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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 1 July 2014

Health

Abortion

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in each of the last five years; and how many and what proportion of such procedures were performed (a) to save the life of the mother and (b) in cases of rape. [202180]

Jane Ellison: The number of abortions performed under ground A (section 1(1)(c) of the 1967 Abortion Act, the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated) and under ground F (section 1(4), to save the life of the pregnant women) for 2009-13, resident in England and Wales is shown in the following table.

Information about abortions due to rape is not collected by the Department.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) evaluated since May 2011 on (i) the earliest point in its development at which an unborn child will experience pain, (ii) the earliest gestational age at which an unborn child may be capable of being born alive, (iii) the number of occasions when an unborn baby is wrongly diagnosed as being handicapped and is subsequently born without disability or handicap and (iv) the suicide rate among women who have had an abortion; and if he will make a statement. [202187]

Jane Ellison: The Department has not commissioned or evaluated any research on fetal pain since May 2011.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of women who had an abortion in 2013 were married at the time of the abortion; what the modal (a) age of the women, (b) length gestation of the pregnancy, (c) number of previous children born to the women and (d) number of previous abortions undergone by the women was; and what the most common legal grounds was under which such abortions were performed. [202188]

Jane Ellison: The number of abortions for married women or women in a civil partnership, resident in England and Wales, 2013 is shown in the following table.

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Abortion: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women resident in Scotland have had a late termination after 20 weeks which took place in England in each of the last 10 years up to the most recent period for which figures are available. [202077]

Jane Ellison: Women resident in Scotland, who had an abortion in England or Wales, by gestation 2004-13 is shown in the following table.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 years and over were admitted to hospital with a condition related to alcohol misuse in each year since 2010. [202829]

Jane Ellison: The following table contains the sum of the estimated alcohol attributable fractions (AAFs) for admissions for patients aged (a) 0-17 years and (b) 18 years and over for the years 2010-11 to 2012-13.

It should be noted that these figures are not a count of people and represent an estimated number of admissions that were attributable to alcohol.

AAFs are based on the proportion of a given diagnosis or injury that is estimated to be attributed to alcohol. Some diagnoses or injuries will, by definition, be wholly attributable to alcohol and have an AAF of one, others will only be partly attributable to alcohol and have an AAF greater than zero, but less than one. Diagnoses or injuries that are not attributable at all to alcohol will have an AAF of zero.

These figures are derived by summing all AAFs for the relevant admissions and should, therefore, only be interpreted as an estimate of the number of admissions that can be attributed to alcohol.

In addition, partial AAFs are not applicable to children aged under 16 years, therefore figures for this age group relate only to wholly-attributable admissions.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre—Statistics on Alcohol: England, 2014 report manually implemented new methodology against the 2012-13 data

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in their report. However, no change to the underlying Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data has been currently made.

Allergies: Children

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines on diagnosing food allergy in children and young people in a primary care and unit setting are adhered to by general practitioners. [202125]

Dr Poulter: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline, Food allergy in children and young people, published in 2011, sets out best practice on the care, treatment and support for children and young people with food allergy. NICE clinical guidelines are designed to support health care professionals in their work, but they do not replace their knowledge and skills and experience in deciding how best to manage patients.

Asthma

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that

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national guidelines on asthma care are implemented; what data his Department is gathering to improve asthma care; and if he will make a statement. [202655]

Jane Ellison: NHS England is taking a number of actions to improve the care and management of people with asthma.

It is supporting clinical commissioning groups to improve out of hospital treatment for those with asthma by giving doctors more control over the commissioning of asthma services and improving information links between general practitioners and hospitals. The implementation of the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) asthma quality standard, which sets out what good quality care looks like, will also raise the standard of care people with asthma receive.

The National Clinical Director for Respiratory Disease, Professor Mike Morgan, is responsible for working across all five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework in NHS England in tackling asthma issues, and Dr Jacqueline Cornish, the National Clinical Director for children, young people and transition to adulthood, is working with the Strategic Clinical Networks for maternity, neonates and children and young people, to improve clinical outcomes for children and young people with asthma. NHS England also continues to work with Asthma UK and professional groups in both primary and secondary care to improve outcomes for all those with asthma. It is also working to ensure that everyone with a long-term condition is offered a personalised care plan and an asthma action plan should form part of that.

In terms of data collection on asthma, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership is considering with NHS England, a national clinical audit of asthma services across the country against NICE quality standards for asthma.

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2014, Official Report, column 241W, on billing, what the value was of all outstanding legacy creditors on 1 June 2014. [202741]

Dr Poulter: As at 1 June 2014, the value of outstanding legacy creditors was £3,237,153.15.

Following the abolition of primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs) on 31 March 2013, legacy PCT and SHA finance teams remained in place until 31 August 2013 to process creditor payments relating to pre 1 April 2013. Creditor payments outstanding at 31 August 2013 were transferred to successor organisations, including the Department. The above amount remains outstanding because of due diligence taking place on creditor payments in order to mitigate the risk of making fraudulent or duplicate payments.

Care Homes

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many calls to 999 were made by or on behalf of residents of care homes in each of the last four years; [202549]

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(2) how many residents of care homes presented at accident and emergency departments in England in each of the last four years; [202550]

(3) how many residents of care homes had an emergency admission to a hospital in England in each of the last four years. [202551]

Norman Lamb: Information is not held centrally on the number of calls to 999 made by or on behalf of residents of care homes, or the number of residents of care homes attending accident and emergency departments.

Information on the number of residents of care homes who had an emergency admission to a hospital in each of the last four years shown in the following table.

Educational Testing Service

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what current contracts (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department’s executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies hold with the Educational Testing Service or any of that organisation’s subsidiaries. [202170]

Dr Poulter: The Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies as listed below, hold no contracts with Educational Testing Services or any of that organisation’s subsidiaries.

(i) Executive agencies:

Public Health England, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

(ii) Non-departmental public bodies:

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, Human Tissue Authority, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NHS England, Monitor, Care Quality Commission and Health and Social Care Information Centre

General Practitioners

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time

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general practitioners there were in each of the last 15 years for which figures are available. [201965]

Dr Poulter: The requested information is shown in the following table.

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for appointments at GP surgeries. [202575]

Dr Poulter: The Government recognise the importance of timely access to general practice. The Prime Minister's Challenge Fund has allocated £50 million to pilot ways to improve access around the country, to give general practitioners (GPs) the flexibility to meet the needs of the local population. These pilots will benefit more than 7.5 million patients across more than 1,110 practices.

In addition, changes to the GP contract in April 2014 introduced a new enhanced service, which includes a commitment to same-day telephone consultations with a professional in the GP surgery, where necessary, for the most at risk in the population.

General Practitioners: Rural Areas

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many rural GP surgeries have fewer than 1,000 patients registered. [202033]

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Dr Poulter: The requested information is not collected centrally in the requested format. There were 45 general practitioner practices in England on 30 September 2013 with less than 1,000 patients registered to them. The Health and Social Care Information Centre does not hold data on whether the practices are rural or not.

Source:

The Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

General Practitioners: South Lakeland

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the additional needs weighting is for each GP surgery in South Lakeland. [202030]

Dr Poulter: The following table shows the additional needs index for each general practitioner practice in South Lakeland.

Where the index is less than one this indicates lower than England average additional needs. Where the index is greater than one this indicates higher than average additional needs.

Health Professions

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Batley and Spen, of 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 664W, on health professions, whether the robust evidence-based cost-benefit risk analysis on the regulation of unregulated health care professionals has been undertaken by his Department; and whether he plans to publish that analysis and its conclusions. [202036]

Dr Poulter: The Government have set out their position on statutory regulation of health care professionals in the publication “Enabling Excellence Command Paper—Autonomy and Accountability for Healthcare Workers, Social Workers and Social Care Workers”,published February 2011. Statutory regulation will only be considered

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where there is a solid body of evidence demonstrating that there is a level of risk to the public which warrants the costs imposed by statutory regulation, and which cannot be addressed through assured voluntary registration. No cost-benefit risk analysis of the case for introducing compulsory statutory regulation of the health care scientist work force is planned by the Department at this time.

Modernising Scientific Careers has put in place standardised and accredited education and training programmes for the health care science work force that enables formalised regulation, whether voluntary or statutory. For those health care scientists not regulated by statute, the Academy for Healthcare Science (AHCS) holds a voluntary ‘shadow’ register and we understand that the AHCS intends to seek accreditation from the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care.

Heart Diseases

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the availability of free prescriptions for congenital heart disease across England; [202129]

(2) what the chronic conditions that (a) do and (b) do not qualify for free prescriptions. [202137]

Norman Lamb: No assessment has been made of the availability of free prescriptions for people with congenital heart disease in England.

The list of medical conditions that give entitlement to apply for an NHS prescription charge medical exemption certificate are:

a permanent fistula (including caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy, or ileostomy) which requires continuous surgical dressing or requires an appliance;

forms of hypoadrenalism (including Addison’s disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential;

diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism;

diabetes mellitus (except where treatment of the diabetes is by diet alone);

hypoparathyroidism;

myasthenia gravis;

myxoedema (that is, hypothyroidism requiring thyroid hormone replacement);

epilepsy requiring continuous anti-convulsive therapy;

continuing physical disability which prevents the patient from leaving their residence without the help of another person; and

patients undergoing treatment for cancer, the effects of cancer or the effects of current or previous cancer treatment.

All other medical conditions do not entitle patients to apply for an NHS prescription charge medical exemption certificate.

The extensive system of exemption arrangements which is in place, including for those on low incomes who may struggle to pay for their prescriptions, means that around 90% of all prescription items are already dispensed free of charge. Prescription prepayment certificates are also available for those who have to pay NHS prescription charges and need multiple prescriptions.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the efficacy and potential cost-savings to the NHS of self-monitoring machines for blood testing for sufferers of congenital heart disease; [202130]

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(2) how many (a) adults and (b) children in each region and constituent part of the UK suffer from congenital heart disease. [202136]

Jane Ellison: The Department has made no assessment of the efficacy and potential cost-savings to the national health service of self-monitoring machines for blood testing for sufferers of congenital heart disease.

Under its diagnostics assessment programme, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is developing guidance on two diagnostic technologies for patients on anticoagulation treatments to self-monitor their coagulation status. We understand that NICE expects to issue guidance in August 2014.

Information is not collected centrally on the number of adults and children in the United Kingdom who suffer from congenital heart disease.

Liver Diseases

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he or other Ministers of his Department have visited a liver unit since taking office. [202467]

Dr Poulter: Since May 2010, the following visits were undertaken by Ministers in the Department to liver units.

23 November 2010: Anne Milton, King’s College Hospital. Tour of our Haematology and Liver Transplantation departments.

13 January 2011: Mr Andrew Lansley, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Tour of Liver Intensive Therapy Unit (LITU) on Cheyne Wing

Since May 2010, the following visits were undertaken by Ministers in the Department to alcohol dependency units that also specialise in liver treatment.

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16 December 2010: Anne Milton, Hope House in Clapham (Drugs/alcohol dependency)

21 July 2011: Earl Howe, Royal Bolton Hospital (alcohol dependency)

1 March 2012: Mr Andrew Lansley, The Carpenters Arms (rehabilitation charity for alcohol and drugs)

25 October 2012: Anna Soubry, Bristol Tranquiliser Project (drugs/alcohol dependency)

29 March 2012: Earl Howe, Mossley Hill Hospital (alcohol dependency treatment centre)

24 January 2013: Anna Soubry, Mount Carmel (charity) (alcohol treatment centre)

6 June 2013: Dr Daniel Poulter, Brighton Housing Trust (meeting community alcohol NHS team)

13 February 2014: Dr Daniel Poulter, The Habour centre, alcohol and drug service, Plymouth.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the costs to the NHS of untreated liver disease in one person. [202827]

Jane Ellison: The Department has made no recent assessment of the costs to the national health service of untreated liver disease.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged (a) under 10 and (b) 10 years and over were admitted to hospital with a (i) primary and (ii) secondary diagnosis of liver disease in each year since 1997. [202830]

Dr Poulter: The following tables give the number of finished admission episodes for children aged (a) under 10 years and (b) 10-17years,who were admitted to hospital with a (i) primary and (ii) secondary diagnosis of liver disease from 1997-98 to 2012-13.

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Medicine: Education

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on negotiations between Health Education England and university providers of undergraduate health education courses for health allied professional staff regarding the benchmark price for the 2014-15 academic year. [202071]

Dr Poulter: Health Education England (HEE) has been responsible for commissioning undergraduate pre-registration courses from higher education institutions since it was established in April 2013. A national benchmark price has been used as the basis for payments for many of these courses for over 10 years. The price covers a number of health care professions, including the allied health professions.

The latest agreement on the level of the benchmark price has recently expired and HEE is negotiating a revised price with Universities UK. These negotiations continue and a further meeting is planned between both parties in July. HEE would like to introduce commissioning agreements based on the new price from September.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on negotiations in respect of the national framework contract between Health Education England and university providers of undergraduate health education courses for the health-allied professions. [202078]

Dr Poulter: Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for commissioning undergraduate pre-registration courses from higher education institutions (HEIs).

To provide a national framework for this important function, HEE is working with Universities UK (UUK) to revise the existing national standard contract. The revised model contract aims to achieve consistency across the country and to ensure that HEIs are delivering education and training that will result in the right number of graduates with the correct skills and aptitude to provide safe and compassionate care. It will also allow for the streamlining of reporting to reduce the administrative burden for HEE and the HEIs. The new model contract will apply to all health care professions, including the allied health professions.

HEE and UUK are continuing to agree the detail of the new model contract and HEE hope to have a revised model contract in place for roll out in the autumn and implementation beginning in April 2015.

Mental Health Services: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much in real terms was spent on children's mental health services in each year for which data are available. [202139]

Norman Lamb: The aggregated national health service spend on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in England for 2006-07 to 2012-13 is set out in the following table. This has been calculated from the actual programme budget spend and is in 2012-13 prices, rounded to the nearest £ million.

However, this does not include:

spend by local authorities, including children’s services and schools’ expenditure on early intervention or emotional resilience programmes.

£54 million invested by the Department over the four years from 2011-12 to 2014-15 in the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.

NHS England

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many members of staff and at what grades work for the National Clinical Director for Cancer. [202828]

Jane Ellison: The National Clinical Director (NCD) for Cancer is seconded to NHS England as a senior clinical adviser on cancer. The work of the NCD is supported through a number of NHS England's priority programmes, including the Prevention and Early Diagnosis programme, the long-term conditions, Older People, and End of life Care programme. In addition, there are a number of relevant clinical reference groups and other staff supporting specialised commissioning functions who are also aligned with the work of the NCD.

The NCD is not an executive post within NHS England and does not directly line manage any NHS England employees.

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Nurses and Midwives

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the extent of plans of health providers to recruit nurses and midwives from overseas in the 2014-15 academic year; and how many such nurses and midwives he anticipates will be recruited. [202070]

Dr Poulter: The international recruitment of nurses and midwives is a matter for local employers. They have indicated a higher need for nurses now than they had previously planned, with a particular peak in demand over the next couple of years. Some local trusts are recruiting internationally in an attempt to fill this short- term demand.

It is not for the Government but for local hospitals to decide how many staff they employ and they are best placed to do this based on the needs of their patients and local communities.

On 24 June, NHS England published nurse, midwife and care staffing levels on a patient safety website, NHS Choices. Publishing staffing data at a national level was a key commitment following the Mid Staffordshire public inquiry and is a major step forward in the Government’s drive to make the national health service the safest health care in the world.

Performance Appraisal

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2013-14. [202058]

Dr Poulter: Information on overall ratings for performance management for all departmental staff is currently being collated. Once collated, it will be cleared by the permanent secretary and ratings will be communicated to staff. Once this is complete the Department will be in a position to respond to the detailed elements of this query.

It is expected that this will be during the week commencing 14 July 2014.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 7 May 2014, Official Report, column 244W, on prescriptions: fees and charges, what the cost was of administering prescription charges in each of the last 10 years. [202244]

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

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Telemedicine

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of people who received telehealth and telecare services in each of the last four years. [202548]

Norman Lamb: NHS England does not currently collect data about the number of people receiving telehealth or telecare services. The latest information held is from the Telehealth Services Association (TSA), which is the industry body for telehealth and telecare. In 2011 the TSA stated that in 2011 there were an estimated 1.37 million telehealth, telecare and telecoaching connections in England.

NHS England is establishing a regular survey to gather data on the number of individuals who benefit from telehealth and telecare, and is also developing a set of consistent measures for commissioners which will be more meaningful and demonstrate the impact of these technologies on health outcomes.

NHS England recognises the potential of these technologies to empower patients to take greater control over their conditions and provide care that is convenient, accessible and cost-effective.

The ambition is to create the right commissioning environment that supports and encourages the use of technology that can improve care and outcomes for patients.

Thalidomide

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of reports by disability campaigners that the German Government was complicit in preventing British victims of thalidomide from securing compensation from Grünenthal; and if he will make representations to his German counterpart on that matter. [202189]

Norman Lamb: No assessment has been made of the German Government’s role in relation to British thalidomide survivors and the issue of compensation from the German pharmaceutical company Grünenthal.

I met with the Thalidomide Trust on 23 June 2014. We are considering further what representations we might make in the light of this meeting. A further meeting between the Thalidomide Trust and the Minister for Europe is due to take place on 3 September.

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Tobacco: Packaging

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what organisations or individuals Ministers or officials of his Department have met to discuss standardised packaging of tobacco in the last 12 months; which Ministers or officials were present at those meetings; and who represented each organisation present at those meetings. [202831]

Jane Ellison: Details of ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the gov.uk website at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-2013#department-of-health-dh

The Department does not keep a central diary of the engagements that every departmental official has had. In discharging their official duties, Ministers, special advisors and departmental officials meet with representatives from a range of organisations.

Attorney-General

Performance Appraisal

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by the Law Officers Departments received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2013-14. [202048]

The Solicitor-General: It is not possible to provide figures for all the Law Officers Departments as their staff performance appraisal processes for 2013-14 have yet to be completed. Figures should be available in the autumn.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many directors of companies were disqualified as a result of a criminal investigation by the Serious Fraud Office in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the five preceding years. [201978]

The Solicitor-General: The number of directors of companies disqualified on conviction following prosecution by the Serious Fraud Office were as follows:

Data prior to 2008 are not collated centrally and it is not possible to provide the information requested without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the consultation on the newly proposed compensation scheme for High Speed 2 (phase 1) will (a) begin and (b) end. [202126]

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Mr Goodwill: The timings for the consultation on the alternative cash offer to the voluntary purchase scheme and the home owner payment will be announced shortly.

Motorways: Accidents

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investigation his Department plans to undertake into the causes of the increase in motorway deaths from 2012 to 2013. [202728]

Mr Goodwill: The Highways Agency will be undertaking a review of the recently published data for 2013 to identify any trends or causation factors that may help to determine what improvements can be made to reduce deaths on the agency's motorway network in England. Motorways in Scotland and Wales are a devolved matter and not for the Department for Transport to lead on.

Performance Appraisal

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2013-14. [202063]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport was formed in 2002 and consists of a central Department and five executive agencies as follows:

Highways Agency (HA)

Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)

Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA)

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)

This response covers both the central Department and our five executive agencies. The Department employs 17,200 people. Information for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and Vehicle Certification Agency is not yet available. Information on the centre and other executive agencies is shown as follows. Percentages have been rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.

In 2013-14, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) did not apply the same performance management process as the rest of the Department. Performance in 2013-14 was based on points and not box markings.

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The minimum score required to be eligible to receive a performance related pay award was 70 points. Those scoring below 70 points received no award. The maximum score attainable was 120 points.

Of the staff issued a full appraisal in 2013-14, a performance score is currently available for 93% of people. The breakdown of these reports is shown above.

Please note that the HA has a 4 box marking system. Boxes 2 and 3 and the traditional box 2 but broken in two parts to illustrated high box 2 and low box 2. “Not selected” refers to staff who opted for different terms of employment and are not covered by this performance marking scheme.

Railways: North of England

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the upgrade of the Manchester-Leeds-York railway line will begin; and if he will make a statement. [202140]

Stephen Hammond: The upgrade referred to is included in the North of England programme. This work has already begun. The programme will enhance key northern routes and provide benefits across the north of England, with over £1 billion being invested over the next five years (2014-19). Manchester-Leeds-York electrification was announced in November 2011 as part of the wider North TransPennine electrification scheme. This electrification scheme forms part of the North of England programme. Key rail routes will be electrified across the north to make journeys faster, quicker and more reliable, improving journey times and the passenger experience.

Work has already started, and the first phase of the TransPennine route (from Manchester to Stalybridge) is planned to be electrified by December 2016. To the east of Stalybridge, works are currently being planned to deliver a fully electrified route between Manchester, Leeds and York.

Once complete, this significant infrastructure improvement will link up with the already electrified lines at Leeds and York. Further information can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-approves-major-infrastructure-works

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/North_West_electrification.aspx

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Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the effect will be on the transpennine community of the upgrade of train lines on the Manchester-Leeds-York railway line. [202141]

Stephen Hammond: The transpennine community will benefit in better journeys, improved connections and more modern trains from the Government’s £1 billion investment in the rail network in the north of England. The Government are considering how the next Northern and TransPennine Express franchises starting in 2016 can best make use of this investment; and are currently, jointly with the Rail North consortium, seeking the views of passengers and communities on the improvements they want to see in a public consultation.

Rescue Services

Mr Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department took over responsibility for long-range search and rescue at sea when the Ministry of Defence abandoned its acquisition of Nimrod aircraft. [202619]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport and its predecessor organisations have held the responsibility for maritime and civil aeronautical search and rescue since the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the International Maritime Search and Rescue convention came into force in 1944 and 1979 respectively. The Department for Transport will work closely with other Government Departments on search and rescue matters where it is appropriate to do so.

Mr Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department intends to acquire aircraft to carry out long-range search and rescue at sea; and if he will make a statement. [202653]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport uses its own search and rescue helicopters and those of the military to provide search and rescue today. The Department for Transport will also draw upon other resources including other military assets and assets from neighbouring states under long established arrangements for international co-operation. The Convention on the High Seas also enables the Department to divert merchant ships to provide assistance to those in distress where it is reasonable to do so.

Mr Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's responsibility is for long-range search and rescue at sea. [202654]

Stephen Hammond: The UK’s responsibilities for search and rescue are set out in Annex 12 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and the Maritime Search and Rescue convention. The Convention on the High Seas and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea are also relevant. All four conventions ask that the Department for Transport establish arrangements for search and rescue in the United Kingdom’s search and rescue region and formalises international co-operation with neighbouring states by agreeing common response plans and the sharing of resources. The conventions also compel ships’ masters to render assistance to those in distress at sea. The UK’s responsibility for search and

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rescue responsibilities extends out to 30º west in latitude and covers some 1 million square miles. The Department for Transport discharges this responsibility on behalf of the Government.

Shipping: Exhaust Emissions

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with trade union representatives from the maritime sector on the employment and related implications of implementing the maritime fuel sulphur regulations in the last 12 months; [202649]

(2) whether he has commissioned or received any (a) internal or (b) external reports on the effectiveness of sulphur technology on maritime vessels; [202650]

(3) pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2014, Official Report, column 536W, on shipping: exhaust emissions, what discussions his officials have had with the European Commission on securing EU finance to assist shipowners and ports to comply with the new sulphur regulation limits; [202730]

(4) pursuant to his comments of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 127WH, on sulphur regulations, whether he has (a) commissioned and (b) received any specific assessment of the potential effect on diesel prices in the UK as a result of implementation of the new sulphur regulation limits; [202731]

(5) pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2014, Official Report, column 536W, on shipping: exhaust emissions, whether he intends to have a UK review of the effect of the new sulphur regulation limits before 2019. [202732]

Stephen Hammond: The Department has not had discussions with the trade unions specifically on the implementation of the sulphur rules. However, the trade unions have had the opportunity to contribute their views during the eight-week public consultation on the draft UK regulations and the associated impact assessment which commenced on 29 April 2014.

The maturity and efficacy of ship-board exhaust gas cleaning system technology was one of the key subjects under consideration when I chaired the round table meetings of industry stakeholders in October 2012 and March 2013 to which I referred in my answer of 17 June 2014. At those meetings, first-hand information was forthcoming from both the shipping industry and the exhaust gas cleaning system technology industry.

The Department has engaged the European Commission about the potential impacts of the new regulations and the scope for financial support from EU sources, including finance from the European Investment Bank. The Commission has reaffirmed the possibility of support for the maritime sector through the new Connecting Europe Facility or the Trans-European Network (TEN-T) programme.

The Department is investigating impacts on prices as part of its assessment of the impact of the draft UK regulations.

The Department will conduct the review at an appropriate time and not later than the timetable specified in the regulations themselves, in accordance with normal Government practice and consistent with the principles

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of better regulation. It would be premature to make a commitment now concerning the precise timing of the review.

West Coast Railway Line

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which external consultants were involved in the design of the rail passenger franchise directly awarded to West Coast Trains Ltd; and what the cost to his Department was in each case. [201975]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport ran a procurement for legal, technical and financial advisers for the InterCity West Coast direct award project. The advisers contracted, and the estimated fees to be paid for the work on the project, are shown as follows:

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will confirm the legal protections for existing collective bargaining agreements between recognised trade unions and West Coast Trains Ltd for the period of the rail passenger franchise directly awarded to the employer on 19 June and coming into effect on 22 June 2014. [201976]

Stephen Hammond: As there has been no change of employer under this direct award, our expectation is that the status of contracts, collective bargaining agreements and legal protections are unchanged. However, staffing matters remain an issue between the employer, West Coast Trains Ltd, and its staff.

Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency cases there are in each revised order of case closure; and when the estimated closure time is for each grouping. [202303]

Steve Webb: The following table shows an estimate of when the 800,000 Child Support Agency cases with an ongoing child maintenance liability will close.

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Educational Testing Service

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what current contracts (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies hold with the Educational Testing Service or any of that organisation's subsidiaries. [202177]

Mike Penning: Neither the Department for Work and Pensions nor any of its non-departmental public bodies has any current contracts with the Educational Testing Service or any of that organisation's subsidiaries.

Employment and Support Allowance

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of employment and support allowance claimants who were employed in each of the last 12 months. [202095]

Esther McVey: We have interpreted the question to be for those who moved from employment and support allowance (ESA) into employment. This information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of employment and support allowance claimants that were subject to sanctions in each of the last 12 months. [202102]

Esther McVey: Information on the number of employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants sanctioned in each of the last 12 months is published and available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions

Information on the number of employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) in each of the last four quarters is published and available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-caseload-statistics

We cannot provide monthly proportions as the ESA caseload data are only available quarterly.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 345W, on employment and support allowance (ESA), how many work programme job outcome payments there were in each ESA prognosis customer group in Great Britain between 1 June 2011 and 31 December 2013. [202735]

Esther McVey: The information held in respect of job outcomes by employment and support allowance (ESA) prognosis group, is given in the following table:

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In addition to the 296,000 jobseekers where the Work programme provider has claimed a job outcome payment, there are a further 26,000 people who we have identified, who have spent at least six months in work (or three for the hardest to help), but where the provider has not claimed a job outcome.

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, columns 170-1W, on employment and support allowance, how many decisions on eligibility for employment and support allowance have been made in each month since May 2010. [202737]

Mike Penning: We have interpreted the question to be for employment and support allowance work capability assessments decision outcomes. This information is published in table 1a for initial functional assessments and table 1b for repeat functional assessments at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-june-2014

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 345-6W, on employment and support allowance, how many claimants in the WRAG with a prognosis of two years or more who made (a) a new claim—initial assessment and (b) a new claim—repeat assessment were judged unlikely to return to work in the longer term. [202738]

Mike Penning: The figures requested are the same as those referred to in the answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, columns 345-6W, on employment and support allowance. A prognosis of two years or more is defined as unlikely in the longer term.

The prognoses available to the health care professional are:

Three months

Six months

12 months

18 months

Within two years

In the longer term

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Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the methodology and assumptions used to populate the Help to Work sections of Table 2.1, page 78, Autumn Statement 2013, Cm 8747 showing financial savings arising from the programme. [202715]

Esther McVey: Page 8 of the Autumn Statement 2013: policy costing document sets out the assumptions and methodology for the benefit savings from Help to Work that are in Table 2.1, page 78, Autumn Statement 2013.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263434/autumn_statement_2013_policy_costings.pdf

Performance Appraisal

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2013-14. [202066]

Mike Penning: Data on the performance ratings for 2013-14 covering disabled employees (and other categories of employee protected by the Equality Act 2010) are not yet available but analysis of the figures has commenced.

Personal Independence Payment

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will provide financial assistance to people facing delays to personal independence payments applications. [202754]

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Livingston (Graeme Morrice), on 24 June 2014, Official Report, column 178W.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what target his Department sets for the amount of time for people to receive an accurate assessment for personal independence payments under (a) normal rules claiming and (b) special rules claiming. [202764]

Mike Penning: There are no legal requirements to complete action on a claim to PIP within a specified time, but we continuously monitor how long the claimant journey is taking against original estimates and implement measures to speed up the process.

Telephone Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many telephone lines with the prefix (a) 0845, (b) 0844 and (c) 0843 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls each such number has received in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at BT local rates are available in each such case. [201440]

Esther McVey: The information is as follows:

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(a) Number of customer helplines with a prefix of 0845 is 139

(b) The Department does not operate any 0844 numbers

(c) The Department does not operate any 0843 numbers

Data sources and metric definitions will be placed in the Library.

All numbers currently owned by Network Services relate to calls either managed entirely within the Department or split between DWP and outsourcing partners. If the Department sponsors any numbers on behalf of third parties data are not included within Network Services reporting.

During 2014 DWP is introducing 0345 numbers to run alongside existing 0845 numbers to provide a choice for the caller based on the arrangement they have with their telephony provider. Using 0345 numbers allows DWP to use the same last seven digits as its 0845 range.

Charges for calls to 0345/0845 numbers vary and depend on the person’s contract with their provider. When charges apply the costs are shown on the following web page for the gov.uk site

www.gov.uk/call-charges

If a customer raises concerns over the cost of a call we will offer to call them back from our inquiry lines. The Department also provides controlled access to telephones for claimants who require one in support of their jobsearch or benefit inquiry.

The Department does not operate any prefixes that begin with 0844 or 0843 so no alternative numbers are available.

Winter Fuel Payments: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households in (a) York Central constituency and (b) York unitary authority area received winter fuel payments in the last year for which data are available. [202930]

Steve Webb: The information for winter 2012-13 is available on the internet at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/winter-fuel-payment-caseload-and-household-figures-201213

Work Programme

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what reforms his Department plans to make to the Work programme following the downgrading of the project's rating from green to amber by the Major Projects Authority. [202495]

Esther McVey: The Major Projects Authority has not downgraded the Work programme’s project rating. The rating was amber in 2012-13 and has remained amber in 2013-14.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Subsidies

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what appeals process is available for farmers who are subject to deductions from single farm payments for (a) cattle

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passport contraventions and

(b)

breaches of the conditions of the rural stewardship scheme in (i) Cambridgeshire and (ii) England; and if he will make a statement. [202096]

George Eustice: Complaints against deductions made by the Rural Payments Agency to a farmer’s payments under the single payment scheme should be made to the agency. Complaints are reviewed within the agency. If a farmer disagrees with the agency’s final decision, they may ask for an independent review by the Independent Agricultural Appeals Panel, who will make a recommendation to me to make a final decision.

The agency’s full complaints procedure is set out online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/rural-payments-agency/about/complaints-procedure

Deductions from payments under the single payment scheme are not made in respect of breaches of environmental stewardship scheme conditions alone. Where a breach of these conditions is found, an appropriate penalty would be applied in respect of the environmental stewardship payments received or due to be received. Natural England, which administers the scheme, has a formal appeals procedure described in section 5.7.4 of the entry level stewardship handbook, available online at:

http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/file/2781958

Beef: Prices

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment he has made of the causes and effects of falls in beef farm gate prices; and if he will make a statement; [202182]

(2) what steps he plans to take in response to falls in beef farm gate prices. [202183]

George Eustice: With supplies of cattle outstripping demand both at home and abroad, domestic prime cattle prices have been under pressure and have fallen throughout 2014. In May, prices were at their lowest level since mid-2012 and 15-20% lower than the peak reached in 2013. The European Commission (EC) short- term outlook expects beef prices to remain firm although below the 2013 record highs.

On 1 July, the Under-Secretary of State with responsibility for farming, food and the marine environment will be hosting a senior-level beef industry summit with retailers, meat processors and farmers to discuss falling farm gate beef prices and develop strategies for a sustainable British beef sector.