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Written Answers

Volume 489: debated on Thursday 19 March 2009

Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 19 March 2009

Church Commissioners

Historic Churches

8. To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what recent discussions the Church Commissioners have had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on funding for the preservation of historic churches. (264467)

Church of England staff have been meeting regularly with officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The focus of these discussions continues to be around identifying national, regional and local sources of funding and support for faith groups which will enable them to adapt their buildings for community use and build on their capacity to engage at local and regional level.

A joint paper is being produced by the Treasury, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Office of the Third Sector, DCMS and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in conjunction with representatives of the Church of England. Bringing together all these Government Departments illustrates the huge potential that church buildings have to help Government meet their agenda.

Water Charges: Churches

To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what recent discussions the Church Commissioners have had with Government Ministers on levels of utility charges on places of worship. (264464)

Church representatives are continuing to engage not only with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs but also with a number of Government officials and representatives of Ofwat about the grossly unfair water charging regime. The Archbishops Council takes the lead in these discussions but it does so with the Church Commissioners’ support.

Treasury

Banks: Finance

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the public purse was of the (a) legal and (b) accountancy advice received by his Department in respect of (i) the break-up of Bradford and Bingley, (ii) the merger and recapitalisation of Lloyds TSB and HBOS and (iii) the recapitalisation of the Royal Bank of Scotland. (261589)

The Treasury has received legal advice from Government and commercial lawyers, and financial advice from accountancy firms and investment banks.

The Treasury’s external adviser fees will be shared between the banks participating in the Government’s recapitalisation. Those costs related to the nationalisation of Bradford and Bingley will be fully recovered from Bradford and Bingley.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the relationship between his Department, UK Financial Investments Ltd and Jerseyco referred to in the bank recapitalisation agreements is; and who regulates Jerseyco’s activities in the UK. (264110)

Neither HM Treasury nor UKFI has any contractual arrangement or other direct relationship with the companies referred to as “Jerseyco” in the recapitalisation agreements.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with banks in receipt of recapitalisation or asset-based loan guarantees on the future use of (a) direct tax avoidance practices and (b) special purpose vehicles by such banks. (264458)

We cannot comment on affairs of individual taxpayers because of taxpayer confidentiality. We vigorously challenge tax avoidance—through the courts if necessary—including where the taxpayer is partly owned by the Government and we expect banks to fully comply with their tax obligations. That is why the Chancellor of the Exchequer has asked HM Revenue and Customs to publish shortly a draft code of practice on taxation for the banking sector—so that banks will comply not just with the letter but the spirit of the law.

Further information about the undertakings made by participating banks will be available when the detailed terms of entry into the Asset Protection Scheme have been finalised.

Banks: Iceland

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will request the Financial Services Authority to undertake an investigation of the appropriateness of advice given to local authorities and police authorities by Butlers in relation to the depositing of funds in Icelandic banks. (261638)

Financial advisers are regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), and it is for the FSA to determine whether or not any particular firm is meeting its regulatory obligations. Local authorities are responsible for their own investment decisions and guidance issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government requires them to produce an annual investment strategy which is approved by the full council.

Banks: Regulation

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislation to disqualify from holding directorships or board memberships of UK-registered (a) banks and (b) companies all people who have been directors and non-executive board members of (i) Northern Rock, (ii) Bradford and Bingley, (iii) Royal Bank of Scotland and (iv) Halifax Bank of Scotland since 2005. (260181)

Provisions already exist in the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 to maintain the integrity of the business environment by providing for the Secretary of State to bring disqualification proceedings against directors and shadow directors whose conduct makes them unfit to be concerned in the management of a company.

Cash Dispensing

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the 600 free automated teller machines for low-income areas proposed in December 2006 are in operation in (a) the UK, (b) Wales, (c) Denbighshire and (d) Conwy county borough. (264593)

Further to the written statement I issued on 18 December 2008, 37 more free-to-use ATMs are in operation in the low-income target areas across the UK, bringing the total to 564. Of these 564 machines, 76 are located in Wales, two in Denbighshire and two in Conway council.

Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the costs incurred by his Department in (a) legal and (b) accountancy fees relating to (i) Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander and (ii) Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander (Isle of Man) in each of the last six months. (258317)

The figures in relation to Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander will be included in the Treasury annual resource accounts 2008-09 in due course.

Arrangements for depositors in banks in the Isle of Man, including Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander, Isle of Man, are a matter for the Government of the Isle of Man. The Treasury has not engaged external financial advisers in relation to Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander, Isle of Man.

Minimum Wage

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff there are in the national minimum wage regional compliance team in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Belfast, (c) Birmingham, (d) Cambridge, (e) Cardiff, (f) East Kilbride, (g) Exeter, (h) Maidstone, (i) Teesside, (j) Portsmouth, (k) Romford, (l) Sheffield, (m) Ashton, (n) Shipley, (o) Wigan and (p) Leicester; how many staff he expects there to be in each such team in 2010; and how many cases each such team presented to employment tribunals on behalf of employees in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008. (264273)

The following table contains the current number of staff in post in each national minimum wage (NMW) compliance team. Projected staffing figures for 2010 are not available, due to HM Revenue and Customs' current review of its business operations and practices.

NMW compliance officers do not present cases to employment tribunals on behalf of low-paid workers. Where an employer appeals against the issue of an enforcement notice by a compliance officer, a compliance officer may appear as a respondent.

Team

Staff in post

Aberdeen

4

Ashton

8

Belfast

8

Birmingham

8

Cambridge

8

Cardiff

8

East Kilbride

7

Exeter

8

Leicester

7

Maidstone

7

Oxford

4

Portsmouth

6

Romford

9

Sheffield

7

Shipley

8

Teesside

10

Wigan

8

Total

125

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the estimated £29 million recovered on behalf of employees who were underpaid or not paid the minimum wage under the National Minimum Wage Regulations 1999 had been repaid to such employees on the latest date for which figures are available. (264357)

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs does not keep separate statistics on the amount of arrears paid or not paid to workers.

Public Expenditure

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what money was spent in each Department from the Modernisation Fund in (a) each of the last four years and (b) 2008-09 to date. (244470)

[holding answer 16 December 2008]: The Modernisation Fund provides support to Departments to meet the transitional costs associated with releasing savings over the CSR period and embedding ongoing efficiencies over the longer-term.

The Modernisation Fund has been in operation since 2007-08. Amounts drawn down by Departments are shown in the following table and are also set out to Parliament in Supplementary Estimates.

All Departments are also expected to improve services and deliver improved value for money from within their spending review settlements.

£000

Department

2007-08

2008-09

HM Revenue and Customs

68,759

90,000

National Savings and Investments

1,102

Charity Commission

2,600

Ministry of Justice

70,000

Royal Bank of Scotland

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings were held between Lord Myners and representatives of the Royal Bank of Scotland between 6 and 12 October 2008 inclusive; which officials of his Department took part in each meeting; and if he will place on his Departmental website agendas and minutes of each meeting. (261509)

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the remarks made in the other place by the Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners) in response to Lord Smith and Lord Howard on 2 March, Official Report, House of Lords, columns 585-86.

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Tax Havens

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many legal notices requiring information on offshore bank accounts have been (a) served and (b) complied with in each of the last three years; and how many such accounts have been disclosed since the offshore disclosure facility was ended. (264247)

The cost involved in providing the information requested is disproportionate.

In regards to the specific Offshore Disclosure Facility (ODF), the facility was launched in April 2007 to deal with the detailed information we had obtained from a number of major banks on around 400,000 UK-based offshore account holders.

HMRC is pursuing those with offshore accounts who did not come forward under the arrangements or where there is a risk that the full amount has not been declared. It is also making inquiries where people appear to have undeclared liabilities but have not come forward.

Transport

Motor Vehicles: Testing

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was of vehicle testing in each of the last five years; and how much VOSA received in fees for vehicle testing in each such year. (264730)

The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA)'s testing figures in the last five years are as follows:

£000

Financial year

Income

Cost

2007-08

63,071.00

70,555.00

2006-07

61,695.00

62,149.00

2005-06

57,616.00

55,865.00

2004-05

51,594.00

50,190.00

2003-04

45,416.00

48,830.00

Transport: Costs

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the percentage change in real terms of the cost of travelling by (a) private car, (b) bus, (c) train and (d) aeroplane since (i) 1979 and (ii) 1997. (263617)

[holding answer 13 March 2009]: Between 1979 and 2008 the real cost of motoring declined by 17 per cent., bus and coach fares increased by 55 per cent. and rail fares increased by 49 per cent. in real terms.

Between 1997 and 2008 the real cost of motoring declined by 13 per cent., bus and coach fares increased by 17 per cent. and average rail fares increased by 7 per cent. in real terms.

The costs of travelling by air are not available from the retail prices index. However, the cost of the average UK one-way air fare, including taxes and charges, covering domestic and international flights fell by 49 per cent. between 1997 and 2006, the latest date for which figures are available.

Culture, Media and Sport

Departmental Public Relations

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) public relations and (b) media advisers his Department employed (i) in 1997 and (ii) on the most recent date for which figures are available. (264778)

The Department does not employ public relations or media advisers.

However, the Department employs press officers and communication officers. These are listed in the White Book, as well as civil servants working on media policy in line with the Department’s remit.

Playing Fields: Private Sector

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of sports facilities owned by industrial concerns which have closed in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. (261438)

[holding answer 6 March 2009]: Sport England has advised that the Active People data indicate that four sports facilities owned by industrial concerns have closed in the last 10 years.

Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

Motor Manufacturing

6. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government is taking to assist the motor manufacturing industry and its associated businesses; and if he will make a statement. (264475)

We are in frequent dialogue with the automotive industry. The Automotive Assistance Programme (AAP) is now open for business and a seminar was held with industry and bank representatives on 11 March to explain the programme in detail. Following demand from the automotive sector for support under the “Train to Gain” scheme, the budget of £65 million has been increased substantially up to £100 million. Automotive firms are also eligible for wider help for business through the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, where appropriate, and Solutions for Business.

Small Businesses

7. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations he has received on the provision of information to small businesses on his Department’s initiatives to assist those businesses. (264476)

Business Link is the primary information channel on my Department’s support measures for small businesses including Real Help. It provides both an online and face-to-face service. Over 940,000 businesses or individuals in England were assisted in 2008. We have regular meetings with business organisations on these and other matters.

Royal Mail

8. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions his Department has had with the private sector on the future ownership and management of Royal Mail. (264478)

The Department and our advisers have had discussions in recent weeks with a number of potential partners with experience of transforming a major business who are interested in entering into partnership with Royal Mail.

At this stage of the process, only the Dutch postal service TNT has made its interest public.

10. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he plans to take to enable Royal Mail to provide mail delivery services on the same basis as its competitors. (264480)

Royal Mail is in a unique position in the postal services market. It is the only company able to deliver to every address in the country every day of the week—99 per cent. of all letters are delivered by Royal Mail.

That is why it is important to modernise Royal Mail rather than simply allow it to decline. The new Postal Services Bill makes it clear that the overriding duty of the regulator in respect of post is to secure the provision of a universal postal service.

Financial Assistance

9. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent progress has been made in delivering financial assistance and loan guarantees to businesses. (264479)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Burrowes) earlier today.

Industrial Projects: Bank Loans

11. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if his Department will expedite assistance to industrial projects which require bank loans of £50 million or more. (264481)

The Department provides support to industrial projects via its Grant for Business Investment scheme—only last week we announced a grant of up to £27 million for Jaguar Land Rover.

Low-Carbon Industrial Summit

12. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department plans to take to assist UK manufacturers to obtain orders as a result of the outcomes of the low-carbon industrial summit. (264482)

The Government set out their vision to make the UK the best place to locate and grow a low carbon business on 6 March. A programme of work is under way and we will publish a Low Carbon Industrial Strategy in the summer.

We are making sure the UK is a leader in the development and production of low carbon vehicles, that low carbon innovative companies are supported through the Technology Strategy Board, Carbon Trust, Energy Technologies Institute, universities and regional development agencies, and that we have a strong renewables and civil nuclear supply chain industry.

Businesses: West Midlands

15. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent progress has been made in the delivery of financial assistance and loan guarantees to businesses in the West Midlands. (264485)

The Advantage Transition Bridge Fund has approved loans of over £7 million to 42 businesses employing over 2,700 people and over £6 million in Selective Financial Investment was distributed in grants in the West Midlands in the last financial year.

On 11 March we announced that up to £27 million will be available to Jaguar Land Rover under the Grant for Business Investment Scheme to support the creation of a greener Land Rover model.

So far the Enterprise Finance Guarantee has recorded 81 eligible cases with a total value of £5.3 million in the West Midlands.

Consumer Protection: Bank Customers

16. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department plans to take to improve consumer protection for customers of banks. (264486)

A stronger regulatory regime for banks and greater protection for consumers is at heart of the Government’s response to the global downturn.

We announced earlier this week a commitment to legislate to restrict unsolicited credit increases and the sending of unsolicited credit card cheques.

In the summer we will publish a White Paper on modernised consumer rights law that will give consumers a fairer deal.

Business Finance

17. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with business organisations on the availability of finance for businesses; and if he will make a statement. (264487)

The Department is in regular contact with business organisations.

In particular, the Small Business Forum and the Small Business Finance Forum meet frequently and discuss a range of issues affecting businesses throughout the United Kingdom, including access to finance. Membership of each includes the CBI, IoD, BCC, FSB and FPB. Additionally, Regional Ministers host regular economic councils to ensure that the issues and concerns of each region are heard and acted upon where appropriate.

Redundancy Payments

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will bring forward proposals to enable the Redundancy Payments Office to pay statutory redundancy payments to workers in circumstances where companies which continue to trade are unable to make such payments. (264483)

There are already statutory provisions in place that enable the RPO to pay employees who have obtained a tribunal award for redundancy if the employer fails to pay. The RPO also has discretion to offer financial assistance to employers who are unable to meet the lump sum redundancy payment at once without jeopardising other jobs, without the need for a tribunal award, when approached by an employer, employee or employment tribunal.

Construction

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent assessment he has made of the state of the construction industry. (264472)

Overall, industry output was 0.4 per cent. down in 2008 compared with 2007. Orders however fell by 19 per cent. compared with 2007. Private new housing orders fell by 43 per cent. and private commercial orders fell by 28 per cent. However public non-housing orders rose by 26 per cent. (education, health and the Olympics featuring strongly) and infrastructure rose by 17 per cent.

Government continue their frequent discussions with the construction industry on the key issues the sector is facing. As the figures above indicate, public sector spending on construction is highly important.

Debts

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent estimate he has made of the number of individuals with debt management plans. (263495)

[holding answer 13 March 2009]: Because a debt management plan (DMP) is an informal agreement between a debtor and his creditors consequently there is no official record of their numbers. There is a multiplicity of both public and private sector providers in this area, but in view of the scarcity of information available, no attempt has been made to estimate numbers.

The Consumer Credit Counselling Service, the biggest provider of DMPs in the third sector, set up 12,500 DMPs in the first six months of 2008 and are due to publish their full 2008 figures later this month.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much has been claimed in reimbursable expenses by special advisers in his Department in 2008-09 to date. (260349)

Costs incurred on reimbursable expenses in 2008-09, will be available only when the Department's resource accounts are fully audited and laid before Parliament. This is expected to be before the 2009 summer recess.

Departmental Public Consultation

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many public consultations his Department has conducted in the last 12 months; how long each consultation was open for; how many responses were received in each case; and what the cost of conducting each consultation was. (259571)

The number of public consultations conducted between February 2008 and January 2009 was 36. This includes those relating to the energy sector up to 3 October when the Department of Energy and Climate Change was formed and responsibility for energy issues was transferred to that Department. Consultations were open for at least 12 weeks, in line with the code of practice, except in a small number of cases where ministerial approval was gained for a shorter period. The number of responses received ranged from zero to several hundred. Providing the costs of conducting the consultations could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Scientists

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his Department's budget for scientific advice and research is in 2008-09; for what purposes the equivalent budget for 2007-08 was used; and how many people employed in his Department have a science or engineering degree. (260774)

This Department does not have a specific budget for scientific research. It does have a Chief Scientific Adviser and an Assistant Chief Scientific Adviser with secretarial support. The BERR budget for this unit is £200,000 in 2008-09. The unit did not exist prior to 1 April 2008.

This Department does not keep a separate record of people it employs with a science or engineering degree and such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Manufacturing Industries: Government Assistance

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking to support the British manufacturing industry during the economic downturn; and if he will make a statement. (264488)

The Government have acted to help industry through the current economic downturn, by boosting capital and liquidity in the market. In addition, the Government have set up a £2.3 billion Automotive Assistance Programme that is specifically aimed at supporting the automotive sector, and its supply chain.

We are specifically supporting manufacturing with measures such as the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), which since April 2008 has helped nearly 6,000 companies achieve cost savings and increased business worth over £200 million. The recent Manufacturing Strategy builds strongly on this, with £150 million of support for UK manufacturing, helping industry to: seize the opportunities of the low carbon economy; significantly increase apprenticeships; and take advantage of new markets in the global economy.

Post Offices: Closures

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many post office branches have closed in each (a) constituency, (b) local authority area and (c) region (i) since 1997 and (ii) under the Network Change programme to date. (262695)

This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, managing director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Redundancy

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will bring forward legislative proposals to govern the practice of compulsory redundancy. (261814)

We have no plans at present to change the arrangements in relation to compulsory redundancy. The law provides clear rights and responsibilities for both employers and employees with regard to information and consultation, notice periods and statutory redundancy payments.

Royal Mail: Pensions

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the estimated saving to Royal Mail of suspending employer contributions to the Post Office Staff Superannuation Scheme between 1 April 1990 and 1 April 2003 was, expressed in 2008-09 prices. (263666)

[holding answer 13 March 2009]: There is no single answer for the possible accumulated current value of the suspended contributions as it would involve the need to make complex assumptions over the period since 1990, based on decisions taken by a number of interested parties. The fund was judged to be in surplus in 2001.

Union Modernisation Fund

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2009, Official Report, column 1700W, on the union modernisation fund, whether his Department's officials made any informal minutes or notes of the meeting. (263223)

[holding answer 12 March 2009]: Officials, acting in their capacity as the secretariat to the board and in accordance with a decision of the board, kept a record of the decisions taken at the UMF Supervisory Board meetings.

Video Games: Sales

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps the Government plan to take to ensure age restrictions on purchasing video games are adhered to for online purchases. (260805)

The needs and rights of children are central and integral to the Government and they have placed the safety of children and young people at the heart of their policies.

It is illegal to sell or supply 18 rated video games to people under age through online retailers. This falls under the remit of trading standards officers. In the Byron review action plan, the Government committed to working with trading standards on monitoring underage game sales and this work is ongoing.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Greater London

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many days air pollution recorded on Neasden Lane, NW10, exceeded (a) moderate, (b) high and (c) very high levels in the last 12 months; and what level of such pollution poses a risk to public health. (264021)

The monitoring site at Neasden Lane is the responsibility of the local authority and is part of the London Air Quality Network (LAQN). The LAQN is facilitated by the Association of London Government on behalf of the 33 London Boroughs and is operated and managed by the Environmental Research Group (ERG) at Kings College London. Air quality information from the monitoring site at Neasden Lane, including historical data, can be found at:

http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/default.asp?la_id =&showbulletins=&width=1280

The UK air quality strategy sets air quality objectives for the protection of human health. These objectives are reflected in the Air Quality (England) Regulations 2002 and similar regulations for devolved administrations. All local authorities are required to work towards these objectives. EU legislation sets similar limit values for air pollutants, with which the UK must comply.

For PM10 (small particles) the limits are:

50 microgrammes/m3 daily mean not to be exceeded more than 35 days a calendar year

An annual mean concentration of 40 microgrammes/m3

For nitrogen dioxide (NO2) the limits are:

1 hour mean concentration of 200 microgrammes/m3 not to be exceeded more than 18 times a year

An annual mean concentration of 40 microgrammes/m3

These are based on World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. Health effects of air pollutants are described in detail in the (draft) COMEAP (Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution) report “Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution: Effect on Mortality” at:

http://www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/statementsreports/longtermeffectsmort2007.htm

Departmental Data Protection

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what IT security strategy his Department has in place; what steps are being taken to ensure the policy is being followed; what policy is in place on the use of encryption when data are sent externally; and what sanctions are in place for use should the policy not be followed. (259005)

[holding answer 26 February 2009]: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework, the Data Handling Report and the National Information Assurance strategy produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures to which Departments must adhere.

DEFRA’s strategy is to implement all mandatory measures and achieve compliance with the new measures as appropriate for the Department’s business purposes.

Guidance to staff is regularly updated and compliance is checked by line managers, information asset owners and internal audit as appropriate.

Secure procedures are in place for transferring protectively marked material outside of the Department.

Depending upon the circumstances, a range of sanctions are available including disciplinary or administrative action, and in extreme or persistent cases, termination of employment/services and, if appropriate, criminal proceedings.

Departmental Internet

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish a copy of his Department’s website accessibility plan. (257240)

DEFRA intends to comply with Level Double-A of the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines by December 2009.

Contact details for obtaining a copy of our website accessibility policy are available on our website at:

www.defra.gov.uk/accessibility

I have asked officials responsible for the accessibility policy to send a copy to the hon. Gentleman.

Departmental Lost Property

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what property has been lost or stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the estimated cost was of replacement of such property. (263112)

Items of DEFRA property lost or stolen are all recorded as ‘losses’. The following table shows losses with an estimated value (at the time of loss) of over £50. Figures are for 2008-09 to date.

Description

Number

Value (£)

Blackberrys

13

Cameras

6

CD/DVD writers

1

Docking stations

2

Hard drives

5

Laptops

66

Mobile phones

2

Projectors

8

Spider phone

6

Wacom Bamboo A5 pen and tablet

1

Total

110

67,439

IT services were outsourced to IBM in October 2004 and all IT equipment then became the property of the new service provider.

During 2008-09, DEFRA began a programme of hardware and system upgrades which is now almost complete, including the roll-out of encrypted laptops which provides greater security of Government data assets. There have been no reported instances of protectively marked or personal data being lost in connection with these laptop losses.

Floods: Wiltshire

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce flood risk in North Wiltshire constituency. (264199)

The Environment Agency is working closely with the North Wiltshire Flood Group (a multi-agency working group) to address all forms of flooding.

The Environment Agency is undertaking a study to look at the current standard of defence protection provided by existing defences on the Upper Avon in North Wiltshire. A pre-feasibility study has been carried out in Dauntsey to address local flooding and the Environment Agency is working with the Highways Agency and the local authority to progress the recommendations made.

The Environment Agency continues to inspect all its flood defence assets to ensure maintenance needs are identified and undertaken. The Environment Agency is continuously looking at new technology to improve the flood warning system and at Dauntsey, a more tailored localised service is now in place.

Marine Animals: Biodiversity

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance his Department has issued on the application of the general duty to conserve biodiversity in section 40(1) of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 to (a) existing public authorities carrying out functions in the marine area, (b) the Marine Management Organisation and other new marine public authorities proposed in the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, (c) the new regimes proposed in the Marine and Coastal Access Bill and (d) the Infrastructure Planning Commission when licensing marine projects. (263639)

The duty in section 40(1) of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 requires every public authority, when exercising its functions, to have regard, so far as is consistent with the proper exercise of those functions, to the purpose of conserving biodiversity. The duty applies to public authorities in England and Wales, wherever they are carrying out their functions, including in the marine area.

The duty applies to existing public authorities, as defined in section 40(4) of the Act, and applies to any new public authorities which are created in England and Wales. The duty will therefore apply to the Infrastructure Planning Commission, and, subject to passage of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, will apply to the Marine Management Organisation and to Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities. Existing public authorities in England and Wales, which it is proposed should carry out functions under the Bill, are already subject to the biodiversity duty.

Northern Ireland

Anti-Semitism

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reports he has received on levels of anti-Semitism in Northern Ireland since December 2008; and if he will make a statement. (263240)

The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister is responsible for matters relating to equality and community relations, including issues surrounding anti-Semitism.

I am advised that the Police Service of Northern Ireland record crimes or incidents that have a religious motivation, however these are not routinely broken down into different faiths. The Police Service of Northern Ireland have advised me that there have been five such crimes or incidents since December 2008, including at least one of an anti-Semitic nature.

Crime: Computers

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were convicted of internet-related offences in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months. (254935)

There are no specific offences relating to the internet. We are, therefore, unable to separate internet offences from other non-internet offences that relates to the same or similar crimes.

Departmental Rail Travel

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of travel by train by staff in his Department was in each year since 1997. (261205)

The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is unable to provide this information in the format requested. However, the following table provides details of the Department's invoiced expenditure for travel by train, excluding Agencies and Executive non-departmental public bodies, since the 2001-02 financial year when an expenditure code for train costs was created:

Financial Year

Expenditure (£)

2007-08

60,599

2006-07

92,420

2005-06

74,788

2004-05

36,458

2003-04

60,775

2002-03

21,040

2001-02

31,043

The expenditure figures shown in this table include invoiced travel by all employees of the Department.

Train fares can also be reimbursed for staff on official business through travel and subsistence claims. These are posted to the finance system as miscellaneous travel expenses but the isolation of staff costs for train travel would involve a manual investigation of payment vouchers and travel and subsistence claims which could be carried out only at disproportionate cost.

The Department advises that, before any business related journey is made, each member of staff should take into account the most cost effective means of transport, for example mileage costs and car parking. The Northern Ireland Office keeps the cost of travel on official business under regular review.

Veterans Day: Northern Ireland

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to hold events in Northern Ireland to mark Veterans Day on 27 June 2009. (264780)

I have been asked to reply.

A number of local communities within Northern Ireland have plans to hold Armed Forces Day (previously known as Veterans Day) events on or around 27 June 2009 including Carrickfergus, Ballymena and Bangor. The Ministry of Defence (Armed Forces Day Project Team) will be providing organisers of these events with financial assistance in the form of a grant to support their events where these meet the MOD's requirements for promoting the day.

Justice

Community Justice Centres

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what percentage of defendants attending Salford Community Justice Centre have (a) re-offended and (b) complied with their sentence since the centre opened; (262559)

(2) what percentage of defendants attending the Community Justice Centre in North Liverpool have (a) re-offended and (b) complied with their sentence since the centre opened;

(3) what assessment he has made of the effects of the pilot Community Justice Centre in Liverpool and the Salford Community Justice initiative on sentencing;

(4) what assessment he has made of the effects of the pilot Community Justice Centre in Liverpool and the Salford Community Justice initiative had on (a) public perceptions of the criminal justice system and (b) the re-offending rate;

(5) what the re-offending rates have been from the community court schemes in (a) Salford and (b) Liverpool;

(6) what the attendance rate by the accused (a) at court in England and Wales and (b) at each individual community justice court was for the most recent period for which information is available;

(7) how many qualitative evaluation reports of (a) the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre and (b) Salford Community Justice Centre he has received;

(8) where each of the community justice courts in England and Wales is located.

The latest adult reoffending statistics for England and Wales, ‘Reoffending of adults: results from the 2006 cohort', were published on 4 September 2008. These indicate that there has been significant success in reducing reoffending. Between 2000 and 2006 the number of offences committed by offenders commencing court orders under probation supervision has fallen 23.4 per cent. from 158.8 to 121.7 offences per 100 offenders.

Reoffending data for North Liverpool and Salford are not yet available due to the need for a large number of sentenced offenders (where enough time has elapsed since the sentence was given to measure reoffending) and time to collect the data. Data on the compliance with all sentences for the Salford Community Justice Initiative are not available for similar reasons.

Data on compliance with sentences for the North Liverpool Community Justice Centre are not available for similar reasons. However, anecdotal information published in an evaluation of the key components of the centre, published in October 2007, reported that staff at the centre perceived that the increase in support and the offenders' enhanced sense of accountability had improved compliance.

To date no assessment has been made of the effects of the Community Justice Centre in North Liverpool and the Salford Community Justice initiative on sentencing.

Evidence of public perceptions of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in North Liverpool was published in October 2007 as part of a survey of local residents over the period June 2005 to January 2007. This showed that although confidence in the CJS had decreased, it had not dropped as sharply as confidence in the CJS recorded by the British Crime Survey for Merseyside as a whole over the same period. This suggests that the centre had helped to increase confidence locally so that the decline was not as large as it was in other areas. There has been no assessment of the effects of the Salford Community Justice initiative on public perceptions of the CJS.

The Criminal Statistics Annual Report published by the Ministry of Justice for 2007, gives the percentage of defendants bailed to attend magistrates' courts, who then failed to appear as 11 per cent. Attendance rates data are not available for the North Liverpool and Salford community justice projects.

The Ministry of Justice published three evaluation reports in October 2007. These were a qualitative evaluation of the key components of North Liverpool, a qualitative evaluation of the implementation of the Salford project, and the results of a survey, carried out in three waves over time, of the perception of local residents in North Liverpool. There are no evaluations or assessments of the 11 newer projects.

The 13 community justice courts in England and Wales are located at Birmingham, Bradford, Plymouth, Hull, Leicester, Merthyr Tydfil, Middlesbrough (Teesside Magistrates' Court), Nottingham, North Liverpool, Salford, and three locations in London, Haringey, Newham (Stratford Magistrates' Court) and Wandsworth (South Western Magistrates' Court).

Magistrates' Courts: Northern Ireland

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the running costs for (a) Bangor and (b) Limavady Magistrates' Court have been in each of the last five years. (264187)

The running costs for (a) Bangor and (b) Limavady magistrates court in each of the last five years are shown in the following table.

£

Year ended 3 March

Location

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Bangor

107,105

126,545

117,547

130,306

125,469

Limavady

57,446

88,299

74,959

82,968

58,831

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the costs of Magherafelt Magistrates' Court were in each of the last five years. (264418)

The running costs for Magherafelt magistrates court in each of the last five years are shown in the following table.

Magherafelt

Year ended 31 March

£

2004

87,423

2005

85,093

2006

107,362

2007

98,690

2008

109,071

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases have been brought before Larne Magistrates' Court in each of the last five years. (264419)

The following table shows the court business (both criminal and civil) brought before Larne magistrates court in each of the last five years.

Adult defendants

Youth defendants

Civil applications

2004

890

22

593

2005

926

20

635

2006

738

27

300

2007

754

45

160

20081

619

40

122

1 January to November. Provisional figures. Full year validated figures for 2008 are net yet available.

Scotland

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009, Official Report, column 502W, on departmental training, what the (a) Presentation and Public Speaking Skills and (b) Introduction Workshop for New Ministers course cost; and which Ministers attended each. (260391)

The two courses attended by Scotland Office Ministers in the period concerned were attended to enable Ministers to carry out their duties effectively in line with the Ministerial Code. The total cost of the courses was £2,316.85.

Identifying Ministers who undertake training would, or would be likely to, discourage participation in future training sessions, acting as a disincentive for Ministers to undertake formal professional development.

Departmental Public Appointments

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information his Department holds on the number of persons appointed to executive positions in bodies for which his Department has responsibility in the last five years who previously had careers in the banking industry. (261224)

Information on the number of persons who previously had careers in the banking industry in the last five years and were appointed to executive positions in bodies for which my office has responsibility is not held centrally.

Performing Arts

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether his Department has engaged any (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) other performers to support its initiatives over the last five years. (264051)

The Scotland Office has engaged musicians on two occasions in the past five years. No actors or other performers have been engaged.

Communities and Local Government

Council Housing: Rents

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 6 March 2009, Official Report, columns 71-72WS, on local authority rents, whether an impact assessment has been prepared in relation to the proposals. (263037)

No impact assessment was made. Impact assessments are not routinely undertaken in setting the annual housing revenue account subsidy determination as the exercise operates on a notional basis.

Local authorities are responsible for setting their own rents, having regard to the HRA subsidy determination, local resources and affordability issues.

Departmental Redundancy

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008, Official Report, columns 1511-12W, on redundancy, how many staff left her Department under staff exit schemes with a severance package worth (a) between £100,000 and £125,000, (b) between £125,001 and £150,000, (c) between £150,001 and £200,000, (d) between £200,001 and £250,000, (e) between £250,001 and £500,000, (f) between £500,001 and £1,000,000 and (g) over £1,000,000 in each year since 2005-06. (264304)

The following table shows further analysis of packages for the 18 packages of over £100,000:

Number undertaking exit schemes by compensation lump sum amounts over £100,000

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

Total

4

7

7

£100,000 to £125,000

1

2

1

£125,001 to £150,000

1

1

£150,001 to £200,000

1

3

3

£200,001 to £250,000

2

1

2

£250,001 to £500,000

£500,001 to £1,000,000

Over £1,000,000

Disadvantaged: Sutton

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the indices of multiple deprivation data are for each lower layer super output area in the London borough of Sutton. (264089)

I have placed in the Library of the House a table which lists the lower super output areas (LSOAs) for the London borough of Sutton, and provides the rank and score for each of the domains within the Indices of Deprivation. It also contains scores and ranks of the overall Index of Multiple Deprivation.

Home Information Packs

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on informing (a) buyers and (b) sellers of properties about home information packs in each year since their introduction was proposed. (264737)

In relation to publicity expenditure on Home Information Packs (HIPs) prior to 7 February 2008, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 7 February 2008, Official Report, column 1309W.

Since January 2009 the Department has conducted a campaign to meet its duty to inform industry and consumers of forthcoming changes to HIPs and also to promote Government information for those buying or selling homes. The Department's promotional spend has not been split by buyers and sellers and we do not hold information in the format requested. The spend has been broken down by industry and consumers (consumers including both buyers and sellers) and is as follows:

£

Consumers

847,641

Industry

434,552

Total

1,282,193

The Department expects to spend a further £181,834.30 as part of this campaign before the end of the financial year 2008-09.

Homebuy Scheme

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Homebuy homes have been sold on the open market by their first owner in each region in England. (264070)

Information on the number of homes subsequently sold on the open market by the first owner under the three HomeBuy products (New Build, Open Market and Social HomeBuy) is not held centrally.

Subsequent sales information will be collected for New Build HomeBuy (shared ownership) homes which have been allocated funding through the Homes and Communities Agency National Affordable Housing Programme from April 2008.

New Build and Social HomeBuy homes may only be sold on the open market if the landlord is unable to nominate the next purchaser from their waiting list. Where New Build and Social HomeBuy purchasers own 100 per cent. of their home, the landlord has the first option to buy back the home on resale.

Open Market HomeBuy purchasers select their property on the open market and may resell on the same basis but are required to repay their equity loan before doing so. If purchasers wish they may redeem their equity loan at any time when they can afford to do so and continue to live in the property.

Information on the total number of equity loan redemptions (both full and partial) and shared owners increasing their equity share in the last three years is set out in the table. Resales of the properties are not identified separately and redemptions are not broken down by region.

Number ofopen market HomeBuy equity loan redemptions

Number

2005-06

1,265

2006-07

1,704

2007-08

1,678

Housing Revenue Accounts

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which local authorities (a) are due to receive a negative housing revenue account subsidy in 2009-10 and (b) have received a negative housing revenue account subsidy in each of the last five years; what the level of each negative subsidy was; how many relevant dwellings there were in each authority; and if she will make a statement; (264640)

(2) which local authorities (a) are due to receive a housing revenue account subsidy in 2009-10 and (b) have received a housing revenue account subsidy in each of the last five years; what the level of each subsidy was; how many relevant dwellings there were in each authority; and if she will make a statement.

Information on whether a local authority may be in either positive or negative Housing Revenue Account (HRA) subsidy in 2009-10 is not yet available.

The information requested for the last five years is available on the Department’s website or in the Library of the House. However, for convenience separate tables showing which local authorities received negative HRA subsidy, and which received positive subsidy, including the levels of subsidy and each authority’s housing stock for the years 2004-05 to 2008-09, have been placed in the Library of the House.

Housing: Private Finance Initiative

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to accelerate the completion of private finance initiative housebuilding schemes. (263927)

The Department, through its Central Private Finance Unit in association with the Homes and Communities Agency, is actively engaged in measures to help ensure the efficient and effective procurement of its Housing PFI programme and projects.

Steps taken by the Department include: transfer of Housing PFI delivery responsibilities from DCLG to the HCA; setting procurement target timescales; updating the Housing PFI Procurement Pack Guidance, currently under way; monitoring the progress of individual projects; and keeping in close contact with local authorities on projects, offering advice and support as required.

The Department is keeping the procurement of its Housing PFI projects under regular review.

Non-Domestic Rates: Small Businesses

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent estimate is of the rate of take up of relief by small businesses under the small business rate relief scheme; and if she will make a statement. (264585)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 April 2008, Official Report, column 319W, to the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (Alan Duncan).

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the rate relief available under the small business rate relief scheme is not granted to qualifying businesses automatically; and if she will make a statement. (264586)

Small Business Rate Relief can be granted to ratepayers who occupy only one business property. Without the application it would be very difficult for the local authority to establish whether a ratepayer occupies more than one property, which is a condition of entitlement to the relief, particularly if that property is located outside of the billing area in which relief is being claimed. Ratepayers certifying that they meet the given criteria then receive the relief.

Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of Child Support Agency cases are being managed manually. (264040)

[holding answer 16 March 2009]: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty:

In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about child maintenance, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.

You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Child Support Agency cases are being manually managed. [264040]

Figures relating to clerical cases are routinely published in Table 20 of the Child Support Agency’s Quarterly Summary of Statistics; the latest version of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or online at:

http://www.childmaintenance.org/publications/statistics.html

The number of cases the Agency managed clerically at 31st December 2008 was 49,000, which represents less than 4% of the total caseload.

I hope you find this answer helpful.

Council Tax Benefits

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners not in receipt of pension credit are (a) eligible for and (b) in receipt of council tax benefit. (261560)

[holding answer 6 March 2009]: The latest estimates of the numbers eligible for means-tested benefits in Great Britain, covering income support, pension credit, housing benefit, council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income based) are published in the report ‘Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2006-07’, a copy of which is in the Library.

Estimates of the pensioner population who are not in receipt of pension credit but who are eligible for council tax benefit are not available.

The requested information about those in receipt of council tax benefit is in the table.

Great Britain

Number

Total number of recipients of council tax benefit

5,079,080

Recipients of council tax benefit aged 60 and over and not in receipt of pension credit

444,880

Notes:

1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.

2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated.

4. Council tax benefit totals exclude any second adult rebate cases.

5. Administrative HB/CTB Information contains two age breakdowns (i) those under the age of 60 and (ii) those aged 60 and over. Therefore ‘Pensioners’ refers to recipients aged 60 or over.

6. Not all recipients of council tax benefit who are aged over 60 will be eligible for pension credit.

Source:

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in August 2007.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) pensioners and (b) people of working age who are not eligible for council tax benefit live in households where no one is eligible to pay income tax. (264630)

Analysis of the Family Resources Survey for 2006-07 suggests that 10 per cent. of pensioner families with a council tax liability but no entitlement to council tax benefit are in households where no one is liable to pay income tax.

For people of working age 3 per cent. of families with a council tax liability but no entitlement to council tax benefit are in households where no one is liable to pay income tax.

These estimates refer to Great Britain and are based on survey data and modelling so are subject to sample variation and to other forms of errors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of applicants for council tax benefit whose application was successful in the latest period for which figures are available. (264631)

We estimate that in 2007-08 67 per cent. of all new council tax benefit claims were successful.

Notes:

1. Not all local authorities return their quarterly clerical forms; Figures for any non-responding authorities have not been estimated.

2. Claim processing data are supplied to DWP by local authorities and are unaudited.

Source:

Quarterly Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Administration Data.

Mortgage Relief: Crosby

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1284-85W, on homelessness, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Crosby constituency who will receive support from the Support for Mortgage Interest Scheme in each year following its entry into force. (263001)

Mortgages: Government Assistance

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people registered as unemployed in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland constituency have received assistance with the cost of meeting mortgage interest repayments in the last six months. (263800)

Pension Credit

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an estimate of the weekly pension credit entitlement to the nearest whole pound of an individual retiring at age 68 in (a) 2028, (b) 2038, (c) 2048 and (d) 2058 with a full basic state pension but no other pension saving. (261949)

In 2028, the state pension age will be 66, in 2038 it will be 67 and in 2048 and 2058 it will be 68.

The vast majority of individuals with a full basic state pension retiring at the state pension age will also accrue some additional pension.

A median earner in all these scenarios, retiring at the state pension age, would get around £160 per week in state pension (including additional pension), in real weekly earnings terms. This represents just over a third of the income they received during their working life. In each of these cases, they would be ineligible for pension credit.

Note:

The example given assumes a median earner, working from 25 years of age to state pension age with no other income from saving.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of pension credit applications were processed within (a) 15 days, (b) 20 days and (c) 30 days in each year since 2005. (263721)

We are unable to provide the level of detail requested. However, the following table details the average actual clearance times (AACT) for pension credit, each year since 2005, along with the percentage of total applications this represents.

The AACT is calculated by dividing the total number of working days taken to clear cases by the total number of cases cleared.

Pension credit clearance times

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

February YTD1 2008-09

AACT2 target (Days)

10

10

15

15

Total processed (Number)

427,748

334,501

280,097

269,119

Percentage processed within target

88

80

70

72

AACT (Days)

8.8

11.9

15.6

14.9

1 YTD—Year to date.

2 AACT—Actual average clearance time.

Source:

Pension Service Legacy System.

Pensioners: Lump Sum Payments

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the percentage of retirees who took a 25 per cent. tax-free lump sum from their pension fund on retirement in the latest period for which figures are available. (264777)

No information is available about the percentage of retirees taking a 25 per cent. tax free lump sum from their pension fund on retirement. For occupational schemes, it is a matter for the scheme to decide whether to offer a lump sum and, if so, how much it should be within the tax rules. For personal and stakeholder pensions, it is for the scheme member to decide whether to take a lump sum, and, if so, what proportion of the fund, subject to the 25 per cent. limit.

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which groups of pensioners are not eligible to receive the (a) £60 bonus and (b) £10 Christmas bonus; and if he will make a statement. (263374)

[holding answer 13 March 2009]: Eligibility for both instalments of the Christmas bonus paid in winter 2008-09 is determined under the same rules. In order to receive the bonus in winter 2008-09, an individual must be entitled to one of a list of qualifying benefits, which includes the state pension and pension credit, in the week commencing 22 December 2008, and must be living in the UK or elsewhere in the EU or EEA. People who do not meet these qualifying conditions will not receive a Christmas bonus. The Social Security Administration Act 1992 provides that except in prescribed circumstances no person shall be entitled to a benefit unless he has made a claim for it.

Social Fund

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the funds lent under the (a) budgeting loans scheme and (b) crisis loan scheme were overdue for repayment in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available. (263820)

Standard repayment terms for social fund loans are 104 weeks, and in exceptional circumstances this can be extended to 130 weeks. Recoveries can also be rescheduled for a number of reasons including a customer experiencing hardship or entering custody or care.

Amount overdue1

£ million

Budgeting loans

Crisis loans

2005-06

120

75

2006-07

133

89

2007-08

152

101

1 Over two years old.

From 2006, as part of a policy designed to make the social fund more accessible to customers and make the repayment terms less onerous, the amounts people might borrow were increased by 50 per cent. and the repayment terms extended. Accordingly the amounts, lent and outstanding, grew as a consequence of these changes.

Around £8 billion in loans has been awarded since 1988, of which £900 million remains outstanding. Only £38 million (0.5 per cent.) has been written off to date and recoveries continue to be pursued beyond the 104 and 130 weeks date for both on and off benefit customers.

State Retirement Pension

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mechanisms are in place to ensure that a state pensioner switching from monthly to weekly payments for the state pension receives the correct amount of pension. (263955)

Payments of state pension are routinely checked for accuracy. Currently a sample of approximately 1 per cent. of all payments are checked. The interim year to date accuracy figure for February 2009 is 97.09 per cent. A change in payment frequency, from monthly to weekly, does not trigger any specific additional check to ensure the right amount is being paid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people changed from receiving the state pension monthly to weekly using (a) the telephone and (b) other means in the most recent period for which figures are available. (263957)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners changed from receiving their state pension monthly to weekly in the latest period for which figures are available. (263958)

Written Questions: Government Responses

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply to question (a) 257376, on research into pensioner savings, (b) 257377, on pension credit calculation, (c) 257378, on pension credit income attribution, (d) 257379, on pension credit income attribution and (e) 257380, on pensioner income from savings, tabled on 11 February 2009. (261854)

[holding answer 10 March 2009]: The right hon. Gentleman’s questions were answered as follows:

257377, 257378 and 257379 on 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 272W.

257376 and 257380 on 12 March 2009, Official Report, column 687W.

Defence

Armed Forces: Death

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) combat and (b) non-combat deaths of personnel of each of the armed forces there were in (i) Iraq, (ii) Afghanistan, (iii) Germany and (iv) other overseas postings in (A) 2003 and (B) 2008. (264409)

The following table provides a breakdown by country of deaths to UK Service personnel:

Table: Combat and non-combat deaths to UK Service personnel, 2003 and 2008, numbers

2003

20081

Country2

All

Naval Service

Army

RAF

All

Naval Service

Army

RAF

Iraq3

Combat

40

14

24

2

2

0

1

1

Non-combat

12

1

9

2

2

0

2

0

Afghanistan

Combat

0

0

0

0

50

16

32

2

Non-combat

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

0

Germany

Combat

0

0

0

0

Non-combat

9

0

9

0

Other overseas

Combat

0

0

0

0

Non-combat

11

3

8

0

1 Data for 2008 are not available, other than for Iraq and Afghanistan, until 31 March 2009. 2 Country of death includes all personnel who died in that country regardless of their posting location. 3 Two Service personnel (one Army, one RAF) died as a result of non-combat injuries after return to the UK; these have been included in the Iraq fatalities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel died in the UK as a result of (a) natural causes, (b) road traffic accidents, (c) suicide or self-inflicted causes and (d) other causes, including outstanding coroner's verdicts, in (i) 2003 and (ii) 2008. (264410)

The following table provides a breakdown by cause of death for UK regular service personnel.

Table: UK deaths by cause for UK regular armed forces personnel, 2003 and 2007, numbers

Cause of death

2003

2007

All

107

93

Natural causes

34

31

Road traffic accidents

39

35

Suicide and open verdicts

23

7

Other causes1

11

20

1 In addition, two service personnel died in the UK in 2007 as a result of injuries sustained as a result of hostile action in Iraq.

Of the deaths as a result of “other causes” in 2003, there is one death awaiting a coroner's inquest.

Of the deaths as a result of “other causes” in 2007, the latest year the Defence Analytical Services Agency has published cause of death information, there are seven deaths awaiting a coroner's inquest.

Armed Forces: Families

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps his Department has taken to assist service families. (263455)

[holding answer 16 March 2009]: Following the publication of the Nation’s Commitment: Cross Government Support to our Armed Forces, their Families and Veterans, the MOD has continued to work with other Departments and the devolved administrations to deliver the commitments made. To address problems caused by mobility, the Government have increased recognition for service children in the Schools Admissions Code, ensured that families on NHS waiting lists will not be disadvantaged by service moves and given service spouses and partners early access to new deal to help them stay in employment.

A number of measures have been introduced to help service families access accommodation. Priority status for affordable housing schemes has been extended to service families in England, Scotland and Wales and to injured personnel for access to adapted affordable housing schemes; both remain for 12 months after leaving the service to help transition to civilian life. Service families applying for social housing on leaving the service will now be treated on a par with civilians in the area that they are serving.

The MOD and single services have increased by 20 per cent. the number of specialist welfare support staff over the last year, doubled the grant to help units support families of deployed personnel and provided better internet access and cheaper telephone minutes to deployed personnel.

Armed Forces: Health Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps his Department has taken to assist service personnel seriously injured in the course of their duties. (263457)

[holding answer 16 March 2009]: The MOD takes the care and welfare of all injured service personnel very seriously, and we regularly assess ways in which we can improve the care we provide. During the last 12 months, we have completed a review of our rehabilitation services, which led to the announcement in May 2008 of an additional £24 million of funding, over the next four years, for the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court. The recent Healthcare Commission report into the Defence Medical Services also highlighted the exemplary level of operational healthcare and rehabilitation services.

We look forward to the relocation of the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine’s clinical facilities from Selly Oak to the new NHS hospital being built for the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which will start admitting patients in 2010 and will be Europe’s largest and most modern critical care teaching hospital. Casualties from operations overseas will be treated in a modern military ward within the trauma and orthopaedics division of the trust, which will have special features for the exclusive use of military patients.

In line with our commitment in last year’s Service Personnel Command Paper, we have doubled the upfront lump sum payment for the most serious injuries under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS). All recipients, according to the severity of their injuries, will have an uplift of at least 10 per cent. in upfront lump sum payments. We also intend to confer additional benefits to extend this effect to those who have already made claims under the scheme.

Armed Forces: Languages

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Farsi or Dari, (b) Arabic, (c) Urdu and (d) Pashto speaking British military personnel are serving in the British armed forces. (258873)

Information on the languages spoken by British military personnel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there have been any changes to the number of military personnel on duty in Northern Ireland since the murders of the two soldiers at Massereene army base on 7 March 2009. (264734)

Following the attack outside Massereene barracks on 7 March the military element of base security in Northern Ireland has been enhanced. This has resulted in an increase in the number of military personnel on duty. I am withholding further details as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Armed Forces: Pay

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) maximum, (b) minimum and (c) average cash allowance awarded to military staff in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan was in 2008. (263865)

[holding answer 16 March 2009]: During financial year 2007-08, the daily rate of operational allowance payable was £12.75 and is £13.08 for the current financial year. These rates apply equally to both Iraq and Afghanistan. It can be paid for a minimum of one day and the maximum payable is determined by the length of an operational tour. The average tour length is typically six months which would result in the payment of £2,380.

Details of the average operational allowance payable and a breakdown by operational theatre is not held centrally.

Civil Contingency Reaction Forces: Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the Strategic Defence Review New Chapter of 2002, what the budget of the Civil Contingency Reaction Force is; what dedicated assets it has; and how many people are assigned to it. (263443)

There are 13 Civil Contingency Reaction Forces (CCRF) drawn from the reserve forces of all three services. They can provide general duties support, which may be used to supplement the local civil emergency response capabilities. The core of a CCRF is formed around a TA infantry battalion (approximately 500 personnel) with its command structure, integral communications, logistic support and sub units. CCRFs are commanded by the regional brigade and may include volunteers from all arms of the Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve, the Territorial Army and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

The CCRFs are funded through the divisional budget in order to ensure the personnel are appropriately trained to carry out the roles required of them. They have no dedicated assets beyond the normal equipment held by their parent unit(s). If called to deploy, they would draw on the local divisional equipment pool for any additional equipment needed to suit the emergency requirement e.g. shelters, camp beds, tables, tarpaulins, sandbags, torches. They would be provided with the necessary resources to complete their task.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department (a) were disciplined and (b) had their employment terminated as a result of a poor sickness record in each of the last 12 months. (262248)

The Ministry of Defence does not discipline its employees for reasons of illness. It has a range of restoring efficiency procedures to restore and maintain acceptable levels of attendance and deal with staff whose excessive sickness absence and attendance record has become a cause for concern. Employment can be terminated where patterns of irregular attendance from staff become unacceptable, or where long-term sickness absence persists and there is no prospect of a regular return to work. Some staff may also qualify for ill health retirement in certain circumstances, under the terms of their pension scheme.

In the period March 2008 to February 2009, the MOD dismissed 59 civilian employees for unacceptable attendance, 29 for long-term sickness absence and granted ill health retirement to a further 157 employees. A monthly breakdown of this is as follows:

20082009

Reason

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Total

Irregular

1

4

7

6

5

12

3

6

4

2

7

2

59

Long term

1

0

1

0

1

3

2

4

9

6

0

2

29

Ill health

10

17

15

14

18

12

11

14

20

7

13

6

157

Total

12

21

23

20

24

27

16

24

33

15

20

10

245

Departmental Furniture

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on the purchase of new chairs for its main building in the last two years; what the unit cost was of each type of chair purchased; and what best value criteria were applied. (263694)

In the last two years, the MOD has spent £17,687 on new chairs. I am withholding the unit costs of the individual items as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests. The terms of the contract require the contractor, Modus Services Ltd., to seek to obtain best value for money in its purchasing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department on new furniture in each year since 2001. (264197)

The information requested is set out in the following table:

Financial year

Amount (£ million)

2002-03

21.1

2003-04

23.2

2004-05

28.0

2005-06

28.0

2006-07

23.8

2007-08

20.6

2008-09

13.5

The figures exclude PFI/PPP projects where the furniture is supplied by the industrial partner and forms a part of the overall project costs. This figure does include furniture for barracks, family accommodation and office furniture. Data are not held prior to financial year 2002-03. Data for financial year 2008-09 are to 31 January 2009 only.

Departmental Official Hospitality

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on (a) alcohol and (b) food in each of the last five years. (261156)

A breakdown of the constituent elements of official entertainment is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

There are specific rules on the quantities of alcohol that may be provided at public expense and the circumstances in which alcohol may be served. The policy, rules and guidance on the provision of official entertainment are set out in chapter 45 of Joint Services Publication 462 (Financial Management Policy Manual), copies of which are available in the Library of the House and online under the MOD’s Publication Scheme at:

http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/FinanceandProcurementPublications/JSP462/Jsp462FinancialManagementPolicyManual.htm

Health

Alcoholism

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people over the age of 50 years have been diagnosed with alcoholism in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley district and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last five years. (264372)

Contaminated Blood and Blood Products Inquiry

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to responding to the report from the Archer Inquiry into contaminated blood and blood products; if he will respond in full to its recommendations; and if he will make a statement. (264205)

The Department is carefully considering the recommendations made by Lord Archer. In recognition of the seriousness we attach to this issue, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and I have met with Lord Archer to discuss his recommendations.

Departmental Public Consultation

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments for (a) polling and (b) other services his Department has made to (i) Deborah Mattinson and (ii) Opinion Leader Research Limited since 31 December 2007; and if he will make a statement. (261055)

No payments have been made by the Department to Deborah Mattinson. Since 31 December 2007, Opinion Leader Research Limited have been paid £230,871 in total by the Department for a range of work, contracts for which were awarded using standard procurement processes.

Diets

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average daily calorific intake of (a) men and (b) women. (263582)

The most recent information available on the average daily total energy (calorie) intake of males and females is shown in the following table. This is taken from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of adults aged 19 to 64 years, carried out in 2000-01.

Average daily total energy intake (kcal and MJ) by sex

Energy intake

Male

Female

Age (years)

kcal/day

MJ/day

kcal/day

MJ/day

19 to 64*

2,313

9.72

1,632

6.87

* Source:

Data from Henderson L, Gregory J, Irving K and Swan G. National Diet and Nutrition Survey: adults aged 19 to 64 years. Volume 2: Energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat and alcohol intake. The Stationery Office (London: 2003).

Drugs: Misuse

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate of admissions for drug-related incidents per 1,000 admissions for 18 to 21-year-olds was for (a) university hospitals, (b) other hospitals and (c) all hospitals in each of the last 10 years. (264151)

A table showing what data are held on the rate of admissions for drug-related incidents per 1,000 admissions, has been placed in the Library.

It is important to note that the diagnosis codes used to record hospital admission episodes do not distinguish between recreational, illicit or medicinal use of drugs.

Eating Disorders

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many 18 to 21 year-olds were admitted to each (a) hospital and (b) university hospital for eating disorders in each of the last 10 years; and what the rate of admissions for eating disorders per 1,000 admissions for 18 to 21 year-olds was for (i) university hospitals, (ii) other hospitals and (iii) all hospitals in each of the last 10 years. (264148)

The following tables show what data is held on the number of 18 to 21 year-olds admitted into national health service care for eating disorders in the last 10 years.

Count and rate of admissions where there was a primary diagnosis of eating disorders* per 1,000 admissions for 18 to 21 year-olds in each Strategic Health Authority (SHA) of treatment from 2005-06 to 1998-99, Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

2005-06

2004-05

2003-04

2002-03

Total admissions for eating disorders

Rate per 1,000 admissions

Total admissions for eating disorders

Rate per 1,000 admissions

Total admissions for eating disorders

Rate per 1,000 admissions

Total admissions for eating disorders

Rate per 1,000 admissions

Total (England)

284

0.60

271

0.61

262

0.62

234

0.57

Q01

Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA

12

0.60

9

0.49

10

0.54

15

0.86

Q02

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA

*

*

*

*

*

*

6

0.73

Q03

Essex SHA

7

0.60

*

*

*

*

*

*

Q04

North West London SHA

*

*

8

0.63

8

0.67

*

*

Q05

North Central London SHA

19

1.64

12

1.09

15

1.38

9

0.85

Q06

North East London SHA

*

*

Q07

South East London SHA

12

0.77

14

1.02

14

1.11

10

0.83

Q08

South West London SHA

29

3.01

17

1.86

15

1.83

12

1.54

Q09

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA

*

*

11

0.69

12

0.79

6

0.39

Q10

County Durham and Tees Valley SHA

6

0.41

14

1.02

9

0.67

6

0.47

Q11

North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA

7

0.47

*

*

*

*

*

*

Q12

West Yorkshire SHA

23

0.92

17

0.70

13

0.53

14

0.58

Q13

Cumbria and Lancashire SHA

*

*

*

*

7

0.40

11

0.63

Q14

Greater Manchester SHA

7

0.21

*

*

*

*

Q15

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

11

0.39

8

0.31

13

0.54

10

0.42

Q16

Thames Valley SHA

21

1.27

13

0.81

20

1.38

13

0.98

Q17

Hampshire and Isle of Wight SHA

7

0.55

6

0.51

*

*

Q18

Kent and Medway SHA

*

*

*

*

*

*

11

1.05

Q19

Surrey and Sussex SHA

7

0.43

15

0.98

13

0.90

8

0.62

Q20

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA

16

0.78

13

0.66

17

0.91

17

0.99

Q21

South West Peninsula SHA

8

0.53

13

0.94

12

0.90

10

0.80

Q22

Dorset and Somerset SHA

28

3.14

25

2.95

17

2.12

20

2.48

Q23

South Yorkshire SHA

*

*

7

0.40

*

*

*

*

Q24

Trent SHA

*

*

11

0.52

10

0.48

9

0.44

Q25

Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA

9

0.56

6

0.41

15

1.05

9

0.66

Q26

Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA

*

*

6

0.47

9

0.70

*

*

Q27

Birmingham and The Black Country SHA

12

0.40

10

0.38

8

0.32

13

0.51

Q28

Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire SHA

19

1.57

21

1.75

*

*

7

0.61

Y

Not known

2001-022000-011999-001998-99

Total admissions for eating disorders

Rate per 1,000 admissions

Total admissions for eating disorders

Rate per 1,000 admissions

Total admissions for eating disorders

Rate per 1,000 admissions

Total admissions for eating disorders

Rate per 1,000 admissions

Total (England)

253

0.63

224

0.54

280

0.68

212

0.53

Q01

Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA

16

0.95

13

0.81

10

0.62

*

*

Q02

Bedfordshire And Hertfordshire SHA

*

*

*

*

*

*

Q03

Essex SHA

8

0.83

*

*

6

0.60

*

*

Q04

North West London SHA

10

1.11

*

*

8

0.75

Q05

North Central London SHA

*

*

14

1.25

*

*

*

*

Q06

North East London SHA

*

*

*

*

Q07

South East London SHA

10

0.91

11

0.98

16

1.33

Q08

South West London SHA

15

1.92

20

2.41

21

2.61

*

*

Q09

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Q10

County Durham And Tees Valley SHA

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Q11

North And East Yorkshire And Northern Lincolnshire SHA

9

0.66

6

0.45

*

*

Q12

West Yorkshire SHA

26

1.10

17

0.69

17

0.75

8

0.56

Q13

Cumbria And Lancashire SHA

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Q14

Greater Manchester SHA

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Q15

Cheshire and Merseyside SHA

10

0.42

8

0.38

18

0.85

8

0.42

Q16

Thames Valley SHA

11

0.78

11

0.76

6

0.45

6

0.50

Q17

Hampshire and Isle of Wight SHA

*

*

7

0.54

16

1.37

*

*

Q18

Kent and Medway SHA

*

*

8

0.77

12

1.33

*

*

Q19

Surrey and Sussex SHA

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Q20

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA

9

0.71

20

1.52

11

0.87

*

*

Q21

South West Peninsula SHA

12

0.97

*

*

*

*

9

0.77

Q22

Dorset and Somerset SHA

18

2.34

*

*

22

2.79

13

1.74

Q23

South Yorkshire SHA

*

*

6

0.57

*

*

*

*

Q24

Trent SHA

10

0.49

*

*

*

*

*

*

Q25

Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA

*

*

*

*

7

0.52

*

*

Q26

Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA

*

*

*

*

8

0.68

*

*

Q27

Birmingham and The Black Country SHA

23

1.09

11

0.52

11

0.52

10

0.55

Q28

Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire SHA

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Y

Not Known

22

0.73

34

0.69

51

0.83

115

0.86

‘—’ = No data available

Notes:

Finished admission episodes

A finished admission episode is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.

Primary diagnosis

The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.

* Eating disorders are classified between the following ICD10 codes;

F50.0 Anorexia nervosa

F50.1 Atypical anorexia nervosa

F50.2 Bulimia nervosa

F50.3 Atypical bulimia nervosa

F50.4 Overeating associated with other psychological disturbances

F50.5 Vomiting associated with other psychological disturbances

F50.8 Other eating disorders

F50.9 Eating disorder, unspecified

F98.2 Feeding disorder of infancy and childhood

F98.3 Pica of infancy and childhood

Assessing growth through time

HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series.

Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity.

Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.

Primary Care Trust (PCT)/SHA data quality

PCT and SHA data were added to historic data years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioner (GP) practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.

Data quality

HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.

Ungrossed data

Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in the data, i.e. the data are ungrossed.

Small numbers

To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced with “*” (an asterisk). Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional number (the next smallest) has been suppressed.

Source:

Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Count and rate of admissions where there was a primary diagnosis of eating disorders* per 1000 admissions for 18 to 21 year-olds in each Strategic Health Authority of treatment from 2007-08 to 2006-07, Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

2007-08

2006-07

Total admissions for eating disorders

Rate per 1000 admissions

Total admissions for eating disorders

Rate per 1000 admissions

Total (England)

250

0.51

313

0.65

Q30

North East Strategic Health Authority

10

0.32

20

0.63

Q31

North West Strategic Health Authority

20

0.24

23

0.28

Q32

Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority

44

0.74

38

0.66

Q33

East Midlands Strategic Health Authority

16

0.40

16

0.42

Q34

West Midlands Strategic Health Authority

16

0.27

29

0.51

Q35

East of England Strategic Health Authority

24

0.57

20

0.49

Q36

London Strategic Health Authority

26

0.37

71

1.05

Q37

South East Coast Strategic Health Authority

9

0.31

20

0.72

Q38

South Central Strategic Health Authority

29

0.95

40

1.41

Q39

South West Strategic Health Authority

56

1.15

36

0.78

Notes:

Q30 North East SHA

Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear

Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley

Q31 North West SHA

Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire

Q14 Greater Manchester

Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside

Q32 Yorkshire and Humber SHA

Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire

Q12 West Yorkshire

Q23 South Yorkshire

Q33 East Midlands SHA

Q24 Trent

Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland

Q34 West Midlands SHA

Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire

Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country

Q28 West Midlands South

Q35 East of England SHA

Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire

Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

Q36 London

Q04 North West London

Q05 North Central London

Q06 North East London

Q07 South East London

Q08 South West London

Q38 South East Coast SHA

Q16 Thames Valley

Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight

Q37 South Central SHA

Q18 Kent and Medway

Q19 Surrey and Sussex

Q39 South West SHA

Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire

Q21 South West Peninsula

Q22 Dorset and Somerset

The data do not include patients with overeating (ICD10 code R63.2 Polyphagia) that have not been formally diagnosed with a condition classified as a mental or behavioural disorder.

Fire Services: Vaccination

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 28 January 2009, Official Report, column 636W, on fire services: vaccination, whether he plans to review the practice of not distributing antiviral drugs to firefighters in the event of an influenza pandemic. (263500)

In the event of a pandemic, our policy is to provide treatment to all who need it, irrespective of the profession to which they belong. We are currently increasing our antiviral stockpile to ensure that there will be enough to treat up to 50 per cent. of the population in a pandemic, the reasonable worst case scenario of the number of people likely to exhibit symptoms of pandemic influenza. This stockpile is due to be in place by April 2009.

Hospital Beds

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospital beds there were per 1,000 of local populations in each health authority area in each of the last 10 years. (264215)

The average daily number of available acute beds in wards open overnight per 1,000 of local population in each strategic health authority (SHA) area is shown in the following table. The current 10 SHAs were established on 1 July 2006. Prior to this there were 28 SHAs. Data for 1997-98 to 2001-02 have been mapped to the 28 SHAs that were established on 1 April 2002 as Office for National Statistics population estimates have been produced at this level.

Bed numbers have fallen because hospitals are dealing with patients more efficiently and more people are treated in primary care settings—experts all agree that this is the best way to deliver health care to patients.

Advances in medical technology and shorter stays for routine operations mean fewer beds are needed across the service—this is part of a long-term downward trend in the average length of stay in hospital. But where the NHS needs more beds, there are more beds. For example, in day surgery, the number of day-only beds has increased by more than 47 per cent. since 1997-98, and we now have 55 per cent. more critical care beds and 116 per cent. more intermediate care beds than we had in 2000.

Average daily number of available acute beds in wards open overnight per 1,000 population

SHA code

SHA name

2006-07

2007-08

England

2.05

1.98

Q30

North East

2.56

2.45

Q31

North West

2.47

2.35

Q32

Yorkshire and the Humber

2.28

2.18

Q33

East Midlands

1.81

1.80

Q34

West Midlands

2.16

2.14

Q35

East of England

1.54

1.51

Q36

London

2.08

1.94

Q37

South East Coast

1.61

1.53

Q38

South Central

1.64

1.64

Q39

South West

2.30

2.24

SHA code

SHA name

1997-98

1998-99

1999-2000

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

England

2.22

2.21

2.19

2.19

2.19

2.19

2.20

2.19

2.14

Q01

Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA

2.15

2.13

2.12

2.15

2.13

2.13

2.19

2.12

1.98

Q02

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA

0.99

1.00

1.00

1.22

1.28

1.25

1.29

1.38

1.26

Q03

Essex Strategic HA

1.48

1.46

1.47

1.49

1.47

1.49

1.52

1.51

1.51

Q04

North West London Strategic HA

2.59

2.66

2.40

2.22

2.19

2.16

2.17

2.22

2.13

Q05

North Central London Strategic HA

3.12

2.99

2.87

2.81

2.71

2.68

2.78

2.69

2.64

Q06

North East London Strategic HA

2.38

2.33

2.16

2.22

2.24

2.24

2.26

2.21

2.22

Q07

South East London Strategic HA

2.32

2.26

2.25

2.27

2.21

2.09

2.09

2.05

1.92

Q08

South West London Strategic HA

1.95

1.93

2.15

2.14

2.15

2.04

2.12

2.19

2.15

Q09

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic HA

2.76

2.76

2.76

2.74

2.76

2.74

2.75

2.74

2.77

Q10

County Durham and Tees Valley SHA

2.65

2.62

2.59

2.59

2.49

2.41

2.45

2.38

2.33

Q11

North and East Yorkshire and North Lincs SHA

2.02

1.90

1.89

1.92

1.91

1.97

1.94

1.94

1.92

Q12

West Yorkshire Strategic HA

2.49

2.44

2.42

2.43

2.38

2.30

2.28

2.20

2.13

Q13

Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic HA

2.42

2.47

2.39

2.43

2.32

2.32

2.30

2.21

2.20

Q14

Greater Manchester Strategic HA

2.83

2.82

2.82

2.80

2.83

2.78

2.82

2.79

2.71

Q15

Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic HA

2.51

2.51

2.60

2.67

2.69

2.70

2.72

2.77

2.68

Q16

Thames Valley Strategic HA

1.90

1.86

1.81

1.65

1.82

1.85

1.85

1.84

1.80

Q17

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic HA

1.87

1.81

1.78

1.91

1.92

1.94

2.00

2.00

1.83

Q18

Kent and Medway Strategic HA

1.67

1.67

1.69

1.70

1.62

1.57

1.55

1.57

1.54

Q19

Surrey and Sussex Strategic HA

1.88

1.83

1.70

1.77

1.84

1.79

1.92

1.84

1.80

Q20

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA

2.32

2.40

2.40

2.33

2.34

2.42

2.43

2.43

2.56

Q21

South West Peninsula Strategic HA

2.43

2.45

2.48

2.50

2.61

2.58

2.61

2.57

2.50

Q22

Dorset and Somerset Strategic HA

2.21

2.16

2.16

2.15

2.14

2.15

2.24

2.19

2.16

Q23

South Yorkshire Strategic HA

2.78

2.88

2.81

2.83

2.93

3.07

2.97

3.02

3.05

Q24

Trent Strategic HA

2.12

2.12

2.17

2.11

2.02

1.96

1.94

1.90

1.85

Q25

Leics, Northants and Rutland SHA

1.91

1.92

1.96

1.94

1.91

1.99

1.95

1.89

1.93

Q26

Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA

1.77

1.84

1.83

1.89

1.90

1.85

1.85

1.83

1.78

Q27

Birmingham and The Black Country SHA

2.52

2.55

2.55

2.60

2.60

2.66

2.62

2.68

2.69

Q28

West Midlands South Strategic HA

1.99

1.98

2.00

1.97

2.06

2.15

2.06

2.07

2.07

Notes: 1. The data are for beds in wards open overnight only. 2. The data on day-only beds cannot be split by sector to show just acute beds. Source: Department of Health KH03 return, ONS Mid Year population estimates.

Hospitals

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) name and (b) organisation code is of each university hospital in England. (264149)

The information requested is shown in the following table.

The list represents national health service sites that have university hospital or similar in their name.

Organisation code

Organisation

Site code

Site

REM

Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

REM21

University Hospital Aintree

RTK

Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust

RTK52

West Middlesex University Hospital

RVN

Avon And Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

RVN2J

University of Bath

RVL

Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust

RVLC9

North Middlesex University Hospital Trust

RDD

Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

RDDH0

Basildon University Hospital

RG3

Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust

RG303

Princess Royal University Hospital

RW3

Central Manchester and Manchester Children’s University Hospitals NHS Trust

RW3DH

University Dental Hospital

RLN

City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

RLN01

University Hospital of Hartlepool

RLN

City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

RLNDU

University Hospital of North Durham

RXP

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

RXPCP

University Hospital of North Durham

RJ1

Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

RJ132

Princess Royal University Hospital

RJ1

Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

RJ127

University Hospital Lewisham

RW1

Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust

RW1YS

University of Southampton

RQX

Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

RQXM1

Homerton University Hospital

RR8

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

RR813

St. James’s University Hospital

RT5

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

RT503

University Hospitals

REP

Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust

REP17

Royal Liverpool University Hospital

RJ6

Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust

RJ611

Mayday University Hospital

RW4

Mersey Care NHS Trust

RW429

Oak House—Mersey Care at Aintree University Hospital Site

RP6

Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

RP608

Moorfields at Mayday University Hospital

RM1

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust

RM102

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital

RLY

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

RLYC5

University Hospital of North Staffordshire

RVW

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

RVWAA

University Hospital of Hartlepool

RVW

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

RVWAE

University Hospital of North Tees

RX1

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

RX1CC

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust—City Campus

RX1

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

RX1RA

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust—Queen’s Medical Centre Campus

RHA

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

RHARA

University Hospital

RQ6

Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust

RQ614

Royal Liverpool University Dental Hospital

RQ6

Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust

RQ617

The Royal Liverpool University Hospital

RRJ

Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

RRJ24

University Hospital Birmingham

RTR

South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust

RTRAT

The James Cook University Hospital

RTR

South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust

RTRHP

University Hospital of Hartlepool

RTR

South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust

RTRNT

University Hospital of North Tees

RQY

South West London and St. George’s Mental Health NHS Trust

RQY01

Springfield University Hospital

RJ7

St. George’s Healthcare NHS Trust

RJ728

St. George’s at Mayday University Hospital

RBN

St. Helen’s and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust

RBN58

Royal Liverpool University Hospital

RBN

St. Helen’s and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust

RBN50

University Hospital Aintree

RXX

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust

RXX38

Royal Holloway University

RX3

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust

RX3EW

University Hospital of Hartlepool

RX3

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust

RX3EP

University Hospital of North Durham

RX3

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust

RX3FA

University Hospital of North Tees

RJ2

The Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust

RJ224

University Hospital Lewisham

RA7

United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust

RA7C1

University Hospital Bristol

RA7

United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust

RA709

University of Bristol Dental Hospital

RRV

University College London NHS Foundation Trust

RRV03

University College Hospital

RJE

University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust

RJEHQ

University Hospital of North Staffordshire

RKB

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

RKB01

University Hospital Coventry

RFW

West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

RFW01

West Middlesex University Hospital

RGC

Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS Trust

RGCKH

Whipps Cross University Hospital

In Vitro Fertilisation

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department has collected figures on the number of patients moving from one region to another in order to receive three full cycles of IVF treatment; (263512)

(2) what assessment his Department has made of steps to implement the policy of single embryo transfer in fertility clinics; and if he will make a statement;

(3) what support and guidance his Department plans to provide to primary care trusts to assist them to implement a policy of single embryo transfer; and if he will make a statement.

We do not collect information centrally on any patients moving from one locality to another to seek three cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) as a national health service treatment.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in partnership with professional bodies and other stakeholders, including patient groups and representatives of the NHS, has developed a national strategy to significantly reduce the incidence of multiple births resulting from IVF and related treatments. This strategy is known as the “One at a Time” campaign and includes promoting greater use of single embryo transfers (SET) where this is clinically appropriate for individual patients, leaving scope for the exercise of clinical discretion. The Department has observer status on the stakeholder group.

The HFEA has required all licensed treatment centres to have in place a documented multiple births minimisation strategy, and to send a copy to the HFEA.

The Department has established an expert group on commissioning NHS infertility provision to identify the barriers to the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) fertility guideline in England and to help NHS commissioners to progress towards full implementation of the guideline. The expert group produced an interim report in August 2008, which recognised that patients are more likely to accept SET if they are assured that provision of services is established in line with the NICE guideline.

Leukaemia: Research

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on research into leukaemia in each of the last 10 years. (264405)

Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department’s research and development budget has been allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. Those organisations have accounted for their use of the allocations they have received from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on national priority areas, including cancer. They do not provide details of research into particular cancer sites.

The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), a United Kingdom wide partnership between government, charities and industry, makes cancer research information available online via the International Cancer Research Portfolio database at:

www.cancerportfolio.org

Details of current departmental and Medical Research Council site-specific cancer research can be found through this database.

NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what externally-contracted bodies have been paid by his Department to (a) review, (b) negotiate and (c) audit independent sector treatment centre contracts in the last five years; and how much has been paid to each. (263730)

The Department directly reviewed the Independent Sector Treatment Centre (ISTC) projects, but engaged specialists (PA Consulting) to provide capacity mapping. The Department negotiated the ISTC projects, but engaged the following legal firms to provide legal advice and financial analysts to provide accounting advice.

Company

Total (£ million)

Review

PA Consulting

0.9

Negotiate

Addleshaw Goddard LLP

15.8

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

6.1

KPMG LLP

5.4

Morgan Cole

6.5

PricewaterhouseCoopers

12.2

Wragge and Co.

18.0

Total

65.0

The Department has not conducted any audits of the ISTC programme.

Total spend on externally procured support for reviewing and negotiating the ISTC programme for the period 2004-05 to 2008-09.

£ million

2004-05

12.5

2005-06

18.6

2006-07

19.0

2007-08

11.1

2008-09

3.9

Total

65.0