Written Answers
Monday 22 April 2013
Adoption
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many transracial adoptions were effected in England in (1) 2010, (2) 2011, and (3) 2012.[HL6112]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many same-race adoptions were effected in England in (1) 2010, (2) 2011, and (3) 2012.[HL6113]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the failure rates for (1) transracial, and (2) same-race, adoptions.[HL6114]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The Department for Education does not collect data which could tell us whether a child is adopted by parents of the same or a different ethnicity. Information is available on the ethnicity of looked-after children who are adopted but information on the ethnicity of adopters is not collected by the department. The attached table 1 shows the number of looked-after children adopted by ethnicity for each year from 2010.
This information has been taken from Table E1 of the Statistical First Release “Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2012”. This Statistical First Release can be found on the department’s website
at: http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/ statistics/a00213762/children-looked-after-las-england.
Copies of this report will be placed in the House Libraries.
In November 2012, Ofsted published a statistical release which contains information on the ethnicity of adopters. The number of adopters approved in the year 2011-12 by ethnicity can be found in section C of the “Adoption quality assurance and data form 2011-12” available at: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/adoption- quality-assurance-and-data-forms-2011-12-first-statistical-release.
Copies of this report will be placed in the House Libraries.
The Department for Education does not currently collect information on adoption breakdowns but has recently commissioned research to understand better the number and causes of adoption breakdowns. This research is expected to be published in early 2014. Current research does not support the idea that adoptions will be more likely to break down if there is no ethnic match. It suggests that disruption rates are much the same and there are few differences in most psychosocial outcomes, including self-esteem for children placed with prospective adopters who are an ethnic match and for those without an ethnic match1.
Information on the number of children who return to care following a breakdown of a previous adoption will be collected for the first time in 2014; however, the data will not include any information on the ethnicity of adoptive parents. The failure rates for (1) transracial and (2) same race adoptions will not therefore be available from this new data collection.
1Pathways to Permanence for children of black, Asian and mixed ethnicity: dilemmas, decision-making and outcomes, Selwyn J et al. (2010)
1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
2. Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials.
3. “Other” comprises information refused or not yet available which was collected for the first time in 2009.
- Negligible. Percentage below 0.5%.
Alcohol: Rehabilitation Centres
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to fund, wholly or in part, private sector alcohol detoxification and rehabilitation centres that utilise holistic, alternative or complementary medical therapies.[HL6633]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): From April 2013, upper tier and unitary local authorities have received a ring-fenced public health grant. This includes funding for alcohol misuse prevention and treatment.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced evidence-based guidance on alcohol treatment and a quality standard, Alcohol Dependence and Harmful Alcohol Use, enabling local commissioners to ensure the services they commission are evidence-based.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Maritime Patrol Aircrew worked on Nimrod; how many were redeployed following the deletion of Nimrod; and, of those, how many are now serving overseas.[HL6637]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): As at April 2010, a total of 176 Maritime Patrol Aircrew worked on Nimrod, all of whom were re-employed at that time within the RAF. Thirty-four personnel are currently deployed overseas in Maritime Patrol Aircrew seedcorn roles and a further six are overseas in maritime-related exchange posts.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average annual cost per head of Maritime Patrol Aircrew.[HL6638]
Lord Astor of Hever: There are currently 34 RAF aircrew serving overseas as part of the Maritime Patrol Aircrew seedcorn initiative. The cost of this initiative in financial year 2012-13 is £3.8 million.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current level of funding per annum for a Maritime Patrol replacement programme.[HL6639]
Lord Astor of Hever: There is currently no funding allocated to a Maritime Patrol replacement programme.
This will be reviewed as part of the 2015 strategic defence and security review. We currently have 34 RAF ex-Nimrod MR2 operators within allied forces to maintain a skills base and keep future options open.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current timescale for the phasing out of the Tornado fleet; what is the cost of retaining the Tornado fleet each year between now and the fleet being phased out; and what is the cost of maintaining each Tornado aircraft per annum.[HL6640]
Lord Astor of Hever: The planned out of service date of the Tornado fleet is currently 31 March 2019. Indicative costs per financial year (FY) for retaining the Tornado fleet are provided in the following table. These costs remain subject to change as plans mature.
| FY | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
Maintenance arrangements are based on the availability of the required number of aircraft and it is not possible to provide costs on a per-aircraft basis.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the cost of fitting Storm Shadow to the Typhoon; and over what timescale that enhancement will be completed.[HL6641]
Lord Astor of Hever: Planning for the integration of Storm Shadow on to Typhoon is under way. I am withholding estimates of the cost, as disclosure of this information in advance of a potential competition for the work would be prejudicial to the commercial interests of the Ministry of Defence. Subject to formal approval, provisional timescales for the project envisage entry into service in the latter half of this decade
Armed Forces: Defence Budget
Question
Asked by Lord West of Spithead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the forecast underspend in the Ministry of Defence for the financial year 2012–13.[HL6427]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): I refer the noble Lord to table 2.5 of the Budget Red Book. Final figures will be published in the Ministry of Defence annual report and accounts for 2012-13.
The Treasury has agreed that all MoD underspend in 2012-13 may be carried forward to future years.
Armed Forces: Equipment and Vehicles
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria are used to determine whether United Kingdom-owned military equipment and vehicles should (1) be retained and repatriated, (2) is safe to leave behind in Afghanistan for further use by local agencies, and (3) should be destroyed or disabled to prevent further hostile use by insurgents, al-Qaeda militants, or other terrorist groups.[HL6474]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): Equipment and materiel will only be redeployed from Afghanistan once operational commanders are content that it is no longer required. Once identified as no longer required a decision is made on whether to gift, sell, destroy or redeploy the equipment. This decision will be made on the consideration of operational priority and what is the best value for the UK taxpayer.
The Ministry of Defence has a classification system which highlights which UK equipment and materiel that is currently in Afghanistan is potentially attractive to criminal or terrorist organisations (ACTO). If equipment and materiel are classified as ACTO, extra measures are put in place to safeguard them against utilisation by any criminal or terrorist organisations.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the European Union, the United Nations, and Afghan and other agencies based in Afghanistan to determine the feasibility of transferring and donating to them equipment and vehicles surplus to United Kingdom needs, including hard accommodation, furnishings, storage structures, tents, and other materiel adaptable for humanitarian and peace-keeping use.[HL6475]
Baroness Northover: As the drawdown of Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team begins, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and DfID will look constructively at the possibility of gifting equipment and assets to Afghan and international partners.
The Ministry of Defence will take decisions on what to do with defence equipment on a case-by-case basis, taking into account value for money for the UK taxpayer and co-ordinating with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, International Security Action Force and the Afghan Government to ensure that all gifted equipment is sustainable in terms of cost of ownership, support and capability.
Armed Forces: Royal Air Force Regiment
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual cost of the Royal Air Force Regiment; what is the role of the Royal Air Force Regiment; and how its activities will fit into the Army 2020 plans. [HL6642]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): The RAF Regiment is a fully integral part of the RAF, providing air-related force protection in the UK and on operations abroad. The annual cost of the core RAF Regiment force is around £120 million.
Specific roles include force protection for airfields and the surrounding ground defence areas in operational theatres in order to prevent stand-off attack against airfields and aircraft on approach and departure; provision of a very high readiness, defence-wide, specialist chemical, biological radiological and nuclear (CBRN) capability and providing protection for the helicopters that undertake the medical emergency response team (MERT) role. Additionally, the RAF Regiment’s Queen’s Colour Squadron is the RAF’s principal ceremonial unit for public duties, alongside its other role as a field squadron.
In the context of Army 2020, in addition to its other roles, the RAF Regiment will contribute to air-land integration by providing a significant proportion of high readiness forward air controllers and tactical air control parties and all specialist CBRN capabilities.
Asylum Seekers
Questions
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 12 March (WA 48), what financial support is available to asylum seekers while their cases are being decided. [HL6547]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): Asylum seekers who are destitute can apply to the Home Office for support. The support usually consists of accommodation and a weekly allowance to meet the person's essential living needs. However, persons who have found their own accommodation, for example through friends or relatives, can apply for the weekly allowance only.
The table below sets out the current weekly allowances provided to asylum seekers and various categories of dependants that may also be supported.
|
Person aged 16 but under 18 (except where the person is a member of a Qualifying Couple) |
In addition, asylum seekers who have young children aged between one and three years are eligible to receive an extra £3 per week per child. Children aged less than one year attract an extra £5 per week per child. Asylum seekers can also apply for a maternity payment of £300 to help with the costs arising from the birth of a child.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what, if any, reduction there has been in the number of caseworkers interviewing and processing asylum applications in the past 12 months; and what assessment they have made of the impact of any such reduction on the quality and speed at which asylum claims are processed.[HL6682]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information required on caseworker numbers in the now former agency, henceforth referred to as the Home Office, is not held in a format compatible with the request. However the Home Office does publish data against 15 key performance measures. Specifically,
asylum intake;work in progress (WiP) cases;intake;asylum support costs;productivity;asylum unit cost;initial decisions in 30 days;cases concluded in six months;cases concluded in 12 months;cases concluded in 35 months;cases removed in 12 months;decision quality;appeal representation rate;appeal win rate; andasylum grant rate.
Our most recent published statistics on speed and quality of decisions are at the link below: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/further-key-data/asylum-performancel.xls?view=Binary.
The statistics show an asylum system which is performing steadily on quality and speed. On speed, although performance on initial decisions within 30 days fell slightly in FY11-12, conclusions overall are performing well:
asylum cases concluded within 12 months (up from 56% in FY 10-11, to 63% in FY 11-12);asylum cases concluded within 36 months (up from 63% in FY 10-11, to 70% in FY 11-12); and
asylum cases concluded within six months steady at 53% in FYs 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Decision quality also rose from 88% in financial year FY 2010-11 to 89% in FY 2011-12.
To build on this, and further improve performance, the Home Office is implementing a new asylum operating model. This will see caseworkers concentrated in a smaller number of casework hubs with greater co-ordination and specialisation. Ahead of this, the Asylum Casework Directorate has initiated a national performance drive across all regional offices which is expected to show further improved performance in the next set of figures to be published.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what benefits have been realised from co-operation between the UK Border Agency and Asylum Aid on the Right First Time project.[HL6683]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Right First Time pilot was one of a number of recent initiatives in which the Home Office and refugee groups have worked together to make improvements to the asylum system.
Recommendations resulting from the pilot were not rolled out nationally following the conclusion of the pilot. However, findings from the project will be reviewed afresh in conjunction with the Early Legal Advice pilot evaluation, which is due to be published shortly. We will then consider whether further improvements can be made to the asylum system based on the lessons learnt and information gained from both pilots.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Afghan citizens who have served the British military or other British government body in Afghanistan have applied for asylum or residence in the United Kingdom in each of the last six years; and how many have been given permission to remain in the United Kingdom.[HL6714]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Information about the previous occupations of asylum applicants can be provided only by examining individual case records, which would incur disproportionate cost.
Asylum Seekers: Homosexuality
Question
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 12 March (WA 56), how many homosexual individuals have been removed to countries where homosexuality is or was a criminal offence since 2003, regardless of whether there is or was “no real risk of persecution or of the authorities taking action against gay people in such countries”.[HL6544]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): This information is not available. The sexual orientation of asylum applicants is not formally recorded for management information purposes, although the sexual orientation of the individual would of course be taken into account should it be relevant to their asylum claim.
Badgers
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 13 March (WA 63) regarding badger culling, whether the report to Ministers will be made public.[HL6270]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): The expert panel’s report to Ministers will be published on the Defra website as soon as practically possible.
Bahrain
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of religious freedoms in Bahrain. [HL6573]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): Bahrain is a tolerant country. Freedom of worship is allowed and a diverse range of religions are practiced including Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism for example.
Banks: Cyprus
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government under which powers they have guaranteed deposits formerly held in the Cypriot Laiki Bank and recently transferred to the Bank of Cyprus UK, and why; how many deposit holders are involved; how much of each account is guaranteed; and, for how much HM Treasury is now liable in the event of the collapse of the Bank of Cyprus.[HL6717]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): HM Government have not guaranteed any deposits that were formerly held in the Cypriot Laiki Bank that were recently transferred to the Bank of Cyprus UK. The transfer of deposits between Laiki Bank and Bank of Cyprus UK was an agreement reached between the two banks and was given effect by a transfer decree under Cypriot law. There were roughly 15,000 accounts transferred under this agreement. HM Government did not use any formal powers.
Bank of Cyprus UK is a UK authorised bank, regulated and supervised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Eligible deposits are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000. The FSCS is funded by levies on firms authorised by the FCA and the PRA. It is not funded by HM Government or the taxpayer.
As a UK bank, the Bank of Cyprus UK, in the event of a collapse, is subject to resolution under the special resolution regime, which was established by the Banking Act 2009. The Bank of England is the lead resolution authority in the UK and is responsible for resolving any failed UK bank. HM Treasury is not liable for the compensation of deposits in the event of a collapse of Bank of Cyprus UK.
Banks: Danske Bank
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Danske Bank has been permitted to issue bank notes in Northern Ireland under that name; if so, how many and what value of notes that bank has currently in issue; and what amount of backing assets are lodged with the Bank of England.[HL6716]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): On 15 November 2012, Northern Bank Ltd changed its trading name to Danske Bank. The legal entity which is authorised to issue banknotes on a commercial basis remains Northern Bank Ltd. Northern Bank Ltd is not required to seek permission from HM Treasury or the Bank of England to change the branding of its notes.
The overall value of commercially issued notes circulating in Northern Ireland on 28 February 2013 was £2.1 billion. Release of issuance data by individual bank is a matter for the banks themselves. Under the Scottish and Northern Ireland banknote regulations, authorised banks are required to hold backing assets for their notes at all times.
Banks: Green Investment Bank
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Green Investment Bank will be required to make disclosures relating to its risks and lending which are equivalent to those of banks which are regulated by the Financial Services Authority, including Pillar 3 disclosures.[HL6531]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie): The Green Investment Bank is not under the same legal requirements on disclosure as banks regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The bank does, however, have in place robust arrangements to ensure it is highly transparent about its activities.
The legislation we are taking through Parliament in relation to the bank will impose reporting requirements on the bank that go beyond its status as a public company. The bank will be treated as if it were a quoted company within the meaning of Section 385(2) of the Companies Act 2006 for the purposes of Chapters 4 and 4A of Part 10, and Parts 15 and 16 of that Act which are concerned with reporting requirements. In addition, the legislation will require the bank to report on the likely impact of its investment activities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Banks: Lending
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have conducted a post-programme review of the economic effectiveness of HM Treasury's Project Merlin in promoting bank lending; and, if so, whether any lessons have been learnt.[HL6458]
Lord Newby: Project Merlin aimed to change bank culture by focusing banks on lending more to their business customers. The results show that it had a positive impact as the banks lent over £214 billion to UK businesses in 2011, while gross lending to SMEs was 13% higher than it was in 2010.
However, the Government recognise that negotiated deals cannot be a permanent solution in a market economy. That is why the Government have moved towards initiatives that offer banks more of a direct financial incentive to lend.
The enterprise finance guarantee scheme offers a Government guarantee that enables commercial banks to provide additional debt finance to small and medium-sized enterprises that lack sufficient security but can demonstrate that they have capacity to repay the loan. £200 million of loans were supported through the scheme in 2012.
More recently, the Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) was launched, designed to incentivise banks and building societies to boost their lending to UK households and non-financial companies. It does this by offering funding to banks and building societies for an extended period and encourages them to supply more credit by making more and cheaper funding available if they increase their lending.
Benefits
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 18 March (WA101), whether the requirement for self-employed claimants for benefits to provide relevant evidence of their earnings includes evidence of previous submission of a tax return; where such a tax form has never been submitted, what other types of evidence are acceptable; and whether self-employed status is retained by HM Revenue and Customs if no consequent tax returns are submitted or terminated. [HL6659]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): Self-employed benefit claimants are required to submit evidence of their self-employment and the earnings derived from this. Such evidence could include tax returns but all available evidence will be taken into account, for example, interim accounts or financial statements prepared for other purposes. The Department for Work and Pensions’ Decision Makers’ Guide (Chapter 27) provides detailed guidance for assessors on how to establish income for benefits purposes1.
If an individual who has registered as self-employed with HM Revenue & Customs fails to submit a tax return on time, this will result in penalties being charged rather than their registration being cancelled.
1 http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dmgch27.pdf
British Citizenship
Questions
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 6 February (WA 58), why the revised Life in the UK Test was launched on 25 March when the revised practice questions and answers book and separate study guide were published on 28 March.[HL6694]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The Life in the UK test is based on the handbook Life in the UK: a guide for new residents which was published on 28 January 2013, eight weeks before the new test was launched on 25 March 2013. The handbook contains all the information necessary to pass the test.
The Stationery Office (TSO) produces a study guide and a practice question and answer book, which supplement the handbook. These are not Home Office publications, although the Home Office is aware of their content and has confirmed their accuracy. TSO needed to check the content of these companion products against the official handbook after its publication to ensure they were of greatest use to the reader, and used its best endeavours to publish as soon as possible.
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 6 February (WA 58), what evidence will be required as proof of English proficiency for applicants taking the Life in the UK Test from October 2013.[HL6695]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: From October 28 2013, applicants for indefinite leave to remain in the UK or naturalisation as British citizens will be required to pass the Life in the UK test and have an intermediate level English language speaking and listening qualification. Details of the new requirements, including acceptable qualifications, are contained in the statement of intent Knowledge of language and life in the UK for settlement and naturalisation, which was published on 8 April 2013 and is available in the House Library and at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/knowledge-of-language-and-life-in-the-uk-for-settlement-and-naturalisation-statement-of-intent.
Cayman Islands
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any issues are negatively affecting the relationship of the United Kingdom with the Government of the Cayman Islands; and, if so, what.[HL6664]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): The Government have a strong relationship with the Government of the Cayman Islands. In January, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), met the new Cayman Premier, Juliana O'Connor-Connolly, to discuss progress on strengthening public finances and co-operation on the ambitious agenda agreed at the joint ministerial council in December 2012. We are also engaging with the Cayman Islands Government on the agenda of the UK G8 presidency.
Charities
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have consulted the Charity Commission to ensure that organisations, including religious ones, that have a political agenda do not qualify for charitable status.[HL6337]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To be a charity, an organisation must have exclusively charitable purposes for the public benefit. No organisation with a political purpose can be a charity as a matter of law. Charities can undertake political activities that support their charitable purposes where the trustees consider it to be an effective use of the charity’s resources. Charities must not engage in party politics or support political parties or candidates. It is for the Charity Commission, as independent regulator, to intervene where a charity breaches these rules.
Child Poverty
Question
Asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 14 March (WA 77), whether they will publish responses to the consultation Measuring Child Poverty where respondents have not requested that their submissions be kept private.[HL6554]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): As I stated in my previous reply, this was an open consultation and we are considering each response seriously. We anticipate we will publish a summary of the responses to the consultation alongside the Government’s response. A
decision on whether or not to go beyond standard practice and publish all responses will be taken in due course.
Child Protection
Question
Asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to implement the Munro review of Child Protection.[HL6075]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): Of the 15 recommendations made by Professor Munro, five have been implemented in full, including:
the redesign of the inspection framework for services to safeguard children; publication of a revised children’s safeguarding performance information framework; new guidance issued on the role of directors of children’s services and lead members; stopping the evaluation by Ofsted of serious case reviews; and implementation of the professional capabilities framework for social workers.
The publication of revised statutory guidance on safeguarding children will provide a full response to a further four recommendations:
revision of
Working To
gether to Safeguard Children
and
The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families
, including greater focus on the offer of early help;strengthening the role and responsibilities of Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards (LSCBs) requiring LSCBs to produce an annual report submitted to the chief executive and leader of the council; andpromoting the use of systems methodology in undertaking serious case reviews.
Substantial progress is being made on implementing other key recommendations, including:
ongoing work with the Department of Health to safeguard and promote children’s welfare during the health reforms;supporting local areas in the redesign of their social work practice, including designating a principal child and family social worker; andcommencing the recruitment process for two chief social workers, one to focus on children and families social work and the other on adult social work.
With regard to Professor Munro’s recommendation on introducing a duty to secure sufficient provision of early help services, the Government concluded that there is sufficient legislation in place to realise this offer. We are continuing to work with sector partners to reinforce existing legislation and understand how progress on early help can be made.
Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of self-employed contractors used by the Children and Family Advisory and Support Service in each of the previous five years.[HL6443]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate the Children and Family Advisory and Support Service has made of the size of the self-employed children's guardian workforce in each of the previous five years.[HL6444]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria the Children and Family Advisory and Support Service uses to decide whether to use self-employed contractors.[HL6445]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). I have asked the chief executive of CAFCASS to write to the noble Lord and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Children: Cyber Safety
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase understanding and awareness amongst parents and guardians of the cyber safety issues facing their children.[HL5958]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): Through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, the Government have been working with industry, academia, charities and parenting groups to develop consistent advice for parents and guardians to keep children safe from online risks. Members have created a range of resources for children, teachers and parents. This includes innovative projects from individual members such as Vodafone’s Digital Parenting magazine, which is distributed to thousands of parents and which contains practical “how to” guides on setting up parental controls and privacy settings on a range of services such as Xbox and Facebook, and Childnet’s “Know it all” set of resources which has specific resource for parents. UKCCIS Ministers continue to press industry to do more—for example, asking internet service providers to work together on an awareness campaign.
Children: Looked-after Children
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are ensuring that local authorities use the pupil premium to support looked-after children who are not enrolled at a mainstream provider, in line with each child’s personal education plan or statement.[HL6282]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): I refer the noble Lord to the reply given to his question HL6281 on 10 April 2013 (Official Report, col. WA 270).
Children: Nurseries
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that the quality of childcare in the nation's nurseries remains high under their plans to increase the ratio of children to carers. [HL6468]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The Government's ratio proposals will give nurseries greater freedom to employ more high quality and better paid staff if they wish. Only nurseries with well-qualified staff will be able to move to the new ratios. We are clear that quality and safety are paramount—and evidence tells us that children are safest and develop best when they are looked after by high quality staff.
Children: Safeguarding Children
Question
Asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Nash on 21 March (WS 36), how they intend to ensure that street-connected children and runaways are fully supported under their new statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children.[HL6453]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The revised Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance, published on 21 March 2013, clarifies the core legal requirements on individuals and organisations to keep children safe. It sets out, in one place, the legal requirements that health services, social workers, police, schools and other organisations that work with children, must follow—and emphasises that safeguarding is the responsibility of all professionals who work with children.
It is supported by the 2009 statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care. This guidance sets out what local authorities should do to reduce the incidence of children running away, what should happen when a child runs away and what should happen when the child is found. These measures are designed to improve the safeguarding of children. This guidance is currently being revised and will be reissued later in 2013.
Climate Change
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Verma on 14 January (WA 110), 5 February (WA 31–2) and 21 March (WA 170–1), whether they will ensure that their assessment of the probability in relation to global temperatures of a linear trend with first-order autoregressive noise compared with a driftless third-order autoregressive integrated model is published in the Official Report; and, if not, why not. [HL6620]
Lord Newby: As indicated in a previous Written Answer given by my noble friend Baroness Verma to the noble Lord on 14 January 2013 (Official Report, col. WA110), it is the role of the scientific community to assess and decide between various methods for studying global temperature time series. It is also for the scientific community to publish the findings of such work, in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
Community Organisers
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which locations, and in which local authority areas, community organisers are in place.[HL6414]
Baroness Northover: The locations of community organisers and their hosts are published on the community organisers website at http://www.cocollaborative.org.uk/ meet-us.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species: Conferences
Questions
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost to HM Treasury of the attendance of the United Kingdom CITES delegation at the recent conference in Bangkok.[HL6409]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): The UK delegation to the 16th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was made up of 14 officials. This included experts from the UK Scientific Authorities (Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), UK Border Force, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency and Defra.
The estimated cost of the UK delegation’s attendance is £70,000, which covered travel, accommodation, office and equipment hire, subsistence and other expenses and, where relevant, overtime payments.
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, given that CITES falls under the United Nations Environment Programme and that secret ballots are unusual within the United Nations system, why virtually all votes taken at CITES are by secret ballot, including the vote taken to maintain the practice of secret ballots; and whether they will reveal how the United Kingdom delegation to CITES CoP16 voted on all issues. [HL6410]
Lord De Mauley: The majority of decisions taken by parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are by consensus. This was the case at CoP16. Unlike many other environmental treaties and organisations,
the CITES Rules of Procedure contain agreed voting provisions that apply when consensus cannot be reached. This includes provision for secret ballots where a request for secret ballot is supported by at least 10 countries. Where a vote is taken and this is not by secret ballot, the way in which a country votes is recorded in the summary record and is publicly available. The EU, fully supported by the UK, tabled proposals to reduce the use of secret ballots to improve transparency. Although debated at considerable length the UK was very disappointed that these proposals were not adopted. However, the need for greater transparency was acknowledged.
While the majority of decisions taken by parties at CoP16 were by consensus there were still a significant number of votes, of which many were by secret ballot. The UK, voting in line with a common position of the EU and its member states, in general voted in favour of proposals to improve species conservation in line with scientific evidence. Additionally the UK, in line with the EU, supported proposals that strengthened the operations and governance of CITES, including improved transparency.
On more than one occasion where a secret ballot was subsequently held at CoP16, Ireland, which currently holds the presidency of the EU, made a point of publicly declaring the vote of the EU member states and Croatia, which would have included the UK position. A number of other countries similarly publicly confirmed their vote. These are a matter of public record in the Summary Records of CoP16 produced by the CITES Secretariat. If there are specific votes taken at CoP16 by secret ballot for which clarification of the UK position would be helpful, my officials would be happy to respond to such requests.
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they argued at the CITES conference in Bangkok in favour of the uplifting of protection of polar bears. [HL6431]
Lord De Mauley: EU member states take a common position on proposals submitted to Conferences of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
The UK found merit in the USA’s proposal to up-list the polar bear from Appendix II to Appendix I of CITES, submitted to the recent Conference of Parties (CoP16). The UK delegation at CoP16 worked with other member states to agree an EU position that would provide additional protection for the polar bear in a way that would better reflect evolving scientific knowledge and trade data. The EU, therefore, tabled an alternative proposal with the same aim as the USA proposal of ensuring that polar bears are not threatened by international trade and which it was hoped would secure the support of all polar bear range states.
Despite several meetings held to promote this alternative proposal during the conference and lobbying by the EU, it was not possible to gain the support of all polar bear range states for this alternative. Neither the USA proposal nor the EU alternative proposal
received sufficient support by CITES parties to be adopted, so the CITES controls regulating international trade in polar bears and their products remain unchanged.
Cyprus
Questions
Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 28 November 2012 (WA 59), whether, in the light of the current financial crisis in the Republic of Cyprus, they have confidence in the most recent evaluation by the regional financial action task force body, MONEYVAL. [HL6582]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The MONEYVAL assessment team that undertook the evaluation of Cyprus included members of the MONEYVAL secretariat and experts in the areas of criminal law, law enforcement and regulation from Armenia, Malta, Hungary, the UK and the US.
The UK is a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The International Monetary Fund and World Bank, when assessing the quality and consistency of MONEYVAL’s reports (2006), found that the content of MONEYVAL’s reports, with respect to their description and analysis, were of an acceptable standard across all reports assessed, with a high incidence of good quality. However, the FATF standards against which Cyprus was assessed were focused on the country’s technical compliance; that is, whether Cyprus had anti-money-laundering and terrorist-financing laws in place that met the requirements. The most recent evaluation of Cyprus did not look at how effective these laws were implemented in practice.
A new methodology for assessing jurisdictions’ compliance, adopted in February 2013, requires an integrated analysis of the effectiveness of countries anti-money-laundering regimes as well as their technical compliance.
All members of FATF and FATF-style regional bodies, including MONEYVAL, will be assessed against the new methodology in the future.
Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they fulfil their role as a guarantor power with respect to Cyprus under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee; and on what basis they consult the other two guarantor nations.[HL6675]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): As a guarantor power, the UK regularly discusses Cyprus with the other signatories of the treaty of guarantee. The Government will continue to work with the parties concerned towards a just, comprehensive and lasting Cyprus settlement.
Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, as a guarantor power for Cyprus under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, what amendments have been made to that treaty; when those amendments were made; and whether each amendment was made with the agreement of both communities in Cyprus.[HL6676]
Baroness Warsi: There have been no amendments made to the 1960 treaty of guarantee since it was signed in Nicosia on 16 August 1960.
Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what rights the two communities in Cyprus have with respect to natural resources within Cypriot territorial boundaries, including territorial waters, under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee; and specifically whether benefits derived from oil and gas resources within territorial waters are accessible to both communities pro rata. [HL6677]
Baroness Warsi: The 1960 treaty of guarantee covers the independence, territorial integrity and security of the Republic of Cyprus. It does not specify any rights for the two communities with respect to natural resources. It remains our view that such natural resources should be developed for the benefit of all the communities in Cyprus.
Disabled People: Independent Living Equipment
Questions
Asked by Baroness Campbell of Surbiton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to ensure that NHS staff, and staff providing care to patients in all settings, receive training in the use of disability and independent living equipment.[HL6651]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they monitor how many fatalities, injuries, or avoidable secondary episodes of care occur in NHS and care settings because of the failure or misuse of disability and independent living equipment.[HL6652]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many items of (1) disability equipment, and (2) independent living equipment, were issued by (a) the National Health Service, and (b) local authorities, in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [HL6653]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Code of Practice for Community Equipment.[HL6654]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to promote the safer use of community disability equipment.[HL6655]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) fatalities, (2) injuries, and (3) avoidable secondary episodes requiring care, have taken place in each of
the last five years for which figures are available due to the (a) failure, and (b) misuse, of disability and independent living equipment, in (i) hospital settings, (ii) care homes, (iii) special and mainstream schools, and (iv) people's own homes.[HL6656]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): It is the responsibility of individual employers to ensure that their staff are appropriately trained and competent for the role that they perform. We would therefore expect staff providing care in all settings to promote the safe and appropriate use of all equipment or medical devices, and expect providers of regulated health and adult social care to ensure that staff who use such devices:
are aware of the associated risks; andhave access to training and support to develop and maintain their knowledge and skills.
In addition, all providers of regulated health and adult social care activities in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and meet the essential requirements of safety and quality. The requirements include making suitable arrangements to protect people who use services from the risk of harm caused by unsafe equipment or incorrect use of equipment. CQC can take enforcement action where a provider is not meeting the requirements.
CQC is responsible for developing and consulting on its methodology for assessing whether providers are meeting the requirements and has published its Guidance About Compliance, including a schedule of applicable publications, which is available on its website.
The department is aware of the community equipment code of practice scheme (CECOPS) and the Secretary of State has corresponded with its chair, Sir Bert Massie. While it is for the local NHS, social care providers, voluntary sector organisations and other key partners to determine local priorities, the code of practice is a useful tool which the department will bring to the attention of NHS England and other partners as part of ongoing discussions.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the competent authority in the United Kingdom for the EC medical devices directive (MDD). Where disability and independent living equipment are class 1 medical devices, when initially placed on the market they must comply with the essential safety, quality and performance requirements of the MDD. All medical devices must be supplied with appropriate instructions for use to enable them to be used safely and maintained appropriately. Manufacturers are required to maintain a post-market surveillance system to ensure that any problems or risks associated with the use of their devices once freely marketed are identified early and reported to the competent authorities and acted upon.
The MHRA operates an adverse incident reporting centre for incidents involving medical devices to be reported by manufacturers, healthcare personnel and members of the public. Serious incidents may result in the MHRA issuing a medical device alert to advise users of specific problems or revised instructions for
use. The MHRA also publishes device bulletins on specific issues, for example the safe use of bed rails in hospitals and care homes.
Under the MDD, class 1 medical devices are able to be certified with a CE mark by the manufacturer, to demonstrate that the product meets essential quality, safety and performance requirements.
The information requested on fatalities and injuries linked to use of equipment is not kept centrally.
Drones
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the joint study by Stanford University and New York University on United States drone practices in Pakistan; and what plans they have to help minimise the impact of drone strikes on the civilian population of Pakistan. [HL6685]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): The British Government are aware of the study. The Government’s position is that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) against terrorist targets is a matter for the states involved. We expect all concerned to act in accordance with international law including taking all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties when conducting military operations.
Dyslexia
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) school-centred, (2) School Direct Training Programme, (3) School Direct Training Programme (salaried), (4) undergraduate course, (5) postgraduate course, and (6) online course, initial teacher training providers include dyslexia modules as part of their programmes of study.[HL6486]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): We do not hold information centrally on the number of teacher training providers that offer courses in dyslexia. In relation to teacher training, individual initial teacher training (ITT) providers decide how the content of ITT courses will enable trainees to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and meet the Teachers’ Standards. The standards, available at www. education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/teachers%20standards.pdf, state that teachers must be able to “adapt [their] teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils”. The standards include an emphasis on the ability to teach children with a range of special needs, including dyslexia.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the support available to teachers to assist pupils with dyslexia and other literacy difficulties.[HL6487]
Lord Nash: The Government are committed to improving the quality of training teachers receive to enable them to better identify all areas of special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities and to overcome the barriers to learning that some children and young people face.
The Department for Education is providing practical help for teachers to recognise and support children with dyslexia, these include:
developing through the Training and Development Agency for Schools and its successor specialist resources for initial teacher training and new advanced level online modules on dyslexia, to enhance teachers' knowledge, understanding and skills;working with organisations like the Dyslexia SpLD Trust to make sure these resources are widely used by teachers;providing £1.3 million to Dyslexia Action and the RNIB over two years to make more than 650 texts from the curriculum available in digital format for dyslexic learners, visually impaired pupils and others; andthrough our National Scholarship Fund, we are supporting teachers to undertake postgraduate level qualifications in specific impairments; many apply to undertake masters-level training in dyslexia.
In addition, the department is supporting high-quality teaching of systematic, synthetic phonics which has been shown to be effective for teaching dyslexic pupils to read and write. These include:
match-funding of up to £3,000 for approved phonics materials for key stage 1 pupils;training and support to ensure that all newly qualified teachers are confident about teaching phonics; anda phonics screening check introduced in July 2012 to help teachers identify pupils who have not made the expected progress in phonics.
Education Act 1996
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what account they will take in their consideration of the repeal of Section 444(b) of the Education Act 1996 of the case for providing opportunities for distance learning for the children of travelling families to enable them to receive an improved education.[HL6118]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): We have consulted on whether to repeal Section 444(6) of the Education Act 1996, which provides a defence for travelling families in certain circumstances if their children are absent from school. This consultation has now closed and we are reviewing all the responses we have received, including those about distance learning.
Education: 16-18 Year-olds
Question
Asked by Baroness Sharp of Guildford
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for the latest year available, how many 16–18 year-olds in England achieved an academic Level 3 qualification; and, of those, how many attended (1) independent schools, (2) maintained community schools with sixth forms, (3) academies with sixth forms, (4) sixth form colleges, (5) general further education colleges, (6) specialist colleges, and (7) other institutions.[HL6627]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The information requested is given in the table below.
Source: 2011/12 Key Stage 5 attainment data (revised)
1 Cumulative results obtained in academic years 2010-11 and 2011-12.
2 Students entered for a GCE A-level, Applied A-level or other Level 3 qualification equivalent in size to an A-level.
3 Age in years at the start of the 2011-12 academic year, i.e. 31 August 2011.
4 An academic qualification is a GCE A-level. Applied A-level, International Baccalaureate, Pre-U or AQA Baccalaureate.
5 Community, voluntary aided, voluntary controlled and foundation schools.
6 Includes sponsored academies and converter academies.
7 Further education sector college (not sixth form colleges); other government department funded colleges; special colleges.
8 Includes agriculture and horticulture colleges and art, design and performing art colleges.
Education: National Curriculum
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to address concerns that the new national curriculum will affect pupils negatively at a young age as a result of its emphasis on memorising lists of facts, numbers and rules.[HL6395]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The proposed new national curriculum aims to democratise knowledge by ensuring that all pupils can lay claim to a rich intellectual inheritance. The programmes of study for each subject focus on the essential knowledge that all pupils should acquire, in order to give them the best possible start in life. Those for primary English, mathematics and science—the essential building blocks of education—have been bench-marked against age-related expectations found in the curricula of the highest-performing educational jurisdictions. Our intention is to set the same level of expectation for our own children.
At the same time, the new national curriculum gives teachers more freedom to teach this essential knowledge in ways that inspire pupils and support their understanding and application of knowledge.
We are currently consulting on our proposals: the consultation closes on 16 April. We will consider all the arguments put forward before we finalise the new national curriculum later this year.
Education: Personal, Social and Health Education
Question
Asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the outcome of their 2011 review of Personal, Social and Health Education will be published.[HL6100]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The outcome of the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) review was published on 21 March. Copies of the summary report of the results of the public consultation have been placed in the House Libraries.
Education: Special Educational Needs
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a child who currently has a statement of special educational needs will automatically be issued with an education, health and care plan; or whether such a child’s needs will be subject to reassessment. [HL6280]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): Provisions in the Children and Families Bill put a duty on local authorities to prepare and
implement Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans for all children and young people assessed as needing support beyond that which is normally available in mainstream education.
We want to be sure that the changeover from statements and learning disability assessments (LDAs) to EHC plans happens at a pace that allows for a smooth transition while maintaining the quality of existing services. To achieve this, we believe it will be necessary to adopt a phased approach.
We are currently gathering views from pathfinders and other interested parties on how to manage the transition. We want to do this in a way that is achievable for local authorities and others involved in the assessment process and which minimises burdens on children, young people and their families while allowing them to benefit as quickly as possible from the reforms.
In the latter part of this year, we will consult more widely on a draft order relating to the transfer of children and young people with statements and LDAs to EHC plans. We anticipate that the order will cover arrangements relating to:
the sequence in which groups of children and young people with statements will be transferred to education, health and care plans; the approach to assessment for the purposes of transfer to education, health and care plans;the date by when all existing statements should be phased out;any elements of the current code of practice guidance that might remain in force during the transition; andthe information and advice that will be available to support parents and young people during the transition process.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what specific training and guidance they offer to (1) schools, and (2) local authorities, with regard to (a) carrying out, (b) making, (c) reassessing, (d) amending, or (e) cancelling (i) a statutory assessment of a child’s special educational needs (both wholly or in part) and (ii) a statement of a child’s special educational needs; (f) changing, or (g) naming (or not naming) a school (or the type of school) named in a statement of a child’s special educational needs; and (h) amending a statement of a child’s special educational needs following (i) an annual review and (ii) a reassessment of a child’s special educational needs.[HL6284]
Lord Nash: The Secretary of State publishes a Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice, which provides statutory guidance to schools, local authorities and others. This includes guidance on assessing children’s SEN, drawing up, amending and ceasing SEN statements, naming a particular or type of school on a statement and conducting annual reviews. The current Code of Practice was published in 2001 and is available at https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/ standard/publicationDetail/Pagel/DfES%200 581 %202001.
The department has published an illustrative draft version of a new code for the Children and Families Bill Committee which reflects the proposed new arrangements for assessments and Education, Health and Care Plans, which will replace SEN statements. It is available at: http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/s/sen%20code%20of%20practice% 20indicative020draff/020for°/020committee.pdf.
In 2010 the department published non-statutory guidance on writing statements. Otherwise, it is for schools and local authorities to arrange training on SEN depending on their local needs and priorities.
Employer Ownership Pilot
Question
Asked by Lord Knight of Weymouth
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what lessons have been learnt from the first round of the Employer Ownership Pilot, and whether the second round will take account of any such assessment.[HL6618]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie): We have made a number of changes to the focus and administration of the pilot in light of round 1. We have maintained the overarching spirit of the pilot to give employers greater ownership of innovative skills solutions, but we have adapted our processes better to meet a range of needs. These include an option to submit an outline bid for comment before working up a full bid; building on the strong collaborative bids in round 1 by further seeking ambitious industrial partnership bids; aligning the fund with the Growth and Innovation Fund to create a single application process; and exploring ways to further reduce the burden on business in information provision.
Employment: Jobcentre Plus
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Freud at col. 944 of the Official Report on 25 March, how may Jobcentre Plus offices were open on Sunday 10 March; how many mothers were called in for interview on that day; how many failed to attend; and how many of those had benefits sanctioned.[HL6535]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): One jobcentre was open on Sunday 10 March 2013. Harrogate had 20 claimants booked in for interviews; of these 11 attended. We are unable to say which of these were mothers. No sanctions for failing to attend have been given. All staff working on that day were mothers.
Asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Jobcentre Plus offices prior to March 2013 operated targets and league tables relating to the extent to which their staff sanction jobseekers.[HL6584]
Lord Freud: The Stricter Benefit Regime (SBR) was introduced alongside jobseeker’s allowance back in 1996. The SBR regime was refreshed in 2006 with intensified benchmark targets. We removed benchmarks in April 2011 as we believe there are no right levels for sanctions. However, we continue to collect management information to support the consistent application of the rules across the jobcentre network. SBR has been superseded by a new conditionality and sanctions regime from 2012 which uses a graduated sanction to enforce the conditionality that all jobseeker’s allowance claimants are subject to. There are no targets.
Energy: Renewable Energy
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to reduce renewable energy subsidies with a view to reducing fuel poverty and industrial energy costs in the United Kingdom; and whether they are constrained in pursuing such a policy by European Union Renewable Energy Directive 2009.[HL6558]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government have reduced subsidies for renewable technologies as their costs fall and this will continue as appropriate. Our ultimate aim is to see renewables competing against fossil fuel energy without subsidy, and we have a range of policies in place to accelerate that process. The renewable energy directive does not set subsidy levels or constrain our choice of subsidy scheme.
EU: Roma Communities
Question
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to engage in dialogue with the European Union in order to address the issues encountered by Roma communities both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe.[HL6598]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): The Government work closely with the European Commission and other EU member states on issues relating to Roma. For example, the Department for Communities and Local Government represented the UK at meetings of National Roma Contact Points in October 2012 and March 2013, which were chaired by the European Commission, and brought together officials from all the EU member states. The National Roma Contact Points were set up following the EU’s adoption of Council conclusions on national Roma integration strategies in 2011 and are responsible for co-ordinating national efforts to improve the situation for Roma communities, for tracking the progress made under the national Roma integration strategy and for reporting to the European Commission.
We have also supported initiatives of other international organisations such as that of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe which hosted a round table last September to discuss “Overcoming barriers to integration of migrant, minority and Roma and Sinti women into their communities and into society as a whole”. Also, government representatives
and education experts on the Council of Europe Roma experts’ group visited the Czech Republic and Slovakia to look at inclusive education in 2012 and arrangements were made for the Council of Europe’s Roma mediator training programme to come to the UK.
Central to our international efforts to combat discrimination against Roma communities are our embassies in central and eastern Europe. In the Czech Republic, our embassy, working with colleagues from Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovenia, as well as local non-governmental organisations, organised a day of events last year to highlight positive role models from Roma communities and to consider how best to promote positive images of Roma through the media.
Finance: Early and Prompt Payment Schemes
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council and other local authorities regarding the financial benefits of early payment schemes for suppliers.[HL6146]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the potential revenue to local authorities from rebates from suppliers for early payment of invoices.[HL6147]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they have given to local authorities regarding early and prompt payment schemes.[HL6148]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): The Government encourage local authorities to explore innovative ways of securing efficiency savings and supporting their local economy through their procurement expenditure. The Government, in partnership with sector bodies, recently launched a competition—best councils to do business with—to recognise those local authorities that are doing the most to open up their procurement practices to small and medium-sized enterprises. One of the assessment criteria was whether the local authority has a prompt payment policy in place for small businesses.
Amended late payment legislation also came into force on 16 March 2013. Under the new rules debtors will be forced to pay interest and reimburse the reasonable recovery costs of the creditor, if they do not pay for goods and services on time. For local authorities, this period is 30 days.
Flooding
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 21 March (WA 174), what assessment they have made of the
costs and benefits of managing floods across Curry Moor as compared to maintenance and remedial measures to mitigate or prevent such floods. [HL6571]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): The Environment Agency is assessing the costs and benefits of managing and mitigating flood risk across Curry Moor. It plans to have completed this work in time to present it at the Wessex Regional Flood and Coastal Committee on 22 April.
Fluoridation
Question
Asked by Baroness Gardner of Parkes
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of differences in (1) dental health, and (2) general health, between the populations of Birmingham and Manchester over the last 30 years; and whether they assign any differences between those populations to the presence of fluoride in drinking water in Birmingham.[HL6650]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Since Birmingham’s first water fluoridation scheme started in 1964, levels of dental decay have been consistently lower than in Manchester which has a similar socioeconomic profile, but does not have a fluoridation scheme. By way of illustration, the most recently readily available comparable statistics from child dental surveys conducted as part of the National Health Service Dental Epidemiology Programme (NHSDEP) show that in 2005-06, five year-old children in the area served by Birmingham City Council had an average of 1.36 decayed, missing or filled teeth (DMFT) compared to an average of 2.39 DMFT in the area of Manchester City Council. Evidence that the protective effect of water fluoridation is maintained during the development of permanent teeth may be seen from a later NHSDEP survey which showed that, in 2008-09, 12 year-old children in Birmingham had an average DMFT of 0.65 compared to an average of 1.12 DMFT for children in Manchester. Health profiles maintained by Public Health England show that there are no significant differences in the general health of the population of Manchester and Birmingham.
Food: Food Banks
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to provide financial or other support for food banks.[HL6628]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): The Government are not considering the provision of funding to support food banks. We do, however, recognise the good work of organisations that redistribute surplus food to help reduce food
poverty, assist the homeless and provide access to nutritional meals for those who may otherwise struggle. In addition, most major retailers already have partnerships with redistribution charities. In 2012, Defra held a meeting with retailers and food distribution charities to explore the current barriers to redistribution and the Waste and Resources Action Programme has recently begun working with Fareshare and FoodCycle to deliver a trial to increase food distribution from retail stores.
Although not supported centrally, local authorities have the ability to fund food banks if they consider that this would benefit their local community.
Fostering
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the relative effectiveness of transracial and same-race fostering of black and minority ethnic children; and what evidence has been used in any such assessment.[HL6115]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): There has been no specific assessment made of the relative effectiveness of transracial and same-race fostering of black and minority ethnic children.
Children requiring foster care come from a wide range of backgrounds, and the Government are committed to encouraging people from all backgrounds and walks of life to come forward to foster children, whatever their ethnic background.
When placing a child in foster care, the local authority must give due consideration to the child’s religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background. These factors should be considered in the context of the full range of the child’s needs, in order to determine the most appropriate placement to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare.
Further Education: Technical Skills
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between academic achievement and technical skill levels in the United Kingdom manufacturing and industrial workforce and changes in productivity, efficiency and innovation during the period 1950 to 2000.[HL6562]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie): The Government are not aware of any relevant assessment for the specific period requested. However, evidence looking at other time periods shows that skills are central to delivering strong, sustainable and balanced growth. For example, the Gröningen Growth and Development Centre estimates that improvements in skills added 0.4 percentage points to UK growth between 2000 and 2007, at least twice that of countries such as USA, France and Germany.
Research published by the department to estimate the economic impact of the government-funded post-19 further education (FE) sector suggested that FE participants that started a qualification in 2008-09 will generate an additional £75 billion for the economy over their working lives, over and above what they would have contributed if they had not achieved these qualifications. The full report, Measuring the Economic Impact of Further Education, can be accessed at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32329/11-816-measuring-economic-impact-further-education.pdf.
Further research also highlights the economic benefits from a range of academic and vocational qualifications. Two reports, Returns to Intermediate and Low Level Vocational Qualifications and The Long Term Effect of Vocational Qualifications on Labour Market Outcomes, can be accessed at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32354/11-1282-returns-intermediate-and-low-level-vocational-qualifications.pdf and https://www. gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32326/11-1035-long-term- effect-of-vocational-qualifications.pdf .
Gaza
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of materials for repair of water and sewage infrastructure currently being allowed to enter Gaza.[HL6358]
Baroness Northover: A recent report from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs highlighted that the quality of infrastructure and vital services in Gaza, including in the areas of water and sanitation, have significantly declined as a result of import restrictions and rapid population growth.
UK officials regularly discuss the issue of access to water with Israeli counterparts, and call on Israel to allow entry of essential items on the dual-use list to allow for rehabilitation of the water network in Gaza.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of incursions into and attacks on the people of Gaza by Israel since the ceasefire following Operation Pillar of Cloud. [HL6526]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): We have made clear to Israel our long-standing concerns about the manner in which the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) polices the buffer zone between Israel and Gaza.
In the context of recent cases of Palestinian civilians killed by the IDF in both Gaza and the West Bank, officials from our embassy in Tel Aviv have reiterated our concerns over the IDF’s use of live ammunition with both the Israeli Ministry of Defence and National Security Council. This issue was also raised by the
national security adviser, Sir Kim Darroch, in his meetings with the Israeli authorities during his visit on 26-28 February.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of rockets fired into Southern Israel from Gaza since the ceasefire following Operation Pillar of Cloud.[HL6527]
Baroness Warsi: We received reports from our embassy in Tel Aviv and our consulate-general in Jerusalem about rockets being fired on 26 February from Gaza into Israel, for the first time since the ceasefire agreement was reached on 21 November 2012. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire, Mr Burt, released a Statement on 27 February condemning the rocket fire and calling on both parties to respect in full their obligations under the ceasefire agreement. We have also received reports that on 21 March and 3 April rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel.
Global Conflict Prevention Pool
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were (1) the objectives, and (2) the annual budget, of the Global Conflict Prevention Pool for each of the past five years.[HL6309]
Baroness Northover: The Conflict Pool, which was formed in 2009 and is the successor to the Global and Africa Conflict Prevention Pools, (1) seeks to reduce the number of people around the world whose lives are, or might be affected by violent conflict. The pool funds discretionary conflict prevention, stabilisation
and peacekeeping activities. Additionally the Conflict Pool aims to increase the effectiveness of the Government’s engagement by bringing together the work of DfID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence. The Building Stability Overseas Strategy sets out the strategic framework for the Conflict Pool.
(2) The annual total budget for the conflict pool for the past five years (including programme budgets and reserve funds) has been as follows:
| FY2008-09* | FY2009-10 | FY 2010-11 | FY 2011-12 | FY 2012-13 |
* In 2008-09 the Global Conflict Prevention Pool and the Africa Conflict Prevention Pool merged to become the Conflict Prevention Pool. A separate instrument, the Stabilisation Aid Fund (SAF), was created to provide resources for stabilisation activities in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008-09 the SAF budget was £71.6 million, of which £62.1 million was for Afghanistan and £9.5 million for Iraq. The SAF was merged into the Conflict Prevention Pool in FY 2009-10 and the latter renamed the Conflict Pool.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the individual projects with which the Global Conflict Prevention Pool has engaged, and the costs of each project, in each of the past five years.[HL6310]
Baroness Northover: The Conflict Pool, the 2009 successor to the Global and Africa Conflict Prevention Pools, administers five geographic programmes in Afghanistan, Africa, south Asia, the Middle East and north Africa, and wider Europe, and one thematic programme—Strengthening Alliances and Partnerships. The Conflict Pool also funds the Stabilisation Unit (the Government's centre of expertise and best practice on stabilisation and home of the Civilian Stabilisation Group).
The allocations for each of the programmes over the past five years are as follows:
** Formerly the Strategic Support to International organisations Programme
| Conflict Prevention Pool Programmes | Allocation |
| FY 2008-09 | |
In 2012-13 the Conflict Pool has maintained a £20 million Early Action Facility for rapid funding to prevent unforeseen conflict prevention requirements and opportunities.
The Conflict Pool has funded hundreds of projects within these programmes over the past five years. Ranging from small interventions costing thousands of pounds through to multi-million pound projects, the Conflict Pool maintains the Government's ability flexibly to fund the most appropriate and sensitive solution to conflict prevention. The information needed to detail each specific project with individual costs for the past five years is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what governance structures apply to the Global Conflict Prevention Pool; who sits on any governance bodies relating to that initiative; and how any disagreements between the three departments involved are adjudicated. [HL6311]
Baroness Northover: The Building Stability Overseas Strategy provides the overarching strategy for the Conflict Pool. The strategy is jointly owned by the Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary and International Development Secretary. The National Security Council agrees financial allocations for programmes.
The Conflict Pool is overseen by the Building Stability Overseas Board (BSOB). This comprises directors from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (current chair), DfID, the Ministry of Defence and the Cabinet Office and was set up following the Strategic Defence and Security Review published in October 2010. The chair of the board rotates on an annual basis between the departments.
The board recommends funding allocations to each of the five geographic programmes within the Conflict Pool (Africa, Afghanistan, south Asia, the Middle East and north Africa, and wider Europe) and a thematic programme—Strengthening Alliances and Partnerships—as well as the Stabilisation Unit. Each programme board is responsible for joint decision-making and oversight of programme delivery, and is chaired by a director-level or head of department senior responsible owner. Decisions on programme and strategy are taken tridepartmentally. Each project is managed by one of the three departments, with disbursement handled through that department’s systems. This process is to become subject to formal junior ministerial oversight.
Any departmental differences are resolved by programme boards or referred to the BSOB. The National Security Council provides the ultimate recourse for settling disagreements, although this has yet to prove necessary.
Government Departments: Consultants
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for International Development spent on management consultants in (1) 2007, and (2) 2012; and what were the reasons for any increase.[HL6476]
Baroness Northover: DfID spend on consultants in financial years 2007-08 and 2011-12 is set out in the table below. Information on a comparable basis is not available prior to 2007-08.
| Year | Consultancy Spending (£’000s) |
The drop in spend to 2011-12 is due to application of the central government definition of consultancy and the introduction of a stringent business case process to ensure consultancy is managed effectively and only approved where it is deemed to be an operational necessity.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of the recent move of the Department for International Development headquarters from 1 Palace Street to the former Cabinet Office premises at 22 Whitehall; and what plans have been made for the subsequent use of the vacated Palace Street site. [HL6477]
Baroness Northover: The recent move of DfID from 1 Palace Street to 22 Whitehall will save £62.5 million in rent and rates by 2020. The total cost of this is approximately £7 million, just over £1 million below the budget.
Working in conjunction with the Government Property Unit, agreement was reached with the landlords for an early termination of the leasehold at the end of 2013 which was otherwise due to expire in 2020.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the reasons for not including the Stabilisation Unit in the recent move of the Department for International Development headquarters to 22 Whitehall; and where that will be located.[HL6478]
Baroness Northover: DfID’s new London building at 22 Whitehall is significantly more cost-effective to operate than 1 Palace Street. The move will save taxpayers £62.5 million by 2020. As part of the adoption of more modern and efficient space utilisation we decided that the joint DfID/Ministry of Defence/Foreign
and Commonwealth Office unit—Stabilisation Unit—would be accommodated in the FCO Old Admiralty Buildings immediately adjacent to our new Whitehall offices. The move will take place shortly.
Government Departments: Ministerial Engagements
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what engagements were undertaken by Department for Education Ministers between January and March 2013 in the English regions of (1) the North West, (2) Yorkshire and Humber, and (3) the North East.[HL6611]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): Between January and March 2013, Department for Education Ministers undertook the following engagements in:
| (2) Yorkshire and Humber | |||
| Date | Location of visit | Purpose of visit | Minister |
|
Meeting with Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Leeds City Council | |||
| (3) the North East | |||
| Date | Location of visit | Purpose of visit | Minister |
|
Meeting with parents planning Free School in Ingleby Barwick for James Wharton MP | |||
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what engagements were undertaken by Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers between January and March 2013 in the English regions of (1) the North West, (2) Yorkshire and Humber, and (3) the North East.[HL6613]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): In my capacity as Senior Minister of State, I attended a regional Cabinet meeting in Leeds on 28 January and an event in Bradford on 10 February with the then Prime Minister of Pakistan. The Minister of State for Trade and Investment, my noble friend Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, had one engagement in Blackburn.
There is no record of any other engagements between January and March 2013 undertaken by Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers in their ministerial capacity.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what engagements were undertaken by Home Office Ministers between January and March 2013 in the English regions of (1) the North West, (2) Yorkshire and Humber, and (3) the North East.[HL6697]