8 July 2014 : Column 226W

Schools: Drugs

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teaching assistants administer medicine to children in local authority schools in England. [203826]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education does not collect those data.

Schools: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) teachers, (b) teaching assistants and (c) support staff there were in York unitary authority area in 2008-09 and in each year since. [202885]

Mr Laws: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of teachers, teaching assistants and support staff employed in publicly-funded schools in York local authority in January 2008 to 2010 and November 2010 to 2012.

Figures for November 2010 and later are not comparable with those in January 2010 and earlier due to the change in the data collection to the School Workforce Census.

Security

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether all employees of his Department are required to return their departmental pass when they cease working for his Department. [203339]

Elizabeth Truss: Staff passes of people who no longer work for the Department are required to be returned or deactivated.

Special Educational Needs

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2014, Official Report, column 83W, on special educational needs, (1) how many local authorities have provided extra funding to assist schools with a disproportionate number of pupils with special educational needs in each of the last five years; [203833]

(2) how much local authorities have spent on providing extra funding for schools with a disproportionate number of pupils with special educational needs in each of the last five years. [203834]

Mr Timpson: The information requested is not collected centrally at this level of detail.

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Teachers: Males

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which secondary schools which were not girls schools had fewer than 10 per cent of their qualified full-time teachers as males in the most recent year for which figures are available. [203907]

Mr Laws: The latest information available is published in the file of data underlying the School Workforce in England statistical first release, November 2012 at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2012

On 23 July, the information will be updated to November 2013 and published at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many boys who were (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals attended a primary school at which there were (i) one, (ii) two and (iii) three male full-time equivalent teachers in the most recent year for which figures are available. [203909]

Mr Laws: The following table provides the number of boys¹ on roll in publicly funded primary schools² who were eligible and not eligible for free school meals in those schools with one, two and three full-time equivalent male teachers.

Under this Government more men are becoming primary school teachers-the proportion of primary teacher trainees who are men has increased from 18% in 2010 to 21% in 2013.

Teachers: Veterans

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 227W, on teachers: veterans, how many people joined the Troops to Teachers programme from start of the training scheme in September 2013 following its launch in June 2013; and how many people joined the scheme through the earlier pilot programme. [203437]

Mr Laws: Following the Secretary of State’s announcement in June 2013, the Troops to Teachers training programme commenced in January 2014 with 41 service leavers. There was no pilot programme prior to this.

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Teachers: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the gross average salary was of a full-time teacher in local authority schools in the City of York in (a) cash and (b) real terms in 1995-96 and in each year since. [202873]

Mr Laws: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 10 July 2013, Official Report, column 297W, which provided the gross average salary of full-time regular qualified teachers in service in local authority maintained schools in cash terms and real terms for York local authority, in each March, 1997 to 2009 and November 2010 to November 2011.

The gross average salary of full-time regular qualified teachers in service in local authority maintained schools in cash terms and real terms for York local authority, in November 2012 is £36,200 in both cash and real terms (rounded to the nearest £100). Figures cover all primary, secondary and special local authority maintained schools that were open but exclude academies. 2013 figures will be available in late July 2014. The source of this information is the November 2012 School Workforce Census.

Real terms figures were calculated from HMT GDP deflators, financial year, published on 1 April 2014 at the following web link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/gdp-deflators-at-market-prices-and-money-gdp

Health

Abortion

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that evidence of breaches of the Abortion Act 1967 arising from incomplete abortion notification HSA4 forms is referred to the relevant authorities; and if he will make a statement; [203419]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 611W, on abortion, how many of the forms returned to registered medical practitioners are pending completion; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that evidence of breaches of the Abortion Act 1967 is referred to the relevant authorities. [203418]

Jane Ellison: The Department has recently issued guidance to help clinicians comply with the requirements of the Abortion Act, including their obligations with regard to the completing of HSA4 forms.

Incorrectly filled in HSA4 forms are returned to the terminating practitioner by the Department of Health until such information is corrected. Establishing the number of forms returned between 2009 and 2013 still pending completion can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) people, (b) people under 18, (c) people under 16 and (d) people under 12 (i) attended and (ii) were admitted via accident and emergency departments for excessive consumption of alcohol in each year since 2010. [204021]

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Jane Ellison: Data are not collected centrally for those attending Accident and Emergency (A&E) for excessive consumption of alcohol

The following tables contain the sum of the estimated alcohol attributable fractions (AAFs) for (a) all age groups (b) people under 18, (c) people under 16 and (d) people under 12 that (ii) were admitted via A&E for excessive consumption of alcohol in each year since 2010.

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.

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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.

Ambulance Services: Cotswold Hills

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the ambulance response times in the Cotswolds were for (a) Red One, (b) Red Two, (c) Green One and (d) Green Two cases in the latest month for which figures are available; and what the figures were in each such category in the last month for which figures are available prior to the merger with the South West Ambulance Trust; [203341]

(2) for what reasons Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group was allowed to alter its contract with South West Ambulance Trust to reduce average ambulance response times; and what effect reduction will have on ambulance response times in the Cotswolds. [203342]

Jane Ellison: We are advised by NHS England that the Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group has

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not altered its contract with South West Ambulance Services NHS Foundation Trust to reduce average ambulance response times.

The information requested is shown in the following tables.

Autism

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adults with autism accessed care and support under the Fair Access to Care Standards eligibility criteria in Middlesbrough in each year since 2010. [203400]

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adults with autism accessed care and support under the Fair Access to Care Standards eligibility criteria in Stretford and Urmston constituency in each year since 2010. [203244]

Norman Lamb: The Health and Social Care Information Centre does not collect any data on the number of adults with autism accessing care and support under the Fair Access to Care Services eligibility criteria.

Cancer: Screening

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions his Department has had with Public Health England and NHS England on measures to ensure early diagnosis of rare cancers in the last (a) six and (b) 12 months; [203856]

(2) how much funding his Department has allocated to Public Health England and NHS England for promotion of early detection for rare cancers in the last (a) six and (b) 12 months. [203855]

Jane Ellison: Measures to ensure early diagnosis of cancer, including rarer cancers, are discussed monthly by the Public Awareness and Primary Care Steering Group. The group is chaired by NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer and has members representing Public Health England (PHE—Marketing and National Cancer Intelligence Network); NHS England, NHS Improving Quality; Cancer Research UK; Macmillan Cancer Support; Department of Health officials and other stakeholders.

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Within the last 12 months, PHE ran campaigns on five rarer cancers: the “blood in pee” campaign for bladder and kidney cancer; the “persistent bloating” campaign for ovarian cancer and; the “persistent heartburn” campaign for oesophago-gastric cancer (oesophageal and stomach). PHE’s advertising spend on these campaigns was around £3 million.

In 2013-14, NHS England made £2.3 million available to Strategic Clinical Networks to support early diagnosis of cancer, including supporting the Be Clear on Cancer campaigns. In addition, the Department funds the National Cancer Intelligence Network around £600,000 a year to undertake evaluation of the campaigns. These funds form part of the £450 million additional funding over four years for early diagnosis of cancer as set out in ‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’ (2011).

Cardiovascular System: Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of statins prescribed through the NHS. [203214]

Norman Lamb: There are no current plans to reduce the amount of statins prescribed through the national health service.

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it the policy of the Government to prevent nursing homes and residential rest homes charging lower fees for residents funded by local authorities than for residents who are self-funding; and if he will make a statement. [204017]

Norman Lamb: Contracting arrangements between local authorities and independent sector care homes are a matter for local negotiation and decision. The Government does not set or recommend the level of the fees that local authorities pay.

We would expect decisions taken by councils commissioning care home places to be made on the basis of judgments about quality, best value and the outcomes for individual residents. Local authorities are major purchasers of care home places and are often able to negotiate very competitive rates with care providers.

Providers are free to decide the rates they offer to residents whose care has not been arranged by a local authority. Contractual arrangements in these circumstances are entirely a matter between the care home operator and the individual resident.

Darent Valley Hospital

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department provided to Darent Valley Hospital in each of the last seven years. [203222]

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

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Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the UK have been diagnosed with (a) allergies, (b) asthma and (c) eczema in each of the last five years. [203210]

Norman Lamb: Annual incidence data for allergies, asthma and eczema is not collected.

NHS England’s service specification for specialised allergy includes an estimate of 20 million people in the United Kingdom being affected by allergenic disease at some point in their lives. The severe asthma service specification includes an estimate of more than 5 million for the number in the UK affected by asthma.

Atopic eczema is the most common form of the condition, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidance “Frequency of application of topical corticosteroids for atopic eczema”, published in 2004, suggests that it may affect 15–20% of school-age children and 2–10% of adults.

Bradley Report

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the Bradley Report five years on, published in June 2014. [203857]

Norman Lamb: The Bradley Report from 2009 continues to inform policy discussions between Ministers and officials from the Department and across Government, and with NHS England and stakeholder members of the Bradley Report Group.

We will consider the reports of progress and further recommendations in ‘The Bradley Report five years on’ and consider with the Ministry of Justice, Home Office and NHS England any implications for future policy development.

A copy of ‘The Bradley Report five years on’has been placed in the Library.

Eyesight

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the UK lost their eyesight in each of the last five years; and what the reasons were for each loss of sight. [203220]

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Dr Poulter: Information on the number of people who are registered as blind or partially sighted is published every three years by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The following table gives the information from the 2008 and 2011 reports.

The Public Health Outcomes Framework launched in 2012 includes an indicator on preventable sight loss which tracks sight loss due to the three main causes of preventable sight loss including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Data has been published for 2010-11 and 2011-12 and a summary of this data is as follows:

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General Practitioners: Telephone Services

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to enable surgeries to end contracts to use 0844 numbers early. [203952]

Dr Poulter: Regulations introduced in 2010 prevented general practitioner practices from entering into, renewing or extending a contract for telephone services unless it was satisfied that, looking at the arrangements as a whole, patients would not pay more to make calls to the practice than they would to make calls to a geographical number.

It is for NHS England to ensure that practices are meeting the terms of their contracting arrangements.

Hepatitis: Children

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged (a) under 10 and (b) 10 and over were admitted to hospital with a (i) primary and (ii) secondary diagnosis of viral hepatitis in each year since 1997. [204022]

Jane Ellison: The Health and Social Care Information Centre collects data on the number of hospital admission episodes for hepatitis C. They do not reflect the actual number of children admitted to hospital, because the same child may have had more than one admission episode within the same time period. The data held by the Health and Social Care Information Centre are as follows:

Hospitals: Admissions

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England aged (a) under 11, (b) 11 to 16, (c) under 18 and (d) 18 years and over were admitted to each hospital with (i) symptoms of alcohol poisoning, (ii) symptoms of substance abuse, (iii) stab wounds and (iv) gunshot wounds in the last year for which figures are available. [203491]

Jane Ellison: Tables which show the number of finished admission episodes with a relevant diagnosis for all patients treated in England, by the hospital provider in

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which they were treated have been placed in the Library. The information is broken down into the following age groups:

Under 11 years

11 to 16 years

Under 18 years

18 years and over

Unknown

These data are not a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion in any given time period.

Housing: Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the housing needs of people who have mental health conditions who are (a) released from prison, (b) discharged from secure hospitals to the community and (c) on community sentences; and what steps he is taking to address those needs. [204023]

Norman Lamb: No assessment has been made by the Department of the housing needs of people with mental health conditions who are released from prison, who are discharged from secure hospitals to the community or who are serving community sentences.

Most people discharged from detention in secure hospitals under either section 3 or Part 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983 (the Act) will have a care plan and satisfy the criteria for free mental health after-care under section 117 of the Act, including accommodation if that is part of their care plan.

Liver Diseases: Obesity

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate of obesity-related liver disease among adults was in the most recent period for which figures are available in each clinical commissioning group area. [203858]

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not available centrally. The Health and Social Care Information Centre has confirmed it is not possible to classify obesity-related liver disease using the International Classification of Diseases classification scheme in use in the hospital episode statistics database.

Medical Records

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the application form for Section 251 support made by the Health and Social Care Information Centre to the Confidentiality Advisory Group following completion of the pilot scheme on the main study of the What About YOUth? [204011]

Dr Poulter: The Department of Health commissioned the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) to carry out the “What about YOUth?” (WAY) trial survey. A trial survey to test some of the processes and methodology was undertaken and this ran from November 2013 to February 2014. Ipsos Mori was commissioned to carry out the trial survey on behalf of the HSCIC.

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Following this and in preparation for the proposed main stage survey, an application for section 251 support was made to the Confidentiality Advisory Group, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The application was not successful and HSCIC will be using the National Pupil Database as the sampling frame for the WAY main stage survey. We made an application for this to the Department for Education which was successful.

Medical Treatments

Mr O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 281W, on Medical Treatments, if he will provide the data requested for the four years from June 2010 on (a) the most plausible cost per quality adjusted life-year for each technology appraisal conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, (b) the estimated eligible patient population for each appraisal indication, (c) whether the end-of-life criteria was applied in each final determination and (d) the date on which each such appraisal was (i) initiated and (ii) concluded. [203431]

Norman Lamb: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the total number of ministerial replies from his Department to hon. Members in a parliamentary session; and what proportion of such replies are sent (a) by letter and (b) by email. [203306]

Dr Poulter: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 7 July 2014, Official Report, columns 5-6W.

A search of the Department’s ministerial correspondence database has identified 17,068 ministerial replies sent to hon. Members in the 2013-14 parliamentary session. Of these, 16,687 were sent by letter and 201 were sent by e-mail.

Motor Vehicles: Smoking

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2014, Official Report, column 504W, on tobacco packaging, whether he plans to publish draft regulations to outlaw smoking in cars with children present in time for them to be made law before the end of March 2015. [203950]

Jane Ellison: As set out in my previous answer of 30 June 2014, Official Report, column 504W, regulations for making it an offence to smoke in private vehicles carrying children are being drafted at present.

Obesity

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) financial and (b) human resource his Department has made available to develop policies to tackle obesity in each year since 2010. [204024]

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Jane Ellison: It is not possible to provide information about financial resources made available to develop policy to tackle obesity because a wide range of teams across the Department and other partners contribute to this policy.

Osteoporosis

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts offer a screening programme for osteoporosis. [204002]

Norman Lamb: The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation.

The UK NSC has reviewed the evidence for screening for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and recommended that screening should not be offered. The UK NSC will review the evidence for screening again in 2016-17 as part of its three yearly review policy cycle.

A preferred approach is to target higher risk groups (post-menopausal women, those on long term steroid use and after a first fracture). Prevention, assessment and treatment is covered in National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines as follows:

http://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/osteoporosis

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/TA160

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/TA161

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG146

There is patient information on the management of and living with osteoporosis on NHS Choices website:

www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Osteoporosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Parkinson's Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the (a) British Medical Association and (b) Parkinson's Disease Society on possible links between Parkinson's disease and stomach upsets and illness. [203211]

Norman Lamb: No recent discussions have taken place between Ministers and either the British Medical Association or Parkinson's Disease Society on possible links between Parkinson's disease and stomach upsets and illness.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make legislative proposals to amend the Care Act Part 1 regulations to ensure that the definition of assistance in the eligibility criteria for access to care and support is consistent with the definition of assistance in existing personal independence payment regulations. [203278]

Norman Lamb: The Care Act 2014 includes a power to make regulations to set the national eligibility criteria for adult care and support. The national eligibility threshold will provide a similar level of access to care and support when we move from the current system to the reformed system in April 2015.

The Department is currently consulting on the draft regulations and statutory guidance that will support the implementation of the Care Act. This includes the draft

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eligibility regulations which set the level of the threshold, and your comments will be considered when we finalise the regulations. The public consultation started on 6 June and runs until 15 August 2014.

Spectacles

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged between (a) 1 and 16, (b) 17 and 30, (c) 31 and 50, (d) 51 and 65 and (e) over 65 years wore spectacles in each of the last five years. [203221]

Dr Poulter: The Department does not collect data on the numbers of people who wear spectacles.

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York Hospital

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full time equivalent (a) directly employed and (b) agency nurses there were at York Hospital on 1 April 2000 and each year since then. [203406]

Dr Poulter: This information is not available in the format requested. The Health and Social Care Information Centre's non-medical workforce census does not collect the numbers of agency nurses. The figures in the following table are for directly employed nursing staff at York Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust only.

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the end of year (a) income and (b) expenditure of York Hospital in (i) cash terms and (ii) current prices in 1996-97 and each year since then. [203407]

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested.

The income and expenditure of York Hospitals NHS Trust in the financial year 2006-07 is provided in the following table.

The Department does not collect data from individual NHS foundation trusts. York Hospitals NHS Trust gained Foundation Trust status on 1 April 2007. Data for the remaining years is available on the Trust’s website at the following address:

www.yorkhospitals.nhs.uk/about_us/reports_and_publications/annual_report_york/

Foundation trusts are also required to present their annual accounts and reports to Parliament. Copies are available from the Library.

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were on waiting lists for in-patient or day surgery at York Hospital on 1 April 1997 and on the same date in each subsequent year; and of these how many had waited longer than 18 weeks, 26 weeks and 52 weeks. [203408]

Jane Ellison: Data are not available in the format requested. The following table shows the number of patients waiting for elective admission at York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust each year from 1997 to 2010:

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Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were on waiting lists for in-patient or day surgery at York hospital (a) in total and (b) in each clinical speciality on 1 April 2000 and on the same date in each subsequent year. [203409]

Jane Ellison: Data are not available in the format requested. The following table shows the number of patients waiting for elective admission in each speciality at York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust at end of March in each year from 2000 to 2007, and the total number of patients waiting for elective admission to all specialities at end of March in each year from 2000 to 2010.

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Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of patients attending the accident and emergency department at York Hospital waited longer than four hours before seeing a doctor in 2009-10 and each year since then; and what the average waiting time was in each of those years. [203410]

Jane Ellison: Data are not available in the format requested. Information as is available is shown as follows.

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Table 1 shows the number and percentage of patients waiting more than four hours for discharge, admission, or transfer from York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust accident and emergency (A&E) departments: Table 2 shows the mean and median waiting times for assessment, treatment, and departure at A&E departments at York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of patients referred to York Hospital for (a) elective surgery and (b) outpatient appointments waited longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment in 2009-10 and each year since then; and what the average waiting time was in each of those years. [203411]

Jane Ellison: Data are not available in the format requested. Information as is available is shown following tables.

Table 1 shows the number of patients admitted to York Hospital NHS Foundation Trust who waited over 18 weeks and the average waiting time in each year from 2009-10 to 2013-14. Table 2 shows the number of outpatients treated at York Hospital NHS Foundation Trust who waited over 18 weeks and the average waiting time in each year from 2009-10 to 2013-14.

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Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of patients at York Hospital were unable to get (a) an MRI scan, (b) a CT scan and (c) another diagnostic test carried out within the six week timescale specified in the NHS Constitution in 2009-10 and each year since then. [203412]

Jane Ellison: This information is not available in the format requested. Tables showing monthly data from April 2009 to April 2014 have been placed in the Library. These are waiting list figures and show the number of patients waiting at month end. Therefore, these cannot be added to obtain an annual figure as the same patient could potentially appear in several consecutive months.

Defence

Afghanistan

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether UK aircraft have flown outside Afghan airspace in support of NATO International Security Assistance Force missions in Afghanistan. [200555]

Mr Francois: To support the UK's contribution to the NATO ISAF mission in Afghanistan UK military aircraft regularly transit to and from Afghanistan through non Afghan airspace There has not been any employment of armed UK aircraft outside the borders of Afghanistan in support of ISAF.

Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many apprentices have been employed by contractors and sub-contractors to his Department in each year since 2010-11; and what proportion such apprentices make up of the workforce of those contractors and sub-contractors. [203860]

Mr Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information about apprentices employed by contractors. We do not contract for individual staff but for a requirement. The successful contractor is free to deliver that requirement in the most appropriate way, including through the employment of apprentices, but the MOD does not record that detail.

HMS Illustrious

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when HMS Illustrious will be deployed on Exercise Cougar 14; what estimate he has made of the cost of preparing that ship for the exercise; and when she will return to be decommissioned. [203708]

Mr Francois: I am withholding details of the future programme for HMS Illustrious as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability,

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effectiveness or security of the armed forces. However, as first announced on 15 December 2010,

Official Report

, column 102WS, HMS Illustrious will retire from service this year.

The costs associated with the preparation for deployment of any ship are part of the Royal Navy’s core activity and are not captured separately.

HMS Ocean

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the contractor is financially liable for the delay in HMS Ocean returning to service from her refit; and what estimate he has made of the costs of that delay. [203709]

Mr Dunne: The cost of the HMS Ocean upkeep programme is within the values approved for the project. The final cost will be determined when the contract negotiations for the additional work that was identified during the upkeep period have been concluded between the Ministry of Defence and the contractor.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans his Department has to increase the number of replies sent electronically to letters from hon. Members; [203525]

(2) if he will estimate the total number of ministerial replies from his Department to hon. Members in a parliamentary session; and what proportion of such replies are sent (a) by letter and (b) by email. [203301]

Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, gave on 7 July 2014, Official Report, columns 5-6W.

Oil: Exploration

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will publish all (a) reports, (b) studies and (c) impact assessments held by Ministers in the Department for Energy and prepared or considered by Ministers or officials between July 1984 and January 1986 which detail (i) the potential economic benefits of oil exploration in the Firth of Clyde or (ii) the defence implications of granting applications for licences to drill oil in that sector; [203710]

(2) what meetings took place between Ministers and officials of his Department and Ministers and officials of (a) the Department for Energy and (b) the Scottish Office between July 1984 and January 1986 at which oil exploration in the Firth of Clyde was discussed; [203711]

(3) if he will publish all correspondence between his Department and (a) the Department for Energy and (b) the Scottish Office originating between July 1984 and January 1986 concerning applications for licences to drill for oil in the Firth of Clyde. [203712]

Dr Murrison: The Department does not hold any information relating to oil explorations in the Firth of Clyde.

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Reserve Forces

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what targets his Department had for the number of sponsored reserves in each year since 2010; [203840]

(2) what total number of sponsored reserves were agreed as part of contracts signed by companies working for his Department in each year since 2010. [203842]

Anna Soubry: No sponsored reserve recruitment targets were set by the MOD during the period in question. Sponsored reserves are members of a civilian workforce who deliver a support service and who can be mobilised as service personnel if required. The number of sponsored reserves engaged by contractors in any year will be governed by the number and type of contracts for support services that are agreed in that year. Contractors are responsible for employing enough people with sponsored reserve status to meet the MOD’s operational needs.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2014, Official Report, column 240W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, whether his Department maintains identical munitions records for those sorties of US-owned systems operated by UK personnel. [R] [204030]

Mr Francois: All UK Reaper sorties produce identical style mission records, regardless of whether the aircraft flown was UK or US Air Force owned.

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 598W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, whether any UK personnel other than RAF personnel embedded with the 432nd Wing will remain at Creech following cessation of the NATO ISAF missions in Afghanistan. [R] [204034]

Mr Francois: On current planning, personnel from Number 39 Squadron will remain at Creech Air Force base following the cessation of NATO International Security Force missions in Afghanistan. One RAF pilot will remain embedded with the USAF 556th Test and Evaluation Squadron. There are no UK personnel embedded with 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force base.

War Pensions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will bring forward proposals to amend the rules governing the War Pension Scheme to allow all war widows a pension for life. [203702]

Anna Soubry: Changes to the war pension scheme would need to be approved by HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office due to the wider impact upon public sector pensions.

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Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to create synergies with the European Alliance for Apprenticeships in improving work opportunities for young people. [203397]

Matthew Hancock: The UK recognises the value of learning from others by keeping abreast of developments in Europe and internationally. However, we believe that this can be achieved through less bureaucratic routes than a European Alliance for Apprenticeships. In England, we do not propose to participate but the devolved administrations are free to do so if they believe that the Alliance is the appropriate framework for sharing best practice.

We are already taking strong action to improve opportunities for young people by funding record numbers of apprenticeships, new traineeships and improved maths and English training. These actions, along with the record number of jobs, have contributed to the 32.8% fall in youth unemployment over the past year.

Asbestos

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2014, Official Report, column 461W, on asbestos, how often inspections for asbestos-containing materials are carried out in buildings owned or managed by his Department. [203337]

Jo Swinson: Inspections for asbestos-containing materials are carried out in buildings owned or managed by Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in accordance with statutory requirements.

The asbestos regulations require all buildings containing asbestos to be inspected a minimum of once every twelve months. The level and type of asbestos in each building would dictate any additional inspections, maintenance and remedial work to be carried out in a particular building.

The management plan, including records and drawings, should be reviewed every 12 months and any identified or suspected ACM must be inspected and its condition assessed periodically, to check that it has not deteriorated or been damaged.

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2014, Official Report, column 461W, on asbestos, what training does the responsible person as a duty holder in line with Health and Safety Executive guidance receive in order to perform their duties. [203387]

Jo Swinson: The duty holder works in consultation with specialist contractors who are qualified to carry out any necessary maintenance relating to asbestos.

Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, there is a requirement for a competence to undertake this function. As this is very specific legislation, competence would require knowledge, experience and a suitable qualification (BOHS P405) or a combination of two or more of these requirements.

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A role-specific bespoke course may be arranged to meet the client’s needs provided by a competent body.

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to his Department's answer of 30 June 2014, Official Report, column 460W, on asbestos, whether all staff in his Department who work in buildings which contain asbestos are (a) aware of the asbestos in the buildings, (b) trained in how to manage asbestos and (c) required to sign an asbestos register before working on the premises. [203430]

Jo Swinson: Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, Regulation 10 requires that those who may be exposed to materials containing asbestos have relevant training. In all instances, prior to works starting, a full risk assessment is undertaken to manage risks.

General staff (such as office, cleaning and catering staff) who regularly work in buildings owned or used by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills would not be working in an environment where they would disturb or be exposed to asbestos-containing materials. For these staff, therefore, training on how to manage asbestos is not provided and the signing of an asbestos register is not required. However, where it is identified that a member of staff or contractor could potentially be exposed to asbestos-containing materials, a full risk assessment in compliance with the regulations would take place.

The regulation is specific to those who could work with asbestos. This would reasonably exclude general office workers, caterers, cleaners, etc. However, all would be protected by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and health and safety at work regulations whereby all works are risk assessed prior to start to ensure the safe working and environment for those directly and indirectly affected.

Bankruptcy

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) average total debt, secured and unsecured, in debtor petition bankruptcies, (b) average total debt, secured and unsecured, in creditor petition bankruptcies and (c) median unsecured debt in all bankruptcies was of individuals who filed for bankruptcy in each of the last five years. [203245]

Jo Swinson: The data requested are not available in the Insolvency Service’s data warehouse in a form that would allow this question to be answered. The data for individual bankrupts are held on the Insolvency Service’s case management system, but cannot be extracted and aggregated except at disproportionate cost.

British Business Bank

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2014, Official Report, column 461W, on the British Business Bank, how many of the 44 people working in the Sheffield headquarters of the British Business Bank have been recruited since December 2013. [203232]

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Matthew Hancock: Six people working in the Sheffield headquarters of the British Business Bank have been recruited since December 2013.

Debts

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average total debt was of individuals who filed for a debt relief order in each of the last five years. [203246]

Jo Swinson: The average debt level of an individual that was granted a Debt Relief Order in England and Wales in each of the last five years can be found in table 1 following.

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) men and (b) women in further education received funding for childcare through the Discretionary Learner Support scheme in the last academic year; and what the total amount spent on such support was. [204009]

Matthew Hancock: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills undertook its latest analysis of Discretionary Learner Support for the full academic year 2011/12, which detailed specific breakdowns of expenditure and learner characteristics.

The Skills Funding Agency allocated £58.5 million to providers to support childcare arrangements for their adult learners aged 20 and over. Providers assessed learner need and awarded a total of £42 million for childcare to nearly 10,500 learners. Around 300 (3%) of these awards were given to males with around 10,200 being females.

Higher Education: Research

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of research and development contracts undertaken by publicly funded universities for private companies are covered by clauses that prohibit the publication of the research and development results on grounds of commercial confidentiality; and what proportion of such contracts are undertaken in facilities paid for by the public purse. [203269]

Mr Willetts: The Higher Education-Business and Community Interaction survey showed that contract research from business carried out by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) amounted to £441 million in 12-13. However, information is not held on the precise terms of these contracts or the physical locations in which they are fulfilled.

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Where an HEI is in receipt of research grants from the science budget and HE funding bodies, a requirement of the funding is that the outcomes are made publicly available, although HEIs are also encouraged to secure necessary intellectual property protection to enable subsequent exploitation. The Government are also implementing a policy of “Open Access” to the published findings of this publicly funded research. In the case of research consultancy, where the research is entirely funded by business, then the outcome would normally be owned by the business.

The Government are committed to ensure the application of research and getting universities and business working more closely together. World Economic Forum evaluation now ranks UK among the top five in the world for university-industry collaboration in R and D. Individual institutions have obligations under State Aid regulations and under their Charity status to ensure that their contract work with business is managed appropriately.