Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost of claims pursuant to his Department's Feed-in Tariffs consultation launched in October 2011; and if he will make a statement. [205700]

Amber Rudd: Following the changes made in 2011, the solar PV industry has enjoyed huge success in the UK. The industry is now worth £2.2 billion a year. This owes much to carefully-controlled Government support, and at the same time tariff changes which protected consumers from a £50-a-year bill rise by 2020.

In good faith, we proposed what we believed to be lawful changes to subsidies, in the interests principally of protecting consumers from rising bills at a time when windfall profits meant that the solar PV industry was booming, and we do not have the information necessary to estimate the value of the claims.

There are elements of the judgment which we will be seeking permission to appeal.

Renewables Obligation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the total amount of Levy Control Framework budget spent on the Renewables Obligation in 2013-14; and what his forecast is for Renewables Obligation spend in 2014-15. [205847]

Matthew Hancock: Total expenditure on the renewables obligation (RO) in 2013-14 is estimated to be approximately £2.6 billion. This is calculated by multiplying the provisional obligation for the year, 61.5 million ROCs, by the buy-out price for that year, £42.02. The final obligation, and therefore overall spend, will not be confirmed until October 2014.

Forecast expenditure on the RO in 2014-15 is approximately £3.1 billion. This is based on the provisional obligation for the year, 72.3 million ROCs, multiplied by this year's buy-out price, £43.30.

Solar Power

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the total amount of large-scale solar PV to be deployed in 2015-16. [205510]

22 July 2014 : Column 1130W

Mr Davey: Under the proposal, it was estimated that the move to CEPs and closure of the Renewables Obligation (RO) to solar >5 MW from 1 April 2015 would lead to 2.0-4.0 GW of large-scale solar deployed under the RO by the end of 2015-16 (2.9 GW in the central scenario).

In addition, estimates of potential deployment under Contracts for Difference (CfDs) will depend on the outcome of CfD auctions.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis is for the statement in his Department’s Consultation on changes to financial support for solar PV that large-scale solar PV poses a substantial risk to managing the Levy Control Framework budget. [205704]

Mr Davey: The evidence is set out in the consultation impact assessment and draws on various sources, including: data from Ofgem on the amount of solar PV capacity already accredited under the RO or which has applied for accreditation; the Renewable Energy Planning Database, which contains substantial information on the solar PV development pipeline; and various industry sources suggesting that there is significant potential for further expansion in the sector before the scheduled closure of the RO in April 2017. The consultation is helping to refine the evidence and we will update our estimates of potential deployment and budget impacts in the final impact assessment.

A copy of the consultation document and consultation impact assessment are available on DECC’s web page:

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

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to deliver the Government's aim of 20 GWp of solar PV by 2020. [205720]

Amber Rudd: The Government set out the measures they intend to take to promote deployment of solar PV in the UK Solar PV Strategy published in April:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/302049/uk_solar_pv_strategy_part_2.pdf

The Final EMR Delivery Plan indicated that about 11-12 GWp of solar PV could be deployed in UK by the end of the decade. Scope for more ambitious deployment, perhaps approaching 20 GWp early in the next decade, will be predicated on a number of factors being fulfilled, notably the sector moving towards grid parity over the next few years.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from Ofgem and other regulatory bodies on the decision to consult on a large-scale solar PV Renewables Obligation closure grace period deadline of 13 May 2014; and if he will make a statement. [206116]

Amber Rudd: DECC works closely with Ofgem and other regulatory bodies on all matters relating to, or affecting, the Renewables Obligation (RO).

22 July 2014 : Column 1131W

Training

Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 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. [205308]

Amber Rudd: The cost for ministerial media training since May 2010 is as follows:

Secretary of State Edward Davey—£2,160

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Baroness Verma—£1,800

No other media training or social media training for Ministers has been paid for by the Department in this time.

Education

Adoption and Foster Care

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps she has taken to improve the support provided to adopters and foster parents; and if she will make a statement. [206612]

Mr Timpson: The Government are committed to improving support for adoptive families and foster carers. To improve adoption support, the Department for Education has committed £19.3 million to establish an Adoption Support Fund to make therapeutic support more accessible. This is currently being tested in 10 local authorities. We are piloting personal budgets for adoption support in these local authorities to give parents more choice and control over the support they receive. We have commissioned the British Association of Adoption and Fostering to develop a new tool for assessing families’ support needs. We are supporting local authorities to pilot AdOpt, a therapeutic parenting programme for adopters.

We have extended the pupil premium, priority school admissions and funded early education for two-year-olds to children adopted from care. In addition, we have published the adoption passport, setting out information about entitlements to support, including adopters’ rights to improved adoption pay and leave from 2015.

We are continuing to fund the Independent Review Mechanism (IRM). The IRM provides access to an independent body where services have decided not to approve an adopter or foster carer; are proposing changes to or have terminated a foster carer’s approval.

To improve support for foster carers, the Department has taken the decision to continue to fund Fosterline, which provides confidential, free advice to foster carers. We are funding the development of a new programme for foster carers of babies and very young children and an adaptation of Multisystemic Therapy, an existing evidence-based intervention, which will focus on supporting children to return home or find stability in long-term care.

We continue to support the roll-out of evidence-based interventions such as KEEP (Keeping Foster and Kinship Carers Safe and Supported) and MTFC (Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care) to help foster carers gain the confidence and skills to care for those with complex needs.

The Department has recently become the Government’s first foster-family-friendly employer, giving staff that foster extra support to balance their work and care

22 July 2014 : Column 1132W

responsibilities. Other Government Departments and some local authorities are now actively considering implementing similar policies.

We have developed training materials for professionals working in fostering and adoption and delivered regional train-the-trainer events to launch them. Some fostering services plan to offer this training to their foster carers too.

Carers: Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will take steps to improve the support available to young carers; and what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on improving such support. [206399]

Mr Timpson: Improving support for carers of all ages is a priority for this Government. The Department for Education has provided over £2.7 million of funding to The Children’s Society and Carers Trust over four years between 2011 and 2015 to work with local authorities and voluntary and community organisations. This has helped to promote ‘whole family’ approaches to supporting young carers and identify and share existing good practice.

We have also made significant changes to the law relating to young carers that will take effect from April 2015. Section 96 of the Children and Families Act 2014 delivers four things: it consolidates and simplifies the legislation relating to young carers’ assessments, making rights and duties clearer to both young people and practitioners; it extends the right to an assessment of needs for support to all young carers under the age of 18 regardless of who they care for, what type of care they provide or how often they provide it; it makes it clear to local authorities that they must carry out an assessment of a young carer’s needs for support on request or when the need becomes apparent; and it provides the appropriate links between children’s and adults’ legislation to enable local authorities to align the assessment of a young carer with an assessment of the person they care for.

These changes will work with provisions in the Care Act 2014 that also support the combining of children’s and adults’ assessments, and the draft guidance on a whole family approach to assessing and supporting adults. Together they will provide a clear legislative framework that will support local authorities to consider the needs of the whole family, deliver coordinated packages of support and protect children and young people from excessive or inappropriate caring roles.

The legislative changes outlined above only affect young carers in England. The Department for Education has not discussed them with the Northern Ireland Executive.

Children: Disability

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to provide more effective support to children with disabilities in their formative years. [206555]

Mr Timpson: In September 2012 we introduced a new early years progress check for children at the age of two, as part of the reformed Early Years Foundation Stage.

22 July 2014 : Column 1133W

This will help to pick up potential difficulties early and ensure that support plans are in place for tackling them.

We are working with the Department of Health to co-ordinate the new check at age two with the Healthy Child programme's health and development review at age two to two-and-a-half. The aim is to create a fully integrated early years and health review from 2015.

This will be supported by the reforms set out in the Children and Families Act 2014 and the new 0-25 Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice. These are part of wider educational reform in England to ensure that all children and young people have access to high quality teaching and equal opportunities, regardless of background or circumstance. The SEND reforms aim to join up support across education, health and care from birth to 25. Help is to be offered at the earliest possible point, with children and young people with SEND and their parents fully involved in decisions about their support and what they want to achieve.

The reforms will create a more streamlined and transparent system that gives children with SEND and their families individualised support from birth until adulthood. There will be much more of a focus on outcomes, not hours. Professionals will need to focus on the progress each child or young person makes as a result of interventions, not just how much time, resource or money is being put in to support them.

All maintained nurseries, schools and colleges must work with their local authority to develop a ‘local offer’. This will outline all the support available across health, education and care, to children and young people with SEND and what to do if things go wrong or parents and young people are unhappy about the support they are getting.

The new system will be introduced from 1 September 2014 with the transition from the old to the new system to be complete within three years.

Citizenship: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to ensure that schools promote British values. [205909]

Mr Gibb: Academies, free schools and independent schools are already required to encourage pupils to respect fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

On 23 June, we launched a consultation on proposed revised standards, which will strengthen this position by requiring these schools actively to promote these values. We expect to have the new standards in place for the start of the next academic year.

We also plan to issue guidance to maintained schools on promoting fundamental British values, and to ask Ofsted to reinforce those expectations through changes to the inspection framework for maintained schools, academies and free schools.

Correspondence

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether she has any plans to increase the number of replies within her Department's working day standard; and if she will make a statement. [206486]

22 July 2014 : Column 1134W

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education has set itself the target of Ministers replying to 95% of correspondence within 15 working days. In 2013, Education Ministers responded to nearly 17,000 letters, with 66% of replies sent within 15 working days. Although this was an improvement on 2012, when 55% of letters were sent within deadline, we are still some way from responding to all our correspondence as quickly as we would wish. A programme of work is underway to improve performance in all Department of State functions, including correspondence.

Education: Assessments

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on the basis of what research findings the Government developed their proposals to decrease the role of coursework in GCSE and A-level curriculums. [206380]

Mr Gibb: This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation and I have asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the hon. Gentleman. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

English Baccalaureate

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to encourage the uptake of EBacc subjects for GCSE; and if she will make a statement. [206611]

Mr Gibb: The publication of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measure as part of the Department for Education performance tables since 2010 has encouraged schools to enter growing numbers of pupils for GCSEs in these core academic subjects. The proportion of pupils entering a combination of subjects amounting to the EBacc has increased from 22% in 2010 to 35% in 2013. In the same period the proportion of pupils achieving the EBacc has risen from 15% to 23%.

Female Genital Mutilation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent steps her Department has taken to tackle female genital mutilation; and if she will make a statement. [206613]

Mr Timpson: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 15 July 2014, Official Report, column 636W.

On 22 July 2014, the Government will be making a series of announcements related to tackling female genital mutilation at the Girl Summit, which will be co-hosted by the Prime Minister and UNICEF.

Free Schools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance her Department has issued to ensure staff at free schools receive appropriate levels of background check. [205878]

22 July 2014 : Column 1135W

Mr Gibb: Free schools, like all other state-funded schools, are required by law to carry out a range of checks on staff, including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.

The Department for Education issues ‘pre-opening guidance’ to free school proposers to help them establish their schools. It includes guidance on their responsibilities for checking the suitability of staff. The guidance is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/mainstream-free-school-pre-opening-guide

GCE A-level

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the Government's proposed reforms to A-levels will entail that students will have to decide which subjects they wish to continue to A-levels at the beginning of year 12 rather than later in that year. [206378]

Mr Gibb: As the first new A-levels become linear from 2015, the AS will be entirely decoupled from the A-level, so that the marks do not count towards the final A-level grade. Students will still be able to take stand-alone AS qualifications at the end of year 12. This flexibility will help those who are unsure at the start of year 12 which subjects they wish to continue to A-level. We expect teachers to help students decide whether it is right to take an AS qualification.

The decoupling of the AS aims to end the routine and automatic external assessment of all students at the end of year 12. We believe this places unnecessary burdens on students and teachers. Those students who have made clear subject choices in year 12 will be able to use AS qualifications to add breadth to their A-level studies, but will not be required to take them in all subjects.

Schools should, as now, use their own assessments to enable students to understand how they are progressing and support them to decide what qualifications to take.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the Government's proposed reforms to A-levels, if she will bring forward safeguards to prevent students making uninformed decisions about their subject choices and being limited as to the degree they can apply for at university as a result of having to make subject decisions at the beginning of year 12. [206379]

Mr Gibb: Schools have a duty to secure independent careers guidance for students in years 8 to 13¹. This should include supporting students to make informed choices about the subjects and qualifications that will support progression to university.

New A-levels will become linear from 2015. Students will still be able to take stand-alone AS qualifications at the end of year 12. This flexibility will help those who are unsure at the start of year 12 which subjects they wish to continue to A-level. We expect teachers to help students decide whether it is right to take an AS qualification.

Universities set their own admission requirements and are best placed to advise students on the A-level subjects needed for particular degree courses. The Russell

22 July 2014 : Column 1136W

Group has published a guide to post-16 subject choices called ‘Informed Choices’

. This includes advice on the best subject combinations for a wide range of university courses. The guide also identifies the A-level ‘facilitating subjects’ that are required more often than others, and which can help students to keep more options open.

The Department for Education recently announced that this year’s key stage 5 performance tables would include a measure showing the percentage of A-level students attaining AAB or higher in two or more ‘facilitating subjects’, as a standard of academic rigour³.

¹ www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-for-young-people-in-schools

² www.russellgroup.ac.uk/informed-choices/

³ http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/download/Statement_of_Intent_2014.pdf

Haberdashers' Aske's Federation Trust

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) whether funding allocated by her Department to the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust is top-sliced by the trust prior to its distribution to schools; [206405]

(2) what proportion of the income of Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust was lost owing to fraud in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; [206406]

(3) who the accounting officer was for the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; [206407]

(4) for what the money defrauded from the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust was intended to be used; and from which school’s budget that money was taken; [206408]

(5) when her Department was first made aware of fraud within the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust; and what steps it took in response to that information. [206409]

Mr Timpson: The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust retains income to cover the costs of central services, which are attributable to all academies within the multi-academy trust. In 2012/13, this equated to £2.16 million.

For the years in question, the amounts defrauded from the trust were:

2010-11: £1,047,788 (3.33% of income)

2011-12: £914,316 (1.66% of income)

2012-13: 0

The CEO and Accounting Officer in 2010-11 was Dr Liz Sidwell. In 2011-12 and 2012-13 it was Adrian Percival.

The funds defrauded from the trust were intended to be used for educational purposes, in line with requirements in the funding agreement and academies financial handbook. The money was taken from the trust’s overall budget.

The trust notified the Department for Education of the fraud on 1 November 2012. Senior officials worked with the trust immediately to assess its financial systems and risks. The Department has provided ongoing monitoring and support to ensure that the trust has taken all appropriate actions.

22 July 2014 : Column 1137W

Languages: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will estimate the number of children who are studying a foreign language in the Brighton, Kemptown constituency; and if she will make a statement. [206607]

Mr Gibb: The Department for Education does not publish data on the number of children who are studying a foreign language in both primary and secondary schools.

The table shows figures for pupils at the end of key stage 4 who were entered for at least one full modern foreign language GCSE in Brighton, Kemptown constituency. There are no equivalent figures for key stage 2.

Maintained secondary schools are required to teach a modern foreign language to all pupils. Research¹ shows that the vast majority of primary schools across England are already teaching a modern foreign language in class time and, from September, it will become statutory for maintained primary schools to do so.

¹ CfBT Education Trust Language Trends 2013/14: The state of language learning in primary and secondary schools in England

www.britishcouncil.org/sites/britishcouncil.uk2/files/language-trends-survey-2014.pdf

Languages: Education

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to encourage the study of foreign languages in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools; and if she will make a statement. [206608]

Mr Gibb: The new national curriculum introduces the teaching of a foreign language to Key Stage 2 (ages 7 to 11) from September 2014, which will increase the uptake of foreign languages in both primary and, over time, secondary schools. By starting languages earlier, pupils will have longer to develop their skills to a high level before continuing with language learning in secondary school. The English Baccalaureate is already encouraging more young people to take a language at GCSE level. Take up of a modern foreign language by Key Stage 4 pupils in England increased by over 20% between 2012 and 2013.

The independent Expert Group, chaired by a leading primary headteacher, has provided links to useful resources that specifically support the introduction of a compulsory

22 July 2014 : Column 1138W

foreign language at Key Stage 2. These resources are hosted on the website of the Association for Language Learning. We are also making extensive use of social networking, including using high profile headteachers and others to raise the profile of the new curriculum, including for languages, through podcasts, webchats and blogs.

We are also providing at least £350,000 to support training on the new national curriculum for teachers of modern foreign languages in primary and secondary schools. In addition, we have already allocated £1.9 million to teaching schools to lead curriculum change across and within their teaching school alliances. Some 46 of the projects being supported involve languages.

Mathematics: Education

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to encourage the uptake of mathematics in post-16 education; and if she will make a statement. [206615]

Mr Laws: We are reforming mathematics in post-16 education and have set out our ambition for the majority of young people in England to study mathematics to at least age 18 by 2020. In addition, students without at least a grade C in mathematics GCSE are now required to continue to study this vital subject within 16-to-19 education until they gain this valuable qualification.

We are reforming A-level maths to provide a better stepping stone to mathematical study at university, and we are expanding the Further Maths Support Programme to support and enhance A-level teaching. From 2017’s level 3 maths will count in the 16-to-19 schools and college performance tables and in the TechBacc measure from 2016. This will recognise schools and colleges that deliver maths to age 18 effectively and ensure that maths education receives the priority it deserves.

We are also introducing ‘Core Maths' qualifications from 2015 for post-16 students who achieve at least a C at GCSE, but do not progress to A-level or AS level. These qualifications will help young people think mathematically, logically and analytically. We expect large numbers of students to elect to take these qualifications, which will be valued by employers and universities. Almost 200 schools and colleges have signed up to take part in the programme already.

We have recently created a network of Maths Hubs, supported with £11 million over their first two years, to raise standards of maths education from the early years to age 19. One of the main responsibilities of Maths Hubs will be to support increased participation in maths to age 18 in their area.

Music: Education

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which music education hubs in England have placed the majority of their music teachers on notice of redundancy since they were first established in 2012; and which hubs do not employ their music teachers on regular terms and conditions; and what proportion of hubs such hubs represent. [206450]

Mr Gibb: The Department for Education does not collect this information.

22 July 2014 : Column 1139W

Music education hubs receive Department for Education funding through Arts Council England, which manages the hubs on the Department’s behalf. Music hubs have four core roles which they are required to deliver.

Music hubs are free to spend their funding in accordance with local needs and arrangements, and set their own employment terms and conditions.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what role her Department sees for music education hubs in music curriculum teaching in schools; and how she expects those hubs to effectively fulfil their responsibilities. [206451]

Mr Gibb: The new music curriculum includes requirements for all pupils to have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, to progress to the next level of musical excellence, to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music, and to sing.

Across 2012-15, the Department for Education is providing £171 million to music education hubs, which perform four core roles designed to improve the quality and consistency of music education in England. Hubs must ensure that every child aged five to 18 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument through whole-class ensemble teaching and must provide opportunities for them to play in ensembles and to perform from an early stage. They are also expected to ensure that clear progression routes are available and affordable to all young people and to develop a singing strategy so that every pupil can sing regularly in a choir or other vocal ensembles in their area. In addition, hubs may also provide other services, such as professional development for teachers.

Music education hubs should work in collaboration with schools. All hubs have submitted School Music Education Plans to Arts Council England, which manages the hubs programme. These plans include, for example, how hubs are connecting with all the schools in their area, and how they are planning to provide targeted support to schools where necessary.

Parliament: Anniversaries

Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether her Department is working with the History of Parliament Trust and the publishers St James's House on a publication to be published in 2015 to mark 750 years of Parliament; what reports she has received of schools being asked to contribute sponsorship towards that publication; and if she will make a statement. [206595]

Mr Gibb: The Department for Education is not involved with this publication, nor have we received any reports from schools regarding any such requests.

The new national curriculum for history, to be taught in maintained schools from September 2014, includes key developments relating to the history of Parliament ranging from Magna Carta and the emergence of Parliament to women’s suffrage in the early 20th century. In addition, as part of the new national curriculum for citizenship, secondary age pupils should be taught about the development of the political system of democratic Government in the United Kingdom, including the roles of citizens, Parliament and the monarch. Schools

22 July 2014 : Column 1140W

are free to choose which resources they use to teach the curriculum; the work being carried out by the Trust to educate young people about the history of Parliament through teaching resources and school competitions will help schools in teaching these key developments in British history.

Public Libraries: Electronic Publishing

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps her Department is taking to make e-books available from public libraries. [202660]

Mr Vaizey: I have been asked to answer this question on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has changed the law so that the Public Lending Right (PLR) is now extended to e-books for on-site lending. This legislation came into force on 1 July. Due to current EU copyright law it is not possible to extend PLR to remote lending at this time, but the Government will revisit the issue as part of a continuous review of e-lending, and are in contact with the EU Commission on this matter.

The Society of Chief Librarians and the Publishers Association are currently conducting a 12-month pilot into e-lending in public libraries, working closely with four local authorities in England to carry out research into the impact of e-book lending in public libraries on authors, publishers and the library service, in order to identify a suitable and sustainable model for all stakeholders. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in contact with the major stakeholders of this pilot, and will follow up with its findings, which are due in March 2015.

Schools: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Ofsted inspections were carried out in the local education authority of Birmingham in (a) primary, (b) secondary, (c) straight-through, (d) nursery and (e) other schools in the academic years (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13 and (iii) 2013-14. [206315]

Mr Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Lady. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Schools: Discipline

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she is taking to ensure that parents of disruptive children are made fully aware of their child’s bad behaviour. [205879]

Mr Gibb: The majority of schools are safe and disciplined environments, where teachers are respected and pupils learn in an orderly environment. Nevertheless, Ofsted indicated in its 2013 annual report that there are 700,000 pupils in schools where behaviour is just not good enough.

The Government have taken strong action to support schools in maintaining discipline and developing a culture of respect for teacher authority. In the Education

22 July 2014 : Column 1141W

Act 2011, we strengthened teachers’ powers to discipline pupils for poor behaviour. Teachers can now issue same-day detentions and search pupils for banned items. We have also provided clarity on the use of reasonable force. Earlier this year we outlined a range of tough but proportionate sanctions that teachers can use to punish poor behaviour and maintain discipline. From January 2014, Ofsted introduced ‘no-notice’ inspections for schools with behaviour issues.

All schools must, by law, have a behaviour policy and make this known to parents, usually by placing it on the school’s website. Our advice makes clear that it is vital that the behaviour policy is well understood by staff, parents and pupils, and that it is consistently applied.

Good schools recognise the importance of engaging parents and have developed their own approaches according to the particular circumstances of the school. In March 2014, we published a series of case studies on managing behaviour and bullying, which include examples of what good schools are doing to engage parents in a spirit of openness and shared responsibility. These case studies are published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/managing-behaviour-and-bullying-in-schools-case-studies

Schools: Sports

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what sanctions there are for schools which fail to spend the school sport premium appropriately. [206444]

Mr Timpson: The conditions of the funding are clear: it must be spent on improving the provision of physical education (PE) and sport for the benefit of pupils so that they develop healthy lifestyles. All schools must abide by the conditions of the funding. Schools should publish on their website: the amount of grant received, how it has been spent (or will be spent) and what impact the school has seen on pupils’ PE and sport participation and attainment as a result.

Schools are held accountable for how they spend their funding through Ofsted whole-school inspections. Ofsted has strengthened the coverage of PE and sport in its Inspection Handbook. Inspectors assess and report on how effectively the funding is being used to improve PE and sport provision when making a judgment on the quality of the school’s leadership and management.

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps she has taken to help schools which are not spending the school sport premium appropriately. [206447]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education is working across Government and with external partners to support schools to spend the money effectively and sustainably, to improve the quality of physical education (PE) and sport provision. There are a number of case studies of best practice which can be found online:

www.gov.uk/government/policies/getting-more-people-playing-sport#case-studies

Ofsted has also published guidance that includes examples of effective use of the PE and sport premium.

PE and sport organisations are offering expert advice to schools on how to ensure the greatest improvement

22 July 2014 : Column 1142W

in PE and sport provision, as well as where to seek further support at a local level. They have produced resources to help schools assess their PE and sport provision and guidance to generate action plans and how to evidence impact. Posters have also been distributed to schools to help inform effective investment into teacher professional learning and the employment of coaches. These posters capture the latest national advice and guidance, and include information to help schools maximise the investment and understand statutory obligations and minimum standards specifically around the delivery of PE and school sport.

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress she has made on improving PE and sports provision in primary schools; and if she will make a statement. [206609]

Mr Timpson: The Government are providing more than £450 million of ring-fenced funding for primary PE and sport through the primary PE and sport premium in the three academic years to 2015/16. We are working across Government and with PE and sport organisations to support schools to spend the funding effectively and sustainably. We have received positive reports about how schools have been spending the funding in its first year. Schools have provided professional development for teachers, deployed specialist coaches to support new activities, promoted physical activity among less active children, and increased the amount of competitive sport played.

The Department for Education has also created a programme to train primary PE specialists. The first cohort of 120 teachers is due to start working in schools from this September. They will provide expert teaching in their school, and take a lead in promoting PE in their local area. The programme has been extended for another year, increasing the number of PE primary specialists to 240 by September 2015. It is hoped that from September 2015 many more teaching schools in the country will be able to offer this specialist course.

Further work across Government is also improving PE and sport in primary schools. Over 17,000 primary and secondary schools across the country are taking part in the Sainsbury’s School Games. Under Primary Spaces, a National Lottery-funded programme, more than 600 schools have been awarded up to £30,000 to improve outdoor spaces for PE and sporting activities. New facilities will be installed in the first 100 schools this summer.

PE remains a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the new national curriculum, which comes into force from September 2014. There is a greater focus on competitive sport in PE lessons and swimming, and water safety remains compulsory at primary levels.

Special Educational Needs

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions Ministers in her Department have had with local authorities on special educational needs provision in their areas; and if she will make a statement. [206610]

Mr Timpson: In recent months I have discussed special educational needs provision, and in particular the implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014,

22 July 2014 : Column 1143W

with directors of children’s services, chief executive and lead members from a number of local authorities.

On 10 July I spoke to the annual conference of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services about reforms to the special educational needs system.

In addition, on 8 April I wrote to all local authorities about implementing the SEND reforms. A copy of my letter was published online:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-educational-needs-and-disabilities-send-reform-letters

Swimming: Children

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will request Ofsted to record how many children leave primary school able to swim. [206445]

Mr Timpson: There are no plans to ask Ofsted to collect this information. Ofsted inspections report on the effectiveness of teaching and the quality of schools’ leadership and management.

Swimming is part of the national curriculum, and all pupils must be taught to swim at least 25 metres unaided and be able to use recognised swimming strokes by the end of key stage 2 (age 11). It remains compulsory in the national curriculum following the curriculum review.

The Government have committed over £450 million of ring-fenced funding up to and including 2015/16 for primary schools to improve their provision of physical education and sport. Schools have the freedom to use the funding for additional provision for swimming but this must be for activity over and above the national curriculum requirements.

Teachers

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment she has made of the efficacy of incentives designed to keep experienced teachers in the classroom. [206443]

Mr Laws: Teacher retention remains high: 90% of those entering the profession are teaching one year later, and 78% are teaching after five years. Reforms to teachers’ pay mean that schools have greater flexibility to attract, retain and reward the very best teachers.

A report by the Sutton Trust in 2011, ‘Improving the impact of teachers on pupil achievement in the UK’, concluded that a more flexible pay and promotion system would have the potential to attract and retain more high-quality applicants to the teaching profession.

We are intending to evaluate pay implementation, including the impact on teachers’ career intentions. This will begin in the autumn.

Teachers: Offences against Children

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 63W, on teachers: offences against children, how many teachers have lost their job as a result of having a sexual or other relationship with a student under the age of 16 in each of the last five years. [206247]

22 July 2014 : Column 1144W

Mr Timpson: The responsibility for the dismissal of teachers rests with local authorities, school governing bodies and academy trusts, who are the employers of teachers in schools. Accordingly, the information requested about the dismissal of teachers is not held by the Department for Education.

Where a teacher has been dismissed, or resigned in the face of dismissal, as a result of serious misconduct all schools have a statutory duty to consider referring the matter to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL). In such cases involving child abuse, schools have a duty to refer the teacher to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) which will share the referral with the NCTL.

Young Enterprise

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the Gateway to Growth: CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Survey 2014, what steps she is taking to ensure teachers are supported to deliver the five skills called for by Young Enterprise. [206546]

Mr Gibb: The new school curriculum gives teachers more freedom and flexibility to develop their pupils’ skills and readiness for work. All state schools must offer a curriculum that is balanced, broad and which prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

Decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rightly rest with schools, individual teachers and heads, as they are in the best position to make judgments about their requirements.

Young People: Training

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of the core target group of 16 to 19-year-olds have (a) applied for and (b) been accepted onto a traineeship to date. [206213]

Nick Boles: Only young people who meet the eligibility criteria set out in the Traineeships Framework for Delivery can take up a traineeship. For 2013/14, the core target group for traineeships are young people aged 16 to 23 who:

1. are not currently in a job and have little work experience, but who are focused on work or the prospect of it;

2. are 16 to 19 and qualified below level 3 or 19 to 23 and have not yet achieved a full level 2; and whom

3. providers and employers believe have a reasonable chance of being ready for employment or an apprenticeship within six months of engaging in a traineeship.

The Department for Education does not collect information centrally on traineeship applications in the same way that the Department does not collect data on applications for other pre-employment training provision.

In June, we published data showing that there were 7,400 traineeships starting between August 2013 and April 2014—the first nine months of the programme. We do not yet have reliable data to break this down by age-range and we do not collect information on the number of unsuccessful applications.

22 July 2014 : Column 1145W

Further information on traineeships data is published online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-other-statistics-and-research

Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many new apprenticeship starts there were in each year since 2010, in the age groups (a) 25 to 34, (b) 35 to 44, (c) 45 to 59 and (d) and over 60. [206064]

Nick Boles: Information on apprenticeship starts by age is published in a supplementary table, entitled ‘Breakdown by geography, equality & diversity and sector subject area: starts 2002/03 to 2013/14’, to a Statistical First Release (SFR):

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/324021/apprenticeships-starts-by-geography-learner-demographics-and-sector-subject-area.xls

Arms Trade: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of Northern Ireland's defence and security exports was in 2013. [204824]

Matthew Hancock: We do not hold any figures by region, only for UK as a whole.

UK defence and security exports in 2013 totalled £13 billion, which represents a 13% increase on the previous year.

Billing

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value is of duplicate supplier payments identified by his Department since 2010; and what proportion of such payments have since been recovered in each of the last two financial years. [205964]

Jo Swinson: The Department does not maintain a central register but an analysis of the departmental financial system and records identified that since 2010 the following duplicate payments were made and recoveries undertaken:

2010/11: £0

2011/12: £0

2012/13: £726 of which all was recovered

2013/14: £1,835.40 of which all was recovered

Glass: EU Law

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the effect on the competitiveness of the British glass manufacturing, ceramics and mineral products industries of not being eligible for the compensation scheme for the carbon price floor; and whether he has discussed this issue with the European Commission; [205714]

22 July 2014 : Column 1146W

(2) what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission about inclusion of the glass manufacturing industry in Annex II to the Certain State aid measures in the context of the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme post-2012; and if he will make a statement; [205708]

(3) what discussions he has had with the European Commission about the compensation scheme for the carbon price floor and inclusion of the glass manufacturing industry in Annex II to the Certain State aid measures in the context of the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme post-2012; and if he will make a statement. [205711]

Matthew Hancock: BIS Ministers have met the European Competition Commissioner and have argued the case for including parts of the glass and ceramics sector as well as the cement sector in the EU emissions trading scheme and carbon price floor compensation, highlighting the issues of competitiveness.

The Government understand fully concerns about the impact of the these guidelines on UK companies in these sectors and will be engaging further with the Commission to seek a review of the list of eligible sectors to include other energy intensive industries in the compensation schemes in the future.

Healthcare UK

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what services Healthcare UK offers to organisations based in the devolved regions. [205756]

Matthew Hancock: As a constituent part of UK Trade and Investment, Healthcare UK has responsibility for the provision of support and assistance to new and existing health-care exporters of goods and services across the UK and for promoting the UK and all its constituent parts to foreign investors.

The devolved Administrations are responsible for devising and implementing additional programmes to meet the particular needs of companies based in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and for promoting Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to foreign investors.

Higher Education: Females

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of those who accepted a university place to study (a) engineering, (b) technology, (c) mathematics and computer science, (d) architecture and (e) physical science were female in each of the last five years. [205154]

Greg Clark: The information is shown in the table.

22 July 2014 : Column 1147W

Post Boxes

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what estimate he has made of the number of post boxes that have been decommissioned since the privatisation of Royal Mail; [206301]

(2) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the procedures for consultation before the decommissioning of post boxes by Royal Mail; [206302]

(3) if he will make representations to Royal Mail on the need to conduct local consultation prior to the decommissioning of post boxes; [206303]

(4) if he will place in the Library all data he holds on the effect of the decommissioning of post boxes on (a) elderly and (b) disabled people. [206304]

Jo Swinson: Providing Royal Mail maintains its network of access points in accordance with the framework set by Ofcom, the postal regulator, decisions relating to local post boxes are made on operational grounds by Royal Mail's management. The company's decisions are not subject to a consultation procedure though it does have a system of notifying and advising customers where the removal or relocation of a post box is considered necessary.

Following a consultation last year, Ofcom enhanced regulatory protection to cover all UK addresses. This was based on extensive market research to inform its understanding of the reasonable needs of postal users. Royal Mail is now required to ensure that there is a post box within 0.5 miles of at least 98% of delivery points (i.e. addresses) nationally; and for the remaining 2% of delivery points, Royal Mail must provide or procure the provision of access to the universal service by other means (for example, collection on delivery from very remote or isolated locations such as farmhouses) to meet the reasonable needs of users. Ofcom monitors Royal Mail's national provision of access under this framework.

Royal Mail is currently exceeding the agreed level of provision on a national basis.

Property Searches

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises and micro-businesses currently providing local land charges searches. [204725]

Matthew Hancock: Land Registry officials have engaged bodies that represent a range of small and medium-sized enterprises and micro-businesses throughout the research into local land charges, during the year-long prototype in 2012-13. These bodies include the Council of Personal

22 July 2014 : Column 1148W

Search Organisations, which is a trade organisation, and the Association of Independent Personal Search Agents, together with a number of personal search companies. This engagement will continue throughout the development of the policy.

Research: Middle East

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance the UK has given to the developments of the SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East) project; and what collaborative scientific research projects the UK supports between Israel, Iran and the Palestinian Authority. [205936]

Greg Clark: The UK became an observer member of the SESAME Interim Council in 2001. Professor Samar Hasnain of Liverpool university has represented the UK Government at the SESAME Council, following his appointment in 2004. The Government have provided funding since 2008/09 to Professor Samar Hasnain to support his role as the UK’s representative on the SESAME council as follows:

2008/09 to 2013/14: £15,000 per annum;

Additional funding of £22,000 per annum was recently approved following a review of the project for the financial years 2014/15 to 2015/16.

Professor Samar Hasnain in his role as an observer undertakes various activities on behalf of the Government for the progress of SESAME including:

Representing the Government at the Interim Council meetings;

Producing an annual report on SESAME and its benefits to the UK; and

Spreading awareness of the existence and desirability of SESAME to existing and potential SESAME member countries.

He is also an active member of the Science Advisory Committee which meets twice a year.

This Department does not currently fund any other collaborative scientific research projects between Israel, Iran and the Palestinian Authority.

Royal Mail

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his letter of 2 May 2014 which was placed in the Library, on what date agreement was reached with each of the pilot fishing investors in Royal Mail on share allocations. [206021]

Matthew Hancock: The allocations to pilot fishing investors was finalised for all these investors on 8 October 2013.

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 292W, on Royal Mail, from which directorate each member of staff working on the privatisation of Royal Mail was drawn. [206032]

Matthew Hancock: The core team of 17 people working on the sale of Royal Mail shares comprised staff from the Shareholder Executive. Staff in other BIS directorates

22 July 2014 : Column 1149W

contributed to the work—primarily from legal directorate, finance directorate, press office, and economics and markets directorate.

The project received scrutiny outside BIS from the Cabinet Office’s Major Projects Authority and a Treasury Approval Point panel.

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 292W, on Royal Mail, by what date he expects to make a decision on whether a discretionary payment will be made; and whether he expects this decision to be made after the report of Lord Myners on the privatisation of Royal Mail has been submitted. [206362]

Matthew Hancock: No decision has been made about the payment of the discretionary element of the fee and we have not set a timetable for making the decision. We will consider a number of factors when deciding whether to award this.

Science: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what work the Life Science Investment Organisation is doing to promote the life sciences sector in Northern Ireland. [204143]

George Freeman: The Life Sciences Organisation (LSO) (previously the Life Sciences Investment Organisation, which now includes responsibility for UK trade promotion) works to promote the UK life sciences sector as a whole. LSO works closely with Invest Northern Ireland, along with the other devolved bodies and local enterprise partnerships across England, to understand the nation’s internationally competitive commercial offers in life sciences. We then actively market these strengths using our international network of investment advisors and suite of promotional materials. Where potential investors have specifically stated particular requirements, we will match these to the various regional offers and bring these out clearly in the tailored proposition materials produced for the investors.

Staff

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 5 June 2013, Official Report, column 1152W, on buildings, how many members of staff are employed at each of his Department’s office premises. [206041]

Jo Swinson: The following table shows how many members of staff are currently employed at each of the Department’s office premises (these include core BIS and UKTI staff only).

22 July 2014 : Column 1150W

Students: Loans

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on privatising part or all of the Student Loan book before May 2015. [206295]

Greg Clark: This Government have sold £160 million of mortgage-style student loans on the condition that no terms of the loans can be changed. This follows the previous Government’s record of selling £2 billion of mortgage-style student loans. At autumn statement 5 December 2013, Official Report, columns 1101-1113, the Government committed to selling the pre-Browne Income Contingent Student Loan Book in a number of tranches, with a first sale intended to occur by the end of financial year 2015-16. There are no plans to conduct a sale during this Parliament.

Sunday Trading

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff (a) in his Department and (b) its executive agencies are currently working wholly or in part on the issue of Sunday trading. [206023]

Jo Swinson: The information is as follows.

(a) No staff in BIS are currently working full-time on the issue of Sunday trading. There are two policy staff and one lawyer who have Sunday trading as part of their wider portfolio e.g. providing briefing on policy and employment aspects, answering PQs, drafting responses to Bill amendments and information requests, providing correspondence advice. In addition there are two staff who deal with standard correspondence, a small proportion of which will include responding to letters referring to Sunday trading legislation.

(b) We are not aware of any staff in executive agencies of BIS who are specifically assigned to work on the issue of Sunday trading.

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what studies, statistics or other briefings have been commissioned or

22 July 2014 : Column 1151W

purchased by his Department on the issue of Sunday trading in the last 12 months. [206300]

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not commissioned or purchased any studies on the issue of Sunday trading in the past 12 months.

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the most recent impact assessment his Department has carried out on the issue of Sunday trading. [206509]

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) undertook an assessment in relation to Sunday trading legislation, which was published in May 2012 alongside the Sunday Trading (London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) Bill, though this was not a formal impact assessment. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) looked at retail trade evidence during the Olympics suspension.

Prior to this BIS carried out a thorough review of the 1994 legislation (including a consultation and an independent economic cost benefit analysis) in 2006.

Takeovers

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions and meetings (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department have held with the European Commission on takeovers and public interest tests since 20 April 2014. [206299]

Jo Swinson: Ministers and officials frequently have conversations with the European Commission on a range of issues. Since 20 April 2014, this issue was discussed at a meeting between officials on 16 May 2014.

Technology Strategy Board

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the expenditure was of the Technology Strategy Board in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) Wales in each of the last three years. [205775]

Greg Clark: Technology Strategy Board expenditure, including its support for Catapult centres, in each of the last three years in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales was as follows:

Justice

Cybercrime

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that online theft is punishable in line with traditional theft of items of the same monetary value. [204684]

22 July 2014 : Column 1152W

Mike Penning: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I him on 21 July 2014, Official Report, column 854W.

Homicide: Victim Support Schemes

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 305W, on Homicide: victim support schemes, how many victims bereaved by homicide received support from the National Homicide Service in England and Wales in each year since May 2010. [203472]

Mike Penning: On the basis of information supplied by Victim Support, the information requested is set out in the following table:

The Ministry of Justice is committed to supporting people bereaved by homicide and is currently providing £2.85 million per year nationally to provide this support. This includes £100,000 from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for those bereaved by a homicide abroad. This support includes a range of emotional and practical support including counselling, funeral arrangements and peer support.

Land

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much land his Department has released for the purpose of building new homes since May 2010. [205779]

Mr Vara: The Department is committed to disposing of surplus property assets expeditiously. Since the start of the spending review (SR10) the size of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) estate has reduced by over 600 properties to nearly 1,500 properties. The MOJ has already released land suitable for 1,253 housing units and in 2014-15 we are expected to release land suitable for a further 300 units. Therefore we will comfortably exceed our SR10 target of releasing land suitable for 1,262 housing units.

Legal Aid Scheme

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to (a) legal aid and (b) remission from court costs to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out. [202674]

Mr Vara: The information requested is contained in a letter that I sent on 10 June to the right hon. Member for East Ham (Stephen Timms) in response to his earlier parliamentary question on the same subject. That letter has now been deposited in the Library of the House. (Deposit Reference: DEP2014-1040)

22 July 2014 : Column 1153W

Legal Systems: Islam

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what discussions he has had with the Law Society on its inclusion of Sharia succession rules in its guidance; and if he will make a statement; [205887]

(2) what assessment she has made of the Law Society's inclusion of Sharia succession rules in its guidance and its compatibility with existing equalities legislation; [205888]

(3) what guidance judges will receive on settling inheritance disputes which were initially settled under the Sharia succession rules guidance issued by the Law Society. [205889]

Mr Vara: Sharia law has no jurisdiction in England and Wales and the Government have no intention to change this position.

The legal profession is independent of Government and is regulated by approved regulators for which the Legal Services Board has oversight responsibility. The Law Society is the approved regulator for solicitors under the Legal Services Act 2007. On 13 March it published a practice note on Sharia succession rules to assist its members preparing wills for clients under the law of England and Wales. The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Law Society about its practice note. It is not for the Government to comment on the compatibility of the guidance with equalities legislation, as the courts in England and Wales interpret and apply the law.

The guidance does not, and cannot, change the law of England and Wales. The courts will continue to apply the law of England and Wales relating to the making of wills in exactly the same way as they did before the practice note was issued.

The judiciary of England and Wales is independent of the Government and it would not be appropriate for the Ministry of Justice to issue guidance to the judiciary on how judges are to apply or interpret the law.

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Solicitors Regulation Authority is continuing to endorse the Law Society practice note on Sharia succession rules; and whether such an endorsement is compatible with the SRA's obligations under the Equality Act 2010; and if he will make a statement. [205890]

Mr Vara: Sharia law has no jurisdiction in England and Wales and the Government have no intention to change this position.

The legal profession is independent of Government and is regulated by approved regulators for which the Legal Services Board has oversight responsibility. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is the independent regulatory arm of the Law Society, the approved regulator for solicitors under the Legal Services Act 2007. The SRA has advised that its recent guidance issued on the drafting and preparation of wills relates to conduct issues concerning the drafting and preparation of wills, rather than their content. At the end of that guidance, reference was made and links attached to other sources of information, amongst which was a link to the practice snote issued by the Law Society. The SRA advises that such references are regularly attached to its guidance

22 July 2014 : Column 1154W

and are not an endorsement of their content. The SRA advises that the reference to the Law Society practice note has now been removed from the appendix to its guidance note.

Ministers: Official Cars

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 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. [204942]

Mr Vara: For the period of 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014 inclusive there was:

The total spend for the use of the Government Car Service has reduced from £310,600 in 2008-09 to £28,739 in 2013-14, a reduction of 91%.

Morecambe

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate how much money his Department has spent in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since May 2010. [204779]

Mike Penning: The information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

National Offender Management Service

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has allocated additional financial resources to the New Offender Management Service to provide safe conditions for offenders following the recent increase in the prison population. [205261]

Andrew Selous: The National Offender Management Service is subject to review throughout the year to address additional expenditure as part of regular budget discussions.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much the National Offender Management Service has spent on (a) temporary and (b) agency staff in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014 to date; [205605]

(2) how many (a) temporary and (b) agency staff were working in NOMS on 1 July (i), 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014. [205490]

Andrew Selous: It has not been possible to answer this question within the allotted timeframe. I will write to the right hon. Gentleman.

Open Prisons

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many and what proportion of prisoners who were given a life sentence (a) applied for and (b)

22 July 2014 : Column 1155W

were refused category D prison status in each of the last five years; [204727]

(2) how many and what proportion of prisoners who were given an indeterminate sentence for public protection (a) applied for and (b) were refused category D prison status in each of the last five years. [204753]

Andrew Selous: An indeterminate sentence prisoner (ISP) (that is, one serving either a life sentence or an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPPs)) may be considered for transfer to open conditions as part of the prisoner’s parole review.

The decision whether to transfer an ISP to open conditions is taken by officials on behalf of, and under agreed delegated authority from, the Secretary of State. However, as a matter of policy, the Secretary of State usually invites the Parole Board to consider the prisoner’s suitability for such a transfer to and to advise him accordingly. Officials will either accept or reject any recommendation made by the Parole Board, in accordance with agreed policy.

ISPs may also apply to progress to open conditions without a positive recommendation from the Parole Board being sought, where they can show exceptional progress in reducing their risk. Each application is determined by officials on its merits, again under agreed delegated authority.

We hold centrally data on the number of ISPs whose cases were referred to the Parole Board to consider suitability for transfer or were considered for transfer to open conditions without a positive recommendation from the Parole Board. We also hold data on the number of cases considered suitable for transfer. However, we do not hold data on the number of ISPs who were considered by the Parole Board and were not considered suitable for transfer to open conditions.

In order to provide this information, we would need to undertake a manual trawl of ISP cases, and such an exercise would incur disproportionate cost.

Parole

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases remained unprocessed by the Parole Board on 1 (a) January, (b) April, (c) July and (d) October in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012, (iv) 2013 and (v) 2014. [203975]

Andrew Selous: The volume of indeterminate sentence prisoners (ISP) cases to be reviewed on the dates requested is set out in the table below—the figure for 1 July 2014 is not yet available.

The Parole Board is committed to working in an effective and efficient manner in order to reduce the backlog of outstanding cases. The board is developing a new operating model in order to respond to the requirement

22 July 2014 : Column 1156W

to hold an increased number of oral hearings following the Supreme Court judgment in Osborn, Booth and Reilly. To support this work, we have increased the Parole Board’s resource allocation from £10.85 million in 2013-14 to £13.8 million in 2014-15.

Police: Trials

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to tackle trials cracking due to non-attendance of police officers as witnesses. [205669]

Mr Vara: Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on cracked trial hearings does not include details regarding the occupation of absent witnesses. It is not possible to separately identify trials which crack due to police officers failing to attend court as witnesses. On the occasions when non-attendance of a police officer is the cause, we would expect the prosecutor to raise the matter with the police force in question. Issues with police witness non-attendance should be discussed by the relevant Local Criminal Justice Board as part of its performance discussions.

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the staffing numbers were for each prison in England and Wales for each grade of staff on the latest date for which figures are available; and what the target staffing figure is for each grade in each establishment as set by the Business Development Group's Benchmarking Project. [201828]

Andrew Selous: It has not been possible to answer this question within the allotted timeframe. I will write to the right hon. Gentleman.

Prisoners

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total (a) population and (b) usable operational capacity in the adult male secure estate was in each month since August 2013. [205508]

Andrew Selous: Prison population and capacity information for every prison in England and Wales, as well as the total population and usable operational capacity of the prison estates, is published monthly on the Ministry of Justice website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prison-population-figures-2014

We will always have enough prison places for those sent to us by the courts and to do so in a way that gives taxpayers the best possible value for money. We are planning to open an additional 2,000 places over the next nine months. We will have more adult male prison places at the end of this Parliament than we inherited. In the next Parliament, we will open a new prison in Wrexham, providing a further 2,000 places.

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many female-born prisoners have self-declared transgender status since 2011; [205537]

22 July 2014 : Column 1157W

(2) how many male-born prisoners have self-declared transgender status since January 2011. [205542]

Simon Hughes: There are no central records of the number of prisoners who have self-declared a transgender status.

Prisons: Civil Disorder

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times the National Tactical Response Group (NTRG) was called out in each month in 2014 to date; and to which prison the NTRG was called out in each case. [205603]

Andrew Selous: It has not been possible to answer this question within the allotted timeframe. I will write to the right hon. Gentleman.

Prisons: Discipline

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on independent adjudicators in each public and private prison and young offender institution in each month since January 2013. [202348]

22 July 2014 : Column 1158W

Jeremy Wright: Independent adjudicators are district judges or deputy district judges who attend establishments when necessary to hear more serious cases. Where a replacement judge needs to sit in court to replace one attending a prison, the cost of the replacement judge is charged on a quarterly basis by HM Courts Service to the National Offender Management Service. The charge varies according to time involved.

The information in the table shows the monthly charges paid for the use of independent adjudicators in all prisons in England and Wales including young offenders institutions for the period January 2013 to March 2014. Details for the months April 2014 to present are not yet available.

The cost per visit can vary due to several factors, including distance travelled, overnight accommodation where necessary, and the number of establishments visited on a single journey. Charges are made on the basis of visits and not adjudications, so a single visit may include several adjudications taking place at the same establishment.

The cost of annual adjudication charges in 2013-14 was 22% lower than the cost in 2009-10.

22 July 2014 : Column 1159W

22 July 2014 : Column 1160W

22 July 2014 : Column 1161W

22 July 2014 : Column 1162W