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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Attorney-General

Serious Fraud Office

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Serious Fraud Office's incorrect reclamation of VAT on fees it paid to barristers and other contractors; and if he will make a statement. [203779]

The Solicitor-General: The incorrect reclamation of VAT by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is an historical event which the Director of the SFO has taken steps to deal with. I am satisfied that it has no implications for the policies of the SFO.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of apprenticeship starts by size of workplace in each year since 2010. [203888]

Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of workplaces that have employed apprentices are published at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/309551/apprenticeship-workplaces-by-region-and-constituency.xls

Reliable information is not collected on the size of employer.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been taken up by (a) men and (b) women (i) aged up to 21 years, (ii) aged 22 to 24 years and (iii) aged 25 years and above in the last year. [204107]

Matthew Hancock: Information on apprenticeship starts by gender and age is published in a supplementary table, entitled ‘Breakdown by age, gender and level: starts 2002/03 to 2012/13’, to a Statistical First Release (SFR). The age breakdowns provided are under 19, 19 to 24 and 25+.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships--2

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317564/apprenticeship-starts-by-age-gender-level.xls

British Library Business and IP Centre

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the British Library Business and IP Centre national network. [203556]

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Mr Willetts: The Intellectual Property Office worked with the British Library Business and IP Centre (BIPC) to develop a national blueprint that other libraries can use to develop a business and IP service in key UK cities. A programme to initially embed the blueprint into Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield was launched in July 2013. It is too early to provide impact data for the whole network, but data for the BIPC London and BIPC Newcastle, based on user feedback, shows that:

Almost 50% of users increased their awareness of the importance of intellectual property

Over 40% were helped to develop their ideas

Over 40% were able to understand their customers and markets better

Almost a third acquired new skills through workshops

Close to a quarter were helped to write their business plan

Over 20% were helped to protect and exploit their novel ideas/designs

In total the two centres helped to create approximately 2,800 businesses and have further created approximately 3,500 additional jobs in new and existing businesses.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the contribution to the economy of the British Library Business and IP Centre national network. [203557]

Mr Willetts: The Intellectual Property Office worked with the British Library Business and IP Centre (BIPC) to develop a national blueprint that other libraries can use to develop a business and IP service in key UK cities. A programme to initially embed the blueprint into Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield was launched in July 2013. To date performance data is only available from the BIPC London and BIPC Newcastle. This shows an average turnover increase of £8.80 in London and £6.23 in Newcastle per £1 of public money invested.

In addition £47.1 million in London and £2 million in Newcastle of net gross value added has been generated, equating to £8.13 in London and £4.11 in Newcastle of GVA per £1 of public money invested.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs created in partnership with the British Library Business and IP Centre national network. [203558]

Mr Willetts: The Intellectual Property Office worked with the British Library Business and IP Centre (BIPC) to develop a national blueprint that other libraries can use to develop a business and IP service in key UK cities. A programme to initially embed the blueprint into Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Sheffield was launched in July 2013. It is too early to provide impact data for the whole network, but data for the BIPC London and BIPC Newcastle shows that since they opened these two centres have helped to create approximately 2800 businesses and 3500 jobs in new and existing businesses.

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Business: Cybercrime

Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support and protection the Government provide to UK businesses experiencing cyber attacks. [203893]

Mr Willetts: The UK Cyber Security Strategy, published in November 2011, sets out how the UK will support economic prosperity, protect national security and safeguard the public’s way of life by building a more trusted and resilient digital environment. A £860 million National Cyber Security programme is in place to 2016 to deliver the objectives of the strategy. These objectives include making the UK one of the most secure places in the world to do business in cyberspace, and making the UK more resilient to cyber attack and better able to protect our interests in cyberspace.

Government are working closely with industry to address the threat and impact of cyber attacks. These measures include:

Creating a National Computer Emergency Response Team, CERT UK which works closely with industry, Government and academia to enhance UK cyber resilience. It provides support to Critical National Infrastructure companies to handle cyber security incidents. The Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership (CISP), part of CERT UK, enables companies to share information and intelligence on cyber security threats.

The creation of a Government approved list of Cyber Incident ‘Clean Up’ companies which can help companies respond effectively to incidents and get them up and running as soon as possible.

Advice and guidance resources including the ’10 Steps to Cyber Security’ guidance, the CyberStreetwise behaviour change campaign:

www.cyberstreetwise.com

and the Government and industry funded GetSafeOnline:

www.getsafeonline.org.

The Government-backed and industry approved Cyber Essentials scheme, which enables businesses to certify themselves against core technical cyber requirements and implement a basic level of cyber hygiene against cyber threats.

Practical support for small businesses with the Cyber Security Innovation Vouchers Scheme to enable individual businesses to receive £5,000 to increase their cyber security.

Support for industry initiatives such as Nominet’s ‘Cyber Assist’ pilot service for small and medium-sized enterprises experiencing cyber attacks.

Civil Servants: Codes of Practice

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) internal and (b) external complaints have been received by his Department about alleged breaches of the Civil Service Code of Conduct since 2010; and what steps his Department has taken in response to each such complaint. [203953]

Jo Swinson: There have been no internal or external complaints about alleged breaches of the Civil Service Code of Conduct received by the Departmental Complaints Officer since 2010.

Foreign Investment in UK

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage foreign direct investment from member states of the Commonwealth. [203187]

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Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has operations in 39 Commonwealth countries.

During the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, UKTI, the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and the Commonwealth Business Council are delivering a business conference for 200 Commonwealth business leaders.

The UK Government is also organising a British Business House during the Games, which will highlight to Commonwealth businesses the benefits of investing in the UK.

Regular ministerial visits and trade missions to Commonwealth countries are used to promote the UK’s competitive business environment and opportunities in the UK for foreign direct investment.

Higher Education: Libraries

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps he has taken to improve transparency in the procurement processes of university libraries. [203635]

Mr Willetts: Higher education institutions are independent, autonomous bodies. As such, they are responsible for their own procurement policies and the transparency of their processes. Universities are able to draw upon the Higher Education Procurement Academy, a sector-led initiative to improve expertise and capacity in UK university procurement.

Individual Voluntary Arrangements

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the value of publishing the average total debt of individuals subject to individual voluntary arrangements. [204045]

Jo Swinson: Individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs) are supervised by licensed insolvency practitioners, who are required to notify the Insolvency Service of the registration of new IVAs, the name, date of birth and address of the individual, and the date of completion or termination of the IVA. They are not required to provide information on the amount of debt, so it is not possible to publish such information.

Intellectual Property

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to improve the protection of intellectual property in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [203867]

Mr Willetts: The Government are committed to protecting all Intellectual Property rights and has taken a number of steps recently to help rights holders protect and enforce their intellectual property. These include funding a dedicated police IP Crime Unit within the City of London police; making the intentional copying of registered designs a criminal offence; and introducing reforms to the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, including the introduction of a 'small claims track' to help businesses gain access to justice at proportional cost to what is at stake.

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Intellectual Property: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to encourage the development of intellectual property in (a) Brighton, Kemptown and (b) Brighton and Hove; and if he will make a statement. [203870]

Mr Willetts: The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) provides support and information on how to make the most of all forms of intellectual property (IP) to businesses on a national basis. In 2013 the IPO launched IP for Business, a set of online training tools and advice to help businesses understand IP and how it can be used within a business to generate revenue. The IPO also funds 300 IP audits, targeted through partners at high growth businesses across the UK. Over the last year the IPO has spoken to 18000 people through seminars, workshops and events; since October 2013, 276 businesses have benefited from face-to-face information and support from the IPO at seven events in the Brighton area—including Brighton, Lewes, Crawley and Bognor Regis. In addition, the IPO has a national consumer's campaign focussing on awareness raising and encouraging respect of IP.

Manufacturing Industries

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of manufacturing activity in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last four years; and what assessment he has made of future capacity in that sector. [203598]

Michael Fallon: The following table lists the contribution of manufacturing to employment and gross value added (GVA) for the West Midlands and England and to employment for Coventry. Estimates of GVA are not collected in sufficient detail to report on manufacturing in Coventry. GVA figures for 2012 by region are not yet available. Data on future capacity are not available from official sources, but the Foresight report into the future of manufacturing, published in October 2013, concluded that manufacturing is set to enter a dynamic new phase, driven by rapid changes in technology, new ways of doing business, global competition and potential volatility around the price and availability of resources. It makes recommendations for government and industry to ensure that the UK manufacturing sector is able to compete and thrive in this new world.

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New Businesses: Technology

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage technology-based start-ups to develop in towns and cities outside London. [203868]

Mr Willetts: The Information Economy Strategy published in June 2013 sets out the Government's plans to help digital technology-based businesses start up and thrive throughout the UK.

This Department is supporting Tech City UK's work with the UK Tech Cluster Alliance network. A key role of the Alliance which currently contains 13 clusters located throughout the UK, is to promote and facilitate connections and identify common barriers to growth.

Cabinet Office

Administration of Justice

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will discuss with (a) the Secretary of State for Justice and (b) the Secretary of State for the Home Department the implications for his policies on delivery of public services by private companies of the findings of the Howard League for Penal Reform report, Corporate Crime? A dossier on the failure of privatisation in the criminal justice system, published in May 2014; and if he will make a statement. [204052]

Mr Maude: As was the case under previous Administrations details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Civil Servants: Recruitment

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how many civil servants employed through the analytical graduate fast track schemes between June 2004 and June 2014 were educated at (a) private and (b) state schools; [203805]

(2) how many civil servants employed through the Human Resources graduate fast track scheme between 1 June 2004 and 1 June 2014 were educated at (a) private and (b) state schools; [203800]

(3) how many civil servants employed through the Technology in Business graduate fast track scheme between 1 June 2004 and 1 June 2014 were educated at (a) private and (b) state schools; [203801]

(4) how many civil servants employed through the generalist graduate fast track schemes between 1 June 2004 and 1 June 2014 were educated at (a) private and (b) state schools; [203802]

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(5) how many civil servants employed through the European graduate fast track scheme between 1 June 2004 and 1 June 2014 were educated at (a) private and (b) state schools. [203804]

Mr Maude: This data were not requested under previous governments, nor indeed prior to 2013. Details of Fast Stream employees will be published in due course.

Cybercrime

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 30 April 2014, Official Report, column 811, on cybercrime, whether the £860 million includes the £650 million in his Department's report The UK Cyber Security Strategy: Protecting and Promoting the UK in a Digital Age published in November 2011; and how much funding from the National Cyber Security Strategy has been allocated to the Ministry of Defence. [203539]

Mr Maude: The figure given includes the £650 million funding the National Cyber Security programme established in response to the UK Cyber Security Strategy.

The initial £650 million was allocated in the 2010 spending review and a further £210 million was allocated until 2016 by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), following the 2013 Spending Review. MOD were allocated £59.5 million of funding until April 2014.

Government Departments: Procurement

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance he gives to Departments on the publication of business cases for major projects. [204103]

Mr Maude: Relevant information is publically available at:

https://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/information-access-rights/foi/foi-assumption-procurement-annex-a.pdf

Government Digital Service

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of GDS technical employees are female. [204068]

Mr Hurd: All staff employed by the Government Digital Service (GDS) have a mixture of both technical and digital skills. Around 66% of GDS staff are male. The Government is committed to increasing the number of girls and young women studying STEM subjects at schools and university, and wants to ensure that we attract more of the very best people into jobs in technical and digital fields.

The civil service recruits and retains staff on merit.

Security: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance his Department provides to officials in the Northern Ireland Executive on personal security. [203620]

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Mr Maude: Cabinet Office provides security guidance to all departments As was the case under successive administrations, we do not comment on the specifics of that advice.

Training

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what professional development courses are made available to staff of his Department; and what the cost to the public purse is of each such course. [204337]

Mr Maude: Cabinet Office accesses professional development through Civil Service Learning.

Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing: Smoke Alarms

Mr Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of the respondents to his Department's review of property conditions in the private rented sector issued in February 2014 supported the mandatory installation of smoke alarms in privately rented housing. [R] [203564]

Kris Hopkins: DCLG published a discussion document earlier this year, which invited views on what more could be done to improve property conditions in the private rented sector. Responses are now being considered and we will publish our response along with a summary of the views submitted later this summer.

Religious Freedom

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contact his officials have had with the European Parliament Working Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief in the last 12 months. [203396]

Stephen Williams: My Department’s Integration Team has not had any contact with the European Parliament Working Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief, although we recognise the important role of the Group in raising awareness about the issue. My right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Warsi, the Senior Minister for Faith and Communities, who is also a Minister at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has made Freedom of Religion or Belief a priority and the government works in multilateral fora to ensure that it is afforded the international legal protection that it deserves. My right hon. and noble Friend has also convened meetings of international leaders to generate practical steps to promote freedom of religion or belief and to fight religious intolerance within our societies. In the UK she chairs a Sub Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief, made up of human rights advocates, academics and civil society leaders, ensuring that government takes a well informed and inclusive approach to promoting and protecting this human right.

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Culture, Media and Sport

Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many apprentices have been employed by contractors and sub-contractors to his Department in each year since 2010-11; and what proportion they make up of the workforce of those contractors and sub-contractors. [203859]

Mrs Grant: DCMS does not hold such information for contractors and sub-contractors.

European Union: Cultural Heritage

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding the UK has contributed to the European Parliament's House of European History Project to date. [203567]

Mr Vaizey: The UK Government have not provided any direct support for this project but the House of European History Project is funded by the wider European Parliament budget.

Mass Media: EU Grants and Loans

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which media organisations in the UK have received funding from the European Parliament to promote coverage of EU-level decision-making in the last three years. [203566]

Mr Vaizey: Information published by the European Parliament indicates that no UK media organisations received funding in 2011, 2012 or 2013.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans his Department has to increase the number of replies sent electronically to letters from hon. Members. [203524]

Mrs Grant: The Department routinely sends e-mail replies to correspondence from hon. Members unless we are specifically requested to reply by post.

Mobile Phones: Hertfordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the decision not to proceed with a mast at Fownhope, if he will include the lack of mobile network coverage in that area in any future discussion he has with network operators. [203627]

Mr Vaizey: Mobile coverage in the UK as a whole is amongst the best in Europe but we aspire to better. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid), has been discussing with Ofcom and the mobile network operators what more can be done improve coverage. No firm decisions have been taken yet on the most effective methods of extending coverage.

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Tourist Attractions

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance his Department gives to community groups who wish to take over the running of museums and tourist attractions. [203559]

Mr Vaizey: DCMS does not give direct assistance to community groups who wish to take over the running of museums and tourist attractions. However advice may be sought through bodies including Arts Council England and the Association of Independent Museums, alongside local Destination Organisations. My Department will liaise with the Department for Communities and Local Government, Cabinet Office and the Big Lottery Fund to see where further community support might be appropriate.

Defence

Clyde Naval Base

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for International Security Strategy approved the proposals to limit contractor liability at HMNB Clyde to £100,000 despite the objection by the hon. Member for Newport West. [203416]

Dr Murrison: Having considered the objection raised I decided to proceed with the Treasury Minute on Contingent Liability as this work is an essential enabler in allowing the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to deliver its projects and estate maintenance requirements on estates where nuclear assets are sited.

It is the MOD'S intent to limit the contractor's liability at Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde to £100,000. Since no commercial contractor could reasonably be expected to assume total liabilities or to be able to insure against them, such a liability can only be borne by the state.

Defence: Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the £72.3 billion allocated in the Defence and Equipment Plan 2013 supporting existing in-service equipment, how much of that allocation is devoted to (a) nuclear propulsion and (b) nuclear weapons. [202640]

Mr Dunne: Of the £72.3 billion referred to in the 2013 Equipment Plan we plan to allocate to the support of in-service equipment over the next decade, £1.6 billion is for nuclear propulsion and £13.0 billion for maintaining the Trident Strategic Weapons System, including costs associated with the nuclear warhead.

Deputy Prime Minister

A14: Kettering

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to encourage the funding for and implementation of the strategic economic plans

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submitted by the Northamptonshire LEP and the South East Midlands LEP

(a)

generally and

(b)

in regard to junction 10A on the A14 near Kettering. [203839]

Greg Clark: I am pleased to say that Northamptonshire LEP has secured £67.3 million and the South East Midlands LEP £79.3 million from the local growth fund. As part of these deals we have agreed that the Department for Transport will work with local partners to develop the detailed business case and design work for the proposed junction 10a on the A14 at Kettering. This will help ensure local partners can put forward a strong business case for funding.

The support secured through the Growth Deals is in addition to the £15 million which the Communities Secretary announced last week to enable the delivery of 1750 new homes in East Kettering.

Elections: Fraud

Simon Hart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what checks are in place to ensure that multiple property owners do not vote twice in European or general elections on the same date as local or council elections; how many people have been charged with attempting to vote twice in the last three such elections; and how many fines have been issued as a result of those charges. [200308]

Greg Clark: It is illegal for an individual who is registered in more than one local authority area to vote more than once at a European parliamentary or general election; however electors are not prevented from voting in local government elections in those areas.

The presiding officer at a polling station may ask any elector if they have already voted at an election, and may withhold a ballot paper from an elector if they do not answer the question satisfactorily. The electoral register is marked to record the issuing of ballot papers to individuals at polling stations, and similarly a list is maintained of returned postal votes. These records can assist with an investigation should any voting irregularities be suspected.

The Government do not collect or hold data on electoral fraud.

Education

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, how many schools in (a) England and (b) Birmingham have received extra funding from local authorities to assist them with disproportionate numbers of pupils with special educational needs in each of the last five years. [203835]

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

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Teachers: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average pay for teachers was in York unitary authority area in 2008-09 and in each year since. [202884]

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 publicly funded schools in cash terms and real terms for York local authority, in November 2012 is £36,300 in both cash and real terms (rounded to the nearest £100). 2013 figures will be available in late July 2014. Publicly-funded schools include both local authority maintained schools and academies. 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

Unemployment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of young people not in employment, education or training in each of the last five years were women. [204104]

Matthew Hancock: National statistics on the proportion and number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England are published online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/participation-in-education-training-and-employment-age-16-to-18

This includes tables showing the numbers of young people NEET by gender from which the gender balance can be derived.

Electoral Commission Committee

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many and what proportion of people were deleted from the electoral register after the second year of non-response to electoral canvass in the 10 local authorities with the (a) greatest and (b) smallest decreases; and what parliamentary constituencies are covered by such local authorities. [202600]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the requested data are presented in the following table. These data are for Great Britain and therefore excludes Northern Ireland.

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The following constituencies are covered by these areas:

East Ham

West Ham

Elmet and Rothwell

Leeds Central

Leeds East

Leeds North East

Leeds North West

Leeds West

Morley and Outwood

Pudsey

Birmingham Edgbaston

Birmingham, Erdington

Birmingham, Hall Green

Birmingham, Hodge Hill

Birmingham, Ladywood

Birmingham Northfield

Birmingham, Perry Barr

Birmingham Selly Oak

Birmingham, Yardley

Sutton Coldfield

Camborne and Redruth

North Cornwall

South East Cornwall

St Ives (includes the Isles of Scilly)

Truro and Falmouth

Northampton North

Northampton South

South Northamptonshire

Ludlow

North Shropshire

Shrewsbury and Atcham

The Wrekin

Chipping Barnet

Finchley and Golders Green

Hendon

Faversham and Mid Kent

Maidstone and The Weald

Taunton Deane

Bishop Auckland

City of Durham

Easington

North Durham

North West Durham

Sedgefield

East Worthing and Shoreham

Staffordshire Moorlands

Stone

North West Leicestershire

Brighton, Kemptown

Lewes

The Cotswolds

Harborough

Newcastle-under-Lyme

Staffordshire Moorlands

Stoke-on-Trent North

Stone

Orkney and Shetland

Surrey Heath

Maidstone and The Weald

Tunbridge Wells

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, which local authorities have failed standard 3 door-to-door canvassing more than once and (a) have and (b) have not applied for additional central Government funding for electoral registration. [202602]

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Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the electoral registration officers (EROs) for the authorities set out in the following list have not met standard 3 in more than one year:

Brentwood

Broxbourne

Castle Point

East Devon

East Dorset

East Hampshire

East Hertfordshire

Epping Forest

Great Yarmouth

Gwynedd

Hyndburn

Lancaster

Maldon

Merthyr Tydfil

Mid Devon

Mid Sussex

North Devon

North Dorset

North Lanarkshire

North Warwickshire

Powys

Rhondda, Cynon, Taff

Sedgemoor

Solihull

South Lanarkshire

Taunton Deane

The Vale of Glamorgan

Torridge

Uttlesford

Warwick

West Devon

West Oxfordshire

West Somerset.

The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not hold information on applications made for central Government funding for electoral registration. The Cabinet Office is responsible for managing this process.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the postal vote matching rates were during the data matching dry run in each (a) local authority area and (b) constituency in the UK. [202749]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the data for local authorities is available on its website here:

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/excel_doc/0020/163145/Confirmation-dry-run-2013-Results-Local-Authority.xls

The Commission does not hold the data in a way that is broken down by constituency.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission if the Electoral Commission will conduct research into the use of data matching of

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local and national databases to better identify people who are entitled to register to vote but who are not registered. [202750]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the Cabinet Office has previously conducted several pilots on this topic and the Commission has evaluated them. The full evaluation reports are available on the Commission’s website here:

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/our-work/our-research/electoral-registration-research

The Cabinet Office plans a further pilot for early 2015 and the Commission intends to evaluate this as well.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what number and percentage of electors were added to the electoral register as a result of the implementation of standard three door to door canvassing in each constituent part and region of the UK in each of the last 10 years. [202751]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that they do not hold the data requested. The data collected annually from EROs is household-level data rather than elector level data, reflecting the household nature of the annual canvass.

The data collected include the number of household canvass returns made via different response methods-including personal canvasser, and this is available for each year from 2008 on their website.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission if the Electoral Commission will make it their policy to gather information on registration levels on an annual basis. [202752]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that they collect from every ERO, and publish, annual electoral registration statistics covering a range of topics including the number of electors on the registers, response rates to the annual canvass, numbers of additions and deletions on the registers and levels of carry forward.

This data collection will be more frequent during the transition to individual electoral registration (IER).

The Commission further informs me that they report periodically on the overall levels of accuracy and completeness of the electoral registers. Such studies are costly to conduct and it is not therefore feasible to conduct them annually. There are two such studies planned as part of the Commission's approach to monitoring the implementation of IER.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what estimate the Electoral Commission makes of how many registered electors move house and (a) re-register and (b) fail to re-register to vote each year. [202755]

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Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it intends to provide information on this in its report which uses census data to assess the completeness and accuracy of the registers. This is due to be published in July.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what estimate the Electoral Commission has made of the number of local authorities who conducted a dry run in data matching and did not repeat this to the Electoral Commission. [202761]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has not made any estimate of the number of electoral registration officers (EROs) who did not undertake local data matching trials following the dry run of confirmation in 2013. 139 EROs reported results to the Commission but there are likely to have been other EROs who carried out some activities but did not report it to the Commission.

The Commission further informs me that it did ask EROs, on a separate survey, whether local data matching would be important during the live run of confirmation and 91% said that it would.

The Commission therefore expects more EROs to conduct local data matching for the live run of confirmation than reported on results following the dry run.

The Commission, working with Cabinet Office, will be collecting data from all EROs after the live run of the confirmation process which will demonstrate levels of usage of local data in practice. This data will be published on the Commission's website.

Polling Stations: Schools

Oliver Colvile: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if the Electoral Commission will take steps to ensure that schools are only used as polling stations as a last resort, in order to minimise disruption to pupils' education. [203008]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the Returning Officer (RO) at an election is responsible for deciding which polling stations will be used for the poll. The Electoral Commission issues guidance to ROs to support them in reaching decisions on the selection of venues for polling stations. Electoral legislation provides that ROs can require a room in publicly-funded schools for use as a polling station and can use these rooms free of charge.

Energy and Climate Change

Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 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. [203863]

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Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not maintain records of apprentices employed by our contractors and sub-contractors.

Energy Companies Obligation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households (a) in fuel poverty, (b) not in fuel poverty and (c) in total have received measures under the energy company obligation to date; and what the average cost per household under the scheme was. [203364]

Gregory Barker: Estimating the number of fuel poor households helped through the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) would require us to know the equivalised household income and modelled energy bill of every household receiving support through the scheme.

However, we anticipate a large number of fuel-poor households have been assisted under ECO. This is because there is a strong correlation between the characteristics of fuel poor households and the eligibility criteria for help under ECO Affordable Warmth and the Carbon Saving Communities Obligation. Further, the policy’s design provides incentives for support to be delivered to those facing the highest energy bills: when such households are on low incomes, there is a high chance they will be fuel poor.

We publish regular data on the number of households support by ECO, under each part of the scheme, as well as the number and type of measures delivered. We also publish data on the costs of measures under ECO. All of this data is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-statistics

The Department will be publishing a final assessment of the impact of the ECO policy to accompany the forthcoming response to the Government’s consultation on “The Future of the Energy Company Obligation”.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department's plans to publish its response to the consultation on the future of the energy company obligation. [203485]

Gregory Barker: The Department aims to publish the Government response to the consultation very shortly.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 595W, on energy: prices, at which meetings with (a) EDF, (b) E-on, (c) Npower and (d) Scottish Power he asked them to pass on the savings from changes to green levies to customers on fixed-price deals. [203764]

Michael Fallon: The Government have met with EdF Energy, EON, Npower and Scottish Power on several occasions at both ministerial and official level. A number of issues are discussed at such meetings including the impacts of the proposed changes to the Energy Company Obligation.

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Fuel Poverty

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when his Department will publish its fuel poverty strategy. [203280]

Gregory Barker: The Government are preparing proposals for a new fuel poverty strategy for England in line with the provisions of the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 1252, on energy markets (competition), what estimate he has made of the level of fuel poverty under the low income high costs indicator in each year between 1997 and 2010. [203336]

Gregory Barker: The number of fuel poor households in England under the low income high costs (LIHC) indicator of fuel poverty are available for the following years:

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) how many households are forecast to be lifted from fuel poverty under the energy company obligation in each year between 2013 and 2017; [203356]

(2) how many households (a) in fuel poverty and (b) not in fuel poverty and (c) in total he expects to receive assistance under the energy company obligation in each year between 2013 and 2017. [203365]

Gregory Barker: The Department’s latest assessment of the impact of the energy company obligation (ECO) on fuel poverty is set out in “The Future of the Energy Company Obligation: Assessment of Impacts” published in March 2014. This is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/286926/The_Future_of_the_Energy_ Company_Obligation_Assessment_of_Impacts.pdf

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of fuel poverty in (a) Coventry, (b) Coventry North East constituency and (c) England. [203596]

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Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to tackling fuel poverty and is clear that we cannot leave the fuel poor behind in meeting our energy and climate change objectives.

We have a strong package of policies delivering assistance to those in need including: the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), the Warm Home Discount Scheme and the Big Energy Saving Network.

By the end of April 2014 ECO has seen the installation of 469,000 insulation and heating measures in over 394,000 low income and vulnerable households.

The Warm Home Discount helps over 2 million households each year including more than a million low income pensioners who receive the discount automatically. This coming winter, the value of the discount will rise to £140.

DECC has also committed nearly £2 million for 2013-15 to the Big Energy Saving Network, which provides grant funding to community and third sector organisations throughout Great Britain. The funding delivers help directly to communities and assists vulnerable consumers to take action by switching their tariff or payment method and taking up energy efficiency offers.

Government are preparing proposals on a new fuel poverty target and Strategy for England in line with the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000. We will be publishing our target proposals and consultation in preparation for a new fuel poverty strategy in due course.

Green Deal Scheme

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much funding has been (a) allocated and (b) spent on the green deal cashback incentive scheme to date. [203289]

Gregory Barker: Up to £125 million was allocated to the green deal cashback scheme and the green deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF).

At the end of May 2014¹ over £10 million had been allocated to customers, of which £6.4 million had been paid in cashback payments following installation of 13,001 measures.

At the end of June 2014, the GDHIF had allocated £18 million.

¹ DECC statistics on green deal and ECO are published monthly at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-june-2014

Figures to the end of June will be published in the next monthly release on 22 July.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) how many households have received free green deal assessments to date; [203361]

(2) what estimate his Department has made of the average cost of a green deal assessment. [203367]

Gregory Barker: The latest research, with households that had an assessment between January and March 2014, found that the majority of households said they did not pay for their green deal assessment because the

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assessor company did not charge a fee. For those that paid for an assessment, the (mean) average cost was £157.

Housing: Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what financial support his Department has planned to allocate to (a) the green deal and (b) other domestic energy efficiency programmes for expenditure in (i) 2014-15, (ii) 2015-16, (iii) 2016-17 and (iv) any subsequent years. [203368]

Gregory Barker: All domestic energy efficiency initiatives are included within the overall green deal programme.

As part of the Autumn Statement in December 2013, the Government announced that £540 million will be made available to support energy efficiency improvements over the next three years, of which £450 million will support domestic installation of energy efficiency measures.

£150 million has been allocated in 2014-15.

All further budget allocations will be made during the forthcoming Spending Review and DECC business planning exercises.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what financial support his Department allocated to (a) the green deal and (b) other domestic energy efficiency programmes in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14. [203369]

Gregory Barker: All domestic energy efficiency initiatives are included within the overall green deal programme.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 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. [203303]

Gregory Barker: Based on the last parliamentary session, we estimate that 6,960 ministerial replies are sent out from the Department of Energy and Climate Change to hon. Members. The time taken to establish what proportion of such replies are sent by (a) letter, or (b) email, would involve filtering down more specifically, and this would involve significant manual sifting of individual correspondence items and thus entail a disproportionate cost. However, we estimate that 98% of replies are sent by letter, as we only reply to ministerial letters by e-mail on request from hon. Members, and we are rarely asked to do so.

Renewable Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 461W, on

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renewable energy, UIN 159722, if he will place in the Library a copy of the list of projects recorded on the renewable energy planning database since 1 January 2010 with the potential to generate 20MW or more cross-referenced with information provided by developers. [203340]

Gregory Barker: I am placing in the Libraries of the House a copy of the list of projects, as requested.

Renewables Obligation

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what ex-ante assessment and evaluations his Department made of the effectiveness of the Renewables Obligation Certificates scheme during the period of its implementation. [202980]

Gregory Barker: The Renewables Obligation (RO) has been reviewed and updated several times since it was introduced in 2002. The scheme underwent a major reform in 2009 to bring forward more renewable generation through the introduction of banded support for different technologies and to increase the scheme’s effectiveness. The reforms were set out in the ‘Government Response to the Statutory Consultation on the Renewables Obligation Order 2009’ published by DECC in December 2008. A copy can be found on the National Archives web page:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090203212240/http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file49342.pdf

The RO has been very effective in supporting the deployment of new renewable generation. By the end of 2013, renewables represented 14.9% of all UK electricity generation, 82% of which was contributed by stations accredited under the RO.

DECC implemented revised RO support levels in April 2013 following a comprehensive review. The new support levels, which apply until the RO closes to new capacity at the end of March 2017, will ensure that the scheme continues to drive an increase in renewable electricity deployment while delivering value for money for consumers. The relevant documents are available on the gov.uk web site:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/renewables-obligation-banding-review

Wind Power: North Yorkshire

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many onshore wind turbines there were in North Yorkshire in each year since 2008-09. [202851]

Gregory Barker: The number of onshore wind turbines that have become fully operational in North Yorkshire in the years since the start of 2008 are as follows:

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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many apprentices have been employed by contractors and sub-contractors to his Department in each year since 2010-11; and what proportion of the total workforce of such contractors is made up by apprentices. [204063]

Dan Rogerson: The information requested is not held by the Department.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the role of outdoor-reared pigs in transmission of bovine TB; and if he will make a statement. [203887]

George Eustice: The veterinary risk assessment on pigs has recently been reviewed. We intend to publish this in a forthcoming consultation package on TB in non-bovine farmed and companion animals.

Senior Civil Servants

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many senior civil servants appointed to positions in his Department since 2010 were previously (a) political appointees within that Department and (b) employed by a political party. [204324]

Dan Rogerson: We do not collate this information centrally and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

EU Immigration

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to his Department's announcement of 20 February 2014, on funding for the International Organization for Migration Greece Assistance for the Voluntary Return and Reintegration of Returnees project, from which budgets the Government’s contribution will be funded; how that funding will be spent; what assistance will be provided to the victims of human trafficking from EU countries being supported through that project; what reintegration assistance will be provided to the 75 returning migrants; and if he will make a statement. [204078]

Mr Lidington: Her Majesty's Government Returns and Reintegration Fund is financing the project. The funding will be used to return to their countries of origin migrants who might otherwise travel on to the UK illegally and thereby impose significantly greater costs on UK taxpayers. The funding will include ticket costs for repatriated migrants and small resettlement grants. 75 of the most vulnerable migrants will have support such as training or in finding work as part of their reintegration. Victims of trafficking from EU countries are eligible to receive funding for transportation to their country of origin.

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Recruitment

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants employed through his Department's graduate fast track scheme between 1 June 2004 and 1 June 2014 were educated at (a) private and (b) state schools. [203803]

Hugh Robertson: This information is not held centrally. It could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

South Sudan

Sir Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to prevent violence against women in the conflict-affected states of South Sudan. [203766]

Mark Simmonds: The United Kingdom is working to prevent violence against women in South Sudan in a number of ways. First, the UK, with the US and Norway (the Troika), is an active member of the peace talks in Addis Ababa and is supporting regional efforts to address the crisis. Secondly, we are supporting the work of the African Union's Commission of Inquiry that will investigate allegations of violence and abuse to ensure accountability. Third, the UK is one of the leading humanitarian donors contributing, around £94 million to date, that will help protect the most vulnerable, especially women and girls. And fourth, and crucially in this regard, South Sudan is a country for engagement for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative. The Government signed the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, and attended the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London on 10-13 June. We will continue to engage the South Sudan Government on how to take this initiative forward.

USA

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the report of the Stimson Task Force on US drone policy, published on 28 June 2014; and if he will make a statement. [R] [204042]

Hugh Robertson: We have seen the report and are studying it. We expect all states to observe the requirements of international law in their use of remotely piloted air systems, as with other military platforms.

Health

Arthritis

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of how much arthritis has cost the UK economy in each year since 2010. [204051]

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines on osteoarthritis (CG177) and rheumatoid arthritis (CG79) both provide estimates of total costs of these conditions.

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In the osteoarthritis guideline the costs are presented as follows:

“In 1999-2000, 36 million working days were lost due to osteoarthritis alone, at an estimated cost of £3.2 billion in lost production. At the same time, £43 million was spent on community services and £215 million were spent on social services due to osteoarthritis. In 2000, over 44,000 hip replacements and over 35,000 knee replacements were performed at a cost of £405 million.”

In the rheumatoid arthritis guideline the costs are presented as follows:

“Approximately one third of patients cease work because of the disease within two years of onset, and this prevalence increases thereafter. The total costs of RA in the UK, including indirect costs and work related disability, have been estimated at between £3.8 billion and £4.75 billion per year.”

Autism

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to improve the diagnostic pathway for adults with autism in the autism statutory guidance. [203616]

Norman Lamb: A key action from Think Autism, the update to the 2010 Adult Autism Strategy for England, was that NHS England would help to drive up quality in autism diagnostic services. We intend that the forthcoming revised statutory guidance will continue to include the importance of having access to a diagnostic pathway and improving the quality of services for adults with autism.

Children: Autism

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate how many autistic children there were in the most recent five year period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [203875]

Norman Lamb: The Department for Education collects data on children's special educational needs. The following table shows those children in schools in the last five years whose primary need was autistic spectrum disorder. These figures will not include pre-school children with autism, children with autism who have a different primary special educational need, or those not in receipt of special educational support. The Special Needs and Autism Project which studied prevalence of disorders of the autism spectrum in children in South Thames reported in 2006 that prevalence of all autistic spectrum disorders was 116.1 per 10,000 (or 1.161%).

The new arrangements for joint commissioning for children and young people with special educational needs and disability, to be introduced from September, provide an effective framework for clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to work together on single, co-ordinated assessments to meet the needs of children

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with autism and other special educational needs, focusing on the outcomes which make a difference to the child and their families.

Contraceptives

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when his Department last conducted a review of evidence concerning the long-term health effects of emergency hormonal contraception; what evidence that review took into account; and if he will commission another such review; [204000]

(2) if he will make an assessment of the effects of the use of emergency hormonal contraception on the rate of abortion in women aged under 25; and if he will make a statement. [204001]

Jane Ellison: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency keeps the safety of all medicines, including emergency hormonal contraception, under continuous review.

Diabetes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the level of funding for diabetes research since 1 January 2012. [203555]

Dr Poulter: Expenditure by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on diabetes research is shown in the following table:

Total spend in future years by the NIHR on diabetes research depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including diabetes. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the national health service, value for money and scientific quality.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diabetics have missed routine health checks since 1 January 2014. [203575]

Jane Ellison: People diagnosed with diabetes should receive the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence key processes of care as part of their management provided in primary care. However, information is not collected centrally on the number of patients who do not attend these appointments.

General Dental Council

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of plans by the General Dental Council to increase the Annual

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Retention Fee by 64% on the ability of the NHS to attract new dentists from all sectors of society. [203883]

Dr Poulter: No assessment has been made of the effect on the ability of the national health service to attract new dentists as a result of the General Dental Council's (GDC) proposal to increase the annual retention fee.

The GDC is an independent body and it is therefore for the GDC to determine the level of the annual fee it charges for registration. The proposed fee increase is subject to public consultation where the GDC's case will be scrutinised. The Department does not usually contribute to such consultations but all professional regulators, including the GDC, are aware of the Department's position on registration fees. In February 2011, the Government published ‘Enabling Excellence’, which states that we would not expect registration fees to increase beyond their current levels, unless there is a clear and robust business case that any increase is essential to ensure the exercise of statutory duties.

Health Professions: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) GPs, (b) nurses, (c) other clinical staff and (d) staff in total were employed in GP surgeries in the City of York in 1996-97 and in each year since. [202895]

Dr Poulter: The data are not available in the format requested. Data for 2002-12 are provided for North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust and 2013 data for the Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group, where the City of York now sits. The data have been placed in the Library.

The two geographical areas are not comparable hence the break in the data between 2012 and 2013. No information is available for the geographical area requested prior to 2002. Data were first reported at primary care trust level in 2002.

Health: Business

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to request reports from those signed up to the Responsibility Deal for Public Health who have yet to submit reports. [203969]

Jane Ellison: Departmental officials remind partners, by both telephone and e-mail, to submit their annual updates. Officials liaise directly with the Responsibility Deal partners to request the return of updates, giving clarification and any necessary support where required.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to increase the number of replies sent electronically to letters from hon. Members. [203529]

Dr Poulter: I refer my hon. Friend 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.

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Mental Health Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of adults (a) on the Care Programme Approach receiving secondary mental health services and (b) receiving secondary mental health services but who were not on the Care Programme Approach in (i) England, (ii) each mental health trust area (iii) each primary care trust area and (iv) each local authority area were in employment in 2013-14. [203600]

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

Mental Illness

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England and Wales have been treated for a mental health problem in each of the last five years. [203965]

Norman Lamb: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following tables. We are unable to provide data for Wales as the Mental Health Minimum Dataset and the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) dataset only cover England.

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Ovarian Cancer

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department has put in place to ensure that people with ovarian cancer and their families are aware of the right to request BRCA1/2 testing at the point of diagnosis; and what steps his Department is taking to encourage greater uptake of BRCA1/2 gene testing. [203562]

Jane Ellison: Current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines recommend offering genetic testing to people with a 10% likelihood of carrying a BRCA1/2 mutation.

NHS England is seeking the advice of its specialised gynaecology Clinical Reference Group in order to inform its policy on this matter.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Mrs Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) non-patient egg donors and (b) egg-share donors were admitted to hospital for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in each year since 2009. [203642]

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that licensed fertility clinics are only required to report instances of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) to the authority that require a hospital admission with a severe grading, although in practice clinics often report moderate OHSS as well. The HFEA does not, therefore, hold definitive data on the number of women admitted to hospital with OHSS, including non-patient egg donors and egg-share donors.

Information on the number of cases of OHSS reported to the HFEA, that were assessed as moderate or severe, was given in my written answer to the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin), on 24 June 2014, Official Report, columns 156-57W.

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Skin: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) adults and (b) children in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) East Lancashire contacted their GP because of a skin condition in each of the last five years. [203940]

Norman Lamb: The information requested is not collected.

Winterborne View Hospital

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which facilities patients of Winterborne View were transferred on that hospital's closure; and in which facilities those patients are now. [203622]

Norman Lamb: When Winterbourne View Hospital was closed, the remaining patients were transferred to a variety of learning disability care provision. The range of provision included medium and low secure hospitals; NHS Assessment and Treatment facilities; independent hospitals that offer rehabilitation; and specialist residential homes that care for people with challenging behaviour.

As at 1 July 2014, of the 48 individuals who, at some point, were patients at Winterbourne View Hospital, 10 people are still in hospital; 20 people are living in a residential home; five people are living in supported living accommodation and 12 people have their own tenancy. One person passed away in 2013, who had moved into a residential home.

Home Department

Air Travel

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what occasions each Minister within her Department has taken domestic flights on official business since May 2010. [204297]

Karen Bradley: Details of all overseas ministerial travel are passed to the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis and are subsequently placed on the Gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/home-office-mnisters-hospitality-data

Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many apprentices have been employed by contractors and sub-contractors to her Department in each year since 2010-11; and what proportion of the total workforce of such contractors is made up by apprentices. [204066]

Karen Bradley: Information is not held centrally and to obtain the data would incur disproportionate cost.

Cannabis

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cannabis factories have been discovered and abolished in the last three years. [203968]

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Norman Baker: The latest National Policing Commercial Cannabis Cultivation Problem Profile, published in 2012, includes statistics on the identification of cannabis farms across the UK. The main finding of the report is that there was a significant rise in the identification of cannabis farms in 2011/12, from 6866 in 2009/10, to 7660 cannabis farms in 2010/11 and 7865 cannabis farms in 2011/12. The document can be found at:

http://www.acpo.police.uk/documents/crime/2012/20120430CBACCofCPP.pdf

The Government work closely with the police to support the policing of illegal cannabis cultivation. The police response to tackle commercial cannabis cultivation includes proactive operations to identify and close down these farms and disrupt the organised crime groups behind them. The police also work to improve their knowledge and understanding of the trade through activity-led intelligence gathering.

Entry Clearances: Syria

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether requests from Syria for visitor visas are dealt with on merit on a case-by-case basis; and if she will make a statement. [203626]

Karen Bradley: All visa applications made by Syrian nationals are considered on a case-by-case basis, on their merits, in accordance with the immigration rules.

Firearms: Licensing

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to bring forward proposals for reform of the firearms licensing fees system. [203943]

Norman Baker: This matter remains under consideration.

In parallel, work continues on improving the efficiency of the process including the introduction of an online system (eCommerce) which will be piloted in the autumn and rolled out next year.

Fixed Penalties

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics her Department holds on the use of fixed penalty notices in each local authority area. [203999]

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold information on the use of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) in each local authority area.

The Department manages the PentiP system that police forces use to record offences committed where the offence would be suitable for disposal via FPN. Whilst the system provides an opportunity for a local authority area to be recorded, this is not mandatory, so it is unlikely that a full national breakdown is held.

HM Passport Office: Belfast

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passport applications have been processed by the passport office in Belfast in each year since 2010. [202588]

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James Brokenshire: The following table shows the number of passports processed by the Passport Office in Belfast.