss how DECC and the Department of Health can work together to tackle fuel poverty, building on previous collaboration.

Natural Gas: Storage

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the potential need for additional gas storage capacity in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [198546]

Michael Fallon: The Department commissioned independent analysis by Redpoint Energy on the case for intervention in the UK gas storage market.

This cost-benefit analysis did not support intervention to deliver additional gas storage capacity within the UK due to a combination of low risk, poor rates of return for the taxpayer, and the risk of unintended consequences within the market. A written statement to Parliament on gas security of supply policy and gas storage was made by the Secretary of State on 4 September 2013.

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The market continues to bring forward gas storage projects: two storage facilities have recently been completed and two more are currently under construction.

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to reassess the need for additional gas storage capacity in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [198547]

Michael Fallon: We published on 3 September 2013 an independent assessment about the need to intervene in the gas storage market. With reference to my answer to written question 198546, we decided against intervention on the basis of the cost-benefit analysis undertaken by Redpoint Energy.

The factors which underpinned this decision have not changed. I have no plans to reassess the need for additional gas storage capacity within the UK.

Wind Power: Electrical Substations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of potential health risks arising from (a) above-ground and (b) underground electricity cables which connect onshore windfarms to sub-stations. [198609]

Michael Fallon: Public Health England (PHE) is advisor on potential health risks from above ground or underground electricity cables. Government policy, based on advice from PHE, is that the 1998 International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection guidelines on public exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) are applied in terms of the 1999 EU Council Recommendation on limiting exposure of the general public (1999/519/EC). PHE remains the focus of UK expertise in such matters and keeps the scientific evidence relevant to EMF exposures under review.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department makes funding available for onshore windfarm operators to place cables underground between the windfarm and the connecting sub-station. [198610]

Michael Fallon: The Department does not make specific funding available to generators for placing their cables underground. However, network infrastructure costs have been factored into Government decisions on levels of support for onshore windfarms such as the Renewables Obligation.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many onshore wind farms have been connected to sub-stations in each of the last five years. [198612]

Michael Fallon: According to Renewable-UK Wind Energy Database the following numbers of onshore wind projects have been connected in Great Britain over the past five years. The vast majority of these projects contained five or fewer turbines. The Department does not hold data on what, if any, connections to sub-stations were required.

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Further details of these onshore wind projects are available at:

http://www.renewableuk.com/en/renewable-energy/wind-energy/uk-wind-energy-database/index.cfm

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure that onshore wind farm developers take into account the costs of (a) overground cables and (b) underground cables between a wind farm and its sub-station when taking decisions on laying such cables. [198614]

Michael Fallon: Onshore wind farm developers already take into account the costs of different connection options as part of their commercial decisions. In addition, developers submitting applications for nationally significant infrastructure proposals are required to consider alternative options for connections, including undergrounding and routes, as part of the planning consent process.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what the average distance is between an onshore wind farm and its connecting sub-station; [198618]

(2) what length of cables between onshore wind farms and connecting sub-stations has been placed (a) above ground and (b) underground in each of the last five years; [198611]

(3) in which locations cables between onshore wind farms and connecting sub-stations have been placed completely underground in each of the last 10 years. [198613]

Michael Fallon: The Department does not hold this information. Wind farms usually own the cables connecting them to substations. Gathering the information requested would, therefore, require contacting individual wind farm developers at a disproportionate cost.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on how many occasions and relating to which locations proposals for overground cables between onshore wind farms and the connecting sub-station have been rejected in each of the last 10 years. [198619]

Michael Fallon: The Department has not rejected any applications for overhead line connections to onshore wind farms in the past 10 years in England and Wales.