China
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Chinese counterparts on animal welfare issues in China. [203183]
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Mr Swire: We have not made recent specific representations on animal welfare issues in China. However the UK is a leading supporter of co-ordinated international efforts to protect animal welfare. We hosted a high level conference on the illegal wildlife trade in London in February 2014, and over 40 countries, including China, participated. Chinese authorities have since passed a new law making the consumption of rare wild animals an offence, punishable by 10 years in prison.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with President Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo on a peaceful transition to a new presidency in 2016. [203059]
Mark Simmonds: Parliamentary and presidential elections in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) represent an important opportunity for DRC to demonstrate democratic progress; this includes the transition to a new presidency in 2016. To that end, we continue to encourage the Government of DRC to ensure that a full electoral timetable is produced; that the Congolese constitution is respected; and the presidential elections are held by the end of 2016. This was most recently discussed in Kinshasa by FCO officials in early June. We will continue to work closely with the DRC Government, the UN and our international partners as the electoral timetable develops.
Energy
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of his Department's consumption in kWh of (a) gas and (b) electricity in each month since June 2010; and what the cost of such consumption has been in each such month. [202705]
Mr Lidington: The following table shows the monthly consumption and the annual cost of electricity and gas for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s UK estate. To provide a breakdown of monthly utility costs from June 2010 would incur a disproportionate cost.
| Electricity and gas consumption by KW per month—Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK Estate, July 2010 to June 2014 | ||
| Electricity | Gas | |
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European Union
Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the initiative of which member states the wording of the draft Conclusions of the EU Presidency at the European Council meeting on 26-27 June 2014 relating to the role of national parliaments in the EU was reduced in scope and significance in the final version. [203162]
Mr Lidington: We welcome the reference in the June European Council Conclusions to the closer involvement of national parliaments in EU decision-making. We will continue to push for a strong voice for national parliaments within the EU, but Her Majesty’s Government are not able to disclose the detail of negotiations.
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Palestinians
Nadhim Zahawi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the adherence of Hamas to the Quartet Principles. [R] [202978]
Hugh Robertson: The UK does not talk to Hamas. It remains the Government’s position that Hamas must adhere to the Quartet Principles, by renouncing violence, recognising Israel, and accepting previously signed agreements. To date, 2 July 2014, they have not.
South Pacific
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the value of the Senior Pacific Police Leadership Program; and (b) the effect of the level of investment in the program by his Department. [202871]
Mr Swire: The aim of the Senior Pacific Police Leadership Programme (SPPL), which ran in 2013, was to improve leadership skills, promote ethical policing practices and reinforce the rights of women in the Pacific. The programme was run in partnership with Australia and New Zealand and was well received by the students and their respective Governments.
21 senior police officers from 15 Pacific island countries took part--and it was designed to complement larger scale assistance being provided by our allies in the region.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent £23,000 on the SPPL programme. We believe that the SPPL programme has had a positive impact, and helped improve police leadership in the countries which participated. Feedback from our partners in those countries, and from our New Zealand partners who hosted the programme, suggests that the SPPL programme provided a quality of training that would not otherwise be available in the region.
Energy and Climate Change
Carbon Emissions
Mr O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer for 4 March 2014, Official Report, column 765W, on carbon emissions, to which other technologies that answer refers to; and whether this would still be the case if the carbon footprint of backup technologies was factored in. [202392]
Gregory Barker: Onshore wind power has a very small carbon footprint range relative to other energy generation technologies, including coal and gas-fired generation, which, in 2012, emitted, on average, 895 g/kWh and 415 g/kWh respectively (not allowing for emissions incurred during the manufacture, construction and decommissioning phases)1.
The Department does not estimate the gas turbine energy contribution (and therefore related CO2 emissions) associated with the reserve generation needed to manage
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wind variability specifically, due to complex inter-dependencies of the power system operational parameters. However, the need for reserve generation to manage intermittent supply and demand of electricity does not change the fact that any electricity generated by onshore wind-which in the first quarter of 2014 accounted for around 7% of all electricity generated in the UK-has a carbon footprint of just 8 and 20g CO2eq/kWh. Reserve generation displaces the output of existing generating stations to maintain the balance of supply and demand, so there is no net increase of power on the system at any one time; therefore the only additional emissions from reserve associated with wind power is through the inefficiency of running separate generating stations at part load rather than fewer stations at full-load, which is relatively insignificant compared to the carbon savings made.
1 Coal and Gas emissions factors from table DUKES 5C, available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electricity-chapter-5-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes
Climate Change: Conferences
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure the Government are represented at the highest level at the upcoming UN Conference on Climate Change in Lima. [203088]
Gregory Barker: Details on the UK delegation to the 20th United Nations Annual Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP) in Lima are yet to be confirmed, but the delegation will include Ministers and senior officials from the Government. The full list of participants in the conference will be published on the UNFCCC website when the COP has concluded, and this will include details of the UK delegation.
Electricity Generation
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assumptions underly the change set out in his Department's Impact Assessment for the Capacity Mechanism of June 2014 on the forecast capacity price moves from £18/mWh in 2021 to £36.mWh in 2022. [203113]
Michael Fallon: The June 2014 Capacity Market Impact Assessment estimates the clearing price will be £18/kW for 2021 and £36/kW for 2022. Please note that the estimated clearing prices are sensitive to small changes in assumptions.
With the modelling, we have not undertaken work to isolate the impact of a change in a specific assumption to a change in clearing prices. However, we have undertaken sensitivity analysis in the Impact Assessment, as seen on page 28. Annex G of the June 2014 Capacity Market Impact Assessment outlines the modelling approach and assumptions. Please see the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324430/Final_Capacity_Market_ Impact_Assessment.pdf
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Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Impact Assessment for the Capacity Market, IA No: DECC0151, what the reasons are for the change between October 2013 and June 2014 in his Department’s appraisal of the carbon cost of the capacity market. [203147]
Michael Fallon: The June 2014 Capacity Market Impact Assessment included updated assumptions (such as the latest peak demand assumptions). In addition a number of modelling changes were made between the October 2013 Capacity Market Impact Assessment and the June 2014 Capacity Market Impact Assessment. The reason for these changes was to better estimate the impact of the Capacity Market. These modelling changes are outlined in the June 2014 Capacity Market Impact Assessment. Please find the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324430/Final_Capacity_Market_Impact_Assessment.pdf
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the Net Present Value to 2030 of the Capacity Market in a scenario in which the Value of Loss of Load is taken at £10,000/MWh. [203148]
Michael Fallon: The estimated net present value to 2030 of the Capacity Market in a scenario in which the Value of Lost Load is £10,000/MWh is £31 million.
Energy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) which local authorities have received funding under the Core Cities Energy Efficiency programme; [203292]
(2) which local authorities have received funding under the pioneer places programme. [203293]
Gregory Barker: Full details are published at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-march-2014
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding has been allocated under the core cities energy efficiency programme. [203294]
Gregory Barker: £10.8 million was allocated to the core cities programme which concluded in June 2013.
Energy: Prices
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with energy companies on retail and wholesale energy prices. [203118]
Michael Fallon: DECC Ministers and officials regularly have discussions with energy companies about a range of market issues.
In a competitive market, pricing decisions are a commercial matter for companies.
Consumers can put pressure on companies to reduce prices by switching to the best deal for them.
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Green Deal Scheme
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which local authorities have received funding under the Green Deal Communities programme. [203290]
Gregory Barker: Full details are at:
www.gov.uk/government/news/support-for-local-authorities-to-keep-homes-warm-and-lower-energy-bills?jhbjkb
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding has been allocated under the Green Deal Communities programme to date. [203291]
Gregory Barker: The Green Deal Communities fund of £88.3 million has been fully allocated to 24 successful local authorities.
www.gov.uk/government/news/support-for-local-authorities-to-keep-homes-warm-and-lower-energy-bills?jhbjkb
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding his Department has allocated under the pioneer places programme. [203296]
Gregory Barker: Pioneer Places completed in June 2013. £10 million was allocated to local authorities under the Pioneer Places programme. Details with outcomes are at:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-march-2014
Natural Gas: Prices
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that the recent reductions in wholesale gas prices available to energy companies are benefiting consumers. [202635]
Michael Fallon: In a competitive market, pricing decisions are a commercial matter for companies.
Consumers can put pressure on companies to reduce prices by switching to the best deal for them-Ofgem’s Retail Market Reforms to deliver a simpler, clear market combined with Government’s push to significantly reduce switching times and require suppliers to share consumer data with trusted third parties, should make this easier to do.
The Government supported Ofgem’s recent letter to the largest suppliers, challenging them to explain to consumers the impact of falling wholesale prices on their retail prices. Evidence that large suppliers raise prices more quickly when costs increase than they reduce prices when costs fall was one of the issues underpinning Ofgem’s recent referral of the energy markets to the Competition and Markets Authority.
Private Rented Housing: Energy
Caroline Flint:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of landlords who
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have upgraded the energy efficiency of their properties to EPC rating E or higher in line with the Energy Act 2011 since the implementation of that Act. [203362]
Gregory Barker: No estimate has been made of the number of landlords acting as a direct result of the provisions within the Energy Act 2011.
Renewable Energy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 1249, on low-carbon electricity projects, (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the Bloomberg analysis; [203377]
(2) what the evidential basis is for the statement of the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change that investment in low-carbon electricity projects has doubled during the current Parliament; [203376]
Gregory Barker: In the answer I gave to the right hon. Member on 12 May 2014, Official Report, columns 344-45W, I confirmed that a copy of the Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis of new investment in UK renewable electricity was placed in the Libraries of both Houses. This analysis shows that average annual investment in renewables has more than doubled in this Parliament, compared with the previous one. When rounded, the figures also show a 20% increase in renewable electricity between 2012 and 2013.
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 1258, on energy security, what the evidential basis is for his statement that the rate of investment in renewables is increasing. [203380]
Michael Fallon: In the answer I gave to the right hon. Member on 12 May 2014, Official Report, column 344-5W, I confirmed that a copy of the Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis of new investment in UK renewable electricity was placed in the Libraries of both Houses. This shows that the investment rate is going up, with average annual investment in renewables more than doubling in this Parliament, compared with the previous one.
Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs
Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment and evaluation of the effectiveness of the feed-in tariff scheme have been completed and published during the period of its implementation. [202985]
Gregory Barker: DECC conducted a Comprehensive Review of the FITs scheme in 2011-12, which assessed the effectiveness of the scheme and introduced measures to improve value for money and reduce tariffs in light of falling costs. The relevant documents are available on the gov.uk website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/increasing-the-use-of-low-carbon-technologies/supporting-pages/feed-in-tariffs-scheme
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Additionally, Ofgem’s Annual Reports for the first three years of the Feed-in Tariffs scheme can be found on the Ofgem FIT website:
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/feed-tariff-fit-scheme
These provide evidence for the extent to which FITs has encouraged small-scale, low-carbon electricity generation.
We are planning a further review of FITs in 2015.
Solar Power
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his policy is on future public subsidies to onshore solar energy projects; and if he will make a statement. [202360]
Gregory Barker: The UK has seen a remarkable transformation in solar PV deployment under the coalition Government; we now have over 3GW of installed capacity. The measures that we set out in our Solar Strategy will ensure that solar PV continues to be a vital part of the UK’s renewable energy mix for many years to come.
Alongside those measures, we are consulting on proposals to change the small-scale feed-in tariff scheme to enable more communities to benefit from ownership of renewable electricity generation, as well as proposals to encourage more deployment of solar PV on buildings.
We are also consulting on changes to the renewables obligation in relation to support for large-scale solar projects, and are working closely with industry to ensure that transition to the new contracts for difference mechanism supports the on-going development of the solar sector in the UK.
Universal Credit
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to WaterSure to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out. [202671]
Dan Rogerson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The WaterSure tariff lowers the bills of low-income, metered customers that have unavoidably high water use. WaterSure is provided by all water companies in England to qualifying customers and caps their water bills at the average for their region. WaterSure customers will continue to benefit from the scheme when their qualifying benefit or tax credit is replaced by universal credit. The WaterSure tariff is funded through cross subsidy between water customers; there is no cost to the public purse.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Conditions of Employment
Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Flexible Working Regulations 2014 on workers with zero hours contracts. [203174]
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Jo Swinson: Under the new regulations, which were brought into force on the 30 June, all employees with 26 continuous weeks of service have the right to request flexible working from their employer. Individuals on zero hours contracts, and who are employees, can request a change in their contracts which could also include a request to move to a fixed hours contract.
Individuals on zero hours contracts may be employees or workers, depending on the contract agreed between them and their employer. The Government do not keep records on the proportion of individual zero hours contracts workers on either employee or worker contracts.
While individuals on zero hour contracts, and who are not employees, do not have a statutory right to request flexible working, they can make an informal request to their employer to vary their hours or their working pattern. An employer can also choose to offer contractual rights that are more generous than those provided for in statute.
Copyright: Arts
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the legal proceedings recently instituted in other EU member states against UK-registered companies involved in the copying of design articles derived from artistic work. [202995]
Mr Willetts: The UK Government do not comment on ongoing legal proceedings. Any company, regardless of where it is registered, should act in accordance with the laws of the relevant EU member state.
Disabled Students' Allowances
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had on proposed changes to the disabled students' allowance. [904635]
Mr Willetts: The Interdepartmental Ministerial Group on Disability, which I attend, has discussed the proposed changes to the disabled students allowance (DSA). The changes should improve the effectiveness of the scheme, and ensure that there is a proper balance between the responsibility of Higher Education Institutions to make reasonable adjustments and a central scheme, the DSA, that provides funding direct to students. The purpose of these allowances is not fundamentally changing.
Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to implement section 74 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 before the end of the current parliamentary session; and if he will make a statement. [202992]
Mr Willetts: The Government intend to implement section 74 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, with appropriate transitional provisions, before the end of the current parliamentary session, following public consultation on those transitional provisions.
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Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the complaints received by the European Consumer Centres' Network against UK-registered companies involved in the copying of artistic design articles as a result of the time taken to implement section 74 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013. [202993]
Mr Willetts: The European Consumer Centre Network is primarily involved in cross-border consumer disputes with traders. The Government do not intervene in such complaints. Nor has it received any information from the Network in relation to complaints against UK-registered companies involved in the copying of artistic design articles. Accordingly, the Government have made no assessment of such complaints.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's planned timeline is for the implementation of section 74 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013; and if he will make a statement. [202994]
Mr Willetts: The Government plan to publish its Impact Assessment and consultation document on the timing of the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (i.e. the implementation of section 74 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (“ERRA”)) later this year.
Once the consultation process has concluded, the Government intend to introduce the secondary legislation to implement section 74 of the ERRA before the end of this Parliament.
Higher Education: Yorkshire and the Humber
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people from (a) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber (i) applied for and (ii) started a degree course in each year since 2009-10. [202646]
Mr Willetts: The latest available information on applicants is shown in Table 1. Comparable figures for North Yorkshire are not held centrally.
| Table 1: UCAS applicants to full-time undergraduate courses from Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, and Yorkshire and the Humber | |||||
| Year of entry: | |||||
| Area of domicile | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| 1 This analysis uses country specific age definitions that align with the cut off points for school and college cohorts within the different administrations of the UK. For England, ages are defined on 31 August. Defining ages in this way matches the assignment of children to school cohorts. Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: UCAS | |||||
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The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The number of young (under 21) entrants to UK HEIs who were domiciled in Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency, North Yorkshire, and the Yorkshire and the Humber region prior to starting their course is shown in Table 2. HESA figures for 2013/14 will be available in January 2015. There are differences in the coverage of UCAS and HESA: the UCAS figures cover applicants to higher education institutions (HEIs), further education colleges (FECs), and alternative providers (APs) of HE in the UK; the HESA figures cover HEIs only, plus the university of Buckinghamshire. Not all applicants apply via UCAS: some apply directly to institutions. In addition, some applicants who obtain a place via UCAS opt to defer entry until the following year.
| Table 2: Young1 entrants2 domiciled3 in Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency 4, North Yorkshire local authority and Yorkshire and Humber Government office region UK higher education institutions. Academic years 2009/10 to 2012/13 | ||||
| Domicile | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 |
| 1 Young refers to students aged under 21 on 31 August in the reporting year. 2 Entrants refers to students in their first year of study. 3 Domicile refers to a students’ home or permanent address prior to starting their course. 4 Parliamentary constituency boundaries were revised from the 6 May 2010 UK general election. Source: HESA Student Record | ||||
Manufacturing Industries: Northern Ireland
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many delegates from manufacturers based in Northern Ireland were invited to the BIS Manufacturing Summit 2014 held on 19 June 2014. [202561]
Michael Fallon: Information on the regional location of Manufacturing Summit delegates was not requested as part of the registration process. However, from the limited data available we have identified one Northern Ireland-based manufacturing company which was invited to the Manufacturing Summit. This particular company decided not to send a representative.
For future summits we will be looking at ways to create a more diverse mix of CEO-level participants from across manufacturing industry. Proactive suggestions from hon. Members would be welcome as part of this process.
New Businesses: Northern Ireland
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applicants for the Start-Up Loans Scheme have been received from Northern Ireland; and what value of such loans have been provided for new businesses in Northern Ireland since the scheme was launched. [202565]
Matthew Hancock: To date there have been 913 applications for Start-Up Loans in Northern Ireland including applications that have been withdrawn, declined or still in progress. Of these applications, 120 loans with a value of £562,110 have been drawn down to date.
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Space Technology: Northern Ireland
Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what work the National Space Agency is doing to support the development of a regional space small and medium-sized enterprise sector in Northern Ireland; and what steps his Department has taken to support space-related events and conferences for decision-makers, the public, industry or academia in Northern Ireland. [202605]
Mr Willetts: The UK Space Agency recognises the strengths and interest of the Northern Ireland space sector. The Agency has recently established a small team to focus on supporting the development of a vibrant regional small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) community across the UK. It is already engaged with the Northern Ireland space office and will work with them to help them to understand the potential value of the space sector to the Northern Ireland economy, both in the traditional upstream and in downstream “space-enabled markets”. Areas of focus for regional engagement include aligning locally provided business support and the potential for further space business incubators. The team are working closely with colleagues in the Satellite Applications Catapult who are also engaging with local enterprise partnerships and the devolved Administrations and have a significant role to play in supporting SMEs in the space sector. As set out in the Northern Ireland Economic Pact, the agency is considering the case for a new satellite propulsion test facility near Belfast. The agency is also in receipt of Northern Ireland’s letter of intent to host the UK Space Conference 2017 and due consideration will be given to holding the conference in Belfast in due course.
Justice
Islam: Marriage
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to encourage mosques to register with the General Registry Office to perform civil marriages and partnerships. [201462]
Simon Hughes: A small working group of internal and external stakeholders was established by the Ministry of Justice in 2012 to consider the reasons why so few mosques are registered for the purpose of conducting marriages, and explore what more might be done by Government and others to raise awareness of registration and its benefits. The group is also exploring how community-led approaches could raise awareness of marriages which are not recognised by the state and the potential legal consequences.
The General Register Office is content to work with interested parties to see what might be done in the area of communications and guidance within the existing legal framework. The group is also raising awareness of religious marriages not recognised by the state and the potential legal consequences.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he has taken to raise awareness among Muslim couples that Islamic marriages without a legal component are not recognised in England and Wales. [201474]
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Simon Hughes: A small working group of internal and external stakeholders was established by the MOJ in 2012 to consider why so few mosques are registered for the purpose of conducting marriages. The working group has been exploring what more could be done in communications and guidance within the existing legal framework. The group is also examining how community led approaches could raise awareness of religious marriages which are not recognised by the state and the potential legal consequences.
Life Imprisonment
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many life sentence prisoners were moved into open prisons in each month between January 2010 and December 2013. [200046]
Jeremy Wright: Data held centrally on prisoners transferred to open prisons do not distinguish between different types of indeterminate sentenced prisoner. Indeterminate sentences include those serving mandatory, discretionary and automatic life sentences and those serving Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) sentences.
Identifying which prisoners were serving life sentences would require a manual trawl of records, which would incur disproportionate cost.
Open Prisons
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners in open prisons were returned to closed prisons in each of the last three years by (a) reason for their return and (b) type of offence originally committed. [199720]
Jeremy Wright: We do not centrally hold data on the individual reasons for determinate sentence prisoner transfers, including transfers following re-categorisation and when prisoners have been returned to closed conditions from open prisons. Where this is available, the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost as it would involve a manual trawl through the records of every prisoner to identify if they have ever been held in open conditions and subsequently returned to closed conditions.
However, the information, in part, is centrally available in respect of indeterminate sentence prisoners.
Table 1 provides the number of indeterminate sentence prisoners who have been returned from open conditions to closed conditions and where the transfer occurred between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2014, grouped by year and by reason for transfer. The data have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
We are unable to provide a breakdown of this information by index offence as this information is not held centrally; to obtain it would require a manual trawl through every case and this would incur disproportionate cost.
| Reason for return to closed prison | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | Grand total |
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The main purpose of open conditions is to test prisoners in conditions more similar to those that they will face in the community. Time spent in open prisons affords prisoners the opportunity to find work, re-establish family ties, reintegrate into the community and ensure housing needs are met. For many prisoners who have spent a considerable amount of time in custody; these can assist in their successful reintegration in the community and protecting the public.
We make no apologies for taking a firm approach in returning prisoners to closed conditions wherever we need to do so.
The number of temporary release failures remains very low; less that one failure in every 1,000 releases and about five in every 100,000 releases involving alleged offending, but we take each and every incident seriously. The Government have already ordered immediate changes to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. With immediate effect, prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions if they have previously absconded from open prisons; or if they have failed to return or reoffended whilst released on temporary licence.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 458W, on open prisons, what data his Department holds on the number of (a) prisoners in an open prison who previously breached a licence condition while released on temporary licence and (b) prisoners in open prisons who have previously absconded or escaped from prison on the latest date for which figures are available. [202556]
Jeremy Wright: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 458W, on open prisons.
My officials are currently working to provide the information requested. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.
Prison Sentences
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of sentence was for (a) the total prison population and (b) foreign national prisoners, by type of offence, in 2012. [202783]
Jeremy Wright: Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for our independent courts, taking account of all the circumstances of each case. The sentencing legislation and sentencing guidelines apply equally to all offenders.
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Crime continues to fall, but since 2010 those who commit a serious offence are more likely to go to prison and for longer. In 2013, the average custodial sentence length was 15.5 months across all indictable offences, which is the highest in more than a decade.
The average length of sentence for (a) the total prison population and (b) foreign national prisoners, by type of offence, in 2012 is shown in the table.
| Average sentence length in months for foreign national prisoners and all prisoners by offence group, as on 30th June 2012, England and Wales | ||
| Offence group | Foreign nationals | All prisoners |
| Notes: 1. These figures include determinate sentenced prisoners only, and represent a point-in-time average of sentence lengths on 30 June 2012. 2. The 'all prisoners' figures are inclusive of foreign national prisoners. Data Sources and Quality: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. | ||
Prison Service
Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many agency staff were used at each prison establishment in England and Wales on 9 June 2014 to carry out operational support grade functions. [202081]
Jeremy Wright: In responding to this question, we have utilised data provided by our contracted supplier of temporary operational staff.
Operational support grades cover a variety of roles within the prison including gate, visits, censors and reception, they are also flexibly deployed to provide a range of other support services within operational areas. We look to fill vacancies from within the Department and wider civil service before looking externally. The total number of agency staff in the position of operational support grade as of 9 June 2014 was 842. This figure can fluctuate throughout the year in line with establishment requirements. For a full breakdown of this number by establishment, please see the following table.
| Organisation | Number of OSGs |
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Prisoners’ Release
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many indeterminate sentence prisoners have been considered and (a) approved and (b) rejected for release on temporary licence; and how many of these had received approval from him for transfer to open conditions. [202825]
Jeremy Wright: Data on temporary release applications and the outcomes of such applications are not collected centrally and could not be provided except at disproportionate cost. Data on releases on temporary licence are published at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-october-december-2013-and-annual
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistical-notice-releases-on-temporary-licence-2012
Prisoners: Per Capita Costs
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average cost per (a) prison place and (b) prisoner in each category of prison was in the latest period for which figures are available; [202786]
(2) what the average cost was of each (a) prison place and (b) prisoner in the case of (i) male and (ii) female prisoners in the latest period for which figures are available; [202796]
(3) what the average cost was of each (a) prison place and (b) prisoner in each prison in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available. [202798]
Jeremy Wright:
The Department routinely publishes average costs per prisoner and prison place, based on actual net resource expenditure for each private and public sector prison and in summary form for the whole of the prison estate in England and Wales on an annual basis after the end of each financial year. This includes
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a breakdown of these costs by prison category and individual prison within each category, and separately by prisoner gender.
The most recently published figures are for financial year 2012-13 which give an average annual Overall cost per place of £36,808 and average annual Overall cost per prisoner of £34,766. An average annual cost per male prisoner of £34,306 and £44,746 per female prisoner, based on Overall resource costs, is also published.
The information for financial year 2012-13 is available in the Cost per Place and Prisoner and Supplementary Information files on the Department’s website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-and-probation-trusts-performance-statistics-201213
Figures for 2013-14 will be published alongside the Management Information Addendums to the NOMS Annual Report and Accounts in October 2014.
Continuing to reduce prison unit costs is one of the key targets for the Department. Between 2009-10 and 2012-13 prison unit costs (based on Overall prison costs) have reduced in real terms by 16% per place and 13% per prisoner.
Probation Trusts: Staff
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many safety officers are employed by probation trusts to help (a) female and (b) male victims of domestic violence. [202792]
Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not available as it was not collected centrally from the probation trusts. Probation trusts ceased to provide probation services from midnight on 31 May 2014.
National Probation Service (NPS) and Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) commenced operations on 1 June 2014.
Information on staffing levels at Probation Trust level was published in the Quarterly Probation Service Workforce Information reports. The link to the reports on gov.uk is provided as follows:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/probation-service-workforce-quarterly-reports
Recovery of Costs
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who is responsible for paying defendant costs orders; and which organisation receives payment if costs are awarded for a successful prosecution of a breach. [202520]
Mr Vara: Defendant Costs Orders are awarded to a defendant when a prosecution is unsuccessful and the defendant is acquitted. The expenditure is called ‘Central Funds’ and are payable at legal aid rates. Central funds fall under the financial responsibility of the Legal Aid Agency but are operationally administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
If costs are awarded in a successful prosecution of a breach of a Defendant Costs Order, then whoever the prosecutor is will be entitled to receive the costs.
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Secure Colleges
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) whether his policy of an early bedtime for young offenders will apply in secure colleges; [203150]
(2) whether the time set for an early bedtime for offenders in the youth estate will be the same for all age groups. [203151]
Jeremy Wright: We are committed to reforming the youth secure estate. That includes improving the existing regime, within existing establishments, alongside our plans for secure colleges. Introducing a latest bedtime of 10.30 pm in public young offenders institutions is a sensible measure to ensure young people have a routine that will enable them to engage effectively in the regime. In due course we will be discussing with potential operators of secure colleges their proposals for structuring regimes that will maximise engagement.
Secure training centres and secure children’s homes have bedtimes of around 9 pm to 10 pm depending on the age and behaviour of the young person in question, and whether or not it is a school day.
Work and Pensions
Children: Maintenance
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what average amount of child maintenance arrears is owed to parents with care. [202867]
Steve Webb: As at March 2014, the average amount of child maintenance arrears owed to parents with care is £2,1461.
1 Arrears amounts are calculated on cases with a positive outstanding arrears value, against the 1993 and 2003 statutory maintenance schemes only, including cases managed off system.
The average amount of arrears owed to parents with care is calculated using the proportion of total arrears owed to parents with care and the proportion of cases where arrears are owed to parents with care, on the CSCS and CS2 computer systems only.
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many child support agency arrears cases are cases where there is no ongoing liability. [202868]
Steve Webb: At March 2014 there were 532,500 Child Support Agency cases which had arrears with no ongoing liability.
Note:
This includes cases administered on the 1993 and 2003 schemes only.
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Child Support Agency has in place to review decisions taken to temporarily suspend action to recover child maintenance arrears and to establish whether the circumstances which led to the temporary suspension of recovery action have changed. [202870]
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Steve Webb: Child Support Agency cases with suspended debt will be investigated if the Agency is made aware of any changes of circumstance that would warrant the suspended debt being collected.
Under the new Child Maintenance Service all cases will be subject to an annual review. If the paying parent is working, the case will be reassessed and, if appropriate, any suspended debt reinstated.
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2014, Official Report, columns 171-2W, on children: maintenance, how much of the amount is written off in child maintenance arrears since November 2012; how much is attributable to (a) a request from the parent with care to write off the arrears, (b) the death of a non-resident parent, (c) the death of a parent with care, (d) an interim maintenance assessment between 1993 and 1995 and (e) a debt where the non-resident parent had been told that no further action would ever be taken. [202917]
Steve Webb: The amounts written off since November 2012 in the circumstances requested are as follows:
| £ | ||
| Reason | Year to March 2013 | Year to March 2014 |
| Note: The total does not equal that quoted in response to PQ/14/201287 because there are amounts recorded under categories which are not included in this response. | ||
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference the answer of 27 June 2012, Official Report, column 296, on children: maintenance, what proportion of Child Support Agency arrears cases include arrears that have been suspended; and what steps have since been taken to establish the proportion of cases where arrears have been (a) temporarily and (b) permanently suspended. [202921]
Steve Webb: As of March 2014 approximately 48% of Child Support Agency cases with arrears contained an amount of suspended arrears.
Analysis of a sample of the caseload at November 2013 identified that approximately 14% of suspended arrears on the CS2 computer system were permanently suspended, leaving 86% temporarily suspended.
It is not possible to produce the proportion of cases temporarily or permanently suspended on the CSCS computer system because the information is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether it is feasible to produce the statistics requested within the disproportionate cost limit, and if so, will issue them in an official statistics release in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
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Notes:
Management information on suspended debt is not available for off system cases, therefore the proportion of cases with arrears that contain suspended arrears has been calculated using CS2 and CSCS cases only.
Food Banks
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) with reference to the statement of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Welfare Reform Committee on 26 June 2014, that 'I want an analysis of the use of foodbanks that everybody can subscribe to', whether his Department (a) is producing, (b) has commissioned or (c) plans to commission any new research into the use of foodbanks; [202810]
(2) what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Welfare Reform Committee on 26 June 2014, that 'there isn't any doubt that there are some people who've gone to foodbanks because they have been subject, for example, to sanctions or delays in receiving benefits'. [202812]
Esther McVey: The evidence the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland provided to the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee on the 26 June 2014 highlighted the underlying complexity to the use of foodbanks.
The Government have already commissioned a report on food security by Warwick university, which was published in February 2014. The Government have no immediate plans to produce or commission further research, but will keep this under review.
Benefit clearance times are steadily improving with 92% of benefits being processed on time (within 16 days) nationally which is 6 percentage points higher than in 2009-10.
We have in place a robust system of safeguards that seek to ensure sanctions are only applied to those claimants who wilfully fail to meet their requirements. It remains the case that the vast majority of claimants do comply and are not sanctioned—each month only around 5% of JSA claimants are sanctioned and fewer than 1% of ESA claimants. Reduced payments are made where necessary to prevent hardship.
Independent Living Fund
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department plans to give the devolved Administrations and local authorities before 2015 on meeting the care and support needs of people currently using the independent living fund. [203112]
Mike Penning: My Department is committed to working closely with the ILF and other Government Departments to support the work required to enable an effective transfer for ILF users by 30 June 2015.
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The ILF has undertaken a dedicated programme of engagement with local authorities and the devolved Administrations; and continues to engage directly with all of those authorities who will be involved in the transfer of user care and support in 2015. This includes a commitment to the codes of practice agreed between the ILF and English local authorities, and between the ILF and the devolved Administrations.
Specific proposals for distributing the funding transferred to them in respect of former users of the independent living fund living in Scotland and Wales are a matter for the Scottish and Welsh Governments.
Refineries
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what steps his Department has taken to ensure that former oil refineries being converted to bulk storage and distribution terminals meet post-Buncefield health and safety requirements; [202807]
(2) what deadline has been set by his Department for former oil refineries being converted to bulk storage and distribution terminals to make the necessary upgrades to meet post-Buncefield standards; and how rigorously such standards are being enforced by the Environment Agency. [202808]
Mike Penning: The COMAH Competent Authority (CA), comprising HSE and the environment agencies, is responsible for ensuring that oil refineries and fuel storage and distribution terminals meet new safety and environmental standards introduced in 2009 following the Buncefield fire and explosion. The standards were developed jointly by industry and the CA and published by the Process Safety Leadership Group (PSLG).
Refineries were required to produce risk-based action plans to implement the PSLG safety standards at their existing fuel storage facilities. HSE led the assessment of these plans during 2011 and has been inspecting sites to ensure the planned improvements are made. The timings of upgrades to containment standards at refineries’ existing fuel storage facilities is based on risk and will vary for each site. Agreed improvements are embedded in environment inspection plans for each site and followed up to ensure measures are implemented on time.
The CA is working with refineries undergoing conversion to fuel storage and distribution terminals to ensure the PSLG standards are applied in full to their new facilities.
Scotland
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which official welfare-related engagements (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have attended in Scotland since May 2010. [202811]
Esther McVey: All visits to Scotland by this Department’s Ministers are welfare related engagements. The following gives details of those visits.
The Rt. Hon. Iain Duncan Smith
September 2010—delivered a speech and attended meetings in Edinburgh
February 2011—attended a meeting in Glasgow and conducted site visits in Motherwell
April 2011—conducted site visits in Edinburgh
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May 2011—delivered a speech and conducted a site visit in Irvine
September 2011—delivered a speech in Edinburgh
September 2011—conducted a site visit in Leith and meetings in Edinburgh
March 2012—conducted a site visit and attended meetings in Edinburgh
March 2012—delivered a speech and conducted site visits in Dundee
September 2012—conducted site visits and delivered a speech in Glasgow
March 2013 delivered a speech and attended meetings in Edinburgh
April 2011—conducted a site visit and attended meetings in Edinburgh
January 2012—conducted site visits in Clydebank and Cumbernauld and attended meetings in Edinburgh
March 2013—conducted a site visit and attended meetings in Glasgow
November 2010—delivered a speech and attended meetings in Edinburgh
July 2012—delivered a speech and attended meetings in Edinburgh
November 2012—attended meetings in Edinburgh
March 2013—delivered a speech in St Andrews
June 2013—delivered a speech and attended meetings in Glasgow and Edinburgh
November 2013—conducted a site visit to Inverness
September 2011—attended meetings in Fife
March 2012—attended meetings in Edinburgh
October 2012—conducted site visits in Edinburgh
February 2013—conducted site visits in Dundee
March 2014—hosted an event in Glasgow
Sept 2010—attended a conference in Gleneagles
March 2011—delivered key note speech in Edinburgh; and provider visit
September 2011—attended a conference in Gleneagles
April 2012—conducted a site visit in Dundee and attended a meeting in Edinburgh, meeting Deputy First Minister
September 2012—attended a conference in Gleneagles
September 2013—attended a conference in Gleneagles
March 2014—delivered key note speech in Edinburgh; provider visit; roundtable event
Television: Licensing
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households with a person aged 75 or over in (a) York Central constituency and (b) York Unitary Authority area were eligible for a free television licence in the last year for which data are available. [202931]
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Steve Webb: The information requested is not held.
UK Statistical Authority
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to reduce the number of rebukes his Department receives from the UK Statistical Authority. [203119]
Esther McVey: Since May 2010 the DWP has led the way in openness and transparency of statistical release by publishing over 770 releases and datasets.
Great care is taken to get things right, and in this time the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) has only written directly to DWP Ministers on two occasions about issues raised with it about DWP statistics. The Department has responded to these points and taken on board the UKSA suggestions.
DWP statistical releases are produced and published separately to and independently from other departmental comment or publications.
Great care is taken by DWP statisticians to ensure the statistical releases are easy to read and understand, and are balanced and impartial.
Unemployment: Young People
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans Jobcentre Plus has to work with the organisation Movement to Work. [203127]
Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus has been giving practical support to the employer-led Movement to Work initiative and continues to do so. It offers advice to employers who have Movement to Work opportunities to fill. Coaches in Jobcentres are able to refer young people to these opportunities where appropriate.
In addition the Department for Work and Pensions has been supporting the initiative centrally. Most recently Movement to Work organised an event in June to encourage more employers to join. As an employer the civil service is contributing 6,000 work experience opportunities to the Movement and my Department is offering 3,000 of them.
Universal Credit
Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to cold weather payments to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out. [202678]
Steve Webb: Under existing universal credit eligibility criteria, it is estimated that cold weather payments will cost an additional £8 million per annum once universal credit has been fully rolled out.
Were entitlement to cold weather payments extended to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out the additional cost would be around £320 million per annum. It is not our intention to provide this level of support to everyone on universal credit. This would not be affordable and would divert resources from areas that most need it.
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Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to funeral payments to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out. [202679]
Steve Webb: The additional cost of extending entitlement to funeral payments to all universal credit claimants who satisfy all the relevant criteria once universal credit is fully rolled out would be around £1.5 million per annum.
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with representatives from charitable and youth organisations on the effect of the new flat-rate housing cost contribution on unemployed young people. [203117]
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the effect of universal credit on the self-employed. [203120]
Esther McVey: There have been no recent meetings with Ministers but there have been extensive discussions between DWP officials and officials at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills while designing the approach to supporting those who are self-employed in universal credit.
Education
Academies: Land
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many (a) leaseholds and (b) freeholds have been transferred to academy trusts from local authorities since 2010; [202861]
(2) what value of land has been transferred from local authorities into the leasehold or freehold ownership of academy trusts since 2010. [202869]
Mr Timpson: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given on 23 June 2014, Official Report, column 75W, to the hon. Member for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham).
Children: Day Care
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how much local authorities have spent on external contractors employed to deliver childcare services, excluding fostering and adoption in (a) 2014 to date and (b) each of the last three years; [202587]
(2) whether his Department has contributed funds to assist local authorities in the payment of external contractors to deliver childcare services excluding fostering and adoption; [202589]
(3) how many local authorities in England use external contractors to assist with the delivery of childcare services excluding fostering and adoption. [202593]
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Mr Timpson: Through its Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme, the Government is supporting local authorities to take new approaches to maximise the capacity and skills brought to bear in improving services for the most vulnerable children. Part of that work involves giving local authorities greater freedom to test new delivery models and harness external ideas and expertise by allowing them to delegate children’s social care functions to external providers.
In November 2013 we gave all local authorities the power to operate in this manner. So far five providers have registered with Ofsted as performing these functions on behalf of local authorities.
Local authorities also make widespread use of contractors in the provision of children’s services such as residential care and foster care.
The Government do not collect data on local authority spend on external contracts.
Education: Yorkshire and the Humber
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in state education in (a) York local authority area and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber region achieved (i) Level 2 or above in key stage 1 SATS, (ii) Level 4 or above in key stage 2 English and mathematics tests and (iii) five or more GCSE grades A*-C in 1997-98 and in each year since. [202877]
Mr Laws: Information on the performance of children in York local authority and the Yorkshire and Humber region is published in the key stage 11, key stage 22 and GCSE and equivalent3 statistical first releases for each year. This information is held across a number of spreadsheets which can be downloaded from gov.uk4 and the National Archives5.
1Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phonics-screening-check-and-national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-1-in-england-2013
2Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2012-to-2013
3Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2012-to-2013-revised
4Note:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications
5Note:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/webarchive/
Energy
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of his Department's consumption in kWh of (a) gas and (b) electricity in each month since June 2010; and what the cost of such consumption has been in each such month. [202703]
Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has cut its annual energy bill by £1.4 million since 2009-10 through reduced energy consumption, and has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 38% in the same period.
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Emission reductions from energy use have largely been achieved through low and no cost energy efficiency measures, estate rationalisation (by using space more efficiently and co-locating with other organisations), and by operating our remaining buildings even more efficiently.
The Department’s monthly gas and electricity consumption and associated costs since June 2010 are set out in the following table.
| Electricity kWh | Electricity cost (£) | Gas kWh | Gas cost (£) | |
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| 1Gaps in financial data are due to delayed billing cycles and inaccurate consumption estimates made by the supplier. | ||||