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Ambulance Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average ambulance response time in the Mid Yorkshire NHS trust is. [206940]

Jane Ellison: Ambulance services in Yorkshire are provided by the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

NHS England only regularly collect median average ambulance response times from entire ambulance trusts. It is not possible to give such figures for smaller areas.

The median averages for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service for the last 12 months for which data are available are in the following table.

Cancer

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of progress on the Cancer Strategy target of saving an additional 5,000 lives from cancer per year by 2014-15; [207197]

(2) what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to address weaknesses in cancer patient experience and staff engagement. [207199]

Jane Ellison: Cancer survival and mortality rates continue to improve although it is too early to assess progress against our ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives per year by 2014-15, to halve the gap between the survival estimates in England and those in the best countries in Europe. Proxy measures are being developed to enable an assessment of progress in a more timely manner, particularly in terms of the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages one and two and cancers diagnosed through emergency routes.

The National Health Service and Public Health Outcomes Framework indicators and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Outcomes Indicator Set are starting to enable us to assess progress, at national and local level. For example, data on one-year survival from all cancers and one-year survival from breast, lung

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and colorectal cancer were published as part of the CCG outcomes indicator set for the first time on 19 June 2014. NHS England is continuing to monitor the progress of the NHS in reducing mortality from cancer in line with the NHS Outcomes Framework, and from 2014-15 there will be a range of new NHS Outcomes Framework indicators reflecting different stages of diagnosis which will provide a good proxy measure in future on progress in delivering earlier stage of diagnosis of cancer.

The Mandate for the NHS for 2014-15 sets out an ambition for England to become one of the most successful countries in Europe at preventing premature deaths. Tackling premature deaths from cancer will contribute to this. A range of work at national and local level is aimed at improving cancer survival. For example, results from the first national “Be Clear on Cancer” lung cancer campaign in 2012 showed that around 700 extra patients were diagnosed with lung cancer compared to the previous year. Approximately 400 of these patients had their lung cancer diagnosed at an early stage, with around 300 more patients having surgery, giving them a better chance of survival.

NHS England took over responsibility for the annual national cancer patient experience survey from April 2013. The survey results are used by a range of stakeholders to identify practices that lead to positive experience for patients, and promote improvements.

NHS England is working with NHS Improving Quality and other partners to develop more effective ways of using the survey results within the NHS, for example, working with successful and struggling organisations to identify and spread best practice.

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

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

In April 2014, NHS England introduced the staff friends and family test for all NHS Trusts in England, as research shows the strong link between levels of staff engagement and quality of patient experience.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to ensure that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have access to oxygen therapy when travelling abroad; for what reason the NHS contractor in England no longer provides that service; and if his Department will instruct the contractor to fully inform COPD patients about the provision of oxygen therapy when they are travelling abroad. [207504]

Jane Ellison: There are four oxygen suppliers covering England. They have never been contracted to supply oxygen for people travelling outside of the United Kingdom (UK). Oxygen for use on holiday is only available free of charge for trips in the UK, and can be arranged through the patients current oxygen provider or a general

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practitioner. Oxygen suppliers in the UK have leaflets that are available to patients setting out the arrangements for people wishing to go on holiday. If a patient is holidaying in Europe oxygen can be arranged through the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme with a valid EHIC. The Department’s Call Centre can supply the relevant contact details of officials in European countries. The person travelling will need to contact the authorised oxygen company for the country they are travelling to in order to make the necessary arrangements required to book state-funded Oxygen Therapy equipment. If they are travelling outside Europe, they will need to contact an oxygen company that supplies the country they will be visiting. To find an oxygen provider outside the UK, the individual can contact the British consulate in the country they are travelling to, an oxygen supplier in the UK, or the British Lung Foundation.

Dental Services

Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many requests have been made by dental practices in England for their Unit of Dental Activity price to be increased in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many such requests have been granted. [207204]

Dr Poulter: The information requested is not held centrally.

Depressive Illnesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people suffered from repeat episode depression in each year for which data are available. [207560]

Norman Lamb: The number of people who suffered from repeat episodes of depression are not available.

The only data which can be provided are the number of referrals received by Improved Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) services, for people with a provisional diagnosis of Recurrent Depression.

These data include a count of referrals, not distinct people and one person may have multiple diagnoses. Many episodes recorded by IAPT services do not have a provisional diagnosis recorded when the referral is received.

Data are available by quarter for 2012-13 and 2013-14. These data have been collected nationally since April 2012.

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Fibromyalgia

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate his Department has made of the number of fybromyalgia sufferers in the UK; [207312]

(2) how much his Department has spent on research into fybromyalgia in the last three years; and what guidance his Department gives on support to be given through the NHS for fybromyalgia sufferers. [207313]

Norman Lamb: The Department has made no estimate of the number of fibromyalgia sufferers in the United Kingdom. As the condition is poorly understood and there is not specific diagnostic test, it is difficult to make a reliable estimate

Although there is no cure for fibromyalgia, some treatments can ease symptoms and support improved quality of life for patients. The treatments offered will depend on the severity of a patient’s condition, but may include: pharmacological pain relief; physiotherapy; dietary and exercise advice; counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy; and self-management programmes which aim to give patients the skills and confidence to manage their conditions more effectively. There are also a number of NHS Trusts that offer specialist fibromyalgia clinics, such the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath, which patients can access on referral from the clinician responsible for their care.

In each of the last three years, the Department’s National Institute for Health Research has spent £0.1 million on fibromyalgia research.

General Dental Council

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding the General Dental Council's proposed increase to the annual retention fee for dentists. [207132]

Dr Poulter: Since 1 July 2014, the Department has received a number of representations regarding the General Dental Council’s (GDC) proposed increase to the annual retention fee for dentists. As at 3 September 2014, these representations included seven items of correspondence: one from the Chair of the GDC, one from the British Dental Association and five from Members of Parliament. The Department has received two related parliamentary questions and has responded to an e-petition opposing an increase in the GDC’s annual retention fee.

In my role as Parliamentary Under Secretary for Health, on 3 September 2014, I also met with the GDC where, among other things, concerns about the proposal fee rise were discussed.

General Practitioners

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs (a) excluding retainers and registrars and (b) including retainers but excluding registrars there were in the financial year (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2013-14. [207856]

Dr Poulter: The annual National Health Service General and Personal Medical Services workforce census, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre,

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shows the numbers of general practitioners (GPs) working in the NHS in England at 30 September each year, which is a snap shot taken at the mid-point of the financial year.

The numbers of full-time equivalent GPs, excluding retainers and registrars, and including retainers but excluding registrars, working in the NHS in England as at September 2010 and September 2013 are shown in the following table. The latest available statistics are as at 30 September 2013 and were published on 25 March 2014.

Health Protection Agency: Colindale

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made any plans for the future of the Colindale Health Protection Agency site. [207040]

Jane Ellison: Over the past 18 months, Public Health England has been developing the Outline Business Case for a major capital investment in public health science, including modern facilities, called the Science Hub programme (previously called the Chrysalis programme). Under this plan, services would relocate from Colindale to Harlow in a phased programme between mid 2018 and 2021.

Government will make a decision in autumn 2014.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to ensure that foreign nationals pay for healthcare they receive in the UK. [207406]

Jane Ellison: The Department is working to support the National Health Service to increase the recovery of costs from overseas visitors and migrants. We aim to

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recover £500 million annually by the middle of the next Parliament, which will be reinvested into the NHS to support the sustainability of NHS frontline services.

The Department published its Implementation Plan on 14 July 2014 at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/recovering-costs-of-nhs-healthcare-from-visitors-and-migrants

This sets out how the Department will improve the recovery rates from overseas visitors and migrants over the next year. It announced a number of measures to support these efforts but also laid the foundations for additional areas to be looked at as the programme progresses.

As part of the programme the Department is starting a programme of financial incentives to support the NHS in identifying chargeable visitors and migrants using the NHS. These incentives recognise the administrative and financial burdens that can face NHS trusts in the recovery process and aim to counter balance these. The implementation plan provides the full detail of these schemes.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cycles of IVF treatment are offered free of charge to patients by each clinical commissioning group in England. [207079]

Jane Ellison: The information requested is not collected centrally. The level of provision of infertility treatment, as for all health services they commission, is decided by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and will take into account the needs of the population overall. The CCG's decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local health care needs. As such, provision of services will vary in response to local needs.

NHS England expects that all those involved in commissioning infertility treatment services to be fully aware of the importance of having regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence fertility guidelines.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what support his Department is providing to King's College London to assist the development of the MAP vaccine for Crohn's disease from animal testing to human trials; [207271]

(2) what support his Department is giving to King's College London to work on developing the MAP vaccine for Crohn's disease from animal testing to human trials. [207417]

George Freeman: The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is not currently funding any Crohn’s vaccine development work at King’s College London.

The Government have funding mechanisms in place for research and development relating to innovative medicines.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Crohn’s disease and vaccines. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards

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being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

The NIHR manages the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme, which bridges the gap between preclinical studies and evidence of clinical efficacy. The aim is to secure the progress of new technologies and interventions through their early clinical trials and onto larger, later clinical trials. The programme is funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the NIHR.

Other sources of funding include the Biomedical Catalyst, which is a funding programme jointly operated by the MRC and Innovate UK. The programme provides responsive and effective support for the best translational life science opportunities arising. Grants are available to United Kingdom academics and small and medium enterprises seeking to move their research more quickly from discovery to commercialisation.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to introduce the meningitis B vaccine. [207051]

Jane Ellison: We are committed to introducing this vaccine as soon as practicable, subject to the manufacturer offering the vaccine at a cost-effective price, in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s recommendation.

Multiple Sclerosis

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have taken to ensure that accessible information is produced about multiple sclerosis treatment options; [207186]

(2) what steps he plans to take to increase the role of people with multiple sclerosis in decision-making processes relating to their treatment; [207193]

(3) if he will take steps to ensure that all people with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis are invited to talk with a specialist about potential treatment options arising from new disease-modifying drugs; [207203]

(4) what recent assessment he has made of the provision of licensed treatments for multiple sclerosis in the NHS in England; and if he will take steps to increase the availability of such treatments; [207242]

(5) if he will take steps to ensure that regular reviews of treatment and care by multiple sclerosis (MS) specialists are available for all people with MS in England. [207243]

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline ‘Multiple sclerosis: Management of multiple sclerosis in primary and secondary care’, published in 2003, set outs best practice in the care, treatment and support for people with this condition. The guidance emphasises that patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) should be involved in all decisions relating to their treatment and care and are supported to manage their condition. It also sets out that clinicians and other members of a patient’s healthcare team such as nurses and social workers, are responsible for discussing with patients the frequency and methods of reviewing their care needs.

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We have made no recent assessment of the provision of licensed treatments for multiple sclerosis in the National Health Service in England. However, NICE has published technology appraisal guidance recommending a number of drugs for use in treating MS, subject to certain clinical criteria. There is a legal requirement on the NHS to provide funding for treatments and drugs recommended by NICE technology appraisal guidance within three months of NICE technology appraisal guidance being published. Clinicians should discuss with patients, including those with relapsing and remitting MS, the availability of any new treatments and the guideline makes clear that commissioners should ensure that all people with MS have ready access to a specialist neurological service which includes the provision of specific pharmacological treatments.

The guideline also stresses the importance of clinicians communicating clearly with patients which includes making leaflets and other information resources available. The provision of these resources is a matter for local NHS organisations.

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical commissioning groups currently commission specialised multiple sclerosis centres. [207925]

Norman Lamb: NHS England has advised that clinical commissioning groups do not currently commission specialised services for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). NHS England commissions specialised services, including commissioning 15 Adult Neurology centres which will provide services for MS patients.

Nurses: Car Allowances

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to section 17 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service handbook, amendment number 33, what assessment he has made of the effects of the change in the fuel allowance to 20 pence per mile on retention of nurses in the NHS. [207860]

Dr Poulter: As with all staff covered by the Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, nursing staff incurring motoring costs during their national health service duties will receive reimbursement of these costs at the published mileage rates to ensure that they are not out of pocket.

The change in fuel allowance for NHS staff to 20p per mile for mileage over 3,500 came into force on 1 July 2014 following a regular review of motoring expenses, based on information provided by the Automobile Association (AA) about the running costs of motor vehicles. This process of six-monthly reviews of motoring costs based on AA information was agreed by trade unions and employers, to ensure that NHS staff are not out of pocket for travel costs incurred in the performance of their NHS duties. In agreeing this system, employers and trade unions have recognised that there will be both upward and downward movement in costs, and subsequent mileage rates. These rates will be reviewed in November 2014, and will again be based on information provided by the AA.

We are unable to correlate the level of reimbursement for motor travel with the rate of recruitment and retention of nurses.

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The latest NHS workforce statistics show that there are now over 3,700 more nurses, midwives and health visitors¹ than in May 2010. NHS workforce statistics for July 2014 will be published in October.

¹ Including Health Visitor Minimum Data Set

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents in which non-patient egg donors had (a) severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and (b) ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome were categorised as (i) Grade A incidents and (ii) Grade B incidents in each year since 2009 for which records are available. [207298]

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that three incidents of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome involving a non-patient egg donor were reported to the HFEA by licensed clinics in 2009, 2011 and 2014. The three incidents were severe and graded 'B'.

Palliative Care

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Palliative Care Funding Review pilots are due to report. [207198]

Norman Lamb: NHS England will publish a draft national tariff document in February 2015. This will include details of a development currency for palliative care which will be based upon the data collected as part of the Palliative Care Funding Review pilots and the views of the palliative care sector. A draft will be published as part of an engagement process in the autumn.

Parkinson's Disease

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department has taken to improve compliance in (a) hospitals and (b) care homes with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines that people with Parkinson's disease should have their medication given at appropriate times and should be allowed to self-administer if necessary; [207493]

(2) what steps the new NHS safety action team plans to take to reduce avoidable harm resulting from delays or omissions in medication for hospital patients with Parkinson's disease; [207494]

(3) how many of the NHS trusts involved in the sign up to safety campaign have a policy of stocking medicines for the treatment of Parkinson's disease in their emergency medications cupboards. [207495]

George Freeman: Following publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance that people with Parkinson's disease should have their medication given at appropriate times and should be allowed to self-administer if necessary, the National

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Patient Safety Agency issued a rapid response report (RRR) on omitted and delayed medicines on 24 February 2010, (NSPA/2010/RRR009)

Reducing harm from omitted and delayed medicines in hospital

, which applies to the National Health Service in both England and Wales. A copy of this report has already been placed in the Library, and a copy is available at:

www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/patient-safey-topics/medication-safety/?entryid45=66720&=2

Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, all providers of regulated activities, including care homes have to register with the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England, and meet a set of requirements of safety and quality. One of these requirements relates to the management of medicines and requires that a provider protects service users against the risks associated with the unsafe use and management of medicines.

NHS England’s Safer Medication Practice Team in Patient Safety, is finalising an e-learning package to help reduce omission and delay in the administration of medicines, including for Parkinson’s disease. This package will be available for all health professionals who prescribe, dispense and administer medicines in hospitals. It aims to increase awareness of the frequency of incidents and harm that are associated with omitted and delayed medicine doses in hospital and describes safer practice

In addition, in March 2014, a joint NHS England and The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Patient Safety Alert, ‘Improving medication error incident reporting and learning’, was issued. A copy of this has been placed in the Library and is available at:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/psa-med-error.pdf

This alert directs NHS and independent sector organisations to identify medication safety officers by 19 September 2014. They will be empowered to champion and facilitate local learning from patient safety incidents, including those that arise from omissions and delay of medicines for Parkinson’s disease. A National Medication Safety Network is to be established for discussing potential and recognised safety issues and identifying trends and actions to improve the safe use of medicines. The network will also work with new Patient Safety Improvement Collaborative, that will be set up later this year

NHS England does not hold information on the number of NHS trusts that are involved with the sign up to safety campaign or the number of trusts who have a policy of stocking medicines for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease in their emergency medicines cupboards.

The NPSA RRR referred to above, identified medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease as critical medicines. Although emergency medicine cupboards are not mentioned directly in the RRR, NHS organisations have to review and where necessary make changes to systems for the supply of critical medicines within and outside of hours to minimise risks related to omitted or delayed doses of medicines.

Patient Choice Schemes

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of appointments booked through the NHS Choose and Book service in each of the last 12 months. [207281]

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Jane Ellison: On average, every working day around 40,000 outpatient referrals are booked through Choose and Book and patients from over 90% of GP practices are referred using the Choose and Book service every week. Each month this represents around 500,000 referrals being made from GP practices to first consultant-led outpatient services through Choose and Book.

Use of Choose and Book is, however, significantly greater than this with an additional 200,000 or so referrals per month being booked to other outpatient services, which include allied health professionals, GPs with special interests, diagnostic and assessment services. These are not currently included as part of the utilisation figures below as the denominator data are not currently reported at a national level.

The following table shows the percentage of first outpatient referrals and the total number of referrals booked through Choose and Book between July 2013 and June 2014. Booking reports are available on the Choose and Book website:

www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk/staff/bau/reports/?searchterm=reports

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with (a) NHS bodies and (b) patients' groups on the effectiveness of the NHS Choose and Book service. [207282]

Jane Ellison: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with both national health service bodies and patient groups in which a number of different issues are discussed.

In addition to these conversations, teams within the Health and Social Care Information Centre have carried out extensive conversations on both the effectiveness of Choose and Book and the vision for the new NHS e-Referral Service.

Between September 2013 and 31 August 2014, a total of almost 5,000 users representing almost 500 different NHS and independent organisations have taken part in stakeholder engagement events about Choose and Book.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the levels of patient satisfaction with the NHS Choose and Book service. [207283]

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Jane Ellison: The NHS e-Referral Service (Choose and Book) Programme Team carried out a patient survey in January and February 2014 via the NHS Choices website. The survey received 2024 fully completed responses.

The full results of this survey are available at:

www.chooseandbook.nhs.uk/staff/gettingmore/benefits/2014_Survey_Results

The survey found that 72% of patients referred via Choose and Book are ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the service.

Prisoners: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number and percentage of prisoners who suffer from (a) mental illness and (b) repeat episode depression. [207561]

Norman Lamb: We have made no recent estimate. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) 1998 survey, ‘Psychiatric Morbidity among Prisoners in England and Wales’, is the most recent survey of mental illness and substance misuse amongst prisoners.

The survey showed that a large proportion of the prison population were experiencing significant mental health problems. The ONS estimated that about 90% of adult prisoners had at least one of five disorders considered in the survey (personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, and alcohol misuse and drug dependence). 40% of male sentenced prisoners and 63% of female sentenced prisoners had experienced neurosis, which included depressive disorder and depressive episodes.

Prosthetics

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the practicality and safety of the recycling of prosthesis components issued by the NHS; [207347]

(2) what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of repairs to prostheses in each of the last five years. [207348]

Norman Lamb: No such assessment has been made of the practicality and safety of the recycling of prosthesis components issued by the national health service, or the cost to the NHS of repairs to prostheses in each of the last five years.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2014, Official Report, column 1007W, on radiotherapy, in what respects University College Hospital London has failed to meet NHS England's service specifications for gamma knife services; [206965]

(2) if he will investigate the reasons why NHS England is instructing hospitals with patients presenting as clinically urgent to treat such patients with innovative radiotherapy at the hospital's financial risk while it decides whether to fund the patient; and if he will issue guidelines on how hospitals which have followed that instruction will receive reimbursement for such expenditure if NHS England subsequently refuses to fund the treatment. [206974]

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Jane Ellison: University College Hospitals London (UCHL) did not apply to be a contracted provider of gamma knife services for NHS England. For this reason it has not been formally assessed against the service specification. The gamma knife referred to is owned and operated by Queen’s Square Radiotherapy Centre (QSRC) Ltd, a private company wholly owned by Medical Equipment Solutions Limited, in premises owned by UCLH under a commercial agreement with UCLH.

As the national health service was going through a major transition in 2013-14 it was decided at that time that there should be no new market entrants for stereotactic radiotherapy services. Therefore only existing commissioned providers were asked to identify the services that they considered themselves to be providing, and UCLH did not express an interest in respect to gamma knife treatment. QSRC Ltd is not an existing NHS England commissioned provider and therefore was not assessed against the service specification.

All patients need to be treated in accordance with the prescribed clinical pathways and in line with contractual agreements with providers. If providers treat outside the required contractual agreements then they do so at their own financial risk, and this is why NHS England instructs hospitals to this effect where no contractual arrangement is in place.

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in what age group have been funded for proton beam therapy in each of the last five years; and in what location each person was so treated. [207871]

Jane Ellison: The information is provided in the following table:

It is not possible to provide a more detailed analysis of age group by location of treatment because it might be possible to identify individual patients from the data.

Standardised Packaging for Tobacco Independent Review

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 12 May 2014, Official Report, column 406W, on Standardised Packaging for Tobacco Independent Review, how much was spent under each cost-heading during the life of the Review. [207354]

Jane Ellison: This information is available on the King’s College website:

www.kcl.ac.uk/health/packaging-review.aspx

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Television

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on the purchase of televisions in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date. [207216]

Dr Poulter: The Department has spent £5,202.54 on the purchase of televisions in 2013 and £10,478.20 in 2014 to date.

Travel: Insurance

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will have discussions with the travel insurance industry about including cover for mental health problems as standard in travel insurance policies. [207927]

Norman Lamb: No current discussions are planned between the Secretary of State for Health and the travel insurance industry about including cover for mental health problems in standard travel insurance policies. Decisions on whether to include particular terms and conditions in insurance contracts, including whether to cover mental health problems as standard, are commercial decisions for individual insurers, and the Government do not seek to intervene in these decisions.

The Equality Act 2010 should provide adequate protection from potentially discriminatory practice. Under the Act, it is illegal to discriminate against people who have a disability (which includes mental health problems), or have had one in the past. This includes refusing to provide a service for someone with a disability, or providing the service on worse terms than for non-disabled people.

Energy and Climate Change

Housing: Energy

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of homes reliant on off-grid energy in each (a) constituency and (b) local authority area. [207641]

Matthew Hancock: DECC publishes estimates of the number of households without a gas connection by local authority. These are available on the Government website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sub-national-estimates-of-households-not-connected-to-the-gas-network

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information he has received from the UK civil nuclear sector of the creation of the new N-Group forum; what additional resources have been committed to non-departmental public bodies responsible to his Department to support participation in N-Group; and what discussions he has had with the (a) Chairman and (b) Chief Executive of the Office for Nuclear Regulation on that body joining the N-Group. [207674]

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Matthew Hancock: The Nuclear Institute announced the formation of the N-Group, an informal group of representatives of organisations interested in the UK nuclear industry, in June. No additional resources have been provided to non-departmental public bodies responsible to the Department to support participation in N-Group and I have had no discussions with the Office for Nuclear Regulation about participation.

Communities and Local Government

Fire Services: Pensions

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy that the firefighters' pension scheme be subject to a formal actuarial evaluation every three years. [207278]

Penny Mordaunt: Valuations of the Firefighters' Pension Schemes in England are undertaken in accordance with Directions issued by the Treasury under the Public Service Pensions Act 2013. The Directions ensure that valuations of the Firefighters' Pension Schemes are carried out every four years and that there is a transparent and consistent approach to valuations across public service pension schemes.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will introduce transitional protection in the proposed 2015 pension scheme for those firefighters who joined the service and the pension scheme at age 18 years, and will have made a full contribution before the earliest age at which they could retire within the scheme. [207279]

Penny Mordaunt: The Firefighters' Pension Scheme 2015 does not have a cap on the amount of pension that a firefighter can earn. This means that every year that the firefighter pays employee contributions into the 2015 scheme, they will earn more pension. This is the case whatever age the firefighter joined the 2015 scheme, including if they transferred across from the Firefighters' Pension Scheme 1992 after joining at age 18.

Mobile Homes: Co-operatives

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to encourage the ownership and management of park homes on a co-operative model. [207404]

Brandon Lewis: Park home sites can be jointly owned by home owners and run on a co-operative model. We have not taken steps to promote this. Our priority has been to tackle poor management practices in the sector

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which is why we have implemented the Mobile Homes Act 2013, which significantly increases the rights of home owners and provides them with better protection.

Planning Permission

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department gives on the weight that should be given to a neighbourhood or village plan that has been submitted to a planning authority when considering planning applications. [207308]

Brandon Lewis: Planning applications are determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. An emerging neighbourhood plan may be a material consideration. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the weight that may be given to emerging plans in decision taking. We have set out in planning guidance where circumstances may justify the refusal of planning permission on the grounds that an application would be premature in relation to the emerging Local or neighbourhood plan. Any weight a relevant policy could carry in determining a planning application remains with the decision maker.

Television

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on the purchase of televisions in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date. [207209]

Kris Hopkins: The Department for Communities and Local Government has not purchased any televisions in 2013 and 2014. To place this in context, the Department in the last Parliament under the previous Administration spent £22,527 on four flat-screen televisions, equivalent to £5,632 per television—as outlined in the answers of 1 September 2009, Official Report, column 1832W and 16 December 2009, Official Report, column 1265W.

Home Department

Assaults on Police

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers serving in each force were physically or verbally abused during the course of their duties in each of the last five years. [207766]

Mike Penning: The table provided contains statistics on the number of police officers assaulted while on duty in England and Wales, by each police force area, 2009-10 to 2013-14.

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5 Sep 2014 : Column 396W

Civil Disorder: Compensation

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received regarding the amount of compensation that would be received by businesses for damages from rioting under the proposed reforms to the Riot (Damages) Act 1886; and if she will make a statement. [207569]

Mike Penning: A number of organisations responded to the recent public consultation on reform of the Riot (Damages) Act. The consultation ran from 5 June to 1 August. These responses covered the full range of proposals, including the Independent Reviewer’s recommendation to cap compensation based on business turnover. These representations are being considered and the Government’s response to the consultation will be published in due course.

Departmental Records

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used in her Department to decide what historic files should be (a) retained and (b) destroyed; when these criteria were established; and what reviews have been undertaken of these criteria since. [204142]

Karen Bradley: The Department’s policy on whether to retain or destroy a file is to follow the cross-governmental guidance provided by The National Archives (TNA)

5 Sep 2014 : Column 397W

where the length of retention is allocated based on legal or business requirements and historical importance. The result is that files are kept for different lengths of time depending on their content.

Those files where another Government Department is the policy lead or which contain minimal or duplicated content are kept for the shortest period before destruction. This period could be up to 10 years. Those which contain papers relating to issues such as legislation, major policies or notable events may be kept for up to 25 years with some files being transferred to TNA following a review of their importance in line with policy and their value for future historical research. These arrangements have been in place since 1982, with the most recent review of procedures having taken place in 2010.

NATO

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the cost of policing the NATO summit in Newport. [207377]

Mike Penning: The majority of the summit costs will be met by Her Majesty's Government. The overall final costs are expected to be reported formally after the summit has concluded.

Police: St Helena

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources UK police forces provided to the police service of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena in each of the last five years. [207764]

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold information on all official visits by UK police officers to Saint Helena. However, since January 2009, under section 26 of the Police Act (1996), the Home Office has authorised deployments of three UK police officers to St Helena to provide advice to the St Helena police: a detective constable in 2010 and a chief superintendent and detective constable in 2013.

Police: Surveillance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what safeguards have been put in place to prevent undercover police officers from forming sexual relationships with those they are investigating. [207400]

Mike Penning: The Code of Ethics, published by the College of Policing on 15 July 2014, sets out the principles and the standards of professional behaviour expected of all police officers in England and Wales. The Code of Ethics makes clear that police officers must:

“not engage in sexual conduct or other inappropriate behaviour when on duty.”

The revised Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) Codes of Practice were laid in Parliament on 22 July 2014. The revised Codes of Practice make it clear that, in the same way as other police officers, all undercover officers must comply and uphold the principles and standards set out in the Code of Ethics.

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Special Constables

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Special Constables in the (a) Metropolitan Police and (b) Greater Manchester Police have been subject to disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five years; and how many such officers were subsequently relieved of their duties following such proceedings. [207765]

Mike Penning: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of special constables that have been subject to disciplinary proceedings, nor those who were subsequently relieved of their duties following such proceedings. However, the Home Office does collect statistics on the number of special constables that have been dismissed and figures for (a) and (b) have been provided in the following table. The reasons for dismissal cannot be identified.

Treasury

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether households comprising (a) one disabled parent unable to work and another parent in work and (b) a single disabled parent will be entitled to receive help through tax free childcare. [207930]

Priti Patel: Details of the eligibility criteria for Tax-Free Childcare can be found in Chapter 2 of ‘Delivering Tax-free Childcare: the Government's response to the consultation on design and operation’:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/318953/PU1607_Tax_free_Childcare _response.pdf

Credit: Interest Rates

Mike Kane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of (a) the number of payday firms that will be in operation and (b) the projected consumer demand for payday loans in (i) 2015, (ii) 2016 and (iii) 2017. [207342]

Andrea Leadsom: The Government have fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market. Responsibility for consumer credit regulation transferred from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014.

In the FCA's consultation paper on the cap on the cost of payday loans, the FCA assesses that its proposals will lead to a risk of contraction in both the online and

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high-street markets. FCA modelling suggests that its cap proposals would mean at least one high street firm would continue to offer payday loans and at least the three largest online firms continuing in the market, although the FCA expects that more firms will be able to adapt their businesses to operate under the price cap and remain in the market.

Mike Kane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what analysis his Department has made of the performance of credit caps on payday lending firms in operation in (a) the USA, (b) Canada and (c) Australia. [207343]

Andrea Leadsom: The Government legislated to require the FCA to introduce a cap on the cost of payday loans, to protect consumers from unfair costs.

In making this decision the Government considered the international evidence in support of a cap. As part of its work to design a cap to meet the needs of UK consumers, the FCA took into account international comparators conducting detailed case studies on experiences of price cap setting in Australia, Canada, US, Finland and Japan. The FCA spoke to international regulators and experts to understand the rationale and designs of price caps, as well as the impact they had on consumers and industry in these countries.

EU Law

Mr Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many new EU directives and regulations have been transposed into UK law by his Department since May 2010. [207266]

Mr Gauke: Details of all current EU legislation are on the Euro-Lex website:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/browse/directories/legislation.html

We do not hold a central record of the EU directives the Treasury has transposed into UK law since 2010 nor a record of all EU regulations that came into effect during that period.

Gold: Prices

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2014, Official Report, column 121W, on gold prices, if he will request that the review into the operation of the gold market consider the appropriateness of allowing and encouraging gold investments within ISAs. [207326]

Andrea Leadsom: The Fair and Effective Markets Review, which has been tasked with considering how to raise standards in fixed income, currency and commodity markets, has been in operation since June 2014. The terms of reference for the FEMR can be found at

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/Documents/news/2014/tor.pdf

At this time, the Government have no plans to amend the terms of reference.

NATO

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government will repay additional costs incurred as a result of hosting the NATO Summit by (a) the Welsh government, (b) Welsh local authorities and (c) Welsh police forces. [207631]

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Danny Alexander: In line with established arrangements for funding comparable events, the general principle is that costs directly related to the event, such as those directly attributable to infrastructure and policing for specific supporting activities at the summit and the UK role in hosting, will be met by the UK Government. However, additional costs which in the devolved context normally fall under the remit of the devolved Administration are expected to be met from within existing budgets.

Revenue and Customs

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs staff worked in the Personal Tax (Operations) Directorate in July 2014; and what his forecast is of the number working in that Directorate in (a) October 2014, (b) January 2015, (c) April 2015, (d) July 2015, (e) October 2015, (f) January 2016 and (g) April 2016. [206677]

Mr Gauke: The Department does not generally release staffing figures at a Directorate level.

Tobacco

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many arrests HM Revenue and Customs has made in (a) Medway and (b) Kent for offences relating to the sale of illicit cigarettes in each of the last 10 years; [207962]

(2) how many occasions a lottery retailing licence has been removed for selling illicit (a) cigarettes and (b) alcohol in each of the last 10 years; [207963]

(3) on how many occasions HM Revenue and Customs has formally objected to the renewal of a retailer's alcohol licence for selling illicit tobacco in each of the last 10 years. [207964]

Priti Patel: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Criminal Investigation (CI) is responsible for carrying out enforcement action to seize non duty paid alcohol and cigarettes, be they illicit or otherwise. Our Management Information (MI) does not differentiate between the different types of cigarettes or alcohol and we do not provide data on a regional basis, only national statistics. HMRC CI does record the number of arrests made but again these data is not differentiated between the different types of cigarettes or alcohol and we do not provide data on a regional basis only national statistics.

HMRC is not responsible for making an application to the courts for the revoking of a trader’s retail alcohol licence: that remains the responsibility of the appropriate Trading Standards office. Normally Trading Standards Officers will accompany HMRC CI officers when they visit a premises suspected of having non duty paid or illicit tobacco or alcohol products. If such products are found, then they can evidence the fact and take such action they deem appropriate. HMRC CI MI does not capture such referrals nor the results of any action that may be taken by the appropriate authority.

Similarly HMRC is not responsible for terminating a trader’s National Lottery Licence: that remains the responsibility of Camelot. Where HMRC CI seizes non paid or illicit tobacco or alcohol products, there is a protocol for Camelot to be notified so they can take

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such action they deem appropriate. HMRC CI MI does not capture such referrals nor the results of any action that may be taken by the appropriate authority.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of cigarettes on which tax has not been paid in (a) Gillingham and Rainham constituency, (b) Kent and (c) England in the latest period for which figures are available. [207961]

Priti Patel: Estimates of the volume losses associated with the illicit market for cigarettes for the period 2008-09 to 2012-13 are published in ‘Tobacco Tax Gap estimates: 2012-13’. The figures are available in table 1.1.

These estimates cannot be disaggregated by the type of illicit activity, e.g. through smuggling, counterfeiting or other fraud, or by any geographical level lower than the UK.

The methodology for producing the estimates are provided in the ‘Methodological Annex for Measuring Tax Gaps 2013'.

The “Tobacco Tax Gap estimates” can be accessed via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/249543/131009_Publication_of_ Tobacco_Tax_Gap_estimates_2012-13.pdf

Transport

Buses: Tyres

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date he plans to publish the conclusions to research into tyre-ageing on buses and coaches that he commissioned in December 2013. [207824]

Claire Perry: My officials have consulted with experts from the British and the European tyre manufacturing industry who have provided consistent advice that chronological age is not an indicator of a tyre’s mechanical properties. Further research is currently being planned and the outcomes will be available next year.

Cycleways

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many segregated bicycle lanes have been constructed in England in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; [207928]

(2) how many segregated bicycle lanes have been constructed in England in each of the last 20 years. [207899]

Mr Goodwill: The Department for Transport does not centrally hold figures for how many segregated bicycle lanes have been constructed over the last twenty years. The Department has provided significantly more funding than the previous administration to local authorities to implement cycling schemes, including segregated bicycle lanes, for instance through the Cycling Ambition Grants, Local Sustainable Transport Fund and Local Growth Fund.

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Directly Operated Railways

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what total mobilisation costs have been incurred by each franchise operated by Directly Operated Railways since 6 May 2010. [207864]

Claire Perry: The only franchise operated by Directly Operated Railways (DOR) since 6 May 2010 is InterCity East Coast. The costs for mobilising DOR to take over the running of that franchise in November 2009, as reported by the National Audit Office (NAO), were £5.6 million. The full NAO report was published on 22 March 2011 and is available on the NAO website at:

http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/1011824.pdf

Driving: Licensing

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving licence (a) applications and (b) renewals breached the target timeframe for processing in each of the last five years; and in how many such cases the breach arose as a result of delays in medical assessments. [207167]

Claire Perry: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not hold separate figures for applications for a driving licence and renewal applications which missed the target for processing. However, the total number of driving licence applications where the target time for processing has been breached is shown in the table:

The number of applications and renewal applications where the target was missed due to medical investigations also includes cases where the DVLA has been notified of a medical condition which requires further investigation. However, these notifications were not necessarily associated with an application for a driving licence or an application to renew a licence.

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving licence (a) applications and (b) renewals the DVLA has received in each of the last five years. [207184]

Claire Perry: The number of driving licence applications and applications to renew a licence received at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in the last five years is set out in the table below:

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Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the current target timeframe is for processing of driving licence (a) applications and (b) renewals; and whether the same timeframe applies in the case of licences that have a medical test as part of the application. [207185]

Claire Perry: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) targets for processing driving licence applications are to deliver:

98% of first provisional driving licences within eight working days;

98% of vocational driving licences within eight working days; and

98% of all other driving licence applications, including renewal applications, within 10 working days.

Where a driving licence application requires medical investigations, the target is to conclude 90% of all cases and make a licensing decision within 90 working days.

EU Law

Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new EU directives and regulations have been transposed into UK law by his Department since May 2010. [207265]

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport has transposed 44 EU directives since May 2010. This number comprises fully transposed directives which originated from the European Commission’s Directorate General Mobility and Transport.

The Department for Transport has been tracking EU regulations since 8 July 2010. Since that date, 164 EU regulations in the Department for Transport’s area of responsibility have come into effect.

Details of all EU legislation, including full details of all EU regulations that came into force before 08/07/2010, can be found on the Commission’s website:

http://old.eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm

for older legislation and

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/homepage.html?locale=en

for legislation since 1 April 2014.

Ferries: Safety

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the current level of compliance is with the (a) Merchant Shipping (Weighing of Goods Vehicles and other Cargo) Regulations 1988, (b) Merchant Shipping (Weighing of Goods Vehicles and other Cargo)

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(Amendment) Regulations 1989 and (c) Merchant Shipping (Weighing of Goods Vehicles and other Cargo) (Application to non-UK Ships) Regulations 1989 at each UK port licensed to operate passenger ferry services. [207124]

Mr Hayes: Shipping companies are required to have in place procedures for ensuring that the weighed weights of trucks are used for stability calculations, and these procedures are documented in the ships Safety Management System which is audited regularly by surveyors of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). MCA surveyors inspect car ferries in operation, and part of the checks confirm that the ships' masters are correctly using the weight information supplied by weighbridges.

As a result of these proactive audit process the MCA does not routinely collect information on compliance with the Merchant Shipping (Weighing of Goods Vehicles and other Cargo) Regulations 1988 (as amended).

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the current level of compliance is with the Merchant Shipping (Emergency Equipment Lockers for Ro/Ro Passenger Ships) Regulations 1988 amongst ship owners operating licensed passenger ferry services from UK ports; what the penalties are for non-compliance; and if he will publish a list of all instances of non-compliance with these regulations recorded by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency since 1988. [207127]

Mr Hayes: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) does not record the information in the format requested.

The MCA does record non-compliance, or deficiencies, of items for which there are specific codes, for example emergency lighting. The Emergency Equipment Lockers do not have a specific code, and items similar to those kept in the Emergency Equipment Locker may be located in other parts of the ship. These may need to be recorded as non-compliant although the records do not indicate whether such deficiencies relate to equipment in one of the Emergency Equipment Lockers or elsewhere in the ship.

The penalties for non-compliance are:

‘the owner and master of the ship shall each be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, or on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or a fine or both.’

Level 5 is currently set at £5,000.

Malaysia Airlines

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will discuss with the Civil Aviation Authority the lessons to be learned following the loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. [207882]

Mr Goodwill: The Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority are already working closely together in considering the impact and lessons learned from flight MH17. The UK Government are also playing an active role in the taskforce set up by the International Civil Aviation Organisation to consider the international management of overflight risks in conflict zones.

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Merseyrail

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether Merseyrail has an appropriate emergency response plan to deal with a terrorist attack on the rail network; and on what date the last Merseyrail emergency response drill was carried out. [207806]

Claire Perry: The National Railways Security Programme (NRSP) requires all Train Operating Companies, including Merseyrail, to have response procedures in place to respond to any security incidents on their stations and trains and to review these contingency plans annually. It also recommends that they exercise these plans on an annual basis. The Department does not collect information on the frequency of exercises because this is a matter for decision by the rail operators within the framework set by the NRSP.

Network Rail

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there is a mechanism to enable the transfer of Network Rail's Control Period 6 funding into Control Period 5; and whether such a mechanism has been used. [207862]

Claire Perry: Network Rail's funding requirement for Control Period 5 was settled in the Office of Rail Regulation's Final Determination for 2014-19 published in October 2013. Network Rail has committed to deliver its obligations within this level of funding. Were more funding ultimately required to deliver contracted obligations at an efficient cost, this would be a matter for the regulator to discuss with the Secretary of State. Funding for the next Control Period (2019-24) will not be determined until the regulator completes its next periodic review in 2018.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date he expects to introduce legislation to make Network Rail subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [207863]

Claire Perry: The Government and Network Rail have agreed that Network Rail will be subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to its public functions. This requires secondary legislation, which the Government will bring forward at the next opportunity with the intention of making Network Rail subject to the Freedom of Information Act by April 2015.

Before then Network Rail will continue to exercise transparency to the public through its Transparency Strategy, which includes a voluntary information publication scheme. This was introduced in June 2012 to make the company more transparent and accountable to the wider public.

Nottingham-Lincoln Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make an announcement on improvements to the Nottingham to Lincoln line. [207826]

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Claire Perry: My officials have been working with East Midlands Trains, local authorities, LEPs and Newark Business Club, in order to develop proposals to provide an improved train service for passengers travelling between Nottingham and Lincoln, following service cuts overseen by the previous Government.

We are hopeful that a decision will be made in the coming weeks.

Pedestrian Crossings

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the recommendations contained in the report, A review of pedestrian walking speeds and time needed to cross the road, published by Living Streets and Transport Research Laboratory on 1 September 2014. [207955]

Mr Goodwill: The Department notes the recommendation that the relevant guidance on this subject should be updated.

The Department expects to bring the successor to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions, which will include all pedestrian crossing types, into force in 2015 and once that is complete will consider the need to update existing guidance.

Railways

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the process is for the review of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage; when that review will be completed; and whether there will be consultation with (a) consumer groups and (b) the general public about the outcome of that review. [207166]

Claire Perry: The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) is responsible for the National Rail Conditions of Carriage (NRCoC). The NRCoC is a Schedule to the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA), an agreement between train operators that sets out arrangements for the carriage of passengers and the retailing of tickets. The written approval of the Secretary of State for Transport is required before any changes can be made to the NRCoC.

ATOC is currently reviewing the NRCoC, with a view to publishing a revised version in spring 2015. ATOC has stated that it intends to consult passenger groups (including Passenger Focus and London TravelWatch) on any changes it proposes to make to the current NRCoC before submitting the revised version to the Secretary of State for approval.

Railways: North of England

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with rolling stock companies on the replacement or refurbishment of Pacer units as part of the Northern/TPE franchise consultation. [207866]

Claire Perry: We expect to require bidders for the Northern and TPE franchises to put forward options for replacing Pacer units, which for many are a source of dissatisfaction with rail services in the north. The Secretary

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of State for Transport has not had any discussions with rolling stock companies regarding this as it is a matter for train operators.

Rescue Services

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 of 10 February 2014, reference F0001198, for what reasons the Maritime and Coastguard Agency cannot attribute incidents to any particular Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. [207419]

Mr Hayes: The instances whereby Coastguard incidents cannot be attributed to any particular Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) are caused when an incident is created with no attendant position.

These may be inland incidents where a MRCC was advised but not involved, such as the use of a Search and Rescue Helicopter for a non-maritime task, or where an incident was logged with no certainty of the position of the casualty.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local highways authorities are not members of maintenance alliances. [207937]

Mr Goodwill: The Department does not hold the information on which local highway authorities are members or not of maintenance alliances as it is for each highway authority to decide on whether they wish to become a member.

The Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme does, however, hold information on each alliance that has been formed and this can be seen at the following weblink:

http://www.highwaysefficiency.org.uk/connect-and-share/connect/collaborative-alliances.html

In July 2012 the Programme published a toolkit which promotes the benefits of highway authorities

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working collaboratively with other authorities as part of an alliance. This toolkit can be found at the following weblink:

http://www.highwaysefficiency.org.uk/efficiency-resources/collaboration--change/local-highway-authorities-collaborative-alliances-toolkit.html

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local highways authorities do not use the pothole repair methods recommended in the highways maintenance efficiency programme report, Prevention and a Better Cure: Potholes Review, published in April 2012. [207938]

Mr Goodwill: The Department encourages local highway authorities to adopt the recommendations and approaches set out in the Pothole Review Report. Applications submitted by local highway authorities through the £200 million Pothole Fund announced in the Budget of March 2014 demonstrated that the majority of authorities had implemented recommendations in the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme report.

It is, however, for each local highway authority to decide on the methods to be applied to pothole repairs based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the National Audit Office report, Maintaining strategic infrastructure: roads, what savings, under what headings, the Highways Agency has made in each of the last three financial years; and what savings are forecast for 2014-15. [207939]

Mr Hayes: The savings achieved in the past three years (2011/12 to 2013/14) total £136 million. The forecast for 2014/15 is £102 million (remains in line with the forecast in the June NAO report). This would total savings of £238 million for the four year SR10 period ending in 2014/15. Almost two thirds of the total savings will be achieved through maintenance contracts. See following table.

In reference to the National Audit Office (NAO) report, ‘Maintaining strategic infrastructure: roads’, the Highways Agency took a range of actions to achieve the savings and budget reductions set in the Spending Review 2010 (SR10). The main action relating to maintenance was; to renegotiate its existing and continuing maintenance contracts to give an affordable level of service; and it also developed a new type of contract in which it specified outcomes rather than prescribing maintenance activities. When maintenance contracts are renewed they are negotiated using the new type of contract. The majority of savings were anticipated to be achieved through the contract renegotiations.

Another area of savings identified in the NAO report was the use of in-house staff to cover areas of work such as commercial and asset management.

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the scope for the Highways Agency and local highways authorities to share departments, plant and staff and other resources used by their contractors; and what estimate he has made of the savings arising from such integration of resources. [207940]

Mr Goodwill: While no assessment or estimate of savings has been made in respect of the Highways

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Agency and local highway authorities integrating services, the Highways Agency takes advantage of opportunities to share resources with local authorities where it is able to do so and it is appropriate.