Headteachers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the turnover of head teachers has been in state-funded schools in each year since 2010. [206384]

Mr Laws: The information requested is not available for teachers in specific grades.

Higher Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps her Department is taking to promote alternatives to university to young people. [205881]

Mr Timpson: We want it to become the norm for young people to choose between an apprenticeship or university as equally prestigious routes to their career. We have placed a duty on schools to provide independent careers guidance for pupils in years 8-13 on the full range of options, including apprenticeships. We have published statutory guidance requiring schools to ensure that other providers, such as further education colleges, have the opportunity to inform pupils about their offer. The guidance also states that schools should offer pupils the opportunity to develop the entrepreneurial skills necessary for self-employment.

The guidance is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-for-young-people-in-schools

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IGCSE

John Glen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether IGCSE qualifications will be included in 14 to 16 school performance tables after 2016. [205843]

Mr Laws: We expect to make an announcement in the near future on how achievements in IGCSEs and other level 1/level 2 certificates will be reflected in key stage 4 performance tables from 2017 onwards, following the first awarding of new GCSEs.

Land

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much land her Department has released for the purpose of building new homes since May 2010. [205476]

Mr Timpson: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

There are strict rules protecting publicly funded school land. This is set out in guidance, which is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/protection-of-school-playing-fields-and-public-land-advice

Legal Costs

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much her Department has spent on legal costs on appealing decision notices served by the Information Commissioner since 2010. [206217]

Mr Timpson: Legal costs on appealing decision notices served by the Information Commissioner are not held centrally by the Department for Education, and the cost of determining these over the past five years would exceed the disproportionate limit.

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Mass Media: Subscriptions

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what subscriptions to (a) magazines and (b) television channels her Department funds. [205339]

Mr Timpson: Information on subscriptions to magazines is not held centrally.

The Department for Education does not fund any subscriptions to television channels. The Department receives the Parliamentary Television Service which provides Ministers and officials with access to direct television feeds from Parliament.

Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many contracts (a) her Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies (i) have let and (ii) plan to let that are worth (A) between £1 million and £3 million and (B) over £3 million since 2010; how much her Department has spent on monitoring each such contract; and how many officials in her Department monitor each contract. [205366]

Mr Timpson: Under this Government’s transparency programme, contracts are published on Contracts Finder:

https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Information on the amount spent monitoring each contract, and the number of officials involved, is not held centrally and an answer could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much her Department paid to (a) G4S, (b) Serco, (c) Sodexo, (d) GEOAmey, (e) Capita, (f) Atos, (g) Mitie, (h) Working Links, (i) A4E, (j) MTC Amey, (k) GEO Group and (l) Carillion in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14. [205854]

Mr Timpson: The following table lists the amounts paid to the suppliers as recorded in the Department for Education’s finance systems:

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding Crawley constituency will receive through the pupil premium in the financial year 2014-15. [205712]

Mr Laws: Schools and academies in Crawley constituency have been allocated £4.026 million through the pupil premium for financial year 2014-15.

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This includes funding through the deprivation, service child and children adopted from care elements, but excludes the looked-after children element as this is not available at a parliamentary constituency level.

Schools: Asbestos

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether it is in the remit of Ofsted to investigate pupils’ safety from asbestos in school buildings when it inspects schools; and if she will make a statement. [205782]

Mr Laws: It is not in Ofsted’s remit to assess asbestos management in schools. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the lead regulator on managing asbestos.

Schools: Inspections

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance (a) her Department and (b) Ofsted provides to Ofsted inspectors about the monitoring of school engagement with Prevent. [206357]

Mr Laws: No guidance has been provided to Ofsted inspectors by the Department for Education about the monitoring of school engagement with Prevent as the training of inspectors is a matter for Her Majesty’s chief inspector.

Where relevant, Ofsted provides inspectors with appropriate briefing on the Prevent agenda and gives training to inspectors ahead of inspection.

Studio Schools

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many studio colleges that have fallen behind or failed to meet their student recruitment numbers have been given an extension of time to make further progress to achieve the numbers of students set out in their funding agreements; and what the average additional time given to those colleges to recruit enough students to fulfil funding agreement criteria was; [205787]

(2) how many studio colleges have fallen behind or failed to meet the levels of student recruitment required for them to meet the terms of their funding agreements; [205788]

(3) how many studio colleges have fulfilled the terms of their funding agreements for student recruitment targets. [205789]

Mr Timpson: Post-opening student recruitment targets are only included in funding agreements for studio schools where there has been concern about potential pupil recruitment prior to the school opening.

Five studio schools have specific termination clauses relating to post-opening student recruitment targets in their funding agreements. One school closed on 31 August 2013 and another is due to close on 31 August 2014 because they did not fulfil the funding agreement criteria in respect of the pupil recruitment target. Neither school was given an extension of time to meet the target. The other three schools have not yet reached the deadlines for their pupil recruitment targets.

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The majority of studio schools opening in September 2013 and all those due to open in September 2014 have pre-opening targets for student recruitment included in their funding agreements to ensure that the schools will be financially viable upon opening.

Training

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many awaydays her Department has held for officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date; and what the cost was of each such event. [205291]

Mr Timpson: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much has been spent on what (a) media training and (b) social media training for (i) her and (ii) Ministers in her Department since May 2010. [205307]

Mr Timpson: No money has been spent on either media training or social media training for the Secretary of State for Education, her predecessor or other Ministers in the Department for Education since May 2010.

The Department for Education has curbed spending on all communications activity, bringing the central costs of communication down from £54 million in the last year of the previous Administration to £12 million in 2011-12, and down to under £1 million in 2013-14.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average duration is of all completed traineeships to date. [206126]

Mr Timpson: In the June Statistical First Release we published data showing that there were 7,400 traineeships starts between August 2013 and April 2014-the first nine months of the programme. We do not yet have reliable data to break this down further.

Further information on traineeships data is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324016/traineeship-data-note-june14.pdf

Unemployment: Young People

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many 16 to 19-year-olds are not undertaking a study programme. [206215]

Mr Timpson: At the end of 2013, 1,094,000 young people aged 16-18 were studying on full-time study programmes in state-funded post-16 institutions (excluding higher education and independent schools). Of the remainder, 494,000 were in full-time education in independent schools, higher education, or part-time education; 220,000 were in other training or employment; and 148,000 were not in education, training or employment (NEET).

It is up to schools, colleges and training providers to tailor study programmes to meet the career aspirations of students based on their prior attainment. The principal components of a 16-19 study programme include typically a substantial qualification (such as one or more A-levels

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or Tech Levels), work experience and other non-qualification activity. English and maths also feature for students who failed to achieve an A*-C GCSE in maths and English by age 16.

University Academy Liverpool

Mrs Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what steps her Department has taken to engage with parents and staff at the University Academy, Liverpool, in relation to improving standards; [205791]

(2) what her targets are for improvement at the University Academy, Liverpool; and in what timescale she will require such improvements to be made. [205793]

Mr Timpson: The responsibility for engaging with parents and staff on improving standards in underperforming academies lies with the sponsor or trust.

The Department for Education will intervene in cases where we are concerned that sponsors are not bringing about rapid, sustained educational improvements.

In the case of the University of Chester Academies Trust (UCAT), which is the sponsor of the University Academy Liverpool (UAL), the Department has already intervened. Officials have been closely monitoring the performance of the sponsor since the publication of examination results in 2013. In April 2014, my noble Friend Lord Nash issued UCAT with a pre-warning notice letter as a result of our overall concerns about the performance of the trust and our particular concerns about three of its academies, including UAL. The trust has responded with an action plan to address these issues.

We do not tolerate underperformance. Where an academy is not making urgent sustained progress, we will work closely with the school and sponsor to secure whatever changes are necessary to make improvements. This might include a change of leadership, or a new partnership with a successful strong academy, sponsor or school.

We continue to monitor the situation at UAL closely against its action plan and will not hesitate to intervene further at both school and trust level if results in 2014 do not improve.

Written Questions

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what her Department's policy is on responding to parliamentary questions where the subject file or letter is within the scope of the Official Secrets Act 1989. [205431]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education responds to parliamentary questions in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, available at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-answers-to-parliamentary-questions-guidance

The guidance makes clear that Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public and only withhold information where its disclosure would not be in the public interest. Such public interest would be determined with the relevant legislation in mind.

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Treasury

Consumers: Credit

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many consumer credit firms and peer-to-peer platforms located outside the UK, but within the European Economic Area and which lend money online to UK consumers have been granted interim permission to trade by the Financial Conduct Authority. [204062]

Andrea Leadsom: This information is contained on the Financial Conduct Authority’s Interim Permission Consumer Credit Register which is available online:

http://fca-consumer-credit-interim.force.com/CS_RegisterSearchPageNew

Energy

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of his Department's consumption in kWh of (a) gas and (b) electricity in each month since June 2010; and what the cost of such consumption has been in each such month. [202710]

Andrea Leadsom: The information is not held by HM Treasury in the format requested. Annual consumption and spend data are available in the Treasury Annual Report and Accounts for each year, copies of which have been deposited in the Library.

Intelligence Services

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) with reference to the answer of 24 November 1993, Official Report, column 52W, on security services, how much expenditure by the security and intelligence agencies was contained in the (a) Ministry of Defence and (b) Foreign and Commonwealth Office votes for financial years 1984-85 to 1993-94; [205689]

(2) what the Secret Vote expenditure was in financial years 1984-85 and 1993-94. [205690]

Danny Alexander: Having reviewed our records, HM Treasury does not centrally hold all the details of this expenditure in the years requested.

Land

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much land his Department has released for the purpose of building new homes since May 2010. [205484]

Andrea Leadsom: HM Treasury occupies a small estate the core of which is the building at 1 Horse Guards Road. Space rationalisation in this building has allowed the Cabinet Office, the Northern Ireland office, the Office of Parliamentary Counsel and UK Export Finance to be accommodated.

HM Treasury has no other land available for release.

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Mapeley

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when HM Revenue and Customs last audited the (a) compliance and (b) performance of Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited in respect of the Five Year Plan under 17.1 (a) of the Private Finance Initiative contract between HM Revenue and Customs and Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited; [205998]

(2) when HM Revenue and Customs will next audit the (a) compliance and (b) performance of Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited in respect of the Five Year Plan under 17.1 (a) of the private finance initiative contract between HM Revenue and Customs and Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited; [205999]

(3) when HM Revenue and Customs will next audit the compliance and performance of Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited in respect of all the STEPS Contractor's obligations under the agreement, including those applicable to the implementation of any change and all personnel and management policies and practices and quality management under 17.1 (d) of the private finance initiative contract between HM Revenue and Customs and Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited. [206250]

Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monitors the performance of its contractor regularly under a range of provisions. Commercial discussions between HMRC and its suppliers are confidential.

Pay

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials employed by his Department, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received. [205467]

Andrea Leadsom: To provide the information on numbers and amount of pay increase over the period would incur disproportionate costs.

Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many contracts (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies (i) have let and (ii) plan to let that are worth (A) between £1 million and £3 million and (B) over £3 million since 2010; how much his Department has spent on monitoring each such contract; and how many officials in his Department monitor each contract. [205376]

Andrea Leadsom: Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the tenders issued and contracts they award with a value over £10,000:

www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

In addition, Departments including HM Treasury routinely publish details of transactions over £25,000.

HM Treasury, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies currently have no plans to let contracts for over £1 million.

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Information relating to the expenditure and the number of officials involved in monitoring contracts is not held centrally.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department paid to (a) G4S, (b) Serco, (c) Sodexo, (d) GEOAmey, (e) Capita, (f) Atos, (g) Mitie, (h) Working Links, (i) A4E, (j) MTC Amey, (k) GEO Group and (l) Carillion in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14. [205683]

Andrea Leadsom: As part of the Government's transparency agenda, any spend over £25,000 is available on the Department's website at GOV.UK. Since January 2011, all contracts over £10,000 in value are published on Contracts Finder:

http://www.contractsfinder.co.uk/

Revenue and Customs

David Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the HM Revenue and Customs leases for Abbey House and Parkside Court in Telford are up for renewal; whether Matheson House in Telford is part of the HM Revenue and Customs estate; and, if so, when its lease is due for renewal. [205796]

Mr Gauke: Abbey House is occupied by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) under the provisions of the STEPS Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract, which runs until 2 April 2021. Parkside Court is occupied by HMRC under an inter-department agreement with the Land Registry, which has principal responsibility for this property; the occupancy agreement expires on 5 January 2017. Matheson House is on the HMRC estate, and the lease is not due for renewal until 2 April 2021.

David Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many external contractors and consultants were employed in each business area in HM Revenue and Customs at the latest date for which figures are available. [205798]

Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs staff numbers for Consultancy and external contractors are reported in the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14 in the Statistical Tables, Table 5: Staff Numbers (page 83).

HMRC annual report and accounts: 2013 to 2014 - Publications - GOV.UK

These data are not available by business area.

David Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total cost was of employing external contractors and consultants on HM Revenue and Customs-related work in 2013-14. [205799]

Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) costs for external contractors are published on the Cabinet Office website:

www.gov.uk

HMRC costs for consultancy are reported in the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts 2013-14 under Other Administration Costs: Other Expenditure (page 138) and Programme Costs: Other Programme Costs (page 140) and are audited by the National Audit Office.

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These costs include those for the VOA, which are consolidated with the costs for the core Department.

HMRC annual report and accounts: 2013 to 2014 - Publications - GOV.UK

Taxation: Domicile

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of tax revenue foregone as a result of people who are UK resident, but not domiciled for tax purposes, not paying tax on non-UK source income. [206109]

Mr Gauke: No such estimate has been made.

Taxation: Switzerland

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what extra revenue HM Revenue and Customs has received since entry into force of the UK-Swiss Confederation Taxation Co-operation Agreement; and what discussions the Government are having with other jurisdictions on similar agreements on tax avoidance. [205846]

Mr Gauke: The Exchequer has received over £1.1 billion it would not have received without the agreement. This includes Swiss yield that has been disclosed in the Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility since entering into the agreement.

Training

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many awaydays his Department has held for officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date; and what the cost was of each such event. [205300]

Andrea Leadsom: The Department does not hold a central record of awaydays for officials and the information cannot be provided within the disproportionate costs threshold. The cost of each event cannot be broken down.

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on what (a) media training and (b) social media training for (i) him and (ii) Ministers in his Department since May 2010. [205316]

Andrea Leadsom: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), on 19 October 2012, Official Report, column 546W. No Treasury Ministers have received formal media or social media training in the intervening period.

VAT

Nia Griffith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of whether there have been any benefits to the internal work of HM Revenue and Customs of the release of data about VAT registration to private credit ratings agencies. [206160]

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Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) published the research ‘Report on use of non-financial credit VAT registration data in trade credit scoring’ on 25 June 2014. This can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/sharing-and-publishing-data-for-public-benefit

The report demonstrated that a controlled release of non-financial VAT registration data would have significant benefits for business in securing additional trade credit. Provisions to enable this are now in the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill currently before Parliament.

The research report also identified that there may be benefits for HMRC in such data sharing although, without further work, it was not possible to quantify these. HMRC will consider how to follow up this work.

Home Department

Asylum: Detainees

Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the detention of each woman who has sought asylum have been in the last three years, as set out in form IS91R. [205090]

Karen Bradley: It is not possible to provide a list of the reasons that women who have sought asylum have been detained in the last three years. This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Published policy states that detention may normally be used in the following circumstances: initially, while identity or basis of claim are established; where there is reason to believe the person concerned will not comply with any conditions attached to the grant of temporary admission or temporary release; as part of a fast-track asylum process; or to effect removal from the UK.

These general detention criteria apply to both women and men.

All decisions to detain are taken on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all relevant available information.

Asylum: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what residential facilities are available in Northern Ireland for asylum applicants; and when those facilities were last inspected. [205142]

Karen Bradley: Accommodation is provided for single applicants in single self contained properties and in HMOs (houses of multiple occupation). Family accommodation is provided for families. Where a service user has specific needs that impact on the type of accommodation required (e.g. pregnant women), details will be made known to the providers at the time of dispersal to ensure that suitable properties are offered.

Accommodation for asylum seekers is provided under the COMPASS contract. COMPASS contract providers are required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation to comply with relevant mandatory and statutory requirements in relation to housing and this includes the Housing Act 2004. Properties are inspected at least once every month.

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Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities are available for unaccompanied children applying for asylum in Northern Ireland. [205144]

Karen Bradley: The accommodation of unaccompanied asylum seeking children in Northern Ireland is arranged and monitored by the local authority responsible for that child and social services maintain an ongoing responsibility for their welfare.

The Home Office will make social services aware of a child’s arrival at the earliest opportunity. From that point onwards, a variety of professionals will have involvement with the welfare of the child.

For consideration of their asylum application, children are interviewed by a specially trained decision maker. At the interview, the child will be accompanied by a Responsible Adult. A legal representative would normally be present for the interview and an interpreter if appropriate.

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum were received in Northern Ireland in each year since 2010. [205167]

Karen Bradley: It is not possible to provide data on the number of claims for asylum that have been received in Northern Ireland since 2010. This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

It is possible to provide an estimated figure for the number of asylum seekers that are recorded as being resident in Northern Ireland during the period specified. This information is provided in the table.

These figures relate to main asylum claimants who have made a claim for asylum between 1 January 2010 and 31 March 2014 and who have a latest postcode recorded as located in Northern Ireland.

The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Asylum: Religious Freedom

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to offer safe passage to the UK for those seeking refuge from institutionalised religious persecution across the world. [204617]

Karen Bradley: The UK has a proud tradition of providing protection to those who need it and fully considers all asylum applications lodged in the UK in accordance with our international obligations. However there is no obligation on us to consider applications or inquiries made on behalf of people abroad about asylum in the UK. The approach of both the UK and the

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European Union is that an individual should apply for protection from the authorities in the first available safe country, irrespective of whether or not it is a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, failing which the local office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should be able to assist.

Moreover, under international law, someone seeking asylum must first be outside the country of his nationality or habitual residence, since international protection cannot be provided while a person is within the territorial jurisdiction of his home country.

The UK will continue to fulfil its responsibilities to those who arrive within our borders and seek protection.

While there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be given permission to travel to the UK to seek asylum, the Government operate a Gateway Protection Programme, established several years ago with the aim of bringing genuine refugees direct to the UK. This Programme is run in partnership with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). It underpins the UK’s proud tradition of providing protection to refugees and the Government’s commitment to supporting UNHCR’s global effort to provide durable solutions to the plight of refugees.

Buildings

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on refurbishing (a) gymnasium and leisure facilities, (b) cafeteria and (c) interior decoration in (i) her Department and (ii) buildings owned by her Department in (A) 2013 and (B) 2014 to date. [205358]

Karen Bradley: The Department has not spent any money on gymnasium and leisure facilities in 2013 or 2014. In addition to essential repair and maintenance, £30,552 was spent on refurbishing cafeteria or restaurant facilities in 2013 and £30,984 in 2014 for several purposes including improvements to accessibility, making them safer to use and providing a better range of products or service. At 2 Marsham Street the cost of refurbishment of the cafes in 2012-13 was met by the PFI service provider under the terms of the Project Agreement. The total costs of interior decoration across the estate, whether carried out separately or as part of other works, is not held centrally.

Business: Cybercrime

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to deter and punish the perpetrators of cybercrime attacks on UK businesses. [205272]

Karen Bradley: Combating cybercrime is a core part of the National Cyber Security Strategy, which is underpinned by the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) and £860 million of investment over five years. The Government have so far committed £70 million of NCSP funding to build law enforcement capabilities to tackle cybercrime. This includes the establishment of the National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency (NCA), and cyber teams within each of the Regional Organised Crime Units across England and Wales. We are also developing the capability and awareness of local police forces. The NCA has led efforts to arrest

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and disrupt cyber criminals, including warning individuals who may have access to malicious software that they are known to the agency and that any movement into criminality will result in action. NCSP also funds Action Fraud, the national reporting service for fraud and financially motivated cyber crime, and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. Both of these are run by the City of London police, the country’s national lead force for fraud investigations. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, visited the City of London police earlier this month with the hon. Member for Hove (Mike Weatherley) in order to see the good work that the force is doing.

In addition, the Government have introduced a new offence as part of the Serious Crime Bill to capture cyber attacks which cause, or create a significant risk of, serious damage. This will ensure that serious cyber attacks carry sentences that reflect the impact they can have. Where cyber attacks result in loss of life or serious damage to national security, the maximum sentence will be life imprisonment. Where an attack results in serious economic or environmental damage, the maximum sentence will be 14 years’ imprisonment.

Furthermore, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has delivered a range of measures to help protect businesses against cybercrime, including producing best practice guidance, providing innovation vouchers to help businesses boost their cyber defences, and delivering a campaign of awareness-raising and behaviour change activities.

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to deter and punish the perpetrators of cybercrime attacking UK businesses from abroad. [205871]

Karen Bradley: Combating cybercrime is a core part of the National Cyber Security Strategy, which is underpinned by the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) and £860 million of investment over five years. The Government have so far committed £70 million of NCSP funding to build law enforcement capabilities to tackle cybercrime. This includes the establishment of the National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency (NCA), and cyber teams within each of the Regional Organised Crime Units across England and Wales.

Almost every cybercrime investigation has an international element and as a result the NCA has prioritised building partnerships with key international partners to better tackle this common cyber threat. To this end, and as a result of NCSP investment, the NCA has deployed a number of international liaison officers overseas. The NCA, EU and other international partners (US, New Zealand, Australia and Canada) have agreed common threats and goals which are informing the development of a model for proactive global joint cyber investigations. An example of this approach is the recent US-led investigation into a serious malware threat which saw the UK, under Project TOVAR, play a key role in the disruption of criminal infrastructure and prevention messaging to UK to businesses and the public. Project DISPUTED is an NCA-led investigation which targets the Shylock malware variant, a sophisticated system employed by criminals to steal online banking credentials,

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targeting the UK banking sector in particular. This is the first project of its kind for a UK law enforcement agency and involves the NCA bringing together partners from across law enforcement and the private sector, including the FBI, Europol and others.

Civil Disorder

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues to the police to ensure that riots are stopped as quickly as possible. [205905]

Mike Penning: The Home Office has not issued any such guidance. The management of public order is an operational matter for the police. Guidance on public order policing is contained in the police’s Authorised Professional Practice.

In July 2012, the Secretary of State for the Home Department issued the Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR).

This sets out the strategic threats that are of such gravity as to be of national importance or can only be countered effectively and efficiently through national policing capabilities. Public order is one of these threats. chief constables are required to have regard to the SPR when exercising their responsibilities. Police and crime commissioners are required to hold chief constables to account for the delivery of the SPR and should have regard to the SPR when producing their police and crime plans.

Deportation and Extradition

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to ensure that people deported or extradited from the UK and who pose a threat to national security are unable to return to the UK. [205002]

Karen Bradley: A person who has been deported faces a mandatory refusal of entry under Paragraph 320(2) of the Immigration Rules until or unless the deportation order is revoked by the Secretary of State. This is generally not considered until a minimum of 10 years have elapsed.

A person may be extradited from the UK to stand trial or to serve a sentence. This information is taken into account in decisions whether to grant or refuse re-entry to the UK. Where there is an overseas conviction entry will be considered in accordance with Paragraph 320(2) of the Immigration Rules, which provide for a mandatory refusal depending on the age and seriousness of the sentence imposed.

In addition, where an individual is a threat to national security, the Secretary of State may exercise her discretion to personally exclude that person from the United Kingdom.

HM Passport Office

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were employed by HM Passport Office on (a) 1 January, (b) 1 February, (c) 1 March, (d) 1 April, (e) 1 May and (f) 1 June 2014. [200371]

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James Brokenshire: The formal record for work force data is made on the last day of each calendar month.

Her Majesty’s Passport Office has employed the following number of full-time equivalents:

In order to ensure that the data are reported on a consistent basis, figures for April and May include 196 full-time equivalent (FTE) corporate services staff that transferred to the Home Office on 1 April 2014. This was part of a restructure of the Home Office corporate services function.

Figures are for permanent civil servants employed by Her Majesty’s Passport Office, including part year appointments and permanent members of staff employed on contracts for nine months of the year. This excludes staff on secondment or loan, and agency and temporary staff—with these staff included, the March 2014 figure is 3,444.

Please note, Her Majesty’s Passport Office records migrated to the Department’s strategic record system during this period and are subject to enhanced validation checks. Several months in this time series have a variance of +/- 2 FTE.

Hughes Chang

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken fully to comply with the High Court judgment in the Hughes Chang case. [205268]

Mike Penning: The Home Office has taken steps to ensure that it complies fully with the Hughes Chang court judgment. Mandatory changes have been made to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 Codes of Practice C and H, which came into effect in October 2013, which require the police to provide 17-year-olds with an appropriate adult and to inform their parents of their detention.

Human Trafficking: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training her Department provides to immigration officials in Northern Ireland to identify victims of human trafficking. [205143]

Karen Bradley: All frontline immigration officials must undertake a mandatory two stage e-learning training package on identifying victims of trafficking. They must also undertake training on safeguarding children.

The Home Office continuously reviews the training provided to front line officers to ensure that it remains relevant and up to date.

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Immigrants: Children

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many litigation cases around age assessments of unaccompanied migrant children there were in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and what the cost of such cases was to (i) local authorities and (ii) her Department. [204183]

Karen Bradley: A complete set of data for all litigation cases concerning age assessments of unaccompanied migrant children is not held centrally and the information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Immigration Controls

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many e-gates are now in operation at (a) UK ports and (b) Manchester Airport; what proportion of such passengers are using e-gates; and what the rejection rates is of travellers using e-gates (i) in the UK and (ii) at Manchester airport. [204088]

Karen Bradley: Currently there are (a) 94 e-passport gates in use at UK ports, and (b) five e-passport gates in use at two of Manchester airport's terminals (10 in total).

It is not currently possible to provide the data relating to the questions of travellers using e-passport gates and the number of rejections. Accurate figures could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on immigration security at UK airports in 2013. [204497]

Karen Bradley: As our officers are multifunctional and work across both immigration and customs functions at all ports (air sea and rail), to meet demand for our services, the information requested is not available.

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if she will take steps to ensure that staff of her Department alleviate distress suffered by families who are subject to questioning at border control because the children have different surnames to their parents; [204701]

(2) if she will make an assessment of the potential effect on operations at border control of trends in the number of women having different surnames to their children. [205014]

Karen Bradley: Border Force has a duty under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. All Border Force officers undergo mandatory training and have guidance to enable them to fulfil this important duty in an appropriate manner. Checks are conducted on passengers arriving in the UK in accordance with the Border Force Operating Mandate.

Where a child is encountered at the border, and it is not immediately apparent that the accompanying adult is their parent or guardian, Border Force officers will ask questions to satisfy themselves as to the child’s

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welfare and to discharge their statutory duty. This will be done as quickly and as sensitively as possible to avoid unnecessary delay and distress to the passenger and their accompanying family.

Immigration: Ukraine

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will review the availability of language test centres in Ukraine in response to the current security situation in parts of that country. [204792]

James Brokenshire: Cambridge English is operating nine language test centres across Ukraine. The Home Office is working with Cambridge English to monitor access to these test centres.

India

Mrs Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she discussed the extradition proceedings of Raymond Varley on her recent trip to India; and if she will continue to monitor the case. [205190]

Karen Bradley: The Secretary of State has not made any recent trips to India. Raymond Varley’s discharge was ordered by the District Judge sitting at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The Crown Prosecution Service, which represents the Government of India in the court proceedings, is appealing against that decision. The appeal is due to be heard on 10 October 2014. UK Ministers have no involvement in the court proceedings and it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.

Marriage Certificates

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow the mothers of brides and grooms to be named on marriage certificates. [201690]

Karen Bradley: We are currently considering how the information contained in the marriage entry can be updated to reflect changes since the coming into force of the Registration of Marriages Regulations 1986, as well as the most suitable opportunity for doing so.

Marriage of Convenience

Dr Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to implement the recommendations of the Independent Chief Inspector's report on the Rights of European Citizens and their Spouses to Come to the UK, published on 19 June 2014, on sham marriages among non-EEA nationals in order to gain UK residency. [203047]

Karen Bradley: The Chief Inspector’s report contained 10 recommendations; six were accepted, two were accepted in part and the remaining two were not accepted. A detailed response from the Home Office was also published on 19 June 2014 on the Chief Inspector’s website and on:

www.gov.uk

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We have already implemented or started implementation of the eight recommendations accepted or accepted in part.

National Crime Agency

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the performance of the National Crime Agency; and what discussions officials in her Department have had with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on extending the scope of that agency to operate in Northern Ireland. [205016]

Karen Bradley: The creation of the National Crime Agency (NCA) has changed and improved the way we tackle serious and organised crime in this country. The NCA is taking a stronger, more effective leadership role across our law enforcement community, and tackling threats and individuals which some in the past thought were too difficult or untouchable. This closer co-ordination is already delivering results, and you may be aware of a recent NCA investigation, in partnership with Surrey police and Bahraini authorities that resulted in four men being sentenced to a total of 20 years imprisonment for a range of sexual offences against children. This is just one example of how the NCA is working with partners in the UK, and internationally, to take the fight to organised criminals.

The Northern Ireland Justice Minister is leading in the efforts to extend the powers of the National Crime Agency in Northern Ireland within an appropriate framework. As he said in answer to an Assembly question on 9 July, David Ford hopes to bring a revised proposed model for the operation of the NCA in Northern Ireland to all relevant parties as soon as practicable to seek to move matters forward. My officials have, naturally, had extensive discussions with the Department of Justice and will continue to do so.

While these discussions are ongoing, the National Crime Agency remains committed to assisting the Police Service of Northern Ireland in tackling serious and organised crime as far as the restrictions on its powers permit.

Pay

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials employed by her Department, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received. [205459]

Karen Bradley: It has not been possible to answer this question because of the disproportionate cost involved in checking through over approximately 15,000 individual staff records.

Police Custody: Young People

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many 17 year olds were held in police custody in each of the last five years. [205269]

Mike Penning: This information is not held centrally.

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Police: Accident and Emergency Departments

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the amount of police time spent in accident and emergency departments accompanying people with mental illness. [206093]

Mike Penning: Data on the amount of police time spent in accident and emergency departments accompanying people with mental illness are not collected by the Home Department.

Various studies have attempted to quantify the amount of police time spent dealing with mental health issues, which may include officers’ attendance in accident and emergency departments. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service estimated (for the Independent Commission on Mental Health and Policing, published in May 2013) that mental health issues accounted for at least 20% of police time.

The Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat, published by the Government in February 2014, makes clear the standard of response that people experiencing a mental health crisis should expect. The Concordat includes an action for the Home Office, with policing partners and Public Health England, to develop a toolkit to enable the police to quantify the demand for responses to people in mental health crisis, including whether they were taken to Accident and Emergency Departments. The toolkit will be tested later this summer by three police forces.

Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts (a) her Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies (i) have let and (ii) plan to let that are worth (A) between £1 million and £3 million and (B) over £3 million since 2010; how much her Department has spent on monitoring each such contract; and how many officials in her Department monitor each contract. [205372]

Karen Bradley: The Home Department publishes and has published since 2010 details of all contracts awarded over £10,000 on the Contracts Finder website at:

https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Based on current contract expiration dates, information on contracts plan to be let for the Home Department, agencies and arms length bodies (ALBs) in the next 12 months is set out in the table below:

Data on how much is spent and the number of staff engaged in contract monitoring are not held centrally, as contract monitoring is undertaken by individual directorates within the Home Department, for which the contracts fall within.

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Radicalism

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to monitor UK citizens suspected to be travelling, or are found to have travelled, to the Middle East to fight for ISIS and similar radical groups to ensure that upon their return they will not pose an internal threat through their own actions or the radicalisation of others. [204619]

Karen Bradley: The Government take extremely seriously the threat posed by those who travel from the UK to join terrorist movements abroad and who might return with enhanced capabilities which they may intend to use against the UK or the intention of radicalising others.

The investigation and monitoring of individuals who pose a threat to our national security is an operational matter for the police and Security Service. Prosecution is always the preferred option for tackling terrorists. But where this is not possible a range of other disruptions may be used.

These include disrupting travel by cancelling British passports on public interest grounds, dual nationals’ deprivation of British citizenship and exclusion from the UK to prevent their return, and interviews at the border as part of Counter Terrorist investigations.

We have also proscribed a number of terrorist groups active in the Syrian conflict, including ISIS. Membership or support for a proscribed organisation is a criminal offence.

Those who return from Syria are individually assessed and where further investigation is not warranted we can provide tailored counter-radicalisation interventions to support the returnee and dissuade them from travelling again or radicalising others.

Slavery: Fisheries

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to tackle the use of slaves on (a) commercial vessels fishing within the UK Exclusive Economic Zone and (b) EU vessels fishing commercially on the high seas. [205944]

Karen Bradley: The National Crime Agency has identified a gap in existing legislation which means law enforcement agencies are not always able to act where it is suspected that modern slavery offences are being committed at sea. If law enforcement officers have to wait for vessels to return to UK territorial waters or to a UK port before they can take action to tackle suspected modern slavery, this can expose victims to extended periods of abuse and risk to life. This is an unacceptable situation which this Government are determined to put right.

Clause 13 of the Modern Slavery Bill would empower law enforcement officers to exercise specified powers when investigating modern slavery offences being committed at sea. For UK vessels, these powers will be available anywhere at sea, and for stateless and EU vessels, they will be available within the UK’s territorial waters.

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Stationery

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the annual cost to her Department of (a) stationery and (b) postage incurred when sending a ministerial reply to hon. Members; and if she will make a statement. [206149]

Karen Bradley: Spend on stationery for sending a ministerial reply to hon. Members is not separated from other stationery and therefore is not calculable.

Spend on postage for sending a ministerial reply to hon. Members is not separated from spend of all Home Office postage and is also not calculable.

UK Visas and Immigration

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Ilford South will receive a reply from the Director General, UK Visas and Immigration to the urgent representations he made on behalf of his constituents Mr and Mrs Mehta on 16 June 2014; and if she will make a statement. [204976]

Karen Bradley: A Home Office official responded to the hon. Member on 10 July 2014.

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she has issued to UK Visas and Immigration Directorate on responding to hon. Members' representations on visit visa cases. [204977]

Karen Bradley: Guidance is available to all staff involved in responding to correspondence from hon. Members. This guidance explains when it is appropriate for staff to contact the business unit dealing with the case.

Additionally, the Home Office have issued an Information Fact Sheet—‘Family Visit Visa Information Fact Sheet for Members of Parliament acting on behalf of their constituents’ to hon. Members. The Information Fact Sheet is available on the Home Office MP website.

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons hon. Members' recent representations to the Director General, UK Visas and Immigration were not referred to the post for a review; and if she will make a statement. [204978]

Karen Bradley: Officials within UK Visas and Immigration review all representations to the Director General and where appropriate they will liaise with the overseas post to request a review of the decision. The case that the hon. Member recently raised has been referred to post for review.

Video Games: Cybercrime

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department provides to the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to encourage them to treat cyber crime involving theft of online items in video games with a monetary value as seriously as they would real-world crimes of a similar nature. [205870]

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Karen Bradley: The Government have made clear that what is illegal offline is illegal online. The specific allocation of resources to different crime types is a matter for the chief constables of local police forces, in conjunction with their police and crime commissioner. In addition, the Government are investing £860 million through the National Cyber Security Programme in improving the UK’s cyber security. £70 million of this has already been allocated to improving law enforcement capabilities to respond to cyber crime, with investment at all levels of policing.

Written Questions

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's policy is on responding to parliamentary questions where the subject file or letter is within the scope of the Official Secrets Act 1989. [205434]

Karen Bradley: I refer the hon. Member to the publicly available guidance on answering parliamentary questions available at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/drafting-answers-to-parliamentary-questions-guidance

The guidance makes clear that Ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public and only withhold information where its disclosure would not be in the public interest. Such public interest would be determined with the relevant legislation in mind (Freedom of Information, Data Protection, and the Official Secrets Act etc).

Young Offenders

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 65W, on young offenders, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to redefine juveniles to include those older than 16. [205267]

Mike Penning: The Home Office is working with policing and criminal justice partners to review those remaining circumstances where current legislation treats 17-year-olds as adults while in police custody.

Transport

Alcoholic Drinks

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's policy is on alcohol consumption on the premises (a) in general and (b) during parties in his Private Office. [205331]

Claire Perry: The Department’s general alcohol policy is contained in its Staff Handbook and applies to the consumption of alcohol during parties in the Secretary of State’s Private Office. The general policy is set down as follows:

‘1.6 Alcohol is prohibited in some of the Department's premises (see local instructions) and where there is no formal ban, line managers are expected to ensure that office parties do not cause disruption to the work of the office. All staff are expected to be scrupulous in observing the law on drinking and driving.’

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Local instructions are set down as follows:

Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) policy prohibits the consumption of alcohol on its premises during working hours and consequently, staff hold their parties in their own time and off site. In addition, employees are expected to be in a fit and safe condition to undertake their duties and not be under the influence of alcohol during the working day. When representing the Agency at an external function employees must adopt a responsible attitude towards their drinking. Drinking is also prohibited when driving on official business.

Highways Agency (HA) policy also prohibits consumption of alcohol during work time, including all breaks. This means that attendance at work under the influence and/or the consumption of alcohol is forbidden and this is due to the safety critical working environment of some of their employees.

Aviation: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Regional Air Connectivity Fund has been used to support air links to and from Northern Ireland since that fund was created. [205794]

Mr Goodwill: The Regional Air Connectivity Fund has not currently been used to support air links to and from Northern Ireland. The fund can be used to maintain existing domestic air connectivity to London where there is a risk that an existing link may be lost, and to provide financial support to develop new routes from airports of less than five million passengers per year.

Northern Ireland is well connected by air to London with over 18,000 flights per year between the two Belfast airports and the five main London airports, carrying over 2 million passengers. The first use of this fund was

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announced earlier this summer to protect the air route between Dundee and London through a Public Service Obligation.

With regards to providing start-up aid for new routes, the Department for Transport is working with the Treasury to develop guidance that will clarify how the Government will expect to interpret the European Union state aid guidelines on start-up aid for new air routes. The Department for Transport expects to publish this guidance in the autumn.

Blue Badge Scheme

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether guidance issued to local authorities on the Blue Badge scheme is mandatory; and if he will make a statement. [205809]

Mr Goodwill: The Blue Badge Scheme Local Authority Guidance (England) is not mandatory as it is non-statutory guidance. It is guidance for local authorities on best practice in administering the Blue Badge scheme.

Buildings

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 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. [205361]

Claire Perry: The requested information is provided in the following table:

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much of the estimated income included in the business case for phase 1 of High Speed 2 comes from Birmingham to London commuters. [205819]

Mr Goodwill: The Economic Case for HS2 published in October 2013—which can be found at:

http://assets.hs2.org.uk/sites/default/files/inserts/S%26A%201_Economic%20case_0.pdf—

estimates that in 2036 and thereafter, 3.6% of the revenue generated by Phase 1 of HS2 originates from commuters travelling between the West Midlands and London.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the net economic effect of High Speed 2 for the North-West. [206042]

Mr Goodwill: Investment in HS2 will deliver widespread connectivity improvements, grow markets and increase opportunities to trade.

The Economic Case for HS2 published in October 2013 estimates that 17% of the transport user benefits of the HS2 Y-Network are generated from trips originating in the North West. This equates to benefits of approximately £342 million (PV, 2011 prices) in 2036. Further analysis by KPMG suggests the wider economic effects could be far greater.

Land

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much land his Department has released for the purpose of building new homes since May 2010. [205483]

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Claire Perry: As of the end of March 2014 the Public Sector Land Programme had disposed of land capable of delivering over 76,000 homes in England.

The Department for Transport has contributed land capable of delivering 3,752 homes to the programme; we are continuing to rationalise our estate, delivering cost savings and better value for money for the taxpayer.

In the final year of this programme work is continuing to dispose of land capable of delivering much needed homes and are on course to meet the Government's ambition to dispose of land capable of delivering 100,000 homes by April 2015.

Mass Media: Subscriptions

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what subscriptions to (a) magazines and (b) television channels his Department funds. [205347]

Claire Perry: The spend analysis system in the Department does not have a specific category for magazine subscriptions.

In addition to paying the licence fee, the Department subscribes to a House of Commons television service provided by Chubb Information Systems.

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Pay

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials employed by his Department, of each grade, have remained at that grade since 2010 but received a pay rise; and how much of a rise each such person at each such grade has received. [205466]

Claire Perry: 11,449 officials employed by the Department remained at the same grade and received a pay rise since 2010. The average pay rise over the period for these staff was 6.6%.

Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies (i) have let and (ii) plan to let that are worth (A) between £1 million and £3 million and (B) over £3 million since 2010; how much his Department has spent on monitoring each such contract; and how many officials in his Department monitor each contract. [205375]

Claire Perry: Table 1 below provides a summary of the contracts let with values between £1 million and £3 million and greater than £3 million from 2010 and its agencies. It also provides details of contracts that the Department anticipates letting by the end of the current financial year.

The Department does not hold centrally data on the spend and personnel numbers associated with monitoring contracts and this could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Railways: East Midlands

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of options for increasing service frequencies on the Nottingham-Lincoln line; and what the revenue subsidy and capital cost of implications are of each such option. [205825]

Claire Perry: As stated in the Greater Lincolnshire Deal, which was part of the Local Growth Fund announcement on 7 July, the Department is committed to working with D2N2 and the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership and partners to help achieve their objective of increased service frequency between Lincoln and Nottingham via Newark.

However, this is dependent on the affordability and value for money of the services. In addition, it is dependent on the level of local funding available to support these incremental rail services for the first three years, after which the Department would consider continuing with

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the services as part of its base specification. We are currently assessing the available options against the criteria above, taking account of likely revenue and cost implications alongside the latest funding offer from the stakeholders.

Railways: South East

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will reopen closed railway lines to improve (a) rail capacity between London and the south coast and (b) rail connectivity between towns in Sussex; and if he will make a statement. [205282]

Claire Perry: Following work recently undertaken by Network Rail, the emerging strategy for rail capacity on the Sussex route to 2024 envisages focusing investment on existing infrastructure, rather than reopening closed lines. Further detail can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/brighton-main-line-emerging-capacity-strategy-for-control-period-6

This strategy will be further refined following the publication of the Sussex Route Study in 2015.

Railways: Standards

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train operating companies (TOCs) missed their annual punctuality targets in each year of Control Period 4, 2009-14; and whether the Office of Rail Regulation can impose fines on TOCs for missing punctuality targets for timetabled train services. [206345]

Claire Perry: The regulatory targets for punctuality set by the Office of Rail Regulation for Control Period 4 applied to Network Rail, but not to the individual TOCs. ORR holds Network Rail accountable for its delivery to TOCs by enforcing targets agreed between Network Rail and TOCs.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on which occasions train operating companies have been fined by (a) his Department and (b) the Office of Rail Regulation for (i) missing punctuality targets or (ii) late running passenger services; and what the amount of the fine was in each such case. [206346]

Claire Perry: Only four TOCs (Arriva Trains Wales, Chiltern, First TransPennine Express and Virgin Trains) have financial incentives for performance, based on formulaic contractual payments from the Department for Transport (DFT) to the Train Operating Company (TOC) for performance above a set level benchmark, and from the TOC to the DFT for performance below it. The amounts paid are commercially confidential.

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) agrees track access contracts between Network Rail and train operators. These track access contracts provide for Network Rail to pay compensation to an operator in the event that train services cannot operate or are delayed due to late running engineering works or unplanned disruption outside that operator’s control.

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ORR publishes the annual totals of these payments (referred to as Schedule 8 payments) at route level on its data portal. The data come from Network Rail’s regulatory financial statements.

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/345da3b9-b9ac-449a-aace-8298c5b39e2b

The ORR regulates Network Rail with regard to industry performance; it does not regulate train operators in this area.

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of the existing franchise agreements between his Department and train operating companies contain punctuality targets for timetabled passenger services; what the target is in each case; and what the penalties are for missing such a target. [206347]

Claire Perry: Six existing franchise agreements contain punctuality targets for timetabled passenger services.

The targets are in the franchise agreements, which are published online by the Department for Transport at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/public-register-of-rail-passenger-franchise-agreements

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria are used to establish whether delays over five minutes to a scheduled commuter train service in (a) London and (b) the South East were caused by (i) Network Rail, (ii) the train operating company or (iii) other factors; and what changes have been made to those criteria since January 2008. [206348]

Claire Perry: The criteria for establishing delay causes are to be found in the Delay Attribution Guide, issued by the Delay Attribution Board—a joint industry body remitted to provide guidance to the industry on delay attribution issues.

The current guide was issued in April 2014. Copies of all the guides since 2007 can be seen at:

http://www.delayattributionboard.co.uk/delayattributionguides.htm

Railways: Wi-Fi

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a breakdown of the £90 million cost of train wifi by (a) funding source and (b) proposed spend by train operator. [205862]

Claire Perry: The Network Rail penalty to be reinvested into improving mobile communications on trains is £53 million. The Department for Transport will work with the railway industry to establish a fund that will prioritise improved mobile communications on metropolitan and commuter train services into major cities across the country.

South West Trains

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the punctuality score of South West Trains was in each month between 1 January 2009 and 2014 to date; and what the (a) national average and (b) national punctuality target was in each such month. [206349]

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Claire Perry: The Public Performance Measure is a measurement of operator punctuality against the planned services for the day. This information is published on the Government website. The rail industry works to a four-week period (13 such periods a year) not monthly; year start is 1 April.

The information regarding South West Train’s performance by four-week period is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proportion-of-trains-running-on-time

The Public Performance Measure Moving Annual Average by period from January 2009 is as follows:

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The moving national average for performance for this year can be seen on Network Rail’s website at:

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/about/performance/?cd=1

There was no monthly national punctuality target in Control Period 4 (2009-14); the Office of Rail Regulation set annual targets by sector (Scotland, Long-Distance, Regional and, London and South East). These targets are available at:

http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/2180/383.pdf

Training

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many awaydays his Department has held for officials in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date; and what the cost was of each such event. [205299]

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport comprises the Central Department and five Agencies, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Highways Agency (HA), Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA).

The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) ceased to be an Executive agency on the 1 October 2012 when its functions were transferred to the central Department.

We are unable to provide information on the number of awaydays held over this period and their cost because this is not readily available and to collect this would incur disproportional costs.

The Department is committed to investing in development to ensure that it’s people have the right skills at the right time to deliver our challenging agenda.

Where possible, the Department uses its existing in-house training resources rather than external trainers. In addition, training events, awaydays etc are not held in chargeable venues unless there is no alternative and there is a clear and quantifiable work related outcome.

Consideration is also given as to whether the intended aims of development can be met by means other than a formal course, such as workplace learning or e-learning – the latter of which is freely available via Civil Service Learning. All training is delivered in accordance with Cabinet Office Learning and Development controls.

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Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on what (a) media training and (b) social media training for (i) him and (ii) Ministers in his Department since May 2010. [205315]

Claire Perry: The Department spent £1,907.40 on media training for my hon. Friends, the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr Goodwill) and the Minister of State, Baroness Kramer, in October 2013.

No social media training has been provided for Ministers in this period.