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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 17 July 2014

Energy and Climate Change

Affordable Warmth Programme

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures to compensate householders who suffer faulty work under the Affordable Warmth Obligation. [204877]

Mr Davey: ECO has a range of consumer protection mechanisms in place. Where applicable, installers must be registered gas safe and adhere to industry standards, including PAS2030 and building regulations.

The scheme administrator, Ofgem, requires 5% of measures to undergo independent technical monitoring. Where failures are found, suppliers are required to remedy this and correct faulty work. Technical monitoring results are published online at:

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/energy-companies-obligation-eco-technical-monitoring-report-%E2%80%93-june-2014

In addition, consumers can of course access the usual consumer protection routes such as Trading Standards.

Consumer protection is an important aspect of any energy efficiency scheme and we continue to assess the controls that are in place. For example, we have recently consulted on the warranty provisions under ECO Affordable Warmth. We will announce the outcome of that consultation shortly.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the number of households in fuel poverty that are eligible for assistance under the affordable warmth component of the Energy Company Obligation. [205072]

Mr Davey: As set out in the ECO Assessment of Impacts, published in March 2014, the number of households that meet the eligibility criteria for Affordable Warmth is estimated to be 3.4 million. There is a strong correlation between the characteristics of fuel poor households (under all of the definitions of fuel poverty currently used in Great Britain) and the eligibility criteria for support help under ECO Affordable Warmth.

By the end of April 2014, Affordable Warmth had delivered over 334,000 heating and energy efficiency measures to low-income and vulnerable households. This has provided valuable support to many households who are at risk of being in fuel poverty, including the elderly, disabled and low income families.

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Climate Change: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent engagement the Committee on Climate Change has carried out with organisations and individuals in Northern Ireland to promote understanding and inform debate on climate change and its effects. [205497]

Amber Rudd: On 4 and 5 December 2013, the Committee’s chairman Lord Deben and Dr Ute Collier from the CCC Secretariat visited Belfast to meet with a range of organisations to discuss climate change policy.

In addition, members of the CCC Secretariat are in regular contact with officials from the Department of Environment.

Climate Change: Seas and Oceans

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of climate change on global sea levels. [204914]

Mr Davey: The most recent assessment of the effect of climate change on global sea level rise comes from the Working Group I contribution to the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report, which states that over the period 1901 to 2010 global mean sea level rose by 0.19 (0.17 to 0.21) metres, that since the mid-19th century, the rate of sea level rise has been larger than the mean rate over the previous two millennia and that it is very likely that there has been a substantial contribution to the global mean sea level rise since the 1970s from the effects of human activity.

Electricity Generation

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the status is of the useful indication of 2.4-4 GWp large-scale solar PV range set out in the electricity market reform delivery plan; and when he will next review the indicative ranges for all technologies set out in that plan. [205673]

Amber Rudd: The indicative deployment range for large scale solar PV published in the electricity market reform (EMR) delivery plan remains at 2.4-4 GWp.

We plan to reassess likely deployment ranges for all low carbon technologies in the 2015 annual update to the EMR delivery plan.

Energy Company Obligation: Fuel Poverty

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Energy Company Obligation on (a) the numbers of households in fuel poverty, (b) the aggregate fuel poverty gap and (c) the average fuel poverty gap; [205001]

(2) with reference to paragraph 4.17 of, the future of energy company obligation: assessment of impacts, published by his Department on 5 March 2014, what estimate his Department has made of (a) the change in the number of households in fuel poverty and (b) the (i) total and (ii) average change in the fuel poverty gap under option two of the Energy Company Obligation. [205064]

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Mr Davey: The latest and most comprehensive assessment of the impact of the Energy Company Obligation on fuel poverty is set out in the Assessment of Impacts document published alongside the Government’s consultation on ECO in March 2014. This document contains all the currently available material.

An updated estimate of the impact of this policy on fuel poverty will be included as part of the final impact assessment to be published shortly, alongside the Government response to the consultation on “The Future of the Energy Company Obligation.”

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the average annual energy bill for a property in EPC (a) Band E, (b) Band F and (c) Band G. [205003]

Mr Davey: Analysis of consumption levels for domestic consumers using metered fuels, split by EPC band, is available through the National Energy Efficiency Data-Framework (NEED).

This analysis is published online in “EPC tables 2012” at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-energy-efficiency-data-framework-need-report-summary-of-analysis-2014

These figures are based on a sample of households covering England and Wales in 2012. The data do not cover non-metered fuels, or data on energy bills paid by domestic consumers.

Figures are also available which show the median energy spend required to maintain a defined, adequate level of warmth, across different EPC bands. These are published in the table 3.1 of the Annual Fuel Poverty Statistics report, 2014:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/319280/Fuel_Poverty_Report_Final.pdf

They are sourced from DECC’s Fuel Poverty dataset, which is made available on the UK Data Archive.

Green Deal Scheme

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have received vouchers under the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund. [205577]

Mr Davey: As of 14 July 2014, 6,607 vouchers have been issued under the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund.

Data on numbers of vouchers issued are currently published weekly on the Gov.uk website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-savings-advice-service-esas-calls-and-green-deal-webpage-views

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment the Committee on Climate Change has made of the economic costs and benefits of mitigating emissions in Northern Ireland. [205519]

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Amber Rudd: Abatement opportunities in Northern Ireland (NI) were considered in the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) November 2011 report ‘The appropriateness of a Northern Ireland Climate Change Act’. In addition, after receiving a request from the Department of Environment NI earlier this year, we have recently carried out a short scoping study to assess the available data, as well as appraise a number of options for estimating and reporting the economic implications of climate change mitigation. We are currently in discussion with the Department of Environment NI on how to take this forward.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of carbon dioxide emissions accounted for by households. [205073]

Mr Davey: The final UK GHG emissions for 2012, which is the latest year available can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/final-uk-emissions-estimates

Emissions from the residential sector include household electricity and gas use and the use of non-aerosol consumer products. This includes emissions from the UK and its Crown Dependencies.

Housing: Insulation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many low income households have received home insulation support in Ashfield constituency in each of the last five years. [205159]

Mr Davey: The Department publishes the number of measures that have been installed in each parliamentary constituency through the Affordable Warmth obligation of the Energy Company Obligation in Table 1.11b of its quarterly Official Statistics release:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-energy-company-obligation-eco-and-insulation-levels-in-great-britain-quarterly-report-to-march-2014

Affordable Warmth figures include heating measures such as new boilers, as well as insulation.

Additional low income households are likely to be among the beneficiaries of the 518 insulation measures delivered in Ashfield in the same period under aspects of the Energy Company Obligation other than Affordable Warmth, but this figure cannot be broken down by income.

Figures for Warm Front are published on the Government website, and show that there were 884 households helped in 2009-10, 380 helped in 2010-11, 90 helped in 2011-12 and 106 helped in 2012-13 in the Ashfield constituency:

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/helping-households-to-cut-their-energy-bills/supporting-pages/warm-front-scheme

Figures for the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target and Community Energy Savings Programme are not available at constituency level.

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Insulation

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to prevent contractors offering insulation under the Affordable Warmth Obligation presenting this as a Government scheme. [205035]

Mr Davey: Government have set up the Energy Saving Advice Service (0300 123 1234) so people can receive independent advice about energy efficiency schemes. This service can also check eligibility for Affordable Warmth assistance and make a referral directly to an obligated energy supplier. ESAS agents explain the customer journey, making it clear to customers that ECO Affordable Warmth is an obligation that requires the largest energy suppliers to help households install energy saving improvements.

Energy suppliers and their partners may also contact people directly to identify eligible customers, including those who may benefit from insulation (and other measures) under Affordable Warmth. Businesses must adhere to the relevant regulations and codes of practice when promoting their services.

Land

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much land his Department has released for the purpose of building new homes since May 2010. [205477]

Amber Rudd: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has not released any land for this purpose, nor has it had vacant land with which to do so.

Mass Media: Subscriptions

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what subscriptions to (a) magazines and (b) television channels his Department funds. [205340]

Amber Rudd: It would incur disproportionate cost to scrutinise all publication transactions to determine and identify any relevant amounts. The Department does not subscribe to any television channels.

Ministers: Government Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many journeys Ministers of his Department have made using the Government Car Service; and how many such journeys were for the transportation of a red box. [204936]

Mr Davey: The Department has one ministerial car which is shared on a daily basis by all the Department’s Ministers for journeys when conducting official business.

The car may be required to transport ministers from their home to attend to departmental business, the red box and papers. The Ministerial Code states that ministers are permitted the use of a Government car for official business and for working on official papers during journeys between home and work. See page 23, paragraph 10.12 of the Code. Click link at

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/ministerial-code-may-2010.pdf

This does not include information relating to the frequency of particular types of journeys.

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Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate how much money his Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010. [204775]

Mr Davey: Expenditure by region is published in the Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14 core tables. It publishes expenditure by region rather than by constituency.

This information is available on-line at—Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14—core tables (Table 6 “Total identifiable expenditure on services by country and region, 2009-10 to 2012-13”).

The Table is reproduced as follows for ease of reference.

Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what criteria were used to appoint members to the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board; what annual budget is allocated to support the board; what studies have been commissioned by or from the board; and what the web address is of the site where the board’s meeting agendas are posted. [204422]

Mr Davey: The Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board was created at the beginning of 2014 and is tasked with providing information and advice to Government and other public sector funding bodies on the priorities for UK nuclear innovation and options for better co-ordinating the UK nuclear research landscape. The first annual report is expected from the board at the beginning of next year. It is intended that this will be published.

With the exception of the chair, appointments to the NIRAB are unfunded. The NIRAB does not have an annual budget, however, Government have contracted with the Nuclear Innovation and Research Office (NIRO) to provide secretariat support to the NIRAB.

Members were invited to join NIRAB, by ministerial decision, for a period of up to three years. Members were selected on the basis of their individual ability to

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provide credible, authoritative and expert advice across a number of sectors related to UK nuclear research and innovation. Members are appointed as individuals and are expected to represent the interests of their sectors.

Other than the annual report, no further studies are currently commissioned from or by the NIRAB. As part of the evidence gathering activities for the annual report, NIRAB will consider the ongoing feasibility study into small modular reactors being undertaken by an industry consortium led by the National Nuclear Laboratory.

The NIRO, in its function as the secretariat to the NIRAB, is considering the best way to make future work or documentation, such as the minutes of the NIRAB meetings, publically available.

Nuclear Innovation and Research Office

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the annual budget is of his Department's new Nuclear Innovation and Research Office (NIRO); how many staff work full-time at NIRO; how many of those are secondees and from which organisations they are seconded; whether secondees are paid from public funds; what consideration was given to appointing a social scientist to the board of NIRO; what publications have been issued to date by NIRO; whether all research undertaken by or for NIRO is published in full; and what the web address is of the site where minutes of the NIRO board are posted. [204421]

Mr Davey: The Nuclear Innovation and Research Office (NIRO) is an independent body, hosted by the National Nuclear Laboratory and contracted, by Government, to provide technical support and expert secretariat services to the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board (NIRAB). It was created at the end of 2013.

With the exception of the chair, appointments to the NIRAB are unfunded, however Government have currently contracted NIRO for services worth £650,000 and this contract runs until March 2015. The NIRO employs four full-time staff who are currently seconded from the NNL and Rolls-Royce Ltd. The wages of these employees are included in the contractual arrangements. The skills make-up of the staff in the NIRO is a matter for the organisation itself.

The NIRO does not undertake research in its own right and, to date, has not issued any publications. The NIRO, in its function as the secretariat to the NIRAB, is considering the best way to make future work or documentation publicly available.

Pay

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which organisations collect subscriptions through the employers’ payroll service in their Department and its agencies. [204493]

Mr Davey: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) provides the facility for the following organisation subscriptions to be deducted from its payroll.

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Renewables Obligation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reason a Renewable Obligation Certificate banding review for cuts to the large-scale PV Renewable Obligation band in 2015 and 2016 was ruled out as an option in the recent renewables obligation consultation. [205719]

Amber Rudd: The Government may carry out a banding review of RO support in England and Wales for any technology at any time if certain legislative conditions are met. As indicated in our consultation document and impact assessment, it is not clear that any of the conditions are met to trigger a banding review of solar support at this time. These are available on DECC’s web page:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-changes-to-financial-support-for-solar-pv

Solar Power

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from the solar industry and project investors about the commercial impact of the 13 May grace period proposals set out in the consultation on changes to financial support for solar photovoltaic; and if he will make a statement. [205693]

Amber Rudd: Ministers and officials have received numerous representations from, and held many meetings with, the solar industry and project investors about the impacts of our consultation proposals on the solar sector since the consultation opened on 13 May.

The consultation closed on 7 July. The responses and evidence submitted in response to the consultation are now being analysed. We will publish a Government response setting out our decision as soon as possible.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the Levy Control Framework saving per year delivered by closing the Renewables Obligation to large-scale solar PV in 2015. [205703]

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Amber Rudd: Our estimate of the cost of closing the Renewables Obligation (RO) to large-scale solar PV in

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2015 is set out in the consultation Impact Assessment (IA). The relevant tables from the IA are reproduced as follows.

Wind Power: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many wind turbines are planned for development in each constituency in Nottinghamshire. [205149]

Mr Davey: A register of renewable projects in the planning system is maintained in the publicly-accessible Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD); it records projects by district rather than by constituency. The wind turbines planned for development in Nottinghamshire, by district, as recorded in REPD in May 2014, are as follows:

Justice

Buildings

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent on refurbishing (a) gym and leisure facilities, (b) cafeteria and (c) interior decoration within (i) his Department and (ii) buildings owned by his Department in (A) 2013 and (B) 2014 to date. [205388]

Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice keeps its estate under review to ensure it meets business need, is cost- effective, provides value for money for the taxpayer and is more sustainable. Separate information on interior decoration, cafeteria and gym and leisure facility refurbishment is not collected centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Since the start of the spending review (SR10) the size of the estate has been reduced by over 600 properties to nearly 1,500 properties. As a result, lower business as usual costs have been achieved. We have removed nearly 50% of the administrative estate from our portfolio over the last four years. We have reduced 180 properties to 98 in England and Wales including from 18 properties to four in London, saving over £34 million a year.

Burial

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many new burial plots have been provided by each local authority in England in each of the last five years; how many burials have been carried out by each local authority in each of the last five years; and how many burial plots remain in each local authority. [205629]

Simon Hughes: The Ministry of Justice does not have operational responsibility for burials and so does not hold the requested information.

Civil Disorder: Greater London

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those released from prison for offences committed during the riots in London in 2011 have been returned to prison following a further offence. [204646]

Mr Vara: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time specified. I will write to my hon. Friend with an answer as soon as possible.

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Courts: Children

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2014, Official Report, column 255W, on courts: children, what elements are involved in the specialist training available to judicial office holders dealing with cases involving children. [R] [205420]

Mr Vara: Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, responsibility for the training of the judiciary rests with the Lord Chief Justice and is exercised through the Judicial College. All training is carried out under the direction of the judiciary. The judiciary have no obligation to share the contents of their training with Parliament.

However, I am advised that training seeks to support the main role of the judge which is to enable all those who appear in court the opportunity to give their best evidence. Judicial office holders are authorised to hear cases involving children and will attend induction training when first authorised.

Where witnesses are deemed “vulnerable” (which includes children) training will emphasise good case management to ensure that appropriate special measures are used by the court. This includes controlling the management and scope of cross examination. Where a sexual offence is being considered for example, judges are given information about the psychological effects of this in the context of giving evidence. These few examples are not a complete list of the elements of training and regular assessment of the content of courses will mean they vary over time and according to particular seminars and audiences.

Courts: Video Conferencing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in how many court proceedings in England and Wales in each year since May 2010 video recording was taken to be (a) an available and (b) a not available special measure for eligible witnesses as defined in section 18 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. [204589]

Mr Vara: We must do everything we can to support vulnerable witnesses and help them give their best possible evidence. In December 2013, a pilot commenced of section 28 of Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, a special measures provision allowing the cross examination of eligible witnesses' evidence to be recorded in advance of the trial. This pilot is taking place in the Crown court sitting at Liverpool, Leeds and Kingston-upon-Thames. This is in addition to a range of measures already in place to help reduce the anxiety of attending court, such as giving evidence from behind a screen.

Video recording of initial evidence known as ABE (Achieving Best Evidence) is appropriate for some child witnesses; this is undertaken by the police and can be played at trial.

HMCTS does not collate data on the number of witnesses who give evidence either via live links or other pre-recorded video.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2014, Official Report, columns 256-60W, on courts: video conferencing, (1)

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which of the enlisted external video end points have been used in court proceedings involving children in England and Wales in each year since 2010; [R] [205418]

(2) how many of the enlisted external video end points are located away from a courthouse. [R] [205419]

Mr Vara: We must do everything we can to support vulnerable witnesses and help them give their best possible evidence to bring offenders to justice. That’s why we are trialling pre-recorded cross-examination to allow young and vulnerable witnesses to give evidence away from what can be an aggressive court room atmosphere.

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service uses information about child witnesses in criminal cases to ensure that individual trials are managed effectively. HMCTS does not however, hold child witness data on video link usage.

The answer of 8 July 2014, Official Report, columns 256-60W, sets out the court houses within each HMCTS region which have the ability to link to an external video end point to that of the trial court. All of the HMCTS video estate is located within HMCTS courthouses.

Domestic Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the course materials used to train magistrates in relation to domestic violence. [204508]

Mr Vara: Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, responsibility for the training of magistrates rests with the Lord Chief Justice and is exercised through the Judicial College.

In order to protect judicial independence all training is carried out under the direction of the judiciary and all judicial training materials belong to them. I am therefore unable to comply with your request.

The Judicial College has integrated domestic violence within the training packs prepared for magistrates. The induction, consolidation, and continuation training for magistrates, particularly in the adult and family courts, contain significant exercises looking at issues around domestic violence and the statutory tools available to magistrates in domestic violence cases. Where magistrates sit in the specialist domestic violence courts, they will receive additional training for this specialist court.

Electronic Tagging

Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) which companies have been awarded contracts for electronic tagging in respect of the next nine years; how much each such company will be paid; what services each such company will provide; and for how long each such company will provide services; [204814]

(2) what the value of the new electronic tagging contract is for each of the next nine financial years; [204815]

(3) whether the procurement process for the electronic tagging contract complied with Cabinet Office procedures on openness and transparency; [204816]

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(4) for what reason the new electronic tagging system was not subject to a pilot before the decision to implement it was taken; [204991]

(5) what the purpose is of the new electronic tagging system; and what evidence his Department analysed or collected on the potential effect of that system on crime and reconviction rates. [204992]

Mr Vara: The contracts have not yet been awarded. An announcement was made on 15 July.

Yes we comply with the OJEU/EU procurement rules as well as cabinet office processes.

The new electronic monitoring service has not been subject to a pilot as in the first instance we need to ensure continuity of service. However, there will be a significant period of testing and validation for the new system before introduction. There is also a robust programme of testing for the new tags themselves, and we will have to be satisfied that they meet our standards before they are introduced on the new platform.

Electronic monitoring using GPS was piloted in three probation areas in 2004 to 2005 and the evaluation found qualitative evidence to show that it:

acted as a deterrent because offenders thought they would be caught if they were to reoffend;

was a constant reminder which prompted offenders to ‘think twice’ when a criminal opportunity presented itself and gave them the spur they needed to walk away;

provided offenders with renewed determination to get their lives back together after a period of incarceration; and

was perceived by offenders to help stop wrongful identification for crimes they had not done.

Employment Tribunals Service

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 689W, on the employment tribunals service, what the nature was of the complaint in the cases of the highest compensation payments for race in each of the last five years. [204681]

Mr Vara: Information on the nature of complaints upheld, and the type of race discrimination relevant to individual claims, is not recorded centrally. The records retention and disposal schedule applicable to such tribunal files, which are in general only retained for 12 months from the date of judgment, also means that information covering each of the last five years would not be held. A public Register of Employment Tribunal decisions, and written reasons, is available for inspection in Bury St Edmunds. My officials will identify the relevant cases held on the Public Register and I will write enclosing copies. However, the information sought for the year 2013-14 will not be available until September 2014.

ICT

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops were lost by his Department in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date. [204477]

Mr Vara: It has not been possible to answer the question within the timeframe. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

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Judges: Conflict of Interests

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints were received by his Department of judges having undeclared (a) financial, (b) family or (c) political interests in particular trials in each of the last four years. [204716]

Mr Vara: The information requested is available for the last two years and is provided in the following table. However, statistical information regarding categories of complaint is not routinely captured in the form requested and is therefore unavailable for the previous two year.

Information relating to broad categories of complaint received is contained in the JCIO’s annual reports which are available via their website:

http://judicialconduct.judiciary.gov.uk/

Legal Aid Scheme

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many new matter starts were awarded in mental health in Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; [204647]

(2) how many new matter starts were awarded in mental health in the North West for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; [204648]

(3) how many new matter starts were awarded in mental health in Lancashire for (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15. [204649]

Mr Vara: The Legal Aid Agency contract periods do not necessarily correspond to financial years, figures have therefore been provided by contract schedule period rather than financial year. Existing Mental Health Contracts (which began in April 2010) were awarded in the areas asked about using the North West as the procurement area. We have therefore only been able to provide data on the smaller areas requested based on the location of the provider but this was not the basis on which services were procured. Figures exclude any new matter starts allocated to providers that have subsequently withdrawn from their contract or from the mental health category.

The LAA has recently undertaken a procurement exercise for new Mental Health contracts and new contracts are due to start on 1 August 2014. Allocations for matter starts for 2014-15 are therefore split over two separate periods: April 2014 to August 2014 under the existing contract and from August 2014 to April 2015 under the new contract.

In respect of the new contract, matter starts were advertised and awarded using wider procurement areas so we are only able to provide data on the North Procurement Area, which encompasses the requested geographic areas. The total number of matter starts initially awarded through the tender process in the North for the period between 1 August 2014 and 31 March

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2015 was 9,121. This is a provisional figure only as successful organisations are still in the process of verifying their tenders prior to contracts being issued.

Mental Health New Matter Starts allocated to Providers located in the North West for the period April 2010 to July 2014 are as follows:

No provider offices were located in the constituency of Blackpool North and Cleveleys for the period April 2010 to July 2014. However, the majority of Mental Health services are delivered to detained clients and therefore not from provider offices. The LAA’s Mental Health contracts enable providers to deliver services to clients across the procurement area as a whole (North West presently and North as of 1 August 2014).

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of new matter starts are held back from being awarded at the outset of the contract; and on what grounds they are so held back. [204650]

Mr Vara: No matter starts are held back from being awarded at the outset of the contract. The Legal Aid Agency, which is responsible for running tender processes for legal aid contracts, advertises the volume of matter starts it is seeking to award in contracts as part of the tender process.

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consultations he has undertaken with representatives of the legal profession regarding changes to legal aid; and if he will make a statement. [205019]

Mr Vara: Since April 2013 we have undertaken two major public consultations on legal aid, which attracted a large response from the legal professions. In addition, we have spoken at length over the past year with solicitors and barristers and their representatives about the reforms and our final plans reflect many of the changes they asked for.

Legal Aid Scheme: Nottinghamshire

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people received legal aid in each constituency in Nottinghamshire in each of the last five years. [205152]

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Mr Vara: The information requested is held by the Legal Aid Agency, but will take time to extract in the form requested. I will write to the hon. Member providing the information as soon as the data can be gathered.

Missing Persons: Guardianship

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to launch his consultation on guardianship for missing people. [205266]

Mr Vara: The date for the publication of the proposed consultation paper on the possible creation of a status of guardian of the property and affairs of missing persons has not yet been set but it remains the Government’s intention to publish the paper before the end of August (see my written ministerial statement of 8 April 2014, Official Report,column 8WS).

Pay

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which organisations collect subscriptions through the employer's payroll service in his Department and its agencies. [204513]

Mr Vara: A list of all organisations that collect subscriptions through the Ministry of Justice’s payroll service is at annex A.

List of organisations

Unite the Union

Affinity Select Insurance

Health Shield (BHCA)

Benenden Health

Birmingham Hospital (paid via BHCA Services)

The Charity for Civil Servants

Civil Service Club

Civil Service Sports Council

Frankland Prison Gym

POIS Insurance (formerly Family Assurance Friendly)

Forester Health

GMB Union

Glen Parva Fitness Club

Home Office Sports and Social

Healthsure (part of Simply Health)

Engage Mutual Insurance

Hospital Saturday Fund

Simply Health (formerly H S A)

Prospect Union

Immigration Service Union

Leeds Hospital Fund (part of Simply Health)

Forester Cash Plan

PCS Union

Prison Service Leisure Association

Portland Fitness Gym

Police Credit Union

Friends Life (formerly AXA Sunlife)

TGWU Union

UCATT Union

Wakefield Health and Fitness Gym

Wetherby Fitness Club

Prison Service Lottery

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Prison Service Charity Fund

Isle of Wight Lottery

The Charity for Civil Servants

Charities Trust (GAYE)1

ACE Insurance company of Europe

AIG Insurance

Axa Sun Life, Sun Life Centre

Bolton and District Hospital Saturday Fund

British Healthcare Association

BUPA Health Care

Collation Club

Civil and Public Services Association

Capital Credit Union

Credit Union

Credit Union Leeds City

Civil Service Sports Council

CSO Sports and Social

SPARTA-Sport and Rec Association for DCLG and DFT

DTC

Fideliti Childcare

First Division Association

Gala Club Membership

Hospital Savings Association

Hospital Saturday Fund

HSF Health Plan

HS Legacy Cash Plan

Prospect

KOPAL Pur Village Aid (UK)

Lottery

Meridian Court SA

Scottish Benevolent Fund

Sefton Credit Union Ltd

Sovereign Giving Club

Stewardship

UNISON

WO Health and fitness centre

Welsh Office Sports and Social Club

Charities Aid Foundation, West Malling

Homeowners Friendly Society

Prisoners: Repatriation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners have been returned to each country where the UK has invested in prisons in each of the last 10 years. [204658]

Mr Vara: It has been a long-standing Government policy that we do not publish detailed information on the number of foreign national offenders returned to specific countries as it may have a detrimental effect on the Home Office's returns agreements with foreign Governments.

The UK supports projects that strengthen the criminal justice capacity of a number of countries in the context of the Government’s development and security work. This work can help to build good relationships that support the return of foreign national offenders.

MOJ have developed projects that support prison reform in the context of furthering the potential for compulsory prisoner transfer arrangements. This work

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has contributed to the successful signing of PTAs with Nigeria and Albania. Where such work provides value to the UK taxpayer we will explore similar approaches in other priority countries.

We saw the first prisoner transfer back to Albania this week (8 July 2014) and expect to see transfers back to Nigeria by the end of the year.

Prisons: Libraries

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average spending per head on prison libraries was for (a) male and (b) female prisoners in the latest period for which figures are available. [204654]

Simon Hughes: The average prison libraries spend for each prisoner for 2012-13 (the latest year for which figures are available) is £105 for the male prison estate and £134 for the female prison estate. The combined cost for each prisoner (male and female) is £106.

The figures are based on the average male and female population figures for 2012-13 and the designation of prisons into the male or female estate according to their major function as at 31 March 2013.

Costs have been drawn from NOMS central accounting records, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prison library services are provided by the local authority library service for all public sector prisons in a way that is consistent with that available to library users in the wider community. Library services also may be commissioned locally by prisons to meet the individual needs of the local prisoner population.

The Prison Service has always recognised the importance of reading and literature in the rehabilitative process, and the positive effects these have on prisoners. Every prison has a library which is available to all prisoners to make sure they have access to books and other material for education and training purposes.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 714W, on prison libraries, what the spending was by category of expenditure for HM Prison (a) Leeds and (b) Wakefield. [204680]

Mr Vara: A breakdown of the spend on prison libraries is not available from the National Offender Management Service’s central accounting system.

Public Defender Service

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish the agreement recently reached with the Criminal Bar on the future role of the Public Defender Service. [205115]

Mr Vara: Arrangements have been put in place, under which self-employed barristers have been instructed to represent defendants in a number of Very High Cost Cases (VHCCs). Given that normal working relationships have been restored, the Government have confirmed that there is no need to expand the PDS further.

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Sentencing

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what research his Department has commissioned on the effect of the gender of (a) the judge and (b) the defendant on sentencing outcomes in Crown courts. [205013]

Mr Vara: The sentencing framework applies to all offenders who appear before the courts regardless of gender. The courts must however have regard to the individual circumstances of the offence and the offender. Offenders who commit serious offences face lengthy custodial sentences. Sentencing in individual cases can be subject to appeal.

The Department has commissioned no external research on the effect of the gender of the judge or the defendant on sentencing outcomes in the Crown court. However, statistics showing the sentencing outcomes of men and women and also the gender profile of the judiciary are published within the biennial “Statistics on Women and the Criminal Justice System”:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/women-and-the-criminal-justice-system--2

The next edition of this publication is due for release in November 2014.

Sentencing: West Yorkshire

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to the answer of 13 May 2014, Official Report, columns 506-8W, on sentencing: West Yorkshire, what proportion of offenders in each offence category the figures in the table represent for each of the years 2011, 2012 and 2013. [204500]

Mr Vara: It has not been possible to answer the question within the timeframe. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

Squatting: Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people have been convicted of the offence of squatting in a residential building under section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on more than one occasion since its entry into force; [204455]

(2) how many people have been (a) arrested for and (b) convicted of the offence of squatting in a residential building under section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 since its entry into force. [204505]

Mr Vara: It has not been possible to answer the question within the timeframe. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

Terrorism

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners convicted of terrorist-related offences are held in open prisons. [204456]

Mr Vara: Currently there are no prisoners convicted of terrorist-related offences held in open conditions.

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Training

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many away-days his Department has held for officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date; and what the cost was of each such event. [205384]

Mr Vara: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) does not hold away-days. The MOJ does on occasion hold training events outside its main buildings. However, these events are neither recorded nor funded centrally as they would be organised by heads of directorates. Therefore to provide the information requested would incur disproportionate costs as we would be required to contact all directorates and organisations within MOJ and its arm’s length bodies to produce an accurate figure.

Wales

Buildings

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent on refurbishing (a) gymnasium and leisure facilities, (b) cafeteria and (c) interior decoration in (i) his Department and (ii) buildings owned by his Department in (A) 2013 and (B) 2014 to date. [205363]

Stephen Crabb: Nothing.

Land

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much land his Department has released for the purpose of building new homes since May 2010. [205778]

Stephen Crabb: None. Our London office stands on the only land owned by the Wales Office.

Mass Media: Subscriptions

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what subscriptions to (a) magazines and (b) television channels his Department funds. [205349]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office does not fund any subscriptions to magazines or television channels.

Procurement

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much and what proportion of his Department's budget was spent on activities which were contracted out in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13 and (e) 2013-14; and how much and what proportion of his Department's budget he expects to be contracted out in 2014-15. [205227]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office was part of the Ministry of Justice until 2011 and as a small Department continues to use contracted-out services under Ministry of Justice contracts. The Department’s spend on contracted- out services, and the proportion of the budget spent on these activities, from 2009-10 to 2013-14 is set out as follows:

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In 2014-15, the Department expects to spend £726,000, which is 15% of the budget. The increase in spend on contracted out services during 2012-13 was due to the Department relocating its Cardiff office.

Training

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many away-days his Department has held for officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date; and what the cost was of each such event. [205301]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office held one offsite event for staff in 2014 where the Business Plan and the key priorities for the year ahead were reviewed. This had a cost of £319. The Department held no offsite events in 2013.

Health

Cancer

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of a potential link between nuclear power and the prevalence of cancer; and what estimate he has made of proportion of the NHS budget spent on treating patients suffering from cancer caused by nuclear power generation. [205246]

Jane Ellison: No such estimate has been made.

There has been extensive research into the possible links between nuclear power and cancer over a number of years. In particular, the independent expert Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment has published a number of major reports addressing exposure to man-made radiation from major nuclear installation operations and possible links with childhood cancers, available at:

www.comare.org.uk

Similarly, the small area health statistics unit, based at Imperial College London and part of the MRC-PHE Centre for Environmental and Health, has published reports examining suggested links between local incidence of cancers and radioactive discharges from some nuclear installations.

All of these reports have concluded that public exposures to radiation as a result of nuclear operations is extremely unlikely to have caused discernible health consequences.

All radioactive discharges in the United Kingdom are regulated and monitored by the UK’s environmental regulators.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to reduce the proportion of people with cancer who are diagnosed via an emergency route; [205648]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2013, Official Report, column 700W, on cancer, what steps he is taking

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to analyse progress made in achieving the ambition of preventing 5,000 avoidable premature deaths a year by 2014-15 as set out in Improving Outcomes: a Strategy for Cancer. [205647]

Jane Ellison: It is too early to be able to assess progress against the ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives per year by 2014-15, to halve the gap between the survival estimates in England and those in the best countries in Europe. However, we do know that cancer survival and mortality rates continue to improve and we are developing proxy measures to assess progress in a more timely manner, particularly in terms of the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages one and two and cancers diagnosed through emergency routes.

The National Health Service and Public Health Outcomes Framework indicators and the clinical commissioning group (CCG) Outcomes Indicator Set are starting to enable us to assess progress, at national and local level. For example, data on one-year survival from all cancers and one-year survival from breast, lung and colorectal cancer were published as part of the CCG outcomes indicator set for the first time on 19 June 2014.

The Cancer Outcomes Strategy is backed with more than £750 million over the four year Spending Review period, including over £450 million to achieve early diagnosis. The additional money is funding over 2 million extra tests over four years and gives general practitioners (GPs) access to non-obstetric ultrasound—to support diagnosis of ovarian cancer; flexible sigmoidoscopy—to support the diagnosis of bowel cancer; and brain magnetic resonance imaging scans—to support the diagnosis of brain cancer. NHS England monitors the use of these tests through the Diagnostic Imaging Dataset. On 22 May 2014, NHS England published ‘Provisional Monthly Diagnostic Imaging Dataset Statistics’ for the period from January 2013 to January 2014.

Over 34.2 million imaging tests were reported in England in the 12 months from February 2013 to January 2014. Over a quarter of all tests that may have been used to diagnose or discount cancer were requested by GPs under direct access arrangements.

The Mandate for the NHS for 2014-15 sets out an ambition for England to become one of the most successful countries in Europe at preventing premature deaths.

Tackling premature deaths from cancer will contribute to this. A range of work at national and local level is aimed at improving cancer survival. For example, results from the first national “Be Clear on Cancer” lung cancer campaign in 2012 showed that around 700 extra patients were diagnosed with lung cancer compared to the previous year. Approximately 400 of these patients had their lung cancer diagnosed at an early stage, with around 300 more patients having surgery, giving them a better chance of survival.

Work continues on extending and expanding the bowel, breast and cervical cancer screening programmes, and helping GPs to assess patients more effectively. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is in the process of updating the ‘Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer’ (2005) to ensure that it reflects latest evidence and can continue to support GPs to identify patients with symptoms of suspected cancer and urgently refer them as appropriate.

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Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's publication, Improving Outcomes: a Strategy for Cancer, what steps (a) his Department, (b) NHS England and (c) clinical commissioning groups plan to take to ensure that all cancer patients are treated with the highest levels of dignity and respect. [205649]

Jane Ellison: NHS Improving Quality will be working with the National Clinical Director for Cancer and with provider organisations to continue their service improvement work to improve patient experience and to ensure that patients’ views are central to the way services are developed. NHS England is also working with NHS Improving Quality to develop better ways of using the Cancer Patient Experience Survey data within the national health service in order to maximise the impact of the survey, to be able to work with successful and struggling organisations to spread best practice for example.

Work on information prescriptions (IPs) has moved to Macmillan Cancer Support, and a report on the use of IPs is currently being considered by NHS England to decide how best this work can be taken forward. Work on quality in nursing was completed in March 2013, with the clinical nurse specialist survey handed over to Macmillan Cancer Support. NHS England is considering how to take forward work on the Multi-disciplinary team-feedback for improving team working programme.

Clinical commissioning groups are currently in the process of finalising measurable levels of ambition to improve patient experience and will be holding providers to account. These are based on NHS England's new measure for poor inpatient experience which includes dignity and respect and communication.

Compassion in Practice, the three year vision and strategy for nursing, midwifery and care staff, is also seeking to increase feedback from vulnerable and disadvantaged patient groups, who can have poorer experiences of care.

Cancer: Sussex

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) Brighton Kemptown constituency, (b) Brighton and Hove and (c) Sussex have gained access to cancer drugs through the Cancer Drugs Fund in each year of that fund's operation. [205020]

Norman Lamb: Prior to April 2013, information on the Cancer Drugs Fund was administered through clinical panels based in each strategic health authority and data on the number of patients who accessed treatment through the fund in each constituency, city and county was not collected. Information on the number of patients who accessed treatment in South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and England in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 is shown as follows:

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NHS England has had oversight of the fund since April 2013 and publishes information on patient numbers routinely on its website at:

www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/

Information published by NHS England shows that in 2013-14, 4,725 patients in the South of England region and 19,282 patients in England accessed treatment through the fund. In addition, 89 individual cancer drugs fund request applications were approved by the Cancer Drugs Fund panel in the South of England region.

Community Hospitals

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on the role of community hospitals. [204995]

Jane Ellison: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) meets with NHS England on a regular basis and discusses a range of issues, both formally and informally, including the role of community hospitals.

Continuing Care

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many families are awaiting a decision for continuing health care funding where it is claimed that the application applies to an unassessed period of care; and if he will make a statement. [205581]

Norman Lamb: The Department does not routinely collect data regarding the number of applications for NHS continuing health care assessments.

However, following the introduction, on 15 March 2012, of deadlines for requests for assessments of eligibility for NHS continuing health care for previously unassessed periods of care which occurred during the time 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2012, the Department is aware that there were approximately 60,000 enquiries received by primary care trusts.

Health Professions: Wakefield

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) staff to patient ratio and (b) nurse to bed ratio is in all hospitals serving Wakefield. [205107]

Dr Poulter: The Department does not collect the information requested. The following table however shows the number of national health service staff in the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust on 31 March 2014.

Local NHS trusts decide how many staff they employ, and make these decisions based on the needs of their patients and local communities.

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While the right staffing levels are vital for good patient care, minimum staffing numbers and ratios cannot take account of local circumstances, skill mix or case mix.

Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what form the engagement announced by NHS England on 9 May 2014 at the launch of its specialised commissioning task-force will take. [205535]

Jane Ellison: NHS England has advised that the work of the specialised commissioning task force is not a wholesale review of specialised commissioning. It is best described as work to support financial control in 2014-15 and to plan for 2015-16.

There are aspects of the task force work which will require specific engagement appropriate and proportionate to the nature of the issue or service via the routes relevant to the topic. For example, there is engagement with clinical commissioning groups via the Commissioning Assembly on the future portfolio of specialised services. There is also engagement via the Patient and Public Voice Assurance Group about a range of commissioning issues.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether officials from his Department consulted

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their counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the contents of the recent publication: Visitor and Migrant NHS Cost Recovery Programme - Implementation Plan. [205559]

Jane Ellison: The Visitor and Migrant NHS Cost Recovery Programme officials consulted with representatives of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish devolved Administrations during the preparation of the implementation plan.

Health Services: Wakefield

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) GPs and (b) accident and emergency departments serving Wakefield have closed since 2010. [205139]

Jane Ellison: This information, whilst not collected centrally, can be obtained from the local NHS England Area Team.

Hospitals: Scotland

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients from Scotland have been admitted for (a) emergency and (b) planned procedures in England in each of the last 10 years. [205250]

Jane Ellison: The information is shown in the following table.

Infant Foods: Northern Ireland

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in Northern Ireland on how best to ensure that babies in Northern Ireland are not at risk from contamination of privately manufactured batches of drip food. [205018]

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Jane Ellison: Bacillus cereus is a common bacteria found widely in the environment in dust, soil and vegetation. Bacillus cereus produces very hardy spores, which make it persistent in the environment.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) undertake inspections of manufacturing facilities with reference to the standards of good manufacturing practice to verify that companies are producing medicines that are of the correct quality and safety. The manufacture of sterile products, such as Total Parenteral Nutrition, is subject to special requirements in order to minimise risks of bacterial contamination.

In the case of medicines, the MHRA and Public Health England (PHE) are currently investigating what has caused the recent incident where Total Parenteral Nutrition became contaminated with Bacillus cereus. Based on the information we currently have, we believe this is an isolated incident and the appropriate immediate action has been taken to avoid a recurrence. No impacted product was supplied to Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Administration has been informed of the current incident involving Bacillus cereus. The investigations into the cause of this incident are still ongoing. The Department will continue to discuss matters with the Northern Ireland Administration for minimising Bacillus cereus infection.

The investigations being undertaken by MHRA and PHE are in their advanced stages and preliminary findings will be published as soon as possible.

Mental Health Services: Yorkshire and Humberside

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support provisions are in place for children and adolescents with mental health problems in Yorkshire; what the average time in Yorkshire is from referral by a GP of a child or adolescent with mental health problems until they are seen by a specialist; and how much funding was allocated to children and adolescents with mental health problems in (a) 2010 and (b) 2014. [205200]

Norman Lamb: The local national health service uses funds made available to it to provide support for all children and young people with mental health needs in Yorkshire.

The following tables show the most recent data available for the estimated expenditure on child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in the former Yorkshire and the Humber strategic health authority (SHA) area and by former primary care trust (PCT).

Data on waiting times for CAMHS is not available centrally.

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