To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many successful applications under the Criminal Damages (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) 1997 Order in each of the last five years were made by (a) the Loyal Orange Order and (b) the Gaelic Athletic Association. (292758)

The following table sets out the number of successful applications for (a) the Loyal Orange Order and (b) the Gaelic Athletic Association.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of procurement contracts (a) his Department 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. (293244)

The following table shows what percentage of procurement contracts (a) the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland but excluding its NDPBs and (b) its agencies awarded to small businesses in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08, (iii) 2008-09 and (iv) 2009-10.

From 3 November 2008, the NIO contracted out its procurement services to the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD) in the Department of Finance and Personnel in Northern Ireland under a service level agreement (prior to this, the NIO ran its own procurement unit). These figures are for all contracts that are arranged through the CPD (or, prior to 3 November 2008, the NIO’s procurement unit). Collating information on other procurement contracts could be done only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) employed and (b) self-employed members of the public are participating in the work of the Independent Monitoring Board. (293661)

There are 13 employed and two self-employed members across the Independent Monitoring Board.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress his Department has made in the development of a new licensing system for travelling circuses; and if he will make a statement. (293940)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 October 2009, Official Report, column 907W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the (a) minimum, (b) average and (c) maximum price of entry to an English Heritage property was in each year since 1997. (292301)

[holding answer 12 October 2009]: English Heritage has over 400 sites in its care of which around 112 charge admission. The remaining sites are free to visit.

For the purposes of this answer, English Heritage has provided data for the 104 sites that were consistently in its care for the full period in question. The average price of entry to an English Heritage property, based on one full price adult ticket, in each of the following years was as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received on the inclusion of Leeds as a venue in the Football Association's bid to host the 2018 World Cup; and if he will make a statement. (294016)

The Football Association are leading in the bid for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups and are following a selection process to make venues available for FIFA to select host cities and training venues.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on re-branding the Responsibility in Gambling Trust into The GREaT (Gambling Research, Education and Treatment) Foundation; and how much will be spent on setting up a new website for the organisation. (293878)

The Gambling Research, Education and Treatment Foundation (GREaT) is a registered charity funded through voluntary donations. Therefore, it would be appropriate for the hon. Member to write to the chairman at The GREaT Foundation, 10 Brick Street, London, W1J 7HQ.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many remote gambling licences have been issued by the Gambling Commission in each year since 2007; and how many such licensed remote gambling operators are regulated by the UK Gambling Commission. (293624)

The UK Gambling Commission has provided the figures on remote licences issued in each of the last three calendar years.

As of October 2009, there are 306 operators holding a remote operating licence with the Commission and 385 operators holding a remote ancillary operating licence. These figures include 18 operators who hold both a remote operating licence and a remote ancillary operating licence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the gross gambling yield from remote gambling was in each of the last two years; and how many new player registrations for such gambling there were in each year since statistics have been collected. (293625)

The Gambling Commission has published statistics on remote gambling conducted by its licensed operators since the changes under the Gambling Act 2005 came fully into effect on 1 September 2007.

Estimated figures are available for the second half of 2007-08 and for the full 2008-09 financial year as set out in the following table:

These figures do not include amounts gambled on sites located overseas by British residents but do include amounts gambled on sites located in Britain by overseas residents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department has contributed to the impact assessment on the abolition of the furnished holidays letting rules being carried out by HM Treasury. (294594)

My hon. Friend the Member for Stevenage (Barbara Follett) raised this issue with Treasury Ministers and wrote to them setting out the industries concerns about these changes in detail.

My officials and I remain in discussion with Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about the impact of these rule changes on the tourism industry. HMRC will be publishing their assessment of this together with draft legislation at the same time that the pre-Budget report is issued.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the administration costs of each of the National Lottery distributors. (294375)

My Department encourages the national lottery distributors to keep their administration costs as low as possible and to share best practice, and their latest accounts indicate that most have reduced their operating costs in cash terms. However, as administration costs vary considerably depending on the type and size of grant given and the amounts that applicants receive, the costs listed by the distributors in their annual reports are not readily comparable between distributors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the income of the National Lottery good causes has been in (a) actual and (b) real terms in each year since the National Lottery began. (294646)

The information requested is provided in the following tables:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the National Lottery has generated in sales in (a) actual and (b) real terms in each year since the National Lottery began. (294647)

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of the National Lottery Commission has been in (a) actual and (b) real terms in each year since its establishment. (294649)

The information requested is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many times Sport England has been consulted on planning applications on playing fields below 0.4 hectares in size since April 2009; and how many of those planning applications have been rejected. (293881)

In December 2009 Sport England will publish the latest annual playing field statistics available for the year 2007-08. However, information on the number of applications referred to Sport England as a consequence of the change in definition of a playing pitch from 0.4 to 0.2 hectares will not be available until December 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of sports facilities in each region are listed on the Active Places website; and how many unique users the website has had in each year since it was set up. (293880)

Active Places only lists certain types of sports facilities. It is therefore not possible to say what proportion of sports facilities in each region are listed on the Active Places website as there are no figures available for this.

The number of unique users the website has had in each year since it was set up is as follows:

To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will take steps to ensure that contractors digging up and closing Parliament square and Victoria street do so as far as possible at times when the House is not sitting. (294141)

Works in the streets around the Parliamentary Estate are controlled by Westminster city council and Transport for London. These organisations are aware of the requirement that Members' access is not to be impeded. The Parliamentary Director of Estates will make representations to both organisations on the need to minimise disruption to the House during sitting times.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the merits of the introduction of mandatory free companion passes for those who accompany blind or partially-sighted people on bus journeys. (292781)

The Government recently improved the statutory minimum concession to provide free off-peak local bus travel anywhere in England for eligible disabled people and those aged 60 or over.

There are no plans at present to extend the statutory minimum to include companion passes. Under the Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007, local authorities have the flexibility to offer locally funded benefits over and above the statutory minimum, including companion passes. I believe that local authorities are best placed to know about the needs and circumstances of their residents and to decide on the most appropriate concessions to offer in their particular area based on their overall financial priorities.

The inclusion of companions to the entitlement is not just a question of cost, but also of ensuring robust and fair definitions of eligibility, mitigating against fraud and managing bus services’ ability to respond.

The Department for Transport recently commissioned some research on the cost and impact of options for extending the current statutory minimum concessionary travel scheme. Based on this research, the Department estimates that it would cost around an extra £104 million per annum to extend the statutory minimum concession to enable free companion passes to those older and disabled people who require them.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent representations he has received on the wearing of cycle helmets; and if he will make a statement. (294371)

The Department for Transport frequently receives representations both for and against making the wearing of cycle helmets compulsory.

On Thursday 13 August, the Government responded to a petition submitted by Luke Griggs of Headway—the brain injury association—to introduce a new law to make it compulsory for children under 16 to wear helmets while cycling. The response sets out the Government’s position on cycle helmet wearing and can be found on the Number10.gov.uk website at:

http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page20350

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what studies his Department has undertaken on the effect of the 50 per cent. toll rise on the number of vehicles using the Dartford crossing; and if he will make a statement. (293865)

The Department for Transport has not commissioned any specific studies to consider the effect of the recent changes to charges at the Dartford crossing. However, the Highways Agency regularly monitors the performance and use of the crossing. An impact assessment was undertaken on the proposed changes when they were consulted upon.

In a six-month period before the changes to the charges (1 April to 30 September 2008) 27,356,979 vehicles used the Dartford crossing. In a comparable period (1 April to 30 September 2009) 27,054,297 vehicles used the Dartford crossing after the changes to the charges.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what guidance he has issued to the Highways Agency on the imposition of temporary speed limits on main roads at times when road works are not taking place. (294142)

National guidance to all highway authorities, including the Highways Agency about applying temporary speed limits during the suspension of road works, is given in Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 8 paragraphs D3.7.10 and D3.7.11. The guidance seeks to prompt designers and operatives to remove speed limits when cones etc. have been removed and there are no other risks which justify retaining the lower limit.

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport for what reasons a 50 miles per hour limit on the A1 in the vicinity of the junction with the B1048 was in force in September 2009; and if he will make a statement. (294143)

The 50 miles per hour speed limit was in place in September 2009 on the A1 in the vicinity of the junction with the B1048 for safety reasons, as the safety fence was incomplete and there were excavations along the verges for drainage repairs, as part of the A1 Eaton Socon Bypass resurfacing scheme. The works and speed limit started on 4 September and will be in place until completion of works in late December 2009.

This scheme involves drainage repairs, resurfacing of both concrete carriageways with low noise surfacing and the renewal of the existing safety fence. The works are carried out using overnight lane closures during the week, and weekend full carriageway closures.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has issued any recent guidance to waste collection authorities on charging charity shops for the disposal of donated but unsold non-reusable household waste. (294558)

On 12 October 2007, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs issued guidance to all local authorities on the classification and reporting of waste. This letter included DEFRA’s interpretation of the Controlled Waste Regulations (1992) with respect to waste from charities and charity shops.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities have expressed a preliminary interest in levying charges for the collection of household waste. (294559)

No authorities have yet come forward to formally express an interest in participating in a pilot waste incentive scheme.

The hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Joan Ruddock) wrote to local authorities on 20 June 2008 inviting them to come forward, noting that DEFRA would only release the name of any authority which came forward, at the point of an explicit expression of interest.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish the summary of responses to his Department’s June 2008 consultation on draft guidance on incentives for recycling by households. (294617)

A summary of responses to the formal consultation on “Waste Incentive Schemes: draft recycling service guidance” was published on 27 March 2009 and can be found on DEFRA’s website.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many organisations responded to his Department’s consultation on the guidance on the operation of waste incentive charges for the collection of household waste. (294629)

The Department received 29 responses in total to its informal June 2008 consultation on incentives for recycling by households, which also included the recycling service guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of the transposition of the revised Waste Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC) on the municipal collection of household waste. (294454)

On 16 July 2009 my Department published a consultation paper on the transposition of key provisions of the revised Waste Framework Directive. The provisions addressed in that consultation paper include those in Article 11(1) on the collection of waste. The consultation paper contains an initial impact assessment.

The consultation paper referred to is available on the DEFRA website at:

www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/waste-framework/index.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 June 2009, Official Report, columns 8-9W, on waste disposal, if he will place in the Library a copy of the WasteDataFlow returns of each local authority for (a) quarter 3 and (b) quarter 4. (294456)

The WasteDataFlow data for quarter 4 of 2008-09, and the final data at local authority level for all of 2008-09, will be published on DEFRA's website on 5 November 2009. In line with the National Statistics Code of Practice, these data cannot be released before this date.

Provisional data for quarter 3 of 2008-09 is published at regional level on DEFRA's website at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/evidence/statistics/environment/wastats/bulletin09qtr.htm

Provisional local authority level data for quarter 3 can be viewed by registering to use WasteDataFlow at

http://www.wastedataflow.co.uk/

and downloading summary reports. These reports, including the background datasheets, are publicly available and contain detailed data for each local authority. To print out and put in the Library every data entry by each local authority in England could be done only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he proposes to amend (a) enforcement powers and (b) penalties levied in respect of household waste offences consequent upon the coming into force of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008. (294548)

I do not propose to amend either the enforcement powers or the penalties.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons no (a) impact assessment and (b) equalities impact assessment was conducted in relation to clauses in the Climate Change Act 2008 in respect of the statutory duties of waste collection authorities for the collection of household waste. (294554)

The amendment to section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, made through the Climate Change Act 2008, provides a single point of reference in legislation for local authorities. As it was a clarification of published policy and not a new measure, consultation and development of an impact assessment were not deemed necessary.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent research has been commissioned by his Department into the (a) waste collection and (b) waste disposal implications of the shift to mercury-based compact fluorescent light bulbs for domestic use. (294557)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Jane Kennedy) on 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 8W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the adoption of (a) no side waste policies and (b) no closed lid policies. (294560)

DEFRA has issued no such guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will accept bids from joint waste authorities to participate in waste collection charge pilot schemes. (294608)

Powers provided in the Climate Change Act allow up to five local authorities to pilot incentives to encourage household waste minimisation and recycling.

A joint waste authority (JWA) would be able to put forward a proposal to pilot a waste incentive scheme in its area if it had responsibility for waste collection.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance the Waste Improvement Network has published on the operation of (a) closed lid policies and (b) no side-waste policies for the collection of household waste. (294610)

Neither the Waste Improvement Network (WIN), nor the Waste and Resources Action Programme has issued any such guidance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate (a) his Department and (b) the Waste and Resources Action Programme has made of the average capital cost, excluding value added tax, of a household wheeled refuse container, including the cost of delivery. (294616)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 20 July 2009, Official Report, columns 723-24W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedures are followed in deciding what research projects to fund from the Marine Aggregate Levy Sustainability Fund. (294308)

The DEFRA-chaired Marine ALSF Steering Group agrees the strategic direction of marine projects funded by the ALSF and ensures that they meet with the ALSF objectives.

For the majority, the Marine ALSF Steering Group commissions projects via open calls advertised on the MALSF website. All Expressions of Interest and full tenders are evaluated by a panel drawn from the Marine ALSF Steering Group members. There may also be occasions where a short list of contractors is compiled from previously submitted Expressions of Interest and these contractors invited to submit full proposals at a later stage of commissioning. On a few occasions the Marine ALSF Steering Group may commission work by single action tender.

All procurement and operation of evaluation panels is governed by the Marine Environment Protection Fund procurement protocol and panel terms of references contained within document “MEPF: who we are and how we operate” which is published on the MALSF website at:

http://www.alsf-mepf.org.uk/downloads/documents/mepf---how-we-operate.aspx

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications for (a) Collaborative Offshore Wind Research into the environment and (b) Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund project funding have been made by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science; and how many of them have been successful. (294374)

The figures for (a) Collaborative Offshore Wind Research (COWRIE) and (b) Marine Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund-Marine Environment Protection Fund (ALSF-MEPF) applications made by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science are as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009, Official Report, column 1919W, on weedkillers, what recent discussions officials in his Department have held with representatives of Dow AgroSciences Ltd on the relicensing of the herbicide aminopyralid; and if he will make a statement. (294385)

The Chemicals Regulation Directorate (CRD) of the Health and Safety Executive is the part of central Government responsible for the regulation of pesticides, detergents, chemicals, on behalf of DEFRA Ministers. CRD officials had a number of contacts, as is usual, during the course of the consideration of recent applications for approval of two new products containing aminopyralid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to protect the Natura 2000 site at the mouth of the Lymington river from damage by commercial ferry operators; and if he will make a statement. (293175)

Natural England is in discussion with the relevant ferry operator over the action that can be taken to avoid any adverse effect on the integrity of the Natura sites in the vicinity of the Lymington river from ferry operations.

Should Natural England advise that mitigation action cannot be taken to prevent any adverse effects, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with Natural England, will consider what steps it might be appropriate to take to avoid any damage to the protected sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total annual cost to the public purse was of (a) the Waste and Resources Action Programme and (b) the Waste Improvement Network in the last year for which figures are available. (294459)

The Waste and Resources Action Programme's grant funding for 2008-09 was £55 million. The cost of running the Waste Improvement Network (WIN) for 2008-09 was £195,783. This cost covers delivery of the WIN Website, the Waste and Recycling Mentoring Scheme (WROMS) online conferencing tool, the co-ordination of waste network chairs and the development of an online self assessment tool for councils.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the Waste and Resources Action Programme's Waste Prevention Toolkit. (294469)

I refer the hon. Member for Meriden to the answer I gave on 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 16W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of (a) the amount and (b) the percentage of waste sent to landfill abroad in each of the last five years. (294056)

[holding answer 19 October 2009]: The UK Plan for Shipments of Waste, which sets out Government policy on shipments of waste, prohibits the export of waste from the UK for landfill or other disposal operations with very few exceptions. Waste may, however, be exported for recovery, including recycling. Therefore, no such estimate has been made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects on farmers incomes of English Nature discontinuing the practice of weed cutting in the lower Avon Valley; and if he will make a statement. (293148)

In 2004, the Environment Agency gave notice to landowners and farmers that it would review mechanised weed cutting in the lower River Avon in five years’ time. The review, which was undertaken through a local partnership between the Environment Agency, Natural England and fishery and farming interests, concluded that there were no flood or nature conservation benefits from the practice. Consequently mechanised weed cutting was discontinued.

No assessment has been made of the implications on farmers’ incomes of discontinuing mechanised weed cutting in the lower River Avon, although Natural England continues to give support and advice through Environmental Stewardship to farmers and landowners who wish to change their farming practice.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure English Nature incurred on weed cutting in the lower Avon Valley in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. (293149)

Natural England (formerly English Nature) is not involved operationally in weed cutting but does provide scientific advice on the likely impacts of this activity.

Mechanised weed cutting on the River Avon System has been carried out by the Environment Agency as part of its routine river management.

The Environment Agency estimates the annual cost of weed cutting on the Lower Hampshire Avon over the last five years to be in the order of £120,000 per annum. This figure includes the direct operational costs (e.g. staff time and equipment), indirect costs (e.g. proportional costs for plant and consumables), plus additional costs such as those associated with liaison with local stakeholders. Costs vary year on year depending on how much weed has been cut, the timing of the cuts, and patterns of activity.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of the reports his Department has received on the half-life of the herbicide aminopyralid. (294487)

There is a range of information relating to the way that aminopyralid degrades in a variety of situations. This information can be found in the disclosure document published by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides. I will ensure that a copy will be placed in the Library of the House when it is published shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence between Ministers in his Department and (a) Dow AgroSciences Ltd and (b) the Advisory Committee on Pesticides in relation to the herbicide aminopyralid exchanged in the last three years. (294488)

A copy of the requested correspondence will be placed in the Library of the House shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the potential effects of aminopyralid on human health; and if he will make a statement. (294489)

The core data package for aminopyralid was first considered by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides at their meeting in September 2005. The assessment has been published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as part of the European consideration of aminopyralid, and can be obtained via their website:

http://dar.efsa.europa.eu/dar-web/provision

The Advisory Committee on Pesticides considered whether there was any risk to human health arising from the misuse of that led to aminopyralid products appearing in manure earlier this year. The ACP considered that there was no unacceptable risk. The records of these meetings (in May and June 2009) can be found on the ACP website at:

www.pesticides.gov.uk/acp.home.asp

The disclosure document summarising the assessment will be placed on this website shortly and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have (a) died and (b) contracted sepsis as a result of receiving bacterially contaminated transfused blood components in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. (293867)

Since 8 November 2005, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been the United Kingdom competent authority for the safety and quality of blood components for transfusion. In that time MHRA has received 14 statutory reports of transfusion-transmitted bacterial infection where the transfused component was identified as probably or definitely the source of sepsis. Of these 14 reports, two involved deaths.

A voluntary reporting scheme Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT), funded by the UK Blood Services, operates alongside the statutory MHRA system. Between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2008, SHOT recorded 13 confirmed cases of bacterial infection transmitted by blood components in the UK. Of these, three individuals died. Although both MHRA and SHOT actively encourage participation in the SHOT scheme, it is possible that not all reports to MHRA will be shared with SHOT, and there may be further clinical investigation of individual cases reported via SHOT, hence the slight discrepancy between MHRA and SHOT figures. However, the two schemes are working to reconcile their data.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS dentists are permitted to refuse to provide further treatment to patients if they do not attend for check-ups when advised to do so. (294353)

Most dental practices choose to provide ongoing care to their patients including recalls at appropriate clinical intervals. However, once a course of treatment is completed, patients are free to change practice. Equally, dental providers are not compelled as part of their national health service contractual arrangements to offer further courses of treatment once the current one is complete. It is up to individual practices to decide whether to offer further courses of treatment to patients who do not respond to advice on recall intervals.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists were providing NHS services in (a) Vale of York constituency, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) England in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. (294573)

The number of national health service (NHS) dentists, in England, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 are available in annex E and annex G of the “NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006”. Annex E provides information by strategic health authority (SHA) and by primary care trust (PCT). Annex G provides information by constituency.

This information is based on the old contractual arrangements, which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report, published on 23 August 2006, has already been placed in the Library and is available on the NHS Information Centre website at:

www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity

The number of dentists with NHS activity during the years ending 31 March, 2007, 2008 and 2009 are available in table G1 of annex 3 of the “NHS Dental Statistics for England 2008/09” report. Information is provided for England and by SHA and PCT but is not available by constituency. This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. This report, published on 19 August 2009, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:

www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalstats0809

Following a recent consultation exercise, this measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes any previously published work force figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March.

These published figures relate to a headcount and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of each document in his Department's file EAX/036 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill 2007-08; and if he will make a statement; (293282)

We can confirm that the Department does hold these files. It will take some time to review the information requested and assess what information can be released. We will endeavour to do so within 20 working days, which is the period of time that would apply had the hon. Member submitted his question as a freedom of information request. I will write to the hon. Member in due course and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Human Fertilisation Act 2008 to extend protection to embryos whose statutory storage period has expired; and if he will make a statement. (289162)

Yes. The Government have made the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Supplementary Provision) Order 2009 which applies to embryos whose statutory storage period had expired. The order permits, from 1 October, such embryos to remain in storage for 10 years from the date they were first put into storage.

In addition to the order, the Government have also introduced the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Statutory Storage Period for Embryos and Gametes) (Amendment) Regulations 2009. These enable embryos that remain in storage by virtue of the order to benefit from the extended storage periods set out in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Statutory Storage Period for Embryos and Gametes) Regulations 2009 provided they fulfil the conditions set out in those regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued on the requirement to destroy embryos frozen under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (a) 1990 and (b) 2008; what his policy is on embryos which have been stored for five years; and if he will make a statement. (291817)

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) code of practice provides guidance for centres on fulfilling the requirements placed on them by the legislation.

As a result of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 the statutory limit on storage for embryos has been extended from five to 10 years, bringing it into line with the storage period for gametes (sperm and eggs). The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Statutory Storage Periods for Embryos and Gametes) Regulations 2009 set out the criteria that must be fulfilled for storage periods to be extended beyond 10 years.

For embryos that had been in storage for more than five years on the 1 October, where a five-year storage period applied to those embryos, the Government have made the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Supplementary Provision) Order 2009. The order permits, from 1 October, such embryos to remain in storage for 10 years from the date they were first put into storage. In addition to the order, the Government have also introduced the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Statutory Storage Period for Embryos and Gametes) (Amendment) Regulations 2009. These regulations enable embryos that remain in storage by virtue of the order to benefit from the extended storage periods set out in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Statutory Storage Period for Embryos and Gametes) Regulations 2009 provided they fulfil the conditions set out in those regulations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of babies born alive had a birth weight of less than 2.5 kg in (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority area and (c) each primary care trust area in each of the last three years. (293187)

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 recent questions asking:

What proportion of babies born in each primary care trust area of England were of low birth weight in the period since 1997. (293188)

What percentage of babies born alive had a birth weight of less than 2.5 kg in (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority and (c) each primary care trust area in each of the last three years. (293187)

The table attached provides the percentage of live births that were of low birth weight (less than 2.5kg) in: (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority and (c) each primary care organisation area for 1997 to 2008 (the latest year available).

A copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Figures for 15 primary care organisations have been suppressed because of small numbers, in order to protect the privacy of individual mothers and babies.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average size of the electorate of a foundation hospital governing board; and what the average number of votes cast in elections to such bodies has been. (292564)

The average size of the electorate of a foundation trust governing board is shown in table 1. These figures are based on the 115 foundation trusts authorised on or before 1 March 2009. The average number of votes cast in elections, referred to as aggregate election turnout in table 2, was collected by Monitor for the first time in 2008-09 and relates to elections held between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has evaluated on the effectiveness of stereotactic radiosurgery in the treatment of low-grade brain tumours. (293970)

None.

The point has not yet been reached where it would be possible to undertake the secondary research from which a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of this relatively new therapy could be made.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of social care and support in the Leeds West constituency; and if he will make a statement. (293946)

The Department is investing circa £3.5 billion over this comprehensive spending review period to support improvements in the provision of social care. In particular, the social care reform grant will provide an extra £520 million for the reform and transformation of adult social care, helping people to retain independence and exercise choice and control over the help they need.

In 2009-10, Leeds adult social care received a total of nearly £17.6 million of revenue and capital grant funding, both specific and non-specific. Of this, Leeds adult social care received £2.74 million in social care reform grant (revenue). Total grant funding by the Department to Leeds adult social care will increase to nearly £17.9 million in 2010-11. No data are available to identify the proportion of this funding used to support people in West Leeds.

The responsibility for the provision of adult social care within West Leeds lies with Leeds city council and it will have worked with its local partnerships to inform and develop joint strategic needs assessment to identify and agree local priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the provision of social care and support in Tamworth constituency. (292559)

The Department is investing circa £3.5 billion over this comprehensive spending review period to support improvements in the provision of social care. In particular, the social care reform grant will provide an extra £520 million for the reform and transformation of adult social care, helping people to retain independence and exercise choice and control over the help they need

In 2009-10, Staffordshire Adult Social Care received a total of nearly £15.5 million of revenue and capital grant funding, both specific and non-specific. Of this, Staffordshire Adult Social Care received £2.85 million in Social Care Reform Grant (revenue), which is set to rise to £3.54 million in 2010-11.

The responsibility for the provision of adult social care within Tamworth lies with Staffordshire county council and it will have used Local Strategic Partnerships to inform and develop a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment in Staffordshire to identify and agree local priorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission research on the effects on swine influenza transmission of the number of cabin air changes per hour during commercial flights; and if he will make a statement. (293601)

The Department via the National Institute for Health Research has funded fourteen research projects related to swine influenza. None of these projects investigates influenza transmission during commercial flights.

Aircraft cabin air in the majority of commercial aircraft is exchanged and filtered every two to three minutes, exceeding the minimum number of air changes per hour that the World Health Organization recommends for healthcare facilities to prevent the transmission by droplet nuclei of infectious pathogens. In addition, a study published by the American Medical Association in 2002 found no evidence that cabin air re-circulation increases the risk for upper respiratory tract infections in commercial jet passengers.

The Department therefore does not have any plans to commission research in this area.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many external training courses have been attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of attendance at each such course was. (289695)

Staff have attended a total of 18 external training courses in the last 12 months. The total cost for all 34 of those attendees was £16,094.19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Birmingham Sparkbrook & Small Heath constituency (a) are entitled to and (b) receive carer’s allowance. (291566)

The information is in the following table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long on average it takes the Child Support Agency to pass deduction of earning payments on to the recipient parent; and what steps she is taking to introduce (a) same-day and (b) same-week processing. (292105)

[holding answer 12 October 2009]: 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 long on average it takes the Child Support Agency to pass deduction of earning payments onto the recipient parent; and what steps she is taking to introduce (a) same-day and (b) same-week processing. [292105]

Once the Child Support Agency has received the payment from the non-resident parent’s employer, the average length of time it takes the Agency to process the payment and pass it on to the parent with care is one day. Cash and postal orders can be passed on to the parent with care on the same day as they are received into the Agency’s bank. Many automated methods of payment such as child maintenance received from the non-resident parent by direct debit are forwarded once the banking system has cleared the funds. In these cases the parent with care receives maintenance three days later on average. This process takes longer if payments are made to the parent with care by cheque.

It should be noted that employers are required to pass on maintenance deducted from employee’s earnings by the nineteenth day of the following month, parents with care may therefore experience a delay in receiving their first payment.

I hope you find this answer helpful.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the average (a) cost of carrying out and (b) time taken to carry out a work capability assessment for the employment support allowance; and if she will make a statement. (294032)

It is not possible to supply the cost of medical examinations. This is because if the information was disclosed it would prejudice the commercial interests of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and/or Atos Healthcare IT Services Ltd., the Medical Services contractor. This falls under the exemption in section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act.

The time taken to carry out a work capability assessment (WCA) for employment support allowance varies dependant on the customer’s medical condition. This is because the examining health care professional's (HCPs) aim is to obtain the necessary information that is required by the Decision Maker, whose task it is to make the decision on benefit entitlement. The examination will therefore take as long as necessary to obtain sufficient information for the purpose of determining entitlement to benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2009, Official Report, columns 1287-8, on incapacity benefit, what proportion of incapacity benefit claimants in (a) the UK and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber who had their claims terminated for failing a personal capability assessment/own occupation test between December 2007 and November 2008 (i) appealed and (ii) had their benefit reinstated on appeal. (290005)

The information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many incapacity benefit claimants in each region she estimates will be migrated to employment support allowance in each quarter until 2013; and if she will make a statement. (293578)

The information requested is not available.

We are still making detailed plans for the migration of existing incapacity benefits claimants to employment and support allowance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many assessors (a) there are and (b) there are expected to be in 2010 to assess (i) existing incapacity benefits claimants and (ii) new employment and support allowance claimants; and if she will make a statement. (293582)

Currently there are 526 health care professionals who are fully trained to undertake incapacity benefit (IB) medical examinations and 687 health care professionals trained to undertake employment and support allowance (ESA) medical examination. I can advise that Atos Healthcare are undertaking a training programme to enable health care professionals to undertake both IB and ESA medical examinations.

Projected figures relating to the expected HCP resources for the year 2010 are currently not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of claimants for industrial disease claims for coalminers beat knee and osteoarthritis were refused a claim in the first three months of eligibility of claim for medical assessment. (292765)

Information on the number of disallowed claims for prescribed disease A6 (beat knee) is not available.

The number of cases for osteoarthritis of the knee decided following a medical examination was 375. Of these 234 were either refused industrial injuries disablement benefit (IIDB) or refused an increase in IIDB. This equates to 62 per cent. of claimants.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment her Department has made of the incidence of coactivity in claimants when assessing industrial disease claims for coalminers beat knee and osteoarthritis. (292766)

The Department for Work and Pensions has made no specific assessment of the incidence of coactivity in industrial disease claims for coalminers beat knee and osteoarthritis. The medical assessment in these claims would assess all the relevant loss of faculty and resulting disability from osteoarthritis of the knee or beat knee or both.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what health assessment process her Department uses to assess industrial disease claims for coalminers beat knee and osteoarthritis. (292767)

Following receipt of a claim, a Jobcentre Plus decision maker will decide whether the claimant satisfies the occupational criteria for the prescribed disease. If the prescription is satisfied, a referral is made to Atos Healthcare who will request any previous X-rays and/or any relevant hospital letters relating to the condition. All claimants are subsequently examined by a doctor working for Atos Healthcare. The doctor will, through a combination of history and examination findings, provide advice to the decision maker as to whether the condition is diagnosed, and if it is, on the level of disablement with reference to a person of the same age and sex whose physical and mental condition is normal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what use her Department makes of the WOMAC index questionnaire in assessing industrial disease claims for coalminers’ beat knee and osteroarthritis. (292768)

The Department for Work and Pensions does not use the WOMAC index questionnaire in assessing coalminers’ beat knee and osteoarthritis.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many dedicated mental health experts are working in the Jobcentre Plus network. (294500)

The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves, dated October 2009:

The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many dedicated mental health experts are working in the Jobcentre Plus network. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.

We are introducing the post of Mental Health Coordinator within each Jobcentre Plus District. We currently have 42 coordinators in post, with a further six to take up post in November. It is not our advisers' nor that of the Mental Health Coordinators’ role to be expert in mental health conditions. However, the coordinators have an important role in improving and facilitating links between local mental health organisations and employment services. They also ensure that Jobcentre Plus advisers are aware of the mental health support available in their district for those customers who would benefit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate she has made of the number of pensioners living in poverty in Leeds West constituency; and if she will make a statement. (293939)

Estimates of poverty, published in the Households Below Average Income series, only allows a breakdown of the overall number of people in poverty at Government office region level. Therefore, information for Leeds, West constituency is not available.

Latest information for Yorkshire and the Humber Government office region, is based on three-year averages and is provided in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate she has made of the effect on the Exchequer of a change in the eligibility age for the state retirement pension for (a) men and (b) women to (i) 66, (ii) 67 and (iii) 68 years. (293621)

Estimates of the net savings from increasing State Pension age for men and women to 66, 67 and 68 as part of the additional benefit spend of the overall package of reforms in the 2007 Pension Act package of reforms can be found in the pension reform factsheet. The relevant tables are Figure 16 (spend in cash terms), Figure 19 (spend in 2007-08 prices terms) and Figure 22 (spend in per cent. of GDP terms). A copy of the factsheet has been placed in the House of Commons Library and is also available at the following link:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/pensions-reform-factsheet.pdf

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the likely effect of the new Work Capability Assessment on the proportion of existing incapacity benefit claimants expected to (a) pass the assessment and move into the work-related activity group of the employment and support allowance, (b) pass the assessment and move into the support group of the employment and support allowance and (c) fail the assessment when they are reassessed between 2010 and 2013. (290731)

[holding answer 9 September 2009]: When the new Work Capability Assessment is applied to existing incapacity benefits claimants, our initial estimates are that overall, around 65 per cent. will be assessed to be in the work-related activity group of employment and support allowance, 20 per cent. will be assessed to be in the support group, and 15 per cent. will be disallowed employment and support allowance.

These are working assumptions that will continue to be evaluated and updated in light of new evidence.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of applicants in (a) the UK and (b) Scotland (i) failed and (ii) failed with no points the work capability assessment in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many of those in each category had their employment support allowance re-instated after appeal. (293042)

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 following website:

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

The published data summarises work capability assessment results for employment support allowance claims up to the end of February 2009. The Department does not assess people on the basis of passing or failing the work capability assessment. At the work capability assessment people can be assessed as falling into one of three categories:

Support group (for those with severe disabilities)—they receive a higher rate of benefit entitlement overall and exemption from mandatory involvement with pathways;

Work related activity group—they receive higher rate of benefit than those on jobseeker's allowance and are mandated to engage with Pathways to Work;

Fit for work—individuals can ask for a reconsideration or appeal if they disagree with the decision.

The following table summarises the published figures for Great Britain and the equivalent figures for Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the home information pack for 62 South Eaton Place was updated to reflect the fact that the freehold was being sold with the leasehold. (293112)

The Department has served notice under the Leasehold Reform Act to acquire the freehold to merge with its leasehold interest of 62 South Eaton Place so as to achieve better value for money on its outright disposal. Until the freehold is acquired the home information pack cannot be amended.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a property information questionnaire has been produced as part of the home information pack for 62 South Eaton Place. (294083)

There was no legal requirement to prepare a property information questionnaire with the home information pack for 62 South Eaton Place. The sale particulars and supporting information held by the selling agent has met the requirements of prospective purchasers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many shopkeepers were prosecuted in (a) England, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) Leeds North West for selling alcohol to underage drinkers in the latest period for which figures are available. (294291)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 February 2009, Official Report, column 1024W. The table is broken down into male, female and other defendants, but we are not able to differentiate between shopkeepers and any other defendants. Figures are broken down into police force area and are not available by constituency. The data for 2008 will be available at the end of January 2010.