Written Answers
Tuesday 23 April 2013
Aviation: Health and Safety
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reports of fatigue have been made through the Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme in the past five years.[HL6715]
Earl Attlee: The Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme is run by the independent CHIRP Charitable Trust. The Government do not have direct access to the reports made to CHIRP, but CHIRP shares information relating to specific issues identified by confidential reports with the Civil Aviation Authority where appropriate. CHIRP also publishes information gained from reports, including on fatigue, in its “Feedback” publications which are available from its website: www.chirp.co.uk.
Benefits
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their forecast of the percentage by which total government expenditure on welfare will be reduced when the benefit changes being introduced from April 2013 come fully into effect.[HL6674]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): DWP expenditure on welfare will be reduced by 3.6% by 2017-18. Tax credit and child benefit expenditure and savings are dealt with by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.
Source:
DWP Statistical and Accounting Data for Great Britain.
Notes:
1) No estimate of actual savings has yet been made, as outturn figures for the first year since the changes are not yet available.
2) Measures affecting council tax benefit are included here despite CTB no longer forming part of DWP spending from April 2013. Measures included are:
introduction of personal independence payments;
social sector: limit working age entitlements to reflect size of family from 2013-14;
council tax benefit: 10% reduction in expenditure and localisation;
introduce universal credit;
changes to the housing benefit social sector size criteria;
increase to discretionary housing payments budget;
working age discretionary benefits: increase by 1% for three years from 2013-14;
child benefit increase by 1% for two years from 2014-15—HB and CTB consequences;
housing benefit: increase local housing allowance by 1% for two years from 2014-15 with provision for high rent areas;
universal credit: finalise disregards and increase by 1% for two years from 2014-15;
pension credit uprating to equal basic state pension increase;
abolish statutory sick pay;
introduction of single tier pension;
impacts from changes to income tax personal allowance; and
changes to right to buy eligibility.
Cities: Economic Development
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of England outside Greater London is included in (1) the wave 1 city deals programme, and (2) the areas bidding under the wave 2 city deals, by (a) population, and (b) area.[HL6550]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The first wave of city deals were signed in September 2012 and accounted for 32% of the population and 19% of the area of England, excluding Greater London.
Last autumn, the Government invited 14 of the next largest cities by population and another six with the highest population growth between 2001 and 2010 to take part in the second wave of city deals. As the deals have yet to be finalised, it is not yet possible to provide the information requested.
Civil Service: Redundancy
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 25 February (WA 203–4) and on 7 March (WA 415), whether they will collate the numbers of civil servants made redundant throughout the service annually from individual departments’ resource accounts in order to measure the efficacy of such redundancies; and whether they will seek an annual return of such numbers and costs from the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.[HL6522]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: As this is a matter for individual departments these numbers are not collated centrally. I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 24 January (WA 242).
Corporal Derek Wood and Corporal David Howes
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Corporals Derek Wood and David Howes were on active duty on 16 March 1988.[HL6669]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): Corporals Derek Wood and David Howes were both based and serving in Northern Ireland on 16 March 1988.
Energy: Gas
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of fluctuations in the international gas market and the United Kingdom’s growing dependence on imported gas, they are taking steps to stimulate the construction of additional gas storage capacity. [HL6687]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma): Two additional storage projects are already being constructed which will increase the volumes of gas our storage can deliver each day to around 200 cubic metres per day once completed—a 60% increase since 2010. There are a further 12 proposed gas storage projects, the majority with the necessary planning consents in place.
Ofgem are currently working with industry to revise final proposals to sharpen incentives on gas market participants to prepare for low probability, high impact events. Once in place, these incentives should underpin commercial demand for greater provision of supply or demand flexibility, including supply infrastructure such as gas storage.
The department is also considering whether there is a need for further intervention in the gas market to safeguard future gas security and intends to make a decision on whether, and if so, how to intervene this spring. In making this decision, the Government will consider how potential measures could increase gas supply infrastructure capacity, including gas storage.
Energy: Power Stations
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why coal-fired power stations in the United Kingdom that can still generate electricity are being closed; and whether they have examined the approach towards the construction of new coal-fired power stations in Germany in developing United Kingdom energy policy.[HL6686]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma): The owners of around 8GW (of a total 28GW) of the UK’s coal-fired generation capacity took a commercial decision not to invest in upgrades needed to meet the requirements set by the EU’s large combustion plant directive (LCPD). The LCPD sets limits on emissions of oxides of sulphur and nitrogen and the decision not to upgrade means these plants must close when they reach 20,000 hours’ operation after 1 January 2008 or by 31 December 2015 at the latest. Around 5GW of this capacity has now closed.
Our Carbon Capture and Storage CCS Roadmap published last year set out a comprehensive strategy for the development of cost-effective CCS that will enable coal to continue to play a role as part of future low-carbon energy mix.
The Government have recently commissioned a study from Poyry energy consultancy which examines coal-fired power generation in a number of EU member states.
EU: Financial Assistance to Member States
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much they contributed towards International Monetary Fund and European Union bailouts and other crisis loans to (1) Cyprus, (2) Spain, (3) Portugal, (4) Greece, and (5) the Republic of Ireland in the past five years; and under what repayment terms each of those loans was made.[HL6718]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): I refer the noble Lord to the previous answers given by my predecessor on 8 and 19 November 2012, which set out the UK’s involvement in financial assistance to euro area member states.
Since then, Cyprus has officially requested financial assistance from euro area member states through the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Cyprus reached agreement with the IMF, European Commission and European Central Bank on the key elements of a €10 billion financial assistance programme on 25 March 2013.
As part of that programme, the IMF has reached staff level agreement for a €1 billion extended fund facility agreement with Cyprus. As a member of the IMF, the UK will be involved in any IMF contribution to the programme. The decision to provide IMF funding still has to be agreed by the IMF Board, on which the UK has a seat. The UK lends to the IMF as an institution and not to particular programmes; therefore it is not possible to provide an exact estimate of the UK’s contribution to individual IMF programmes.
The UK is not a member of the ESM and therefore has no exposure to financial assistance provided by it, either directly or indirectly through the EU Budget.
Government Departments: Ministerial Engagements
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what engagements were undertaken by Department of Transport ministers between January and March 2013 in the English regions of (1) the North West, (2) Yorkshire and Humber, and (3) the North East. [HL6696]
Earl Attlee: Ministers from the Department for Transport undertook engagements related to their policy responsibilities in the English regions as follows:
| Minister | Region | Date |
Gypsies and Travellers
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the Traineeships described in the document The Future of Apprenticeships in England; Next steps from the Richmond review will provide for the specific needs of Gypsy, Traveller or Roma applicants.[HL6663]
Baroness Garden of Frognal: Traineeships will help young people who meet the criteria of the programme regardless of their background and we expect employers and providers to support this aim. Once the programme has begun, we will review learner information on disability, gender, ethnicity and other relevant characteristics to monitor its performance.
Habitual Residence Test
Question
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 27 February (WA 327), what strategies they have to improve the assessment procedures undertaken by Jobcentre Plus decision-makers with regard to the habitual residence test.[HL6693]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): As announced by the Prime Minister on 25 March 2013, the department is currently working on strengthening the habitual residence test.
This will see the number, range and depth of questions increased and strengthened while ensuring that they remain within existing legal parameters. An intelligent
IT design will ensure that the relevant questions are applied correctly to each claimant. These changes will ensure that decision-makers have sufficient information to decide whether a claimant satisfies the habitual residence test.
The department has guidance in place to assist decision- makers; this is publicly available at: http://www.dwp.gov. uk/publications/specialist-guidesidecision-makers-guide/ and is regularly reviewed.
Higher Education: Men
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to encourage more men to apply for university places.[HL6396]
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Government are committed to access to HE based on talent and potential.
We have introduced a new framework for widening participation with increased responsibility placed on higher education institutions (HEIs). This includes arrangements for annual access agreements and a new national scholarship programme. HEIs agree their own access agreement measures and targets with the independent Director of Fair Access, in line with their own particular mission and challenges. These can include targets on gender.
Previous analysis by the department, published in 2008, found that the gender gap is manifested much earlier in the education system, before entry to higher education, for example in differences between girls’ and boys’ GCSE and A-level attainment.
Guidance issued by the Director of Fair Access to HEIs on preparing access agreements has stressed the importance of investing in sustained outreach, such as summer schools masterclasses and mentoring, in helping raise aspiration and attainment among groups under-represented in HE. The guidance also requires HEIs to embed and promote equality and diversity, including in respect of gender, within their access agreement. Our school reforms, and additional investment in the most disadvantaged pupils through the pupil premium, are intended to raise standards, narrow the gaps in attainment and raise aspirations.
Housing: Loft Insulation
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many homes they estimate do not currently have sufficient loft insulation; how much funding they have provided to schemes to provide free loft insulation to homeowners and tenants in each of the last five years and in total; and how many homes have been insulated with that funding for each of those five years and in total.[HL6719]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma): At the start of October 2012 it was estimated that there were 7.9 million lofts (34% of homes with a loft) which did not have sufficient insulation. However, 1.7 million of these are considered to be hard to treat or unfillable, so could not benefit from insulation, and it is estimated that only around 1% of treatable lofts have no insulation at all.
As set out in the table below,the vast majority of loft insulation measures in GB since 2008 have been provided under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and to a lesser extent under the Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) and the Government's Warm Front scheme.
Measures provided under CERT and CESP are promoted and financed by the obligated energy companies and they are not required to provide information on what measures under the schemes cost them to deliver. However, it is estimated that CERT and CESP overall cost the obligated companies around £1.3 billion a year.
Warm Front is a government-funded scheme providing grants for heating and insulation improvements up to £3,500 (or up to £6,000 if the property is not connected to the mains gas grid). As Warm Front is a demand led scheme, there is no specific amount allocated for insulation measures. However, the budget for Warm Front for the past five years is set out below. The vast majority of the budget is spent on the more expensive heating measures.
| Year | Budget (£m) |
| Loft insulation measures delivered through Government schemes between April 2008 and the beginning of October 2012 | |||||
| Thousands | |||||
| Delivery between: | CERT - Professional | CERT - DIY | CESP | Warm Front | Total |
- count less than 10,000
.. not applicable.
Human Trafficking
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the trafficking of children from Nigeria to the United Kingdom, in the light of the recent sentencing of Odosa Usiobaifo for trafficking Nigerian children and the conviction of Kennedy Johnson in 2009 and Anthony Harrison in 2011 for similar offences; and how they are notifying local authorities of those offenders.[HL6588]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The first report of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group (IDMG) on human trafficking, published as a Command Paper (Cm 8421) on 18 October 2012, included an assessment of trends in trafficking and recognised Nigeria as a key source country. The IDMG will continue to monitor Nigeria. Local partners work collaboratively to protect and safeguard children in their care.
Immigration: Deportation
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 individuals have been deported to (1) Iran, (2) Iraq, and (3) Afghanistan, in each of the last ten years as a result of requests for asylum being refused.[HL6600]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The requested information is not readily available; individual case records show whether individuals are removed as a result of an asylum claim being refused, however, quantifying these records and providing management information would incur disproportionate cost.
The number of people removed or who departed voluntarily to Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan who had claimed asylum at some point since the beginning of 2004, the earliest date for which information has been published, is overleaf.
The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or who departed voluntarily from the UK. Data provided are published national statistics. The data on removals and voluntary departures by destination are available in the latest release of Immigration Statistics: October-December 2012, tables rv.06 and rv.06.q from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Statistics home page at GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2012.
| Asylum removals and voluntary departures to Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, 2004 to 2012 (1)(2)(3) | |||
| Year | Country of destination | Total asylum enforced removals | Total asylum voluntary departures |
Destination as recorded on source database; all nationals returned to Afghanistan, Iran or Iraq.
(2)Removals are recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken.
(3)Recorded on the system as having claimed asylum at some point.
(P)Provisional figures. Figures will under record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken.
North Korea
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they have given to British nationals currently in North Korea about their safety and continued presence there; and whether they intend to maintain the United Kingdom’s diplomatic presence in Pyongyang. [HL6704]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): British nationals in North Korea should refer to our travel advice on the www.gov. uk/fco website, which is kept up to date and under constant review.
We assess that there is currently no immediate increased risk or danger to those living in or travelling to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). However, the situation could change quickly.
We advise British nationals in North Korea to follow our travel advice, where further information will be posted should the situation change.
We have no current plans to alter our diplomatic representation in the DPRK.
Northern Ireland: Legislation
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 26 March (WA 226), whether in the future the Northern Ireland Office will keep a record of requests to the Northern Ireland Executive as to whether they wish to seek a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) for the extension of provisions in Westminster Bills; and what LCM requests were made in the past five years by Whitehall departments that have been refused or not proceeded with.[HL6721]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office (Baroness Randerson): Whitehall departments have many discussions (both formal and informal) with Northern Ireland departments about the benefit of extending legislation to Northern Ireland. It would not be feasible for the Northern Ireland Office to keep a central record of all discussions with the NI Executive as to whether they wish to seek a Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) for the extension of provisions in Westminster Bills to Northern Ireland. However, the NIO will in future maintain a record of all formal LCM requests made to Ministers in the NI Executive and vice versa. The number of LCM requests made in the past five years by Whitehall departments that have been refused or not proceeded with could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Nuclear Decommissioning Agency
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual budget of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency; how much it has cost since it was created; and whether that cost has been met by the Government or by power companies.[HL6681]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma): The annual budget of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is currently £3.2 billion. From its creation at the beginning of 2005-06 to the end of 2011-12, the NDA's total expenditure was £19.3 billion. During this period, the NDA's commercial income was £9.4 billion. Therefore, the net funding requirement from HM Government was £9.9 billion. There is no funding made by power companies other than through commercial contract payments for services provided (which form part of the NDA's commercial income total).
Schools: Building Programme
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Hill of Oareford on 14 May 2012 (WS 99–101), when work on the priority school building programme will (1) begin, and (2) reach completion.[HL6355]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): On 24 May, the Secretary of State confirmed that 261 schools will be rebuilt, or have their condition need met, through the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP). The condition need of some schools is so severe that urgent action was necessary. Forty-two schools, those in the very worst condition and all special schools included within the programme are being delivered as quickly as possible using capital grant.
To ensure value for money for the public sector, the schools in the PSBP have been grouped together in batches to make projects that will be commercially attractive and will drive strong competition. As far as possible, the needs of the schools in the worst condition will be addressed first.
Good progress is being made on all the capital funded batches.
contractors have been selected to deliver the North East and Midlands 1 batches. Planning applications have been submitted for the initial schools and construction work is expected to start in May; andwe have shortlisted the contractors for the remaining batches and they are currently preparing tenders. Work is currently ahead of schedule on a number of these batches.
The first capital funded school will be completed in 2014 as planned.
We are also making good progress with the privately financed element of the programme:
we are working with the first three batches of schools to be delivered using private finance;
the first batch of schools (Hefts, Luton and Reading) is scheduled to go to market in the spring, with two further batches (North East 1 and North West 1) to follow as soon as possible thereafter; and
work is scheduled to start with further batches this year.
The first private finance funded school will be completed in 2015. This programme is set to be delivered with five years, as planned.
UK Border Agency: Staff
Question
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the practical implications of abolishing the UK Border Agency will be in light of the Permanent Secretary for the Home Office’s comments that “most of [the agency’s employees] will be doing the same job in the same place”.[HL6595]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The noble Lord refers to comments which concerned Home Office government and management changes beyond the reforms to the UK Border Agency.
As my right honourable friend the Home Secretary set out in her Statement on 26 March 2013 (Official Report, col. 1500-10) the UK Border Agency will be split into two entities within the Home Office: an immigration and visa service and an immigration law enforcement organisation. Staff who previously worked for the UK Border Agency will work instead under one of these directorates, and will report to Ministers.