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Written Answers

Volume 497: debated on Thursday 22 October 2009

Written Answers to Questions

Thursday 22 October 2009

Justice

Prisoners: Drugs

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of (a) male and (b) female offenders aged 10 to 17 years entered custody with a substance misuse problem in each year since 1997. (294183)

Prisoners: Mental Health

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of prisoners were diagnosed with mental health problems during the latest period for which figures are available. (294296)

I have been asked to reply.

Figures about the number of prisoners with mental health problems are not routinely collected. However a survey of mental ill health in the prison population undertaken in 1997 by the Office for National Statistics estimated that around 90 per cent. of prisoners had at least one of the five disorders (personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, alcohol misuse, and drug dependence) considered in the survey. Co-morbidity levels were also high.

In 2008 Ministry of Justice research suggested that common mental health problems are very prevalent with 82 per cent. of prisoners on sentences of less than four years identified with anxiety or depression.

Prisoners: Suicide

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many reported suicides there have been of prisoners in each year since 1997. (294301)

The following table lists the annual totals for self-inflicted deaths in prison custody for each of the years 1997 to 2008.

Self-inflicted deaths1

1997

68

1998

83

1999

91

2000

81

2001

73

2002

95

2003

94

2004

95

2005

78

2006

67

2007

92

2008

60

1 The Prison Service definition of self-inflicted deaths is broader than the legal definition of suicide and includes all deaths where it appears that a prisoner has acted specifically to take their own life. This inclusive approach is used in part because inquest verdicts are often not available for some years after a death (some 20 per cent. of these deaths will not receive a suicide or open verdict at inquest). Annual numbers may change slightly from time to time as inquest verdicts and other information become available.

Every death in prison is a tragedy, and affects families, staff and other prisoners deeply. Ministers, the Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service are committed to learning from each death and to reducing the number of such incidents. Good care and support from staff save many lives, but such instances go largely unreported. Prisons successfully keep safe in any given month approximately 1,500 prisoners assessed to be at particular risk of suicide or self-harm. Deaths in prisons are among the most scrutinised of all incidents and each case is subject to a police investigation and independent investigation by the prisons probation ombudsman. Robust systems are in place for monitoring deaths and learning from them.

Sexual Offences: Prisons

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints of sexual violence were recorded in prisons in the latest period for which figures are available. (294292)

In the financial year 2008-09, 124 sexual assaults were recorded on the National Offender Management Service’s incident reporting system (IRS). This figure includes proven and unproven allegations and is subject to change because some allegations are removed or reclassified following investigation.

Without cross reference to the police national database, we cannot confirm how many of these original allegations reached a full investigation. Such further information would not prove cost-effective to produce.

Since 2004, a national strategy has directed every public sector prison to have in place a local violence reduction strategy. From mid-2007, this policy has been applied to both the public sector and contracted estate. The strategy requires each prison to undertake regular analysis of the problem areas, consider solutions and provide an action plan to improve personal safety and reduce violence. A whole prison approach is encouraged, engaging all staff, all disciplines and prisoners in challenging unacceptable behaviour, problem-solving and personal safety. This includes environmental and physical measures, as well as alternative ways of managing behaviour.

Transport

Vehicles: Insurance

13. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps his Department plans to take to reduce the number of vehicles driven on public roads without valid insurance; and if he will make a statement. (294806)

Regulations are being drafted to bring into force a new scheme of continuous enforcement of motor insurance.

This scheme will identify those potentially uninsured by regularly comparing vehicle registration data on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) database with the database of insured vehicles maintained by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau. Vehicle keepers found to be without valid insurance will be subject to enforcement action by the DVLA.

High-Speed Rail

14. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions he has had on proposals for a high-speed rail link between the North West and London. (294807)

The Secretary of State and my ministerial colleagues meet regularly with key stakeholders to discuss a range of transport issues, including high-speed rail.

The Secretary of State was in Manchester on Wednesday 21 October 2009 at the Northern Regeneration Summit, where he engaged with a range of organisations and regional bodies, and provided the keynote speech, on high-speed rail.

I also engaged with stakeholders across the North West, Yorkshire and Humber as part of my rail tour of those regions in September.

15. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent progress has been made on consideration of proposals for a high-speed rail hub at Birmingham International Airport. (294808)

“High Speed Two” has been formed to help develop the case for high-speed rail services. As a first stage, High Speed Two will report by the end of the year with for a proposed route from London to the West Midlands. This will include consideration of a range of route options as well as access to central London and the other cities served.

Heavy Goods Vehicles

16. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the number of heavy goods vehicles registered overseas which used roads in the UK in 2008. (294809)

In 2008 around 3.5 per cent. of all heavy goods vehicle traffic in Great Britain were estimated to be foreign-registered vehicles.

A34

17. To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if the Government would support the construction of a full diamond interchange on the A34 at Lodge Hill near Abingdon; and if he will make a statement. (294811)

Oxfordshire county council are examining the impact of junction improvements in the Central Oxfordshire area. The junction operation at Lodge Hill and the impact of any proposed development will need to be examined by the Vale of White Horse District Council for their Local Development Framework. The Government cannot consider supporting such a proposal until the need is established.

Departmental Rail Travel

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department spent on first class rail travel for officials in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. (293338)

The Department for Transport and its agencies do not record rail travel expenditure separately for different classes of travel. The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Official travel in the Department is undertaken in accordance with the requirements set out in the Civil Service Management Code.

Marine and Coastguard Agency

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent progress has been made by the Marine and Coastguard Agency in implementing the findings of research it has commissioned on small vessel safety; and if he will make a statement. (293176)

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in conjunction with the key stakeholders, including the Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG), continues to work on improvements for small vessel safety with the industry through an improving safety culture, influenced by consultants, surveyors and, where appropriate, fishermen.

The MCA has an ongoing programme of research. Each piece of research is validated and subject to cost-benefit analysis. Where practicable and agreed suitable for application it is implemented either through mandatory regulation, instructions to surveyors, or guidance for industry.

Currently, the MCA is considering the outputs of research projects, carried out by a number of consultancies, and accident investigations focussing on the stability and seaworthiness of small vessels.

The review of the fishing vessel projects is being undertaken in conjunction with the Stability Sub-Group of FISG, to ensure they are consistent and address the underlying safety problems identified from the accident investigations.

Motorway: Closures

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on how many occasions in the last 12 months an initial decision fully to close a motorway by a road policing officer has been overturned by a supervisor at the Highways Agency or Highway Authority. (294744)

No Highways Agency staff have the authority to overturn an instruction given by a police constable.

The Traffic Management Act 2004, Section 4 (1) states

“A traffic officer shall, when carrying out his duties, comply with any direction of a constable”.

Railways: Standards

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what information his Department holds on recent levels of performance of rail services operated by (a) Virgin Trains and (b) London Midland between Milton Keynes and Euston. (294810)

The Department for Transport does not hold the specific data requested but the overall Virgin West Coast Public Performance Measure improved for the period from 23 August to 19 September 2009 against the same period last year, with an increase of 5.7 per cent. from 83.3 per cent. to 89 per cent. For London Midland the equivalent change was a 4.1 per cent. increase, from 86.6 per cent. to 90.7 per cent.

Roads: Construction

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent estimate he has made of the length of time taken by local authorities adopting residential roads in new developments; and if he will make a statement. (294939)

The Department for Transport has no information on the adoption of streets in new developments by local highway authorities and has made no estimate of the time authorities take to do so.

Energy and Climate Change

Coal Fired Power Stations

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on (i) the reuse of waste ash and (ii) levels of radioactive emissions from coal-fired power stations. (292099)

[holding answer 12 October 2009]: DECC has not commissioned or evaluated research on the re-use of waste ash and levels of radioactive emissions from coal-fired power stations. According to industry sources, around 50 per cent. of waste pulverised fuel ash from coal-fired power stations is re-used in the construction sector.

Collaborative Offshore Wind Research into the Environment

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what procedures are used to allocate funding for research projects by Collaborative Offshore Wind Research into the Environment. (294039)

[holding answer 19 October 2009]: Collaborative Offshore Windfarm Research Into the Environment (COWRIE) is an independent registered Charity that was set up to advance and improve understanding and knowledge of the potential environmental impacts of offshore wind farm development in UK waters. COWRIE Ltd is governed by a board of trustees who are responsible for overseeing the administration of the company and its financial governance. Further information can be found on their website:

http://www.offshorewind.co.uk/Pages/COWRIE

Departmental Rail Travel

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on first class rail travel for officials since its inception; and if he will make a statement. (293331)

The Department’s officials have spent a total of £217,425 on first-class rail travel since the inception of the Department on 3 October 2008.

Energy: Meters

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) if he will bring forward proposals for the compulsory installation of stand-alone home energy displays alongside smart meters; (294035)

(2) what steps he plans to take to ensure that energy suppliers provide stand-alone home energy displays alongside smart meters under the smart metering scheme.

[holding answer 19 October 2009]: The Government recently published a consultation on smart metering for electricity and gas. As part of the consultation the Government invited views on the type of consumption information that should be provided to consumers, and on the expectation that stand-alone, real-time displays would be provided with smart meters. The Government will respond to the consultation in due course.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure that energy companies work with local authorities to deliver the smart metering scheme. (294107)

[holding answer 19 October 2009]: The Government recently published a consultation on smart metering for electricity and gas. This included questions on a range of delivery and deployment options. The Government will respond to the consultation in due course. Following the Government response work will commence on detailed preparation for the full roll-out of smart meters.

Energy: Prices

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to encourage fuel companies to pass on reductions in energy costs to customers. (294121)

[holding answer 20 October 2009]: The Government have asked Ofgem to report on wholesale costs and retail prices on a quarterly basis, to improve transparency. The latest of these reports was issued in August. The Government and Ofgem have made it clear that we expect to see energy suppliers reduce prices when costs allow.

Plutonium: Exports

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009, Official Report, column 1976W, on plutonium: exports, (a) which ships were used in each respective transport to which reference is made and (b) which United Kingdom port of departure and Swedish port of destination was used in each case; and when he expects the irradiated advanced cooled reactor fuel pins to be returned to the United Kingdom from Sweden. (292490)

The Intermediate Level Waste containing approximately 5g of plutonium was contained within drums and shipped in a lorry from Immingham to Gothenburg on a normal commercial ferry. The cargo met all the regulatory and licence requirements for the chosen method of transport.

The container of 46 irradiated advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) fuel pins containing less than 400g of plutonium was shipped from Workington to Wallhamn on the Atlantic Osprey. This is a special-purpose cargo vessel, approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to International Maritime Organisation standards to be certificated as an INF2 (Irradiated Nuclear Fuel) vessel.

The fuel pins are still undergoing analytical examination and plans for their return to the UK have not yet been made.

Sellafield

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether (a) his Department and (b) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has contracts with (i) Nuclear Management Partners and (ii) Sellafield Ltd. on the management of the Sellafield site. (289876)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have any contracts with Nuclear Management Partners or Sellafield Ltd. The NDA have:

(i) a Parent Body Agreement with Nuclear Management Partners (redacted copy available on NDA website www.nda.gov.uk; and

(ii) a Management and Operations contract with Sellafield Ltd. (redacted copy available on NDA website www.nda.gov.uk).

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether (a) his Department and (b) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority expect to receive fees from (i) Nuclear Management Partners and (ii) Sellafield Ltd. in relation to the management of the Sellafield site. (289877)

Under the terms of its contract with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) will be able to earn performance related fees. No fees will be paid by NMP to either the NDA or the Government.

Home Department

Bigamy

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) offences of bigamy have been recorded and (b) how many people have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted for offences related to bigamy in each police force area in each year since 1997. (294156)

The Home Office has responsibility for the police recorded crime statistics and figures for the number of offences of bigamy recorded by the police are given in Tables 1-3.

Court proceedings statistics are collected by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. Table 4 shows the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts for bigamy in England and Wales from 1997 to 2007 (latest available). Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.

The police recorded crime data are based on the number of offences recorded in each financial year. Court proceedings data are based on the number of offenders. These data are published on a calendar year basis and are counts of persons classified by their principal offence. For these reasons the two datasets are not directly comparable.

Table 1: Offences of bigamy recorded by the police

Number of offences

Police force area

1997

Avon and Somerset

1

Bedfordshire

0

Cambridgeshire

0

Cheshire

1

Cleveland

1

Cumbria

0

Derbyshire

1

Devon and Cornwall

0

Dorset

1

Durham

0

Dyfed-Powys

0

Essex

1

Gloucestershire

0

Greater Manchester

2

Gwent

0

Hampshire

1

Hertfordshire

0

Humberside

0

Kent

3

Lancashire

1

Leicestershire

0

Lincolnshire

2

London, City of

0

Merseyside

0

Metropolitan Police

48

Norfolk

0

Northamptonshire

0

Northumbria

0

North Wales

0

North Yorkshire

2

Nottinghamshire

0

South Wales

0

South Yorkshire

0

Staffordshire

1

Suffolk

1

Surrey

1

Sussex

1

Thames Valley

1

Warwickshire

0

West Mercia

0

West Midlands

4

West Yorkshire

1

Wiltshire

0

England and Wales

75

Table 2: Offences of bigamy recorded by the police1, 2

Number of offences

Police force area

1998-99

1999-2000

2000-01

2001-02

Avon and Somerset

6

4

4

0

Bedfordshire

0

2

0

0

Cambridgeshire

2

0

2

0

Cheshire

1

1

0

0

Cleveland

0

0

0

1

Cumbria

2

0

0

1

Derbyshire

3

1

4

0

Devon and Cornwall

1

0

3

2

Dorset

0

0

1

3

Durham

0

0

0

0

Dyfed-Powys

0

0

0

0

Essex

1

2

0

0

Gloucestershire

1

0

0

2

Greater Manchester

4

0

5

2

Gwent

3

0

1

2

Hampshire

2

2

3

0

Hertfordshire

0

0

1

1

Humberside

1

0

1

0

Kent

2

3

2

2

Lancashire

2

0

1

1

Leicestershire

1

0

0

0

Lincolnshire

1

0

1

0

London, City of

0

0

0

0

Merseyside

3

1

2

1

Metropolitan Police

62

41

33

39

Norfolk

0

0

0

0

Northamptonshire

0

0

1

2

Northumbria

0

2

0

1

North Wales

1

1

0

2

North Yorkshire

0

0

0

0

Nottinghamshire

0

0

1

1

South Wales

2

1

1

0

South Yorkshire

0

1

1

0

Staffordshire

1

2

1

0

Suffolk

2

2

0

1

Surrey

2

0

2

1

Sussex

7

2

4

3

Thames Valley

1

5

1

1

Warwickshire

0

1

0

0

West Mercia

4

1

1

0

West Midlands

4

4

2

2

West Yorkshire

7

3

1

3

Wiltshire

0

1

0

0

England and Wales

129

83

80

74

1 The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997.

2 The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.

Table 3: Offences of bigamy recorded by the police1

Number of offences

Police force area

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Avon and Somerset

2

2

2

2

1

3

4

Bedfordshire

2

0

3

1

0

1

1

Cambridgeshire

4

3

1

1

2

0

2

Cheshire

0

1

2

1

0

1

0

Cleveland

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

Cumbria

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

Derbyshire

0

0

0

0

1

1

1

Devon and Cornwall

2

4

1

0

0

4

1

Dorset

1

2

2

0

0

0

0

Durham

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

Dyfed-Powys

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

Essex

3

1

1

0

0

1

1

Gloucestershire

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

Greater Manchester

5

1

5

5

5

2

5

Gwent

0

0

1

0

0

0

1

Hampshire

6

4

0

5

0

1

0

Hertfordshire

0

0

4

3

0

0

1

Humberside

3

0

4

1

2

0

0

Kent

1

3

2

1

1

1

1

Lancashire

0

2

0

0

1

2

1

Leicestershire

0

3

1

5

1

0

1

Lincolnshire

1

0

1

1

0

0

0

London, City of

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Merseyside

0

1

0

3

0

2

2

Metropolitan Police

33

25

40

37

21

30

18

Norfolk

0

2

1

1

0

3

2

Northamptonshire

0

2

5

0

3

1

0

Northumbria

1

2

0

1

1

0

1

North Wales

0

0

0

1

1

1

0

North Yorkshire

2

0

1

0

1

0

1

Nottinghamshire

3

3

1

0

2

0

0

South Wales

1

2

2

1

1

1

1

South Yorkshire

2

1

1

3

1

0

0

Staffordshire

1

0

0

2

2

0

3

Suffolk

2

0

2

2

0

1

1

Surrey

1

0

3

1

2

0

1

Sussex

0

0

1

2

1

1

1

Thames Valley

3

1

6

5

2

7

4

Warwickshire

1

0

1

2

0

5

3

West Mercia

1

0

2

0

2

0

1

West Midlands

1

3

4

6

6

1

2

West Yorkshire

2

3

2

2

0

1

4

Wiltshire

2

0

1

5

0

2

0

England and Wales

88

71

104

101

61

74

65

1 The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Table 4: Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for bigamy, England and Wales 1997 to 20071, 2, 3

Proceeded against

Force

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Avon and Somerset

1

1

1

Bedfordshire

1

1

1

2

Cambridgeshire

1

2

1

Cheshire

1

1

1

City of London

1

Cleveland

1

Cumbria

1

1

1

Derbyshire

3

2

4

Devon and Cornwall

2

2

1

Dorset

1

1

1

1

Durham

1

Essex

1

1

2

Gloucestershire

1

1

Greater Manchester

1

4

1

1

3

3

Hampshire

2

2

1

2

1

3

1

1

Hertfordshire

1

Humberside

1

1

1

1

1

Kent

1

1

1

Lancashire

1

1

1

2

Leicestershire

2

1

Lincolnshire

1

1

1

Merseyside

1

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

Metropolitan Police

8

18

18

4

3

10

9

8

9

6

4

Norfolk

North Yorkshire

2

1

1

Northamptonshire

1

Northumbria

1

1

1

3

Nottinghamshire

1

1

South Yorkshire

1

1

2

1

Staffordshire

1

1

1

1

Suffolk

1

2

1

1

1

Surrey

1

1

Sussex

1

3

4

1

Thames Valley

1

1

1

Warwickshire

West Mercia

1

1

1

West Midlands

1

2

1

1

2

1

1

3

1

West Yorkshire

1

2

1

1

1

1

2

Wiltshire

1

1

1

4

Dyfed Powys

Gwent

2

North Wales

1

1

South Wales

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

England and Wales

22

30

40

17

23

31

29

22

28

23

17

Found guilty

Force

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Avon and Somerset

1

1

Bedfordshire

1

1

1

Cambridgeshire

1

1

Cheshire

1

1

1

City of London

Cleveland

1

Cumbria

1

1

1

Derbyshire

1

1

2

Devon and Cornwall

1

1

1

Dorset

1

1

2

1

Durham

1

Essex

1

2

Gloucestershire

1

1

Greater Manchester

3

1

2

2

Hampshire

1

2

2

1

1

Hertfordshire

1

Humberside

1

1

1

Kent

1

1

1

2

Lancashire

1

1

2

Leicestershire

1

1

Lincolnshire

1

1

Merseyside

1

1

2

1

2

1

Metropolitan Police

7

13

12

4

3

3

4

5

7

2

3

Norfolk

1

North Yorkshire

2

1

1

Northamptonshire

1

Northumbria

1

1

1

3

Nottinghamshire

1

1

South Yorkshire

1

1

1

Staffordshire

1

1

1

1

Suffolk

2

1

1

1

Surrey

1

Sussex

1

3

2

1

Thames Valley

1

1

1

Warwickshire

West Mercia

1

1

1

West Midlands

1

1

1

1

1

2

1

West Yorkshire

1

1

1

1

Wiltshire

1

1

1

2

Dyfed Powys

Gwent

2

North Wales

South Wales

1

1

1

England and Wales

16

18

28

12

17

16

20

22

21

11

16

1 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

3 The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed those proceeded against, as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in the preceding year and they were found guilty at the Crown court in the following year, or the defendant was found guilty for a different offence to the original offence proceeded against.

Extradition: USA

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the provision of the UK-US extradition treaty; and if he will make a statement. (294307)

The UK-US extradition treaty was one of the topics debated during the Opposition day debate at the end of the last parliamentary Session. There have been no recent discussions between myself and ministerial colleagues on this matter. The Government are satisfied that the treaty is balanced, fair and working well.

Identity Cards: Airports

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of workers at (a) Manchester Airport and (b) London City Airport expected to take up the option of purchasing an identity card in 2010; and how many of those workers are already Critical Workers Identity Card holders. (295020)

All airside workers at Manchester and London City airports will be able to apply for an identity card from later this year. In a written ministerial statement on 30 June 2009, my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, confirmed that holding an identity card should be a personal choice for British citizens and that cards issued to airside workers will be voluntary. During an 18-month evaluation period from launch, there will be no fee charged for identity cards issued to airside workers.

Identity Cards: Greater Manchester

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in the Greater Manchester area likely to take up the option of purchasing an identity card in 2010. (295021)

No estimate has been made of the number of people in the Greater Manchester area likely to take up the option of purchasing an identity card in 2010. However, the Identity and Passport Service has already been working very closely with local stakeholders and will be making a range of material available to inform local residents in Greater Manchester when they will be able to apply for a national identity card at a fee of £30 that can be used to travel in Europe in place of a passport.

Independent Safeguarding Authority: Members

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether hon. Members will be required to register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority before visiting (a) schools and (b) youth groups in their constituencies or elsewhere under the provisions of the Vetting and Barring Scheme; and if he will make a statement. (288768)

No individual will be required to register on the basis that they are merely visiting a school or youth group; they must be carrying out regulated activities as defined under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which includes work on behalf of the establishment or ‘work of a specified type’ such as the provision of care or guidance to young people. An MP teaching a class on politics or regularly volunteering with a youth group would be required to register as would any private citizen.

Police: Injuries

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in each police force area have had injury awards (a) reduced and (b) reduced to minimum levels on reaching retirement age in each year since 2004. (294159)

Statistics on the number of injury awards reduced and reduced to minimum levels on reaching retirement age are not collected centrally.

Police: Resignations

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female police officers in each police force area (i) resigned and (ii) were dismissed in each year since 2002. (294182)

The available data have been collected since 2002-03 and are given in the following table:

Police officer dismissals and resignations by police force and gender (full-time equivalent)1, 2002-03 to 2008-/092

2002-033

2003-04

2004-05

Police Officer Voluntary Resignations

Police Officer Dismissals

Police Officer Voluntary Resignations

Police Officer Dismissals

Police Officer Voluntary Resignations

Police Officer Dismissals

Fore name

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Avon and Somerset

8

3

1

n/a

42

10

3

0

30

10

4

1

Bedfordshire

19

3

2

0

30

9

0

0

24

11

4

0

Cambridgeshire

13

9

3

1

20

3

2

0

24

10

4

0

Cheshire

8

2

2

0

14

7

0

0

17

9

2

0

Cleveland

3

0

3

2

19

4

2

1

16

4

4

0

Cumbria

3

6

1

1

5

6

1

0

11

4

0

0

Derbyshire

11

3

4

0

15

6

2

1

15

5

0

0

Devon and Cornwall

16

6

6

1

9

4

2

1

20

12

3

0

Dorset

10

1

2

0

14

4

1

0

14

6

3

0

Durham

2

2

0

0

14

5

0

1

9

10

1

0

Essex

9

3

n/a

n/a

23

13

2

1

50

16

1

1

Gloucestershire

6

4

n/a

n/a

8

8

2

0

12

4

0

0

Greater Manchester

31

12

3

0

97

29

11

0

84

44

4

1

Hampshire

25

10

3

0

51

17

5

1

33

14

4

1

Hertfordshire

25

3

3

0

45

11

4

0

40

15

1

1

Humberside

9

11

0

1

22

7

3

n/a

28

8

0

0

Kent

23

14

0

0

61

11

1

0

47

13

0

0

Lancashire

13

4

5

1

22

6

4

1

33

10

1

1

Leicestershire

11

9

0

0

27

8

0

1

25

11

1

0

Lincolnshire

6

4

0

0

10

6

1

0

16

3

0

0

London, City of

17

2

1

0

10

2

0

0

10

1

0

1

Merseyside

15

8

2

1

20

14

6

1

31

7

8

1

Metropolitan Police

377

75

18

1

425

127

23

-1

326

96

31

1

Norfolk

6

3

0

1

5

5

1

0

11

2

2

0

Northamptonshire

7

2

0

0

15

11

2

0

16

14

0

0

Northumbria

26

9

1

2

20

9

6

0

25

9

2

0

North Yorkshire

9

2

0

0

12

3

3

n/a

10

8

0

0

Nottinghamshire

9

3

1

0

10

3

1

0

21

4

1

0

South Yorkshire

22

14

3

0

37

10

1

0

38

19

0

0

Staffordshire

5

2

0

1

21

6

5

1

31

12

3

0

Suffolk

9

5

1

0

19

9

1

1

16

10

3

0

Surrey

22

5

0

0

21

13

5

2

26

6

2

0

Sussex

30

5

0

0

79

46

4

2

82

30

2

0

Thames Valley

50

14

2

2

52

20

1

0

72

28

1

0

Warwickshire

13

1

1

0

14

5

2

0

7

8

2

0

West Mercia

15

3

0

0

20

7

3

1

14

7

2

0

West Midlands

56

33

11

0

79

29

4

0

86

33

13

5

West Yorkshire

20

14

6

0

28

18

5

1

48

24

2

0

Wiltshire

12

6

2

1

9

9

0

0

16

9

1

0

Dyfed-Powys

4

1

1

0

7

2

1

n/a

12

5

1

0

Gwent

0

1

1

0

9

6

0

0

11

6

2

0

North Wales

7

0

0

0

15

7

0

0

9

8

1

0

South Wales

13

7

0

3

18

3

4

0

13

5

2

1

Total

995

321

89

19

1,491

535

124

16

1,476

566

118

15

2005-062006-07

Police Officer Voluntary Resignations

Police Officer Dismissals

Police Officer Voluntary Resignations

Police Officer Dismissals

Fore name

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Avon and Somerset

54

23

3

1

27

8

1

0

Bedfordshire

20

5

0

0

15

8

5

0

Cambridgeshire

19

7

2

0

17

11

1

0

Cheshire

28

9

3

0

15

9

4

0

Cleveland

19

5

3

0

16

9

0

0

Cumbria

7

4

1

1

9

8

0

0

Derbyshire

13

7

3

0

36

5

3

2

Devon and Cornwall

35

9

0

0

21

14

4

0

Dorset

14

8

2

1

15

4

2

1

Durham

11

4

1

0

9

7

0

0

Essex

62

17

8

1

63

18

5

0

Gloucestershire

17

2

2

0

10

10

2

0

Greater Manchester

152

34

16

5

122

37

3

3

Hampshire

42

22

5

1

34

15

0

1

Hertfordshire

43

12

2

0

43

20

1

1

Humberside

21

10

4

0

23

11

2

0

Kent

48

17

2

1

35

14

1

0

Lancashire

12

14

2

1

22

10

6

0

Leicestershire

33

12

3

0

20

7

2

0

Lincolnshire

11

9

0

0

13

3

3

0

London, City of

8

3

0

0

7

4

0

1

Merseyside

70

13

10

0

47

14

1

0

Metropolitan Police

258

79

24

4

429

102

29

2

Norfolk

15

7

0

1

15

9

1

0

Northamptonshire

14

10

1

0

14

5

2

1

Northumbria

27

11

1

1

35

13

8

0

North Yorkshire

12

5

2

0

24

8

0

0

Nottinghamshire

9

5

1

0

21

7

2

0

South Yorkshire

29

11

2

2

30

9

0

0

Staffordshire

19

5

2

0

16

6

5

1

Suffolk

11

3

4

0

9

3

2

0

Surrey

24

13

4

1

32

14

7

3

Sussex

56

26

4

1

51

24

5

0

Thames Valley

91

40

7

1

53

33

4

1

Warwickshire

10

2

2

0

9

9

0

0

West Mercia

11

8

2

2

27

11

1

0

West Midlands

95

42

7

1

79

27

22

4

West Yorkshire

53

36

5

0

45

20

3

0

Wiltshire

20

6

0

0

9

7

1

0

Dyfed-Powys

8

4

3

0

6

2

0

0

Gwent

16

4

1

2

13

3

1

0

North Wales

22

5

3

0

16

7

1

0

South Wales

22

7

2

1

33

6

1

0

Total

1,559

575

149

29

1,581

569

141

20

2007-082008-09

Police Officer Voluntary Resignations

Police Officer Dismissals

Police Officer Voluntary Resignations

Police Officer Dismissals

Fore name

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

Avon and Somerset

35

13

1

0

17

11

2

1

Bedfordshire

20

11

1

0

24

1

3

0

Cambridgeshire

9

3

1

3

18

7

0

0

Cheshire

11

6

3

0

10

7

2

0

Cleveland

15

8

2

0

15

4

3

0

Cumbria

5

6

0

1

13

8

0

1

Derbyshire

31

8

4

0

29

5

4

0

Devon and Cornwall

29

9

2

0

25

12

2

0

Dorset

20

6

2

0

11

3

1

1

Durham

15

4

1

0

10

6

2

0

Essex

59

14

1

0

37

17

2

2

Gloucestershire

13

5

0

0

9

3

0

1

Greater Manchester

98

39

4

4

63

34

7

0

Hampshire

30

16

5

0

31

14

2

2

Hertfordshire

35

15

3

1

21

13

5

0

Humberside

31

10

2

0

29

7

2

0

Kent

42

15

4

0

42

15

1

1

Lancashire

24

10

7

1

18

6

6

0

Leicestershire

38

16

5

2

23

12

2

0

Lincolnshire

12

4

0

0

12

3

0

0

London, City of

12

5

1

1

4

1

0

0

Merseyside

29

12

11

2

34

13

9

1

Metropolitan Police

278

82

22

1

295

88

16

3

Norfolk

11

5

1

0

26

6

3

2

Northamptonshire

14

11

1

1

11

8

4

0

Northumbria

34

12

7

2

40

8

4

0

North Yorkshire

17

14

2

0

19

9

2

0

Nottinghamshire

18

5

2

0

19

6

1

0

South Yorkshire

29

11

0

0

21

9

1

0

Staffordshire

18

6

6

2

16

6

0

1

Suffolk

17

6

2

0

20

11

2

0

Surrey

28

19

4

1

34

18

3

1

Sussex

56

20

0

1

40

20

2

0

Thames Valley

49

29

4

0

29

22

5

3

Warwickshire

17

3

1

0

6

3

1

0

West Mercia

21

11

0

0

21

7

1

0

West Midlands

62

30

11

5

83

26

7

1

West Yorkshire

60

25

6

2

49

24

5

1

Wiltshire

19

9

0

0

23

6

0

0

Dyfed-Powys

10

2

2

1

4

5

2

1

Gwent

17

7

5

1

18

4

2

0

North Wales

10

6

0

0

10

4

0

0

South Wales

68

12

2

0

73

15

1

1

Total

1,461

559

138

32

1,351

504

117

24

1 Full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. Data have not previously been published in this format therefore totals may not match totals found in the published data.

2 Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. Comparable data are not available prior to 2002-03.

3 Excludes quarters 1, 2 and 3, as data are not available.

Police: Standards

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department against how many statutory performance indicators police forces are being assessed against in 2009-10. (294426)

Following the changes announced in the Policing Green Paper in 2008, indicators within APACS are no longer statutory, but are set for each year following consultation with the National Policing Board, which includes tripartite partners. For 2009-10, 36 performance indicators are in APACS, but the Home Office does not make any assessment of police forces against those with the exception of the remaining single top down target relating to public confidence.

Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary (HMIC) are now responsible for making assessments of police forces and publishing them, drawing on the APACS data set and other information as necessary.

Vetting

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a Criminal Records Bureau check identifies whether the person in respect of which the check is being made has had children taken into care. (294640)

[holding answer 20 October 2009]: Section 114 B (4) of Part V of the Police Act 1997 requires that in addition to criminal record information from the Police National Computer (PNC), Enhanced Disclosures should include any other information which a chief police officer holds and considers might be relevant to the job application in question and ought to be disclosed. This may include information concerning children taken into care.

This is usually non-conviction information deriving from local force records and is referred to as ‘approved information’. Chief officers are obliged to provide such information for Enhanced Disclosures under the Act. Where disclosed, information of this nature is considered by the police to represent a factual record of previous events that an employer in the most sensitive type of occupation should be aware of in making an employment decision affecting the most vulnerable groups of people.

Vetting: Standards

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the average time for a Criminal Records Bureau check to be completed. (294297)

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 at each London air quality monitoring site exceeded EU legal limits for air pollution in each year since 2005. (291635)

The Council Directive 2008/50/EC on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe requires member states to assess ambient air for levels of a number of defined pollutants. The directive sets out limit values which member states are required to meet. The limit values specify both the level the pollutants must be kept below, and the time over which data should be averaged. Limit values with averaging times of less than or equal to 24 hours, and which have been or are being exceeded in London are detailed below:

NO2 hourly mean of 200 ug/m3 (not to be exceeded more than 18 times per year)

24 hour mean (PM10 of 50 ug/m3, (not be exceeded more than 35 times per year).

The following table indicates for monitoring sites in London the number of days per year where an exceedance of either of the above detailed limit values has occurred, for all years between 2005 and 2008 inclusive.

Site Code

Site Name

Year

Days Exceedence of EU Limit Values

A30

London A3 Roadside

2005

2

CD1

Camden Kerbside

2005

6

HS5

Brentford Roadside

2005

7

KC2

London Cromwell Road 2

2005

2

MY1

London Marylebone Road

2005

156

Total 2005

173

MY1

London Marylebone Road

2006

150

Total 2006

150

CD1

Camden Kerbside

2007

21

HG1

Haringey Roadside

2007

1

HK4

London Hackney

2007

3

HS5

Brentford Roadside

2007

5

MY1

London Marylebone Road

2007

123

total 2007

153

CD1

Camden Kerbside

2008

27

HS5

Brentford Roadside

2008

23

MY1

London Marylebone Road

2008

174

Total 2008

224

The following should be noted in conjunction with the table.

The numbers presented represent a combination of both the above limit values.

If a single day occurred where there was an exceedance of both the above limit values, it has only been counted once, i.e. the total number of days per year exceeding at each site cannot exceed 365.

For the hourly mean N02 limit value, the number presented represents a single hour in the day above 200 microgrammes/m3 (where the total number of hourly means in excess of 200 microgrammes/m3 at that site was greater than 18 in the year). This counts as one day where an exceedance occurred, even though there may have been several hours above this concentration in the 24 hour period. Only hours in excess of the 18 allowed per year have been counted as contributing to the exceedance.

For the daily mean PM10 limit value, the total number of days represents the number of days where 24 hour mean concentrations were in excess of 50 microgrammes/m3, with the first 35 allowed occurrences subtracted.

Therefore the days counted include only those which are above the 35 days per year allowed, or 18 hours per year allowed, as defined by the limit values.

Data have only been reported for sites with more than 90 per cent. data capture.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average annual concentration of nitrogen dioxide in micrograms per cubic metre was recorded at each London air quality monitoring site in each year since 2005. (291636)

Under EU legislation, the UK is required to assess ambient air for levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and to report to the European Commission on an annual basis. Detailed reports on the assessments are available from the Air Quality Archive (www.airquality.co.uk). Nitrogen dioxide monitoring is undertaken in London at a number of sites for this purpose in accordance with the criteria in the Council Directive 2008/50/EC on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe.

Annual mean NO2 monitoring data are displayed in the table for sites within London for years since 2005. Data are only displayed for sites where data capture for that year was greater than 90 per cent.

Site code

Site name

Year

Annual mean NO2 ( microgrammes/m-3)

A30

London A3 Roadside

2005

61

BL0

London Bloomsbury

2005

57

BX1

London Bexley

2005

36

BY7

Bromley Roadside

2005

49

HG1

Haringey Roadside

2005

42

HG2

London Haringey

2005

34

HI0

London Hillingdon

2005

45

HK4

London Hackney

2005

49

HS5

Brentford Roadside

2005

49

KC1

London N. Kensington

2005

40

KC2

London Cromwell Road 2

2005

79

LH0

London Harlington

2005

38

LW1

London Lewisham

2005

51

MY1

London Marylebone Road

2005

112

SK1

London Southwark

2005

49

SK2

Southwark Roadside

2005

60

TD0

London Teddington

2005

25

TH2

Tower Hamlets Roadside

2005

61

WA2

London Wandsworth

2005

54

A30

London A3 Roadside

2006

59

BL0

London Bloomsbury

2006

57

BT1

London Brent

2006

30

BX1

London Bexley

2006

36

CD1

Camden Kerbside

2006

71

GR4

London Eltham

2006

30

HG2

London Haringey

2006

33

HI0

London Hillingdon

2006

49

KC1

London N. Kensington

2006

38

KC2

London Cromwell Road 2

2006

83

LH0

London Harlington

2006

37

LW1

London Lewisham

2006

54

MY1

London Marylebone Road

2006

110

TD0

London Teddington

2006

23

TH2

Tower Hamlets Roadside

2006

60

WA2

London Wandsworth

2006

51

WM0

London Westminster

2006

50

BT1

London Brent

2007

32

BX1

London Bexley

2007

34

BY7

Bromley Roadside

2007

47

CD1

Camden Kerbside

2007

77

GR4

London Eltham

2007

30

HG1

Haringey Roadside

2007

42

HG2

London Haringey

2007

32

HI0

London Hillingdon

2007

45

HK4

London Hackney

2007

49

HS5

Brentford Roadside

2007

63

KC1

London N. Kensington

2007

39

KC2

London Cromwell Road 2

2007

71

LH0

London Harlington

2007

37

LW1

London Lewisham

2007

53

MY1

London Marylebone Road

2007

102

SK1

London Southwark

2007

44

TD0

London Teddington

2007

28

BL0

London Bloomsbury

2008

55

BT1

London Brent

2008

33

BX1

London Bexley

2008

33

BY7

Bromley Roadside

2008

45

CD1

Camden Kerbside

2008

76

GR4

London Eltham

2008

26

HG1

Haringey Roadside

2008

37

HG2

London Haringey

2008

32

HK4

London Hackney

2008

51

HS5

Brentford Roadside

2008

58

KC1

London N. Kensington

2008

33

LH0

London Harlington

2008

35

LW1

London Lewisham

2008

52

MY1

London Marylebone Road

2008

115

SK1

London Southwark

2008

47

TD0

London Teddington

2008

25

TH2

Tower Hamlets Roadside

2008

63

WM0

London Westminster

2008

40

All combustion processes in air produce oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitric acid (NO) are both oxides of nitrogen and are referred to as NOx. Road transport is the main source. At high levels NO2 causes inflammation of the airways. Long-term exposure may affect lung function and respiratory symptoms.

London is currently exceeding the EU Limit Value of 40 microgrammes/m3 and is not likely to meet this value by the attainment date of 2010. The Council Directive 2008/50/EC on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe provides for member states to submit plans to the European Commission to postpone the compliance deadline for meeting the limit value for nitrogen dioxide from 2010 to 2015. The UK Government expect to submit such a plan to the Commission in 2010 following consultation early next year.

Carbon Labelling Scheme

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of retail sales accounted for by retailers who have agreed to participate in the Carbon Labelling Scheme. (293675)

I have been asked to reply.

Responsibility for carbon labelling policy lies with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. DECC is responsible for the Government’s sponsorship of the Carbon Trust (CT), of which the Carbon Label Co. (CLC) is a subsidiary.

The CLC has developed the Carbon Reduction Label to help businesses and consumers understand the carbon footprints of the products and services they use.

DECC has not made an estimate of the proportion of retail sales accounted for by retailers who have adopted the Carbon Reduction Label. More information on the scheme can be obtained from the Carbon Trust direct.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely (a) reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and (b) savings to manufacturers arising from the Carbon Labelling Scheme. (293676)

I have been asked to reply.

Responsibility for carbon labelling policy lies with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. DECC is responsible for the Government’s sponsorship of the Carbon Trust (CT), of which the Carbon Label Co. (CLC) is a subsidiary.

The CLC has developed the Carbon Reduction Label to help businesses and consumers understand the carbon footprints of the products and services they use.

DECC has not made an estimate of the likely reductions in CO2 emissions or savings to manufacturers arising from the adoption of the Carbon Reduction Label. More information on the scheme can be obtained from the Carbon Trust direct.

Domestic Waste: Fees and Charges

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has had with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on charges for the collection of household waste. (294451)

DEFRA and Welsh Assembly Government officials are working closely together on the review of Schedule 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992 and intend to consult jointly.

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has not had any discussion with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on charges for the collection of household waste.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 11 November 2008, Official Report, column 1006W, on domestic wastes, which local authorities have sought the advice of the Waste and Resources Action Programme on available options for waste incentive schemes to date. (294458)

General advice on the waste incentive scheme options available was provided by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to a significant number of authorities at meetings which WRAP was invited to attend and in response to individual inquiries. WRAP has not kept a detailed record of all the authorities that have been involved in this preliminary way.

Domestic Waste: Fixed Penalties

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish the 2008-09 Flycapture data on fixed penalty notices issued to households for waste offences. (294561)

DEFRA has commissioned returns from English local authorities on fixed penalty notices issued in 2008-09 for a range of environmental offences, including those relating to waste receptacles. Returns are still outstanding from many local authorities and these are being pursued. Results will be published on the DEFRA website in December.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent to which the proposals in his Department's consultation document on fairer and better environmental enforcement published in July 2009, will affect the (a) frequency and (b) level of financial penalties issued to households for offences relating to household waste. (294565)

The present fairer and better environmental enforcement proposals and consultation do not extend to local authorities, who are responsible for household waste matters. Any proposals to give local authorities powers to use the civil sanctions enabled by the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008 would be subject to a further public consultation and separate secondary legislation, which would be debated in Parliament.

The present proposals would give national environmental regulators an alternative to prosecution in cases when enforcement is necessary and proportionate. The proposals would allow Environment Agency, Natural England and Countryside Council for Wales to take businesses and others with a good general approach to regulation out of the criminal courts when enforcement action was needed. However, regulatory advice and guidance would remain the cornerstone of a well graduated and fair enforcement system. The worst cases of non-compliance would continue to be prosecuted. The proposed changes are designed to strengthen incentives to comply and to promote co-operation between regulator and regulated.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) whether (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme have (i) issued guidance and (ii) allocated funding to local authorities related to audits of the contents of domestic waste receptacles; (294430)

(2) what funding and other support (a) his Department and (b) Waste and Resources Action Programme has provided to local authorities to undertake surveys of the contents of household waste from specific properties; and what guidance his Department has issued on whether the prior consent of the householder is required.

DEFRA has not provided any funding or support to local authorities related to audits of the contents of domestic waste receptacles.

Where the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) supports waste composition surveys, it normally contracts this work out directly. Occasionally, when it is part of a wider project, WRAP provides funding to local authorities to carry out the work. In both cases WRAP requires prior consent to be sought from the householders concerned.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme provided for local authorities in relation to waste (i) collection and (ii) disposal in the most recent year for which figures are available. (294466)

In 2008-09 DEFRA directly provided £78.2 million in funding to local authorities outside London via the Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant. £60 million will be made available to London authorities through the London Waste and Recycling Fund for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. These unringfenced capital grants will be paid to upper tier and unitary authorities to enable them to set up the necessary waste infrastructure to help England meet landfill targets.

DEFRA also provides financial support to local authorities through Private Finance Initiative credits to help accelerate the building of the infrastructure needed to treat residual waste without compromising efforts to minimise waste and increase recycling levels. To date £2.5 billion has been allocated to 37 projects. Further information can be found on DEFRA’s website.

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) provided a total of £2.68 million to local authorities during 2008-09. The funds were spent on local communications campaigns specifically to improve communications with householders about local recycling services and to promote the ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign. WRAP has no remit in relation to waste disposal and has not, therefore, provided any funds to local authorities in relation to it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's 4Es Model on planning for waste prevention. (294468)

The 4Es Model was published in “Securing the future: delivering UK sustainable development strategy” (March 2005). This document is available on DEFRA’s website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the circumstances in which municipal waste collectors can refuse to collect household waste from a dwelling. (294556)

The amendment to section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act, made through the Climate Change Act 2008, provides a single point of reference in legislation for local authorities in order to further clarify the existing Government policy that where residents put out their waste in a way that does not meet the conditions set out in a section 46 notice, authorities are not required to collect it.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether trade waste collected and placed in landfill by (a) local authorities and (b) private sector contractors in a local authority area is reckoned towards that local authority's Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme quota. (294609)

The Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) was set up to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent by local authorities to landfill.

The local authority's LATS quota is based on the biodegradable waste fraction of the overall waste arising for that local authority. Where the local authority collects commercial waste that is included as part of its overall waste arising; waste collected by private waste management companies does not form part of the LATS.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what volume of household waste collected for recycling was (a) incinerated and (b) disposed of in landfill sites in the latest period for which figures are available. (294611)

WasteDataFlow is used to obtain data on waste collected by local authorities. However, the data requested are not available due to the nature of the questions asked in WasteDataFlow and the data collected.

In 2007-08 the amount of municipal waste sent to a materials recovery facility for recycling was 1,571,586 tonnes. Of this:

(a) 36,465 tonnes was rejected and incinerated for energy recovery; and

(b) 68, 644 tonnes was rejected and landfilled.

In 2007-08 the estimated total amount of household waste that was rejected for recycling was 126,626 tonnes. This is out of a total of 8,840,960 tonnes of household waste collected for recycling. The rejected tonnages include not only waste sent to a materials recovery facility, but also recycling rejected at the point of collection and materials collected for recycling that were not passed through a materials recovery facility.

Materials are rejected due to contamination or due to them not being recyclable.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent (a) assessment has been made and (b) research has been commissioned by (i) his Department, (ii) the Waste and Resources Action Programme and (iii) the Environment Agency into the burning of household waste by householders. (294619)

No specific assessment has been made by DEFRA or the Environment Agency of the level of burning of domestic waste by households in England. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is not responsible for research or policy on backyard burning.

In 2006 DEFRA published a research project to review complaints received by local authorities about bonfire smoke, which advised on the legal and practical remedies available to local authorities and private individuals.

In addition, DEFRA carried out research into emissions of dioxins from the burning of domestic waste in 2006. The review recommended that further scientific research should be carried out to establish what practical measures could be taken to reduce dioxin emissions from bonfires and domestic combustion and, consequently, exposure to dioxins. Further work in estimating dioxin emissions from domestic burning has subsequently been carried out and another research programme is currently being undertaken by DEFRA which will establish a release inventory for dioxins as well as provide information on the most effective approach for carrying out a public awareness campaign educating the public on the impacts of burning garden and domestic waste with regard to dioxin emissions. This research work is due to conclude in 2011.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent guidance (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued to waste collection authorities on charging householders for (i) new or (ii) replacement household wheeled refuse containers. (294628)

Neither DEFRA nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued any recent guidance to waste collection authorities on their powers under Section 46(3) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has commissioned in relation to household waste in the last 18 months. (294652)

DEFRA's Waste and Resources Evidence Programme (WREP) has just published a major review study to help distil the evidence emerging from research work completed by the Department and other organisations on household waste prevention. In addition, WREP has also commissioned a project looking at approaches for dealing with household hazardous waste and another study investigating waste composition.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the research report commissioned by his Department with reference (a) WR0105 and (b) WR0106. (294965)

DEFRA has received the draft final report for WR0105 ‘Project REDUCE Monitoring and Evaluation—Developing Tools to Measure Waste Prevention’ and the project team is currently completing a finalised version ready for publication. The final report will be made publicly available on DEFRA's website.

The project (WR0106) ‘Achieving Household Waste Prevention Through Product Service Systems’ is publicly available on DEFRA's website.

Litter: Rural Areas

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Campaign to Protect Rural England on measures to reduce the incidence of littering in rural areas. (294996)

DEFRA Ministers have met with representatives from the Campaign to Protect Rural England three times in the last year to discuss their campaign, Stop the Drop.

Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what projects funded from the Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund have involved work by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science. (294719)

[holding answer 21 October 2009]: Projects which have been funded from the Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund involving work by the Centre of Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science are:

Contract number

Full title

Contract status

Start date

End date

Direct customer

C2228

Assessment of the rehabilitation of the seabed following Marine Aggregate Dredging—Part II: Cefas ALSF funds/Defra

Completed

12 May 2004

31 March 2007

MEPF-ALSF

C2282

Eastern English Channel large-scale Habitat Mapping (MEPF 04/01): BGS/Cefas ALSF

Completed

14 February 2005

10 March 2008

MEPF-ALSF

C3092

Initial assessment of the scale and in-situ Impact of fishing activities using geophysical data in the Eastern English Channel: Cefas ALSF

Completed

1 September 2007

28 February 2008

MEPF-ALSF

C3101

Assessing Ecosystem health following Marine Aggregate dredging-Defra (ALSF)—linked toC2167

Completed

9 July 2007

31 March 2008

MEPF-ALSF

C3117

Eastern Seabed Channel Acquisition, processing and interpretation of bathymetric XYZ data to produce digital sea bed bathymetry and 3D surface morphology models

Completed

1 October 2007

31 March 2008

British Geological survey

C3309

Distribution of Defra Marine Aggregate Levy sustainability funds FY 08/09 to FY 10/11: Defra RPD

Current

1 April 2008

31 March 2011

MEPF-ALSF

C3312

A Generic investigation into noise profiles of marine aggregate dredging in relation to the acoustic sensitivity of the marine fauna in UK waters: ALSF

Completed

1 July 2008

31 March 2009

MEPF-ALSF

C3315

Dredging Impacts verified in relation to scientific evidence (DIVERSE): ALSF

Current

1 July 2008

28 February 2011

MEPF-ALSF

C3324

Best Practice Workshop and Guidelines on Aggregate Ecological Assessments: ALSF-MEPF. MEPF 08/P75

Current

1 July 2008

31 March 2010

MEPF/P75

C3325

Effects of aggregate dredging on marine food web structure and function: ALSF-MEPF

Current

1 September 2008

7 December 2010

MEPF-ALSF

C3326

Distribution and intensity of fishing activities in the vicinity of aggregate extraction sites: ALSF MEPF

Current

21 July 2008

31 January 2011

MEPF-ALSF

C3327

Marine Aggregate integrated assessment—a method to quantify ecosystem sustainability ALSF-MEPF

Current

1 October 2008

1 June 2010

MEPF-ALSF

C3328

MEPF 08/02 South Coast regional environmental characterisation (REC) prog—data analysis and interpretation; BGS

Current

1 July 2008

31 March 2010

British Geological survey

C3340

East Coast regional Environmental Characterisation (REC) Programme MEPF 08/04

Current

5 August 2008

28 February 2011

MEPF-ALSF

C3688

Natural variability of REA Regions, their Ecological significance and Sensitivity

Current

1 September 2009

31 December 2010

MEPF-ALSF

C3687

MEPF: Development of national data layers on Inshore fishing: ALSF

Current

15 September 2009

31 December 2010

MEPF-ALSF

C3689

Seabed Restoration: Do the benefits justify the costs?

Current

1 September 2009

31 December 2010

MEPF-ALSF

Source:

Internal CEFAS Management Database Contract

Rural Areas: Grants

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether provision for Vital Villages Community Services grants exists following the abolition of the Countryside Agency. (294562)

Vital Villages was a demonstration grant programme, set up with the aim of identifying innovative approaches that would meet the needs of rural communities. The programme was set up in April 2001 and ran until 1 April 2005.

The scheme was additional to mainstream Government programmes for community support and development, which remain open to both rural and urban communities.

South Downs National Park

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much (a) has been spent and (b) is planned to be spent on (i) consultation, (ii) organisational set-up, (iii) project management, (iv) communications, (v) planning, (vi) wages, (vii) pensions, (viii) office running and (ix) other costs of the South Downs National Park in the next 12 months. (293991)

The cost of the two public inquiries and a recent hearing totalled £3.26 million. We expect that less than £1 million will be spent on setting up the South Downs National Park Authority in the current financial year. The budgets for future years have yet to be determined.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any existing local authority staff will be made redundant as a result of the establishment of the South Downs National Park. (293992)

It is for individual local authorities to decide whether or not to retain staff.

Where a national park authority takes over functions from a local authority then, as happened in the New Forest, it is very probable that the existing staff will have employment rights under either (or both) of: the statutory instrument that establishes the national park authority; and the generic Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) legislation.

Waste and Resources Action Programme

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has provided to Resources Futures; and for what purposes. (294613)

DEFRA's Waste and Resources Evidence Programme has commissioned projects from Resource Futures at a total cost of £137,845. The research covers waste growth and the composition of municipal waste.

Since 1 April 2007, the Waste and Resources Action Programme has bought technical services from Resources Futures at a total cost of £1.2 million. These services cover a range of topics, including work with local authorities, the third sector and on evaluating our programmes.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library an example copy of a waste prevention action plan recommended by the Waste and Resources Action Programme. (294618)

The plans are the property of the local authorities concerned and can be obtained directly from them. The Waste and Resources Action Programme's Waste Prevention Toolkit is a starting point for authorities to develop their own plans, typically working as part of a larger partnership, and taking account of their local circumstances and priorities.

Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents eligible for maintenance payments via the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission and its predecessor have received no payment for over (a) three and (b) 10 years. (292041)

The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the child maintenance commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty:

In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents eligible for maintenance payments via the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and its predecessor have received no payment for over (a) three and (b) 10 years. [292041]

The Commission estimates that at the end of June 2009, of the 1,140,400 cases due to receive at least one child maintenance payment in the past three years, no payment had been received from the non-resident parent in 57,250 (or 5%) of these cases. The Commission is not able to provide an estimate on the number of parents eligible for maintenance payments who have not received any payments for the last 10 years.

Some parents will go to great lengths to avoid fulfilling their financial responsibilities to their children. The Child Support Agency has made significant improvements over the last three years increasing the number of cases receiving maintenance by a third. The new enforcement powers set out in the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 will give the Commission the tools it needs to further increase compliance.

I am sorry on this occasion I could not be more helpful.

Disability Living Allowance: Fraud

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) amount spent on fraudulent claims for disability living allowance in each of the last four years. (293576)

The Department’s measurement system for fraud and error does not estimate the number of fraudulent cases over a given period. It does, however, provide an estimate of the average number of fraudulent claims at any one time. Estimates of fraud in disability living allowance were last measured in 2004-05 when the number of fraudulent cases was estimated to be 10,000 cases. There are no estimates for later years.

An estimate for the percentage of fraudulent expenditure has also been produced for 2004-05 and subsequent years by applying the 2004-05 percentage of fraudulent expenditure to the relevant disability living allowance expenditure in each subsequent year. The estimates are in the following table.

Estimate of the amount overpaid due to fraud in disability living allowance

£ million

2004-05

40

2005-06

40

2006-07

40

2007-08

50

2008-09

50

Employment and Support Allowance

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individual claims for employment and support allowance were rejected after the individual participated in a work capability assessment up to the end of February 2009; and how many and what proportion of those rejected claimants were moved on to jobseeker’s allowance. (291281)

[holding answer 16 September 2009]: National level statistics on the Work Capability Assessment covering Great Britain were published on 13 October 2009 and are available via the ONS Publication Hub. A copy of the publication has been placed in the Library and be accessed directly on the website at:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca.asp

Information on movement to Jobseeker’s Allowance is not yet available but is expected to become available next year.

Employment and Support Allowance: Birmingham

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many residents of the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency have (a) applied for and (b) been refused Employment and Support Allowance since October 2008. (291586)

National level statistics on the Work Capability Assessment covering Great Britain were published on 13 October 2009 and are available via the ONS Publication Hub. A copy of the publication has been placed in the Library and can be accessed directly on the website at:

http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca.asp

Equivalent information for the Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency is not held centrally. However, equivalent data for Birmingham local authority are in the table.

Employment and support allowance on-flows October 2008 to February 2009 by result of medical assessment—Birmingham local authority

Work capability result

Volumes

Percentage

Support Group

200

6

Work Related Activity Group

400

10

Fit for Work

1,300

34

Claim closed before assessment complete

1,400

37

Assessment still in progress

500

13

Note:

This data are based on recorded advice from ATOS, rather than the Decision Maker’s final determination. The final outcomes of cases may change. This will be further compounded by reconsiderations following additional medical evidence and the outcomes of appeals. Full guidance on the national figures is included in the published statistics referred to above.

Equality 2025

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on the operation of Equality 2025 to date; and how many people Equality 2025 has employed in each year since its inception. (295027)

Equality 2025 is an advisory non-departmental public body established in response to a recommendation in the 2005 report by the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit ‘Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People’. It is sponsored by (but is not part of) the Office for Disability Issues, part of the Department for Work and Pensions. The advisory group is made up of 19 disabled people appointed to collect and feed the views of disabled people across the United Kingdom into Government policymaking and service design.

Equality 2025 was established in December 2006 and is funded by the Office for Disability Issues. Its total expenditure for the periods 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 has been £1,391,059.

Equality 2025 has not employed any permanent or temporary staff since its establishment, but it does receive secretariat support from the Office for Disability Issues.

Housing Benefit: Travelling People

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the policy of her Department is on the payment of housing benefit to Travellers renting an unauthorised pitch in respect of which planning permission has not been granted; and whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities on this matter. (294967)

We have not issued any specific guidance on this subject; any claim for housing benefit in these circumstances would be dealt with in the usual way, which would include looking at whether there was a liability for rent.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Fife

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the North East Fife constituency had been claiming jobseeker’s allowance for (a) less than six months, (b) between six and 12 months, (c) between 12 months and two years and (d) more than two years on the latest date for which information is available. (293975)

I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in North East Fife constituency had been claiming jobseeker’s allowance for (a) less then six months, (b) between six and 12 months, (c) between 12 months and 2 years and (d) more than two years on the latest date for which information is available. (293975)

Table 1, attached, shows the number of computerised claims of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) for people, aged 16 or over resident in the North East Fife constituency on 10 September 2009, broken down by the duration of the claim.

National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at: http://www.nomiswcb.co.uk

Table 1: Number of claimants of jobseeker’s allowance resident in North East Fife constituency by duration of claim (10 September 2009)

Duration

Number

Up to 26 weeks

740

Over 26 weeks up to 52 weeks

210

Over 52 weeks up to 104 weeks

80

Over 104 weeks

5

Note:

Data rounded to nearest 5.

Source:

Jobcentre plus administrative system

Office for Disability Issues: Manpower

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff are employed by the Office for Disability Issues; and how much has been spent on its operation in each year since its inception. (295026)

The Office for Disability Issues employs 78 staff. Taking account of part-time workers this figure equates to a staff in post figure of 75.18.

The Office for Disability Issues is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions. This funding is made up of an allocation for administration and programme. The total amount spent each year by the Office for Disability Issues since its inception is shown in the following table:

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Total spend 2005-09

Total spend on Administration

1,811,762

2,887,502

5,761,253

5,362,035

15,822,552

Total spend on Office for Disability Issues Programme

4,245,283

1,815,043

2,600,995

2,791,698

11,453,019

Total spend on Equality 2025 Programme

0

353,974

531,085

506,000

1,391,059

Total yearly spend by the Office for Disability Issues

6,057,045

5,056,519

8,893,333

8,659,733

28,666,630

Source:

Office for Disability Issues end of year management accounts 2005-2009.

Poverty: Children

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is introducing to meet the Government’s target of eradicating child poverty by 2020; what her latest estimate is of the likelihood of the target being achieved; and if she will make a statement. (294302)

The Government believe that, for most families, work is the best route out of poverty. The Department for Work and Pensions is increasing support for lone parents and disabled parents, and testing out new support for second earners, to help them find, remain and progress in work. This support takes the form of both pre-employment support and in-work support.

The latest statistics for 2007-08 show that 500,000 children have been lifted out of poverty since 1997; measures announced in and since Budget 2007 are estimated to lift a further 500,000 children out of poverty. The Child Poverty Bill is currently progressing through Parliament which will enshrine in law the commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

Unemployment: Young People

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps she plans to take to assist under-25 year olds who have been unemployed for over 12 months. (290986)

[holding answer 14 September 2009]: As part of the Department’s commitment to support people into work, substantial investment has been made since November 2008 to offer extra support to jobseekers to help them find work at all stages of their claim.

An enhanced offer to all jobseekers at day one of their claim includes targeted group sessions in jobsearch techniques, access to Local Employment Partnership vacancies and help with the costs of getting back to work through the Adviser Discretionary Fund.

At the six-month point of their claim, all jobseekers now receive a substantial package of extra support including access to recruitment subsidies, work-focused training places, volunteering opportunities and support to become self-employed.

We have also targeted significant resource on people under age 25 in recognition of the particular challenges young people face during a recession. These measures are designed to prevent, wherever possible, young people experiencing prolonged spells of unemployment early in their working lives.

On 29 July, the Government launched a campaign called Backing Young Britain, calling on businesses, charities and Government bodies to create more opportunities for young people, such as internships, mentoring support and coaching. As part of this campaign, all young people will receive additional adviser support and can be put forward for a work trial from day one of unemployment. We are also working with businesses to increase graduate internships and to develop work experience and mentoring support for young jobseekers.

In early 2010, young people will be able to benefit from the Young Person’s Guarantee which guarantees a job, work-focused training, or meaningful activity to all 18 to 24-year-olds before they have reached the 12-month stage of their claim to jobseeker’s allowance. This offer will become mandatory from April 2010.

The Future Jobs Fund, one key element of the Young Person’s Guarantee, will create at least 100,000 jobs for young people aged between 18 and 24. The first jobs will be available from October 2009 for customers approaching the 10-month point in their claim.

If young people remain on benefits at the 12-month stage, they will be referred to the provider-led Flexible New Deal programme (in phase 1 areas) and will benefit from work-focused support, tailored to the individual’s needs and local labour market requirements.

In phase 2 areas at the 12-month stage, jobseekers will be participating in one of the New Deal Options. If they remain unemployed following this programme, jobseekers will move into the Follow-Through Stage of the New Deal and receive more frequent, targeted adviser support.

Help is also available for 16 and 17-year-olds. The September Guarantee was introduced in 2007 to ensure that every young person leaving compulsory education at 16 receives a suitable offer of a place in learning. It was extended to 17-year-olds in 2008. By the end of 2008, this guarantee helped to support an increase in the proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds participating in learning to 88 per cent., the highest ever rate. The proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds not in employment, education or training (NEET) fell for the third consecutive year, and only 5.2 per cent. of 16-year-olds were NEET, the lowest rate for more than a decade.

Furthermore, the Government are delivering record numbers of apprenticeships in England and we expect 250,000 people to start apprenticeships this year.

Wales

Departmental Procurement

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of procurement contracts his Department awarded to small businesses in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08, (c) 2008-09 and (d) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. (293232)

The Wales Office uses the Ministry of Justice procurement systems and the Office of Government Commerce on-line procurement services.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the date on which the Electoral Complaints Commission in Afghanistan is expected to report its findings in respect of the recent presidential election. (293679)

The Electoral Complaints Commission reported the findings of its investigation to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on 19 October 2009. The IEC announced the final result of the presidential elections on 20 October 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his (a) EU, (b) UN and (c) NATO counterparts on the conduct of the Afghanistan elections. (293820)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had recent discussions with a range of partners, including US and EU counterparts and the Secretary General of NATO, about the process and conduct of the Afghan elections. The international community continues to support the Independent Election Commission and Electoral Complaints Commission's investigation.

British Overseas Territories: Arms Control

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he has held to discuss tackling arms trafficking in UK Overseas Territories in the last 12 months. (293454)

In the last 12 months my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not held any specific discussions on combating arms trafficking in the British Overseas Territories.

Burma

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness against objectives of EU sanctions on Burma. (294540)

Following the sentence imposed on Aung San Suu Kyi on 11 August 2009, the EU put in place further sanctions intended to specifically target the Burmese regime's economic interests, as well as imposing a travel ban on those members of the judiciary responsible for the verdict. These measures came into force on 14 August 2009. The fact that new EU trade and investment is negligible is an indication of the success of this policy.

Moreover, these sanctions leave the regime in no doubt about our determination to see real democracy established and human rights respected in Burma. Their objective is to target those individuals and entities that are most closely linked to the regime's misrule, rather than punishing the Burmese population as a whole.

Burma: Arms Trade

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what UK policy is on proposals for a UN arms embargo on Burma; and if he will make a statement. (294673)

Following the verdict in the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister wrote to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and Security Council members calling for a voluntary, global arms embargo against Burma.

The EU and the US have had an arms embargo in place for many years. A UK attempt to secure a non-binding Security Council resolution in 2007 was blocked. We will however continue to work through the UN, the EU and bilaterally to put maximum pressure on the Burmese regime.

Burma: Human Rights

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of recent proposals for a UN Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in Burma; and if he will make a statement. (294674)

We are aware of several calls for the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate human rights in Burma. While there are a number of ways by which such a commission could be established, all would require a level of international consensus on Burma that is not presently achievable.

In the past two years, our efforts have helped to secure unprecedented UN Security Council action on Burma, in the form of two strongly worded Presidential Statements. We are also active in pursuing strong resolutions in both the Human Rights Council and at the General Assembly. We fully support the efforts of UN Special Rapporteur, Tomas Quintana. His work on human rights abuses in Burma is crucial to holding the regime to account and we have urged the Burmese authorities to grant him the necessary access.

Burma: Politics and Government

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the extent of human rights violations in eastern Burma in the last 12 months; and what representations he has made to the Burmese Government on this matter. (294539)

The UK is deeply concerned about the human rights situation in eastern Burma and reports earlier in the year of renewed fighting between the Karen National Union and the Democratic Karen Buddhist army, who are supported by the Burmese army.

Attacks carried out by the Burmese army and their Karen client organisations on civilians in Karen State have been particularly intense in the last two years. We have repeatedly called for a halt to such offensives and have urged both the military regime and the Karen National Union to intensify their efforts to find a peaceful settlement that will bring about a permanent end to the conflict.

On 11 June 2009, the Czech Presidency of the EU issued a statement calling for an end to the hostilities. It expressed particular concern about the humanitarian impact of the conflict. We fully support this call and our embassy in Rangoon continues to monitor the situation closely. Our embassy most recently raised human rights issues with the Burmese authorities on 18 October 2009.

Chagos Islands

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to publish in full his Department’s response to the European Court of Human Rights on the application made by the Chagos Islanders. (294108)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the then Minister for Europe, Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 12 October 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA3. Copies of the Government’s observations on the application have been placed in the Library of the House.

Children: Kidnapping

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding has been allocated to his Department's Child Abduction Unit in each of the last five years. (294383)

A dedicated Child Abduction Section was set up in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Consular Directorate in 2003 in response to the growing number of parental child abduction cases. There are currently five staff in the section. In addition to staff costs, the following funding amounts were allocated to projects over the last five financial years:

(£)

2009-101

£102,006

2008-09

£115,200

2007-08

£162,250

2006-07

£66,980

2005-06

2

1 Current year

2 There was no specific funding allocation for Child Abduction Section

China: World Expo

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 1259W, on the Shanghai World Expo, when he expects to finalise plans for ministerial attendance at the event. (294382)

The Government are fully committed to Shanghai Expo 2010, which offers the UK a unique opportunity to advance our very broad objectives in China: from trade and industry to climate change, science and technology to tourism, and education to financial services. Plans for ministerial attendance during the six months of the Expo will be decided upon nearer to the opening in May 2010.

Cyprus

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received representations on the recommendations of Georgios Lordos on a possible property settlement in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. (293701)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research his Department has evaluated into the number of Greek Cypriots who in respect of a settlement in Cyprus would wish for (a) restitution, (b) compensation and (c) property exchange; if he will consider the merits of allocating funds to such research; and if he will make a statement. (293702)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of relinquishing the UK’s commitment under the Treaty of Guarantee for Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. (293707)

The leaders of the two communities are continuing to discuss the issue of security and guarantees. The UK will not be an obstacle to a solution.

Cyprus: Green Line

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of people who have crossed the Green Line in Cyprus since 30 April 2008; and if he will make a statement. (293704)

The Government have not estimated this information. However, according to figures provided by the Republic of Cyprus and published in the European Commission’s Green Line Report, 730,310 Greek Cypriots crossed from the south to the north of Cyprus and 1,287,126 Turkish Cypriots crossed from the north to the south of Cyprus during the period 1 May 2008 to 30 April 2009:

http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/turkish_cypriot_cornmunity/glr_report_en.pdf

The same source reports that a further 739,097 non-Cypriot EU citizens and third-country nationals crossed the line during this period.

These figures do not include border crossings within the UK’s Sovereign Base Areas, for which data are not collected.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the (a) volume and (b) monetary value of cross-Green Line trade in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. (293705)

The Government do not collect any information on the volume or value of cross-Green Line trade in Cyprus. However, according to figures provided by the Republic of Cyprus and published in the European Commission’s Green Line Report, the total value of goods that crossed the Green Line was €6,111,030 from 1 May 2008 to 30 April 2009, compared to €4,473,408 for the previous reporting period:

http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/turkish_cypriot_community/glr_report_en.pdf

Cyprus: Northern Cyprus

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) recent discussions he has had with (i) the government of Cyprus and (ii) the administration in northern Cyprus and (b) recent assessment he has made of implementation of confidence-building measures in Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. (293708)

The Government follow the Cyprus settlement question very closely and have frequent discussions both with the Government of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot leadership on this topic. They support confidence building measures as an important means of developing trust between the two communities. A number of measures, for example on ambulance crossings and restoration of cultural heritage, have already been implemented. We hope to see further confidence building measures being implemented in the coming months.

Cyprus: Turkey

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the number of settlers from mainland Turkey who are resident in the north of Cyprus who took residence in that region (a) following the invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and (b) since the referendum in 2004; and if he will make a statement. (293697)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information his Department holds on the (a) volume and (b) monetary value of trade between Turkey and Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. (293706)

The Government do not hold any information on trade between Turkey and Cyprus. The most recent publicly available figures are from the Turkish Foreign Trade Under-Secretariat in 2007. Exports from Turkey to the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) equalled US Dollars ($)1.394 million, and imports from RoC to Turkey equalled $8,615 million. Volume of trade equalled $10.01 million.

Democratic Republic of Congo

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the UN Security Council on the implementation of UN Resolution 1820 in Democratic Republic of Congo; and what recent progress has been made on such implementation. (294542)

The UK is a key supporter of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1820, which deals with the issue of sexual violence in conflict situations. We work hard to mainstream its provisions into the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC). It is referred to in MONUC's mandate, due for renewal in December 2009.

The UK recently co-sponsored UNSCR 1888 (revision of 1820 on women and armed conflict). In addition, the UK continues to push for legal action against five senior Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) commanders accused of committing sexual violence, named by the UN Security Council during their visit in May 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Democratic Republic of Congo on the prosecution of allegations of gender-based violence by members of the Congolese armed forces; and if he will make a statement. (294543)

Our ambassador in Kinshasa has repeatedly called for members of the armed forces guilty of human rights abuses to be brought to justice. The UN Security Council, including the UK permanent representative, raised this issue in May with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Kabila and DRC Prime Minister Muzito. Kabila gave a speech to the nation on Independence Day in June this year, promising renewed efforts to ensure “total security” for the population, including ending sexual and gender-based violence.

Military courts in Rutshuru have since prosecuted several cases against some Congolese national army (FARDC) officers for crimes including rape. The UK continues to push for legal action against five senior FARDC commanders accused of committing sexual violence, named by the UN Security Council during their visit. We will continue to stress the importance of ensuring the implementation of the UN Mission to the DRC (MONUC)'s policy of withdrawing support from FARDC units implicated in serious human rights abuses.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Internally Displaced Persons

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate has been made of the number of people who have been displaced in Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of the activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army since the beginning of 2009; which countries have received such people; and if he will make a statement. (294536)

According to a recent report by the UN Secretary General, 226,000 people have been displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a result of the activities of the Lord's Resistance Army since the beginning of 2009.

We are aware that many displaced people from the DRC have moved to South Sudan. We are also aware that some refugees may have fled to Uganda and the Central African Republic.

We strongly condemn the atrocities committed by the Lord's Resistance Army in the northern DRC and throughout the Great Lakes Region of Africa. They have committed appalling human rights abuses against the civilian population, including mass executions and abductions. The UN Mission to the DRC, MONUC, has increased its presence in the north of the country, after being urged to do so by the UK and other governments. MONUC is providing logistical support to humanitarian organisations, which are providing relief to the civilian population.

We also strongly urge co-ordination between the different peacekeeping missions in that region of Africa.

Departmental Official Hospitality

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on (a) hosting and (b) supporting the involvement of young British people in (i) EU, (ii) Commonwealth and (iii) UN activities. (293805)

Embassies: EU Countries

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what revenue was received at British Embassies from Overseas Passport fees in each country of the European Union in each of the last five years. (294172)

The following table lists the revenue received at our Missions from Overseas Passport fees in each country of the EU in each of the last five years, pro-rated based on accession dates.

£

Country

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Grand total

Austria

37,757

69,567

89,472

123,835

94,071

414,702

Belgium

252,721

257,358

304,304

389,535

34

1,203,952

Bulgaria

0

0

0

5,000

13,661

18,661

Cyprus

321,090

390,832

520,032

600,710

681,560

2,514,224

Czech Republic

40,226

51,840

72,170

80,215

68,429

312,880

Denmark

101,149

123,332

143,663

184,147

173,646

725,937

Estonia

3,057

3,117

5,038

5,460

4,387

21,059

Finland

22,173

21,348

35,768

46,505

42,736

168,530

France

821,553

1,136,118

1,616,805

2,061,027

2,706,459

8,341,962

Germany

935,027

957,092

1,383,448

1,683,959

1,654,141

6,613,667

Greece

138,361

167,218

243,614

288,525

285,333

1,123,051

Holland

323,717

404,678

490,141

608,304

322,955

2,149,795

Hungary

25,545

31,155

37,740

49,399

50,027

193,866

Ireland

614,002

644,937

880,563

1,057,212

1,055,696

4,252,410

Italy

268,705

333,745

409,181

491,835

454,298

1,957,764

Latvia

1,968

3,503

4,717

5,481

5,402

21,071

Luxembourg

42,292

343

548

407

117

43,707

Lithuania

892

2,633

2,249

4,170

2,905

12,849

Malta

42,204

57,117

75,004

85,796

97,130

357,251

Poland

28,020

40,549

41,288

57,431

52,624

219,912

Portugal

147,115

155,024

199,414

176,044

9,488

687,085

Romania

0

0

0

6,071

23,523

29,594

Slovakia

3,878

6,862

10,120

11,368

9,377

41,605

Slovenia

2,058

1,421

3,602

4,479

3,710

15,270

Spain

1,148,209

1,450,790

1,986,662

2,663,752

2,539,259

9,788,672

Sweden

100,120

125,729

178,371

206,218

199,432

809,870

Grand total

5,421,839

6,436,308

8,733,914

10,896,885

10,550,400

42,039,345

EU Institutions

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for institutional changes in the European Union. (294000)

The Swedish EU presidency wants to see the Lisbon treaty enter into force as soon as possible, to bring into effect the treaty’s institutional reforms which will improve EU decision-making, transparency and accountability, and the effectiveness of EU action around the world. This is a priority that the UK shares.

Following the Irish referendum endorsement of the Lisbon treaty on 2 October 2009 and signature of the Polish instrument of ratification by President Kaczynski on 10 October 2009, 26 member states have now completed their national processes to ratify the treaty. We hope that the Czech ratification will follow shortly.

EU Law

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which powers ceded to EU level under the Treaty establishing the European Communities and the Treaty on European Union have subsequently been returned to the UK under the principle of subsidiarity. (293798)

The principle of subsidiarity is not a mechanism for “returning powers” to the member states, but for determining whether or not Community action should be set in motion.

The member states, through the EU treaties, set the EU certain tasks and give it the powers to achieve those tasks. Article 5 of the treaty establishing the European Community states that, in areas which do not fall within its exclusive competence, the Community shall take action, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, only if and in so far as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the member states and can therefore, by reason of the scale or effects of the proposed action, be better achieved by the Community.

Further guidelines for assessing whether these requirements are met are laid down by the Protocol on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality. The Protocol also requires the Commission to justify the relevance of any of its legislative proposals with regard to the principle of subsidiarity.

The Lisbon treaty would strengthen the role of national Parliaments in EU decision-making, so that for the first time national parliaments could challenge draft EU legislation on subsidiarity grounds. It is for Parliament to decide how to exercise its rights under these procedures.

EU: Financial Institutions

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the General Affairs Council on the Swedish presidency's agenda for banking and financial regulation and shareholding in the EU. (294363)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the European Commission's proposals on financial regulation and supervision with his counterparts at the General Affairs Council (GAC) of 27 July 2009 and 14 September 2009. EU member states are agreed on the necessity of making swift progress on the package, with a view to reaching agreement by the December European Council under the EU Swedish presidency.

The GAC has not discussed the EU Shareholder Rights Directive.

European Union: Reform

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Czech Government on prospects for constitutional reform in the EU. (294699)

I have recently discussed EU institutional issues with my Czech counterpart as part of my introductory contacts with my EU colleagues on issues of mutual interest.

France: Industrial Disputes

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of France on the cost to British businesses and tourists of blockades of Channel ports. (293876)

Our embassy in Paris and our consulate in Lille have both raised issues relating to the blockades with the French authorities.

The Minister of State, Department for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Khan), also raised concerns with his French counterpart during the blockade.

Gaza: Borders

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to seek (a) the ending of restrictions on access to Gaza imposed by the Israeli authorities and (b) to ensure that international law is observed in that area. (293990)

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Netanyahu on 15 October 2009. He clearly expressed the UK's concerns regarding the current situation in Gaza and urged unimpeded access for humanitarian aid.

Although there is no permanent physical Israeli presence in Gaza, Israel maintains a significant degree of control, including control of Gaza's borders, airspace and territorial waters. The UK does not consider that Israel's obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949 have ceased to apply in respect of Gaza and we continue to make this clear.

Ilois: Resettlement

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2009, Official Report, columns 605-06W, on the British Indian Ocean Territory, who the interveners are in the case. (294047)

The interveners in the case of Chagos Islanders v. the UK at the European Court of Human Rights are Human Rights Watch and Minority Rights Group International.

India

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of India on the situation of the Chin refugees in Mizoram state; and if he will make a statement. (294670)

My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary are in regular contact with their Indian counterparts on the subject of Burma.

The UK believes that the status quo in Burma is inherently unstable and that the case of the Chin refugees is just one example of the Burmese regime's repressive policies towards the country's ethnic groups.

We also remain concerned by the effects of a rat infestation in Chin state during the last two years and the plight of the Chin refugees in India.

In response to an assessment undertaken by the UN, the Department for International Development has approved funding of £880,000 for emergency aid delivered through the UN Development Programme, the World Food Programme and their local partners. About 65,000 people have benefited from this aid. We are keeping the situation under close review.

India: Religious Freedom

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of India on reported persecution of Christians in Orissa state; and if he will make a statement. (293668)

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not discussed the situation of Christians in Orissa State with the Government of India. When the violence perpetrated against these communities occurred in 2008, my noble Friend, the former Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch Brown, raised the issue with his Indian counterpart. Our high commission in New Delhi continues to maintain a constructive dialogue with the Indian authorities about human rights and issues that affect all India's minority groups.

Iran: Overseas Trade

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 12 October 2009, Official Report, column 1WS, on delegated legislation (counter terrorism), if he will make it his policy to seek European Union sanctions requiring the financial sectors in EU member states to cease all business with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines; and if he will make a statement. (293788)

The measures taken by the Treasury under the Counter Terrorism Act 2008 against Bank Mellat and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines was used specifically to mitigate the risks posed to the UK national interest by activity in Iran that facilitates the development or production of nuclear weapons. Where the Government identify such activities, they are committed to acting to curtail them.

We are clear that if Iran does not engage seriously in negotiations to restore the international community’s confidence in its nuclear programme, multilateral sanctions will be required. We are working closely with other EU member states to ensure that the EU is in a position to enact measures if this should prove necessary. At the present, the content of this work must remain confidential, but I will inform the House when it is possible to discuss these measures in more detail.

Iran: Religious Freedom

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation of the Jewish community in Iran since July 2009; and if he will make a statement. (293293)

The situation of the Jewish community in Iran has long been of concern to us. Its members have suffered discrimination under the Islamic Republic: for example, Iranian Jews are barred from running for President, and from a number of professions, such as the armed forces. President Ahmadinejad's repeated denials of the Holocaust—most recently at the UN General Assembly in September—only serve to increase our concern.

We have been disturbed by the Iranian authorities' response to the protests that followed the disputed June 2009 presidential election, and in particular by the death and imprisonment sentences handed down in recent days. One of those convicted was the Jewish teenager, Yaghoghil Shaolian. He has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison. We are seeking more information about his case, as well as those of the other defendants, and will raise our concerns with the Iranian authorities, since those convicted and sentenced appear to have been denied a fair trial.

Kenya: Poltics and Government

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Kenya on the missed interim deadline for the establishment of a local tribunal to try those accused of orchestrating the violence which followed the elections in that country in December 2007; and if he will make a statement. (294671)

The UK is concerned that no action has been taken on bringing to justice those accused of orchestrating Kenya's post-election violence in 2007, neither by a special tribunal nor referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC). With our EU partners and other like-minded countries we are continuing to make clear that credible action is necessary.

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary encouraged Kenya's reform process, including tackling impunity and post-election violence, during his meeting with Prime Minister Odinga in London last July. Since then my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for International Development and the former Minister of State for Africa have also encouraged the Kenyan Government to establish a credible tribunal to investigate and prosecute those responsible.

The Government support the role being played by Kofi Annan and endorses his proposal that the ICC continue its discussions with the Kenyan Government to achieve justice. We continue to believe action on impunity is needed to prevent future violence and to send a strong message that Kenyans will not tolerate violence.

Maritime Navigation

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the Government to ratify the 2005 Protocol to the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation; and if he will make a statement. (293139)

[holding answer 15 October 2009]: The Government remain committed to ratifying the protocol which we signed in January 2007, although we do not yet have a firm timetable for introduction of the required Bill into Parliament.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to seek endorsement by the United Nations Security Council of the recommendations for action contained in the report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza conflict. (294027)

As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said on 20 October 2009, Official Report, column 762, the report

“did not do enough to recognise Israel's right to self-defence but,... did raise serious issues that democratic governments should address through ... [a] full and independent inquiry”.

Given our concerns about the report, we will not be seeking its endorsement by the UN Security Council. But we will continue with our international partners to condemn Hamas' use of terrorism and press Israel to conduct a proper independent inquiry.

Middle East: Gas

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on the proposed agreement between British Gas and the Israel Electric Corporation to purchase gas from the Gaza Marine Field; and if he will make a statement. (293092)

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress in restarting negotiations on the Middle East Peace Process; and if he will make a statement. (293785)

The US Administration, from the President down, have made clear their commitment to restarting negotiations and continue to work towards that goal. We are offering them our full support, as I made clear to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 11 October 2009. While significant obstacles undoubtedly remain, the alternatives to credible negotiations towards a two-state solution are far worse.

NATO: Young People

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on the involvement of young people in the UK in NATO activities. (293809)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions with his North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) counterparts on this issue.

NATO is currently in the process of producing its new Strategic Concept, which will set the Alliance's direction for the coming years. We support the Secretary General's efforts to make this as consultative as possible. That includes setting up an online discussion forum through which members of the public, including young people in the UK, can give their views on the future priorities of the Alliance. It can be found at:

http://natostratcon.info/forum/

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also supports the work of the Atlantic Council UK which has recently set up a Youth Chapter and will begin a schools programme next month designed to increase awareness among young people in this country of the important work NATO does.

Through our contributions to NATO's civil budget we also support the work of the Alliance's Public Diplomacy division, which hosts a number of youth events. These include youth summits held in the margins of NATO's annual summits, the most recent of which took place in April.

Northern Cyprus

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the (a) area and (b) proportion of Greek Cypriot-owned land in northern Cyprus that has been (i) sold by the administration in northern Cyprus and (ii) developed by Turkish Cypriots (A) following the invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and (B) since the referendum in 2004; and if he will make a statement. (293696)

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of the population of northern Cyprus constituted by (a) Turkish Cypriots and (b) Turkish settlers; and if he will make a statement. (293703)

Northern Cyprus: Economic Situation

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the state of the economy in northern Cyprus; and if he will make a statement. (293698)

The current situation hinders the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot economy. We welcome the EU’s commitment to support the development of the Turkish Cypriot community through financial aid and trade liberalisation. However, only an agreed settlement can provide the Turkish Cypriots with the full benefits of EU membership.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take to encourage the Pakistani Government to repeal laws which discriminate against Christians. (293658)

The UK supports freedom of religion and condemns persecution because of faith or religious belief. We view the difficult situation facing religious minorities with concern and regularly raise human rights concerns both bilaterally with the Government of Pakistan and together with our EU partners.

Alongside our EU partners the UK continues to encourage the Government of Pakistan to repeal or amend the blasphemy laws to reduce the misuse of legislation to discriminate against minority groups, including Christians. In December 2008 the EU called upon the Government of Pakistan to promote tolerance, to effectively protect freedom of belief and expression, and to reform discriminatory laws such as the blasphemy laws. In August 2009 the EU also raised the attacks on Christians in Gojra and Koiran in Punjab.

We continue to encourage Pakistan to fulfil it commitments under the UN Human Rights Council. During the last Periodic Review in May 2008 we secured a commitment from the Government of Pakistan that checks would be introduced to regulate investigations into allegations of blasphemy that affect minority groups.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah; and if he will make a statement. (293784)

The UK has made clear its support for Egyptian-sponsored efforts to build a non-partisan, technocratic Palestinian Government, which would be capable of working productively with the international community.

Papua: Violence

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the upsurge of violence in West Papua; and if he will make a statement. (292334)

There has been an increase in sporadic violent incidents in the Indonesian province of Papua over the last six months. There was an initial upsurge around the time of the April 2009 parliamentary elections, primarily in Puncak Jaya and Jayawijaya districts and Nabire and Abepura towns. There have been further incidents over the last three months in Mimika district in which an Australian national and a number of Indonesian police officers were killed. According to our embassy contacts, the Indonesian policing response to these incidents is generally considered to have been measured.

We recognise that real challenges remain in Papua. Our ambassador visited Papua last month and discussed these issues with the Indonesian authorities. He emphasised the need to fully and transparently investigate any allegations of human rights abuses.

Sudan: Internally Displaced Persons

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the security situation in the refugee camps along the Chad-Sudan border, particularly for women and girls; and if he will make a statement. (294678)

The security situation along the Chad-Sudan border is of concern. The UK strongly supports both the UN peacekeeping force, MINURCAT, which helps to protect refugee camps in eastern Chad, and the joint African Union-UN Peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) which helps to protect civilians in Darfur.

UK officials met with the UN Special Representative for the United Nations Mission in Central African Republic and Chad last month and discussed sexual and gender based violence as well as security issues in Eastern Chad.

The UK led on the renewal of UNAMID's mandate in July of this year, which focuses UNAMID on a number of key tasks, including protection of civilians. The renewed mandate also specifically tasks the UN Secretary-General with developing a comprehensive strategy for providing protection to women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the UK’s commitment to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan is; and what personnel the UK has trusted in support of this commitment. (292432)

The UK believes the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is the foundation of future peace and stability in Sudan. The UK was one of the witnesses to the signing of the CPA in 2005 and we are committed to its full implementation, including the referendum on self-determination for South Sudan in January 2011.

Ministers are closely engaged in leading the UK’s efforts in Sudan. My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department for International Development visited Sudan earlier this month and will be meeting with both parties in North and South Sudan to urge them to accelerate implementation of the CPA.

The UK has a strong Government team working on Sudan, led by the UK Special Representative for Sudan, together with our ambassador in Khartoum. We also fund Sir Derek Plumbly as Chairman of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC), the organisation in Sudan charged with monitoring implementation of the CPA.

DFID has a major programme of development assistance to Sudan, with a budget of £115 million for 2009-10, and we provide significant support to both UN missions in Sudan, including deployment of UK military officers.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken on the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan in its role as a co-signatory to the Agreement. (294538)

The UK believes the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is the foundation of future peace and stability in Sudan and was one of the witnesses to the signing of the CPA in 2005. We are committed to its full implementation, including the referendum on self-determination for South Sudan in January 2011.

The UK has been working closely with partners, including the US and its Special Envoy to Sudan, General Gration, to urge both the National Congress Party and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement to make urgent progress on the outstanding CPA milestones.

My hon. Friend the Minister of State for International Development visited Sudan earlier this month and urged both parties in north and south to ensure that the remaining issues are resolved, including preparations for the elections next year and referendum in 2011. He also underlined the importance that the UK attaches to free and fair elections.

The UK has worked actively to ensure that the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in July over the boundary of the Abyei area is accepted by both parties. Implementation of the decision is now progressing slowly and we continue to urge timely and peaceful progress. We are concerned that the broader north-south border demarcation process is stalled and have pressed both parties to resolve the remaining areas of contention.

The UK is also working to ensure that critical post-referendum issues, such as wealth-sharing and citizenship rights, are addressed by both parties. These need to be agreed by north and south in advance of the referendum, whatever its outcome, to help ensure that the decision is peaceful. We are supporting work through Chatham House in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on measures to strengthen the Assessment and Evaluation Committee on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan; and if he will make a statement. (294669)

The UK strongly supports the Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC) in Sudan and the work it undertakes to monitor implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

We secured the appointment of Sir Derek Plumbly, a retired UK diplomat, as Chair of the AEC in March 2008 and Sir Derek has worked actively to strengthen the role of the AEC. My hon. Friend the Minister of State for International Development met with Sir Derek during his visit to Sudan last week.

The AEC has been active and instrumental in delivering progress on the CPA: senior representatives from both the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement and the National Congress Party sit on the AEC, with a number of members and observers drawn from the witnesses to the Agreement, and this has provided a forum for open dialogue on the various CPA issues. There are a number of AEC Working Groups that address the various issues, including Power Sharing, Wealth Sharing, Security and the Three Areas.

The UK is active in both the AEC plenary meetings and all of its working groups. We continue to work to support the AEC and ensure that it continues to play a central role in implementation of the CPA.

Telecommunications

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to (a) the Government of Turkey, (b) the Government of Cyprus and (c) the administration in Northern Cyprus on improving communications across the Green Line in respect of (a) the routing of and (b) charges for mobile telephone and internet services. (293700)

It is clear that the separate telecommunications systems that exist on either side of the Green Line inhibit cost-effective communication between north and south. The Government would welcome any initiatives that would enhance communication between the two communities. We continue to discuss this issue and possible confidence building measures with both communities.

Temple Mount

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of stones being thrown at a group of Christian tourists entering the site of the Temple Mount on 27 September 2009; what recent discussions he has had with the Palestinian Authority on this issue; and if he will make a statement. (293288)

We are very concerned by the recent tensions and clashes in Jerusalem. We continue to call on all sides to refrain from proactive action. This holy city is important to Israelis and Palestinians, and to people of three great faiths. Incitement from any quarter does not serve the cause of peace, and must stop.

Terrorism: Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what sources of illicit funding for the Taliban his Department has identified other than that derived from the narcotics trade; and if he will make a statement. (293787)

The illicit narcotics trade continues to provide a significant source of income for the Taliban. Other sources of funds are foreign donations, local contributions, illegitimate taxes, ransom for kidnapping, and extortion and smuggling. We are working with our international partners, and through established mechanisms like the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 sanctions regime, to identify and eliminate the Taliban’s access to these funding sources.

Treaty of Lisbon

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to hold a referendum on UK ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon; and if he will make a statement. (293653)

Uganda

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of UK policy towards Uganda of any discovery of new oilfields in that country. (294849)

Oil companies operating in Uganda have announced significant new discoveries this year in the Albertine Rift Valley region in Western Uganda. Technical and financial challenges remain, but current projections suggest that Uganda could become an oil producing nation within a few years. Oil resources could, if properly managed, help to strengthen Uganda’s economy and development prospects.

The UK has urged the Government of Uganda to design and implement sound and transparent strategies for harnessing oil resources that support peaceful economic and political development.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Uganda on the subject of refugees from Sudan in that country. (294850)

Uganda: Armed Conflict

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the status of the peace negotiations with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is; what recent reports he has received of countries where the LRA is active; and if he will make a statement. (292433)

The Government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) agreed a peace settlement, the Final Peace Agreement (FPA), in April 2008 after almost two years of negotiations mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan. However the LRA has yet to honour its commitment to sign the final peace agreement.

The LRA are known to be operating in Southern Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Government regularly discuss LRA activity with the Government of Uganda, and stress the importance of both continued regional cooperation to deal with the threat and protecting civilian populations from LRA attacks.

At the recent UN General Assembly Ministerial week, my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Ivan Lewis) discussed the LRA with Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa. Our posts in Kampala, Juba, Khartoum, Yaounde and Kinshasa continue to monitor the situation closely, and have raised the issue with other interested parties, including the UN.

UN Security Council

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the papers submitted by the Government to the meeting of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council held in London on 3 and 4 September. (294838)

The UK conference considered confidence building, verification and compliance challenges associated with achieving further progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. The conference was the first time that senior policy-makers, military officials and technical experts from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5) had met to discuss such issues. The P5 agreed that the conference would be held behind closed doors to facilitate full and frank discussion. The P5 issued a statement summarising the discussions after the conference.

UN: Young People

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on involvement of young people from the UK in UN activities. (293806)

We strongly welcome interest from British young people on discussions with UN and other counterparts and encourage their involvement in appropriate activities. We are also very active on this issue in London. For example last year my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary hosted a reception for the UN Association's Young Professionals Network (YPN). The YPN brings together young professionals in their twenties and thirties who have a passion for international affairs and who support a strong role for the UN in responding to global challenges. A similar reception will be held in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) later this month.

We are also in close contact with the various Model UN groupings, and representatives from the FCO attend (and speak) at many of their conferences. We are able to provide small amounts of funding to allow these events to take place.

We regularly organise briefings to Model UN groups when they visit New York.

United Nations: Meetings

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what matters were discussed at the meeting of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in London on 3 and 4 September 2009; and what agreements were reached. (294251)

The UK hosted a conference of senior policy-makers, military officials and technical experts from the P5 (Russia, China, the US, the UK and France) on 3-4 September 2009 to consider the confidence building, verification and compliance challenges associated with achieving further progress on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

The discussions covered ways to increase mutual understanding by sharing definitions of nuclear terminology and information about nuclear doctrines and capabilities; presentations on enhancing strategic stability; ways to build mutual confidence through voluntary transparency; and the international challenges associated with responding to nuclear accidents. The P5 undertook to consider ways to co-operate to address these challenges, and released a statement after the meeting.

Yvonne Fletcher

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the Cabinet Office inquiry into the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (294128)

The Government have no plans to place in the Library of the House a report relating to the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. A Metropolitan Police Service investigation into her murder is ongoing.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet (a) the Metropolitan Police Service and (b) his Libyan counterpart to discuss the investigation into the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher. (294129)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will meet with the Metropolitan Police Service and the family of WPC Fletcher on Thursday 22 October 2009 to discuss the investigation into the murder of WPC Fletcher. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also meet regularly with the Metropolitan Police to receive updates. The most recent meeting was on Friday 16 October 2009. No meeting is currently scheduled with the Foreign Secretary's Libyan counterpart.

Culture, Media and Sport

Creativity and Business International Network

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has budgeted for expenditure on the Creativity and Business International Network forum event to be held from 26 to 28 October 2009 at The Grove in Hertfordshire. (294784)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend, the Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Tourism, gave him on 14 October 2008, Official Report, column 1210W. The cost of the event at the Grove is included within the £3 million allocated to this project for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11.

Members: Correspondence

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to reply to the letter dated 22 July 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton concerning Ms G. Hine. (294727)

Television: Licensing

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in Leeds, Leeds West constituency receive a free television licence. (295358)

Free television licences are administered for people aged 75 or over by TV Licensing as agents for the BBC. This is a matter for the BBC and my Department does not hold this information. I understand that the BBC cannot provide a breakdown of the licences distributed by constituency, but rather stores this information by postcode.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in (a) Derbyshire and (b) North East Derbyshire receive a free television licence. (294844)

Free television licences are administered for people aged 75 or over by TV Licensing as agents for the BBC. This is a matter for the BBC and my Department does not hold this information. I understand that the BBC cannot provide a breakdown of the licences distributed by county, but rather stores this information by postcode.

Electoral Commission Committee

General Elections

To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what information the Electoral Commission has collected about the number of local authorities considering commencing their counts at the next general election on the day after polling day. (295029)

The Electoral Commission informs me that it wrote to Returning Officers for all UK parliamentary constituencies in September 2009 requesting information about when they intend to begin the counting of ballot papers for the UK parliamentary general election.

As of 21 October 2009, the Commission informs me that it had received responses from Returning Officers for 247 out of 650 constituencies. Returning Officers for 134 constituencies reported that they planned to begin counting on the evening of polling day. Returning Officers for 27 constituencies reported that they planned to begin counting on the morning of the day following polling day. Returning Officers for 86 constituencies reported that they had not yet decided when they would begin counting. Over the coming weeks the Commission will be actively seeking responses from Returning Officers who have yet to reply.

A spreadsheet detailing responses received by constituency, at 21 October 2009, has been placed in the House of Commons Library. This information is also available on the Commission website and will be updated regularly.

House of Commons Commission

Members: Allowances

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many hon. Members have returned monies to the House in respect of expenses claims; and how much has been repaid in each such case. (295069)

From 1 April to 21 October 2009, 260 Members and former Members made repayments of sums received as allowances totalling some £637,000. (This does not include all routine repayments arising from items such as refunds on utility bills and repayment of rental deposits.) More detailed information cannot be given without further checking, including checking by the Members concerned.

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse of Sir Thomas Legg’s analysis of hon. Members’ expenses claims. (295070)

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what information is held by the House of Commons Commission on the tax liability of hon. Members in relation to their expenses claims. (295078)

The House does not hold information about the individual tax liability of Members. However, the House does provide Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs with details of taxable expenses and benefits in kind, by 6 July after the end of each tax year. The information passed to HMRC is also sent to individual Members in advance.

Women and Equality

Equality Bill

To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many of the responses received to the consultation on the public sector equality duties proposed in the Equality Bill were from faith-based organisations working in the public sector. (294830)

The consultation on the specific duties closed on 30 September. We are currently working through the responses and will publish an analysis in due course.

The single Equality Duty we are bringing in through our Equality Bill will place a new legal requirement on public bodies to consider how they can design and deliver services in ways that will tackle discrimination and advance equality for people of different religions and those of none—resulting in better, more responsive and more personalised services for all.

Defence

Monitor Group

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had (i) meetings with, (ii) communications from and (iii) other contacts within the last five years; and what the subject matter of any contact was in each case. (295014)

Ministers have not met or communicated with the Monitor Group; information regarding departmental officials is not held centrally.

Armed Forces: Housing

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service families have been placed by Modern Housing Solutions in (a) Premier Travel Inns and (b) other hotels in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement. (294042)

For information related to 2005 to June 2007, the hon. Member is referred to the answer given by my predecessor on 26 July 2007, Official Report, column 1246W, to the hon. Member for North Devon (Nick Harvey).

Information on the number of service families placed in Premier Travel Inns or other hotels between July 2007 and today is not held centrally. I will therefore write to the hon. Member with the information requested once it has been collated.

Substantive answer from Kevan Jones to Willie Rennie:

I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question of 19 October 2009 (Official Report, column 1219W) regarding how many Service families have been placed in Premier Travel Inns and other hotels by Modern Housing Solutions (MHS) in each year since 2005.

MHS are the Housing Prime Contractor with responsibility for the repair and maintenance of approximately 44,000 Service Family Accommodation homes in England and Wales. They provide a full 24 hour, 365 day a year service in order to ensure all domestic repair emergencies are resolved as quickly as possible and with the minimum of inconvenience to Service families.

However, there will always be some cases where domestic emergencies such as fires or floods cannot be immediately resolved, and therefore it will occasionally be necessary to provide alternative accommodation to families while remedial works are carried out. The MOD always seeks to use Service accommodation for this purpose. However, where this is not available it may be necessary to place families in hotel accommodation.

The number of families placed in hotel accommodation each year since 1 January 2006, the start of the Housing Prime Contract, is as follows:

Premier Travel Inns

Other hotels

2006

9

46

2007

15

51

2008

36

82

20091

77

115

1 To 14 October.

I hope this information is helpful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2009, Official Report, column 2124W, on armed forces: housing (1) for what reasons each of the charges set out in the answer were incurred; [294790]

(2) how many claims for damage to Modern Housing Solutions housing were made in each year for which information is available.

The number of claims for damage invoices raised against occupants of service family accommodation (SFA) for damage to property is provided in the following table.

Period

Number of invoices raised

1 November 2007 to 31 March 20081

735

1 April 2008 to 31 March 20092

3,843

1 April 2009 to 31 August 20092

1,563

1 GB. 2 UK.

These figures represent single invoices raised and cover all SFA properties including those not maintained by Modern Housing Solutions. Invoices may cover several items of damage caused by an occupant. A full breakdown of all invoices could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Medical Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel from the Surgeon General’s Department were based in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) England, (d) Northern Ireland, (e) Cyprus and (f) Germany in each of the last five years. (291376)

[holding answer 16 September 2009]: The Surgeon General’s Department (SGD) is the central policy and secretariat division of the Defence Medical Services. Its staff include uniformed personnel who are serving members of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF Medical Services, as well as civilians. As at 1 October 2009, it had 160 staff (figure rounded to the nearest 10) all of whom were based in England. Figures for previous years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people resident in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area in Northern Ireland have served in the armed forces in each of the last 10 years. (294712)

Residential address information for serving or ex-service personnel is not held with reference to country, parliamentary constituency or local authority. Further, there are significant questions over the accuracy and completeness of what is held; for example, some ex-service personnel do not provide a valid contact address on leaving the services or do not notify the MOD of a change of address if they move. The answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people resident in each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area in Northern Ireland were recruited to each branch of the armed forces in each of the last 10 years; and what the total from each community was. (294716)

This information is not held in the form requested. However, details of those recruited through the Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO) in Belfast, in the following table, give an indication of Northern Ireland recruitment into the armed forces.

Please note that this information will not provide a comprehensive picture of individuals recruited from Northern Ireland as it does not include those recruited through AFCOs elsewhere or through other means, such as the internet.

Number recruited through AFCO Belfast 2008-09

Naval Services

46

Army

294

RAF

25

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people from each (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area in Northern Ireland serving in the armed forces have been decorated for bravery in each of the last 10 years. (294729)

This information is not held in the format requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what policy the armed forces operate on the recruitment of people with (a) Asperger's syndrome and (b) autism; and whether any positions in each service are not open to people with (i) Asperger's syndrome and (ii) autism. (294499)

[holding answer 20 October 2009]: The tri-Service medical entry standards are contained within Joint Services Publication (JSP) 346, which advises that candidates with Asperger's syndrome and autism are not suitable for recruitment into any post in the Armed Forces. The only exception is where a potential recruit presents with a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome but on examination appears to exhibit none of the symptoms of the condition. While those with a confirmed diagnosis should normally be graded as unsuitable, it is recognised that there are instances when the original diagnosis may have been made in error, based on unusual adolescent behaviour which has resolved. In these doubtful cases further referral will normally be recommended before a final decision is made.

It is our policy that armed forces personnel should be recruited to be fully fit for deployment worldwide on operations. For this reason, the services do not recruit or commission personnel with existing medical conditions which may adversely impact on the effectiveness of the armed forces, or which may themselves be exacerbated by military circumstances. This is particularly relevant in cases of individuals with autism or Asperger's Syndrome, as military personnel are expected to perform in multiple roles, which may be difficult for someone suffering from these disorders. Further, all military personnel are required to work in close-knit teams, and in operational environments the pressures are such that anyone with significant disability in social interaction may well be a danger to themselves or their team. These two diagnoses have significant disability in social interaction as part of their defining features.

While it may be possible to retain in-service individuals who are already serving and are subsequently diagnosed as autistic or suffering from Asperger's (provided that there are worthwhile military roles for them to fulfil), this will normally mean that they will have to be re-graded and will not be able to deploy on operations. This also applies to other disabilities which might arise while an individual is in service but the forces do not recruit individuals where they would only be able to serve from the outset in a medically restricted capacity.

Browndown Training Facility

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future of the Browndown training facility at Gosport; and if he will make a statement. (294937)

As part of ongoing efficiency work, and a departmental-wide exercise to deliver savings, the Department has conducted a review of its operations and identified a number of rationalisation measures. Browndown Camp has been included within this review. While no firm decision on the future of this facility has yet been taken, it is anticipated that parts of Browndown, in particular the dry training area, will continue to be used.

Charities

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what grants his Department made to charitable organisations in each of the last five years. (292661)

The total amounts made as grants in aid are as follows:

£

2003-04

30,817,129

2004-05

31,897,153

2005-06

31,604,136

2006-07

30,335,751

2007-08

32,218,493

A number of organisations receive grants in aid from the MOD including Voluntary Cadet Groups (Naval Cadet Force, Army Cadet Force, Air Training Corps and Combined Cadet Force), Museums, Forces Welfare organisations such as the Sailors, Soldiers, Air Forces and Families Association (SSAFA), Women’s Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS), Help Information Voluntary Exchange (HIVE) and sports bodies.

Smaller charitable grants are made by each of the single services to organisations with which they are closely affiliated. The amounts involved are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Colombia: Military Aid

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department (a) provides and (b) sponsors (i) advisory visits and (ii) information exchanges on military operations and tactics in urban theatres to Colombia; when the last such visit or exchange took place; and if he will make a statement. (295111)

Advisory visits and information exchanges between the UK and Colombia on military operations and tactics in urban theatres no longer take place. Historic records of visits and exchanges are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent (a) in England, (b) in Wales, (c) in Northern Ireland and (d) overseas on (i) equipment, (ii) non-equipment expenditure, (iii) service personnel costs and (iv) civil personnel costs in each year since 1997. (293427)

Estimated direct MOD expenditure for the sub-UK areas and categories requested for the years where data are available are provided in the following tables.

England

£ million at current prices (VAT exclusive)

1998-99

1999-00

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

Total

1

1

1

1

19,780

21,020

21,100

22,910

23,450

23,320

Of which:

Equipment expenditure

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

8,230

8,380

8,350

9,350

9,620

9,910

Non Equipment expenditure

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

4,190

4,830

4,900

5,320

5,610

5,280

Service personnel costs

n/a

2,940

2,980

5,130

5,460

6,070

5,970

6,190

6,270

6,220

Civilian personnel cost

1,760

1,830

1,780

1,780

1,900

1,740

1,880

2,050

1,950

1,910

Wales

£ million at current prices (VAT exclusive)

1998-99

1999-00

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

Total

1

1

1

1

340

430

370

380

400

390

Of which:

Equipment expenditure

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

100

130

110

100

120

130

Non Equipment expenditure

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

90

140

100

120

100

80

Service personnel costs

n/a

70

60

100

110

120

120

120

140

140

Civilian personnel cost

40

40

40

30

40

40

40

40

40

40

Northern Ireland

£ million at current prices (VAT exclusive)

1998-99

1999-00

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

Total

1

1

1

1

540

550

500

550

590

650

Of which:

Equipment expenditure

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

120

90

60

70

60

120

Non Equipment expenditure

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

70

90

70

110

140

140

Service personnel costs

n/a

180

170

250

270

300

290

280

300

300

Civilian personnel cost

70

70

70

70

80

70

80

90

90

90

Overseas

£ million at current prices (VAT exclusive)

1998-99

1999-00

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

Total

1

1

1

1

2,870

3,260

3,480

3,760

3,990

4,440

Of which:

Equipment expenditure

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

1,260

1,470

1,710

1,880

2,170

2,630

Non Equipment expenditure

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

150

180

140

160

160

160

Service personnel costs

n/a

n/a

n/a

1,010

1,080

1,190

1,180

1,230

1,150

1,140

Civilian personnel cost

230

240

230

330

380

420

450

490

510

510

n/a = Denotes that data were not available for all the sub UK areas for these years.

1 Denotes not applicable.

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 million.

2. Indirect expenditure, such as subcontracted work, is not reflected in these figures.

3. Personnel costs exclude contributions made by MOD to the Armed Forces Pensions Scheme and War Pensions Scheme.

4. Reliable data for equipment and non equipment expenditure are not available for all the sub UK areas for the years prior to 2002-03.

The defence budget is not formally allocated at sub-UK level. Defence Procurement provides the UK armed forces with the equipment needed as efficiently as possible to deliver the best value for money for the armed forces regardless of where the items are procured or MOD personnel are located. The Defence Budget is planned on this basis to achieve the optimum allocation of resources in relation to current defence objectives and priorities.

Departmental Telephone Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many helplines his Department operates; and how much his Department has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years. (294977)

The provision of helplines is determined at local level in accordance with individual business requirements and obtained directly from the supplier. Records of such helplines are not held centrally and information relating to them, including any revenue accrued, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

News International

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had (i) meetings with, (ii) communications from and (iii) other contacts with News International in the last five years; and what the subject matter of any contact was in each case. (295015)

In the course of accounting for the Department’s work through the media, Ministers and officials deal with News International representatives on a regular basis. No central record of this routine business is held.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many (a) armed forces personnel and (b) veterans have received treatment for (i) mental health problems, (ii) alcohol addiction and (iii) drug abuse since 2001; (295082)

(2) how many and what proportion of military personnel who have served or are serving in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan have been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder;

(3) how many new diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder there have been since 2001.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Moray (Angus Robertson) on 12 October 2009, Official Report, columns 416-417W.

Territorial Army

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who within his Department took the decision to cease Territorial Army training until 1 April 2010; and whether regular unit personnel (a) attached to and (b) working in Territorial Army units will be paid up to 1 April 2010. (294266)

Like all Government Departments, the Ministry of Defence routinely reviews expenditure to ensure that we allocate our resources where they are needed most and success in Afghanistan must take priority. Accordingly, senior officials discussed emerging budgetary pressures in the summer and then asked all budget holders within the Department to review all uncommitted funding. The plan to restrict Territorial Army activity for the remainder of the current financial year was one of a number of cost saving proposals put forward by the Chief of the General Staff and endorsed by the Defence Secretary.

Regular Army personnel attached to TA units will continue to work and be paid during the period of restrictions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what estimate he has made of the number of Territorial Army (TA) reservists who will leave the TA as a result of the proposed six month stand-down of the TA; (294318)

(2) what estimate he has made of the reduction in expenditure which will accrue from the six-month stand-down of the Territorial Army.

We are absolutely committed to ensuring that the front-line is properly resourced, and that the mission in Afghanistan will have all the backing it needs to succeed. All personnel, both regular and reserve, currently earmarked for operations will be provided with the training they need before deployment and be paid for it. The suspension for the remainder of this financial year of Territorial Army (TA) activity not directly supporting operations will contribute £20 million to a total saving of £43 million in the TA budget this year.

The reductions in normal activity are, of course, disappointing for TA members. We hope that the majority will understand the reasons behind these restrictions and the exceptional circumstances in which they are being applied. We are confident that reservists will stay to resume training when the restrictions are lifted.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many Territorial Army (TA) reservists in (a) Pembrokeshire and (b) Wales will receive no (i) pay and (ii) training during the proposed six month stand-down of the TA; (294319)

(2) how many Territorial Army (TA) reservists in (a) Pembrokeshire and (b) Wales will continue to receive operational training before deployment on operations during the proposed six month stand-down of the TA;

(3) how many Territorial Army reservists from (a) Pembrokeshire and (b) Wales have served in operations in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Iraq since 2002;

(4) what assessment he has made of the role and effectiveness of the Territorial Army in Wales.

The Territorial Army (TA) continues to play a vital role in support of the Regular Army, not least on operations in Afghanistan. TA personnel in Wales offer a variety of essential skills and capabilities including infantry, artillery, medical, engineers and transport.

The current period of restricted activity does not affect those TA personnel preparing for operations or those new recruits in Phase 1 (initial) training. Approximately 2,300 TA personnel are attached to TA units based in Wales. Of these 30 are attached to units based in Pembrokeshire. Of the 2300, 60 are currently on operations, a further 120 are currently training for operations and a further 420 are in Phase 1 training. Fewer than 10 of the 30 personnel attached to units based in Pembrokeshire are currently training for operations; and a further 10 are in Phase 1 training. None is currently mobilised. All TA personnel will be provided with opportunities to undertake activities required to meet the minimum standard to qualify for their bounty this year, if they have not already done so.

Approximately 930 TA personnel have mobilised to serve on operations overseas from units based in Wales since 2003. Of these fewer than 10 have deployed from units based in Pembrokeshire. These figures include small numbers of personnel who deployed on operations other than in Afghanistan and Iraq. Information prior to 2003 and on numbers who have deployed to specific operational theatres is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the stoppage of payments for the Territorial Army training until 31 March 2010 is being applied in respect of (a) Royal Marines Reserve, (b) 2/3 Regiment Special Air Service and (c) 4th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. (294478)

The restrictions being applied this financial year to Territorial Army training affect only those units that are funded from the Land Forces budget. This includes 4th Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. The Royal Marines Reserves receive their funding by other routes. It is the long-standing practice of this Department not to comment upon Special Forces.

Territorial Army: Civil Contingency Reaction Forces

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether members of the Territorial Army will be paid if they are called out as part of the Civil Contingency Reaction Force in the next six months; and if he will make a statement. (293987)

In response to a recommendation within the recent report on the Strategic Review of the Reserves, the current Civil Contingency Reaction Force structure has been discontinued as a role for regional Territorial Army units. However, joint regional liaison officer posts and brigade reinforcement teams have been retained within regional forces brigade headquarters to continue in a command and control framework providing the necessary link with the civilian authorities and emergency services.

Support to operations remains the highest priority for Defence including support to United Kingdom operations. Territorial Army personnel who are called out in support of any operation will be entitled to remuneration in accordance with normal, extant policy.

Communities and Local Government

Departmental Flexible Working

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what flexi-time arrangements were available to staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and how many staff participated in such arrangements in each such year. (290583)

Flexi-time arrangements are just one of many flexible working arrangements that are available to staff.

Participants in the flexi time arrangement are required to be present during certain hours of the day, known as “core-time”. However, subject to operational needs and line management agreement, participants may start and finish work each day at the times they choose during the “flexible range” (ie the hours before and after core-time), provided they complete their net conditioned hours exclusive of lunch-breaks (36 hours per week in London and 37 elsewhere) during the agreed “accounting period”.

Hours

Flexible starting period

07.30-10.00

Core-time

10.00-12.00

Flexible lunch break

12.00-14.30

Core-time

14.30-16.00

Flexible finishing period

16.00-20.30

Subject to the workflow and reasonable demands of the office, staff may accumulate in any accounting period a credit balance of up to 22.2 hours (21.6 hours in London) or a debit balance of up to 11.1 hours (10.8 hours in London). Staff should not arrive at work and finish work in such a way as to accumulate credit hours without regard to the proper needs of the office.

Flexi time arrangements are delegated to line managers and no central record is kept. Therefore, the number of staff participating in such arrangements in each of the last five years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Manpower

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff there were in (a) his Department’s predecessor in 1997 and (b) his Department on the latest date for which figures are available. (292058)

Information about staff numbers in the Department of the Environment on 1 April 1997 are given in Civil Service Statistics 1997 which can be accessed via the link at:

http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/who/statistics/archived-reports.aspx

In accordance with the definition provided by the Office for National Statistics, there were 2,266 staff (full-time equivalent) in Communities and Local Government at 30 September 2009.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years. (291600)

Figures for the Department’s expenditure on hire vehicles for the last three years are tabled as follows. Figures for earlier years could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.

£

2006-07

48,444

2007-08

57,250

2008-09

25,657

Departmental Pay

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of his Department; what the purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years. (290585)

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 19 May 2009, Official Report, column 1340W and to the reply given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 19 January 2009, Official Report, column 1074W.

Departmental Procurement

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of procurement contracts (a) his Department and its predecessor and (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. (293233)

The information requested is not held centrally by the Department and the Planning Inspectorate and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Department is currently putting in place systems that will identify small and medium enterprises on its finance system which will allow this to be reported on in the future.

However the Department's other agencies, Fire Service College and Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre were able to supply the following figures:

Percentage

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

20091

Fire Service College

43

40

100

50

QEII Conference Centre

36

32

33

29

1 To date

Departmental Recruitment

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data his Department holds on the level of diversity in the recruitment of employees by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last three years. (290503)

Information on workforce diversity is published as part of our Disability Equality Scheme, Gender Equality Scheme, Race Equality Scheme and their related updates. These are available on our corporate web pages.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/publications/

Our Workforce Diversity Data Reports, which also contain data on work force diversity and recruitment, have been published annually on our Workforce Equalities web pages since 2006; hard copies are also available on request.

Departmental Training

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of attendances on each such course. (289705)

The Department does not hold information on the number of external training courses attended by staff in the last 12 months centrally. External training courses are agreed by line managers and there would be a disproportionate cost in trying to obtain such information.

Departmental Travel

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department and its predecessor spent on (a) car hire, (b) train travel, (c) air travel and (d) hotels for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years. (289978)

Figures for the Department’s expenditure on (a) car hire, (b) train travel, (c) air travel and (d) hotels for the last three years is tabled as follows. Figures for earlier years could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.

£

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

Car hire

695,296

658,041

576,085

Rail

1,308,768

909,396

1,126,261

Air

597,311

213,009

280,295

Hotel

543,295

437,868

326,322

Total

3,144,670

2,218,314

2,308,963

Figures for Ministers could be disaggregated from these totals only at disproportionate cost.

Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the “Ministerial Code” and the “Civil Service Management Code” respectively, and all spending on official entertainment is made in accordance with the principles set out in “Managing Public Money”.

Later this year the Department will begin releasing the details of business expenses and hospitality received by senior officials. These will be published on our website on a quarterly basis.

The Cabinet Office also publish an annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008-09 list can be viewed at:

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Departmental Visits Abroad

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has spent on overnight accommodation for (a) Ministers and (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years. (294683)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today to the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening) to question 289978. Details of overnight accommodation overseas could be disaggregated only at disproportionate cost.

However, the Cabinet Office publishes an annual list of overseas travel over £500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008-09 list can be viewed at

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Disabled Facilities Grants

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much (a) Government funding and (b) total expenditure there has been on disabled facilities grants in England in each year since 2004-05; and how many such grants were awarded in each of those years. (293186)

The following table shows the total expenditure on disabled facilities grants in England since 2004-05 and the funding contribution made by Government. Further details can be found on the Communities and Local Government website at:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/

Disabled facilities grant

Government contribution (£)

Total expenditure including LA contribution (£)

Total number grants completed

2004-05

99,572

210,922

38,552

2005-06

111,294

221,289

34,975

2006-07

120,723

232,828

37,267

2007-08

138,250

259,389

38,129

2008-09

146,081

274,356

1n/a

2009-10

156,930

1n/a

1n/a

1 Not yet published.

EC Grants and Loans

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009, Official Report, column 389W, on the European Commission, what the sterling equivalent is of the totals provided in euros in the answer. (294085)

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the size of the financial correction likely to be imposed by the European Commission in respect of irregularities in management of European funds in relation to those (a) 1997-99 programmes and (b) 2000-06 programmes for which his Department has responsibility. (294098)

The financial correction imposed earlier this year by the Commission in respect of error rates found in two English 1997-99 programmes was £26 million. The departmental accounts for 2008-9 show (at note 29) a contingent liability of £215 million in respect of the 2000-2006 programmes. These liabilities are unlikely to be realised in full and the Department is taking steps to make sure that they are minimised. Only when all open audits are concluded and the programme closure reports have been submitted to the Commission on 31 March 2010, will we be able to assess what provision may be required against possible corrections by the European Commission.

Fire Brigades Union

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the Fire Brigades Union in the last 12 months; on what date each meeting was held; and whether the Fireguard project was discussed. (292880)

Ministers met formally with the representative of the Fire Brigades Union to discuss fire related issues on 22 October 2008; 17 December 2008; 9 March 2009; 5 May 2009 and the 8 July 2009. There is no record of the Fireguard project being discussed.

Fire Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance his Department has issued to fire and rescue authorities on the re-configuration of fire services in terms of the location of fire stations and fire appliances. (292573)

Decisions on operational issues such as the location of fire stations and fire appliances are taken by individual Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) as part of the Integrated Risk Management Planning process.

FRAs are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. The IRMP enables the authority to tailor cover for fire and other incidents to local circumstances—evaluating where risk is greatest and allocating resource accordingly.

A range of guidance on the drawing up of IRMPs has been issued to FRAs and is available on the Communities and Local Government website. The only recent change has been the revision of IRPM Guidance Note 4, which is not relevant to the location of fire stations and fire appliances.

Fire Services: Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the total cost of delivery of the FiReControl project; and what estimates were made in (a) 2004, (b) 2005, (c) 2006, (d) 2007 and (e) 2008. (293319)

The current estimated overall cost of delivery of the FiReControl Project for (a) 2004 was £120 million; (b) 2005—£160 million; (c) 2006—£190 million; (d) 2007—£360 million; and (e) 2008—£380 million.

Early estimates of project costs did not include the funding that has been provided to FRAs to support local and regional implementation activity, the costs of the RCC building leases and the costs of equipment that will be installed in every fire station in England to support improved mobilisation.

Housing: Lighting

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether recent restrictions on the sale of incandescent light bulbs prohibit the sale of such bulbs for hereditaments which are not domestic dwellings. (294626)

I have been asked to reply.

EC Regulation 244/2009 under the Eco-design for Energy-using Products Framework Directive sets eco-design requirements on non-directional household lamps, including when they are marketed for non-household use.

The measure effectively prevents incandescent lamps from being placed on the market over a three year period that began in September 2009; although retailers will be able to continue to sell any existing stock. As well as energy-efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps, other non-directional lamps such as LED and halogen lamps are to remain on the market as alternatives. These are available to fit existing fittings.

Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the likely timetable is for the commencement of each provision of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill if enacted. (294082)

The arrangements for commencement of provisions contained in the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill are set out in clauses 144 and 145 of the Bill. A number of the provisions contained in the Bill will come into force on a day specified by the Secretary of State. In these cases, as I informed the House in the context of Part 1 of the Bill (Official Report, 13 October 2008, column 237) the Government are keeping all options for commencement open, including bringing provisions into force in April 2010.

Local Government Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what data sets on (a) council tax collection, (b) business rate collection and (c) other matters not contained in the national indicator set local authorities are required to provide to his Department. (294131)

The following data set on the collection of (a) council tax and (b) business rates by local authorities are collected by the Local Government Finance directorate in Communities and Local Government:

BR—Budget Requirement

NNDR—Non Domestic Rates Pool

QRC—Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rate Collections

CTB—Council Tax Base.

Examples of the forms used to collect the data from local authorities can be found on the Department's website at:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/usefulinformation/formstimetable/otherforms/

(c) Communities and Local Government does not hold a central register of information and datasets collected from local authorities and to produce a definitive list of such collections would involve disproportionate cost. However, where it has been possible to readily identify such collections, these are in the following list.

In addition to council tax and business rates information, the following finance information is collected:

CER—Capital Estimates Return

RA, SG and BID—Revenue Account Budgets and Business Improvement District Revenue Account Transactions

CPR—Capital Payments and Receipts

QB—Quarterly Borrowing and Lending

QRW—Quarterly Return of Wages and Salaries

MB—Monthly Borrowing and Lending

RO—Revenue Outturn Suite

COR—Capital Outturn Suite

WGA—Whole of Government Accounts

SF3—Pension Funds Account

CFR—Capital Forecast Return

BR—Budget Requirement.

Local authorities voluntarily provide the Department with the following data returns, which are collected for uses such as to inform national policy direction. Those with an asterisk include some information which is used to calculate national indicators:

P2 Quarterly Housebuilding*

P1B—Sales of Council Dwellings (quarterly)

PIE—Households affected by Homeless provisions of 1996 housing act (quarterly)*

PSF—Combined development control PS1/PS2/FEE1 (quarterly)

CPS1/2 and FEE2—General Development Control and Fees received for planning applications (quarterly)

GTCC_M—Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Count (collected bi-annually)

AGB—Annual Green Belt (annual)

HFR—Housing Flows Reconciliation (annual)

HSSA—Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (annual)

BPAM—Business Plan Annual Monitoring (annual)

NROSH—National Register of Social Housing

ROHLMO—Register of Homes of Multiple Occupation

ESEH—Electronic Survey of Empty Homes

Mortgage Rescue Scheme return

Quarterly Prevent report (through Government Offices)

Local authorities inform the Department how many rough sleepers they find when they carry out a street count. The total number of rough sleepers found on street counts is published annually.

The following datasets are collected from Fire and Rescue Services:

Data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (including NI 33 and NI 49, but additional information is available to CLG through the automated collection system for production of National Statistics.

HR data

Community Fire Safety

Fire Protection

Financial data

Health and Safety.

Local Government: Influenza

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 2 June 2009, Official Report, columns 463-64W, on local government: influenza, if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the Local Resilience Forum plans that have undergone validation by each of the Government offices for the regions. (292867)

I have been asked to reply.

Local Resilience Forum (LRF) multi-agency pandemic influenza plans are locally owned and are constantly adapted and updated to reflect the most accurate assessment of the local position. We do not hold central copies of the latest plans so are unable to place them in the Library. However, the latest plans can be found on local LRF websites and can be accessed through the UK Resilience pages of the Cabinet Office website at:

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ukresilience/pandemicflu/plans/regional_plans.aspx

In the few cases where LRF websites are still under development, LRF multi-agency pandemic influenza plans are available from the LRF Secretariat. Contact details for the secretariats are also available on the UK Resilience pages of the Cabinet Office website.

Members: Correspondence

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 9 June 2009 on flood defences of listed buildings. (289863)

Non-Domestic Rates

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average business rate bill has been in each Government office region in each year since 1997-98. (293160)

The average business rates bill in both England and in each Government Office region in each year since 1997-98, including the estimated average figures for 2009-10, are shown in the following table.

£

North East

North West

Yorkshire and the Humber

East Midlands

West Midlands

East of England

London

South East

South West

England

1997-98

5,501

5,215

5,381

5,716

5,686

7,026

10,057

7,208

7,087

6,796

1998-99

5,978

5,589

5,869

6,142

6,250

7,125

10,433

7,759

5,295

7,016

1999-2000

6,159

5,770

6,005

6,251

6,487

7,080

9,792

7,796

5,412

6,998

2000-01

6,968

6,825

6,954

7,237

7,588

8,096

12,033

9,212

6,332

8,264

2001-02

7,305

7,273

7,433

7,670

7,756

8,476

12,842

9,705

6,570

8,714

2002-03

7,498

7,646

7,664

7,846

8,003

8,685

13,753

10,045

6,658

9,071

2003-04

7,518

7,708

7,623

7,893

8,055

8,620

14,124

10,053

6,614

9,137

2004-05

7,701

7,793

7,773

7,955

8,192

8,740

14,484

10,252

6,662

9,301

2005-06

8,367

8,086

8,317

8,477

8,672

9,575

15,705

11,124

7,195

9,997

2006-07

8,704

8,496

8,479

9,021

8,906

10,003

15,886

11,192

7,538

10,275

2007-08

8,941

8,719

8,501

9,189

9,031

9,999

15,733

11,210

7,655

10,330

2008-09

9,452

9,473

9,288

9,946

9,743

10,804

17,482

12,325

8,279

11,274

2009-10

10,157

10,159

10,009

10,610

10,602

11,519

19,120

13,190

8,816

12,145

The data are taken from NNDR returns submitted by billing authorities.

Average business rate is calculated by dividing the net rate yield from local authority’s lists by the number of hereditaments on local list as at 31 December of the previous year.

Comparisons across regions and years may not be valid as the rateable values for individual properties, and hence actual rates bills, vary greatly. Changes in the figures for the years around 2000-01 are affected by transfers of properties from the central list to local lists, transfers of crown properties to local lists and the adjustments made to the multiplier at the time of the 2000 revaluation to take account of losses from appeals. Changes in the figures for the years around 2005-06 are also affected by adjustments made to the multiplier at the time of the 2005 revaluation.

Political Impartiality

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the internal guidance to officials in his Department on politically-restricted activity. (289500)

Our staff handbook has been developed as an interactive publication delivered through the Department’s intranet. It is not held in a format which allows it to be easily exported and therefore could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. However, the rules relating to political activity are set by the Cabinet Office and can be found in the Civil Service Management Code.

Retail Trade: Hygiene

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what timetable he has set for the national roll-out of the scores on doors scheme for local authorities. (294465)

I have been asked to reply.

The Food Standards Agency is establishing a national “scores on the doors” scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for rating hygiene standards in food businesses.

The outline timetable for this is as follows:

Element of scheme

Date

Scope and exemptions to scope (type of business to be included)

By end October 2009

Guidance on pre-launch/launch/migration issues for local authorities

Data standard for use with the web-based IT platform for publishing scores

Derivation of numerical score and “mapping” of this to the different tiers of the scheme

By end February 2010

Safeguard mechanisms to ensure fairness to businesses

Symbols, descriptors and branding for the scheme

Consistency framework for local authorities for scheme operation

By end March 2010

Peer review arrangements and auditing of the scheme

By end August 2010

General guidance on all aspects of the scheme

Shops: Empty Property

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's press release of 14 April 2009, on the empty shops revival plan, how many of the proposals referred to have been adopted by local authorities to date. (294788)

There has been widespread interest in the ‘Looking After Our Town Centres’ guide and there have been over 11,000 downloads of the document from our website since it was published in April this year. We are delivering the support we promised to help town centres, including the announcement in August this year of £3 million funding to help high streets that have been hardest hit by the recession.

It is for local authorities to decide how to promote their town centres. We have highlighted approaches that are already being taken, but councils are not required to provide monitoring information to CLG. We continue to discuss issues affecting town centres with stakeholders and have supported good practice events. We know that several councils are adopting approaches inspired by the guide like using empty shops to display art work or information on the local area; seasonal festivals to attract visitors; free car parking on Saturdays, pop-up shops to try out new retail ideas, and fresh marketing initiatives.

Village Fetes: Food

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent guidance the Foods Standards Agency has issued on the selling of home-cooked food at village fetes and community events; and what licences or permits are required for its sale. (294564)

I have been asked to reply.

For community events or clubs, the most recent guidance regarding food hygiene rules and on good hygiene practice, as well as on the rules regarding labelling of foods is covered in a question and answer format on the Food Standards Agency's “Eatwell” website at:

www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/keepingfoodsafe/asksamevents/

Guidance on food allergies with regard to non-prepacked foods can also be found on the agency's website at:

www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/guidancenotes/labelregsguidance/nonprepacked

No licence or permit is required for the sale of such foodstuffs at such events.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much in central Government grants, including (a) specific and (b) special grants, was given to local authorities for (i) waste collection and (ii) waste disposal in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available. (292572)

I have been asked to reply.

In 2008-09 Defra directly provided £78.2 million in funding to local authorities outside London via the Waste Infrastructure Capital Grant. £60 million will be made available to London authorities through the London Waste and Recycling Fund for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. These unringfenced capital grants will be paid to upper tier and unitary authorities to enable them to set up the necessary waste infrastructure to help England meet landfill targets.

Defra also provides financial support to local authorities through Private Finance Initiative credits to help accelerate the building of the infrastructure needed to treat residual waste without compromising efforts to minimise waste and increase recycling levels. To date £2.5 billion has been allocated to 37 projects. Further information can be found on Defra’s website.

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) provided a total of £2.68 million to local authorities during 2008-09. The funds were spent on local communications campaigns specifically to improve communications with householders about local recycling services and to promote the ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign. WRAP has no remit in relation to waste disposal and has not, therefore, provided any funds to local authorities in relation to it.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Business: Government Assistance

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies which have received support from UK Trade and Investment in the last 12 months have also received support from a regional development agency in that period. (292917)

[holding answer 14 October 2009]: UKTI does not collate these figures. UKTI acts as the trade arm for the regional development agencies (RDAs), providing trade services for companies. Where companies have been helped by both UKTI and the RDAs, it will be on separate forms of business support.

Charities

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the charitable purposes of (a) First Securitisation Company Limited and (b) Capita IRG Trustees Limited. (294864)

The Department does not hold any information concerning charitable purposes of the First Securitisation Company Limited or Capita IRG Trustees Limited. Neither company is a registered charity.

Insolvency

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Statements of Insolvency Practice (SIP) 16 reports have not provided sufficient information to creditors on valuation and marketing; and how many insolvency practitioners have been recorded as failing to comply with SIP 16 reporting requirements. (292927)

[holding answer 14 October 2009]: The Insolvency Service does not record SIP 16 information in a format that is readily able to identify how many SIP 16 reports have not provided sufficient information to creditors on valuation and marketing.

To answer this part of the question would involve examining hundreds of separate reports. To determine which of those reports did not provide sufficient information regarding valuation and/or marketing would require significant staff resources, which would be in excess of the £750 disproportionate cost threshold.

The Insolvency Service published a report on its' first six months monitoring of SIP 16 in July 2009. The report indicated that SIP 16 information provided in relation to 202 out of a total of 572 companies entering administration during the period was deemed to be not fully compliant. The Insolvency Service's monitoring of SIP 16 information is continuing and a further report will be published in the new year.

It should be noted that the number of insolvency practitioners involved in the provision of non-compliant SIP 16 information is not the same as the figure indicated above. This is because the majority of insolvency practitioners undertaking pre-pack administrations, and therefore providing SIP 16 information, are appointed on multiple appointments. In addition, the majority of administration appointments are held by more than one insolvency practitioner on a joint basis.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times officials of (a) his Department and (b) the Insolvency Service have met representatives of recognised professional bodies to discuss Statements of Insolvency Practice (SIP) 16 in the last 12 months; and what representations (i) his Department and (ii) the Insolvency Service has received from the insolvency industry on the implementation and review of SIP 16. (292928)

[holding answer 14 October 2009]: The Insolvency Service carries out the Secretary of State's function with regard to both the direct authorisation of insolvency practitioners and the regulation of the recognised professional bodies that authorise the vast majority of insolvency practitioners. The Department has therefore not had any direct liaison with the recognised professional bodies on the issue of SIP 16 as this has been undertaken by the Insolvency Service.

There have been three separate meetings during 2009 between the Insolvency Service and representatives from the recognised professional bodies to discuss the implementation and monitoring of SIP 16. The most recent meeting was held in September to discuss issuing guidance to practitioners to improve compliance with SIP 16. As a result of that meeting, the Insolvency Service has drafted guidance for insolvency practitioners, which is currently being reviewed by the recognised professional bodies prior to being issued.

Many of the recognised professional bodies issued their own guidance on SIP 16 immediately following the publication of the report on the first six months operation of the SIP, to improve compliance. The bodies have welcomed further guidance and have agreed to issue the latest guidance at the same time as it is issued by the Insolvency Service. R3, the trade body for insolvency practitioners, has invited the Insolvency Service to take part in training at meetings and conferences to improve compliance with the SIP.

The Insolvency Service is also a member of the Joint Insolvency Committee along with all the recognised professional bodies, which holds quarterly meetings to review guidance issued to insolvency practitioners. In the course of these meetings and those of sub-groups of the Committee, SIP 16 will have been discussed in general terms.

The Insolvency Service is working closely with the recognised professional bodies to improve insolvency practitioners' compliance with the SIP and to consider whether and how the SIP may be strengthened.

Rover Group

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many draft reports from the investigators of the collapse of MG Rover were provided to the Government for comment before publication of the final report on 11 September 2009. (292929)

[holding answer 14 October 2009]: The Government were involved in the MG Rover inspection both as supervisor and as a witness. An information barrier was put in place at an early stage to keep the information held by those supervising the inspection separate from Government witnesses and their advisers.

Officials involved in the supervision of the inspection read a draft of each of the chapters of the Inspectors' report as they became available and fed comments back to the Inspectors. The Inspectors continued to work on the drafts and, where they made substantive amendments, officials re-read chapters or sections of chapters. The drafts were read at the offices of the Secretariat to the inspection.

The Government also provided information and gave witness evidence to the inspection. As with other witnesses to the inspection, Government witnesses and their advisers were given an opportunity to comment on provisional criticisms from the Inspectors. Some extracts of the draft report were also provided to the Government witnesses and their advisers where the Inspectors intended to make specific reference to Government evidence.

Technology Strategy Board

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what collaborative research and development projects the Technology Strategy Board has funded in each of the last three years; and how much funding has been provided for each project. (294934)

Since it was established in July 2007 the Technology Strategy Board has issued offers to grant fund the following collaborative R&D projects.

A copy of the table will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Technology Strategy Board has developed a practice appraisal and evaluation regime to measure the success of its activities. (294936)

The Technology Strategy Board operates an appraisal and evaluation regime covering the performance of its activities such as the programmes it delivers and the support mechanisms it uses and also at an individual project level.

The mechanisms Technology Strategy Board uses to deliver support such as Collaborative R&D, Knowledge Transfer Networks and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are evaluated on a regular basis (usually every two years) as part of the evaluation of the products which come under the Support for Business portfolio to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of business and deliver successful results.

Individual projects are monitored on a quarterly basis during the life of the project and a final report is produced at the end of the project demonstrating the outcomes achieved. Since the Technology Strategy Board was established, it has also introduced post project evaluation at one year and five years after the end of the project, particularly to understand the economic impact. Due to the nature of the support provided by the Technology Strategy Board, the true impact of the project is often not known until a period of time after the project has completed.

The Technology Strategy Board has also produced a series of case studies demonstrating the successful outcomes of projects it has funded which are available on its website:

www.innovateuk.org

The Technology Strategy Board is currently undertaking work to further develop a framework to continue to develop and refine its metrics and impact measures to be able to understand at a more detailed level the impact of its activities. It is also working more broadly with NESTA, BIS and ESRC to develop an Innovation Index to measure UK innovation.

UK Innovation Fund

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009, Official Report, column 2093W, on the UK Innovation Fund, which budgets within his Department other than the Strategic Investment Fund he will draw on to accumulate the remaining £25 million for the UK Innovation Fund; and how much he will draw from each budget. (292175)

[holding answer 14 October 2009]: As a trading fund the Intellectual Property Office has built up retained earnings of around £55 million. The Department has identified these reserves as a source of the remaining £25 million funding for the UK Innovation Investment Fund. Drawing on these reserves as an equity withdrawal will enable the Department to invest in the fund whilst continuing to meet its other commitments.

Health

Dementia

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of people diagnosed with dementia; what assessment he has made of likely trends in numbers of dementia diagnoses to 2020; and if he will make a statement. (294569)

The Department has not made a recent estimate of the likely number of people diagnosed with dementia. However, the Alzheimers Society's Dementia UK report, published in 2007 estimated that there were then 560,000 people in England with dementia and that numbers would rise to over 750,000 by 2020.

Dental Services: EC Nationals

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place to provide citizens of other EU countries with dental treatment if they are resident in the UK. (294354)

Citizens of other European Union countries who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom may access the healthcare services, including dentistry, that are available to any UK resident.

Under European Community regulations, posted workers and their dependents from member states of the European economic area and Switzerland are entitled to access state-funded healthcare on production of form E106. State pensioners and their dependents registered on form E121, in accordance with the same regulations, access state-funded healthcare in the same way as someone ordinarily resident in the UK.

Departmental Telephone Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many helplines his Department operates; and how much his Department has received from the operation of such helplines in each of the last three years. (294981)

The Department’s Communications Directorate runs nine campaign-specific phone lines and there are an additional four campaign linked lines run by other parts of the Department.

No profit is made by the Department on calls to these lines.

Information on any other telephone services that may be run on behalf of the Department is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Visits Abroad

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on overnight accommodation for (a) Ministers and (b) officials while overseas in each of the last three years. (294693)

Providing information on the cost of accommodation overseas could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Overseas trips undertaken by Ministers and costing more than £500 are published annually at:

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

The list for 2008-09 was published on 16 July 2009. Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the “Ministerial Code” and the “Civil Service Management Code” respectively.

Elderly Care

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people aged 85 years and over who have a disability or limiting long-term illness in (a) Vale of York constituency, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) England. (294571)

Data on the number of people aged 85 years and over with a disability is not collected centrally, although information on the number of people receiving social services funded either fully or partially by Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities in England is collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care as part of the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care return.

During the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 the number of adults aged 65 and over with physical disabilities, frailty or a sensory impairment receiving a social care service funded either partly or wholly by their Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities following a community care assessment was in North Yorkshire 14,760 and in England 1,045,250. Data for the Vale of York is not available.

Information on the number of people over 85 who have a limiting long termed illness is also not available.

However, using general practitioner patient survey results, where people over 85 are reported to have one or more long standing conditions, together with population figures from the 2001 census, it is estimated that Yorkshire and Humber region (not North Yorkshire) has 75,000, Vale of York has 1,400, and England has 746,000 people aged 85 and over living with one or more long term condition.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are taken to seek to ensure that notification of medical appointments reach patients before the appointment date; and whether he has made an assessment of the likely effects on arrangements for medical appointments of industrial action at national level among Royal Mail employees. (294578)

As part of the ongoing work of the national health service resilience project, the Department of Health and the national health service is aware the Communication Workers Union have announced plans for industrial action. As with similar national incidents, the Department of Health is working with the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as part of the cross-government response to this issue, and ensuring any impact on NHS services is fully understood by all concerned, and the NHS is putting in place appropriate contingency measures.

IVF

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he plans to increase the availability of fertility treatment at primary care trusts that do not currently provide funding for at least one full cycle of in vitro fertilisation; and if he will make a statement; (294437)

(2) what percentage of primary care trusts which provide funding for at least one full cycle of in vitro fertilisation do so for people within the recommended age range for treatment of between 23 and 39 years of age;

(3) which primary care trusts provide funding for one full cycle of in vitro fertilisation for women aged 39 years and six months only;

(4) what percentage of primary care trusts provide funding for people to receive (a) more than one full cycle of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), (b) one full cycle of IVF and (c) less than one full cycle of IVF; and if he will make a statement.

The provision of fertility treatment by primary care trusts (PCTs) is determined at local level. The Government support the clinical guidelines on the assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and has made it clear that PCTs are expected to move towards full implementation of the guideline. Many have already made firm progress (the number of PCTs offering three cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment has increased by 22 percentage points between 2007 and 2008) and others continue to develop their policies.

Responses to a survey carried out in early 2009 and published on the Department's website:

www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Fertility/index.htm

in June 2009 showed that in 2008 50 per cent. of PCTs provided either two or three full cycles of IVF, with 25 per cent. providing one full cycle and 22 per cent. providing one fresh cycle. A copy has already been placed in the Library. The North Staffordshire PCT reported offering treatment in exceptional cases only. The North Yorkshire and York PCT is the only PCT providing funding for one cycle of IVF for women age 39 years and six months only. We understand that this was instituted as a temporary measure from 2007 pending a review of provision across the Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority.

88 per cent. of PCTs offer IVF for eligible couples across the full NICE recommended range for treatment, i.e. where the woman is aged 23-39.

Mental Health Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England he estimates are waiting for access to psychological therapies; and what the average waiting time for such treatment is. (294357)

This information is not collected nationally although all services in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme monitor times from assessment to treatment in their area as well as both health and social outcomes of patients.

NHS Direct: Ambulance Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on the standards of patient care of integrating the services provided by NHS Direct and Ambulance Services; and if he will make a statement. (294325)

The Department has not made an assessment on the effects on the standards of patient care of integrating the services provided by NHS Direct and Ambulance Services.

NHS: Finance

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) primary care trusts and (b) NHS trusts are required to make any financial returns to his Department other than those under the PFR3 and TFR3 data collections. (294359)

Primary care trusts and national health service trusts are required to submit the following financial returns via the Financial Information Management System (FIMS), in addition to the PFR3 and TFR3 collections:

financial monitoring and accounts (FMA) forms;

programme budgeting (primary care trusts only);

FIMS(FHS)4 returns—General Medical Services (primary care trusts only);

FIMS(FHS)3 returns—General Ophthalmic Services (primary care trusts only); and

TFR6—ambulance services expenditure (ambulance trusts only).

Radiotherapy

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of (a) levels of the availability of and (b) waiting times for stereotactic radiosurgery treatments for NHS patients. (293969)

The Department has not made a specific assessment of levels of availability of stereotactic radiosurgery.

Latest available data showing the median time waited (days) for a finished admission episode for stereotactic radiosurgery on tissue of the brain carried are shown in the following table:

Median time waited (days)

2006-07

21

2007-08

15

Notes:

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. It should be noted that admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.

Source:

Hospital Episode Statistics, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) schools and (b) children have received free fruit and vegetables under the school fruit and vegetable scheme; how much fruit has been provided under the scheme; what account is taken of pupil absence rates in provision of fruit to schools under the scheme; how much the scheme has cost in each year of its operation; and if he will make a statement. (294326)

In the year to September 2009 the school fruit and vegetable scheme (SFVS) has distributed around 440 million pieces of fruit and vegetable each year to over two million children in over 16,300 schools. In April 2004 the Department took over the scheme from the Big Lottery Fund, and the funding for each year for figures available is as follows:

£ million

2004-05

23.6

2005-06

37.4

2006-07

36.2

2007-08

36.9

2008-09

42.6

Every local education authority (LEA) has its own absenteeism rate, and the national health service supply chain, who runs the SFVS, applies this to the number of children eligible at schools within all LEAs and, where necessary, reduces the fruit delivery by this amount.

Swine Flu: Vaccination

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2009, Official Report, column 765W, on swine flu, who will receive payment for giving housebound patients vaccinations; how much will be paid for each such vaccination; and from which budget. (294115)

[holding answer 19 October 2009]: General practitioner practices will receive £5.25 for each dose of swine flu vaccination administered to patients on their registered list who fall into one or more of the clinically at-risk priority groups announced by the Chief Medical Officer on 13 August 2009. This includes housebound patients who are on their list. The price per dose reflects the overall cost practices will incur in vaccinating their at-risk patients. The Department will provide additional funding to cover the cost of vaccinating patients in these priority groups.

Tuberculosis: Screening

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department has conducted recent research on the effectiveness of the port of entry screening programme for tuberculosis; (294331)

(2) what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of operating the port of entry screening programme for tuberculosis in the last five years;

(3) how many cases of (a) active and (b) latent tuberculosis have been detected at port of entry screening for tuberculosis in the last five years.

The Department has not conducted research on the effectiveness of the port of entry screening programme for tuberculosis (TB).

The Department has not made an estimate of the cost of operating the port of entry screening programme for TB in the last five years.

The data on the number of cases on active and latent TB detected at port of entry screening in the last five years are not collected centrally.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) receives data on cases classified as “possible active TB” from the Heathrow and Gatwick Health Control Units (HCUs) as reported on Port Form 103, which is how the medical inspector notifies the district to which the immigrant is going.

Data received by the HPA are shown in the following table:

Number of PF 103 referrals

Period

Heathrow1

Gatwick2

2004-05

n/a

15

2005-06

587

11

2006-07

590

16

2007-08

475

16

2008-09

421

1

Sources:

1 Heathrow HCU annual report

2 Gatwick HCU annual report

Wheelchairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to respond to the consultation on wheelchair services undertaken as part of his Department’s review of the care services efficiency delivery retail model. (294922)

The Care Services Efficiency Delivery programme undertook consultation on wheelchair services as part of the process to help inform their recommendations for possible future models. There are no plans to provide a response to these consultations.

Discussions are ongoing within the Department on the future model for wheelchair services and stakeholder views are seen as key in the development of any new model of service provision. Officials will continue to involve all groups of wheelchair service users and their carers as required.

International Development

Burma: Famine

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the of the severity of the famine in Chin state in Burma; and what relief his Department is providing for those affected by the famine. (294537)

Over the last two years, rat infestations have exacerbated chronic food shortages suffered by many people in Chin State. In September 2009, the World Food Programme (WFP) estimated that more than 19,000 households in 303 villages had been severely affected by the infestations. In response to the crisis, the Department for International Development (DFID) has approved funding of £880,000 towards emergency aid delivered through the United Nations Development Programme, WFP and their local partners. WFP estimates that by September, nearly 88,000 people had benefited from this aid. We are keeping the situation under close review.

We are also considering, in consultation with the United Nations and other donors, how best to address longer-term food security needs in Chin State and other parts of Burma.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2009, Official Report, column 611W, on the Middle East: peace negotiations, whether his Department plans to second further staff to support the Quartet's Special Envoy from January 2010; and if he will make a statement. (293782)

The Department for International Development does not have plans to second further staff after January 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work of the Quartet Special Envoy, Tony Blair on the development of the Palestinian Territories; and if he will make a statement. (294336)

The Department for International Development (DFID) continues to support the work of the Quartet Representative, Tony Blair. He is making a strong contribution to Palestinian state building and economic growth which has been commended by the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.

The Quartet Envoy’s work to relieve movement and access restrictions by acting as a focal point for international lobbying on these issues has been particularly important. The recent decision by the Israeli Government to remove 35 obstacles in the West Bank has already cut some journey times by half; and the IMF has predicted that the West Bank may see economic growth of 7 per cent. in 2009 should these movement and access constraints continue to be lifted.

The Quartet Representative has also made significant progress in mobilising funding for development projects from Arab and Western donors and has played a leading role in the high level investment conferences that took place in London and Bethlehem in 2008.

News International and Monitor Group

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) whether any (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had (i) meetings with, (ii) communications from and (iii) other contacts with News International in the last five years; and what the subject matter of any contact was in each case; (295017)

(2) whether any (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had (i) meetings with, (ii) communications from and (iii) other contacts with the Monitor Group in the last five years; and what the subject matter of any contact was in each case.

Pacific Ocean Islands: Overseas Aid

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department plans to send to victims of the recent tsunami and earthquakes in the South Pacific. (293829)

The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided £100,000 to help address the immediate effects of the tsunami in Samoa. This was part of the co-ordinated international aid effort to support the Samoan Red Cross Society (SRCS).

The SRCS has opened five temporary shelter sites and is distributing clean water, first aid supplies, tarpaulins and other relief to those affected.

Tony Blair Faith Foundation

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has provided to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation; for which events run by the Foundation his Department has provided sponsorship; and if he will make a statement. (293764)

The Department for International Development (DFID) has not provided any funding directly to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation (TBFF).

We have provided £30,000 to World Vision, who are co-sponsoring a seminar series with the TBFF focusing on the theme of faiths in development. Oxfam and Islamic Relief have also contributed funds to the series. These seminars are taking place at the Royal Society of Arts in London from 7 September to 12 November.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate has been made of the number of people displaced by fighting in northern Yemen; and what assistance the Government are providing to Yemen for humanitarian relief. (293786)

The United Nations (UN) estimates that as many as 150,000 people have now been displaced by the conflict in northern Yemen. Large numbers of these are women and children who are especially in need of protection and security.

On 9 October, the Department for International Development (DFID) announced £2 million for humanitarian aid to those who have been driven out of their homes by the ongoing fighting. This funding, delivered through the UN Flash Appeal, will be used to provide water, sanitation and hygiene services, food, health care, assistance to malnourished children, and shelter and relief items. It will also help to reduce immediate security and protection threats, and boost co-ordination within the humanitarian response effort.

Children, Schools and Families

Academies

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which proposed academies (a) have been authorised to open and (b) have been the subject of applications to open since 2002; what the (i) location and (ii) proposed date of opening is of each such academy; who the sponsor is of each such academy; and whether each such academy has been designated as having a religious character. (295114)

Information on Academies which have been authorised to open and have been the subject of applications to open since 2002 can be found on the Department’s website at:

www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/academies/projects

Care Homes: Security

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received from local authorities on the physical security of vulnerable people in local authority care. (284348)

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received from local authorities on the physical security of vulnerable people in local authority care; and if he will make a statement. (284355)

[holding answer 7 July 2009]: All children's homes must comply with regulations and national minimum standards. These require that premises must be fit and suitable for achieving the home’s statement of purpose. Every home must be secure from unauthorised access. This could include, for example, using electronic surveillance to monitor those who enter and leave the premises or having ground floor windows that can be opened only part way.

Where a local authority looks after a child, including those that have been trafficked, then they are responsible for identifying a placement that will be appropriate to meeting their needs, including their need to be kept safe from any likely harm.

On 1 July 2009, we published new “Statutory Guidance on children who run away and go missing from home or care”. This sets out the measures local authorities must take whenever a child that they look after goes missing from their care placement and includes specific information about managing support for especially vulnerable groups of looked after children—such as those asylum seeking children who may have been trafficked into the UK.

Children: Day Care

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many nursery nurses per head of population there were in Northamptonshire in each of the last 10 years. (293488)

These data are not available. However, national data on the numbers and characteristics of staff in the child care and early years work force are collected through the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey. The latest survey to be published in the series is for 2008 and was published at the end of September 2009. This can be found at the following website address:

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/programmeofresearch/projectinformation.cfm?projectld=14590&type=5&resultspage=1

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many nursery places per head of population there were in Northamptonshire in each of the last 10 years. (293489)

The Department publishes information on the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds in maintained, private, voluntary and independent providers. This is derived by counting children taking up 12 and a half hours per week as one place, 10 hours per week as 0.8 places, seven and a half hours per week as 0.6 places, five hours per week as 0.4 places and two and a half hours per week as 0.2 places. Table 1 shows the number of part-time equivalent places filled by three and four-year-olds in Northamptonshire local authority from 2000 to 2009.

Information on nursery school places per head of population has not been included. This is because data on places available are not collected; only data on places filled are available and as children can access their free entitlement across different local authority areas, part time equivalent places are not on a comparable basis with the local authority population figures. Population figures at this level of disaggregation are also not as reliable as at the national level.

Table 1: Part-time equivalent number of free early education places1,2 filled by three3 and four3-year-olds, local authority: Northamptonshire

Position in January each year

Number of three and four-year-olds

20004

10,100

20014

11,000

20025

11,700

20036

13,000

20046

14,100

20056

14,000

20066

13,800

20076

14,300

20086

14,600

20096

15,100

1 A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child.

2 Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise.

3 Age of all children taken at 31 December in the previous calendar year.

4 Headcount of children aged three and four from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

5 Part-time equivalent number of three and four-year-olds from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.

5 Part-time equivalent number of three and four-year-olds from the Early Years Census and School Census.

Children: Social Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will list serious case reviews which have been performed following the death of a child since 2005, citing only the month and year of the death, the local authority with jurisdiction and a reference code. (292358)

In April 2007 Ofsted assumed responsibility for the inspection of children's social care and local authorities became responsible for notifying Ofsted of serious incidents involving children. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) developed a new database to hold information on such incidents, and data on the numbers of Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) following the notification of a death or serious injury of a child are available from 1 April 2007.

A previous parliamentary answer—23 February 2009, Official Report, column 442W—indicated that, of all notifications received between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008 of serious child care incidents, 89 SCRs had been initiated where a child died and abuse or neglect was known or suspected to be a factor.

Data currently held by the Department as at 8 October 2009 indicate that, of all notifications received between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009 of serious child care incidents, 75 SCRs had been initiated where a child died and abuse or neglect was known or suspected to be a factor.

A further three incidents are awaiting a decision. These figures are broken down by local authority in the following table along with the data from the previous parliamentary answer.

The decision about whether to undertake an SCR can change as more information about the case becomes available, for example, through inquests in to the cause of death. Therefore, the data given in this and the previous answer are likely to change slightly over time.

It is not possible to give information broken down by the date of death (by month) because this would significantly increase the risk that individual children and their families might be identified and could prejudice the interests and safety of children and their families.

Local authority

Number of Serious Case Reviews commissioned as a result of a child death, notified between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 20081

Number of Serious Case Reviews commissioned as a result of a child death, notified between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 20092

North East

Darlington

0

0

Durham

0

2

Gateshead

0

0

Hartlepool

0

1

Middlesbrough

0

0

Newcastle upon Tyne

2

0

North Tyneside

0

1

Northumberland

0

1

Redcar and Cleveland

1

0

South Tyneside

3

0

Stockton-on-Tees

0

0

Sunderland

0

0

North West

Blackburn with Darwen

2

0

Blackpool

0

0

Bolton

0

0

Bury

0

0

Cheshire

0

2

Cumbria

0

0

Halton

1

1

Knowsley

1

0

Lancashire

1

3

Liverpool

2

1

Manchester

2

2

Oldham

0

0

Rochdale

0

0

Salford

0

1

Sefton

0

0

St Helens

1

0

Stockport

1

0

Tameside

0

0

Trafford

0

0

Warrington

0

0

Wigan

0

1

Wirral

0

0

Yorks and the Humber

Barnsley

0

0

Bradford

0

0

Calderdale

2

0

Doncaster

3

2

East Riding of Yorkshire

0

0

Kingston Upon Hull, City of

1

0

Kirklees

1

2

Leeds

4

2

North East Lincolnshire

1

0

North Lincolnshire

0

0

North Yorkshire

1

0

Rotherham

0

1

Sheffield

3

0

Wakefield

1

1

York

0

0

East Midlands

Derby

0

0

Derbyshire

1

0

Leicester

3

0

Leicestershire

0

1

Lincolnshire

0

0

Northamptonshire

0

1

Nottingham

2

2

Nottinghamshire

1

0

Rutland

0

0

West Midlands

Birmingham

2

5

Coventry

2

1

Dudley

1

0

Herefordshire

1

1

Sandwell

2

1

Shropshire

1

1

Solihull

0

0

Staffordshire

1

0

Stoke-on-Trent

0

0

Telford and Wrekin

0

0

Walsall

0

0

Warwickshire

0

0

Wolverhampton

1

1

Worcestershire

2

2

East of England

Bedfordshire

0

0

Cambridgeshire

2

1

Essex

1

0

Hertfordshire

0

3

Luton

1

0

Norfolk

2

0

Peterborough

0

1

Southend-on-Sea

0

0

Suffolk

2

0

Thurrock

1

0

London

Inner London

Camden

0

0

City of London

0

0

Hackney

0

1

Hammersmith and Fulham

1

0

Haringey

1

0

Islington

0

0

Kensington and Chelsea

0

0

Lambeth

0

0

Lewisham

0

1

Newham

0

2

Southwark

2

0

Tower Hamlets

1

0

Wandsworth

0

0

Westminster

0

1

Outer London

Barking and Dagenham

1

0

Barnet

1

1

Bexley

0

2

Brent

0

0

Bromley

0

1

Croydon

2

0

Ealing

0

0

Enfield

0

1

Greenwich

0

1

Harrow

0

0

Havering

0

1

Hillingdon

0

0

Hounslow

0

0

Kingston upon Thames

0

0

Merton

0

0

Redbridge

1

1

Richmond upon Thames

0

0

Sutton

0

1

Waltham Forest

1

0

South East

Bracknell Forest

0

0

Brighton and Hove

0

0

Buckinghamshire

1

2

East Sussex

0

1

Hampshire

0

1

Isle of Wight

1

0

Kent

2

2

Medway

0

1

Milton Keynes

1

0

Oxfordshire

0

1

Portsmouth

1

0

Reading

0

1

Slough

0

1

Southampton

1

0

Surrey

1

0

West Berkshire

1

0

West Sussex

0

0

Windsor and Maidenhead

0

0

Wokingham

0

0

South West

Bath and North East Somerset

0

0

Bournemouth

0

0

Bristol, City of

1

0

Cornwall

1

1

Devon

2

0

Dorset

0

1

Gloucestershire

1

2

Isles of Scilly

0

0

North Somerset

0

1

Plymouth

0

0

Poole

0

1

Somerset

1

0

South Gloucestershire

0

0

Swindon

0

0

Torbay

0

0

Wiltshire

0

0

89

75

1 Information from previous parliamentary answer (Official Report 23 February 2009, column 442W

2 There are three cases which await a decision)

Education Maintenance Allowance: Pay

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on education maintenance allowance bonuses in 2008-09; and how much he expects his Department to spend in each of the next three years. (293406)

In 2008-09 the total spent on all types of EMA bonus in England was £80,505,540.

The Learning and Skills Council’s Annual Statement of Priorities, to be published later in the autumn, will set out total planned future expenditure for EMA and other learner support programmes.

Education: Young People

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on the 14-19 engagement programme in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. (293404)

In the 2009/10 academic year, funds totalling £19,334,000 have been allocated to 142 local authorities to pilot the Key Stage 4 Engagement programme. Overall, this pilot programme will make provision for almost 28,000 learners who are, or at risk of becoming, disengaged from learning and who are not achieving as well as they should be.

Office of the Schools Adjudicator

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what the operational cost of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator was in each financial year since its inception; and what it has been in 2009-10 to date; (295071)

(2) how many staff are employed in the Office of the Schools Adjudicator;

(3) how many objections to school closures have been referred to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator in each year since the Office was established; and how many of these were upheld;

(4) how many objections to school closures are before the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.

The Office of the Schools Adjudicator’s Annual report is expected from the Chief Schools Adjudicator on 2 November 2009. This will be a comprehensive report which will answer many of the questions asked which relate to this year.

The operational cost of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator is set out in the following table.

Financial year

Operational cost (£)

1999/2000

849,000

2000/01

797,000

2001/02

569,000

2002/03

432,000

2003/04

637,000

2004/05

689,00

2005/06

517,000

2006/07

605,000

2007/08

655,000

2008/09

756,000

This financial year (2009/10), the operational costs of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator has so far amounted to £295,000.

There are currently nine Adjudicators (including the Chief Schools Adjudicator), and seven full-time equivalent administrative staff working within the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.

Data on objections made to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator against a school closure is only available from 2008/09. In that year, four objections were referred to the Office of the Schools Adjudicator, none were upheld. No referrals have been made in the current year.

There are no objections to school closures currently before the Office of the Schools Adjudicator.

The Office of the Schools Adjudicator is currently dealing with three statutory proposal cases involving the closing of schools.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he last met the Schools Adjudicator to discuss the operation of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator; and if he will make a statement. (295075)

The Chief Schools Adjudicator met the Secretary of State on his appointment to the post at the start of this year. Since then, the Chief Adjudicator has met with the Minister responsible for School Admissions on a bi-monthly basis.

The Chief Schools Adjudicator provides an Annual Report to the Secretary of State.

Parents: Advisory Services

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many calls there have been to the Parent Know How helpline in each month since it was established; what the cost of the helpline has been; and if he will make a statement. (293401)

Under our Parent Know How programme we are funding seven third sector organisations to provide helpline support for parents in England. There is not a separate single Parent Know How helpline. The funding for these helplines, for a three-year period, commenced on 1 April 2008. Management data, including the number of recorded calls made to the helplines, were collected on a quarterly basis in the first year (1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009). In the current year, we are now collecting this data on a monthly basis. The following table shows a breakdown of the number of recorded calls made to each helpline between 1 April 2008 and 30 September 2009.

2008-09: Recorded calls made

Helpline

Advisory Centre for Education

Contact a Family

Children’s Legal Centre

Family Rights Group

Gingerbread

Parentline Plus

Young Minds

Q1

33,395

4,361

4,978

6,498

2,544

47,033

2,502

Q2

10,669

6,598

6,752

5,560

2,923

40,140

2,018

Q3

15,249

4,575

7,070

4,211

2,434

39,266

2,437

Q4

21,298

5,815

9,008

6,957

3,095

39,430

2,868

Total

80,611

21,349

27,808

23,226

10,996

165,869

9,825

Overall total

339,684

2009-10: Recorded calls made to 30 September

Helpline

Advisory Centre for Education

Contact a Family

Children’s Legal Centre

Family Rights Group

Gingerbread

Parentline Plus

Young Minds

April

7,476

1,427

2,043

1,861

847

12,322

599

May

7,637

1,329

1,819

2,087

724

13,511

678

June

6,359

1,336

1,938

2,219

363

11,970

778

July

4,202

1,165

2,420

1,857

920

13,169

904

August

1,023

1,361

1,188

1,145

857

11,420

526

September

3,578

1,428

2,066

1,562

1,019

12,768

914

Total

30,275

8,046

11,474

10,731

4,730

75,160

4,399

Overall total

144,815

The third sector organisations each receive grant funding. The total grant funding claimed between 1 April 2008 and 30 September 2009 was £5,821,814.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools built in each local education authority area in each of the last five years do not have a sprinkler system. (293689)

We have the information requested for secondary schools procured within the Building Schools for the Future and Academies Programmes. We have placed a list of these new secondary schools in the House Libraries. The list will include the date the schools were completed and the local authority where they are situated. However, we do not hold such information for primary schools.

Cabinet Office

Public Services Forum Task Group

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2009, Official Report, column 943W, on the Public Services Forum Task Group, whether minutes are kept of the meetings of the Public Services Forum Task Group. (290170)

The Public Services Forum Task Group came to an end in July 2008 when the Joint Statement on Access to Skills, Trade Unions and Advice was published. Minutes were kept of the Task Group’s meetings.

Treasury

Christmas

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Christmas functions arranged by his Department and its agencies (a) he, (b) officials of his Department and (c) officials of its agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2008; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement. (295422)

Corporation Tax

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the headline rate of corporation tax. (294585)

The Government are committed to ensuring that the UK continues to have one of the most competitive corporate tax regimes in the world. The UK continues to have the lowest main rate of corporation tax in the G7.

Treasury Ministers and officials regularly receive representations on tax issues, including on the rate of corporation tax, from a variety of sources 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 representations.

Council Tax: Valuation

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors the Valuation Office Agency requires a bathroom in a dwelling to have to meet the bathroom classification under the council tax dwellinghouse coding system; and what classification is applied to a room with a toilet and sink only. (294515)

I refer the hon. Member to the Valuation Office Agency's Property Details Guide, which is available on its website at

www.voa.gov.uk

Crown Estates: Parliamentary Questions

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 6 May 2009, Official Report, column 178W, on trade unions, on what matters relating to the Crown Estate he takes responsibility for answering Parliamentary Questions. (294436)

The Crown Estate’s role is defined by statute through The Crown Estate Act 1961. Treasury Ministers answer parliamentary questions on Crown Estate issues covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland, on the advice of the Crown Estate Office.

The Secretary of State for Scotland handles matters dealing with The Crown Estate in Scotland.

Housing: Valuation

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a conservatory with a dwellinghouse coded D has a greater value weighting than a conservatory with a dwellinghouse codes under the Valuation Office Agency's automated valuation model. (294529)

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he has received a request to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry; (293562)

(2) how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have received requests to give evidence to the Chilcot Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the Prime Minister on 19 October 2009, Official Report, column 1210W.

Local Government: Assets

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 12 October 2009, Official Report, columns 23-8WS, on sale of Government assets, whether any receipts of proposed sales of local authority assets will accrue to the Exchequer. (293673)

Excepting certain receipts from the sale of housing land and dwellings that are required to be pooled centrally or surrendered, English local authorities are free to use capital receipts from asset sales to support capital investment, repay debt, invest to earn interest or any combination of these. The decision rests with the local authority concerned.

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2009, Official Report, column 848W, on council tax: valuation, what (a) property attributes and (b) geo-spatial factors were taken into account when reviewing the sub-location codes for the revaluation of non-domestic rates. (294442)

Sub-locations are codes used by the VOA to group properties with similar characteristics for non-domestic rating purposes. Regard is had to factual characteristics such as property type, quality and location or a combination. No maps are maintained.

Operational Efficiency Programme

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to report on the conclusions of Sir Gerry Grimstone’s review of the operational efficiency of (a) the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (b) the Royal Mint and (c) the Land Registry. (293955)

The “Operational Efficiency Programme: final report”, published in April 2009 stated that there would be an update on the Gerry Grimstone’s strand of the Operational Efficiency Programme at the 2009 pre-Budget report.

Private Finance Initiative: Costs

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to reduce the costs associated with private finance initiatives. (294914)

HM Treasury provides a wide range of guidance and support to Departments and procuring authorities on managing the cost of private finance initiatives throughout the procurement cycle. This material is available on the Department’s website at:

www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ppp_guidance_index.htm

Tax Allowances: Fuel Oil

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will consider introducing tax exemption for mineralogical processes which use recovered fuel oil; (294959)

(2) what the difference is in the tax treatment on the use of recovered fuel oil in the (a) steel, (b) electricity and (c) lime manufacturing industries; and if he will make a statement.

The Government keep all taxes under review. Any changes to tax policy are announced by the Chancellor as part of his Budget judgment in the normal Budget and pre-Budget report process.

Recovered fuel oil used in blast furnaces is not subject to fuel duty as the oil is being used as a chemical reductant rather than as a fuel. Fuels used to generate electricity are exempt from duty to avoid double taxation since electricity is subject to climate change levy. Recovered fuel oil used in the lime manufacturing industry is subject to duty at the same rate as fuel oil, the fuel for which it most commonly substitutes. This rate is 10.37p per litre.

Taxation: Betting

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change tax arrangements for fixed odds betting terminals. (294865)

The Government are currently consulting on the taxation of gaming machines, including the taxation of fixed odds betting terminals. The consultation discusses whether the current system of amusement machine licence duty (AMLD) and VAT should be replaced with a gross profits tax (GPT).

The consultation ends on 23 October 2009, and can be found on the Treasury website:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_gaming machines_taxation.htm

Taxation: Gaming Machines

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent discussions he has had with representatives of seaside towns on changes to the taxation of gaming machines; (295236)

(2) what recent representations he has received from residents of (a) seaside and (b) coastal district towns on changes to taxation on gaming machines.

Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policymaking process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Once the consultation period has ended, the Government expect to publish a summary of responses received.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) staff and (b) other costs arising from his Department’s consultation on taxation of gaming machines. (295238)

A consultation stage impact assessment was published alongside the consultation on the taxation of gaming machines. This included estimates of the change in administrative burdens on businesses resulting from a move to a gross profits tax.

A final stage impact assessment will be published after the consultation has been completed, which will also include the costs to HMRC of enforcement relating to a gross profits tax regime.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will assess the merits of raising the occupancy threshold for eligibility under the furnished holiday letting rules instead of abolishing those rules; (294433)

(2) if he will assess the merits of deferring the proposed abolition of the furnished holiday letting rules until April 2011 to enable further consultation; and if he will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on 19 October, Official Report, column 1288W.

Valuation Office

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2009, Official Report, columns 2287-88W, on the Valuation Office Agency, what action was taken against each individual reported to have been convicted. (294449)

The Valuation Office Agency received fewer than five reports of convictions and related offences from the Cabinet Office and the action taken against each individual was in accordance with the Valuation Office Agency’s Conduct Policy depending on the severity of the offence. To provide further detail on such a small number of individuals might allow them to be identified and thus breach data protection rules.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) speeches, (b) presentations delivered and (c) handouts issued by the representative of the Valuation Office Agency at the Global Property Tax Management Conference in Berlin on 22 September 2008. (294530)

Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2009, Official Report, column 1513W, on the Valuation Office: Cole Layer Trumble, how much money was paid by his Department to Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies in each of the last six years. (294365)

The following amounts have been paid on behalf of the Valuation Office Agency to Cole Layer Trumble/Tyler Technologies in each of the last six years:

Total (£)

2003-04

589,195.00

2004-05

1,253,100.08

2005-06

1,334,182.61

2006-07

481,646.51

2007-08

54,806.57

2008-09

0.00

These figures exclude non-recoverable VAT.

Valuation Office: Digital Technology

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency has access to digital mapping facilities under the Pan-Government Agreement. (294519)

Valuation Office: Information and Communications Technology

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ludlow, of 14 September 2009, Official Report, column 2135W, on the Valuation Office: ICT, what the breakdown by category of expenditure was of the £6.7 million of expenditure on the automated valuation model since September 2005; and which Minister authorised that expenditure. (294445)

The breakdown of the £6.7 million expenditure is as follows:

Item

£ (excluding VAT)

IT development and consultancy

4,300,000

IT support costs

2,400,000

Total

6,700,000

This expenditure was originally approved by the former Minister for Local Government in 2005.

Valuation Office: Rightmove

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the duration of the contract between the Valuation Office Agency and HM Revenue and Customs and Rightmove.co.uk plc is; what the latest date is by which the Agency may exercise its right to extend the contract; and whether the contract will roll on if each party agrees. (294518)

An agreement to extend the contract extension was signed on 20 November 2008. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 2 February 2009, Official Report, column 905W.

The contract will not roll on.

Valuation Office: Standards

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ludlow of 16 September 2009, Official Report, column 2288W, on the Valuation Office Agency: publications, for what reasons the Agency did not meet its minimum target standards in each of the six process areas. (294448)

The external consultants who carried out the high level assessment advised that improvements were necessary in the six process areas to achieve an increasing profile against the target standards.

Publication of more detail in advance of those improvements being completed would represent an unjustified escalation of risk.

Valuation Office: Training

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 May 2009, Official Report, column 1513W, on the Valuation Office, and of 21 May 2009, Official Report, column 1514W, on the Valuation Office: training, if he will place in the Library an electronic copy of each of the 25 other e-learning programmes. (294368)

There are now 30 e-learning programmes available to all Valuation Office Agency staff. 24 of these programmes have been developed in-house (as listed). One of the programmes has already been placed in the Library and copies of the remaining 23 programmes will be deposited in CD Rom format as soon as it is possible to create the discs.

1. Address Application

2. Enquiry Handling and Appeals Direct

3 Basic English Skills Grammar and Punctuation

4. Code of Measuring Practice

5. Council Tax

6. Data Security

7. Digital Dictation

8. Dwelling-house Coding (a copy of this has already been deposited in the Library)

9. Enterprise Resource Planning

10. Freedom of Information including Data Protection and Other Information Law

11. Health and Safety Site Inspections

12. Introduction to the VOA Internet

13. Omnidox

14. Performance Management

15. Rating Revaluation 2005 Maintenance and Defence

16. RSA Pattern Valuation Process 2005 Rating List

17. Strategic Asset Management

18. The Development Process including Assessment Centres

19. The VOA Welcome Programme

20. Transfer of TRS Functions to the VOA

21. Vacancy Filling

22. Reval 2010 Summary Valuation Enquiry Handling

23. Change Management

24. Fraud Awareness Training Package.

The following five programmes are commercial learning products that have been developed by external companies and are not owned by the Valuation Office Agency Copies of these programmes will not be included in the deposit to the Library of the House.

25. Euclidian

26. Fire Awareness in the Workplace

27. MS Office e-learning

28. Ten Thumbs Typing

29. NBS Learning Channels

30. Equality and Diversity In Practice.

VAT

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 November 2008, Official Report, columns 46-47WS, on value added tax, whether he still plans to raise the rate of value added tax to 17.5 per cent. on 1 January 2010. (293960)

As originally announced in the 2008 pre-Budget report and confirmed in Budget 2009 and the Finance Act 2009, the standard rate of VAT will revert to 17.5 per cent. from midnight on 31 December 2009.