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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Home Department

Animal Experiments: Cats

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cats have been used in experiments in Britain in each of the last five years. [200318]

Norman Baker: The following table contains information on the number of cats used in procedures undertaken between 2008 and 2012.

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason scientific experiments on cats are permitted. [200319]

Norman Baker: Cats, along with some other species, are given special protection by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and may only be used if no other species is suitable or it is not practicable to obtain animals of any other species that are suitable for the purposes of the relevant programme of work. It is my objective to minimise the use of cats as far as possible.

Cats are primarily used in the development of veterinary medicines and techniques, and in neurological research. Much of the veterinary research is for the benefit of cats, for example in developing vaccines for feline diseases and improved diets for cats.

Entry Clearances

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 17 March 2014, Official Report, column 364W, on entry clearances, what options the policy and operational teams in her Department are considering to best accommodate a clearance programme once the appeal against the judgment of Mr Justice Blake on 5 July 2013 on the Government’s visa income threshold is published. [200282]

Karen Bradley: We will study the Court of Appeal judgment in MM and Others closely when this is handed down. We will then decide and announce how we will deal with those applications placed on hold pending the conclusion of the litigation.

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Female Genital Mutilation

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many female genital mutilation cases her Department has been made aware of in each year since 2012; and in how many such cases those involved were either deported or threatened with deportation. [199797]

James Brokenshire: Information on the basis of claim for asylum is not centrally recorded, and the information requested in the hon. Gentleman’s question could be obtained only through a manual search of individual case files. This would exceed the cost limit.

As we do not centrally record the information requested, we are unable to obtain the data for the number of people whose claim involved female genital mutilation that were deported or threatened with deportation.

Immigration Officers: Training

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training immigration officials receive in relation to handling extremely sensitive and emotional situations; and if she will make a statement. [199701]

Karen Bradley: Dealing with sensitive and emotional situations is part of the training provided to all staff in Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and UK Visas and Immigration and it includes keeping children safe, human trafficking and diversity and equality. Depending on their role, immigration officials also receive further training on duty of care; interviewing vulnerable people; handling sensitive gender and sexual orientation claims; and issues faced by victims of human trafficking. The training highlights warning signs to look for when dealing with vulnerable people and how to refer them to other statutory agencies that have protection or welfare roles.

There are assurance processes in place to make sure that required standards are continuing to be met. This includes the independent observation and assessment of operational activity on a regular basis to ensure that officers are carrying out their duties appropriately and that staff handle situations sensitively and proportionately.

Marriage of Convenience

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many marriages were reported to the Home Office as suspicious or sham in each year since 2009. [199064]

Karen Bradley: Sections 24 and 24A of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 place a duty on registration officers to submit a report to the Home Office where they have reasonable grounds to suspect that a marriage or civil partnership is a sham being entered into for immigration purposes. Table 1 shows the number of section 24/24A reports received in each year since 2009. Same sex marriages only came into effect this year, so there are no data relating to this period, or for civil partnerships before 2011.

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The Home Office Intelligence Management System (IMS) records allegations from the public regarding immigration-related offences. Since 30 September 2012 we have recorded the following numbers of reports relating to sham marriage as set out in Table 2.

These figures relate to reports identified by the public as possible sham marriage.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many marriages reported as suspicious or sham were (a) same sex marriages, (b) heterosexual marriages and (c) civil partnerships in each year since 2009. [199065]

James Brokenshire: Sections 24 and 24A of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 place a duty on registration officers to submit a report to the Home Office where they have reasonable grounds to suspect that a marriage or civil partnership is a sham being entered into for immigration purposes. Table 1 shows the number of section 24/24A reports received in each year since 2009. Same sex marriages only came into effect this year, so there are no data relating to this period, or for civil partnerships before 2011.

The Home Office Intelligence Management System (IMS) records allegations from the public regarding immigration-related offences. Since 30 September 2012 we have recorded the following numbers of reports relating to sham marriage as set out in Table 2.

These figures relate to reports identified by the public as possible sham marriage.

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Nigeria

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether officials of her Department have (a) met the Attorney-General of Nigeria since January 2012, (b) had any conversations about the sale of the OPL 245 oil concession in Nigeria involving Shell and ENI with (i) the Attorney-General of Nigeria and (ii) any other senior official of the Nigerian Government and (c) received any requests for mutual legal assistance regarding the OPL 245 case. [200210]

Karen Bradley: 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 at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=home-office&publication_type=transparency-data

The Metropolitan Police Proceeds of Corruption Unit is investigating complaints made about the case of oil block OPL-245 in Nigeria. As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further on this. We can neither confirm nor deny whether there have been discussions with the Attorney-General of Nigeria, or any other senior Nigerian Government official regarding any specific criminal investigation or proceedings.

It is the usual policy to neither confirm nor deny the existence, content or status of any individual mutual legal assistance request.

Passports

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice her Department gives to parents travelling with a child who has a different surname on ensuring they do not encounter delays at UK border control. [199836]

Karen Bradley: The advice Border Force gives to parents travelling with a child who has a different surname is contained in the publically available leaflet ‘Children travelling to the UK’ which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/children-travelling-to-the-uk

Private Investigators

Sir Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 13 May 2014, Official Report, column 462W, on private investigation, on what date she expects the new statutory licensing requirement to come into force. [200171]

Karen Bradley: We expect the new statutory licensing regime for those conducting the activity of private investigations to come into force in 2015.

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Racially Aggravated Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many racially aggravated attacks were recorded in the latest period for which figures are available. [200511]

Norman Baker: The police provide the Home Office with aggregated figures of the recorded number of racially or religiously aggravated assault with (a) and (b) without injury offences. It is not possible to separately identify the specific aggravating factor.

In the year ending December 2013, the police recorded 2,473 racially or religiously aggravated assault with injury offences and 3,988 racially or religiously aggravated assault without injury offences.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the statement in Vodafone’s 2013-14 Sustainability Report, that section 19 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 prohibits disclosing the existence of any requirement to provide assistance in relation to a warrant, whether her Department issued guidance to that effect. [200249]

Karen Bradley: The statutory Interception of Communications Code of Practice, which was approved by Parliament and came into force on 1 July 2002, provides advice on safeguards for intercept material.

House of Commons Commission

Clerk of the House

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, (1) how much Saxton Bampfylde will be paid for its work on a successor to the Clerk of the House and chief executive; and if he will publish their terms of reference; [200391]

(2) when Saxton Bampfylde was appointed for the search for a successor to the Clerk of the House and chief executive; [200392]

(3) who was responsible for the appointment of Saxton Bampfylde for the search for a successor to the Clerk of the House and chief executive; and who will monitor its progress; [200393]

(4) who will be responsible for the appointment of the next Clerk of the House and chief executive. [200394]

John Thurso: Following a competitive tendering process, Saxton Bampfylde was appointed on 29 May 2014 to support the recruitment of the next Clerk of the House and chief executive, in particular by providing executive search services. Three bids were received and evaluated by Mr Speaker and the director general of HR and Change. The fee for these services is fixed at £18,000. The contract will be monitored by the Department of HR and Change. The recruitment brief to which Saxton Bampfylde is working will be placed in the Library.

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The Clerk of the House is appointed by the Crown by Letters Patent, on the recommendation of the Speaker to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister to the Crown. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by a panel chaired by Mr Speaker, three other members of the House of Commons Commission, a senior Back Bencher and an external member.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what proportion of staff within the House of Commons Commission who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British. [199910]

John Thurso: The breakdown of staff who classed themselves as white British and who were dismissed following formal disciplinary procedures addressing poor performance, unsatisfactory attendance or misconduct is as follows:

Over the five years as a whole there were 15 such dismissals of which eight described themselves as white and British. In a further four cases the ethnic background was unknown or not stated and the nationality was unknown or not stated in three cases.

Prime Minister

China

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to discuss (a) the abolition of the death penalty, (b) freedom of expression and (c) freedom of religion or belief and (d) Tibet with the Chinese Premier during his visit to the UK. [200692]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave to her on 17 June 2014, Official Report, column 504W.

Ministers: Conduct

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister if he will refer the matter of the release of correspondence between the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Education on preventing extremism to the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests. [200722]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Barnsley East (Michael Dugher) on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 338W.

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Cabinet Office

Census

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has for the future of the UK Census; and if he will make a statement. [200302]

Mr Maude: The Government recognise the value of the census but I have long said that it is outdated in its current form and could be more effectively and more cheaply delivered. Decisions about its future will be announced in the usual way, but the Government agree with the conclusion of the Public Affairs Committee that the census needs to change.

Conditions of Employment: Ethnic Groups

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the ethnic breakdown of workers on zero-hours contracts. [199997]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the ethnic breakdown of workers on zero-hour-contracts. (199997)

Estimates of the numbers and characteristics of people in employment on zero-hours contracts are available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), a survey of people resident in households. The LFS asks people in employment if their job has any flexible working arrangements and, if so, to identify them from a list of employment patterns. “Zero-hours contract” is listed and is described as a contract ‘where a person is not contracted to work a set number of hours, and is only paid for the number of hours that they actually work’.

Further to this, in January 2014 the ONS undertook a survey of businesses to obtain an employer-based estimate to complement the existing LFS employee-based figure. Results from this survey were published on 30 April 2014:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lmac/contracts-with-no-guaranteed-hours/zero-hours-contracts/art-zero-hours.html

This adopted a slightly different definition to the LFS, and reported on the number of employee contracts that do not guarantee a minimum number of hours, which provided work in the survey reference period. This estimate includes, but is not exclusively, “zero-hours contracts” and covers some other contract types that do not guarantee a minimum number of hours.

According to the LFS for the three-month period October to December 2013, there were an estimated 583,000 people on a zero-hours contract in the UK. For the ONS business survey, there were 1.4 million employee contracts that did not guarantee a minimum number of hours, which provided work in the survey reference period of the fortnight beginning 20 January 2014. This is higher than the LFS figure for a number of reasons:

i. employers and employees will have differing perceptions and awareness about the types of employment contracts used;

ii. the employer survey will count employee contracts, not people, and will provide higher estimates (as one person can have more than one contract);

iii. employers in the business survey may report multiple contracts for each job;

iv. the questions asked of respondents differed slightly, with the business survey asking about contracts not guaranteeing any hours, while the LFS question uses the term “zero-hours contracts”;

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v. the LFS includes all people in employment (including the self-employed) while the business survey only includes employees.

As for the original question, it is only the LFS that enables a breakdown by ethnicity.

However, the LFS sample size is not large enough to reliably support estimates of the number of people on zero hours contracts by each individual ethnic group. It can be estimated though that, for October to December 2013 (the latest period for which data are available), of the 583,000 total number of people on zero hours contracts, 510,000 (87%) were white and 71,000 (12%) were non-white. No ethnic group was recorded for about 2,000 people.

Published estimates for the same period covering total employment by ethnicity show a similar proportional breakdown of 90% and 10% for whites and non-whites, respectively.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. It is estimated that the true value for the total number of people on zero-hours contracts is likely to be within 10 per cent of the estimate given. This also applies to the estimate for the white ethnic group. For the non-white ethnic group the true value is likely to be within 30 per cent of the estimate given.

Employment: Kettering

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the level of unemployment in Kettering constituency was (a) in May 2010 and (b) is at present; and how many net new jobs have been created in the Kettering economy since May 2010. [200351]

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

Letter from Caron Walker, dated June 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Prime Minister what the level of unemployment in Kettering constituency was (a) in May 2010 and (b) is at present; and how many net new jobs have been created in the Kettering economy since May 2010. (200351)

The ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics for local areas following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions using the Annual Population Survey (APS).

Information regarding the number of new jobs created is not available. As an alternative, estimates relating to the net changes in the number of people in employment have been provided.

Table 1 shows the number of people who were unemployed and the number and net change of people in employment, resident in Kettering constituency. These estimates are compiled from APS interviews held during the period January 2013 to December 2013 (the latest available period) and the 12 month period ending in December 2010.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.

National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

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Health

Abortion

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the HS4A abortion notification form to require registered medical practitioners to indicate whether they have examined the presenting patient and/or discussed with her the grounds for abortion prior to forming their opinion in good faith that the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967 were met; [200274]

(2) how many HSA4 certificates his Department has returned to terminating doctors pending completion in the last five years. [200273]

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Jane Ellison: It is estimated that between 2009 and 2013 approximately 49,000 forms were returned to registered medical practitioners (RMPs) for further information and clarification.

Form HSA4 already requires information to be provided as to whether the two certifying RMPs saw and/or examined the pregnant woman.

Cancer

Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended for (i) prostate cancer, (ii) lung cancer, (iii) bowel cancer, (iv) breast cancer and (v) kidney cancer through either single or multiple technology appraisals and under the end of life criteria in each year since NICE was established. [200233]

Norman Lamb: The consideration of end of life criteria was introduced into the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) technology appraisal process in January 2009. NICE has advised that it has recommended the following treatments for prostate, lung, bowel and kidney cancer under its technology appraisal programme where the end of life criteria were applied. No treatments for breast cancer have been recommended under the end of life criteria.

Cancer: Drugs

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer patients aged between 13 and 24 have (a) accessed treatments through the already approved Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) list, (b) applied for individual CDF requests, (c) had individual CDF requests put forward for consideration by the CDF panel, (d) had individual CDF requests approved by the CDF panel and (e) had individual CDF requests refused by the CDF panel in each of the last three years. [200176]

Norman Lamb: Prior to April 2013, information on the Cancer Drugs Fund was administered through clinical panels based in each strategic health authority and information on the age of patients who received cancer drugs was not collected.

NHS England has had oversight of the fund since April 2013 and advises that it does not analyse Cancer Drugs Fund data by age ranges.

Diabetes: Staffordshire

Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children began treatment for Type 1 diabetes in (a) Cannock Chase constituency and (b) Staffordshire in each of the last five years. [200241]

Jane Ellison: Information is not available in the format requested.

Information on the number of children aged up to 18 years, registered in primary and secondary care, that were newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 in the former (a) North Staffordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT), (b) South Staffordshire PCT and (c) Stoke-on-Trent PCT, is shown in the following table.

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Drugs

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adaptive licensing or early access schemes (a) in the UK and (b) across the EU; and if he will make a statement. [200378]

Norman Lamb: The potential merits and impact of adaptive licensing and early access to medicine schemes were considered by the Expert Group on innovation in the regulation of health care that was established in June 2012 following the Prime Minister’s 2011 Life Science Strategy. The Expert Group was composed of a range of experts from Government, industry, patient and health professional stakeholders.

In their 2013 report, the group welcomed the proposal for the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS), for highly promising unlicensed medicinal products in areas of high unmet medical need, and urged the Government to introduce it as soon as possible. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency launched the EAMS on 7 April 2014.

On adaptive licensing, the group saw opportunities for more use of the existing legal flexibilities to facilitate patient access to innovative products. The group urged for the pilot on adaptive licensing by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to be launched at the earliest opportunity.

The EMA published its adaptive licensing pilot project on 19 March. The Government see this pilot as a test for current licensing flexibilities and the methodology of adaptive licensing. We welcome the pilot and will continue to be actively engaged in the debate in Europe.

A copy of the report of the Expert Group on innovation in the regulation of health care has been placed in the Library.

General Practitioners

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs there were in England per 100,000 population in each of the last five years. [200231]

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Dr Poulter: The following table sets out how many general practitioners (GPs) there were in England per 100,000 population in each of the last five years:

2010 and 2011 figures are based on the 2009 and 2010 Mid-Year Population Estimates (2001 Census). 2012 and 2013 figures are based on the 2011 and 2012 Mid-Year Population Estimates (2011 Census).

The Government have recognised the need to increase the GP workforce and between September 2010 and September 2013, the number of full-time-equivalent GPs has risen by 1,051. Additionally, the Department has included in the Health Education England (HEE) mandate a requirement that “HEE will ensure that 50% of trainees completing foundation level training enter GP training programmes by 2016”.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of a GP consultation was in each year since 1984 for which data are available. [200395]

Dr Poulter: Data are not held centrally on the average length of general practitioner (GP) appointments.

However, NHS England has advised that the latest information available indicates that the average consultation time with a GP is around 12 minutes (2006/07 GP Workload Survey).

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of GP visits was in each year since 1984 for which information is available. [200396]

Dr Poulter: Data on the total cost of general practitioner visits are not available. The Health and Social Care Information Centre collects data on the total expenditure on general practice, both including and excluding the cost of dispensed drugs. The latest available data are from 2012-13, and the earliest available data are from 2003-04.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the savings to the NHS from the use of mindfulness interventions to reduce the number of GP visits; [200397]

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(2) what assessment he has made of the findings of Mental Health Foundation research into the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on the reduction in patient visits to the GP. [200425]

Norman Lamb: No such assessment of the saving to the national health service from the use of mindfulness interventions to reduce the number of general practitioner visits has been made.

The Department is aware of the Mental Health Foundation’s research into the impact of mindfulness. The benefits of mindfulness are widely recognised. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance for the NHS has recommended Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for recurrent depression since 2004. MBCT is available through a number of Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services in England.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the relationship of the length of time of GP patient consultation and successful diagnosis. [200399]

Dr Poulter: No assessment has been made of the relationship between the length of time of general practitioner (GP) patient consultation and successful diagnosis. Data on the length of GP appointments are not held centrally.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefits of nurse-led patient health checks immediately before GP consultations. [200400]

Dr Poulter: We understand from NHS England that, to date, no assessment has been made of the benefits of nurse-led patient health checks immediately before general practitioner appointments.

However, practice nurses play an invaluable role as part of the multidisciplinary practice team. For example, in some areas nurses will deliver the NHS Health Check programme, which aims to prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease.

NHS England will also shortly be employing a practice nurse advisor who will be working at national level to help inform and disseminate best practice in relation to health checks and the chief nursing officer will work closely with the medical director to support further work on the Health Check programme.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the relationship between the length of time of GP patient consultation and patient satisfaction. [200401]

Dr Poulter: Overall patient satisfaction is driven by a range of factors, including accessing general practitioner (GP) appointments at a convenient time, the ability to see a preferred GP and the quality of the conversation with the GP.

Data are not held centrally on the average length of a GP appointment, and we are not aware of any formal assessment being made of the relationship between the length of time of a GP patient consultation and patient satisfaction.

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However, the GP Patient Survey includes the following question:

“Last time you saw or spoke to a GP from your GP surgery, how good was that GP at each of the following?

Giving you enough time

Listening to you

Explaining tests and treatments

Involving you in decisions about your care

Treating you with care and concern”

In the most recent GP Patient Survey, published in December 2013, 85.8% of respondents said that their GP was either ‘very good’ or ‘good’ at giving them enough time.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much a GP practice is paid for each patient visit to a GP. [200417]

Dr Poulter: General practitioner (GP) practices are not paid for each patient visit to a GP. GP practices hold contracts with NHS England to provide primary medical services for their registered list and receive capitated payments fordoing so.

Human Papillomavirus

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2014, Official Report, column 101W, on the human papillomavirus, when the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will publish its conclusions into whether the human papillomavirus vaccination should be offered to males. [200577]

Jane Ellison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) human papillomavirus (HPV) sub-committee will report its findings to the JCVI following consideration of on-going studies by Public Health England on the impact and cost-effectiveness of extending HPV vaccination to men who have sex with men (MSM) and/or to adolescent boys.

It is expected that the MSM modelling study will be completed at the end of 2014 at the earliest, and the adolescent boys modelling study will be completed at the end of 2015 at the earliest. The JCVI will then consider the findings of the HPV sub-committee before deciding what advice or recommendations can be made.

Medical Treatments

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have not received homecare medicines and products on time for treatment of (a) cystic fibrosis, (b) HIV and (c) rheumatoid arthritis in the last year. [200204]

Norman Lamb: This information is not collected by the Department or NHS England.

Mr Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended only for patients who have not been treated with a previously appraised drug; [200234]

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(2) in which single or multiple technology appraisals for pharmacological treatments for cancer the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has considered the sequential use of the appraised technology with another available treatment; and whether in each such appraisal this resulted in a recommendation on sequential use in each year since NICE was established. [200238]

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that providing all the information in the format requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Information about technology appraisals where NICE has recommended a technology only in circumstances in which a patient has not been treated with a previously recommended technology can be found within each published technology appraisal on NICE’s website at:

www.nice.org.uk

Information about where NICE has considered or made recommendations regarding the sequential use of technologies can also be found within each published technology appraisal on the website.

NHS

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the review by the NHS on intellectual property, “Innovation, Health and Wealth”. [200424]

Dr Poulter: NHS England has advised that work to develop proposals following the review is still continuing, and proposals will be shared in due course.

Sunbeds

Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will reply to the report by the all party group on skin into sunbed regulation in England. [200218]

Jane Ellison: The Government have noted the all party group on skin report and are currently considering the recommendations and the implications.

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 Prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled. [200592]

Dr Poulter: The Department received 5,201 written questions in the 2013-14 parliamentary Session. All questions received a substantive answer before the Prorogation.

Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Prices

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the proportion of the Demand Side Balancing Reserve that will comprise of active demand reduction rather than switching on generation assets. [200508]

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Michael Fallon: The Demand Side Balancing Reserve is operated by National Grid independently from Government. Once National Grid has concluded the procurement of the reserve in the autumn it will be possible to identify the proportion of the reserve that comprises ‘load reduction’ rather than the export of additional generation onto the grid (though initial expressions of interest to National Grid suggest that around 75% of the reserve may be provided by load reduction). However, it will not be possible to determine whether this load reduction is achieved through a reduction in demand, or by turning on local back-up generation to meet local needs.

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was. [200483]

Gregory Barker: The Department’s Ministers, from time to time, carry out official visits to different parts of the UK to conduct departmental business. The Department does not keep a central record of such visits.

All overseas travel by the Department’s Ministers is published on a quarterly basis on the www.gov.uk website at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-of-energy-climate-change&publication_type=transparency-data

Opencast Mining: Ayrshire

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Scottish Government regarding environmental and economic effects of the restoration of former opencast sites in East Ayrshire. [200725]

Michael Fallon: I last discussed this matter with my Scottish counterpart in May 2014.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made in providing funding to assist East Ayrshire council with the restoration of former opencast sites in East Ayrshire; and if he will make a statement. [200727]

Michael Fallon: Proposals have been put to me by Scottish Government Ministers asking Her Majesty's Government to provide a financial contribution towards the costs of restoring abandoned opencast coal mining sites in East Ayrshire and other areas of Scotland. I continue to give consideration to those proposals against the backdrop of other issues currently affecting the coal industry and of spending priorities more generally.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what proportion of the carbon dioxide emissions will be represented by UK electricity generation over the lifetime of the proposed development at Navitus Bay; [200451]

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(2) what estimate he has made of the cost of abating all global warming projected to occur over the lifetime of Navitus Bay in sterling and in US dollars; and what intertemporal discount rate has been used in such calculations. [200460]

Gregory Barker: The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments.

Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of UK carbon dioxide emissions that would otherwise have occurred will be prevented by the proposed wind farm at Navitus Bay. [200452]

Gregory Barker: The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments. Potential impacts of proposed developments are assessed through the planning system. Based on the average carbon intensity of generation from all fossil fuel plants in 2012 (700 g/kWh), which wind would be expected to displace, and using standard historical average load factors for offshore wind farms from 2008 to 2012 inclusive, a wind farm of 1 gigawatt (GW) of installed capacity is expected to displace approximately 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The Department publishes estimated energy and emissions projections to 2030. The latest update can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/updated-energy-and-emissions-projections-2013

Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what fraction of global carbon dioxide emissions will be represented by UK carbon dioxide emissions over the lifetime of the proposed wind farm at Navitus Bay. [200454]

Gregory Barker: The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments. In 2012 it was estimated that UK carbon dioxide emissions accounted for approximately 1.5% of global total carbon dioxide emissions.

Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much in public subsidy he expects to allocate to the proposed wind farm at Navitus Bay. [200455]

Gregory Barker: The Government set out the allocation framework for contracts for difference (CfDs) on 13 May 2014, which has the potential to improve value for money, encourage new entry and drive innovation.

Indicative CfD budgets will be published in July. CfD allocation rounds will then determine which projects are successful and receive CfD contracts and at what level of support. It is not possible to say in advance which projects will receive support and at what level.

Offshore wind projects, classified as ‘less established' technologies, are able to receive support in this delivery plan period (2014-15 to 2018-19) at the administrative strike prices published on 4 December 2013, unless there is insufficient budget in a CfD allocation round to satisfy all bids then an auction (competitive allocation) will apply. Those technologies would then have to compete

18 Jun 2014 : Column 620W

against each other on price whereby each project is paid the clearing price for its delivery year within the auction, capped at its administrative strike price.

Mr Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the unit mitigation cost of Navitus Bay in sterling and in US dollars per Kelvin of global warming abated will be as a result of the proposed wind farm. [200459]

Gregory Barker: The Department does not undertake analysis or hold information of this nature relating to specific developments.

Education

Academic Year

Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what economic assessment he has made on the effect on tourism jobs in seaside areas and seaside economies of deregulating school holidays. [200272]

Elizabeth Truss: The Government are giving more schools greater flexibility to adapt the shape of the school year in the interests of their pupils' education.

Although this will extend an existing flexibility to a greater number of schools, our advice will continue to include a clear expectation of schools working with each other and the local authority to coordinate dates to avoid unnecessary disruption to parents and their employers.

The Department has consulted representatives of the tourist industry. Where schools choose to change their holiday dates, following discussion locally with parents and local businesses, there may well be a positive impact on seaside economies. In areas of high seasonal employment, for example, small variations to term dates agreed locally may help parents to holiday outside of peak periods.

Academies: Admissions

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications his Department has received from academies seeking to change their admissions policies; and how many such applications his Department accepted. [199854]

Mr Timpson: Academies can only change their admission arrangements following the procedures set out in the School Admissions Code.

During the 2013/14 academic year the Education Funding Agency has received requests to change admissions arrangements for eight academies. Of these, seven were approved and one was withdrawn by the academy trust.

These figures do not include applications to change admissions arrangements that form part of a request for a wider change to an academy's funding agreement, for example extending the age range, as these data are not recorded centrally.

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Cancer: Health Education

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to ensure that cancer awareness and awareness of cancer symptoms is covered in schools. [200543]

Elizabeth Truss: Teaching about cancer awareness is important for all young people, and schools may include cancer awareness as part of their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. The PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study as guidance for teachers, and continues to highlight other sources of expertise.

Schools may also teach about cancer awareness in other areas of the curriculum. For example, the science curriculum requires pupils to learn about the effects of drugs on their bodies and the importance of physical education. In design and technology, schools may highlight the importance of nutrition and a healthy diet.

Local Education Authorities

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many local education authorities currently operate a three-tier system; how many such authorities have sought to change to a two-tier system since 2010; and how many such authorities have changed to a two-tier system. [199852]

Mr Laws: The Department does not hold records about the number of local authorities that operate three-tier systems.

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was. [200482]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not hold a list of ministerial visits and to compile a list would exceed the cost threshold.

Primary Education: Admissions

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the current starting age for children entering primary education on the wellbeing and attainment of those born in summer months. [200501]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has not made an assessment of the effect of the current starting age for children entering primary education on the wellbeing and attainment of those born in the summer months.

However, research¹ carried out by the Department has demonstrated that the age at which tests are taken is the dominant reason for month-of-birth gaps in educational attainment, and not the age at which children start school; it is simply the fact of being younger when tested that accounts for most of the differences observed. The research reported no evidence of a causal relationship between school entry age and attainment.

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¹https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/182664/DFE-RR017.pdf

Parents of summer-born children who think their child is not ready to start school can request that their child is admitted outside of their normal age group and be admitted to reception year in the September following their fifth birthday. The school’s admission authority is responsible for making the decision, which must be based on the individual circumstance of each case.

Reading: Teaching Methods

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Phonic Screening Check; [200732]

(2) when the Government plan to evaluate the introduction of the Phonic Screening Check and take a decision on its continuation; [200733]

(3) if he will publish the information considered by his Department ahead of making the decision to introduce the Phonic Screening Check. [200734]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education is evaluating the introduction of the Phonics Screening Check through a three-year externally-commissioned independent evaluation, undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research. The evaluation is now in the final year. The first two reports have been published and can be found online:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-phonics-screening-check-first-interim-report

and

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-evaluation

There are no plans to discontinue the Phonics Screening Check.

The Department piloted the Phonics Screening Check in 300 primary schools in 2011, prior to national roll-out in 2012. The evaluation report on the pilot can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/year-1-phonics-screening-check-pilot-evaluation

We have also published annual technical reports evaluating the validity and reliability of the Check. The first of these reports was based on the pilot and can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-pilot-2011-technical-report

The technical reports since the national roll-out can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-2012-technical-report

and

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-2013-technical-report

Schools

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many middle schools there are in England; and how many of those schools are academies. [199853]

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Mr Laws: There are 190 schools in England that are recorded on Edubase, the Department's database of education providers, as being middle schools. Of these, 59 are converter academies and three are sponsored academies.

Science: Females

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) objectives, (b) governance, (c) intended duration and (d) funding of the Your Life campaign are; and if he will make a statement. [199618]

Elizabeth Truss: The main objective of the Your Life campaign is to increase the number of young people choosing A levels in maths or physics.

The campaign will be led by an independent organisation chaired by Edwina Dunn, and it will run for three years.

It will seek support and resources from leading employers and organisations. The Government have provided limited funds to establish a website and other set-up work.

Northern Ireland

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps her Department is taking to promote Northern Ireland's natural beauty to boost its tourism. [200951]

Mrs Villiers: Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful parts of the United Kingdom and the televising around the world of the G8 summit in Fermanagh last year and the recent Giro d’Italia Grande Partenza will doubtless result in new tourist visits.

The promotion of tourism is a devolved matter, but I take every opportunity to invite those whom I meet to come and visit and enjoy Northern Ireland for themselves.

Film and Television

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local colleges train the people of Northern Ireland with the appropriate skills to enable further growth in film and television production in Northern Ireland. [200950]

Mrs Villiers: This is a devolved matter but I took the opportunity of raising it with the Northern Ireland Minister for Employment and Learning, on the hon. Gentlemen’s behalf, when I met him on 18 June.

Treasury

Atos Origin

Karen Lumley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of whether Atos is an appropriate body to conduct (a) the delivery of tax-free childcare and (b) other outsourced work on behalf of National Savings and Investments. [200290]

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Nicky Morgan: On 23 May the Government published a further consultation on the delivery of child care accounts within tax-free child care. The consultation will be open until 27 June and the Government will consider the responses alongside those to the first consultation before they make their decision on the provision of child care accounts.

Atos was awarded the contract to provide services to NS&I, and to use the NS&I-related assets, processes and infrastructure to provide services to others on a shared service basis subject to assessment of scope and nature, and agreement of NS&I. The contract was awarded following an open and competitive tender process and commenced on 1 April 2014, and is subject to ongoing scrutiny based on defined service levels, transparency requirements and a clear risk strategy.

Beer: Excise Duties

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates have been made for the net financial benefit to the pub industry of the reduction in beer duty in the 2014 Budget. [200569]

Nicky Morgan: Budget 2014 cut the tax on a typical pint of beer by one penny. This will support pubs as the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) estimate nearly two thirds of the alcohol sold in pubs is beer. After the beer duty cut at Budget 2013, a BBPA survey suggested 76% of its members increased their investment and 61% employed more staff.

Some pubs have diversified away from beer and these pubs will benefit from the duty on ordinary cider and spirits being frozen this year, as well as from ending the wine duty escalator.

Minimum Wage

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the financial penalties for non-compliance with the minimum wage issued by HM Revenue and Customs in 2013-14 were for the then maximum sum of £5,000. [200170]

Mr Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of the national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously. HMRC reviews every complaint that is referred to it by the Pay and Work Rights Helpline (0800917 2368). In addition, HMRC conduct targeted compliance activity based on data received from various sources and robust risk assessment processes, to identify the sectors and employers across the United Kingdom who are considered more likely to be failing to pay NMW.

The Government have increased the financial penalty percentage that employers pay for breaking minimum wage law from 50% to 100% and the maximum penalty has increased from £5,000 to £20,000. The revised penalty is calculated as 100% of the total underpayment for all of the workers specified in a Notice of Underpayment relating to pay reference periods that commence on or after 7 March 2014.

HMRC issued the maximum penalty of £5,000 to 52 employers identified as owing workers arrears of pay under national minimum wage legislation in 2013-14.

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National Savings and Investments

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department had with representatives of National Savings and Investments in (i) August 2013, (ii) September 2013, (iii) October 2013, (iv) November 2013, (v) December 2013, (vi) January 2014, (vii) February 2014 and (viii) March 2014. [200703]

Nicky Morgan: National Savings and Investments is an executive agency of the Treasury. As with all of its supporting agencies and public bodies, the Treasury holds regular meetings with NS & I on a wide range of issues.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the decision was taken that National Savings and Investments would be responsible for the delivery of tax-free childcare; and if he will make a statement. [200714]

Nicky Morgan: On the 23 May the Government published a further consultation on the delivery of childcare accounts within tax-free childcare. The consultation will be open until 27 June and the Government will consider the responses alongside those to the first consultation before it makes its decision on the provision of childcare accounts.

Self-employed

Frank Dobson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many income tax payers were registered with HM Revenue and Customs as self-employed in (a) 2010-11 and (b) each succeeding year. [200622]

Mr Gauke: Estimates of the number of individuals with self-employment sources are published in HMRC’s National Statistics table 3.6 which is available at the following internet address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/earned-income-2010-to-2011

These tables provide information up to 2011-12 and are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) for the years concerned. The SPI for 2012-13 will be available later in the year.

Welfare Tax Credits

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of those who are (a) out-of-work, (b) self-employed and (c) employed in each of the last five years are tax credit claimants. [200695]

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not available.

Data on the total number of employed, self-employed and unemployed people in the UK are published in the ONS Labour Market Statistics publication, available at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/index.html

However, it is not possible to calculate proportions as the ONS has different definitions for ‘out-of-work’, self-employed and employed when compared to the tax credits system.

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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: East Midlands

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on air quality of the escape of methane and other gases from disused mine workings in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire; and if he will make a statement. [200250]

Dan Rogerson: The Coal Authority is responsible for dealing with reported cases of escaped gases from disused mine workings, including monitoring concentrations where necessary. Consequently, DEFRA has made no assessment of the impact on air quality of the escape of methane and other gases from disused mine workings.

Hill Farming

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations he has received on support for moorland farmers; and if he will make a statement. [200421]

George Eustice: We consulted on proposals for changes to the regional direct payment rates in October 2013, and announced our decision in December to align the payment rates in relation to the lowland and severely disadvantaged areas (SDAs). We also said that we would undertake further analysis and consultation on the appropriate payment rate for the moorland region. We received several contributions to the analysis from stakeholders, and consulted further through the Direct Payments Consultative Group and other forums. Our decision in April confirmed that the payment rate in the moorland will be increased by approximately the same cash amount as the uplift previously announced for the rate in the rest of the SDA. The decision has been welcomed by a number of organisations representing hill and moorland farmers.

Official Visits

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was. [200484]

Dan Rogerson: To identify every visit made by all of our Ministers over the period would incur a disproportionate cost as the information is not collated centrally.

However, information on Ministers’ meetings with external organisations and their overseas travel is published quarterly on the gov.uk site. This reflects the civil service’s commitment to transparency.

Please find links to the relevant reports from 1 January 2013 until 31 December 2013:

1 January to 31 March 2013:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212312/defra-min-transparency-1213-q4.pdf

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1 April to 30 June 2013:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246396/Ministerial_expenses_-_1_April_to_30_June_2013.pdf

1 July to 30 September 2013:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/265462/Ministers_Quarterly_return_July_to_September_2013.pdf

1 October to 31 December 2013:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/320333/Ministerial_Quarterly_Transparency_information_-_October_to_December_2013.pdf

Transparency data for 1 January to 31 March 2014 are expected to be available on the webpage later this month. The data for 1 April to 30 June 2014 are due to be published in September.

Deputy Prime Minister

Members: Conduct

Karen Lumley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether recall powers for local elected representatives will be included in the Government’s Bill to enable recall of hon. Members. [199851]

The Deputy Prime Minister: The Government have no plans at this time to extend the power of recall beyond Members of Parliament.

Work and Pensions

Access to Work Programme

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled entrepreneurs have been able to access additional support funding through the Access to Work programme. [200306]

Mike Penning: In the financial year April 2013—March 2014 DWP supported 4066 disabled customers who are registered as self employed through the Access to Work programme. Of which 57 customers were also from the New Enterprise Allowance programme.

Children: Maintenance

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents are in arrears to the Child Support Agency in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK. [200570]

Steve Webb: The Child Support Agency (CSA) administers the 1993 and 2003 Statutory Child Maintenance Schemes in Great Britain.

The latest area breakdown available for the number of CSA cases with arrears is available as at the end of the quarter to December 2013 and has been provided in the following table:

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Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recent report from Mind entitled Fulfilling Potential? ESA and the fate of the work-related activity group. [200715]

Esther McVey: The Government have put in place a comprehensive system of support for disabled people and those with health conditions. We keep all our policies under review and are committed to improving further the employment support offered.

Employment and Support Allowance: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many 16-year-olds claimed employment and support allowance in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [200721]

Esther McVey: The information as requested is shown in the following table:

Jobcentre Plus

Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what training is available on autism for jobcentre plus advisers. [200380]

Esther McVey: All Jobcentre Plus advisers have access to a comprehensive learning programme which includes a specific focus on taking consideration of individuals’ personal circumstances. This training ensures staff are aware that disabilities and health conditions including autism can affect individuals in different ways.

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Specialist help can be provided by Disability Employment Advisers who have extensive additional courses appropriate to this specialist area. This training has been designed with input from Specialist DWP Work Psychologists to enable these advisers to support people with particular complex needs. This training includes case studies relating to autism.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many 16-year-olds claimed jobseeker's allowance in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [200720]

Esther McVey: The information as requested is published and can be found at:

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

Personal Independence Payment

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many personal independence payments entitlement decisions on applications made by people not suffering with a terminal illness were made in each of the three months to June 2014; [200704]

(2) how many personal independence payments applications made by people not suffering with a terminal illness were made in each of the three months to June 2014. [200705]

Mike Penning: The available data on the number of claims and decisions made up to 28 March 2014 have been published and are available from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317425/pip-statistical-release-june-2014.pdf

Entitlement data to PIP up to 28 February 2014 are available using the Stat-Xplore tool:

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

Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm.

These statistics and data will be updated in due course.

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for personal independence payments have been made by claimants whose disability living allowance payments have been terminated; and what interim financial support his Department makes available to such claimants. [200706]

Mike Penning: There are no data available on claims to personal independence payment (PIP) by claimants in receipt of, or previously in receipt of, disability living allowance (DLA).

Existing recipients of DLA claiming PIP do not have their DLA terminated at the point of claim but continue to receive their DLA while the PIP claim is being assessed.

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure claimants experiencing delays in their personal

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independence payments assessments are kept better informed of the status of their applications. [200707]

Mike Penning: We have taken immediate action to ensure that claimants receive all the information they need.

This includes a number of actions:

SMS updates acknowledging receipt of the “How your disability affects you” form.

Updated Gov.uk to include clear information.

Detailed information on estimated journey times.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what scope there is for amending an individual's claimant commitment after it has first been drawn up. [200730]

Esther McVey: Once in place, both the claimant and Jobcentre Plus work coach can ask for the Claimant Commitment to be changed at any time.

Universal Credit

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the waiting period will be before an individual qualifies for support through universal credit; and how long he expects it will take to calculate entitlement and process new claims for universal credit. [200465]

Esther McVey: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in the 2013 spending review that a seven-day waiting period is to be introduced into universal credit from April 2015.

Each claim for UC is assigned an assessment period. The payment due date is a fixed day of the month that falls seven days after the end of the assessment period and on the same day of each subsequent month. Entitlement will be assessed so that payment should arrive in the claimant's bank account on or before the payment due date.

If any claimant is in need of support during this time they are eligible to apply for a UC advance (new claim).

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made in developing local support services for universal credit claimants; and if he will make a statement. [200719]

Esther McVey: The Local Support Services update and trialling plan was published in December 2013 and set out how DWP and local authorities will work together to test different arrangements for partnership working, financial management, the effective delivery of front- line services and other specific aspects of the Local Support Services Framework.

The closing date for bids from DWP/LA partnerships, to undertake robust trialling, was Friday 13 June. Trials will start in autumn and run for 12 months.

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Work Capability Assessment

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to collect data on work capability assessment outcomes for people diagnosed with fibromyalgia; and if he will estimate the cost of collecting such data. [200544]

Mike Penning: The Department does collect some data on work capability assessment (WCA) outcomes for people diagnosed with fibromyalgia but they are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what response he has given to the recommendation of the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament that (a) those living with long-term progressive conditions should not be subject to reassessments and (b) changes should be made to the work capability assessment criteria to better recognise the impact of hidden symptoms and fluctuating conditions including multiple sclerosis. [200620]

Mike Penning: As Minister of State with the responsibility for this policy area I responded to the letter dated 21 March 2014 from the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 26 April. In this letter I:

(a) responded by explaining the importance of claimants having contact with the Department; the need to move away from the old style incapacity benefit; and that employment and support allowance claimants, including those claimants with progressive illnesses, will be placed in the support group if they meet the criteria.

(b) responded that through the evidence based review of the work capability assessment the current descriptors were tested against an alternative assessment and what the findings indicated.

Mr Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what response he has given to the letter to him of 21 March 2014 from the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament on the recommendations of its review of work capability assessments. [200621]

Mike Penning: As Minister of State with responsibility for this policy area I responded to the letter from the Welfare Reform Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 26 April 2014 thanking them for their recommendations and drawing out the links between those and the recommendations made by Doctor Litchfield in the fourth Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment published in December 2013.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what scope there is for a Work Programme prime provider or sub-contractor to propose variations to the claimant commitment agreed with a jobseeker who subsequently embarks on the Work Programme; and if he will make a statement. [200729]

Esther McVey: The claimant can ask for their Agreement/Commitment to be changed at any time. Where a Work Programme provider or sub-contractor

18 Jun 2014 : Column 632W

feels the Agreement/Commitment should be varied, they should ask the claimant to raise this at their next attendance at the Jobcentre.

Culture, Media and Sport

Embassies: Iran

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 142W, on embassies: Iran, what the estimated monetary value is of each of the works of art cited in that answer which is owned by the Government Art Collection. [200716]

Mr Vaizey: The most recent estimated values for the works (December 2011) were as follows:

0/664 George Hayter—Queen Victoria (1819-1901) Reigned 1837-1901—oil painting: £20,000

5230 Ahmad—Fath 'Ali Shah (1797-1834) 2nd Qajar Shah of Iran—oil painting: £1,200,000

0/663 Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (after)—King Edward VII (1841-1910) Reigned 1901-10—oil painting: £2,000

17351 Adrian Berg—Gloucester Gate, Regent's Park, June—oil painting: £10,000

13319 Cedric Morris—Tulips and Iris—oil painting: £20,000

0/661 Sir Samuel Luke Fildes (after)—King George V (1865-1936) Reigned 1910-36—oil painting: £2,000.

Communities and Local Government

Derelict Land

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of brownfield land in England is covered by a Local Development Order. [200691]

Nick Boles: At this point in time, this information is not centrally held.

However, I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 71-72WS, on the steps we are taking to promote the use of Local Development Orders on brownfield land.

In addition, the written ministerial statement of 10 June 2014, Official Report, column 33WS, provides a broader summary of steps we have taken to facilitate empty and redundant land and property being brought back into productive use.

Roads: Lighting

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance he has given local authorities on ensuring that road safety is not compromised by street lighting being switched off; and if he will make a statement. [200251]

Brandon Lewis: Street lighting plays an important role in road safety, as well as ensuring the personal safety of pedestrians.

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As I stated in my answer to the right hon. Member for Leeds Central (Hilary Benn), on 13 May 2014, Official Report, columns 535-36W, there is no prescriptive Whitehall guidance on street lighting, and any assessment will depend on local circumstances and local views. In addition, Manual for Streets, while out of date in certain areas (eg on parking and density), contains some useful guidance on getting the balance right when providing street lighting, taking into account the different issues around safety, crime prevention, street clutter and light pollution. It can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/manual-for-streets

Defence

Armed Forces: Crimes of Violence

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many investigations of allegations of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK were investigated by the Royal Military Police in (A) 2010, (B) 2011 and (C) 2012. [199976]

Anna Soubry: The table shows the number of recorded investigations by the Royal Military Police for rape, sexual assault and domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK in the years 2010, 2011 and 2012.

The figures have been rounded to the nearest five. The figure “-” represents a sample of less than five. The specific figure has not been disclosed to ensure that the alleged victim(s) cannot be identified. This is in line with the Sexual Offences (Amendments) Act 1976 and 1992.

Because of the way domestic violence statistics are recorded it is taking some time to collate the information. I will write to the hon. Member with an answer shortly.

The Royal Military Police is the Army’s police force and together with its Royal Navy and Royal Air Force counterparts, are collectively known as the Service Police. Under Home Office Circular 028/2008, which defines investigative jurisdiction in the UK, primacy generally rests with the civilian police, although the Service Police may take the lead in an investigation if both the suspect and the victim in a particular case are serving members of the armed forces.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many cases of alleged (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK were prosecuted by the Services Prosecuting Authority in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012; [199978]

(2) how many cases of alleged (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK were referred to the

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Services Prosecuting Authority for a charging decision in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012. [199977]

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the tables:

In any given year the Service Prosecuting Authority will receive referrals which are then directed, disposed of, or tried in the following year, meaning there is no direct correlation between the numbers of cases referred and directed in any one year.

Army: Recruitment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department will issue a formal response to the National Audit Office report, Army 2020, HC 263, published on 11 June 2014. [200540]

Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence will respond to the NAO’s report in line with Government practice for such reports.

AWE

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which US establishments were visited by personnel from the Atomic Weapons Establishment under the terms of the US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement in 2013; and how many staff visited each such establishment. [200408]

Mr Dunne: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence Support Group

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new buildings his Department plans to provide for the use of the private sector partner taking over the Defence Support Group; and what the potential cost to the public purse is of such provision. [200326]

Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence does not intend to provide any new buildings as part of the sale of the Defence Support Group. But as part of our planned drawdown from Germany there will be a requirement to provide controlled humidity environment storage facilities as part of Army 2020.

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Disciplinary Proceedings

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British; [199901]

(2) what proportion of staff within his Department who have been subject to formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British. [199880]

Anna Soubry: The information requested is shown in the following tables: