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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 10 July 2014

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Africa

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise at the UN the Amendment to the Protocol on the Statute of the African Court of Justice and Human Rights adopted at the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Union. [204218]

Mark Simmonds: The African Court of Justice and Human Rights is not yet operational.

The UK continues to believe that there must be no impunity for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. We will continue to voice our support for this principle.

The UK strongly supports the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a court of last resort when other courts are unable or unwilling to act. The Rome Statute of the ICC states that the Statute shall apply equally to all persons without any distinction based on official capacity. This important principle supports the court’s work to end impunity for the perpetrators of atrocities and deliver justice for victims of such crimes.

Burma

Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to support an independent international inquiry, with Burmese participation, into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma. [204080]

Mr Swire: We have made clear to the Burmese Government our strong concerns over the human rights situation in the country, particularly in Rakhine state and the ethnic border regions. Our priority is to seek an end to all human rights violations. We have been firm that as part of this process the culture of impunity must be properly tackled, which we believe is best achieved through a clear, independent and transparent investigative and prosecutorial process that meets international standards.

Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what steps he is taking to urge the Government of Burma to end torture, investigate reports of continuing use of torture, and bring the perpetrators to justice; [204085]

(2) what recent reports he has received of the widespread use of torture in the conflict zones of Burma and alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in that country. [204075]

Mr Swire: We are concerned by reports of the use of torture in conflict zones in Burma. We remain one of the most vocal and active members of the international

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community in supporting those calling for human rights in Burma. We regularly raise our strong concerns regarding any violations of human rights with senior members of the Burmese Government and military, among others. We strongly support work being led by international partners, including the UN, to help Burma better understand the UN Convention Against Torture, and the steps that need to be taken as part of ratification.

It is the policy of the British Government that any judgment on whether war crimes have occurred is a matter for international judicial decision, rather than for Governments or non-judicial bodies. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, and to prevent their further escalation, irrespective of whether these violations fit the definition of specific international crimes.

Nuclear Disarmament

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost of work undertaken by his Department relating to nuclear disarmament was in 2013-14; and if he will make it his policy separately to detail in his Department's Annual Report and Accounts expenditure and activity relating to nuclear disarmament. [204083]

Hugh Robertson: Work on nuclear disarmament is led by the Counter-Proliferation Department, which has approximately 30 members of staff. We also use our global network of embassies and missions on a daily basis to take forward this work. We do not record time spent on disarmament specifically, therefore we will not be reporting separately on the costs of this work in the Annual Reports and Accounts. More detailed information on our progress on nuclear disarmament was most recently reported in our NPT PrepCom National Report, which was deposited in the House on 29 April 2014 (reference DEP2014-0656).

Somalia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British nationals have required emergency consular assistance in Somalia in each of the last four years. [204395]

Mark Simmonds: We are unable to provide direct consular assistance in Somalia. However, while we advise against all travel to Somalia except for the cities of Hargeisa and Berbera, to which we advise against all but essential travel, we have provided some consular assistance to British nationals who have travelled to Somalia through our embassy in Addis Ababa and high commission in Nairobi. There have been three cases so far in this financial year. There were 17 cases in 2013-14, eight in 2012-13, nine in 2011-12, and 10 in 2010-11.

Yemen

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 183W, on Yemen, if she will make an assessment of the effects on security in Yemen of remotely piloted air systems. [R] [204032]

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Hugh Robertson: Drone strikes against terrorist targets in Yemen are a matter for the Yemeni and US Governments. We expect all concerned to act in accordance with international law and take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties when conducting operations. There is a need for effective action, and for Yemeni ownership of the fight against terrorism. It is important that Yemen and the international community continue to work together to combat this common threat of terrorism.

Work and Pensions

Access to Work Programme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methodology is used by his Department to assess the comparative costs and benefits of the Access to Work scheme. [204252]

Mike Penning: The Department’s approach to the social cost-benefit analysis of employment programmes is outlined in DWP Working Paper No. 86, available via

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/214384/WP86.pdf

The Department is currently considering the extent to which this methodology can be applied to Access to Work.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disabled people entered the Access to Work scheme in each year since 2004. [204256]

Mike Penning: Information on the number of individuals helped by the Access to Work scheme each year are only available back to 2007, and up to Q3 (31 December) 2013. The requested information is already published from 2007 onwards, and can be found within table 1 on page 8 of the latest publication at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/303353/access-to-work-statistics-april-2014.pdf

Employment and Support Allowance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse of all employment and support allowance appeals has been since May 2010; and what the cost of all such appeals which were successful has been. [204093]

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 July 2014, Official Report, column 103W, to the hon. Member for York Central (Hugh Bayley).

Independent Living Fund

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on learning disability outcomes of the closure of the Independent Living Fund. [204155]

Mike Penning: The potential implications of closing the Independent Living Fund and devolving the full funding to local authorities (LA) are set out clearly in the Equality Analysis published on 6 March 2014.

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Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with learning disability charities on the closure of the Independent Living Fund. [204156]

Mike Penning: In July 2012 the Department consulted extensively on the future of the Independent Living Fund, including a large number of disability organisations. The consultation received approximately 2,000 responses; 79 of these responses were from disability organisations.

National Employment Savings Trust Scheme

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency who are enrolled in NEST and make additional payments by monthly direct debit; [204519]

(2) how many (a) males and (b) females in Kilmarnock and Loudoun are enrolled in the National Employment Savings Trust. [204520]

Steve Webb: The National Employment Savings Trust announced on 1 April 2014 that they have over a million members.

The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold any information about NEST scheme members.

Poverty: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Warrington borough and (b) Warrington North constituency were in (i) relative and (ii) absolute poverty in 1997-98 and each year since. [204253]

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Estimates of the number of people in low income households are published in the National Statistics Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. HBAI uses household income adjusted (or ‘equivalised’) for household size and composition, to provide a proxy for standard of living. This information is captured using the Family Resources Survey.

The latest figures for people reported to be in relative and absolute poverty by the HBAI series can be found in the latest HBAI publication, available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/325416/households-below-average-income-1994-1995-2012-2013.pdf

(ISBN 978-1-78425-188-8).

Supporting data tables, which include figures for each region of the UK, are available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/households-below-average-income-hbai-199495-to-201213

Information at constituency or local authority level is not available as the sample size of the Family Resources Survey is not sufficient to provide robust estimates. The lowest geography at which poverty estimates are reported is regional level.

Remploy

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken

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to work with Remploy factory workers since the factory closure programme began; how many former Remploy factory employees are now in mainstream work; and how many former Remploy employees have been supported by the Access to Work scheme since the factory closure programme began. [204148]

Mike Penning: For all disabled former Remploy workers made redundant as a result of factory closures, the Government put in place the £8 million guaranteed People Help and Support Package (PHSP). The support package provides help to each affected disabled former employee for up to 18 months from the date they left Remploy.

The PHSP includes one-to-one support from a personal case worker to identify suitable help to find work including access to advice, and a personal budget. Personal budget awards can pay for items such as training, tools and equipment. After the 18 months is complete, specialist support will continue to be available, usually from the same specialist employment adviser.

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Former employees have also been referred to Community Support Fund projects where, in areas affected by factory closures, local organisations support former Remploy workers to move into employment and take part in social activities.

Latest figures show that 1,506 disabled former Remploy workers are choosing to work with our personal case workers to find another job and 774 are in work; 259 disabled former Remploy employees have been supported by the Access to Work scheme since they left the factories.

Social Security Benefits

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claimants from (a) England, (b) London and (c) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency were sanctioned in the last 12 months. [204200]

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

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received in support of maintaining the local welfare provision grant to local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [204263]

Steve Webb: I refer the right hon. Member to my previous answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Torbay (Mr Sanders), on 13 March 2014, Official Report, column 318W. Our position has not changed.

Social Security Benefits: Tower Hamlets

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many benefit claimants from Bethnal Green and Bow constituency had benefit sanctions overturned in the last 12 months. [204203]

Esther McVey: The information requested in respect of jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) and employment and support allowance (ESA) is shown in the table.

Training

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 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. [204354]

Mike Penning: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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Winter Fuel Payments: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington North constituency received winter fuel payments in the last year for which figures are available. [204150]

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

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

Attorney-General

Credit: Interest Rates

Paul Flynn: To ask the Attorney-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service is taking to prosecute payday money lenders under the Fraud Act 2006. [203917]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is not an investigative agency and will only bring cases to court that have been referred by the police or another Law Enforcement Agency.

The Financial Conduct Authority has regulatory responsibility for payday lenders along with other financial institutions and may either investigate criminal conduct itself or refer it to another agency or force, as appropriate.

There has been recent publicity about the conduct of one particular payday lender, Wonga. It was widely reported that the Financial Conduct Authority is to refer a file to the police for consideration of whether a criminal investigation is appropriate. This followed the announcement that Wonga would pay £2.6 million in compensation, after sending letters from non-existent law firms to customers in arrears.

The CPS Deputy Head of the Specialist Fraud Division has met the City of London Police to discuss this case. The City of London Police is the national police lead in substantial fraud investigations. At this stage, the police have still to consider whether a criminal investigation is required and no advice has been sought from the CPS. Any referral to the CPS will be made to the Specialist Fraud Division.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of unsuccessful Crown Prosecution Service prosecutions have been because of victim issues in each of the last seven financial years. [203936]

The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the proportion of unsuccessful prosecutions due to victim issues in each of the last seven years. The data for 2013-14 are not directly comparable with previous years.

Victim reasons or issues are defined as non-attendance, retraction or when evidence of the victim does not support the case or come up to proof.

The CPS is continually striving to improve the quality of data used in both internal and external reports. The recording of the reasons for unsuccessful outcomes was

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changed in April 2013 leading to enhanced recording of victim issues. It is hoped that this may more accurately reflect the proportion of unsuccessful cases due to victim issues.

Previously, victim reasons may have been recorded as “essential legal element missing” or “unreliable witnesses”. Following a change to clarify the definitions in 2013-14, the CPS has seen a fall in these reasons (from 13.7% to 4.0% and 2.2% to 1.4% respectively). In parallel, there has been a rise in recording of unsuccessful outcomes due to victim issues, with the figure rising from 15.8% to 18.8% of all unsuccessful outcomes, of which 8.1% was due to victim retraction.

Rape: Convictions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of all unsuccessful outcomes in rape cases have been because of victim issues in each of the last seven financial years. [203935]

The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the proportion of unsuccessful prosecutions in rape cases due to victim issues in each of the last seven years.

The recording of the reasons for unsuccessful outcomes was changed in April 2013 leading to enhanced recording of victim issues. It is hoped that this may more accurately reflect the rape victim issues the CPS is addressing through the National Rape Action Plan published in June 2014. The plan includes a specific action to conduct research into the reasons behind victim withdrawals to help identify steps to encourage victims to engage with the court process.

Previously, victim reasons may have been recorded as “essential legal element missing” or “unreliable witnesses”. Following a change to clarify the definitions in 2013-14, the CPS has seen a fall in these reasons (from 4% to 1.5% and 8.1% to 1.3% respectively). In parallel, there has been a rise in recording of unsuccessful outcomes due to victim issues, with the figure rising from 12.5% to 18% of all unsuccessful outcomes, of which 10.8% was due to victim retraction.

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Young Offenders

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what proportion of all defendants of charges of (a) rape, (b) sexual offences other than rape and (c) domestic violence have been aged (i) 18 to 24 and (ii) 14 to 17 in each of the last 10 financial years. [203934]

The Solicitor-General: The following table shows the proportion of prosecuted defendants, flagged as rape, sexual offences excluding rape and domestic violence, recorded in the age bands 18 to 24 and 14 to 17 in each of the last seven years:

The CPS did not separately collect data pertaining to the ages of defendants prior to April 2007.

Defence

Armed Forces: Cadets

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2014, Official Report, column 221W, on Combined Cadet Force, if he will make an assessment of the effect of recruitment to existing community-based cadet forces. [204145]

Anna Soubry: The community cadet forces and Combined Cadet Forces (CCFs) deliver different but complementary elements of the Ministry of Defence's youth engagement strategy.

Where the establishment of a new CCF unit under the Cadet Expansion Programme is proposed, there is an approval process involving the single service cadet organisations and consideration is given on a case-by -case basis of any possible adverse effect on local community cadet force units.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the findings of Chavasse Report, published in spring 2014, what steps he is taking to ensure that injured soldiers receive the necessary specialist care to rebuild their lives. [203788]

Anna Soubry: The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham is the primary reception hospital for armed forces personnel seriously injured on operations. Its state-of-the-art facilities, operating in partnership with the NHS, offer personnel the best possible care. Once sufficiently healed, most then start a rehabilitation

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programme at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) at Headley Court, which provides acute medical rehabilitation across the spectrum of injury from sports, exercise and accidents to more serious neurological conditions and complex trauma casualties.

When discharged from the DMRC, further rehabilitation might then be provided at one of 15 Regional Rehabilitation Units. In addition, the Defence Recovery Capability, a Ministry of Defence (MOD) led initiative in partnership with Help for Heroes, the Royal British Legion and other service charities and agencies, ensures that wounded, injured and sick personnel have access to the key services and resources needed to help them either return to duty or make a smooth transition into an appropriately skilled civilian life.

While the Chavasse Report is not specifically focused on the medical rehabilitation of injured personnel, the MOD is nonetheless broadly supportive of its recommendations, which make a number of proposals to deliver timely access to quality NHS elective orthopaedic care for both serving and former members of the armed forces.

The Defence Medical Services is committed to working in partnership with NHS England and the devolved Administrations, and will continue to do so when considering the proposals of the report.

Armed Forces: Redundancy Pay

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on redundancy payments to (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) Royal Air Force personnel in each financial year since 2010-11. [201969]

Anna Soubry: Expenditure on redundancy payments is not recorded separately by individual arms of service. However, the total expenditure incurred on military redundancy payments has been as follows:

The figure for 2013-14 will be published in the Ministry of Defence’s Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14.

While reduced recruiting and fewer extensions of service will account for some of the reductions arising from the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review decision on the future size and shape of the regular armed forces, a redundancy programme is needed to ensure the right balance of skills for the future is maintained across the rank structures. We are providing as much support as possible to those personnel being made redundant.

We estimate that, by 2021-22, we will have achieved cumulative savings of some £23 billion as a result of reductions in military and civilian personnel and greater efficiency in the conduct of non-front-line activities.

Burma

Mr Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to incorporate discussion of torture, sexual violence and other war crimes, crimes

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against humanity and other human rights violations in the military training provided to the Burma army by the UK. [204090]

Mr Francois: UK provision of Defence training to the Burma army is limited to non-combat-related academic courses. English language training is delivered in country by the British Council and a course entitled “Managing Defence in the Wider Security Context” (MDWSC) has also been provided. The MDWSC covers the UK model of democratic accountability, the importance of good governance in defence and the significance of professionalism in a nation’s armed forces. In the case of Burma, this includes the conduct and accountability of service personnel and human rights issues.

C-17 Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of the extension of the C-17 Globemaster III sustainment package contract; and for how long that contract will run. [204369]

Mr Dunne: The C-17 aircraft sustainment package is a contract between the United States Government and the Boeing Corporation. Through the Foreign Military Sales programme, the United Kingdom utilises this contract to support our fleet of eight C-17 aircraft. The United States Government have agreed to extend our participation in the contract for a further three years at an estimated cost of up to $250 million.

Civil Servants: Codes of Practice

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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 actions his Department has taken in response to each such complaint. [203955]

Anna Soubry: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is because grievance cases are not categorised according to whether they relate to alleged breaches of the Civil Service Code of Conduct.

Documents

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the document D/DDOR3(AIR)(IFF)12 dated 31 October 1994. [203689]

Mr Dunne: Despite a thorough search, we have been unable to locate a copy of the requested document within the Department's archives.

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Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the Military Aviation Authority has recommended that the F-35B be (a) grounded and (b) restricted in operations; what the reason was for each such recommendation; and what the duration of the grounding or restriction was in each such case. [204370]

Mr Dunne: There have been no occasions when the Military Aviation Authority has recommended that F-35B be grounded or restricted in operations.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Military Aviation Authority recommended that F-35B BK-3 should not transit the Atlantic Ocean in time for the Royal International Air Tattoo. [204371]

Mr Dunne: The Military Aviation Authority has made no such recommendation.

Military Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on a collision warning system for fast jets during the Technical Demonstration Programme between 1991 and 1998. [203690]

Mr Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 148W.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made in implementing the requirement set out in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review for 50 attack helicopters until 2030; whether any delays have been caused by the subsequent decision to extend this requirement until 2040; what estimate he has made of when the present Apache fleet will become obsolete, unless modernised; and if he will make a statement. [203176]

Mr Dunne [holding answer 7 July 2014]: The Apache attack helicopter forms a key component of the UK Army’s future force structures and it has a planned out of service date of around 2040. No delays have resulted from the decision taken in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review to extend this out of service date from 2030.

Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it will be possible for his Department to acquire any modernised Block III Apache helicopters before the end of 2019, unless a decision is made on which contracting route to follow before the end of 2014; what progress has been made in assessing whether to proceed through (a) a government-to-government off-the-shelf purchase and (b) a purchase directly from industry in the UK; and whether any such decision will be taken before the 2015 General Election. [203177]

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Mr Dunne: The UK's Apache AH Mk1 is a modified US AH-64D Block I. The Department is considering a number of options to sustain the future attack helicopter capability. These options are cognisant of the plans of the US Army and other international Apache users who are moving to the Apache AH-64E standard. No decision has yet been taken on the preferred option or procurement strategy.

Military Bases: Yorkshire and the Humber

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military units and agencies are currently based at Imphal Barracks; how many square metres of accommodation they each occupy; whether his Department has any plans to close any of those units, or to move them away from Imphal Barracks; and if so, which units are involved and what plans are under consideration. [204130]

Dr Murrison: The following military units are based at Imphal Barracks:

Headquarters 1 (United Kingdom) Division Implementation Team (followed by Headquarters 1 (United Kingdom) Division in Summer 2015)

Headquarters 15 (North East) Brigade

Headquarters York Garrison

Army Welfare Services York

Equipment Care Inspection Team York

Support Command Educational Training Services Branch

3 Army Education Centre York

2nd Signal Regiment

1 Military Intelligence Battalion 12 Military Intelligence Company 221 Military Intelligence Section

Defence Business Services (Defence Vetting Agency)

Headquarters North Region Special Investigation Branch Royal Military Police

Support Command Forward

Elements of Defence Infrastructure Organisation

Elements of Defence Equipment and Support

The information on the number of square metres each of these units occupies is not held in the format requested.

Apart from Headquarters 15 (North East) Brigade, which will disband by 31 December 2014, there are no current plans to close or move any of these units away from Imphal Barracks.

NATO

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) sets of accounts will be audited and (b) value for money studies will be completed this calendar year by the International Board of Auditors for NATO; how many of these audits were completed in the first six months of the year; when NATO will publish these accounts and audit reports; and if he will make a statement. [203405]

Dr Murrison: The information requested is not held by the Ministry of Defence. However, NATO has agreed to consider for public release all reports from the International Board of Auditors for NATO (IBAN) from financial year 2013 onwards. Given the importance of full transparency and public accountability, we continue to call for all reports to be published except where this would prejudice alliance security.

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The UK remains committed to improving NATO’s transparency, accountability and value for money to taxpayers and will therefore continue to work closely with allies and NATO on this issue.

Nuclear Weapons

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the titles of all reports on the risks of the transport of nuclear warheads (a) within the UK and (b) from or to the UK from abroad produced for his Department by (i) his Department and (ii) the Atomic Weapons Establishment and its predecessor body in the last 30 years. [203638]

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

Sovereignty: Scotland

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that those members of the armed forces who are entitled to vote in the Scottish independence referendum but will not be resident in Scotland on 18 September 2014 are being given the option to vote by post or use a proxy; [202991]

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of serving members of the armed forces who are entitled to vote in the Scottish independence referendum but will not be resident in Scotland on 18 September 2014. [202989]

Dr Murrison: No estimate has been made of the number of armed forces personnel who are entitled to vote in the Scottish independence referendum.

The Ministry of Defence has taken a number of steps to ensure those entitled to vote are able to. It has:

Issued an internal instruction, which details the arrangements to vote in the referendum, including the franchise, the importance of being registered and the various options for casting a vote;

Published our annual instruction which sets out the arrangements for electoral registration to enable Service personnel and their spouses or civil partners to vote. This highlighted the Scottish independence referendum and included information on legislation passed by the Scottish Government that allows the 16 and 17-year- old children of Service personnel living outside Scotland to vote in the referendum if they would, were it not for their parent’s Service obligations, be eligible to register to vote;

Launched our annual information campaign on Service voting to encourage Service personnel and their families to register to vote; this also highlights the forthcoming referendum in Scotland and requires all ships, units and stations to provide assistance and information to serving personnel and their families to encourage them to register to vote;

Engaged with the three Service Families Federations and the HIVE network to ensure that information about how to register to vote in the Scottish independence referendum reaches as many families as possible; and

Published articles on the Defence intranet and provided links to relevant websites for further information and to register to vote. The single Services and the Service Families Federations have also published articles in their various magazines to reach a wide audience.

An internal reminder about the referendum in Scotland to encourage all eligible personnel and their families to register to vote is due to be published shortly.

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Tornado Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration was given to purchasing the RAIDS collision warning system software options after difficulties were encountered with the bespoke collision warning system. [203691]

Mr Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 May 2014, Official Report, column 168W.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the implementation of the tested bespoke collision warning system proposed by the Director of Operations Requirements (Air) in August 1998 was cancelled. [203692]

Mr Dunne: The requirement for a collision warning system was not cancelled. The development of a bespoke fast jet to fast jet collision warning system was halted because of a change in the requirement and the technical challenges experienced during the Assessment Phase. The requirement was re-evaluated to assess a broader range of scenarios.

Tritium

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what quantity of tritium has been imported from the US for use by his Department in H1616 shipping packages since May 2010. [204092]

Mr Dunne: This information is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

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 the US-UK Foreign Military Sales agreement will affect future basing for the Reaper fleet. [R] [204026]

Mr Francois: No.

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2014, Official Report, column 239, on unmanned air vehicles, whether the amendment of Joint Services Publication 398 on UK Rules of Engagement makes any reference to (a) operations conducted remotely or (b) cross-border targeted operations. [R] [204044]

Mr Francois: No. Rules of Engagement (ROE) are selected from JSP 398 to produce an ROE Profile which governs how force, by whatever means, may be applied for a specific operation. The ROE in the JSP are written to be appropriate for the full array of weapons systems available to UK Forces. JSP 398 states only that an endorsed ROE Profile will always be applicable within a designated geographic area.

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2014, Official Report, column 99W, on unmanned air vehicles, what assessment he has made of the degree to which Reaper redeployment

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abroad is significant; and if he will make it his policy to receive parliamentary approval before active use of any Reapers based outside Afghanistan. [R] [204049]

Mr Francois: The UK intends to retain the Reaper capability primarily for its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities after combat operations in Afghanistan have ceased.

As is the case for the routine deployment of other military assets, the Ministry of Defence may notify Parliament of the deployment of UK Reaper Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems but there is no intention for parliamentary approval to be sought prior to each deployment or redeployment.

Cabinet Office

Air Travel

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on what occasions (a) each Minister within his Department and (b) the Prime Minister has taken domestic flights on official business since May 2010. [204308]

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2014, Official Report, column 506W, on official visits, what domestic visits each of the Ministers of his Department has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was. [204377]

Mr Maude: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Details of all ministerial overseas travel is published on a quarterly basis.

Information about the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister’s visits within the UK is published quarterly.

Civil Servants: Codes of Practice

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 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 actions his Department has taken in response to each such complaint. [203954]

Mr Maude: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Civil Service Code sets out the clear procedure that civil servants should follow if they believe they are being required to act in a way which conflicts with the Code, or they become aware of action by others which they believe conflicts with the Code. Complaints are normally dealt with by the line management chain within Departments in the first instance, with the most serious cases escalated to senior managers, HR or the Permanent Secretary.

Where a civil servant is not satisfied with how the matter has been handled by a Department, he or she can raise the matter with the Civil Service Commission. The Commission publishes details of the number of complaints received annually.

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Civil Servants: Pay

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which Government Departments administer their own departmental civil service payrolls; and which Government Departments' payrolls are administered by which other outside firms. [204611]

Mr Maude: Detail on the payroll service arrangements of all Departments is not held centrally.

Debts

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the aggregate household debt was in the final quarter of the 2013-14 financial year. [204217]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated July 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what the aggregate household debt was for the final quarter of the 2013-14 financial year. (204217).

The Office for National Statistics publishes details of the financial liabilities of households and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) combined. The most recent analyses can be found in table A64 of the United Kingdom Economic Accounts published (UKEA) 2014 Q1, on 27 June 2014. The UKEA is available on the National Statistics web site at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/naa1-rd/united-kingdom-economic-accounts/q1-2014/bod-ukea-2014q1.pdf

Household ‘debt’ can be interpreted as the accumulated ‘Total financial liabilities’ of the household and NPISH sector. These are predominantly made up of short and long term loans. The UKEA shows that for households and NPISH, the combined ‘Total financial liabilities’ in 2014 Q1 was £1,557.6 billion.

Electronic Government

Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what steps his Department is taking to tackle copycat websites which are charging for free Government services; [204211]

(2) what recent meetings he has had with internet search engine companies on steps to tackle copycat websites which are charging for free Government services. [204213]

Mr Hurd: Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published quarterly.

We encourage all users of public services to go to our award-winning:

www.gov.uk

the official website for Government information and services.

The Cabinet Office is working with Google and other search engine providers to address the problem of misleading websites advertising on their search engines. Work with other bodies such as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) and Which? continues to raise awareness of this issue and ensures action is taken where appropriate.

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Freedom of Information

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) how much the Prime Minister's Office spent on legal fees in cases relating to the release of information requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in each of the last five years; [204306]

(2) how much his Department spent on legal fees in cases relating to the release of information requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in each of the last five years. [204270]

Mr Maude: The Prime Minister’s Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. In common with other Departments, the Cabinet Office pays fees to the Treasury Solicitor’s Department for legal advice on a range of issues. The proportion of those fees which relates to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is not recorded.

Recruitment: Northern Ireland Office

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions officials from his Department have held with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Office about that Department accepting placements from the Civil Service fast stream programme. [204147]

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

Senior Civil Servants

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many senior civil servants appointed to positions in (a) his Department and (b) the Prime Minister's Office since 2010 were previously (i) political appointees within that Department or Office and (ii) employed by a political party. [204362]

Mr Maude: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what he estimates the lifetime earning premium of those with (a) L3 apprenticeships and (b) L4+ apprenticeships will be compared with Level 2 apprenticeships. [203892]

Matthew Hancock: The latest analysis published by the Department shows that those who achieve an Intermediate (L2) Apprenticeship earn on average between £48,000 and £74,000 more over their lifetime, in today's valuation, compared with similar individuals with Level 1 or other Level 2 qualifications. Those who achieve an Advanced Apprenticeship (L3) earn on average between £77,000 and £117,000 more over their lifetime, compared with similar individuals with Level 2 qualifications.

The full report—‘Returns to Intermediate and Low Level Vocational Qualifications'—is published at:

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https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32354/11-1282-returns-intermediate-and-low-level-vocational-qualifications.pdf

Other research—based on a different methodology—suggests that those who achieve a Higher Apprenticeship could earn £150,000 more on average over their lifetime, compared with individuals with Level 3 vocational qualifications. This is taken from a report published at:

https://www.aat.org.uk/sites/default/files/assets/University_Report_AAT_and_CEBR_February_2013.pdf

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of apprenticeships commenced in the last 12 months were with (a) small and medium-sized enterprises, (b) larger firms, (c) public sector employers and (d) voluntary sector employers. [204315]

Matthew Hancock: Information on the size of organisations offering apprenticeships is presented in the Apprenticeship Evaluation: Employer research publication:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeships-evaluation-employer

We do not separately measure the number of apprenticeship starts in the public, private and voluntary sectors.

British Business Bank

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and

10 July 2014 : Column 364W

medium-sized business in

(a)

Ashfield constituency,

(b)

Nottinghamshire and

(c)

England and Wales have (i) applied for and (ii) been granted loans by the British Business Bank in the last year. [203964]

Matthew Hancock: The British Business Bank does not lend directly to small and medium-sized businesses.

However, the British Business Bank does administer a number of Department for Business, Innovation and Skills schemes designed to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses by facilitating lending which would not otherwise take place.

In all cases, the loans are made by third-party lenders and neither the Department nor the British Business Bank plays any part in the individual lending decisions.

In some instances, the loans are made using capital partially or wholly provided by the Department as either a grant or a loan and in other cases the lenders’ own capital is used under the partial protection of a guarantee from the Department.

The devolved nature of the delivery arrangements means that the Department does not hold fully comparable information on the number of applications received by each lender in each programme, but information on loans drawn down in the financial year 2013-14 is available as follows:

Exports

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance his Department provides to help small rural businesses to export; and if he will make a statement. [203921]

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) provides a wide range of export services to small businesses, including small businesses located in rural areas. Those services include access to UKTI’s network of trade advisers who help companies develop their export potential, as well as support for companies to attend overseas missions and exhibitions. When overseas, small companies can access support from UKTI teams in more than 100 international markets.

In the past 12 months, UKTI has supported 29 companies in Thirsk, Malton and Filey.

Exports: Brighton, Kempton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what additional support he is providing to encourage businesses in Brighton, Kemptown to export to overseas markets; and if he will make a statement. [203879]

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) provides a wide range of support to help business. UKTI’s South East team deploys 45 international trade advisers to help companies maximise their export potential. Those trade advisers have a wide range of international business experience across many business sectors, and they are able to connect companies to UKTI teams in over 100 international markets. UKTI South East also undertakes a wide range of events across the region, which have included supporting export-related events at the Amex stadium in January and April this year. There was also a strong UKTI presence at the Eco Technology Show at the Brighton Centre in June 2014.

Healthcare UK

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether public sector organisations from the devolved Administrations have been invited to participate in Healthcare UK's Business Forum for stakeholders on 24 July 2014. [204220]

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Mr Willetts: Yes, public sector organisations from the devolved administrations have been invited to participate in Healthcare UK's Business Forum for stakeholders on 24 July 2014.

New Businesses: East Sussex

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to increase business formation in (a) Brighton, Kemptown and (b) Lewes District; and if he will make a statement. [203874]

Matthew Hancock: Small businesses are vital to the economy and this Government are supporting them in many ways.

Economic stability, lower taxes, deregulation and a culture of enterprise are vital to business growth, but it is equally important that businesses are able to access the information they need to start up and grow.

The British Business Bank recently published “The Business Finance Guide: A Journey from Start-Up to Growth”, which is available on the British Business Bank website. It is a unique guide that sets out the main things to consider and outlines sources of finance available to businesses ranging from start-ups to small and medium-sized enterprises and growing mid-sized companies. The website www.greatbusiness.gov.uk also provides support and advice for businesses trying to grow as well as for entrepreneurs starting out.

In addition to online support, the Business Support Helpline is available to provide a quick response on queries about starting a business, or a personalised and in-depth advice service for more complex needs.

For those looking for start-up finance and advice, there are Start-Up Loans: 105 loans worth £527,740 have been drawn down in Brighton, Kemptown and Lewes since the scheme began in 2012.

Health

Abortion

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the causes of trends in the number of abortions performed on women who had already had an abortion in the last 10 years. [203980]

Jane Ellison: The Department has not made any such assessment in recent years; however, reproductive health charity Marie Stopes UK recently launched the findings of the first research (for under-25s) in the United Kingdom into the contraceptive use of women aged 16 to 24 having one or more abortions.

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 611W, on abortion, what estimate he has made of the number of HSA4 forms returned to the terminating doctor pending completion as of June 2014. [204043]

Jane Ellison: An estimate of the number of forms still pending completion as at June 2014 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

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Aphasia

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve support for people with aphasia. [204363]

Norman Lamb: Rehabilitation services, specifically speech and language therapy, provide much of the national health service support for people with aphasia. As clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning these services, they should be taking steps to ensure that support for people with aphasia is available and improving these services where appropriate.

More generally, NHS England is currently reviewing the provision of rehabilitation services. It works in partnership with charities that provide invaluable support for people with aphasia and is also working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the development of generic rehabilitation guidance, which will encompass speech and language therapy.

In addition, as stroke is a significant cause of aphasia, the cardiovascular disease strategic clinical networks are working with commissioners and providers to improve stroke rehabilitation services, including speech and language therapy after stroke.

Arthritis

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis received an annual review in each of the last five years. [204312]

Norman Lamb: Information on the number of people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not available.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline Rheumatoid arthritis: The management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults, published in 2009, recommends that people with RA have a comprehensive annual review that is co-ordinated by the rheumatology service. The NICE RA Quality Standard, published in 2013, also includes the provision of an annual review as one of the seven quality statements that define high-quality RA care.

The 2013-14 Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) added new performance indicators on RA care, including

‘the proportion of people with RA diagnosed more than 1 year ago whose last comprehensive review was within 12 months of the previous review.’

The QOF is a voluntary incentive scheme that provides additional reward to general practitioner practices for how well they care for patients based on performance against a number of agreed indicators. The report of the results of the 2013-14 QOF is expected for publication in autumn this year.

Cancer

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with Public Health England on progress made by the Be Clear on Cancer campaign to improve the detection of rare cancers over the last (a) six months and (b) year. [204310]

Jane Ellison: The National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) part of Public Health England (PHE) now undertakes evaluation of the Be Clear on Cancer (BCOC) campaigns. For each campaign, a defined set of metrics is identified to evaluate the impact of BCOC campaigns.

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These include whether campaigns are raising awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer; more people are going to their general practitioners with the symptoms promoted by the campaign; more people are being referred urgently for suspected cancer; there is an increase in diagnostic activity; there is evidence of a shift towards earlier stage disease; and of those referred urgently for suspected cancer, how many turn out to have that cancer.

Within the last 12 months, PHE has run campaigns on five rarer cancers: the “blood in pee” campaign for bladder and kidney cancers (a national campaign following a successful regional pilot campaign); the “persistent bloating” campaign for ovarian cancer (regional pilot campaign) and also, as a regional pilot, the “persistent heartburn” campaign for oesophago-gastric cancer (oesophageal and stomach). The evaluation metrics for the campaigns were discussed, agreed and approved by the Public Awareness and Primary Care Steering Group which is chaired by NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer and includes members representing PHE (PHE-Marketing and NCIN); NHS England, NHS Improving Quality; Cancer Research UK; Macmillan Cancer Support; Department of Health officials and other stakeholders.

In May 2014, Cancer Research UK prepared a BCOC evaluation update which is available on the BCOC website at:

www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-info/spotcancerearly/naedi/beclearoncancer/background#evidenceandevaluation

The update includes findings from the local oesophago-gastric, ovarian and regional “blood in pee” campaigns. The decision to repeat the national “blood in pee” campaign for bladder and kidney cancer in the autumn of 2014 is based on positive evidence from the evaluation of the regional campaign and encouraging initial evaluation results from the national campaign that ran from October to November 2013. These results demonstrated notable changes in symptom awareness and referral activity.

Christie NHS Foundation Trust

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on allegations that tissue samples were sold by the Christie NHS Foundation Trust to pharmaceutical companies without the knowledge of the patients concerned; whether his attention was drawn to any such allegations; and what investigation his Department has (a) conducted and (b) plans to conduct into such allegations. [204255]

Jane Ellison: These allegations were not previously known to either the Department or Ministers.

This written question has been brought to the attention of the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and the system regulators—in this case, Monitor, the Care Quality Commission and the Human Tissue Authority. The regulators are best placed to deal with such concerns as they have statutory powers to take action where necessary.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will direct Monitor to publish its strategy for engaging with whistleblowers in its fact-finding investigation into alleged wrongdoing at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust. [204257]

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Jane Ellison: No. This is a matter for Monitor as the system regulator of health services in England.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that whistleblowers willing to give evidence on allegations of wrongdoing at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust will not be victimised or otherwise suffer detriment from the trust for so giving evidence. [204259]

Dr Poulter: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has been very clear that people working in the national health service should be supported to raise concerns. Trusts should have whistleblowing policies in place that are compliant with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

It is in the interests of patients and staff that trusts foster a culture where NHS workers feel confident that when concerns in the public interest are raised they will be heard. To that end, on 24 June, the Secretary of State announced that Sir Robert Francis QC will lead an independent review of whistleblowing policies and practices in the NHS, which will consider what more can be done to further protect NHS workers who speak out in the public interest.

The Secretary of State wrote on 5 March 2014 to all chairs in NHS trusts and foundation trusts in England to reiterate the vital importance of fostering a culture of openness and transparency in the NHS in which concerns about care can be raised, investigated and acted upon.

We have introduced a contractual right to raise concerns and issued guidance for NHS organisations. In March 2012, we strengthened the NHS Constitution to include an expectation that staff will raise their concerns early and a pledge that their employer will act upon those concerns.

We are also introducing a Duty of Candour, so that when things go wrong, organisations have a statutory duty to admit mistakes and tell patients what has happened.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether a compromise agreement has been reached, or is in the process of being reached, with the currently suspended chief executive of the Christie NHS Foundation Trust on the termination of her employment; [204260]

(2) if he will take steps to ensure that no settlement is reached between the Christie NHS Foundation Trust and its chief executive, Caroline Shaw, on the termination of her employment until Monitor and the Care Quality Commission have concluded their current investigations into allegations of wrongdoing and published the outcome. [204258]

Jane Ellison: The decision to settle a dispute with an employee is an employment matter between the trust and the employee.

We have written to Sir Hugh Taylor, interim chair of the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, informing him of this inquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

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Dementia

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people over the age of 75 years were diagnosed with dementia after being admitted to hospital as an emergency inpatient in England in each year since 2009-10. [204074]

Norman Lamb: Data on the number of patients diagnosed with dementia following an emergency admission are not collected centrally. However, data are gathered on the referral of clinically appropriate cases for specialist diagnosis of dementia and appropriate follow up for those aged 75 and over, who were admitted as an emergency and stayed for more than 72 hours. Data are only available for 2013-14 and are as follows: 2013-14: Q4—13,238; Q3—12,223; Q2—11,143; Q1—9,230; Total— 45,834.

Emergency Services

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many ambulance calls were responded to by (a) the police and (b) the fire service in (i) England, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Hyndburn constituency in each of the last five years; [204157]

(2) what proportion of ambulances responding to the most serious calls failed to respond within eight minutes in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) the Hyndburn constituency in each of the last 10 years. [204212]

Jane Ellison: The performance standard for ambulance response times is that 75% of Category A immediately life threatening calls are responded to within eight minutes.

Information on the percentage of ambulance responses to Category A immediately life threatening calls that failed to respond within eight minutes in England and the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust since April 2004 is shown in the following table.

Data relating to Lancashire and Hyndburn constituency are not collected separately. Lancashire and Hyndburn constituency are covered by the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Data on the numbers of ambulance calls responded to by the police and the fire service are not collected centrally.

The following table shows the percentage of ambulance responses to Category A immediately life threatening calls that were not responded to within eight minutes in England and in the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, April 2004 to March 2014:

10 July 2014 : Column 370W

General Practitioners

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP practices have closed since May 2010. [204309]

Dr Poulter: We do not hold information regarding the number of practices that have closed since May 2010.

Health: Business

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of companies who have only signed up to pledges set out in the Responsibility Deal as they refer to the health of their own work force rather than those regarding the content of their products. [203970]

Jane Ellison: No estimate has been made of the number of companies who have only signed up to pledges set out in the Responsibility Deal as they refer to the health of their own work force rather than those regarding the content of their products. Details of partners and the pledges they are committed to taking action on are available in full on the Responsibility Deal website at:

https://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/partners

including those taking action under the Health at Work network.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for all (a) NHS patients classified as urgent and (b) NHS cancer patients classified as urgent. [203876]

Jane Ellison: There are no national health service waiting time standards specifically for patients classified as urgent. It is the objective of this Government to ensure that all patients receive timely and high-quality care.

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Clinical priority is—and remains—the main determinant of when patients should be treated within existing waiting times targets.

Housing: Health

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effect of living in damp homes on the health of (a) children in general and (b) asthmatic children; and if he will make a statement. [203871]

Dr Poulter: The effect on health of living in cold and damp housing is well known. Evidence suggests that children living in cold and damp housing environments are disproportionately affected. Children living in cold homes, which are more likely to be damp, are more than twice as likely to suffer from a variety of respiratory problems than children living in warm homes.¹ Significant negative effects of cold housing are evident in terms of infants’ weight gain, hospital admission rates, developmental status, and the severity and frequency of asthmatic symptoms.

It is estimated that 1.1 million children have asthma in the United Kingdom.² We do not know what proportion of these asthmatic children can attribute to living in a damp home to the severity of their condition.

Public Health England (PHE) has an asthma research programme that includes analyses of environmental samples to identify important components, including bioaerosols, chemicals and pollutants with the potential to modify asthma risk.

The Cold Weather Plan for England 2013³ identifies groups at greater risk of harm from cold weather,

10 July 2014 : Column 372W

including people living in houses with mould. Flooded properties are also at risk from damp and mould growth following flooding events. PHE in its Guidance on Recovery from Flooding: essential information for frontline responders,

acknowledges that there is medical evidence linking prolonged exposure to high levels of mould with exacerbation of asthma in some individuals.

¹Marmot Review Team (2011) The Health Impacts of Cold Homes and Fuel Poverty

²APPG Respiratory Health (2014) Report on inquiry into respiratory deaths:

www.blf.org.uk/Page/Report-on-inquiry-into-respiratory-deaths

³Public Health England (2013) The Cold Weather Plan. Protecting Health and Reducing Harm from Cold Weather:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/252838/Cold_Weather_Plan_2013_final.pdf

⁴Public Health England (2014) Guidance on Recovery from Flooding – essential information for frontline responders:

www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1317140798239

Liver Diseases

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were admitted to hospital with a (a) primary and (b) secondary diagnosis of liver disease in each year since 2010. [204314]

Jane Ellison: The following table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) for individuals who were admitted to hospital with a primary and secondary diagnosis of liver disease from 2009-10 to 2012-13.

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Lung Diseases

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to address regional inequalities in health outcomes for interstitial lung disease in the last year; and if he will make a statement. [204151]

Jane Ellison: In March 2014, NHS England published Putting Patients First: The NHS England business plan for 2014/15–2016/17. This reaffirms its commitment to improving the quality of care, and improving equality and reducing health inequalities, and reaffirms that reducing mortality and improving outcomes for people with respiratory disease remains a priority.

The commissioning of services for interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the responsibility of NHS England in its role as commissioner of specialist services. It has published a service specification for ILD that introduces a common standard for commissioning these services across England with the aim of ensuring equality of patient access to multi-disciplinary team diagnosis and current treatments.

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Institute for Health Research has reported to his Department the results of the research commissioned on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. [204216]

Dr Poulter: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme is funding a systematic review of evidence on the benefits, harms and costs of treatments for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The researchers have sent the report of the review to the NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, based at the University of Southampton, which manages the HTA programme on behalf of the Department. The report is expected to be published in the journal ‘Health Technology Assessment’ in January 2015.

Obesity

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of (a) NHS expenditure and (b) other expenditure for which his Department is responsible has been for the (i) treatment and (ii) prevention of obesity in each of the last five years. [204313]

Jane Ellison: Information on national health service expenditure on the treatment and prevention of obesity is not collected centrally. Decisions on spending are a matter for local NHS organisations.

It is not possible to provide comprehensive information about the Department’s expenditure on the treatment and prevention of obesity because a wide range of teams across the Department and other partners contribute to this policy. The Department has invested in a number of nationally co-ordinated programmes which contribute to tackling obesity including the National Child Measurement Programme, Change4Life, the School Games and Change4Life School Sports Clubs.

We have also given local authorities ring-fenced funding of £5.4 billion over two years, 2013-14 and 2014-15, to help tackle public health issues, including being overweight and obesity.

Osteoporosis

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS trusts offer a screening programme of osteoporosis to reduce falls and fractures. [204311]

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.

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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 the NHS Choices website:

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

Social Services

Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Care Act 2014 and the care and support statutory guidance, (1) whether self-funders and those with personalised care budgets are under an obligation to show that they are paying social care firms enough to pay their staff at least the minimum wage, including remuneration for travel time between appointments; [202967]

(2) what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on the action they should take if they receive evidence that self-funders and those with personalised care budgets are not paying social care firms enough to pay their staff at least the minimum wage, including remuneration for travel time between appointments. [202968]

Norman Lamb: Self-funders and people with personal budgets whose care is arranged by their local authority have no obligations under the provisions of the Care Act 2014, draft statutory Care Act guidance or draft regulations on the Care Act, to show that they pay social care providers enough to pay their staff at least the minimum wage, including remuneration for travel time between appointments. Social care providers must fulfil their legal obligations as employers, which include ensuring that staff salaries conform to the national minimum wage.

If a person chooses to request their personal budget as a direct payment to purchase their own care and support, the draft Care Act guidance details what the local authority should do as part of its general monitoring of the direct payment to ensure that the person fulfils their legal obligations as an employer. This includes ensuring that the person is registered as an employer with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and is making the appropriate contributions for PAYE and income tax, and that payments conform to the national minimum wage. Where it is apparent that these obligations are not being met, the local authority should review the care plan and the making of the direct payment to ascertain if alternative arrangements need to be made that result in the person no longer being an employer (paragraphs 12.46-12.49, pp 172-73).

The draft guidance and regulations on the Care Act are currently open for public consultation. The Department is also undertaking a series of engagement events with social care stakeholders to gather feedback on the content of the guidance and regulations.

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Telemedicine

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2014, Official Report, column 520W, on telemedicine, when NHS England will publish a set of consistent measures for commissioners to demonstrate the effect of telehealth technologies on health outcomes. [204071]

Norman Lamb: NHS England is currently developing a set of metrics to be used across technology enabled care services and will be testing these metrics with analysts and commissioners to ensure they are fit for purpose.

NHS England aims to have finalised and published these metrics by October 2014.

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2014, Official Report, column 520W, on telemedicine, how many telehealth, telecare and telecoaching connections there were in each region of England in 2011. [204072]

Norman Lamb: NHS England does not hold a breakdown of data by region within England. Data have been collected for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2014, Official Report, column 520W, on telemedicine, when NHS England will issue the first in its regular surveys on the number of individuals who benefit from telehealth services; to whom the survey will be issued; when the survey will report and be published; how it will be analysed; and how often it will be repeated. [204073]

Norman Lamb: The Technology Enabled Care Services survey is conducted and published by the Telecare Services Association (TSA). The most recent survey was issued by the TSA on 2 July 2014 and the TSA expects to conduct this survey on a quarterly basis. NHS England will use the data collected through these surveys to inform the Technology Enabled Care Services programme.

Justice

Community Rehabilitation Companies

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the maximum share of the total contract value for community rehabilitation companies any one successful bidder will be able to be awarded; [204268]

(2) whether his Department will impose a cap on the number of contracts any one bidder can be awarded to undertake the work of the 21 community rehabilitation companies. [204265]

Jeremy Wright: The Transforming Rehabilitation Programme is opening up the market to a diverse range of new providers, so that we can harness the best that the private and voluntary sectors have to offer to reduce reoffending. The competition to award contracts to run the new Community Rehabilitation Companies is ongoing and in June we received bids from potential providers. We are committed to rolling out these important reforms by 2015.

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The Government have been clear that we want to see a diverse market delivering probation services, rather than being dominated by just a few providers. We have set a market share restriction whereby bidders can win a maximum of 25% of market share based on the indicative contract values set out in the competition documentation. Bidders will be allowed to win multiple contracts up to the point at which their market share cap would be breached subject to meeting any other requirements set out by the authority.