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Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 11 September 2014

Home Department

Arrest Warrants

Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many German nationals have been extradited to the UK under a European Arrest Warrant in each of the last 10 years. [199523]

James Brokenshire: Due to the way data were recorded prior to 2009, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of surrenders of German nationals for the years prior to 2009/10.

According to information obtained from the National Crime Agency, between the 2009/2010 and 2013/2014 business years, two German nationals were extradited to the UK under a European Arrest Warrant from Germany.

The individuals were Frank Schaper and Michael Luck.

Schaper was wanted for the fraudulent evasion of excise duty after entering the UK driving a lorry containing 8,435,200 cigarettes. No duty had been paid on the cigarettes, and the duty evaded totalled £1,242,080. After failing to attend court in the UK, Schaper was arrested in Germany in September 2009 and extradited back to the UK on 18 September 2009.

Luck was involved in a collision which resulted in the death of another lorry driver in the UK. He failed to appear at a police station as instructed, and was thought to have fled to Germany. When Luck was eventually located in Germany, he was found to be serving a sentence for another offence. The German authorities subsequently agreed to his temporary surrender and he was returned to the UK on 17 June 2011 to stand trial. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment. He was transferred back to Germany on 17 October 2011 to serve both his remaining German sentence, and his UK sentence.

Figures for 2013 indicate that the main ground for refusal of extradition by Germany to all EU countries, not just the UK, was under Article 4(6) of the European Arrest Warrant Framework Decision. This provides that where the person has been requested to serve a sentence, the executing state may refuse to extradite its nationals and residents, and instead enforce the sentence in that state.

Civil Disorder: Compensation

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential effect of reforms proposed by her Department to the Riot (Damages) Act 1986 on the level of compensation paid to businesses. [208001]

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Mike Penning: A full financial impact assessment was published alongside the recent public consultation on reform of the Riot (Damages) Act. The consultation ran from 5 June to 1 August. Submissions to the consultation are now being considered and the Government’s response, including a revised impact assessment, will be published in due course.

Counter-terrorism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total amount spent on the Prevent programme was in each of the last five years; and how much of that was allocated via local authorities in each such year. [207956]

James Brokenshire: The Prevent strategy was revised in June 2011. Since then, the funding allocations for the Prevent programme were as follows:

In each of these years, £5.1 million has been made available to local authorities on a grant basis to deliver Prevent work at local level.

The 2011 Prevent strategy separated Prevent and integration work. As a result, the Department for Communities and Local Government leads the Government’s integration strategy. Integration work no longer receives funding from the Home Office. It is therefore misleading to draw comparisons between Prevent funding figures before and after 2011.

Counter-terrorism: Cardiff

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the support given to the Cardiff Prevent priority area by the Office of Security and Counter Terrorism. [208017]

James Brokenshire: Since the revised Prevent strategy was published in June 2011, the Home Office has worked closely with local authorities in Prevent priority areas, and therefore has an ongoing understanding of the effectiveness of programmes in a given area. A monitoring framework to assess the performance of local authority Prevent priority areas has been established, giving a systematic overview of all funded posts and projects. These performance monitoring data inform the Government's report on our counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST, which is published annually.

Crime: Maps

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including fraud data as notified to the National Intelligence Bureau in crime maps produced by her Department. [208175]

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Norman Baker: Home Office officials are currently consulting with interested parties and users of Police.uk to assist us to determine the future direction and content of the Police.uk site. The potential merits of including fraud data on crime maps will form part of this consultation with the National Fraud Investigation Bureau, Action Fraud and users of the site.

Crime: Mental Illness

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the role of crime agencies in caring for and supporting people with mental health problems. [207985]

Mike Penning: The Government published a national mental health Crisis Care Concordat on 18 February which was agreed by over 20 national stakeholders. The Concordat sets out the roles of criminal justice and health agencies in dealing with people with mental health needs. The Department of Health, supported by the Home Office and Mind, is encouraging local areas to sign up to the principles of the Concordat, with the expectation that all areas in England will have signed local declarations by December 2014.

The Home Office is taking a range of action with partners across Government to improve the way people with mental health issues are supported when they come into contact with the police. We have set up street triage and liaison and diversion schemes so police officers can work alongside mental health nurses on patrol and in police stations. Also, the Home Office and Department of Health are reviewing sections 135 and 136 of the Mental Health Act to ensure people with mental health problems are not unnecessarily held in police custody.

The Home Secretary will be hosting a Policing and Mental Health Summit on 23 October. The event, jointly led with Black Mental Health UK, will focus on police interaction with those with mental health problems.

Cycling: Pedestrian Areas

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests and (b) cautions have been made in each of the last five years relating to cycling on pavements. [208401]

Norman Baker: The information requested on arrests is not held centrally by the Home Office.

The number of offenders cautioned for offences of riding on the footway in England and Wales from 2009 to 2013, supplied by the Ministry of Justice, is provided in the following table:

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Entry Clearances: Indian Subcontinent

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken was for a decision on a visa application in each category in (a) Mumbai and (b) Islamabad in the most recent period for which figures are available. [205898]

James Brokenshire: The table sets out the average time taken in days for decisions to be made on visa applications considered in Mumbai and Islamabad between 1 January and 31 March 2014, by category of application.

Homosexuality

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many men had convictions for offences related to consensual gay sex expunged from their criminal records in each year since 2012. [208531]

Karen Bradley: As of 9 September 2014 the number of individuals who have had convictions for offences related to consensual gay sex expunged from their criminal records in each year since 2012 are:

There are three outstanding cases. Some individuals have made multiple applications.

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Immigration

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of her Department's expenditure on the (a) immigration system once associated fee income has been deducted and (b) asylum system in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available. [204254]

James Brokenshire: The information is as follows:

For the immigration system net costs, we show the cost of Immigration Overseas; Border Control; Immigration In Country and Enforcement directorates.

For asylum costs, we show the asylum support costs within the UK Visas and Immigration directorate.

Interception Warrants

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to her Defence and Security lecture on 24 June 2014, and to the estimated 20 cases dropped by the National Crime Agency, how many communication warrants were applied for in such cases; how many such requests were rejected by the telecommunication companies; and what reason was given for each such rejection. [202544]

James Brokenshire: Communications data are a vital tool needed by law enforcement agencies to investigate crime, protect the public and ensure national security. These agencies' capability to access these data when they are needed is degrading as a result of rapidly changing technology. The figures quoted in the speech at Mansion House on 24 June demonstrate the impact that capability gaps are having on investigations.

With reference to the 13 incidents involving children, these cases could not be pursued because the data needed to identify them from their activities online were not available. The current status of these children is therefore unknown. Where the Single Point of Contact in a law enforcement agency knows that data are not held by the service provider in question, they will not process a request for the data in the first place (as it would not be an appropriate use of their powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000).

Journalism: Telephone Tapping

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last year powers under the Regulation of Investigators Powers Act 2000 have been used to access telephone records of journalists. [207910]

James Brokenshire: Law enforcement agencies do not routinely record the professions of individuals who have had their communications data accessed under the Regulation of Investigators Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), as there is no operational reason to do so. Furthermore, at the time that communications data are requested, the police may not be aware of the professions of those individuals that the requested data will relate to.

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Communications data can only be accessed under RIPA when it is necessary for one of the statutory purposes, for example for the prevention and detection of crime, and proportionate to what is sought to be achieved. As well as having to be necessary and proportionate, there are additional safeguards provided by the statutory Acquisition of Communications Data Code of Practice 2007 and independent oversight provided by the independent Interception of Communications Commissioner. We are currently updating the statutory Code, including on whether additional consideration should be given to privileged information, such as from journalists or lawyers.

Pay

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) highest and (b) lowest full-time equivalent salary paid by (i) her Department and (ii) its public bodies was in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12, (C) 2012-13, (D) 2013-14 and (E) 2014-15; and if she will make a statement. [208286]

Karen Bradley: To comply with its duties under the Data Protection Act, the Department publishes senior salary information in £5,000 salary bands. For the given financial years, I can confirm the highest full-time equivalent salary paid falls within the following bands as shown in table 1. This also includes the lowest full-time equivalent salary paid within the Home Office and HMPO.

The highest and lowest full-time equivalent salaries for Home Office non-departmental public bodies are shown in table 2.

Further details on Home Office senior salaries and non departmental public bodies can be found on the gov.uk website:

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Police and Crime Commissioners: Pay

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the process is for setting remuneration for police and crime commissioners; and if she will make a statement. [208818]

Mike Penning: The Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) makes an independent recommendation on police and crime commissioners’ pay for the Home Secretary’s decision.

Police Stations

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the closure and hours reductions of public counters at police stations. [207984]

Mike Penning: Decisions about the most effective use of available resources, including the number and operating hours of police stations and any disposal of such premises, are matters for the chief constables and police and crime commissioners.

It is important not to confuse buildings with the availability and accessibility of the police. There are many good examples of forces doing far more with their money by finding new forms of public contact. These include the non-emergency number, 101, the internet and contact in places such as supermarket surgeries.

Police: Recruitment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what fitness criteria are set for recruits to the police service; and what measures are in place in the police service to assist police officers to lose weight if necessary. [207713]

Mike Penning: The standard fitness criteria for recruitment to the police service in England and Wales is that candidates must pass both an endurance fitness test and a dynamic strength test. The College of Policing has published guidance on the tests and a fitness training programme to assist potential recruits.

The management of the health, safety and welfare of police officers, including wellbeing initiatives to assist officers to maintain a healthy weight, is the responsibility of the individual police forces.

Religious Hatred

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tackle Islamophobia; and if she will make a statement. [208153]

Norman Baker: The coalition Government takes seriously all forms of hate crime, including anti-Muslim hatred, seriously and we have legislation in place to protect people from hostility, hatred and violence.

In May, we published our refreshed cross-Government hate crime action plan—Challenge it, Report it, Stop it, setting out the progress we have made and further steps we will take to address the issue. Specific actions to tackle anti-Muslim hatred include supporting educational

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workshops for young people, running a series of regional roadshows across the country in the spring to engage with communities, and publishing new hate crime guidance for police officers which provides advice on dealing with anti-Muslim hatred.

We also continue to support the work of cross-Government Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, which includes community representatives, to identify what more can be done to prevent anti-Muslim hatred, and respond to any emerging issues.

Stop and Search: West Midlands

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what she anticipates will be achieved by the trial of the new stop and search scheme by West Mercia police. [207982]

Mike Penning: Police.uk currently allows the public to view detailed information about crime, antisocial behaviour and justice outcomes in their local area, displayed on street-level crime maps. The Government’s stop and search reforms will improve the transparency and accountability of the use of stop and search powers by extending mapping on Police.uk to include stop and search data.

Ahead of national roll-out to all 43 forces, the West Mercia trial will test the use of Police.uk to publish stop and search information to the public and encourage user feedback. This will help address any technical issues and allow lessons to be learned on how transparent information on stop and search mapping should be presented. My officials and West Mercia police will work closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office, community groups and force independent advisory groups to do this.

Surveillance

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) with reference to her speech of 24 June 2014 at the Mansion House, in how many of the 13 threat-to-life cases which had to be dropped by the National Crime Agency because of missing communications data in which a child was assessed to be at risk of imminent harm those children are still at risk; [202530]

(2) how many cases have been dropped by the National Crime Agency due to insufficient or missing communications data to date. [202541]

James Brokenshire: Communications data are vital tools needed by law enforcement agencies to investigate crime, protect the public and ensure national security. These agencies’ capability to access these data when they are needed is degrading as a result of rapidly changing technology. The figures quoted in the speech at Mansion House on 24 June 2014 demonstrate the impact that capability gaps are having on investigations.

With reference to the 13 incidents involving children, these cases could not be pursued because the data needed to identify them from their activities online were not available. The current status of these children is therefore unknown. Where the Single Point of Contact in a law enforcement agency knows that data are not held by the service provider in question, they will not

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process a request for the data in the first place (as it would not be an appropriate use of their powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000).

Health

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people were estimated to be binge-drinkers in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [208551]

Jane Ellison: Information is not available in the format requested.

Current Government recommendations are that adult men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day and adult women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day.

The Office for National Statistics classes heavy drinkers as those who drink more than six units in a day for women and more than eight units in a day for men (double the current lower risk guidelines) and this definition is often used as a proxy for “binge drinking”.

Information is available for the percentage of men who drank more than eight units and women who drank more than six units on at least one day in the last week prior to the interview for the General Lifestyle Survey and the General Household Survey (The Office for National Statistics).

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Government's Public Health Responsibility Deal in reducing alcohol-related harms. [208561]

Jane Ellison: The Department is committed to helping people live well for longer. The Responsibility Deal pledge to remove one billion units of alcohol from the market by the end of 2015 (a reduction of around 2%) has a role to play in supporting improvements in reducing alcohol-related harms. In the first year of this four-year pledge, 253 million units of alcohol were taken out of the market. A copy of the report showing this analysis has already been placed in the Library.

Because much alcohol-attributable harm occurs in middle or older age groups as a result of years of drinking above the lower-risk guidelines, even a relatively small reduction is likely to have a significant impact upon long-term and chronic illnesses.

Improving consumer awareness can help people make informed choices about when and how much they drink. For advice on alcohol consumption to be meaningful,

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people need to be able to put it into the context of their own drinking habits. To increase awareness and understanding of alcohol units, the lower-risk drinking guidelines and the Chief Medical Officer’s advice on drinking during pregnancy, 92 companies committed to displaying this information on 80% of bottles and cans by the end of 2013.

An independent market survey has been carried out which we expect to be published shortly. Subject to publication of the final report:

On a market share based on the total numbers of bottles and cans (ie a distinct item), 79.3% of bottles and cans have this information.

On a market share based on alcohol by volume, 69.9% of bottles and cans have this information.

In addition to unit and health information on bottles and cans, pub chains and retailers committed to providing unit and health information. This year, Ipsos Mori carried out an independent survey of whether the public saw such information. 27% of the public said they saw a British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) or Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) unit awareness image; 41% of 18-24-year-olds recalled seeing at least one image; 27% saw something similar and 52% of those also saw BBPA or WSTA materials.

Animal Experiments

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of tests on animals conducted in the UK using mitochondrial replacement techniques in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [208267]

George Freeman: Experiments on animals have been performed over a number of years, with the first successful pronuclear transfer (PNT) technique performed in mice in 1983 by McGrath and Solter. Maternal spindle transfer (MST) is a technique developed in the United States of America in 2009 and has been performed successfully in mice, non-human primates, as well as in sheep and cows. Research on both MST and PNT has been carried out successfully on human embryos. Ongoing studies of PNT and MST continue to be carried out on mice in the United Kingdom.

An extensive review of the safety and efficacy of MST and PNT to prevent mitochondrial disease was completed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s Expert Scientific Panel, which includes detailed consideration of animal model studies and can be found on their website:

www.hfea.gov.uk/docs/Third_Mitochondrial_replacement_scientific_review.pdf

Apprentices

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he and Ministers in his Department have had with Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the proposed reform of apprenticeships; what effect those discussions will have on his Department's projects and the work of their supply chain; and whether officials in his Department sit on programme boards managing the reform. [208211]

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Dr Poulter: The Department has had discussions with counterparts at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on the development of a higher apprenticeship for nursing. Aside from this, the Department has had no other specific discussions with BIS on the subject of apprenticeship reforms in general. However, the Department of Health will be implementing the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme (CSFTAS) in October 2014. This scheme was commissioned by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Head of the Civil Service in October 2012. It is a cross-Government corporate scheme that sits alongside and complements the Civil Service Fast Stream Programme as another talent strand. As this is a cross-Government scheme, BIS would have been directly involved in this initiative.

Managing future talent is a positive aim under the Civil Service Reform Plan and is a key enabler of organisation effectiveness and future delivery of our business.

The CSFTAS demonstrates the Civil Service’s commitment to providing high quality opportunities for young people.

The Department is also working with Cabinet Office colleagues in developing a commercial apprenticeship programme for the civil service.

Cancer

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on cancer services per capita in (a) real terms and (b) cash terms in each of the last five years. [208470]

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

Dementia

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people over the age of 65 presented themselves to a clinician showing key symptoms of dementia in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date. [208264]

Norman Lamb: Data on the proportion of people over the age of 65 who presented themselves to a clinician showing key symptoms of dementia in 2013 and 2014 to date are not centrally held.

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Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of people over the age of 65 were diagnosed with dementia after being admitted to hospital as an emergency inpatient in England in each year since 2009; [208265]

(2) how many deaf British sign language users over the age of 65 were diagnosed with dementia after being admitted to hospital as an emergency in-patient in England in each year since 2009. [208266]

Norman Lamb: Data on the proportion of people over the age of 65 diagnosed with dementia after being admitted to hospital as an emergency in-patient in England in each year since 2009 are not available as we are unable to determine whether a patient was diagnosed after being admitted to hospital, including British sign language users.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on specialist assessment and diagnostic services for deaf British Sign Language users with dementia in each year since 2010. [208269]

Norman Lamb: Data on how much the National Health Service has spent on specialist assessment and diagnosis services for deaf people including British sign language users with dementia are not available. However, the NHS is advised that it is good clinical practice to take into account a person's general health, including their hearing, when people are investigated and treated for dementia.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on dementia assessment for diagnostic purposes in each year since 2010. [208270]

Norman Lamb: Figures on how much the national health service spent on dementia assessment for diagnostic purposes in each year since 2010 are not collected centrally.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaf British Sign Language users over the age of 65 presented themselves to a clinician showing key symptoms of dementia in 2013-14. [208384]

Norman Lamb: Data on how many deaf British Sign Language users over the age of 65 who presented themselves to a clinician showing key symptoms of dementia in 2013 and 2014 to date are not centrally held.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on dementia training for NHS staff on services for deaf users of British Sign Language in the last year. [208385]

Norman Lamb: There is no specific funding for dementia training for national health service staff on services for deaf users of British Sign Language. It is for individual providers to make the necessary local arrangements. All NHS staff looking after people with dementia will go through a dementia awareness programme. Health Education England staff will provide Tier 1 training to an additional 250,000 staff by March 2015, and will ensure that the tools and training opportunities are available to all staff by the end of 2018.

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Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what policies his Department has implemented to improve the dementia diagnosis rates of deaf British Sign Language users since 2010; [208386]

(2) what the current NHS pathway is for deaf British Sign Language users to obtain a formal dementia diagnosis; [208383]

(3) what targets the Government have set to improve the dementia diagnosis rates of deaf British Sign Language users in the next five years. [208382]

Norman Lamb: There has been no specific policy with regards to dementia diagnosis in relation to deaf British Sign Language users. However, increasing diagnosis rates in general is a key priority in the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia.

NHS England has set the first ever national ambition to improve dementia diagnosis rates. By March 2015, our aim is that two-thirds of people with dementia receive a diagnosis and appropriate post-diagnostic support.

Diabetes: Children

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the number of children diagnosed with diabetes between 2005 and 2013. [208620]

Jane Ellison: This information is not collected centrally.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre collects information via the National Diabetes Audit and reports on the provision of core diabetes care. However, this does not include a full picture of the number of children diagnosed with diabetes.

It is worth noting that around 97% of children with diabetes have type 1, which is unrelated to lifestyle factors.

Drugs: Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of young people hospitalised as a result of legal highs in each year since May 2010. [208619]

Jane Ellison: The information that is collected centrally on hospital admissions for drug poisoning includes poisoning from ‘legal highs’ or new psychoactive substances (NPS), but there is no separate classification for this type of drug. It is not therefore possible to separate out admissions from NPS from other types of drugs.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on each method of fertility treatment in the last 12 months. [208381]

Jane Ellison: This information is not held centrally.

Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities have (a) submitted satisfactory Statements of Assurance, (b) submitted unsatisfactory Statements of Assurance and (c) failed

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to submit Statements of Assurance for the Public Health Grant for 2013-14; [208590]

Jane Ellison: With regard to the first year of the ring- fenced grant, 2013-14, Public Health England (PHE) requested Statements of Assurance on two occasions.

A preliminary Statement of Assurance with a deadline in May 2014 was requested from the 152 local authorities in receipt of a ring-fenced grant. PHE received a satisfactory Statement of Assurance from all 152 local authorities.

A final Statement of Assurance with a deadline of 30 September 2014 has been requested from the 152 local authorities in receipt of a ring-fenced grant. As this deadline has yet to be reached, we cannot yet report. PHE is receiving statements on a daily basis and assessing the statements to ensure that they are satisfactory.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people waiting for a (a) hip replacement, (b) cataract operation and (c) knee replacement in May (i) 2010 and (ii) 2014 were on the incomplete waiting list or zero to one week. [208601]

Jane Ellison: The information is not collected in the format requested. Consultant-led referral to treatment waiting times are collected separately for 18 high-volume treatment functions (divisions of clinical work based on main specialty), but not for individual procedures such as hip or knee replacements or cataract operations. Such information as is available is shown in the following table:

In Vitro Fertilisation

Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the authorisation of mitochondrial transfer techniques on the incidence of ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome; and if he will make a statement. [208396]

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that if mitochondria donation was permitted in treatment it is not anticipated that this will impact on the incidence of ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome.

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Mrs Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the increase in the number of donor eggs that is needed to make mitochondrial transfer techniques practicable. [208397]

Jane Ellison: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it has made no estimate of the number of donor eggs needed for mitochondrial replacement treatment.

Infant Mortality

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of recent trends in annual statistics on unexplained deaths in infancy; what steps his Department is taking to encourage further reductions in the rates of such deaths; and if he will make a statement. [208602]

Dr Poulter: Any death of a baby is tragic; unexplained deaths are especially distressing for the families.

The Government are pleased the unexplained infant death rate has reduced and will continue to work to further reduce the risk of sudden infant death. The Department has included advice about the risk of sudden infant death in the Healthy Child Programme, the universal programme for all children from the start of life. Through the programme, health visitors provide advice and support to help parents care better for their child, including information on sudden infant death, such as advice on sleeping positions and co-sleeping and room temperature. We are committed to having an extra 4,200 extra health visitors by 2015.

In addition, comprehensive advice for parents about reducing the risk of cot death is available on the NHS Choices website. The website provides a wealth of information relating to pregnancy, maternity and the early years, including an interactive Pregnancy Care Planner, the Birth to Five guide and a range of videos. This information is linked to by the Start4Life/NHS Information Service for Parents, a free digital service for parents which provides regular national health service and other quality assured advice for both mothers and fathers on a wide range of issues, including how to reduce the risk of cot death.

We have made reducing infant mortality an area of improvement for the NHS in the NHS Outcomes Framework. Reducing infant mortality is also highlighted as an outcome indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.

Maternity Services

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the findings of the recent Royal College of Midwives report, Postnatal Care Planning; and what steps he is taking to address shortages of midwives and ensure that the care received is based on clinical need of the mother. [208501]

Dr Poulter: All women should receive excellent maternity care that focuses on the best outcomes for them and their babies. We are committed to improving choice of place of birth, continuity of care and women’s experience of care. To assist, the Department asked the National

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Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop a quality standard for postnatal care, which was published in July 2013.

To help achieve this, the Government are committed to increasing the number of midwives. The most recent data, October 2013, show that the number of midwives has increased at twice the rate of the number of births, by more than 6%, since May 2010. The latest figures (21 August 2014) show that there are currently 21,870 midwives, 1,738 more than in May 2010. Additionally, there are over 6,000 more midwives in training.

We have committed to maintaining current training numbers for 2014-15 and 2015-16. We have also set out clear objectives for NHS England and for Health Education England in our mandates to them to ensure that the maternity workforce has the right knowledge and training to look after women’s health according to the best clinical practice.

In addition, every woman is able to give feedback on the quality of the maternity care they receive through the Friends and Family Test, and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) conducted a survey of women’s experience of maternity services, including postnatal care, in October last year. Providers and commissioners of maternity services will wish to use the results from the Friends and Family Test and the CQC survey to identify areas where further action is needed to improve services.

Midwives

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations of ‘Midwifery 2020: Delivering Expectations’, published in September 2010; and if he will make a statement. [208595]

Dr Poulter: My hon. Friend will be pleased to note that we have also increased the number of midwives by over 1,700, or 8.6%, since May 2010 and we have made a commitment to ensure that the number of midwives in training is matched to the birth rate. This is now happening and there are over 6,000 more midwives in training to qualify over the next three years.

‘Midwifery 2020: Delivering Expectation’ was consulted and compiled upon during 2009, prior to its publication in 2010, by the then Chief Nursing Officers of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The report is regarded as guidance rather than as a policy document.

Of greater relevance to policy is the document ‘Midwifery Matters: Choice, Access and Continuity of Care in a Safe Service’ first published in 2007 and reviewed again in 2011. This document has its origins with the ‘National service framework: children, young people and maternity services’ (2004) and provides a continuum with regards to the key principles also outlined in the ‘Midwifery 2020’ document.

With the creation of the new national health service infrastructure, the NHS Mandate also outlines the central premise of choice and continuity of care and further underlines the requirement for women-centred care with the reference to personalised maternity services.

The Mandate between the Government and NHS England states that every woman should have a named midwife who is responsible for ensuring she has personalised,

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one-to-one care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the postnatal period.

NHS England is delivering this objective as part of its business priorities for 2014-15. All women will have access to a named midwife by March 2015.

NHS England has also introduced the Friend and Family Test across maternity services. This together with the NHS Outcomes Framework quality measures for maternity will drive quality improvement to better meet the needs of women.

The Department and NHS England are also making good progress in implementing the six core values, known as the 6Cs, in the ‘Compassion in Practice nursing and midwifery strategy’, published in December 2012. The majority of trusts have adopted the 6Cs as part of their nursing and midwifery strategies.

Health Education England is leading the Personalised Maternity Care Project, which is exploring how achievable the ‘Midwifery 2020’ vision is—both in the short term and by 2022. It triangulates the views of commissioners, service providers, the universities providing midwifery education, lay and user groups. Other professions working in maternity care have also contributed to this scoping project. Health Education England will publish the report later this autumn.

These initiatives are making good progress in achieving the principles of the ‘Midwifery 2020’ report in England.

NHS: Private Patients

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many privately-funded (a) knee replacement procedures, (b) hip replacement procedures and (c) cataract operations were conducted in NHS hospitals in England in each year since 2009-10. [208625]

Jane Ellison: In the table, we have provided information concerning the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs)¹ with a main or secondary procedure² of knee replacement, hip replacement and cataract surgery, where the patient is a private patient treated in a national health service hospital, for the period 2009-10 to 2012-13³.

¹ A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.

² The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 (12 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and

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4 prior to 2002-03) procedure fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure. For example, patients undergoing a ‘cataract operation’ would tend to have at least two procedures– removal of the faulty lens and the fitting of a new one – counted in a single episode.

³ HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.

Nurses

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many acute, elderly and general nurses were employed in (a) each NHS region and (b) each Agenda for Change band in (i) May 2010 and (ii) May 2014; [208592]

(2) how many nurses were employed in each Agenda for Change band in (a) May 2010 and (b) May 2014; [208591]

(3) how many nurses were employed in each NHS region in May (a) 2010 and (b) 2014. [208624]

Dr Poulter: The provisional monthly national health service hospital and community health service workforce statistics, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, show the numbers of nurses and the numbers of acute, elderly and general nurses by NHS region working in the NHS in England and can be broken down by Agenda for Change (AfC) band.

In May 2014 there were 175,235 full-time equivalent acute, elderly and general nurses working in the NHS in England, which is over 6,300 more since May 2010.

The numbers of nurses and the numbers of acute, elderly and general nurses by NHS region and by AfC band in May 2010 and May 2014 are shown in the attached table.

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Prisons: Mental Health Services

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mental healthcare provision is available for prison inmates in England; what assessment he has made of the performance and adequacy of this provision; and if he will make a statement. [208387]

Norman Lamb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Luciana Berger) on 7 July 2014, Official Report, columns 45-46W.

Vaccination

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) in which areas NHS England commissioned immunisation services from community pharmacies in the 2013-14 financial year; what estimate he has made of the number of community pharmacies which were commissioned to deliver immunisation services in each area; what estimate he has made of the number of doses of vaccine which were delivered though community pharmacies in the 2013-14 financial year in each area; and if he will make a statement; [207586]

(2) how community pharmacies are paid for the delivery of immunisation services in each area of the UK where NHS England commissions them to do so. [207587]

George Freeman: Information is not held centrally by NHS England on immunisation services commissioned locally from community pharmacists.

NHS England has advised that such immunisation services are commissioned by NHS England, through service level agreements, as local enhanced services within the community pharmacy contractual framework. As this type of service is commissioned according to local need, actual payments will vary.

Culture, Media and Sport

Apprentices

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he and Ministers in his Department have had with Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on the proposed reform of apprenticeships; what effect those discussions will have on his Department's projects and the work of their supply chain; and whether officials in his Department sit on programme boards managing that reform. [208208]

Mrs Grant: DCMS has been engaged with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on apprenticeship reforms, in particular on the tourism industry and creative industries. The second phase of Apprenticeship Trailblazers includes Professional Chefing,

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and Hospitality and Tourism Supervisors and Managers. I also launched and co-chair a Tourism Industry Council with the Minister for Skills and Equalities, Nick Boles. The Council’s aim is to improve skills, qualifications and apprenticeships within the sector and will include engagement with the apprenticeship reform scheme.

There are now more than 4,200 apprenticeships in the creative industries, plus more than 45,000 apprenticeships in ICT. The cinema industry, crafts and newspaper and broadcast media sectors are all taking part in the second phase of the Apprenticeship Trailblazers.

BBC Trust

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport other than the members of the BBC Trust appointed to represent specific nations, how many of the existing Trust members have their main home outside London. [208205]

Mr Vaizey: The BBC Trust has advised that other than the members of the BBC Trust appointed to represent specific nations, one other Trust member's main home is outside London. Therefore, in total five of the eleven existing trustees have their main home outside London.

Broadband

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to promote competition in the provision of 4G services. [208600]

Mr Vaizey: The UK has a highly competitive mobile market offering consumers some of the best choice and value in Europe. Ofcom's design of the 2013 spectrum auction supported a competitive market with four wholesale mobile network operators. All of the operators have launched their services and there are now upwards of 5 million subscribers to 4G services in the UK. Despite only one of the operators having a coverage obligation on their licence to be met by 2017, all of the operators have announced their intention to reach 98% of the UK population by the end of 2015. The Government have taken steps to reduce the cost of rollout of mobile infrastructure, including through planning reforms introduced in summer 2013, and we are considering what more can be done.

Direct Selling

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps his Department has taken to provide protection to people suffering from nuisance telephone calls. [208547]

Mr Vaizey: The issue of nuisance calls is a priority for the Department and we are pursuing a range of options for reform. This includes both legislative and non-legislative measures, which will help to better protect consumers. On 30 March 2014, we published our Nuisance Calls Action Plan, which includes proposals for legislation to enable Ofcom to share information more easily with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The measure became effective on 15 July and will help in ICO’s efforts to take more enforcement action against companies

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that deliberately continue to break the rules. Also, we will shortly consult to lower the legal threshold that will enable ICO to take more enforcement action against organisations that breach the regulations, including those that currently manage to avoid having monetary penalties issued to them. Further details about the range of work that has been completed and is also underway is outlined in the Action Plan, which can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nuisance-calls-action-plan-unveiled

Football: Homophobia

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of homophobic incidents that have occurred in professional football in each year since 2010; and what steps he is taking to improve access to football for LGBT people. [208617]

Mrs Grant: The FA have been recording cases of antidiscrimination centrally since the start of the 2013/14 season, cases having previously been recorded by county FAs. The 2013/14 season showed 587 antidiscrimination cases in total, of which 8% were in respect of sexual orientation.

DCMS and the FA take matters of discrimination very seriously: any form of racism, anti-Semitism or homophobia is completely unacceptable. Following the 2012 Downing Street summit on racism in football, the FA is now delivering against a whole sport inclusion and anti-discrimination plan called “Football’s for Everyone” to build equality and inclusion in football. I welcome this commitment, and specific initiatives such as “Football vs Homophobia”. The FA Inclusion Advisory Board reports quarterly to DCMS on progress.

Television: Licensing

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to enable people who are registered blind to receive a discount on their television licence in the same way that people who are deaf do. [208145]

Mr Vaizey: Those registered blind/severely sight impaired are eligible for a 50% reduction on the TV Licence Fee (further information on this concession can be found at:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/blindseverely-sight-impaired-aud5).

There is currently no concession for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. BBC Charter Review is the point at which the Government can consider all aspects of the BBC, including the licence fee. The Government will not begin Charter Review within this Parliament.

Tourism

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will ensure that a single Minister in his Department is responsible for tourism. [208548]

Mrs Grant: I am the Minister for Tourism. As such, all tourism-related matters fall within my remit.

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Education

Adoption

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps her Department has taken to support parents and children who were victims of forced adoptions in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. [208527]

Mr Timpson: I have a great deal of sympathy for those parents and children who were affected by pressures, during the post-war years, to give children up for adoption. Since the 1970s there have been major shifts in the way society sees the family, single mothers and the needs of children, and successive Governments have done much to collectively resolve the social ills of the past. Society has become less judgmental and it is now, rightly, no longer considered a stigma for an unmarried mother to keep her baby.

The importance of facilitating greater openness in adoption has been recognised for a number of years. Adopted adults have the legal right to see their birth certificate and their adoption file in order to find out about their family history and the circumstances in which they were adopted. Both adopted adults and their birth relatives are able to apply to intermediary agencies for assistance with tracing family members. Intermediary agencies also provide counselling, support, and advice to adopted adults and birth relatives. Further changes through the Children and Families Act 2014 will extend the provision of intermediary agencies to assist a wider category of relatives, including the children and grandchildren of adopted adults, to help trace relatives and find out about their family history.

Children in Care

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether her Department's response to the consultation on ‘Looked-after children: improving permanence’, will include undertaking to strengthen regulations to provide that a robust assessment takes place to ensure that children return home from care only when it is safe to do so. [207520]

Mr Timpson: The Improving Permanence for Looked-after Children consultation included proposals to amend the processes local authorities must undertake when children return home from care.

Any reforms must strike the right balance between clarity in the statutory framework and professional judgment on the part of social workers and local authorities in meeting the needs of children. Some respondents questioned how these proposals would fit with existing statutory guidance in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013. The Government are grateful for these comments and are looking again at some of the proposals. Department for Education officials have convened a meeting of the relevant expert group on 9 September 2014 to discuss these issues.

Employment: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when she expects her Department to meet its target of all 16-year-olds being in employment, education or training. [208596]

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Nick Boles: The Government have made good progress in increasing the proportion of 16-year-olds who are participating in education and training (which includes those combining employment with training). The latest figures,¹ published on 25 June 2014, show that 93.8% of 16-year-olds were participating in education or work-based learning at the end of 2013, which is the highest figure since consistent records began in 1994. This represents an increase of 2.8 percentage points on the previous year, the largest increase observed over this period.

¹ Participation in education, training and employment, age 16 to 18 statistical first release:

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/participation-in-education-training-and-employment-age-16-to-18

The Government will continue to encourage further improvements in participation and plan to spend £7.2 billion in 2014-15 to fund an education and training place for every 16 and 17-year-old who wants one. However, there will always be a small proportion of young people who are not in education, employment and training (NEET) due to personal circumstances such as illness.

Free Schools

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which free schools are currently open; and what the admission number of each school was planned for September 2014. [208473]

Mr Timpson: A list of all open free schools is published online at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-schools-successful-applications-and-open-schools-2014

Details of planned admissions numbers are not generally held centrally so we do not have the figures for free schools that opened in 2013 or earlier. However, we do have the figures for the free schools that have opened this month. This information is as follows:

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