Work and Pensions

Attendance Allowance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will take steps to work with HM Treasury to ensure that, where future savings in the attendance allowance budget result from greater numbers of care home residents starting to qualify for local authority-funded care, those savings could be used to help local authorities with their wider responsibilities to meet care and support needs. [207196]

Mr Harper: We will continue to work with HM Treasury and the Department of Health to consider any impacts that the Care Act 2014 may have on benefits.

Carer's Allowance

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the adequacy of information available to carers about (a) the existence of carer's allowance and (b) the rules on who is able to claim it. [207622]

Mr Harper: Information and advice about entitlement to carer's allowance is available from a range of outlets including Jobcentre Plus offices, the Government website (www.gov.uk), local authorities, Citizens Advice, public libraries, health clinics, doctors' surgeries and health visitors. Advice can also be sought from voluntary organisations such as Carers UK. In addition to this the carer’s allowance unit have a regular outreach programme for the caring community.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will increase the carer's allowance so that it is equal to the national minimum wage. [207723]

Mr Harper: The primary purpose of carer’s allowance is to provide a measure of financial support for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment.

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It was never intended to be a carer's wage nor a payment for the services of caring, and is therefore not comparable with the national minimum wage.

The Government recognise that carers play an indispensable role in looking after friends or family members who need support. That is why we have continued to uprate the level of carer’s allowance by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people currently claiming carer's allowance who care for more than one person. [207724]

Mr Harper: Administrative data show that there are 664,610 people in receipt of a carer's allowance payment. These data do not provide details of how many people are being cared for.

Family Resources Survey (FRS) data show that between 8% and 16% of carer's allowance recipients care for more than one person.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people claiming carer's allowance in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK in each year since May 2010. [207725]

Mr Harper: The number of people claiming carer's allowance in Barnsley Central constituency, Yorkshire and the Humber and Great Britain, in each year since May 2010 is shown in the table:

Employment and Support Allowance

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people received a reduced rate of employment and support allowance as a result of receiving a pension income of more than £85 in 2013-14; [207181]

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(2) how many people received a reduced rate of incapacity benefit as a result of receiving a pension income of more than £85 in 2013-14. [207182]

Mr Harper: The information requested to answer the above two questions is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with (a) individuals and (b) organisations on employment and support allowance and eligibility for free dental care, eye care and prescriptions. [207505]

Mr Harper: DWP is aware of the importance of these benefits and the vital support they provide to people on low incomes and how they are highly valued by the individuals who receive them. However, decisions on free dental care, eye care and prescriptions, including their eligibility criteria and verification, are the responsibility of the Departments and devolved Administrations who deliver them.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to assist employment and support allowance claimants with medical costs including dental care, eye care and prescriptions. [207506]

Mr Harper: DWP is aware of the importance of these benefits and the vital support they provide to people on low incomes and how they are highly valued by the individuals who receive them. However, decisions on free dental care, eye care and prescriptions, including their eligibility criteria and verification, are the responsibility of the Departments and devolved Administrations who deliver them.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has taken steps to inform people moving to contribution-based employment and support allowance that they may no longer be entitled to free dental care, eye care and prescriptions. [207507]

Mr Harper: People entitled to contribution-based employment and support allowance are not automatically exempt from health charges. However, people entitled to income-related employment and support allowance are exempt from many health charges.

The entitlement criteria for certain passported benefits, including free dental care, eye care and prescriptions, are the responsibility of other Government Departments and the devolved Administrations.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who have been moved to contribution-based employment and support allowance (ESA) from a combination of incapacity benefit and income support since ESA was introduced. [207511]

Mr Harper: The information as requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

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Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget is for the Help to Work scheme in 2014-15. [207719]

Esther McVey: The Department does not publish annual budgetary information for its employment programmes. It was, however, announced in the Autumn Statement 2013 that the Government would invest £700 million over four years in the Help to Work scheme.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many youth contract wage incentives had been (a) applied for and (b) paid by 6 August 2014. [207720]

Esther McVey: Information on the Wage Incentive is routinely published as part of the youth contract official statistics. The number of forms issued to employers and payments made can be found in the attached statistics:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/youth-contract-official-statistics-august-2014--2

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation was undertaken by his Department before it stopped youth contract wage incentives. [207727]

Esther McVey: The economy is recovering. The UK has witnessed the biggest annual drop in youth unemployment since records began and the youth claimant count has fallen for each of the past 32 months. In addition, compared to a year ago, there are 136,200 fewer young people on JSA. Added to that, the average number of vacancies available at any one time has increased by 119,000 on the year, to reach over 650,000.

Therefore, after careful consideration, at a meeting of the Growth and Enterprise Committee, we agreed to keep the same financial support and reallocate funds to focus on the hardest to help youth groups who are still finding it difficult to take up vacancies. This includes providing additional Jobcentre Plus support for those who are not in education, employment or training (NEETS) in areas of high youth unemployment and areas with the highest concentration of young claimants from black and minority ethnic groups.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) the UK, (b) the South West and (c) Bristol North West constituency are unemployed but unable to claim jobseeker's allowance because they are deemed to have a sufficient level of personal savings. [207604]

Esther McVey: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much expenditure his Department allocated to universal credit (a) between April 2013 and May 2014 and (b) to date. [207112]

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Mr Harper: Expenditure on universal credit in 2013-14 was £186 million. Expenditure on the programme prior to this is contained within the NAO report—Universal Credit: Early progress, HC 621, published on 5 September 2013.

Health

Air Pollution

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will replace his Department's guidance HM 03 on heating and ventilation of health sector buildings with updated guidance which include requirements to (a) reduce dangerous airborne particles and harmful gases that match or exceed those in European standard BS:EN13779 and (b) reduce the transmission of airborne infections. [207761]

Dr Poulter: The Department's extant guidance document, Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 03-01: Specialised ventilation for healthcare premises sets out guidance for minimum standards with respect to ventilation strategy with healthcare premises. HTM 03-01 was published just prior to the publication of BS EN 13779:2007. This will be updated to reflect current standards when it is reviewed. HTM 03-01 forms part of the list of guidance currently under consideration for review.

Healthcare premises will currently utilise the guidance provided within HTM 03-01 to assist in the determination of indoor air quality standards. The hospital will select the relevant primary and secondary filtration dependent upon the air quality of the local environment and upon the requirements of the clinical area that is served by the air-handling unit in question to ensure the safety of patients and staff. HTM 03-01 (paragraph 4.132) acknowledges that in areas of higher atmospheric pollution higher standards of filtration may be required. A copy of HTM 03-01 has already been placed in the Library and is available from the gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-specialised-ventilation-for-healthcare-premises-parts-a-and-b

Childbirth

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of changes in the survival rate of babies born before 24 weeks gestation; and if he will make a statement. [207752]

Dr Poulter: The latest data published by the Office for National Statistics in October 2013 show that very few live births occur before 24 weeks gestation. Infant mortality rates for babies born this early remain extremely high. For babies born in 2011, 1 in 1,000 of live births occurred at less than 24 weeks; the infant mortality rate for these babies was 894.7 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Data from the Epicure series of studies of survival and later health among babies and young people who were born at extremely low gestations found there was no difference in the ongoing illnesses or complications affecting surviving babies born between 22 and 25 weeks gestation in 1995 and 2006. High levels of disability were present at six years of age in surviving children

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born before 24 weeks, including cerebral palsy, low cognitive scores, mobility problems, blindness or profound hearing loss.

Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the British Medical Association on the prescribing of salbutamol to treat congenital myasthenia. [206798]

George Freeman: Ministers have had no such discussions.

Salbutamol is not licensed for the treatment of congenital myasthenia. Doctors can prescribe a medicine outside the terms of its licence if this best meets the clinical need of an individual patient and on condition that they retain full clinical responsibility for that patient.

Diabetes

Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were (a) diagnosed with and (b) living with diabetes in (i) Torbay constituency and (ii) England in each of the last five years. [206783]

Jane Ellison: Public Health England do not routinely present diabetes data by parliamentary constituency. It has produced estimates of the total number of adults with diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed). Across England it was estimated that there were 3,141,622 adults with diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed) in 2012. The estimates for 2013 and 2014 were 3,211,368 and 3,279,925 respectively. It was estimated that in Torbay Unitary Authority the total number of adults with diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed) was 9,589 in 2012, 9,773 in 2013 and 9,947 in 2014.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework provides data on the total number of adults aged 17 years and older who have diagnosed diabetes. This showed that in 2012 there were 2,566,436 adults with diagnosed diabetes in England. By 2013 this had increased to 2,703,044. It is not possible to provide local data for consistent areas for recent years. In 2013 there were 14,485 adults with diagnosed diabetes in South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group. However, this covers a larger area than Torbay Unitary Authority.

The National Cardiovascular Intelligence Network will be publishing cardiovascular disease profiles by clinical commissioning group in August 2014 which will include a chapter about diabetes. These will bring together a number of key indicators about diabetes.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to enable contact lenses that can monitor blood sugar level to be made available to diabetics on the NHS. [206795]

Jane Ellison: There are no smart contact lenses currently licensed for use in the United Kingdom for the monitoring of blood sugar level in people with diabetes. Before a marketing authorisation—or licence—can be granted for a medical device, an application needs to be made, supported by data demonstrating that its quality, safety and efficacy are satisfactory and that the risk to benefit profile is favourable for the proposed treatment.

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However, we are very interested in the development of smart contact lens technology and whether, in the future, it may have potentially beneficial applications within the national health service for people with diabetes.

Eyesight: Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make eye implants available on the NHS to treat blindness. [206800]

Dr Poulter: Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning health care services to meet the needs of their local populations.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published technology appraisal guidance recommending fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implants (TA301, November 2013) for treating chronic diabetic macular oedema in certain circumstances and dexamethasone intravitreal implants (TA229, July 2011) for the treatment of macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion, subject to certain clinical criteria.

There is a legal requirement on the National Health Service to provide funding for treatments and drugs recommended by NICE technology appraisal guidance where clinicians wish to use them.

NICE has also issued a number of pieces of interventional procedures guidance on eye implants, including:

implantation of miniature lens systems for advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (IPG272, August 2008);

corneal implants for keratoconus (IPG227, July 2007);

corneal implants for the correction of refractive error (IPG225, July 2007);

implantation of accommodating intraocular lenses for cataract (IPG209, February 2007); and

intraocular lens insertion for correction of refractive error, with preservation of the natural lens (IPG289, February 2009).

Where positive NICE technology appraisal guidance does not exist, it is for NHS commissioners to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence.

The guidance referred to above can be found at:

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance

Fats: Imports

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what system his Department has put in place to carry out sample checks on imported fat; and what assessment he has made of the risks of imported fat being passed off as a meat product. [206747]

Jane Ellison: We have been advised by the Food Standards Agency that in accordance with European Union legislation, all consignments of meat, imported into the United Kingdom (UK) must be presented for official controls at designated Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) in the UK. All consignments must undergo documentary and identity checks to ensure they are the products attested in the required animal and public health certificate accompanying each consignment. In addition, 20% of all meat, including offal, and products of the bovine, ovine, caprine, porcine and equine species, passing through the BIP, must undergo a physical check, which may include a laboratory test. This rate is increased

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to 50% for poultry, rabbit and game meat. We have no reports of imported fat being presented as meat products from these controls.

Health Services: Lancashire

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department provided to (a) Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and (b) Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last six years. [206732]

Jane Ellison: National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts do not receive the majority of their funding directly from the Department. They are semi-autonomous organisations whose income derives from the provision of services to NHS England and clinical commissioning groups.

The Department did however provide public dividend capital to both organisations in 2013-14 to support a number of centrally-led initiatives, shown in the following table:

The Department additionally provided public dividend capital in previous years as set out in the following table. The purpose of these allocations was not collected centrally prior to 2013-14.

Health Visitors

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish time scales and guidance on how local authorities and clinical commissioning groups should work together to meet their respective duties in relation to the provision of health visitors. [207793]

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Dr Poulter: From 1 October 2015, the Government intends that local authorities take over responsibility from NHS England, for commissioning public health services for children aged nought to five, including health visiting services.

The Department is working collaboratively with its partners locally and nationally on the transfer of commissioning responsibilities. At local level, NHS England’s area teams, as the local commissioners (not clinical commissioning groups), and local authorities are working to develop plans, including time scales, for a smooth and effective transfer of the commissioning role.

The Government will mandate the delivery of the key child assessment elements of the Health Child Programme which are led by health visitors, health care professionals and their teams. This will allow for the service to be shaped locally, while ensuring there is universal coverage of the assessments in the context of a national, standard format (or specification) for the services, and hence that families can be confident they will receive health visiting support.

The Department and its partners use a range of measures that support this transition and convey associated time scales and guidance. In particular, the service specification, “Public Health Functions to be exercised by NHS England”, published in November 2013, sets out expectations for the commissioning and provision of services and how area teams can work with local authorities ahead of the transfer of commissioning responsibilities in 2015.

Other mechanisms such as the forthcoming programme of regional nought to five years commissioning transfer events, organised in conjunction with the Local Government Association, provide the means for local staff and key stakeholders to further develop their understanding of working together in respect of future arrangements for the provision of health visitor services.

Homeopathy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of homeopathy on the NHS. [206797]

Jane Ellison: No assessment has been made of the availability of homeopathy on the national health service.

It is the responsibility of local NHS organisations to make decisions on the commissioning and funding of any healthcare treatments for NHS patients, such as homeopathy, taking account of issues to do with safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness and the availability of suitably qualified/regulated practitioners.

Macular Degeneration

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had age-related macular degeneration in the UK in each of the last five years. [206799]

Dr Poulter: The Department does not collect data on the number of people with age-related macular degeneration.

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The Health and Social Care Information Centre has provided the following table. This shows the number of finished admission episodes (FAEs), for England, where the primary diagnosis was ‘degeneration of the macular and posterior pole’.

Medicine: Teachers

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has plans to create a nationally agreed structure for medical teachers. [207155]

Dr Poulter: The General Medical Council (GMC) has established a phased process for implementing arrangements for recognising trainers in medical training. All trainers in four specific roles will be fully recognised by 31 July 2016.

The arrangements relate to:

named educational supervisors in postgraduate training;

named clinical supervisors in postgraduate training;

lead coordinators of undergraduate training at each local education provider; and

doctors responsible for overseeing students’ educational progress for each medical school.

The GMC will use its existing standards for postgraduate training set out in “The Trainee Doctor” and for undergraduate education in “Tomorrow’s Doctors”, and seven areas originally set out by the Academy of Medical Educators to provide a structure:

ensuring safe and effective patient care through training;

establishing and maintaining an environment for learning;

teaching and facilitating learning;

enhancing learning through assessment;

supporting and monitoring educational progress;

guiding personal and professional development; and

continuing professional development as an educator.

Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have had to wait more than 28 days for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services in each of the last six years. [207753]

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Norman Lamb: Current data from the Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme show that the majority of people wait for 28 days or less from referral to treatment.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre does not hold the data requested for the past six years.

The IAPT dataset has data for 2012-13 and 2013-14, these data are not directly comparable as the 2012-13 dataset only shows referrals after April 2012. The 2013-14 dataset shows quarterly data. The Annual Report for 2013-14 is not yet available, this is due to be published later in September.

Neuroblastoma

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to support research into neuroblastoma. [207129]

George Freeman: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is supporting neuroblastoma research through NIHR biomedical research centres, the NIHR clinical research facility at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (funded jointly with Cancer Research UK) and the NIHR Clinical Research Network. A study of re-purposing of 13-cis-retinoic acid for use in treating children with neuroblastoma has recently been approved for funding through the Health Innovation Challenge Fund. This is a fund jointly supported by the Department and the Wellcome Trust.

NHS: Drugs

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is available to allow NHS patients to access specialised medication and drugs only available in the US. [206731]

George Freeman: The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 as amended contain provisions for the import of unlicensed medicinal products to meet the special clinical needs of particular patients. The importer (who must hold a licence for that purpose) must notify the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that such importation is taking place. The MHRA may object to the importation if there is a known safety or quality issue with the product, or if an equivalent United Kingdom-licensed product is available.

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Such products are used on the direct personal responsibility of the prescriber, who would retain clinical responsibility for the patient while prescribing the product in question.

In primary care, prescribers are allowed to prescribe any product, including any unlicensed product, which they consider to be a medicine necessary for the treatment of their patients under the national health service, as long as that product is not included in schedules 1 or 2 to the NHS (General Medical Services Contract) Regulations 2004 and that the prescriber is prepared to justify any challenges to their prescribing by the relevant commissioning organisation.

When a patient is being treated by a hospital the consultant can arrange for the supply of any product, even one not normally available on NHS prescription,

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provided the relevant commissioning organisation or NHS trust agrees to supply it at NHS expense.

NHS: Finance

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what proportion of the NHS budget has been spent on (a) management pay, (b) outside consultants and (c) restructuring in each year since 2009. [207609]

Dr Poulter: The information requested is set out in the following table. The cumulative savings in administration costs arising from the reforms over the period 2010-11 to 2014-15 are expected to free up at least £6.4 billion for patient care.

NHS: Staff

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS staff were employed on administrative tasks in (a) 2010 and (b) 2014; and what proportion of the total NHS wage bill they represented in each year. [207369]

Dr Poulter: The provisional monthly national health service hospital and community health service work force statistics, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) show that in May 2010 the proportion of NHS staff in England employed on administrative tasks was 24.0% and in May 2014 the proportion was 22.2%. The majority of NHS staff will perform some administrative tasks but these figures are based on administrative and clerical staff working in central functions; hotel, property and estates; scientific, therapeutic and technical support; clinical support and some ambulance service support staff; as well as managers and senior managers. It includes clerical staff such as those working as medical secretaries and medical records clerks but excludes those who deal directly with patients, such as ward receptionists.

The HSCIC publishes data only on NHS earnings, not on the NHS pay bill. The answer is based on earnings rather than the total pay bill.

In May 2010 the proportion of NHS administrative staff earnings to all NHS staff earnings was 20.0% and in May 2014 the proportion was 18.8%.

NHS: Training

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to ensure that NHS staff can access training and development on providing care with dignity and respect. [207200]

Dr Poulter: The Government have mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and work force development in the national health service. HEE will work with health care stakeholders to influence training curricula as appropriate.

Health care providers have a duty to invest in the training and education of new staff. Employers should support health care professionals to prioritise the quality of care, be compassionate, safety-conscious and genuinely listen to their patients.

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Local Education Training Boards provide the forum for securing the development of the whole health work force and have a role in ensuring employers remain committed to continuing professional development.

Prescription Drugs: Misuse

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken since 2009 to review policy on addiction to prescription medication; and what the total identifiable costs have been of this review process. [206669]

Jane Ellison: The Department has been reviewing policy on addiction to prescription medicine over this period, and the Government’s Drug Strategy, published in December 2010, highlights our commitment to reduce dependence on prescription and over the counter medicines.

In 2009, the Department identified a lack of information on this important subject. The Department commissioned a literature review from the National Addiction Centre and a report from the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) which interrogated data on specialist treatment and surveyed local commissioners and specialist treatment providers. These reports were peer reviewed and published in May 2011. The cost to the Department for the National Addiction Centre literature review was £9,750 and the cost for the NTA review was £80,000.

The reports informed the discussions of roundtable meetings of expert stakeholders which were convened by the Minister for Public Health to agree action to tackle addiction to medicines. The roundtable produced a consensus statement, endorsed by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and other organisations which was published in January 2013. The only direct cost to the Department concerning the roundtables, and other meetings, was £1,928.09 in travel expenses for non-departmental staff.

Other departmental costs associated with reviewing policy on addiction to prescription medicine are not separately identifiable.

Public Health England (PHE) organised a seminar in February 2013 to improve the commissioning of services to treat addiction to medicine, and following the seminar, in June 2013 published a guide for the national health service and local authorities on commissioning treatment for dependence on prescription and over-the-counter medicines.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency published in March 2013 a learning module on benzodiazepines which includes advice for prescribers on preventing and treating dependence on these medicines.

In July 2014, with the approval of the Department and the devolved Administrations, PHE launched a public consultation on whether there should be an update to the 2007 United Kingdom clinical guidelines on drug misuse and dependence. The guidelines include advice on treating dependence on benzodiazepines.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2014, Official Report, column 1007W, on radiotherapy, when data relating to individual funding requests per indication for

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radiotherapy treatment made to NHS England and the number of such requests refused will be available from NHS England. [206964]

George Freeman: NHS England has advised us that it is aiming to complete its work on improving data collection for individual funding requests later this year. This will include information on requests received for radiotherapy treatments.

Smoking

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many serious health events have been recorded per thousand (a) e-cigarette users, (b) users of nicotine replacement therapies and (c) users of the Champix form of varenicline in the last year. [206979]

Jane Ellison: Reports of ‘suspected’ adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines through the spontaneous reporting scheme; the Yellow Card Scheme. The scheme collects ADR reports from across the whole United Kingdom and includes all medicines, including those from prescriptions, over-the-counter or general retail sales. Reports are also received for herbal medicines and other unlicensed medicines.

There is unknown and a variable level of under-reporting to the Yellow Card Scheme meaning that data collected cannot be used to calculate incidence, as such we cannot provide the number of serious health events per thousand. We are unable to calculate this incidence because neither the total number of reactions occurring in the population, nor the number of patients using the drug is known.

The following table shows the total number of serious UK spontaneous ‘suspected’ ADR reports received by the MHRA between 23 July 2013 and 22 July 2014 broken down for E-Cigarettes, Nicotine Replacement Therapies (excluding E-Cigarettes) and Varenicline:

Tobacco: Packaging

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if his Department will conduct a consultation, separate to that carried out by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the potential effect of standardised packaging of tobacco on the Government's long-term economic plan; [206715]

(2) when his Department plans to conduct its consultation on the potential effect of standardised packaging of tobacco on the small retail sector; and if he will make a statement; [206716]

(3) if his Department will conduct a consultation on the potential effect of standardised packaging of tobacco on down-trading to cheaper products. [206788]

Jane Ellison: The Government have not yet made a final decision on whether to introduce standardised packaging for tobacco products. We held a United

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Kingdom-wide consultation on introducing regulations for standardised packaging of tobacco products, which ran from 26 June to 7 August. The consultation asked for new and relevant information that would help in assessing the wider impact of plain packaging, including economic and other considerations.

The consultation included draft regulations so it is clear how requirements for standardised packaging would work in practice. Alongside the consultation, we have also published an updated consultation-stage Impact Assessment. The consultation asked respondents for further evidence or information which would improve the assumptions or estimates made in the Impact Assessment.

The Government do not intend to run any further consultations with regard to standardised packaging.

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Government will await the outcome of the ongoing WTO trading dispute concerning Australia before making a final decision on standardised packaging of tobacco. [206717]

Jane Ellison: The Government have not yet made a final decision on whether to introduce standardised packaging for tobacco products. We held a United Kingdom-wide consultation on introducing regulations for standardised packaging of tobacco products, which ran from 26 June to 7 August. The consultation asked for new and relevant information that would help in assessing the wider impact of plain packaging.

We do not believe it is necessary to wait the outcomes of existing disputes and legal cases involving the Commonwealth of Australia before coming to a final decision.

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with his counterpart in New Zealand on the standardising of tobacco packaging. [206787]

Jane Ellison: Health Ministers have not had any specific discussions about standardised packaging of tobacco with Ministers from New Zealand.

Departmental officials occasionally receive updates from the New Zealand Ministry of Health regarding plans in that country for the introduction of requirements for standardised packaging.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Defence Growth Partnership

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what companies will have representation on the Steering Committee of the Defence Growth Partnership. [206781]

Matthew Hancock: Companies currently represented on the Steering Committee are Airbus Group, Atkins, Babcock, BAE Systems, Cobham, Finmeccanica, General Dynamics, Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, Marshall, MBDA, QinetiQ, Raytheon, Rolls Royce, Serco, Thales. The trade association, ADS, is also a member and

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represents the interests of the wider defence sector. SME representation is currently being reviewed by the DGP. The Department for Business Innovation and Skills and the Ministry of Defence are also represented on the Committee.

EU External Trade: USA

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on mutually-recognised standards in financial services as part of negotiations on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. [206894]

Matthew Hancock: The Government want to use the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to encourage financial regulators from the EU and the USA, as hosts of the largest financial centres in the world, to work with each other and agree consistently high standards in the future. Establishing closer and more effective regulatory cooperation between the world’s two largest financial centres is essential. By working together to agree more consistent rules, the EU and the USA can eliminate the opportunities for regulatory arbitrage and encourage other jurisdictions to follow suit. Closer dialogues also mean that emerging risks can be spotted and addressed together.

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) in how many meetings in the last year between financial sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206895]

(2) in how many meetings in the last year between financial sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials of his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206880]

(3) in how many meetings in the last year between agricultural sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials of his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206881]

(4) in how many meetings in the last year between pharmaceutical sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials of his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206882]

(5) in how many meetings in the last year between chemical sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials of his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206883]

(6) in how many meetings in the last year between manufacturing sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials of his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206884]

(7) in how many meetings in the last year between energy sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials of his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206885]

(8) in how many meetings in the last year between insurance sector professionals and Ministers or senior

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officials of his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206886]

(9) in how many meetings in the last year between financial sector professionals and himself or senior officials in 10 Downing Street the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206887]

(10) in how many meetings in the last year between agricultural sector professionals and himself or senior officials in 10 Downing Street the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206888]

(11) in how many meetings in the last year between pharmaceutical sector professionals and himself or senior officials in 10 Downing Street the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206889]

(12) in how many meetings in the last year between chemical sector professionals and himself or senior officials in 10 Downing Street the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206890]

(13) in how many meetings in the last year between manufacturing sector professionals and himself or senior officials in 10 Downing Street the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206891]

(14) in how many meetings in the last year between energy sector professionals and himself or senior officials in 10 Downing Street the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206892]

(15) in how many meetings in the last year between insurance sector professionals and himself or senior officials in 10 Downing Street the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206893]

(16) in how many meetings in the last year between agricultural sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206896]

(17) in how many meetings in the last year between pharmaceutical sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206897]

(18) in how many meetings in the last year between chemical sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206898]

(19) in how many meetings in the last year between manufacturing sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206899]

(20) in how many meetings in the last year between energy sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206900]

(21) in how many meetings in the last year between insurance sector professionals and Ministers or senior

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officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed; [206901]

(22) what recent discussions he has had with trades unions on the inclusion of an investor state dispute settlement mechanism in the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement; [206913]

(23) what recent discussions he has had with consumer groups on the inclusion of an investor state dispute settlement mechanism in the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement; [206914]

(24) what recent discussions he has had with health campaigners on the inclusion of an investor state dispute settlement mechanism in the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement; [206915]

(25) what recent discussions he has had with environmental campaigners on the inclusion of an investor state dispute settlement mechanism in the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement. [206916]

Matthew Hancock: Details of meetings held by Ministers and permanent secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at gov.uk.

Information requested in respect of other officials’ meetings is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) which existing regulations will not be part of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement; [206921]

(2) whether negotiators are discussing (a) the harmonisation of standards between the EU and US and (b) mutual recognition of standards between the EU and US in the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations. [206922]

Matthew Hancock: One of the main aims of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is to reduce unnecessary regulatory differences between the EU and the USA to encourage greater trade, particularly by SMEs who find overcoming regulatory differences to be a significant barrier to exporting. Both the EU and the USA have been clear that this will not come through lowering levels of consumer and other protections, and where this is not possible regulatory differences will not be eliminated. Reducing regulatory differences could be achieved through various methods such as mutual recognition of regulations, mutual recognition of conformity assessments, use of international standards, and alignment of future regulations. Over half of the projected benefits from TTIP are projected to come from this greater regulatory coherence.

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will give hon. Members access to the draft text of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations. [206925]

Matthew Hancock: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations are yet to reach a stage where there are stable and complete draft texts. As such, it is too early for these texts to be shared. However, a final draft agreement will be subject to ratification by each member state of the EU, as well as

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the EU itself. As part of this process Parliament will receive the complete draft text of the agreement in good time and have an opportunity to scrutinise it through debates in both Houses.

In addition, the Government will continue to keep Parliament up to date throughout the TTIP negotiations. The agreement has been debated in both Houses and been subject to a Committee inquiry in the House of Lords and reviewed by the European Scrutiny Committee of the House of Commons. My noble Friend, Lord Livingston of Parkhead will continue to write to the European Scrutiny Committee chairs of both Houses and the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on EU-US Trade and Investment after each negotiating round to update them, and the Government can arrange for further detailed briefings to interested hon. Members.

Nuclear Fusion

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what contribution the UK is making to the development of fusion technology; and if he will make a statement. [905183]

Greg Clark: The UK Atomic Energy Authority manages the UK’s fusion research programme at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and operates JET, the European fusion research facility, under a €285 million contract from the European Commission. The Authority is now building on the expertise in engineering and technology from fusion research to make Culham a centre of excellence for fusion technology, in collaboration with UK academia and industry, and in support of the international ITER next-step fusion project currently under construction in France.

New fusion technology facilities at Culham are planned in the areas of nuclear materials and remote handling and robotics to support fusion and other related technologies and are working towards the EU design of a DEMO (prototype) fusion power station.

Royal Mail

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assurances the Government sought from (a) its financial adviser and (b) the syndicate of banks in advance of the privatisation of Royal Mail. [206785]

Matthew Hancock: The Government’s financial adviser and the syndicate of banks providing professional services to support the preparation and delivery of the Royal Mail share sale were procured through competitive tendering processes. Advisers procured in this way provide assurance that they will deliver the services commissioned through the terms and conditions of their contractual engagement.

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Television

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on the purchase of televisions in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date. [207207]

Jo Swinson: During 2013 four televisions were purchased by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) at a total cost of £2,363.83.

2014 to date, BIS has not purchased any televisions.

UK Defence Solution Centre

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the annual budget of the UK Defence Solution Centre will be in each of the next five years. [206779]

Matthew Hancock: Industry and Government are jointly funding the UK Defence Solutions Centre with a mix of cash and resource contributions equivalent to £2.8 million this year for the start up phase, with £3.8 million in each of the subsequent three years.

UK Defence Solutions Centre

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each company in the defence industry will provide to the UK Defence Solutions Centre; and how much each such company will receive in single source Ministry of Defence contracts in each of the next three years. [206782]

Matthew Hancock: Overall funding for the DGP is split equally between Government and industry. For the Defence Solutions Centre, the key 16 companies on the Steering Committee are providing resources equivalent to £8 million, split equally between them.

With regard to how much each such company will receive in single source Ministry of Defence contracts in each of the next three years, this information is not held centrally and could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.

UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in which overseas markets the UK Trade & Investment Defence and Security Organisation will set up joint teams. [206780]

Matthew Hancock: A new UKTI DSO Industry Liaison Board will determine the overseas markets that would benefit from additional industry resource working more closely with Government and where joint teams overseas will be established. The Board will meet for the first time in the autumn.