Daily Report Tuesday, 6 February 2018 CONTENTSqnadailyreport.blob.core.windows.net/qnadaily... ·...

Daily Report Tuesday, 6 February 2018

This report shows written answers and statements provided on 6 February 2018 and the

information is correct at the time of publication (06:37 P.M., 06 February 2018). For the latest

information on written questions and answers, ministerial corrections, and written statements,

please visit: http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers/

CONTENTS

ANSWERS 6

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND

INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY 6

Department for Business,

Energy and Industrial Strategy:

Child Care Vouchers 6

Energy: Highlands of Scotland 6

Green Deal Scheme 6

Iron and Steel 7

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme 7

Renewable Heat Incentive

Scheme 7

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs 8

TREASURY 8

Banks: Urban Areas 8

Children: Day Care 9

Gold and Foreign Exchange

Reserves 10

Offshore Industry: Taxation 10

Profits: Taxation 11

Self-assessment: Fines 11

South Sudan: Arms Trade 11

Tax Evasion: EU Action 11

Taxation: EU Action 12

Treasury: Child Care Vouchers 12

Virgin Trains East Coast 12

Welfare Tax Credits 13

DEFENCE 13

Armed Forces 13

Armed Forces: Recruitment 13

Armed Forces: Training 13

Army: Training 14

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft 14

Military Aircraft 15

Ministry of Defence: Cost

Effectiveness 16

RAF Valley 16

Trident 16

Type 45 Destroyers 16

USA: Armed Forces 16

World War I: Anniversaries 17

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND

SPORT 17

Broadcasting: Licensing 17

Culture: Education 18

European City of Culture 18

Exercise: Children 18

Football: Gender 18

Lotteries: Regulation 19

Nuisance Calls 19

http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers

http://www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers

EDUCATION 19

Apprentices: Pay 19

Children's Centres:

Inspections 20

Collective Spirit Multi-

Academy Trust 20

Department for Education:

Child Care Vouchers 20


Official Engagements 20


Telephone Services 21

Education and Skills Funding

Agency 22

Educational Psychology 22

Foster Care 23

Pre-school Education: Food 24

Primary Education: Nurseries 24

Pupil Referral Units 24

Schools: Finance 25

Special Educational Needs:

Finance 26

Teachers 26

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND

RURAL AFFAIRS 27

Agriculture: Subsidies 27

Air Pollution: Monitoring 27

Department for Environment,

Food and Rural Affairs:

Drinking Water 28

Environment Protection 28

Food and Drink Sector Council 28

Railways: Exhaust Emissions 29

EXITING THE EUROPEAN

UNION 29

Brexit 29

FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 30

Burma: Armed Conflict 30

Ethiopia: Counter-terrorism 30

Ethiopia: Political Prisoners 30

Hezbollah 31

Israel: Palestinians 31

Lebanon: Elections 31

Lebanon: Human Rights 32

Lebanon: Politics and

Government 32

Lebanon: Protest 32

Lebanon: Trials 33

Lebanon: UN Interim Force in

Lebanon 33

North Korea: Oil 34

South Sudan: Peace

Negotiations 34

USA: Immigration Controls 35

Yemen: Armed Conflict 35

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid 35

Yemen: Peace Negotiations 36

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 36

Accident and Emergency

Departments: Standards 36

Accountable Care

Organisations 37

Ankylosing Spondylitis 37

Arthritis 38

Blood: Contamination 38

Breast Cancer: Greater

London 39

Cervical Cancer: Screening 40

Charles Bonnet Syndrome 40

Coca Cola and Mars UK 41

Epilepsy 41

First Aid 41

Food: Advertising 42

Food: Salt 43

General Practitioners: Labour

Turnover 43

General Practitioners:

Lincolnshire 43

Hospitals: Parking 44

Life Sciences 44

Mental Health Services:

Migrant Workers 45

Mental Health Services: Young

People 45

Mental Health: Young People 45

Muscular Dystrophy: Medical

Treatments 46

NHS Improvement 46

NHS Trusts: Subsidiary

Companies 46

NHS: Drugs 47

NHS: Negligence 47

NHS: Surveys 48

NHS: Vacancies 48

Nurses: North Yorkshire 49

Orphan Drugs 49

Parkinson's Disease 49

Patients: Surveys 50

Personal Budgets 50

Prescription Drugs: Misuse 50

Schools: Nurses 51

HOME OFFICE 51

Asylum 51

Asylum: Housing 52

British Nationality 52

Deportation: Jamaica 53

Drugs: Smuggling 53

Firearms: Licensing 54

Forensic Science 54

Grenfell Tower: Fires 54

Hezbollah 56

Human Trafficking: Vietnam 56

Immigrants: Employment 56

John Worboys 57

Key Forensic Services 57

Mental Health Services: Stun

Guns 57

Migrant Workers 58

Parking Offences: Pedestrian

Areas 58

Passports: Concessions 59

Police Pursuits 59

Police: Dogs 59

Police: Firearms 60

Randox Testing Services 60

Refugees 60

Refugees: Kurds 61

Slavery 61

Slavery: Females 63

Slavery: Prosecutions 63

Slavery: Vietnam 64

Tech City UK: Skilled Workers 64

Visas 65

Visas: Overseas Students 66

Welfare in Detention of

Vulnerable Persons Review 66

HOUSE OF COMMONS

COMMISSION 67

House of Commons

Commission: Contracts 67

Parliamentary Estate: Plastics 68

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 68

Carillion 68

Compulsory Purchase 69

Grenfell Tower: Fires 69

Housing 70

Housing: Forests 70

Housing: Swindon 70

Owner Occupation 71

Planning Permission 71

Right to Buy Scheme: Housing

Associations 72

Sleeping Rough 72

Tenancy Deposit Schemes 72

INTERNATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT 73

Department for International

Development: Capita 73

Developing Countries: Energy 73

Palestinian Authority 73

Palestinians: Newspaper

Press and Television 74

Refugees: EU Action 74

South Sudan: Overseas Aid 74

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 75

Department of Trade:

Meetings 75

Department of Trade: Public

Appointments 75

Higher Education: Exports 76

Trade Bill 2017-19 76

JUSTICE 77

Approved Premises: Crimes of

Violence 77

Legal Aid, Sentencing and

Punishment of Offenders Act

2012 77

Young Offenders: Vietnam 77

NORTHERN IRELAND 78

Northern Ireland Government 78

Tourism: Northern Ireland 78

Trade: Northern Ireland 78

PRIME MINISTER 79

Royal Bank of Scotland 79

TRANSPORT 79

Bus Services 79

Carillion 80

Crossrail: Ebbsfleet 81

Department for Transport:

Procurement 81

Electric Vehicles 81

Electric Vehicles: Taxis 85

Gatwick Airport 85

Heathrow Airport 86

Railways: Fares 86

Schools: Transport 86

Severn River Crossing 87

Severn River Crossing: Tolls 87

Transport: Forests 88

Transport: Weather 88

Wales and Borders Rail

Franchise 89

WALES 90

Nuclear Power Stations:

Wales 90

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES 91

Access to Elected Office for

Disabled People Fund 91

Harassment 91

WORK AND PENSIONS 91

Department for Work and

Pensions: Capita 91

Members: Correspondence 91

Pensions: Advisory Services 92

Personal Independence

Payment: Mental Health 92

Personal Independence

Payment: Wales 92

Poverty: Children 93

Skilled Workers 93

Social Security Benefits:

Cancer 94


Disability 95


English Language 96


Haringey 97

Universal Credit 97

Universal Credit and Welfare

Tax Credits: Children 98

Universal Credit: Appeals 98

Universal Credit:

Wolverhampton North East 99

MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS 100


SPORT 100

Broadband: Universal Service

Obligation 100

WRITTEN STATEMENTS 101

CABINET OFFICE 101

Committee on Standards in

Public Life 101


SPORT 102

Sustainability of the press 102

FOREIGN AND

COMMONWEALTH OFFICE 103

Provision of Border Assistance

to Lebanon 103

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 103

Local Government Finance 103

PRIME MINISTER 107

Clarification 107

Notes:

Questions marked thus [R] indicate that a relevant interest has been declared.

Questions with identification numbers of 900000 or greater indicate that the question was originally tabled as an

oral question and has since been unstarred.

ANSWERS

BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Child Care Vouchers

Stephanie Peacock: [126285]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many

employees in his Department make use of the childcare voucher scheme.

Richard Harrington:

As at 31 January 2018, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

(BEIS) had 258 employees enrolled in the childcare voucher scheme.

Energy: Highlands of Scotland

Drew Hendry: [125449]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what

assessment he has made of the effect on energy consumers in the Highlands of charges

relating to distribution network operations being applied to energy companies.

Claire Perry:

Ofgem’s assessment of regional differences in network charges, which was published

in October 2015, concluded that there is no concentration of vulnerable consumers in

any one particular distribution network region. Nonetheless, the Government

recognises that electricity distribution costs are higher for the North of Scotland than

any other region, and that is why the Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme is

providing an assistance amount of £59m in 2017/18 to reduce distribution charges

there. The Government reviews this scheme every three years, in line with a statutory

requirement.

Green Deal Scheme

Alan Brown: [125848]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference

to when a constituent makes an appeal to him following rejection of a complaint and

financial offer from the Green Deal Finance Company, whether third parties have any

input or right of objection to his proposed offer.

Claire Perry:

A consumer who is dissatisfied with an offer received from the Green Deal Finance

Company may approach the Secretary of State for redress under the Green Deal

Framework (Disclosure, Acknowledgment, Redress etc.) Regulations 2012.

Where the Secretary of State is satisfied that a breach of the Green Deal Framework

Regulations has occurred and that a consumer has suffered, or is likely to suffer,

substantive loss, he may issue an “intention notice”. The intention notice must be

provided to ‘affected persons’, meaning any person whose interests will be directly

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-02-01/126285



affected by the imposition of the sanction. Affected persons may make written

representations in response to the intention notice. These are then taken into account

before a decision on the final sanction is made.

Iron and Steel

Jessica Morden: [126255]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress

he has made in establishing a steel sector deal.

Richard Harrington:

We will continue to work closely with the sector, the unions, the devolved nations and

other partners on a sector deal as we seek to find a long-term viable solution for the

steel industry.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Jon Trickett: [126117]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his

Department is taking to ensure that a further decline in Capita's finances will not affect the

level of payments to members from the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme.

Claire Perry:

The Department has spoken to the Trustees of the Mineworkers Pension Scheme

and the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme and they have confirmed that they

have received an assurance from Capita regarding the ongoing administration and

payment of miners’ pensions. The level of the pensions is guaranteed by the

Government and would be unaffected by the finances of the administrator.

Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme

Dr David Drew: [125860]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference

to commitments set out in his Department's report entitled Non-Domestic Renewable

Heat Incentive: Eligible Heat Uses: Changes to eligible heat uses: Government Response

to Chapter 2 of consultation, published in January 2018, when he plans to (a) introduce

the new tariff guarantees to new biomethane-to-grid projects and (b) increase payments

for anaerobic digestion plants that are built in order to encourage deployment.

Claire Perry:

The Government remains fully committed to these reforms.

The regulations to enact the remaining reforms, including provision for tariff

guarantees and biomethane/biogas tariff uplift, require the affirmative resolution

procedure in Parliament. The Department intends to lay these regulations shortly,

following pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments

(JCSI).




Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Thangam Debbonaire: [125461]

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he

has plans to re-evaluate the feed-in tariff for households with solar panels with an energy

performance certificate of band C and lower.

Claire Perry:

The Government undertook a review of the Feed-in Tariff scheme in 2015. In 2016

revised tariffs were published, out to the end of March 2019. We have no plans to

review these tariffs.


To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he

plans to vary the feed-in tariff for households with solar panels.

Claire Perry:

The Government undertook a review of the Feed-in Tariff scheme in 2015. In 2016

revised tariffs were published, out to the end of March 2019. We have no plans to

review these tariffs.

TREASURY

Banks: Urban Areas

Caroline Flint: [125764]

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many towns are without a bank branch in

(a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Wales and (d) Scotland.


To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many consultations have been undertaken

on proposed branch closures since the announcement of the Access to Banking Protocol;

and how many of those consultations resulted in the branch remaining open.


To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made

of the number of people who live more than (a) five miles and (b) 10 miles from a bank

branch.

John Glen:

The Treasury does not hold data on bank branch closures. The decision to close a

branch remains a commercial judgement for banks. However, the impact on

communities must be understood, considered and mitigated where possible.

The Access to Banking Protocol was a 2015 industry-wide agreement on bank

branch closures, designed to help minimise their impact on customers and

communities. In November 2016, Professor Russel Griggs published an independent

‘one year on’ review of the Protocol, following which the new Access to Banking






Standard came into effect in May 2017. The Standard commits banks to ensure

personal and business customers are better informed about branch closures and the

reasons for them closing, along with the options they have locally to continue to

access banking services, including specialist assistance for customers who need

more help. The Access to Banking Standard is monitored and enforced by the

independent Lending Standards Board.

99% of banks’ personal and 95% of banks’ business customers are able to withdraw

cash, deposit cash and cheques, and make balance enquiries at a Post Office

counter via its network of 11,600 branches. At Autumn Budget 2017, my predecessor

wrote to the Post Office and UK Finance to ask them to raise public awareness of the

banking services available at the Post Office for individuals and SMEs. The

Government is committed to ensuring that communities across the UK are fully aware

of the important services that remain available to them at their local Post Office, even

if their bank branch is closed.

Children: Day Care

Tracy Brabin: [126081]

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which companies are contracted to deliver the

Childcare Choices website; and whether those companies have been subject to financial

sanctions for the website's faults.


To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish all recent correspondence

between his Department and the contractor responsible for the Childcare Choices

website.

Elizabeth Truss:

This Childcare Choices website brings together all the government schemes which

offer support towards childcare costs. Binary Vision is the external contractor that

hosts the site. This website has not experienced any significant technical faults.

It is not the Government’s practice to release correspondence between departments

and their contactors since it may be commercially sensitive.

Tulip Siddiq: [126261]

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have (a) applied and (b) had

their applications rejected for the tax free childcare scheme in Hampstead and Kilburn

constituency since that schemes introduction.

Elizabeth Truss:

Information on the number of people who have applied for Tax-Free Childcare by

constituency is not available at the current time.




Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

Peter Dowd: [126222]

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value of the UK's foreign exchange

reserves was in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015, (d) 2016 and (e) 2017.

John Glen:

The UK’s official reserves consist of foreign exchange reserves, gold and IMF special

drawing rights. The value of these at the end of (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015, (d),

2016, and (e) 2017 were as follows: -

END OF YEAR UK OFFICIAL RESERVES OF WHICH, UK FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES

(a) 2013 $108.8bn $66.2bn

(b) 2014 $109.1bn $72.1bn

(c) 2015 $130.5bn $95.3bn

(d) 2016 $136.6bn $100.6bn

(e) 2017 $158.6bn $114.4bn

Offshore Industry: Taxation

Ross Thomson: [125217]

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential

economic benefits arising from the proposals on transferable tax history in the oil and gas

sector set out in Autumn Budget 2017.

Robert Jenrick:

At the Autumn Budget, the government announced it would introduce a Transferable

Tax History for oil & gas companies. This will give investors in UK oil and gas fields

certainty that they will be able to get tax relief for decommissioning assets. This

should encourage new investment in older oil and gas fields, keeping them producing

for longer and supporting employment.

The main industry body, Oil and Gas UK, in response to the Budget announcement

have said that a Transferable Tax History would be ‘a vital step that can bring in new

investment to increase recovery from existing fields and fund fresh investment which

is key to generating activity for our hard-pressed supply chain. It will also help extend

the lives of many mature fields and postpone decommissioning.’

This builds on the £2.3bn of fiscal support the government has already provided to

the UK oil and gas industry, including a package of tax cuts across Budget 2015 and

2016, £40m of funding for seismic surveys to support exploration, and the



introduction of a new Investment Allowance. As a result, the UK now has one of the

most competitive tax regimes in the world for oil and gas, further supporting

investment and jobs.

Profits: Taxation

Jo Stevens: [126227]

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps the Government has taken to

ensure that companies pay appropriate tax on profit generated in the UK.

Mel Stride:

The Government is committed to ensuring companies pay their fair share.

The UK has been at the forefront of the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting

(BEPS) project and implemented many of its recommendations into domestic

legislation.

This includes, in the recent Finance (No. 2) Act 2017, introducing rules that prevent

large multinational companies avoiding tax by claiming excessive tax deductions for

interest expense.

Self-assessment: Fines


To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many self-assessment penalty fines were

revoked in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16, (c) 2016-17 and (d) 2017-18.

Mel Stride:

The information requested is not available. HMRC does not keep a central count of

penalties discharged in each year.

South Sudan: Arms Trade

Tom Brake: [125213]

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2017 to

Question 109574, on South Sudan: arms trade, what progress has been made on the

assessment of the alleged supply of arms by a British company to the Government of

South Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Mel Stride:

HMRC does not comment on individual cases. In any case where a breach of export

control legislation may have taken place, all relevant information is considered

carefully so that the appropriate action can be taken.

Tax Evasion: EU Action


To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to co-

operate with EU agencies to prevent tax evasion after the UK leaves the EU.





Mel Stride:

The UK has led international efforts to tackle tax evasion and avoidance, including

through the development of the Common Reporting Standard for the automatic

exchange of financial account information, and the OECD Base Erosion and Profit

Shifting project. Leaving the European Union will not reduce our resolve to tackle

these issues.

Taxation: EU Action


To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government supports the European

Commission's proposed Directive on country-by-country reporting of profits and tax.

Mel Stride:

The Government has set out its objective for a model of public country-by-country

reporting agreed on a multilateral basis.

The UK will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission’s

proposal as a step towards this.

Treasury: Child Care Vouchers


To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employees in his Department make

use of the childcare voucher scheme.

Robert Jenrick:

112 employees of HM Treasury make use of the childcare voucher scheme. The

childcare voucher scheme is a salary sacrifice scheme which means that an

employee agrees to a reduction in their taxable salary, and receives the equivalent

amount in childcare vouchers instead.

Virgin Trains East Coast


To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the

cost to the public purse of the early termination of the East Coast rail franchise with

Stagecoach.

Elizabeth Truss:

As confirmed in the Secretary of State for Transport’s Oral Statement on Monday 5th

February, his Department is conducting a full appraisal of the options available to the

Government to ensure continuity of service. This includes the service being operated

by the Department for Transport through an operator of last resort and Stagecoach

continuing to operate the service. In either scenario, the East Coast Mainline is

expected to deliver substantial revenue to the taxpayer.




Welfare Tax Credits

Chris Stephens: [125807]

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 35 of the HMRC Annual

Report and Accounts 2016-17, what the cut-off date is after which no new tax credits

claims will be taken.

Elizabeth Truss:

For the majority of customers, the current cut-off date for HMRC accepting new tax

credit claims is 31st December 2018. Specifically for those customers with 2+ children

or of Pension Credit Qualifying Age, the cut-off date is extended to 31st January 2019.

These dates may be subject to change in order to align with DWP’s Universal Credit

migration schedule.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: [125767]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current manning liability is of (a) The

Royal Navy, (b) The Army and (c) the RAF.

Mark Lancaster:

This information is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/659404

/20171001_-_SPS.pdf

Armed Forces: Recruitment


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on

recruiting rejoiners to the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Army and (c) RAF in each of the last five

years.

Mark Lancaster:

This information is not held in the format requested.

Armed Forces: Training


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate his Department has made of the

costs to the public purse of military training in 2017.

Mark Lancaster:

The Ministry of Defence undertakes a wide range of training activity; from Phase 1

and Phase 2 training for new recruits, through to complex joint exercises with other

nations to specialist training for specific trades and skills requirements, such as





nuclear engineering. The costs for these activities encompass nearly all the Defence

Lines of Development and could not be broken out without incurring disproportionate

cost.

Army: Training


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding his Department plans to provide

for officer training corps units in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Wales, (d) Scotland

and (e) the UK in the current financial year.

Mark Lancaster:

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 November 2017 to Question

112448 to the hon. Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson), which includes the

planned funding for University Officer Training Corps for financial year 2017-18.

Attachments:

1. 112448 - WQnA extract on Reserve Forces [Hansard Extract 15 November 2017 HOC

112448.docx]

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Royal Navy and (b) RAF ab

initio student pilots are training to fly UK F-35 aircraft.


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Royal Navy and (b) RAF ab

initio student pilots his Department plans to be fully trained to fly the F-35 by that aircraft's

forecast initial operational capability in late-2018.

Mark Lancaster:

It is planned that there will be four ab initio pilots, two Royal Navy and two Royal Air

Force, fully trained to fly the F-35 aircraft on 617 Squadron when it becomes

operational in 2018. The Lightning Force's first operational squadron will have a total

strength of 14 pilots.


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the F-35B first-of-class flying trials on

board HMS Queen Elizabeth are due to begin.

Guto Bebb:

We will begin first-of-class flying trials for F-35B on board HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH

in the autumn.





Military Aircraft

Jamie Stone: [125399]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the Royal Airforce aircrafts (a)

Panavia Tornado GR4, (b) Eurofighter Typhoon and (c) Chinook Helicopters were

serviceable on the first day of each month of 2016.

Guto Bebb:

The number of RAF Tornado and Typhoon aircraft and Chinook helicopters in the

Forward and Sustainment Fleets at the beginning of each month for 2016 is shown

below:

TORNADO TYPHOON CHINOOK

Month2016 Forward

Fleet

Sustainment

Fleet

Forward

Fleet

Sustainment

Fleet

Forward

Fleet

Sustainment

Fleet

January 49 37 92 40 35 25

February 49 36 91 41 37 23

March 51 32 89 43 40 20

April 49 32 91 41 43 17

May 47 33 90 42 41 19

June 46 32 91 41 43 17

July 45 31 91 43 44 16

August 48 26 89 45 41 19

September 48 26 88 46 40 20

October 48 24 88 46 40 20

November 44 26 90 44 41 19

December 46 23 90 44 42 18

The Forward Fleet comprises serviceable and short term unserviceable aircraft.

Typically, the short term unserviceable aircraft are undergoing minor works, forward

maintenance or any other unforeseen rectification or technical inspection that can

arise on a day-to-day basis. The sustainment fleet includes aircraft airframes

undergoing upgrade or maintenance or being held in storage. The number of aircraft

available varies day-to-day, according to normal fleet management activities.


Ministry of Defence: Cost Effectiveness


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the

value of the savings his Department must generate by the end of 2020-21.

Gavin Williamson:

In the 2015 Spending Review, the Ministry of Defence agreed to an efficiency target

of £7.4 billion between 2016 and 2021.

RAF Valley

Hywel Williams: [125689]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many jobs BAE Systems contracts

sustains at RAF Valley.

Guto Bebb:

BAE Systems currently employs 78 people at RAF Valley.

Trident

Martyn Day: [126060]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make the use of Trident conditional

upon not being used at 10 knots per hour or more or at a height of less than 200 metres

above land.

Gavin Williamson:

It is UK policy that we do not comment on matters relating to the activity or operations

of our deterrent for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

Type 45 Destroyers


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2018 to

Question 125089, what progress has been made on assessing the potential of the Royal

Navy's Type 45 Destroyers to operate in a ballistic missile defence role.

Guto Bebb:

The Royal Navy has continued to explore the potential for Type 45 Destroyers to

operate in a ballistic missile defence role. However, I will withhold further detail as

disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or

security of the Armed Forces.

USA: Armed Forces

Alex Sobel: [125360]

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the role of British Forces stationed at

Nellis Air Force base is.






Mark Lancaster:

There are no British Forces stationed at Nellis Air Force Base.

World War I: Anniversaries


To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to support

commemorations of the First World War during 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster:

The Government and the nation will never forget the service and sacrifice of those

who served during the First World War. It is our duty to remember and honour the

fallen.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has contributed significantly to the Government's

four-year First World War commemorative programme, both at home and abroad,

and continues to do so; the programme is led by the Department for Digital, Culture,

Media and Sport (DCMS). This is in addition to single Service initiatives delivered at,

for instance, Regimental (or equivalent) level.

In 2018 the MOD will further support the Government's programme at a

commemorative event to mark the appointment of Marshal Foch as Supreme Allied

Commander on the Western Front, a service to mark the Battle of Amiens, and at a

number of events throughout the UK to mark the 100th Anniversary of the Armistice,

including the traditional London-based Cenotaph Service.

DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadcasting: Licensing

Tom Watson: [126156]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the

Answer of 29 January 2018 to Question 124468, what progress the Government is

making on ensuring that existing broadcasting licence arrangements with the EU continue

during the implementation period.

Margot James:

It is in the interests of both the UK and the European Union to agree the precise

terms of the implementation period as quickly as possible, in order to provide vital

certainty to businesses, including those in the broadcasting sector.

As the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union has recently stated, we are

confident that there is a broad agreement between the UK and the EU positions on

the implementation period, and that we will come to an agreement by March. We

expect that this should be based on the existing structure of EU rules and regulations,

during which the UK and the EU would continue to have access to one another’s

markets on current terms. This would indeed cover the Audiovisual Media Services



Directive (AVMSD) which governs the pan-EU broadcasting legislation and allows the

UK-based broadcasting licensees to broadcast into the EU.

Culture: Education


To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent meetings

he has had with educational organisations to discuss arts, music and culture in schools.

Michael Ellis:

Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.

European City of Culture


To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent

representations he has made to the European Commission on its decision to exclude UK

cities from bidding for the European City of Culture 2023.

Michael Ellis:

The matter was raised urgently with the European Commission after we were

informed of their decision to discontinue UK cities' participation in the European

Capital of Culture programme, and discussions are ongoing.

Exercise: Children

Philip Davies: [125557]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he

has made of the effect of the Active Movement programme on activity levels amongst

children.

Tracey Crouch:

The cross-Government sport strategy, Sporting Future, set out how important it is for

all children to be healthy and active. The Active Movement programme aims to

combat sedentary behaviour, and we would be happy to meet them to discuss

effective ways to encourage children and young people to enjoy active lifestyles.

Football: Gender


To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has had

discussions with the (a) Premier and (b) Football Leagues on improving the gender

balance among its Chief Executives; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch:

No such discussions have taken place. The Premier League and English Football

League are private companies, wholly owned by their member clubs. It is entirely up

to the boards of those organisations whom they appoint to the role of Chief





Executive. Sports organisations are aware of the importance of good governance and

more diversity into leadership positions can only be good for the sport.

Lotteries: Regulation


To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his

Department plans to reform the regulations on society lotteries.

Tracey Crouch:

We are carefully considering the issues around society lotteries raised by the Culture,

Media and Sport Select Committee and continue to take advice from the Gambling

Commission as we consider policy options.

Nuisance Calls


To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many complaints

relating to (a) automated and (b) live telesales calls have been received by the

Information Commissioner's Office since 2016; how many fines were issued by that Office

against offending companies in that same period; and how many of those fines were for

the maximum possible amount.

Margot James:

The Information Commissioner's Office is responsible for investigating concerns

raised about and taking enforcement action against automated and live telesales

calls. The Information Commissioner's Office publish these statistics in their annual

report at https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/our-information/annual-operational-reports-

201617/unlawful-marketing-reports-and-concerns/ and on their website at

https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/nuisance-calls-and-messages/.

EDUCATION

Apprentices: Pay

Stephanie Peacock: [R] [126280]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2018

to Question 123942, whether it is his policy that apprentices transferred from Carillion

Training Services will be paid beyond the end of January; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton:

We have taken steps to protect learners by transferring the training of all Carillion

apprentices to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). CITB has already

secured new employment, with wages, for over half of the apprentices and are

working progressively to find alternative employers for all those affected. At present, it

has been agreed that all former Carillion apprentices will continue to be paid beyond

31 January, whilst alternative employers are being sought.




Children's Centres: Inspections



to Question 124199 on children's centre inspections, what steps his Department has

taken to ensure that future inspections are fit for purpose.

Nadhim Zahawi:

I refer the hon. Member for Batley and Spen to the answer I gave on 2 February 2018

to Question 125731 [http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-

questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-01-30/125731/].

Collective Spirit Multi-Academy Trust

Lucy Powell: [126233]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) capital and (b) school funding

the Collective Spirit Multi Academy Trust has received since its foundation.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The total capital costs for the Collective Spirit Free School, including construction and

acquisition costs are £2,415,800. From September 2013 to August 2017, Collective

Spirit Free School received £4,631,366 in school funding which is made up of four

elements - School Block, Pupil Premium, Year 7 Catch-up and Rates. School funding

data is in the public domain on GOV.UK.

Department for Education: Child Care Vouchers

Angela Rayner: [126258]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many employees in his Department

make use of the childcare voucher scheme.

Anne Milton:

There are 886 employees in receipt of childcare vouchers in the Department for

Education. This includes employees in the department’s Executive Agencies which

include the Education and Skills Funding Agency, the National College for Teaching

and Leadership and the Standards and Testing Agency.

Department for Education: Official Engagements


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish (a) his, (b) his Ministers' and

(c) his Parliamentary Under-Secretary of States' ministerial diary entries for 18 January

2018 with information relating to each event.

Anne Milton:

Ministers’ diaries hold a range of meetings, including regular meetings with

departmental officials, meetings with external stakeholders, and visits to a various

organisations. Details of all Ministerial meetings with external organisations for





January will be published on GOV.UK in due course:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-ministers-quarterly-returns.

Department for Education: Telephone Services

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [126173]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will provide a list of the helplines his

Department funds for (a) special education needs and disabilities, (b) looked after

children, (c) adopted children and (d) children in kinship care; and helplines her

Department funds for use by (i) carers, (ii) parents and (iii) children.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The Department for Education currently funds the following helplines:

National Adoption Gateway (First4Adoption), a national information service for

people interested in adopting a child in England.

Foster Line, which offers free confidential help and support to new and prospective

foster carers.

Family Rights Group, who offer free, comprehensive, specialist support, including

legal advice, to all parents whose children are at risk of being taken into care and

to family and friends carers (kinship carers).

ChildLine, a safe number for children to call confidentially for help and advice about

a wide range of issues.

Coram Children’s Legal Centre Child Law Advice Service, who provide free legal

advice and representation to children.

Gingerbread, who provide expert advice and practical support for single mums and

dads in England and Wales.

Coram Voice - Always Heard, an advocacy advice service used as a safety net for

children who, for whatever reason, are denied access to advocacy locally.

Family Lives, who offer a confidential and free helpline service for information,

advice, guidance and support on any aspect of parenting and family life, including

bullying.

Family Matters Institute, who provide advice on matters concerning marriage,

family life and relationships, working through Digital Services, Training and

Research.

Contact, who provide a Freephone helpline for parents of children with special

educational needs and disabilities.

Family Fund Trust, who provide a telephone service with essential information for

families with disabled and seriously ill children who are looking to apply for a grant.

KIDS, who provide a telephone voicemail line for professionals from local

authorities to inform the team if they would like support to develop SEND

participation in their area, as well as to share good practice examples.


The department also provides a grant to the NSPCC Helpline, which is a number

adults can call to get advice or share their concerns about a child, anonymously if

they wish.

Education and Skills Funding Agency

Gordon Marsden: [126221]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria were used to determine the

composition of the interim management board of the Education and Skills Funding

Agency.

Anne Milton:

Following the creation of the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in April

2017, the governance of the agency was agreed and included a Management Board

to provide strategic leadership and direction, and to challenge and advise on the

overall performance of the ESFA.

In the interests of good governance, ESFA put in place interim arrangements for the

Management Board whilst the public appointments process proceeded.

The criteria used were that the interim board be made up primarily of members who

had served on the Education Funding Agency or Skills Funding Agency

management/advisory boards. All except one were appointed through the public

appointments process. An additional member was invited to take up a position

temporarily, but as they have not been publically appointed, this interim appointment

will be until August 2018 and aims to enable a wider breadth of membership during

the period while the formal appointments are being made.

These arrangements provide the stability and expertise needed to ensure a smooth

transition to the ESFA and a sound governance structure for ESFA.

Educational Psychology

Luciana Berger: [125990]


to Question 125058, how many educational psychologists were employed in each local

authority in each year for which information is available.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The attached table provides the number of educational psychologists (EPs) that were

reported as being directly employed by each local authority in November 2010 to

November 2016. The list excludes local authorities where EP provision has been

outsourced or the provision has been shared with other local authorities. It would also

be open to academies and free schools to obtain their own provision.



The figures may also undercount the actual number of EPs in England and do not

provide a comparable national year-on-year series because it is based on a varying

percentage of local authorities returns in each year (between 91 and 95 per cent).

Attachments:

1. Number of Educational Psychologists 2010-2016 [125990 - table 050218.xlsx]

Foster Care

Mr Barry Sheerman: [125309]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to

ensure that sibling groups in the foster system are placed together.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The statutory framework is clear that local authorities must ensure a placement

enables a child to live with their sibling, if the sibling is also looked after. However, it

is not always possible or appropriate to place sibling groups together. The child’s – or

children’s - best interests are paramount. Where siblings cannot be placed together,

contact should be actively encouraged and facilitated unless this goes against the

child’s best interest.

Every child’s care plan must contain information about the arrangements for

promoting and maintaining contact with siblings who are not placed together.

Mr Barry Sheerman: [125311]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to improve

consistency in foster care payments by area.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The National Minimum Standards for fostering services (NMS) are clear that every

foster parent should receive an allowance that covers the full cost of caring for a

child. The government recommends a minimum allowance that fostering service

providers should pay to their foster parents each week to cover the costs involved in

looking after a child or young person. It is set out as a benchmark standard in the

NMS and offers some consistency in the allowances paid by local authorities.

Whilst it is for local authorities to decide the rate paid to foster parents in their area,

our strong expectation is that foster parents with a child in placement will be paid at

least the national minimum allowance. We know a number of fostering service

providers already base their fostering allowances on rates that are higher than those

recommended by the government.

The National Fostering Stocktake, an independent review of the fostering system in

England, has now concluded. The department will carefully consider any

recommendations made by the review and the Education Select Committee on

payments to foster parents. The government response will be published in spring

2018.



Pre-school Education: Food

Dan Jarvis: [126244]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will extend the statutory

school food standards to all early-year settings.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The Early Years Foundation Stage framework welfare requirement is that where food

and drink is provided by early years settings, this must be ‘healthy, balanced and

nutritious’. We have recently published example menus and guidance to help early

years settings meet this requirement, which can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/example-menus-for-early-years-settings-

in-england. Maintained nursery schools and nursery units within primary schools

must continue to meet the mandatory food-based standards for school lunches.

Primary Education: Nurseries


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information he holds on the proportion

of primary schools which do not have a nursery attached.

Nadhim Zahawi:

According to January 2017 statistics on schools, pupils and their characteristics,

around 56% of state funded primary schools did not have any nursery pupils

registered at the school. Figures for 2018 will be published later this year.

Pupil Referral Units

Jo Platt: [125156]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupil referral units have applied to

convert to academy status in each of the last five years; and how many pupil referral units

have converted to (a) alternative provision academies and (b) other forms of special

school in that same period.

Nadhim Zahawi:

Between 2013 and 2018 70 Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) have applied to convert to

academy status, as shown in table 1 below. Please note that schools may apply more

than once. Where this has been the case, we have taken the most recent application

date.

During the same period, 76 PRUs have converted to alternative provision academies,

as shown below. No PRU has opened as any other form of special school.




Table 1. Number of Pupil Referral Units that applied to convert to an academy,

and number of PRUs opened as alternative provision academies 2013-2018

YEAR OF APPLICATION

NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS FROM

PRUS

NUMBER OF PRUS OPENED AS

ALTERNATIVE PROVISION ACADEMIES[1]

2013 14 16

2014 6 14

2015 13 14

2016 17 14

2017 20 15

2018 0 3

Total 70 76

Source: Internal Management Information and Get Information about Schools extract

(January 2018).

[1] This includes PRUs that converted as either a sponsored or converter alternative

provision academy and some may not have submitted an application.

Schools: Finance


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional funding his Department

provides to schools with child refugees and pupils with English as a second language in

(a) England and (b) Yorkshire and Humber.

Nick Gibb:

The national funding formula will allocate £404 million across England and £32 million

to Yorkshire and the Humber to support children with English as an additional

language. These figures are based on the formula being implemented in full based on

2017-18 data.

The Department does not provide additional funding to schools specifically for child

refugees. However, schools attract funding through the pupil premium if a child

refugee is looked after by a local authority, or through the national funding formula if

the child is classed as having English as an additional language (as outlined above)

or other additional needs such as low prior attainment.

Schools receive £1,900 through the pupil premium for every child attending their

school who is looked after by a local authority.


Special Educational Needs: Finance

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: [125249]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding he plans to allocate to the

National SENCO Forum over the next three years.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The department does not provide direct funding to the National SENCO Forum. We

recognise that the National SENCO Forum is a valuable online resource, which is

why we host the IT platform that supports it on the Department for Education

GOV.UK website. We are committed to working closely with the Chair of the forum to

secure the future of the SENCO Forum and ensure it is accessible to as many users

as possible.

Bim Afolami: [125288]

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to increase (a) financial

and (b) other support for schools with a high proportion of SEN pupils.

Nadhim Zahawi:

The government is allocating £6 billion in high needs funding to local authorities in

2018/19. Local authorities are required to delegate funds to a level that enables

schools to meet the additional cost of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

up to £6,000 per annum, and should also allocate additional top-up funding to cover

excess costs when required. The local authority can also choose to give additional

funding from its high needs budget to schools that have a disproportionate number of

pupils with SEN.

If a school has concerns about the level of funding they receive for their pupils with

SEN, they should discuss those concerns with their local authority. For further

information, please see paragraph 81 of the high needs funding operational guide,

available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-

arrangements-2018-to-2019.

Teachers


To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the

level of demand for new teachers in each region of England during 2017-18; and if he will

make a statement.

Nick Gibb:

The Department uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate national

postgraduate Initial Teacher Training (ITT) place requirements for primary and each

secondary subject to meet future demand. As a national model, the TSM is not used

to assess teachers needed in each region. The most recently published model

(covering 2018/19 ITT) is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tsm-

and-initial-teacher-training-allocations-2018-to-2019. Models relating to previous ITT

recruitment rounds can be found via the same link.



https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-needs-funding-arrangements-2018-to-2019




To support ITT providers we have also published a range of analysis on local teacher

supply in the first two teachers analysis compendiums:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/teachers-analysis-compendium-2017

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/teachers-analysis-compendium-2.

Data on the number of teacher trainees recruited to ITT may be found within the ITT

census publication. The number of new trainees per region is found in table 9. The

latest published data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-

teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2017-to-2018.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tim Farron: [126174]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how he plans for

the Basic Payment Scheme to operate in 2020; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice:

This Government has pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for

farm support until the end of the parliament, expected in 2022.

We will consult widely about how we should transition to our future agriculture policy

and intend to publish a consultation document in the Spring.

Air Pollution: Monitoring


To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the

Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118838, and with reference to the report of the

Air Quality Expert Group on fine particulate matter in the UK of December 2012, if he will

take steps to monitor emissions of particulate matter that is less than 2.5 microns in

diameter.

Dr Thérèse Coffey:

Our existing Particle Numbers and Concentrations Network measures characteristics

of particles smaller than PM2.5 such as particle number and particle count and

comprises a range of measurements across six different locations in the UK.

Information on the network can be found on our website at: https://uk-

air.defra.gov.uk/networks/network-info?view=particle

This network is used to provide insight into emissions and formation of particles and

is operated alongside our extensive PM 2.5 mass measurements made at 77 locations

in the UK, as referred to in my previous answer of 19 December [Question 118838].





https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/initial-teacher-training-trainee-number-census-2017-to-2018





https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/networks/network-info?view=particle



Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Drinking Water

Tim Farron: [124512]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money

his Department has spent on bottled water in each year since 2010.

George Eustice:

Since 2014, the amount of money spent on purchasing water bottles by Defra’s

catering provider has fallen by over a third. Defra as a Department does not purchase

any plastic water bottles.

PERIOD SPEND

October 2014 - September 2015 £7,070.14



Total £15,581.57

The contractor does not hold this level of data for more than 3 years.

The current catering contract expires this summer. The tender for the new contract

stipulates that the supplier must not use plastic bottles and single use plastics. Re-

usable glasses are now supplied.

Environment Protection

Julian Sturdy: [125846]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his

Department plans to introduce legislation to implement the targets set out in the

Government's 25-Year Environment Plan.


The 25 Year Environment Plan is a strategic document with clear aims and ambitions

to leave the environment in a better state for the next generation than we inherited.

This is underpinned by a series of strategies that already have some specific targets

in place, including statutory targets. Those strategies are also updated from time to

time, and future updates will help ensure the plan remains relevant.

We have committed to refreshing the 25 Year Environment Plan regularly to ensure

that collectively we are focusing on the right priorities, using the latest evidence, and

delivering better value for money.

Food and Drink Sector Council

Bill Esterson: [125827]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether

membership of the food and drink sector council will include workforce representatives.




George Eustice:

The Food and Drink Sector Council is made up of industry leaders who represent the

entire food chain from farm to fork. They are experts who have a breadth of

experience across the sector including farming, manufacturing, retail, hospitality and

logistics.

A list of Council members can be found on the Food and Drink Sector Council pages

of the GOV.UK website.

The Council is committed to boosting productivity, improving sustainability and

creating well paid jobs within the sector.

There will be opportunities for a wide range of industry views to be represented in the

priority areas of work that the Council agreed at its first meeting held on 29 January.

Railways: Exhaust Emissions

Alex Norris: [125395]

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the

Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118503, whether his Department has made an

assessment of the potential effect of diesel particulates from bi-mode trains on the health

of passengers, railway workers and people who live near to railway lines.


I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given on 05 February 2018, PQ

125393.

EXITING THE EUROPEAN UNION

Brexit

Antoinette Sandbach: [125975]

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when he first received the

document EU Exit Analysis – Cross Whitehall Briefing.

Mr Robin Walker:

The document to which the honorable member refers is preliminary analysis in

support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. It is not representative of

Government policy. The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union first saw

this document on the evening of the 29th January. This work is part of a wider

ongoing programme of analysis being undertaken across Government. The Secretary

of State has been updated on the progress of this work periodically.

Tom Brake: [126046]

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has made an

assessment of the implications for the debate on leaving the EU of the arguments

published by Marie Demetriou QC, Jessica Simor QC and Tim Ward QC stating that

Article 50 can be rescinded.




Mr Robin Walker:

The Government has consistently made clear that notification under Article 50 will not

be withdrawn. The British people voted to leave the EU and the Government is

committed to deliver on their instruction.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Burma: Armed Conflict

Paul Scully: [125343]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he made

representations to the Government of Burma after the reported air strike by the Burmese

military on an amber mining camp in Noije, Kachin State, on 26 January 2018.

Mark Field:

The UK is concerned about the apparent intensification of conflict in Kachin State,

including credible reports of human rights abuses and violations. We raised our

concerns at the UN Human Rights Council on 19 September 2017 but will do so

again as soon as is appropriate. The British Ambassador in Rangoon visited Kachin

State from 8 to 10 January to discuss the situation with local political and religious

leaders as well as UN and NGO representatives, and to visit an Internally Displaced

Persons camp.

Ethiopia: Counter-terrorism

Emily Thornberry: [125406]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has

made recent representations to his counterpart in Ethiopia on the potential reform of that

country’s anti-terrorism laws; and if he will make a statement.

Boris Johnson:

The British Government regularly raises with the Ethiopian Government the need for

the opening up of political space in Ethiopia. Most recently, during the Fourth UK-

Ethiopia Human Rights Dialogue in November, we made clear to the State Minister of

Foreign Affairs our concerns around the implementation of Ethiopia's Anti-Terrorism

Proclamation.

Ethiopia: Political Prisoners



had recent discussions with his counterpart in the Ethiopian Government on that

government’s recent announcement of plans to release a number of political prisoners;

what estimate he has made of the number of (a) such prisoners released since that

announcement was made, (b) additional such prisoners for whose release plans have

been made; what information he holds on the planned timescale for the release of that

country’s remaining political prisoners; and if he will make a statement.




Boris Johnson:

I have been in contact with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister following the 3 January

announcement by Prime Minister Hailemariam to welcome this positive signal of

movement towards opening up political space in Ethiopia. According to Ethiopia's

Attorney General, the first group of detainees was released around 17 January and

included 528 prisoners who had been charged but not convicted. On 26 January, the

President of Oromia Regional State announced that over 2,000 prisoners were

included in a further release in that region. A separate process, expected to take

around two months, will consider pardons for prisoners who have already been

convicted at the federal level. The Ethiopian Government has given no indication of

the numbers involved. The British Government will remain in close contact with the

Ethiopian authorities as they take this forward.

Hezbollah

Zac Goldsmith: [126168]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment

he has made of the effect of ongoing UK dialogue with Hezbollah on that organisation’s

stance on terrorism.

Alistair Burt:

There is no ongoing UK dialogue with Hizballah, with whom the UK maintains a no

contact policy.

Israel: Palestinians



made representations to the Palestinian Authority to encourage that body to accept the

Israeli invitation to return to direct peace negotiations without preconditions.

Alistair Burt:

The UK continues to press both the Israelis and Palestinians to engage in direct

negotiations that will lead to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and

sovereign Palestinian state. The Foreign Secretary and I reiterated our support for a

negotiated two-state solution when we met Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-

Malki in London on 8 January. I also encouraged the Palestinians to re-engage in

peace negotiations when I spoke to Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki on 21 January.

Lebanon: Elections


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is

taking to help ensure that the forthcoming parliamentary election in Lebanon is conducted

in a free and fair manner.




Boris Johnson:

We look forward to the holding of parliamentary elections in Lebanon on 6 May 2018.

We regularly raise with the Lebanese Government the importance of the elections

taking place on time and according to international standards. Our Ambassador to

Lebanon discussed this most recently with Foreign Minister Bassil on 15 January and

President Aoun on 29 January. The UK is funding a number of programmes to

support successful, free and fair Lebanese elections. This includes a project on

parliamentary transparency and monitoring and projects to increase the proportion of

female MPs by supporting female candidates and supporting advocacy for greater

women's representation.

Lebanon: Human Rights



made recent representations to his counterpart in Lebanon on the establishment of a

National Human Rights Institute as required under Lebanese law; and if he will make a

statement.

Boris Johnson:

I have not raised the issue myself with the Lebanese Foreign Minister, but our

Ambassador to Lebanon has made regular representations. On 13 December we

issued a statement welcoming Prime Minister Hariri's comments which said that the

institute would be independent and receive due funding.

Lebanon: Politics and Government

Jim Shannon: [125334]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions

his Department has had with the Lebanese Government to support the stability of that

Government.

Alistair Burt:

The UK holds regular discussions with the Lebanese Government. On 8 December

2017, I met Prime Minister Hariri at the International Support Group for Lebanon in

Paris. I made clear the importance of Lebanon's political stability and reiterated the

UK's commitment to Lebanon's sovereignty and independence. Our Ambassador to

Lebanon regularly raises the importance of this issue, including most recently with

Prime Minister Hariri on 18 January and President Aoun on 29 January.

Lebanon: Protest


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he

has received on the excessive use of force by Lebanese security forces against civilians

taking part in peaceful protests; and if he will take steps to promote the establishment of

an independent mechanism to investigate allegations of such excessive use of force.




Boris Johnson:

We are aware of reports that Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) used unlawful

force against protesters at a demonstration in Beirut in December. We monitor

allegations of human rights abuses closely and encourage the ISF to engage with

these in an open and transparent way.

The UK signed a Memorandum Of Understanding in July 2016 with the ISF that will

provide £13m of funding over three years. This aims to support the police's

capabilities to better manage internal security with respect to human rights standards

and to gain the trust of the community it serves.

Lebanon: Trials



made recent representations to his counterpart in Lebanon on civilians being brought to

trial in military courts; and if he will make a statement.

Boris Johnson:

We have not raised this specific issue with the Lebanese Government. However, the

UK monitors these courts closely and we regularly raise the issue of human rights

with the Lebanese Government and security agencies. We encourage both to engage

with any allegations of human rights violations in an open and transparent way.

Lebanon: UN Interim Force in Lebanon



he has made of progress on establishing ways to increase UNIFIL’s visible presence in

southern Lebanon as set out in paragraph 15 of UN Security Council Resolution 2373.

Boris Johnson:

The UK commends the work of UNIFIL in maintaining calm and stability in southern

Lebanon over the last 11 years. This is vital for peace, stability, and the security of

Lebanon and Israel. We welcome the steps UNIFIL has taken to fulfil UN Security

Council Resolution 2373 by increasing the number and quality of land and air patrols

in closer cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces.



he has made of the adequacy of UNIFIL's powers under its current mandate to (a) detect

and (b) disrupt any illicit arms transfers to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Boris Johnson:

The UK commends the work of UNIFIL in maintaining calm and stability in southern

Lebanon over the last 11 years. We condemn cases where UNIFIL's mandate has

been obstructed. The mission must be allowed to fulfil its mandate. We therefore

welcomed UN Security Council Resolution 2373 passed in August 2017 which re-




emphasised UNIFIL's right to take all necessary action to resist attempts to prevent it

discharging its duties and a requirement to provide detailed reporting of all violations

of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

North Korea: Oil


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his

Department is taking to prevent illegal oil exports to North Korea.

Mark Field:

The UK welcomed the unanimous adoption of UNSCR 2397 and UNSCR 2375 in

December 2017 and September 2017 respectively. Both include measures to limit the

volume of oil that North Korea can legally import and to greatly reduce the hard

currency income that the DPRK can devotes to its illegal weapons programmes.

UNSCR 2397 aims to limit North Korea’s access to petroleum products by around

50% (the combined effect of all resolutions is an 89% reduction). We have also

pursued additional autonomous measures through the EU, which now includes a full

ban on all oil exports from the EU to North Korea.

We remain vigilant to attempts by North Korea to evade UN sanctions and have

lobbied third countries to effectively implement them swiftly and in full. This includes

lobbying nations to submit reports to the UN 1718 Committee on steps taken to

implement sanctions and to fully cooperate with the UN Panel of Experts in their

investigations into potential sanctions violations. HMT advises regulated entities to

consider the DPRK as high-risk for money laundering, terrorist financing and transfer

of funds. Suspicions of these activities must be reported to Financial Intelligence Unit

at the National Crime Agency.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Tom Brake: [125214]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to

the Troika statement statement on conflict in South Sudan of 12 January 2018, what

steps have been taken to define the consequences for those who violate the Cessation of

Hostilities Agreement of 21 December 2017.

Harriett Baldwin:

The UK welcomes the 25 January communiqué by the Intergovernmental Authority

on Development (IGAD) Council of Ministers on the reports of violations of the

Cessation of Hostilities Agreement. This demands that all parties who have violated

the Agreement submit their own reports to the Ceasefire and Transitional Security

Monitoring Mechanism within one month, including the names of responsible

individuals; and affirms IGAD's willingness to take appropriate action in the case of

non-compliance.

We are working with IGAD to ensure that the consequences for spoilers of the peace

process are clearly set out and rigorously enforced. The UK played a leading role in



securing additional EU sanctions, announced on 2 February, to demonstrate that

those who choose to subvert the peace process or violate any agreements will be

held to account. We strongly support the US arms embargo on South Sudan, also

announced on 2 February, and continue to lobby for a UN arms embargo to address

the flow of arms that is enabling the conflict.

USA: Immigration Controls

Dan Carden: [125425]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions

he has had with his US counterpart on proposals to end the Deferred Action for

Childhood Arrivals programme.

Sir Alan Duncan:

We have not raised the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme. The

programme is a matter for the United States Government.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Richard Burden: [125279]

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent

discussions he has had with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia on the location of and

inspection system for the 17 safe-passage corridors from six points of entry announced

on 22 January 2018.

Alistair Burt:

We continue to engage with the Saudi-led Coalition on its Yemen Comprehensive

Humanitarian Operations Plan (YCHOP). Improving humanitarian access to all of

Yemen is key to alleviating the crisis. Continued access for commercial supplies

including food and fuel through the ports of Hodeidah and Saleef is critical to

ensuring that the Yemeni people get the supplies they so desperately need. The

Coalition has publicly stated that corridor originating points will include Al Khadara, Al

Tuwal, Hodeidah, Mokha, Aden and Marib.

Yemen: Humanitarian Aid


To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent

meetings he has had with the Government of Oman on the provision of humanitarian

assistance to Yemen.

Alistair Burt:

Addressing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a key priority for the UK and we

continue to raise the issue in regular conversations with our regional and international

partners. The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses regional issue with the

Government of Oman, most recently on 24 January during his visit to Oman.






Department is taking to ensure that full humanitarian and commercial access to Hodeidah

port is granted and maintained by the Saudi-led Coalition.

Alistair Burt:

We welcome the announcement on 22 January by the Saudi-led Coalition of an

initiative to address the humanitarian situation in Yemen. Improving humanitarian

access to all of Yemen is key to alleviating the continuing crisis. Continued access for

commercial supplies including food and fuel through the ports of Hodeidah and

Saleef remains critical to ensuring that the Yemeni people get the supplies they so

desperately need. The UK will continue pressing all parties for complete and

unhindered commercial and humanitarian access to all of Yemen.

Yemen: Peace Negotiations



Department is taking to encourage progress on the peace talks between the parties to the

conflict in Yemen.

Alistair Burt:

The UK is playing a leading role in diplomatic efforts, including bringing together key

international actors to try to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen. As part

of this we proposed the Presidential Statement passed at the UN Security Council in

June this year, which called for an end to the fighting and a return to UN-led peace

talks. We are now working urgently with our international and regional partners to

ensure that the Security Council's words are converted into action. We call on all

parties to respect these unified and clear demands from the international community.

More recently, the Foreign Secretary hosted a meeting of his US, Saudi and Emirati

counterparts in our Embassy in Paris on 23 January. They discussed ways of

addressing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, countering weapons smuggling and

refocusing the political track to move towards a peaceful solution to the conflict.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Stephen Timms: [903790]

What progress the NHS has made on meeting the A&E waiting time target by March

2018.

Stephen Barclay:

Latest data shows that over two million people were seen in accident and emergency

(A&E) in December 2017 and despite increasing demand, nearly nine out of 10

people are assessed and then admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours.




The National Health Service is now seeing over 1,800 more patients within four hours

every single day compared to 2009/10.

The Government has given the NHS an additional £1.6 billion to support and improve

performance. The investment will be used to treat a quarter of a million more patients

in A&E and for improved A&E performance, with the overall four hour standard

achieved within the course of next year.

Accountable Care Organisations

Steve McCabe: [903788]

What plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to establish Accountable Care

Organisations in the NHS.

Stephen Barclay:

The proposed regulation changes do not ‘create’ Accountable Care Organisations

(ACOs). It is the awarding of an ACO contract by local commissioners that would

create an ACO. The regulations simply ensure that current rules continue to apply to

any ACO contract. NHS England has promised to publicly consult on the ACO

contract before it is used anywhere in the NHS.

The Department will not bring forward legislation until NHS England has consulted on

the draft ACO contract.

Ankylosing Spondylitis


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessments his

Department have made of the adequacy of the availability of specialist care in the NHS

for people diagnosed with spondyloarthritis conditions.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is

taking to improve the identification and diagnosis of spondyloarthritis conditions in the

NHS.



taking to reduce levels of variation in the quality of care provided in the NHS for people

diagnosed with spondyloarthritis conditions.

Steve Brine:

The Five Year Forward View has made a specific commitment to do more to support

people with long-term conditions and to help them manage their own health. Self-

management increases the likelihood of better clinical outcomes, lower rates of

hospitalisation and less need for emergency care.

Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning services that offer

education and self-management for patients diagnosed with arthritic conditions as





well ensuring local arrangements are in place to coordinate care for people across

primary and secondary (specialist) settings.

In February 2017, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence published the

best practice guideline Spondyloarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management.

The guideline sets out a range of recommendations for clinicians and NHS services,

including around the provision of information and support that patients may benefit

from, such as: advice about symptoms and self-management; contact details for local

and national support organisations; and, information about employment rights and

ability to work. The guideline can be found via the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng65/resources/spondyloarthritis-in-over-16s-diagnosis-

and-management-pdf-1837575441349

Arthritis


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were

diagnosed with (a) spondyloarthritis conditions, (b) ankylosing spondylitis and (c) psoriatic

arthritis in the UK in the last 12 months.

Steve Brine:

This data is not available.

Blood: Contamination

Christine Jardine: [125401]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people who are

beneficiaries of contaminated blood ex-gratia support schemes who (a) have and (b) do

not have inherited bleeding disorders were alive on 11 July 2017 in (i) England, (ii)

Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The figures provided are the number of people registered with the infected blood

payment schemes as of 11 July 2017. It is possible this may include people who are

not alive but their deaths have not been reported to the schemes.

The number of people registered with the infected blood payment schemes

responsible for beneficiaries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at the time of

the announcement on 11 July 2017 was as follows:

ENGLAND WALES NI

With inherited bleeding disorder 1,454 73 59

Without inherited bleeding disorder 1,572 37 123

Data is not available for Scotland as it set up a separate infected blood payment

scheme which was launched on 1 April 2017.

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng65/resources/spondyloarthritis-in-over-16s-diagnosis-and-management-pdf-1837575441349






To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people who are

beneficiaries of contaminated blood ex-gratia support schemes who (a) have and (b) do

not have an inherited bleeding disorder have died since 11 July 2017 in (i) England, (ii)

Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

It is not possible to provide separate figures for those who have and do not have an

inherited bleeding disorder. Not all deaths will have been reported to the current or

former infected blood payment schemes, and cause of death is not recorded, so data

here cannot be considered to be representative of all deaths since 11 July 2017.

The former infected blood payment schemes responsible for beneficiaries in England,

Wales and Northern Ireland ceased operation on 31 October 2017. A new infected

blood support scheme was launched on 1 November 2017 and covers England only.

The data is split to reflect these changes.

Deaths reported to the former infected blood payments schemes between 11 July

2017 - 31 October 2017:

ENGLAND WALES NORTHERN IRELAND

Number of deaths reported 24 1 0

Deaths reported to the England infected blood support scheme between 1 November

2017 - 31 January 2018:

ENGLAND

Number of deaths reported 24

Breast Cancer: Greater London


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29

January 2018 to Question 124907, where the Invitation to Tender documentation for

Central and East London breast screening services was published.

Steve Brine:

The contract opportunity was advertised on the Official Journal of the European

Union and on Contracts Finder in line with applicable procurement legislation and

NHS England’s internal procurement procedures.

The tender documentation was made electronically available to potential bidders on

an online eTendering portal, ProContract, and the aforementioned public

advertisements provided any interested providers the instructions and links to



navigate to and access the tender documentation. Links to these advertisements are

provided below for information:

http://ted.europa.eu/TED/notice/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:388022-2016:TEXT:EN:HTML

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/7b3a8118-bbcb-42f2-bb6c-

4f2a5d024887

Cervical Cancer: Screening



taking to increase the take-up rate for cervical screening in (a) York and (b) England.

Steve Brine:

The North Yorkshire and York Health Improvement Plan includes halting the decline

in cervical screening coverage by delivering additional training to general practice

staff; working with the clinical commissioning group engagement agents and plans to

enlist volunteer cancer champions to attend community events and work with local

businesses to promote cervical screening.

Public Health England (PHE), the Department and NHS England continue to work

together to understand and redress the falling participation in the National Health

Service cervical screening programme. A range of work is being undertaken by PHE

to understand the reasons for the decline in uptake and to support the NHS and local

authorities (LAs) to address them. They include access to timely and useful data for

benchmarking, evidence on best practices to increase uptake among women who

wish to be screened, using governance levers to advice NHS and LAs and working in

partnership with commissioners, providers and charities.

Charles Bonnet Syndrome

Dr Rupa Huq: [125281]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his

Department has taken to raise awareness of Charles Bonnet Syndrome.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made

of trends in the number of diagnoses of Charles Bonnet syndrome since 2010.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of

the cost to the NHS of misdiagnosis of Charles Bonnet syndrome since 2010.



the number of people diagnosed with Charles Bonnet syndrome in (a) each region of the

UK and (b) England.



https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/7b3a8118-bbcb-42f2-bb6c-4f2a5d024887








Steve Brine:

The NHS Choices website provides comprehensive information on a range of

conditions, including Charles Bonnet syndrome. This can be found at:

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/charles-bonnet-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx

The Department does not hold information on the number of people diagnosed with

Charles Bonnet syndrome, nor has any such assessment been made of trends in the

number of diagnoses of Charles Bonnet syndrome in recent years.

No estimate has been made by the Department of the number of misdiagnoses of

Charles Bonnet syndrome or of associated costs to the National Health Service of

misdiagnosis.

Coca Cola and Mars UK


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what meetings officials of his

Department have had with representatives of (a) Coca Cola and (b) Mars in the last

twelve months.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what meetings officials of his

Department have had with representatives of the British Soft Drinks Association in the

last 12 months.

Steve Brine:

Officials from the Department have met with representatives from Coca Cola, Mars

and the British Soft Drinks Association in the last 12 months. Discussions have

included the soft drinks industry levy, sugar reduction and the wider reformulation

programme.

Epilepsy


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been

diagnosed with epilepsy by (a) gender and (b) age in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine:

Information concerning the number of people diagnosed with epilepsy in the last five

years is not available. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

estimates that epilepsy affects between 362,000 and 415,000 people in England.

First Aid

Alex Chalk: [126169]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is

taking to improve public awareness of basic life-saving first aid techniques.







Steve Brine:

Information on first aid techniques is available on the NHS Choices website:

https://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/category.aspx?CategoryID=72

NHS organisations may offer first aid courses for businesses, organisations or

individuals.

In order to further support the National Health Service and local communities, the

Government provided £2 million to make public access defibrillators more widely

available and to increase the numbers of people trained in cardiopulmonary

resuscitation. The national Public Health England ‘Act FAST’ campaign aims to raise

awareness of the symptoms of stroke, teach people what to look out for in

themselves and others, and encourage those who notice the symptoms to call 999.

Food: Advertising


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to limit

children’s exposure to the marketing of food high in fat, salt and sugar.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle

childhood obesity.


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has

had with representatives from social media companies on restricting junk food adverts to

children.

Steve Brine:

We launched ‘Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action’ in August 2016. Our world-

leading plan focuses on actions that are likely to have the biggest impact on reducing

obesity in children and young people. Key measures in the plan include the soft

drinks industry levy, the sugar reduction and wider reformulation programme, and

helping children to enjoy an hour of physical activity every day.

‘Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action’ is available at:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546588/Child

hood_obesity_2016__2__acc.pdf

Current advertising restrictions in the United Kingdom on high fat, salt or sugar

(HFSS) products are among the toughest in the world. Strict new rules came into

effect in July 2017 banning the advertising of HFSS food or drink products in

children’s media. These restrictions apply across all non-broadcast media including in

print, cinema, online and in social media.

In August 2017 we announced £5 million investment in a policy research unit on

childhood obesity to provide a robust evidence, evaluation and research capability






http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/546588/Childhood_obesity_2016__2__acc.pdf



including looking at the impact of marketing on childhood obesity. We will use this,

alongside other reports and data published on progress in delivering our world-

leading childhood obesity plan, to determine whether sufficient progress has been

made and whether alternative levers need to be considered.

My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, has not had any recent

discussions with representatives from social media companies on restricting junk

food adverts to children.

Food: Salt


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to

monitor the food industry's adherence to salt targets set by Public Health England; and if

he will make a statement.

Steve Brine:

In March 2017, Public Health England (PHE) re-published the targets set under the

Public Health Responsibility Deal, Salt Reduction targets for 2017, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/salt-reduction-targets-for-2017

The targets, due to be achieved by the end of 2017, provide guidance to industry on

the levels of salt that they should be aiming to achieve across around 80 individual

product categories.

PHE will publish an assessment of industry’s progress against the targets later this

year.

General Practitioners: Labour Turnover

Tony Lloyd: [903795]

What estimate his Department has made of the number of GPs who plan to leave general

practice in the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine:

We know that one of the main reasons GPs leave general practice is retirement. That

is why we have put in place comprehensive measures to ensure we meet our

commitment of an extra 5,000 GPs in the NHS by 2020. GP Career Plus, the GP

Retention Scheme and the National GP Induction and Refresher Scheme will all help

get valuable experienced GPs back into our NHS. 3,157 GP training places were also

filled in 2017 – the highest number ever.

General Practitioners: Lincolnshire

Sir Edward Leigh: [903794]


taking to attract GPs to work in Lincolnshire.






Steve Brine:

We recognise the acute shortages in general practice, particularly in Lincolnshire.

However, we are advised that there has been recent successful international

recruitment, with 26 international general practitioners (GPs) now working in the

county. Health Education England has offered 85 £20,000 salary supplements in the

past two years to GP trainees who have committed to spend their three year specialty

training in Lincolnshire. This year, for the first time, Lincolnshire has filled all of its GP

trainee positions.

Hospitals: Parking

Lucy Allan: [125352]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans

to revise its 2015 guidance on NHS patient, visitor and staff car parking.

Lucy Allan: [125353]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospitals have

revised their policy on car parking since the publication of his Department's guidance in

October 2015.

Stephen Barclay:

The Department keeps its 2015 guidance on National Health Service patient, visitor

and staff car parking under review.

Data on how many hospitals have revised their policy on car parking since the

publication of the Department’s guidance in October 2015 is not collected centrally.

NHS organisations have the autonomy to make decisions that best suit their local

circumstances, but it is expected they will follow the published NHS patient, visitor

and staff car parking principles.

Life Sciences

Paul Scully: [903789]

What progress the Government has made on implementing the recent life sciences

strategy.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

In December 2017, Government and the life sciences sector agreed a landmark

sector deal that follows on from, and starts to implement, the sector-led Life Sciences

Industrial Strategy.

An Implementation Board for this will convene in the coming weeks to discuss

implementation of the Deal and wider Strategy, with working sub-groups to lead on

specific aspects of the Deal.




Mental Health Services: Migrant Workers


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many EU nationals work in

specialist NHS mental health services.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

Specialised mental health workers are not identified separately in the workforce

statistics. Therefore information is not available in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Young People


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times face-down

restraint was used on people under 18 years-old in mental health units since 2010 to

date.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

As set out in the Mental Health Services Data Set, the total number of prone physical

restrictive interventions for those aged under 18 in 2016/17 was 1,983. This figure is

taken from the first publication of annual figures on the use of restrictive interventions

in inpatient mental health, learning disabilities and autism services and earlier data is

therefore not available. NHS Digital is continuing to review and improve what is

currently an experimental statistical collection.

Mental Health: Young People


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has he made

of the effect of the level of household income on the mental health of under 18 year-olds.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

The ‘Mental Health of Children and Young People in Great Britain’ survey was carried

out in 2004 by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the Department

and the Scottish Executive. It is available at the following link:

http://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB06116

The summary report describes the prevalence of mental disorders among five to 16

year olds as well as the characteristics and behavioural patterns in various categories

and subgroups, including household income.

In 2004 the prevalence of mental disorders was greater among children in families

with a gross weekly household income of less than £100 (16%) compared with those

with an income of £600 or more (5%).

The ONS and NatCen have been conducting the 2017 survey on behalf of NHS

Digital, with publication of the findings expected in late 2018.






Muscular Dystrophy: Medical Treatments

Daniel Zeichner: [125363]


taking to ensure that patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy have access to new

treatments in the NHS.

Steve Brine:

NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised neurological services,

including services for patients with neuromuscular disorders such as Duchenne

Muscular Dystrophy. NHS England is working with the Neurological Alliance in

support of the new national Neurology Advisory Group, which is considering ways to

reduce variation and drive improvement in neurological care. Specialised

neuromuscular care may include referral to local physiotherapy, hydrotherapy or

rehabilitation if appropriate.

Further to this, the Royal College of General Practitioners has developed a learning

module with Muscular Dystrophy UK to help general practitioners have a better

understanding of their role in the management of neuromuscular conditions. It will

also help them recognise the key moments when a patient needs to be referred to a

specialist neuromuscular service.

The National Institute of Care and Health and Care Excellence is currently developing

guidance on the use of eteplirsen (Exondys 51) for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

through its highly specialised technology evaluation programme.

NHS Improvement

Rosie Cooper: [126220]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS Improvement is

an umbrella body in which Monitor and the Trust Development Authority reside with their

individual legal statuses unchanged.

Stephen Barclay:

From 1 April 2016, NHS Improvement is the operational name for an organisation

that brings together the following: Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA),

Patient Safety (including the National Reporting and Learning System), Advancing

Change Team, and Intensive Support Teams. Monitor and the TDA remain separate

legal entities and their status has not changed.

NHS Trusts: Subsidiary Companies


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department

is providing to NHS Trusts who have (a) set up or (b) are in the process of setting up

subsidiary companies within their organisation.




Stephen Barclay:

NHS Improvement has advised that no formal guidance has been issued to National

Health Service trusts who have set up or are in the process of setting up subsidiary

companies within their organisation.

NHS: Drugs


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made

of the implications for his policies of the Office of Health Economics' Report, Routine

Funding in the NHS in the UK of Medicines Authorised Between 2011 and 2016 via the

European Centralised Procedure, published in December 2017.

Steve Brine:

Any robust analysis of medicines use in the United Kingdom will be taken into

account in the development of future medicines policy. The Government wants

patients to be able to benefit from clinically and cost effective new drugs as soon as

possible.

On 3 November, the Government published its response to the Accelerated Access

Review. It set out plans to give patients quicker access to life-changing treatments;

and, make the UK the best place in the world for industry to invest and innovate.

From April 2018, the new Accelerated Access Pathway will mean selected products

with the greatest potential to change lives could be available up to four years earlier

by reducing the time taken to negotiate the evaluation and financial approvals

necessary before the National Health Service can purchase them.

NHS: Negligence

Mr John Baron: [125473]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria the Government

use to determine whether to settle a case before the commencement of legal

proceedings against the NHS; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of

the application of that criteria in 2016-17.

Stephen Barclay:

We have taken this question to relate to claims handled by NHS Resolution. NHS

Resolution is responsible for managing clinical and non-clinical claims against the

National Health Service. It does not deal with claims against general practitioners and

dentists.

NHS Resolution has advised that before the commencement of legal proceedings, an

assessment is made of whether or not there is a legal liability on the part of the NHS.

The vast majority of claims are dealt with under the tort of negligence. This entails

investigating both breach of duty and causation, which involves obtaining the

accounts of factual witnesses, senior staff at the relevant organisation and, usually,

commissioning expert evidence.



NHS Resolution aims to resolve as many claims as possible before legal proceedings

are commenced. There can be many reasons why legal proceedings are issued and

where this is the case, NHS Resolution settles most of these claims out of court. In

2016-17, NHS Resolution:

- Settled 67.8% of claims before the commencement of proceedings;

- Settled 31.5 % of claims after proceedings were commenced;

- Took 0.7% of cases to trial and was successful in 73% of these; and

- Resolved 5,252 clinical claims and 2,618 non clinical claims without the payment of

damages.

NHS: Surveys

Liz McInnes: [126087]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the annual cost to the

NHS is of administrating the Staff Friends and Family Test.

Stephen Barclay:

NHS England are responsible for the Staff Friends and Family Test (FFT) and are

unable to provide a breakdown of the annual cost of administering this test. The Staff

FFT is administered from the same budget and by the same staff who work on the

patient-facing FFT. The Staff FFT accounts for the smaller element of these costs.

In terms of the non-central costs of the FFT process, this is in the hands of local

providers and they are responsible for promoting the FFT tool and its outcomes, but

the costs are normally minimal. NHS England does not collect this information.

During peak activity around the FFT rollout to services in 2014/15, the budget was a

little over £5 million. The central spend allocation has been reducing annually to

reflect the reduction in work as the FFT becomes “business as usual” across NHS

services. In the current year it stands at about £1 million.

NHS: Vacancies

Dan Carden: [903787]

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of vacancies across the NHS.

Stephen Barclay:

Only a very small proportion of shifts are ever left vacant – where a substantive staff

member is not in place, nurse leaders are able to utilise bank and agency staff to

ensure they provide high quality care to their patients. There are now almost 42,700

more professionally qualified clinical staff working in the National Health Service

since 2010, as well as almost 14,200 more nurses on our wards.



Nurses: North Yorkshire

Andrew Jones: [125273]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many nurses were

employed in Harrogate District and North Yorkshire in (a) 2013-2014, (b) 2014-2015 and

(c) 2016-2017.

Stephen Barclay:

NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the number

of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Hospital and Community Health Service nurses and

health visitors in Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which is the main

service provider for north Yorkshire, each year from 2013 to 2017.

NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Nurses and health visitors as

at 31 October each specified year (FTE).

FTE OCTOBER 2013 OCTOBER 2014 OCTOBER 2015 OCTOBER 2016 OCTOBER 2017

Harrogate and

District NHS

Foundation

Trust

766 830 789 1,092 1,081

Source: NHS Digital HCHS workforce statistics

Orphan Drugs


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Office of

Health Economics Report, Comparing Access to Orphan Medicinal Products (OMPs) in

the United Kingdom and other European countries, published in March 2017, what steps

he is taking to develop the Highly Specialised Technology appraisal process at NICE.

Steve Brine:

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body

and is responsible for the methods and processes it uses in the development of its

guidance and recommendations, including through its Highly Specialised

Technologies (HST) programme. NICE periodically reviews its methods and

processes to ensure that they remain fit for purpose for the National Health Service in

England and introduced changes to its methods for the evaluation of technologies

through its HST programme in April 2017 following a public consultation.

Parkinson's Disease


To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were

diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in each of the last five years.




Steve Brine:

This data is not available.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that Parkinson’s

disease may affect up to 160 people per 100,000, with an annual incidence in the

United Kingdom of 15-20 per 100,000.

Patients: Surveys

Liz McInnes: [126086]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has

made of the value of the data collected by the NHS Friends and Family Test.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

NHS England is responsible for the NHS Friends and Family Test. There is currently

a project underway within NHS England’s Insight and Feedback team, which

oversees the Friends and Family Test, to look at what is working best and what can

be improved in relation to the test. NHS England expects to update the current

guidance by April 2019.

Personal Budgets

Anneliese Dodds: [125418]


the average waiting time for money management arrangements for personal care

budgets in social care to be implemented by each local authority; and if he will make a

statement.

Caroline Dinenage:

The Department has not made an estimate of the average waiting time for money

management arrangements for personal budgets implemented by each local

authority.

The Care Act 2014 statutory guidance provides that everyone who is eligible for care

and support will receive a personal budget as part of their care plan. The process of

allocating the personal budget should be completed in a timely manner, proportionate

to the needs to be met. At all times the person should be informed where they are in

the care planning process, what will happen next and the likely timeframes.

Prescription Drugs: Misuse

Cat Smith: [125323]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the terms of reference are

for the forthcoming Public Health England review on addiction to medicine.

Cat Smith: [125325]

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set out the proposed

authors of the forthcoming Public Health England review on addiction to medicine.





Steve Brine:

Public Health England (PHE) will carry out a public-health focused review of

commonly prescribed medicines, authorised for adults who have non-cancer pain,

anxiety, insomnia or depression. The report will be authored by PHE but will include

contributions from academic institutions which will be appointed following a tender

process.

More information about the review, including its scope and the methods that will be

used, is available at:

www.gov.uk/government/news/prescribed-medicines-that-may-cause-dependence-

or-withdrawal

Schools: Nurses


To ask the Minister for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the

proportion of state primary schools which have a school nurse.


To ask the Minister for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the

proportion of state secondary schools which have a school nurse.

Jackie Doyle-Price:

School nurses are not based in or employed by schools and they will usually cover a

cluster of secondary schools and their feeder primary schools. The delivery of

services within schools is for local determination and commissioning for the service is

led by local authorities. Some schools will choose to commission additional school

nursing capacity to meet specific identified public health needs. Due to the variable

nature of a school nurse’s commitments no national data exists on the proportion of

schools that currently have a school nurse.

HOME OFFICE

Asylum

Peter Kyle: [126132]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has

taken to ensure the (a) adequacy and (b) consistency of guidance provided in non-

straightforward asylum cases.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 6.3

of The Home Office response to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and

Immigration’s report: An Inspection of the Home Office’s Asylum Intake & Casework April

– August 2017, whether her department has identified new customer service standards

for non-straightforward asylum cases; and if she will make a statement.

http://www.gov.uk/government/news/prescribed-medicines-that-may-cause-dependence-or-withdrawal








To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department

has on meeting the target to clear 10,000 asylum decision cases by March 2018.

Caroline Nokes:

The decision to designate a case as ‘non straight forward’ must be discussed and

agreed by an officer at least the grade of a Senior Executive Officer to ensure it is

applied appropriately. In addition the guidance on these cases has recently been

reviewed and redistributed across asylum teams to ensure it is applied consistently

and that it does not discriminate against any individual groups.

Asylum Intake and Casework Senior Management have been in consultation with

staff and partners on the new service standards and it is intended that these will be

introduced later this year

Information regarding Asylum data is published as part of the Government’s

Transparency agenda the latest release of which can be found at can be found at tab

as 01q https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-

september-2017/list-of-tables#asylum. This shows that in from April to September

there were 9,883 asylum decisions made.

Asylum: Housing


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the the

procurement documents for the new Asylum Accommodation and Support Services

contracts.

Caroline Nokes:

All Home Office contracts are tendered in compliance with the EU Procurement

Directives, which ensure that there is a transparent and equitable procurement

process

The Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts details and

procurement timescales are available at:

http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:461664-2017:TEXT:EN:HTML

British Nationality


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have had their

British citizenship removed under (a) section 40, Subsection 4A of the British Nationality

Act 1981 since 4 November 2015 and (b) section 40, subsection (i) 2 and (ii) 3 of the

British Nationality Act 1981 in the past two years.

Caroline Nokes:

The Government publishes statistics relating to deprivation of citizenship under

section 40 subsection (4A) of the British Nationality Act 1981 and section 40

subsection (2) on an annual basis. The figure for January 2015 to December 2015


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017/list-of-tables#asylum







can be found in the HM Government Transparency Report: Disruptive and

Investigatory Powers, published in February 2017:


/58597_Cm_9420_Transparency_report_web.pdf

Deportation: Jamaica


To ask the Secretary of State will she place in the Library a copy of the Memorandum of

Understanding between the British Government and Jamaican Government, signed in

2007, on deportations and forced removals from the UK to Jamaica.

Caroline Nokes:

We do not have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Jamaican government

regarding enforced deportations and enforced returns.

However, the Ministry of Justice reports that in 2007, a Memorandum of

Understanding was signed in relation to the operation of a proposed prisoner transfer

agreement between the United Kingdom and Jamaica. As the prisoner transfer

agreement was not ratified the Memorandum of Understanding was not brought into

force.

Drugs: Smuggling


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to

cooperate with the United States and Canada on tackling transatlantic drug crime.

Mr Ben Wallace:

The UK enjoys close and longstanding cooperation with the USA and Canada in

tackling transatlantic drug crime. Joint work involves regular and timely exchange of

operational intelligence, enabling the disruption of drug trafficking via air and sea

routes across the Atlantic.

Carolyn Harris: [126160]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has

made an estimate of the annual profit made organised crime from the illegal drugs market

in the UK.

Mr Ben Wallace:

The 2013 Home Office report, the Cost of Drugs, estimates that Organised Crime

Groups generated £3.7bn in revenue from the illegal drugs market in the UK.


/horr73.pdf

However, it is not possible to provide accurate figures on the profit made from the UK

illegal drugs market. This is due to an absence of official statistics held in relation to

its actual value and the differing "operating costs" of criminal networks. In addition,

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593668/58597_Cm_9420_Transparency_report_web.pdf






https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246390/horr73.pdf



variable factors such as exchange rates and drug purities, influenced by a range of

supply and demand factors, regularly affect retail and wholesale costs.

Firearms: Licensing

Rachael Maskell: [126055]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to

ensure that her Department's guidance is followed correctly by the medical profession

when people apply for a firearms licence.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward

proposals to introduce a standard fee to be charged by all GPs for issuing a firearms

licence.

Mr Nick Hurd:

In accordance with voluntary arrangements introduced in 2016, the police write to the

GP of those applying for a firearms licence to request relevant information regarding

the applicant’s health before the firearms licence is issued. We know that there are

significant variations in how GPs now respond to this request and we have been

discussing with the police, the relevant medical bodies and representatives of

shooting organisations how greater consistency can be achieved in England and

Wales. This includes the issue of fees being charged by GPs for providing initial

information from a check of the applicant’s medical records, recognising that the

decision whether to charge a fee and its level are matters which individual GPs have

been determining.

Forensic Science

Louise Haigh: [126171]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which forensics providers

provide testing services to police forces in criminal cases.

Mr Nick Hurd:

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2nd February 2018 in response to

UIN 124992.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Emma Dent Coad: [125814]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department

holds on the number of applications under the Grenfell Tower relatives policy which were

rejected on grounds that the applicant failed security checks.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases granted a six

month visa under the Grenfell Tower Relatives policy have been refused a further

extension upon application.







To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases received no

response to their application for a visa under the Grenfell Tower relatives policy.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases granted an

initial six-month visa under the Grenfell Tower relatives policy have applied for an

extension.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications under

the Grenfell Tower relatives policy were rejected on grounds that the applicants presence

was not deemed to be conducive to the public good.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how cases that were granted an

initial six-month visa under the Grenfell Tower relatives policy have successfully applied

for an extension.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases have been

rejected on the basis of false claims in regards to applications submitted under the

Grenfell Tower relatives policy.



granted under the Grenfell Tower relatives policy.



refused under the Grenfell Tower Relatives policy.

Caroline Nokes:

The Home Office acted swiftly to grant visas to relatives of those directly affected by

the Grenfell Tower fire. In all cases where the Immigration Rules were not met,

consideration was given to leave outside of the Immigration Rules on exceptional

grounds.

The Grenfell Relatives’ Policy announced on 11 October 2017 allowed relatives

granted a short period of leave outside of the rules, to extend their stay up to six

months from their date of entry to the UK. Existing policies are in place to allow any

relative to apply for further leave to remain in the UK.

We have plans to publish statistics about applications made by survivors and

relatives of victims and survivors in due course, once the data have been properly

assured.








Hezbollah

Nigel Huddleston: [126247]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment the

Government has made of whether Hezbollah is a unified organisation under a single

leadership.

Mr Ben Wallace:

The UK proscription regime distinguishes between the political and military wings of

Hizballah. The UK proscribed Hizballah’s External Security Organisation in March

2001 and in 2008 the proscription was extended to Hizballah’s military apparatus.

Human Trafficking: Vietnam

Vernon Coaker: [R] [125945]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Vietnamese children

have been found in (a) cannabis farms, (b) nail bars, (c) brothels and (d) other situations

that suggest they were the victims of human trafficking in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins:

The National Crime Agency publishes statistics on referrals into the National Referral

Mechanism on a quarterly basis. These statistics includes the breakdown of referrals

for children by nationality and primary exploitation type. Criminal exploitation is

recorded as a sub category of Labour exploitation within the statistics and would

include children found in cannabis farms and nail bars.

The latest published statistics can be found at:

http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-

statistics

Immigrants: Employment

Gill Furniss: [125864]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29

January 2018 to Question 124304, on Immigrants: Employment, whether her Department

has considered allowing people to use alternative forms of ID to prove their employment

status while their immigration documents are processed.

Caroline Nokes:

There are no plans to expand the list of documents an individual can use to

demonstrate a right to work. Acceptable right to work documents are set out in

legislation. Employers seeking to verify an individual’s right to work where there is an

outstanding immigration application, administrative review or appeal can use the

Home Office’s Employer Checking Service. This is designed to ensure that where

individuals have a right to work, employment can commence with minimal delay.



http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-statistics




John Worboys

Liz Saville Roberts: [125844]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, at which police rank would

responsibility reside for decisions to mark as cleared up victims' complaints in respect of

John Worboys.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether information on

complaints made from alleged victims of John Worboys were retained after his conviction.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The investigation of offences is an operational matter for the police· The Home Office

has set no rank requirement for such decisions, which would be a matter for chief

officers on a case by case basis

We do not centrally hold any information relating to complaints from alleged victims of

Worboys. In 2010, the Independent Police Complaints Committee published a report

on police handling of the case, which can be found at

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100406135201/http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/w

orboys_commissioners_report.pdf The report made a number of recommendations

for how the Metropolitan Police should improve its response to victims of sexual

offences.

Key Forensic Services

Catherine West: [125920]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had

with the Metropolitan Police on the collapse of Key Forensic Services.

Mr Nick Hurd:

I have kept in close contact with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and my officials

have also engaged with the Metropolitan Police Service and kept me informed.

Mental Health Services: Stun Guns


To ask the Minister for the Home Department, how many times tasers have been used in

a mental health setting in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office does not hold this data.

However, in recognition of the importance of ensuring transparency in how police

officers use force, particularly against vulnerable people, the Government asked the

police to lead the Use of Force Data Review. The Review recommended that police

forces record and publish a range of data each time force is used, including the

reason force was used, injury data, the gender, ethnicity and age of the subject



http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100406135201/http:/www.ipcc.gov.uk/worboys_commissioners_report.pdf





involved, and the location and outcome of the incident. This includes the use of

TASER® and use of force in mental health settings.

These recommendations were welcomed by the former Home Secretary and the

former Minister for Policing and the Fire Service. A Written Ministerial Statement on 2

March 2017 announced the implementation of the recommendations, with police

forces commencing recording in April last year. Police forces are now publishing their

data locally, and a subset of the data will be provided to the Home Office as part of

the Annual Data Requirement 2017/18 – and annually thereafter. The Home Office

will publish the first annual report on this data in summer 2018.

Migrant Workers

Anneliese Dodds: [125559]


January 2018 to Question 124494, what assessment she has made of the effect of

removing the named worker system on the effectiveness and efficiency of the immigration

application system.

Caroline Nokes:

In most instances, a single caseworker will consider an individual’s application and

correspond with that applicant as appropriate in order to make a decision. However,

on occasion an application may be considered by a different caseworker, for example

due to absence. In addition, and to provide excellent customer service, the

department has correspondence teams who can respond to case specific enquiries

from applicants, and MP account manager teams who can provide a similar service

for members. This aids in the effective operation and efficiency of the department.

Parking Offences: Pedestrian Areas

Sir Mike Penning: [126099]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many parking tickets were

issued by the (a) Police and (b) PCSOs in (i) Dacorum, (ii) Hertfordshire and (iii) England

and Wales for obstruction of pavements in each year since 2005.

Sir Mike Penning: [126100]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much revenue was accrued

to the public purse as a result of parking tickets issued by (a) the police and (b) PCSOs in

(i) Dacorum, (ii) Hertfordshire and (iii) England and Wales for obstruction of pavements in

each year since 2005.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office publishes data annually on the number of motoring offences dealt

with via a fixed penalty notice (FPN) in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England

and Wales’ statistical publication.




The number of FPNs issued for ‘Obstruction, waiting and parking offences’ can be

found in table ‘FPN_02’ of the ‘Fixed penalty notices for motoring offences’ tables.

This table shows data on a calendar year basis, with the collection beginning in 2001

The latest data, up to the calendar year 2016, can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-

and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2017

The Home Office does not hold information on who issued the FPN, or the monetary

value of these penalties.

Passports: Concessions

Peter Grant: [126063]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment

of the potential merits of granting passports with a five year duration to people aged over

75 at a reduced cost.

Caroline Nokes:

HM Passport Office issues 10 year passports to adults and 5 year passports to

children under 16, and there are currently no plans to review this.

Passports are issued with a shorter validity for children for security reasons, due to

the rapid change of appearance as the child grows; this is charged at a lower price

due to the costs being spread across all passport fees. Making passports available

with a shorter validity to additional age groups would require subsidy by other

customers and impact the passport fee.

A special concession is offered for applicants born before 2 September 1929, who

can apply for a passport free of charge. This was introduced for the Second World

War generation in recognition of their contribution to the national effort during the war

years.

Police Pursuits


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the timetable is for the

review into police pursuit policy; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The review into police pursuits will be completed this year.

Police: Dogs


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police dogs are

owned by (a) North Yorkshire Police and (b) other police forces.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2017






Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office does not hold any information centrally on the number of police

dogs owned by police forces.

Police: Firearms


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers have

undertaken fire arms training in every year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd:

The Home Office does not centrally hold the number of police officers that have

undertaken firearms training. The Home Office does publish the number of officers in

England and Wales that have passed firearms training and are authorised to use

firearms – “armed officers”. The latest release of “Police use of firearms statistics,

England and Wales”, which includes the number of armed officers for the financial

years ending March 2009 to March 2017, can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-use-of-firearms-statistics-england-

and-wales-april-2016-to-march-2017 The latest figures on armed officers, for the

financial year ending March 2018, are due for publication in summer 2018.

Randox Testing Services


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written

Statement of the Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service of 21 November 2017

on toxicology, HCWS265, whether Key Forensics Services were providing re-testing

support as a result of the possibility of manipulation of drug tests performed by Randox

Testing Services.

Mr Nick Hurd:

Yes. The National Police Chiefs’ Council is overseeing the re-testing of samples

potentially impacted by the alleged manipulation at Randox Testing Services and I

welcome their swift action in establishing a Silver Group to lead on the redistribution

of new casework including re-testing of toxicology cases

Refugees


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review her

Department’s policy guidance on safe return reviews for refugees applying for settlement.

Caroline Nokes:

There are no plans to review the safe return review policy.

Those who need protection are normally granted 5 years’ limited leave after which

they are able to apply for permanent settlement. This policy has been in place since

2005 when automatic settlement for refugees was abolished.




All settlement applications are carefully considered on their individual merits and

whilst we have always been clear that protection will be grated for as long as it is

needed, we will assess whether there have been significant changes in country

conditions or personal circumstances, which means that an individual no longer

needs our protection.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department takes

steps to provide support to refugees who receive leave to remain in the time between

their receiving their (a) National Insurance number and (b) first universal credit payment;

and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes:

Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with accommodation

and a cash allowance to cover their other essential living needs.

If they are granted refugee status this support stops 28 days after they are given

notice of the decision and provided with a Biometric Residence Permit, which is the

evidence they need to prove that they are able to take employment or apply for

mainstream benefits from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). The permit

now contains their national insurance number.

They are also contacted to see if they wish to apply for benefits and an appointment

at a local DWP office is arranged for them if they say they do and require assistance.

This process is designed to ensure that refugees receive the first payment of any

benefit they are entitled to before the 28 days period expires, either by full payment of

the benefit or an advance payment of Universal Credit where this is needed.

Refugees: Kurds


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is

taking to integrate Kurdish refugees into UK society.

Caroline Nokes:

Kurdish refugees are able to access the same support to integrate into UK society as

all refugees. Refugees are currently given the same access to the labour market and

benefits as UK citizens, as well as access to English language training. Refugees are

also eligible to receive a dedicated integration loan designed to help refugees

integrate into UK society by offering financial support towards housing costs,

employment and training.

Slavery


To ask the Minister for the Home Department, pursuant the oral contribution of 17

January 2008, what plans she has to coordinate with other countries to eliminate modern

slavery.




Victoria Atkins:

The UK Government is committed to driving action to eradicate modern slavery

internationally, as well as in the UK. The Government is developing strong

partnerships with countries that have many victims trafficked into the UK, as well as

working with countries that have a high prevalence of slavery to support their efforts

to tackle it. The Government is also advocating for better multilateral engagement

and international coordination to drive action on modern slavery globally. In

September 2017 the Prime Minister launched a Call to Action at the UN General

Assembly (UNGA) to encourage countries to drive action to tackle modern slavery -

41 countries have now endorsed the Call to Action. The Prime Minister also

announced at UNGA that the UK would double its aid budget for tackling modern

slavery to £150m. This includes the £33.5m Modern Slavery Fund managed by the

Home Office for targeted projects in countries from which the UK receives high

numbers of victims. More information on the Government’s international work can be

found at chapter 2 of the 2017 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery.


To ask the Minister for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral contribution of 17

January 2018, what the evidential basis is for the statement that more victims are willing

and able to come forward, and have the confidence to do so.

Victoria Atkins:

The evidential basis is provided the 2017 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery,

available on gov.uk via the following link:


/2017_uk_annual_report_on_modern_slavery.pdf

The number of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – the UK’s

modern slavery victim identification and support service – has increased every year

since the NRM was introduced in 2009. 3,804 potential victims were referred into the

NRM process in 2016. This figure represents a 16% increase over the number of

referrals in 2015.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion

of people referred through the National Referral Mechanism for victims of modern slavery

have made claims for asylum in the UK.

Caroline Nokes:

Data on the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) are published regularly by the

National Crime Agency and in the UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery. These

reports are available via the following links:

http://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/publications/national-referral-mechanism-

statisticshttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2017-uk-annual-report-on-

modern-slavery


https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/652366/2017_uk_annual_report_on_modern_slavery.pdf




Slavery: Females


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Prime Minister's

oral contribution of 17 January 2018, Official Report, column 882, what specific plans the

Government has to work with those countries from which a majority of women are being

trafficked to eliminate modern slavery.

Victoria Atkins:

The UK Government is committed to driving action to eradicate modern slavery

internationally, as outlined in the response to PQ 125743

With regards to our specific plans relating to women, the Government has made a

commitment to double aid spending to £150m to tackle modern slavery. The

allocation of this funding will ensure the needs of women and girls are taken into

account. For example, the Department for International Development’s £10.5 million

Work in Freedom programme aims to help women facing slavery and exploitation

across South East Asia. The programme provides training to women in their

communities and works with businesses and recruiters to tackle trafficking. To date

over 380,000 women have benefited. The Secretary of State for International

Development recently announced new funding of £13 million for the second phase of

the programme

The Home Office Modern Slavery Fund and Innovation Fund are supporting projects

in countries from where the UK receives high numbers of victims and new innovative

approaches to tackling slavery. All of these projects take a gender sensitive

approach: for example in Nigeria we are finalising a support package for victims,

many of whom are women and girls.

Slavery: Prosecutions


To ask the Minister for the Home Department, pursuant to oral contribution of 17 January

2018, what the evidential basis is for the increase in the number of cases being brought

to prosecution under modern sex slavery.

Victoria Atkins:

Details of the increase in the total number of slavery and trafficking cases brought to

prosecution is provided in the 2017 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery available n

gov.uk via the following link:


/2017_uk_annual_report_on_modern_slavery.pdf

Table 22 of the report provides CPS data which shows the total number of individuals

prosecuted who were ‘flagged’ as being involved in modern slavery offending,

regardless of whether their eventual prosecution or conviction was for a slavery or

trafficking offence, or another offence.






These data include defendants involved in modern slavery offending who may have

been prosecuted for other offences, so the figures provide the widest picture of the

involvement of modern slavery offenders in the criminal justice system.

Slavery: Vietnam


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Vietnamese children

have been referred under the National Referral Mechanism since the implementation of

the Modern Slavery Act 2015; what proportion of all children so referred those children

represented; what proportion of those children are currently in local authority care; how

many of those children so referred were granted the right to remain in the UK whilst under

18 years old; and how many of those children granted the right to remain in the UK have

subsequently been deported having reached the age of 18.

Victoria Atkins:

The Government does not hold all of the information requested in a reportable format.

The Government does not collect information on the number of children referred into

the National Referral Mechanism who are in local authority care. The Home Office

publish data on the number of asylum claims from unaccompanied children, including

nationality breakdown and initial decisions. The Home Office also publishes data on

returns by nationality. However, individuals referred under the NRM cannot be

identified within the data.

The latest published statistics can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-

2017-data-tables

Tech City UK: Skilled Workers

Chi Onwurah: [125659]


January 2018, on Tech City UK: Skilled Workers, where (a) Tier 1 and (b) Tech City are

referenced in the transparency data.

Chi Onwurah: [125660]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pusuant to the Answer of 25

January 2018 to Question 124932, if she will provide a regional breakdown of the

locations where people with Tier 1 visas endorsed by Tech City are working.

Caroline Nokes:

Transparency data for Tier 1 is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-

and-immigration

Tier 1 is referenced in the document ‘In-country Migration data: November 2017’.


https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017-data-tables





https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data#uk-visas-and-immigration



Endorsements made by Tech City form part of the total Tier 1 data and they are

therefore not referenced directly within the transparency data. Tier 1 data is reference

on the following tabs; Notes, Inc_01a, Inc_02, Inc_3, and Inc_7.

Visas

Adam Afriyie: [125560]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has

made of the adequacy of the availability of Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visas.

Caroline Nokes:

The Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route demonstrates our commitment to continuing to

attract top international talent in the digital technology, science and arts sectors. On

11 January we doubled the number of places available to applicants from 1000, to

2000, and are confident that this is sufficient to meet demand at this time. We will

continue to monitor take up of the route.

Jess Phillips: [125632]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications

were rejected because the applicant was late with their tax return in each of the last three

years for which data is available.

Caroline Nokes:

The specific information that has been requested is not included in statistics

published by the Home Office.

Information on the number of applications and decisions (i.e. grants, refusals,

withdrawn and lapsed cases) is published quarterly in the Home Office’s Immigration

Statistics, Visas volume 1, table vi_01_q, latest edition at

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-

2017

Kate Osamor: [125811]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will assess the number of

financial administrative mistakes with regards to visa application renewals that have been

made by her Department in each of the last seven years.

Caroline Nokes:

UK Visas and Immigration continually reviews its operation to improve performance

and accountability. Customer feedback, including complaints, are taken into account

to ensure we offer value for money; which includes improving the services we offer,

the quality of the decisions we make and the provision of an excellent customer

service. When we are informed of errors we work promptly to rectify them.

More widely, we have assurance regimes which aim to increase consistent quality

and identify good and weak practice within the department. We utilise three regimes;

operational oversight, independent business reviews and third party reviews, in

conjunction with the wider Home Office, in order to develop and ensure best practice.



https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017




Visas: Overseas Students

Robert Neill: [125578]

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her

Department's news story, Twenty three universities join student visa pilot, published on

18 December 2017, what criteria universities were required to fulfil in order to take part in

that pilot.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many representations the

Department has received from universities wanting to take part in the expanded student

visa pilot scheme.


To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has

to further expand the student visa pilot scheme.

Caroline Nokes:

The Tier 4 visa pilot, helps to streamline the visa process for international students

looking to study on a Masters’ course, in the UK, of 13 months or less. The pilot also

helps to support students who wish to switch into a work route and take up a

graduate role, by extending the leave period following the end of their study to up to

six months.

23 additional institutions were selected to participate based on having the

consistently lowest visa refusal rates for their region or country. The evaluation of the

pilot is ongoing, with an interim report due to be published in the summer of 2018.

The primary focus of the evaluation is to assess the impact of the Tier 4 visa pilot on

UK education institutions’ competitiveness in terms of attracting international students

and the ability of international students to switch into a work route. Engaging more

sponsors to participate in the pilot will provide additional evidence for the evaluation

to ensure it more accurately represents the diversity of the sector. Once evaluated,

we will consider whether to introduce the offer being tested with the pilot into the

Immigration Rules and make it policy.

We regularly engage with the education sector on student migration policy, including

the Tier 4 visa pilot. We hold a quarterly Education Sector Forum with key

representatives from the sector including the devolved administrations.

Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons Review

Joan Ryan: [126178]


January to Question 124249, if she will make it her policy to publish an assessment of the

potential merits of the recommendations contained Stephen Shaw's review of the

implementation of the recommendations on the welfare in detention of vulnerable

persons, before publication of updated guidance on the Adults at Risk policy; and if she

will make a statement.





Caroline Nokes:

As was stated in the answer referred to by the hon. Member, the Government is

currently considering the judgment made by the High Court on 10 October 2017 in

respect of the statutory guidance relating to the policy on adults at risk in immigration

detention. Home Office officials will shortly be meeting a range of bodies with an

interest in immigration detention as part of the process of revising the guidance. The

Home Office will also carefully consider any further recommendations or findings

made by Stephen Shaw.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

House of Commons Commission: Contracts


To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of

Commons Commission, if he will set out all contracts to undertake work for the House of

Commons worth more than £500,000, stating which of those contracts are PFI projects.

Tom Brake:

The House Service currently has 14 works contracts worth more than £500,000.

None of the contracts let by the House Service are PFI projects. PFIs are not suitable

to fund the sort of capital investments the House engages in. Accordingly the House

has no formal policy on PFIs.

CONTRACT REFERENCE TITLE

COM1115 New Palace Yard Underground Car Park Refurbishment

FWK1085-LSC2222 External Courtyard Conservation Phase One

LSC2101 Cast Iron Roofs Repair and Refurbishment Phase 2 – Palace of

Westminster

LSC2149 Medium Term Mechanical & Electrical Project 3C New Substation

Fit Out

LSC2157 Fire Safety Improvement Works Palace of Westminster Basement

Project

LSC2189 Fire Safety Improvement Works Portcullis House Atrium Roof Vents

LSC2203B Refurbishment of Elizabeth Tower – Main Contract

LSC2208 Fire Safety Improvement Works Palace of Westminster

Compartmentation

LSC2209 1 Canon Row Refurbishment

LSC2209A 1 Canon Row Refurbishment (PSC Delivery Agreement)


CONTRACT REFERENCE TITLE

LSC2209C Canon Row Enabling Works Part 1 – Main Works

LSC2226A Palace of Westminster Life Safety Works-MOA

LSC2230 Westminster Hall Phase 3 (Internal Roof, Lantern and Lighting

Installation, and Fire Safety)

LSC2239A Estate Wide Electrical Infrastructure & Resilience – Stage 2

Parliamentary Estate: Plastics

Layla Moran: [126242]

To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of

Commons Commission, what steps are being taken to reduce the use of (a) single-use

plastic cutlery, (b) single-use plastic straws, (c) single-use coffee cups, (d) single-use

coffee cup lids and (e) other single-use plastic items on the Parliamentary Estate.

Tom Brake:

The Commission has asked the Administration Committee to review the sustainability

and environmental management of single-use disposable plastics in the House of

Commons.

The review will include the use of single-use plastic cutlery; single-use plastic straws;

single-use coffee cups; single-use coffee cup lids; and other single-use plastic items

on the Parliamentary Estate.

The Administration Committee will be considering this matter in March.

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Carillion


To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant

to the Answer of 31 January 2018 to Question 125191, where that information on the

amounts being charged for the on-going provision of services is published.

Rishi Sunak:

The overriding principle is that the official receiver and his special managers cannot

provide services without ensuring that the cost of delivering those services is

adequately covered.

Local authorities are independent bodies, elected by and accountable to local

communities. It is the responsibility of individual authorities to publish details of all

spend above £500 under the transparency code.



We have, however, been working through the Local Government Association to

understand whether affected local authorities in England have robust contingency

plans in place to manage the impacts of Carillion failing.

Compulsory Purchase


To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will

publish a list of meetings (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have had with

organisations outside of his Department on the matter of compulsory purchase since 1

May 2017.

Dominic Raab:

Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on

Gov.uk and can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dclg-ministerial-data

Since May 2017 departmental officials have met with Transport for London, Homes

England, Scottish Government, the Country Land and Business Association, the

Compulsory Purchase Association, Shelter and the National Infrastructure

Commission to discuss general compulsory purchase matters.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Mr David Lammy: [125291]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what

information his Department holds on how many residents of the Grenfell Walkways have

been rehoused as at 26 January 2018.

Dominic Raab:

As of 29 January, figures from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea show

that 40 households from Barandon, Hurstway and Testerton Walks (collectively

known as ‘the Walkways’) who moved into emergency accommodation as a result of

the fire, have now been housed in interim accommodation.

The Council set out a draft permanent rehousing policy that applies to residents of

the Walkways who do not wish to return to their homes; the public consultation on

this policy ended on 5 January and the Council will take residents’ views into account

when they confirm a final policy.

We are working closely with the Council to ensure residents are able to return to their

homes where possible. The Government has allocated £15 million of funds in the

recent budget, which will be matched by the Council, to invest into the Lancaster

West Estate to make it a model for social housing and a wonderful, vibrant place to

live.





Housing

Damien Moore: [125664]


progress his Department has made on bringing forward legislative proposals to reform

leaseholds and registered social landlords.

Mrs Heather Wheeler:

The Government is committed to promoting fairness and transparency for

leaseholders and freeholders and on 21 December 2017 set out a range of measures

to tackle abuses and unfair practices in the leasehold market.

This includes introducing legislation to prohibit the development of new build

leasehold houses, other than in exceptional circumstances; restricting ground rents in

newly established leases of houses and flats to a peppercorn (zero financial value);

and working with the Law Commission to support existing leaseholders - including

making buying a freehold or extending a lease easier, faster, fairer and cheaper.

We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

We are also aiming to publish the Social Housing Green Paper in the spring. We

have met a number of Registered Social Landlords and their tenants as part of this

wide ranging review of the issues and concerns relating to social housing.

Housing: Forests



steps his Department is taking to ensure that ancient woodlands and trees are protected

during the construction of new housing developments.

Dominic Raab:

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) affords strong protection to ancient

woodland, and aged or veteran trees. We acknowledged in the Housing White Paper,

that this protection could be further clarified and intend to publish a draft NPPF for

consultation early this year.

In the event planning permission is granted for development, the local planning

authority can impose planning conditions to ensure the protection of trees and

ancient woodland to be retained, in line with the policies set out in the NPPF.

Housing: Swindon

Justin Tomlinson: [125457]

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how

many (a) new build planning approvals and (b) houses built there were in Swindon in

each year since 2010.




Dominic Raab:

a) Estimates of the residential planning applications granted (planning approvals) for

England and in each local authority district, year to September quarter 2017, are

shown in table P136 at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-planning-

application-statistics

Earlier versions of table P136 are also available from the same link:

those for years ending July 2012 to June 2017 are under the heading, “Historical

Live Tables”, and

those for years ending September 2010 to June 2012 are available from the

relevant link to the National Archives.

b) Estimates of house building; new build dwellings completions for England and in

each local authority district, to September quarter 2017, are shown in Live Table

253a at the following link.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building

These cover new build dwellings only and should be regarded as a leading indicator

of overall housing supply. The Department also publishes an annual release entitled

‘Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England’, which is the primary and most

comprehensive measure of housing supply.

Owner Occupation

John Healey: [125476]


publish the number of home-owning households in each region of England for each year

since 2009-10 for which information is available.

Dominic Raab:

Data on home ownership rates, by region can be found on the department's website.

See AT 1.2 here for time series data:


/2016-17_Section_1_Households_Annex_Tables.xlsx

Planning Permission



publish a timetable for implementing the measures yet to be commenced in the (a)

Housing and Planning Act 2016 and (b) Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017.

Dominic Raab:

Except with reference to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 1

November 2017 (HL2050), the Government is fully committed to implementing all

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-planning-application-statistics







measures across both the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and the Neighbourhood

Planning Act 2017.

We are taking end-to-end action to fix our broken housing market through our wider

package of reforms, including last year’s Housing White Paper and the measures

announced at Autumn Budget. We regularly update the House on progress towards

fixing our broken housing market, and will continue to do so.

Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

David Evennett: [125610]


progress his Department has made on extending the right to buy scheme to housing

association tenants across England.

Dominic Raab:

The Government is committed to ensuring that housing association tenants achieve

the aspiration of home ownership, and to the voluntary agreement reached with

housing associations. In the Autumn Budget 2017 the Government announced a

£200 million voluntary Right to Buy regional pilot in the Midlands. This will give

thousands more housing association tenants the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of

home ownership.

Sleeping Rough

John Healey: [125474]


make an assessment of trends in the level of rough sleeping in England in each of the

next five years.


We have committed to halving rough sleeping by 2022 and eliminating it altogether

by 2027. The Rough Sleeping and Homelessness Reduction Taskforce will design

and drive forward the implementation of a cross-Government strategy to achieve this.

This will include a timeline and action plan for meeting this commitment.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes


To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how

many successful prosecutions there have there been for failure to comply with the

Tenancy Deposit Scheme under ss212-3 of the Housing Act 2004.


A tenant is able to apply to County court if they believe that their landlord has not

complied with the legislation in protecting their deposit appropriately.

Details about court proceedings and their outcomes is the responsibility of the

Ministry of Justice.




INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Department for International Development: Capita


To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many contracts her

Department holds with Capita; and what the total value of those contracts is.

Harriett Baldwin:

DFID currently holds no centrally let contracts with Capita. DFID calls down from a

cross-Government corporate contract with Capita from a central framework

agreement held by the Crown Commercial Service and has a number of low value

purchase orders with Capita. DFID’s spend on Capita for financial year 2017/2018

totals £443,332.05.

Developing Countries: Energy

Sir Mark Hendrick: [126095]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the report

entitled Valuing Human Waste as an Energy Resource, published by United Nations

University Institute for Water, Environment and Health in 2015, what funding her

Department has provided for the development of energy from human waste in developing

countries.

Harriett Baldwin:

DFID recognises the potential for use of human waste in energy generation. DFID is

supporting a programme to pilot the use of faecal sludge and organic waste from

homes, public toilets and factories in producing biogas energy, soil conditioner and

animal feeds. The programme supports small and medium sized enterprises to

develop new products. This programme is in partnership with companies such as

Unilever, multi-laterals such as the Asian Development Bank and Non-Governmental

Organisations such as WaterAid. It works in Kenya, South Africa, Ghana and India.

Palestinian Authority

Joan Ryan: [R] [126066]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Answer

of 12 October 2016, to Question 46979 on Palestinian Authority, if she will place in the

Library a copies of her Department's formal assessments of the Palestinian Authority's

commitment to the Partnership Principles.

Alistair Burt:

DFID does not routinely publish Partnership Principles assessments. The most recent

assessment concluded that the Palestinian Authority (PA) continues to deliver on the

Partnership Principles. HMG officials will complete their next assessment of the PA’s

compliance with the Partnership Principles before the next annual Memorandum of

Understanding dialogue with the PA. The date of the next dialogue has not yet been

confirmed, but is likely to be completed by the first half of 2018.




Palestinians: Newspaper Press and Television

Ian Austin: [126076]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the

Memorandum of Understanding between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and her

Department, what discussions her Department has had with the PA on the description by

the newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida and official PA television on 8 January 2017 of the

perpetrator of a terrorist attack as a martyr who died for Allah.

Alistair Burt:

The UK Government deplores any act of incitement to violence; the Secretary of

State and I raised the issue of incitement during our respective bilateral meetings with

senior Palestinian counterparts in January 2018. Our partnership with the Palestinian

Authority (PA) includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to

the principle of non-violence and to tackle language and avoid actions that could

incite violence or hatred. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to

uphold this principle.

Refugees: EU Action

Chris Law: [125681]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations she

has made to her counterparts in other EU Member States on developing safe routes for

people fleeing war, armed conflict and persecution.

Alistair Burt:

The UK has actively and regularly engaged with the EU in developing Global

Compacts on Migration and on Refugees, which aim to support well-managed, safe

migration and to provide more effective, long-term support to refugees fleeing conflict

and violence. We also work closely with other EU Member States to coordinate our

support to vulnerable people on the move, including through our contribution to the

Emergency EU Trust Fund for Africa and broader support along the key migration

routes in Africa. We regularly engage with EU counterparts on resettlement, including

through the European Asylum Support Office, and the UN core groups on

resettlement, such as the Central Med group and the Syria Core Group, which the UK

has chaired since April 2017.

South Sudan: Overseas Aid

Chris Law: [125682]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to

secure humanitarian access to South Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin:

South Sudan is one of the most challenging operating environments in the world, but

as a result of our implementing partners’ efforts, UKAid is reaching hundreds of

thousands of people in South Sudan. Last year the UK provided lifesaving support

that reached over 500,000 people with food assistance, provided safe drinking water




for 300,000 people and over 5 million health consultations for children under 5.

However, the international community continues to face obstructions to the delivery of

humanitarian aid by all parties to the conflict in South Sudan; 2017 was the worst

year for access so far, with 1,159 incidents reported. Alongside our international

partners, the UK is engaging with South Sudan’s leaders at the highest level to make

clear that physical and bureaucratic obstacles to the delivery of lifesaving aid must

cease immediately.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Department of Trade: Meetings

Nigel Dodds: [125905]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings of the Board of

Trade have been held since June 2017; and how many of those meetings were attended

by the Secretary of State for (a) Northern Ireland (b) Scotland (c) Wales.

Greg Hands:

The Board of Trade met for the first time on 12 October 2017. This meeting was

attended by my Rt. Hon Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Secretary of

State for Wales, and my Hon Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

for Northern Ireland.

The next quarterly meeting of the Board will be in February.

Department of Trade: Public Appointments


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with

(a) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and (b) Invest NI on the role of the

Advisers to the Board of Trade.

Greg Hands:

Advisers to the Board of Trade are selected through Civil Service processes, with the

Board being convened by the President.

The role of Advisers to the Board of Trade, drawn from across the UK, was publically

announced by the Department for International Trade on 12 October 2017.

Advisers, as prominent figures from business and politics, provide local expertise to

guide the Board on trade and investment matters.

The role of the Board of Trade was widely discussed before it was reconvened, and

will help to promote a culture of exporting across the whole of the UK.



Higher Education: Exports

Catherine West: [125302]

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking

to support UK higher education exports.

Graham Stuart:

The Department for International Trade supports the international aspirations of the

Higher Education sector through its Education team in a range of ways, including

Government to Government engagement and support to Trade Missions. The team

has recently helped, amongst others, the University of Birmingham in its plan to open

a campus in Dubai. The UK Higher Education sector will also be a focus in the

GREAT Festival of Innovation, to be held in Hong Kong in March.

The recently formed DIT Education Sector Advisory Group brings together relevant

sector partners, including Universities UK and Independent Higher Education, to co-

ordinate efforts to boost education exports.

Trade Bill 2017-19


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of

the Minister of State for Trade Policy during proceedings in Committee on the Trade Bill

of 1 February 2018, on New Clause 10, whether implementation of the functions in

clauses 7 and 8 of that Bill is voluntary for HMRC officials.

Greg Hands:

Under clause 7, Treasury reserve the power to specify the type of information to be

collected and how it will be requested. Once in force, clause 7 creates a function for

HMRC to seek to collect data. Therefore, HMRC officials will be required to seek to

collect the data. Businesses, on the other hand, will only have to provide the data on

a voluntary basis.

The provision of the information under clause 8 will not be voluntary provided it meets

criteria within the clause and is not subject to breaching any restrictions under the

Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005, the Data Protection Acts and

the Investigatory Powers Act 2016.


To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of

the Minister of State for Trade Policy during proceedings in Committee on the Trade Bill

of 30 January, at column 183, to which remarks of the hon. Member for Sefton Central he

was referring on the agreement on government procurement.

Greg Hands:

The hon. Member for Sefton Central raised, at column 180, the subject of positive

and negative lists that set out market access for services in the General Agreement

on Trade Services (GATS) and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement

(CETA). The remarks made acted to clarify that the EU’s service commitments in the




Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), which determine access to public

procurements of public services, is provided as a positive list.

JUSTICE

Approved Premises: Crimes of Violence

Imran Hussain: [125178]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many National Probation Service staff

working in approved premises have been assaulted by residents in the most recent two

years for which data is available.

Rory Stewart:

[Holding answer 5 February 2018]: There were 16 reported assaults on National

Probation Service staff in Approved Premises in 2016 and eight in 2017.

The above data have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is

taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the

possibility of inaccuracy inherent in any large-scale recording system.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Laura Smith: [125371]

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how the post-implementation review of the

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 will be conducted.

Lucy Frazer:

The Post-Implementation Review shall focus on the major changes to the legislative

framework for legal aid which were introduced as part of the Legal Aid, Sentencing

and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 and subsequently.

As part of the review we will be reaching out to experts and interested parties in the

relevant fields to inform the evidence gathering process.

Young Offenders: Vietnam


To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Vietnamese children were

prosecuted between 2012-17; and, of that number, how many (a) were convicted of an

offence and (b) are serving custodial sentences as a result of those convictions.

Dr Phillip Lee:

The information requested is not held centrally.




NORTHERN IRELAND

Northern Ireland Government

Emma Little Pengelly: [125865]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans the Government has in

place to ensure that any new Assembly and Executive in Northern Ireland is sustainable.

Mr Shailesh Vara:

The Secretary of State commenced a short, intensive set of political talks on the 24

January and will be providing Parliament with an update shortly. The Government’s

priority is to re-establish a sustainable, fully functioning, inclusive devolved

administration that works for everyone in Northern Ireland.

Tourism: Northern Ireland

Mr Alister Jack: [125310]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate her Department has

made of the value of tourism between Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Mr Alister Jack: [125312]

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department is taking to

increase tourism between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Mr Shailesh Vara:

Tourism is a devolved policy area, meaning that the Northern Ireland Executive has

responsibility for the promotion and delivery of the tourism offered within Northern

Ireland. Tourism Ireland is responsible for marketing the island of Ireland overseas,

including with Great Britain.

The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the value of tourism between

Northern Ireland and Scotland. As shown, though, by its place at the top of the recent

Lonely Planet list of regions to visit, Northern Ireland is a 'must-see' tourist

destination, and Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office will continue to encourage

visitors to come to experience the many wonderful sights and attractions it has to

offer.

Trade: Northern Ireland


To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions she has had

with Invest NI about trade and investment in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a

statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara:

Secretary of State and I met with Invest NI last month to discuss trade and

investment in Northern Ireland. We recognise the great potential of Northern Ireland

and Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office will continue to use every possible





opportunity alongside colleagues from across Government to work closely with Invest

NI to promote Northern Ireland as a great place to invest and do business.

PRIME MINISTER

Royal Bank of Scotland

Ian Blackford: [126079]

To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions she had with RBS on bank branch closures

between 1 November 2017 and 31 January 2018.

Mrs Theresa May:

Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are

published quarterly and made available on the gov.uk website.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase bus

usage.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

The Bus Services Act 2017 presents local authorities with new powers to bring about

change, and unlock the potential for the bus industry to increase passenger numbers.

In particular, new Enhanced Partnership and Advanced Quality Partnership powers

provide the framework for authorities to work side by side with operators to set a

shared vision for bus services in their area.

Bus Open Data powers will require bus operators in England to open up route and

timetable, fares and tickets and real time information for passengers by 2020. These

improvements aim to remove uncertainty in bus journeys, improve journey planning

and help passengers secure best value tickets.

Accessible Information powers will require all operators of local bus services to

provide audio and visual route and next stop announcements on board buses across

Great Britain, helping to remove barriers to bus travel particularly for those with

disabilities or accessibility needs.

The Government also continues to invest in public transport. As an example, at the

Autumn Budget the Government announced that the Cambridgeshire and

Peterborough Combined Authority would receive a guaranteed allocation of £74m

from the £1.7bn Transforming Cities Fund to improve public transport.



Andy McDonald: [126070]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the

trend in the level of passenger journeys made by bus by people aged (a) 16 and under,

(b) 17-20 and (c) 21-29 since 2010.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

The Department for Transport funds the National Travel Survey (NTS), a series of

annual household surveys which provide consistent data on personal travel

behaviour for all residents of England. The latest year for which data are available is

2016. Estimates for the number of bus trips per person per year by the requested age

groups, for the years 2010 to 2016, are given in the table below.

AVERAGE NUMBER OF LOCAL AND NON-LOCAL BUS TRIPS 1 , BY AGE GROUP: ENGLAND, 2010-

2016

Trips per person per year

Age group 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

0-16 65 58 59 67 61 62 53

17-20 132 124 108 142 122 123 101

21-29 89 74 78 70 72 72 54

1 'Bus trips' includes local buses in London and elsewhere, and non-local buses,

where the bus stage was the longest part of the trip, by distance.

Source: DfT, National Travel Survey

The figures suggest that there has been a fall, in 2016, in the number of bus trips

taken by all ages shown. The survey is subject to sampling error, however, so single

year on year changes should be interpreted with caution.

Carillion


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of

the potential extra cost of High Speed Two project resulting from Carillion entering

liquidation.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

There is no impact on the progress of the HS2 project. Two HS2 Main Work Civils

Contracts were awarded to the joint venture CEK (comprising Carillion, Eiffage and

Kier) in July 2017. The CEK joint venture provided HS2 Ltd with assurances that in

the event of any member of the group being unable to deliver on its responsibilities,



the remaining members, now Eiffage and Kier, would continue to deliver the contract.

Each company's Boards have both given that assurance and confirmed they have the

capacity to deliver the HS2 contract. No additional costs have been incurred by HS2

Ltd to date.

Crossrail: Ebbsfleet

David Evennett: [125611]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made

of the feasibility of extending Crossrail to Ebbsfleet.

Joseph Johnson:

There is no current feasibility assessment of extending the Elizabeth line to Ebbsfleet.

However, if a business case for the extension was submitted to the Department this

would then be reviewed.

Department for Transport: Procurement

Faisal Rashid: [125257]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s policy is on awarding

contracts to companies which have recently issued profit warnings.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

The Department’s remit within the transport sector is primarily delivered through its

Arm’s Length Bodies: Network Rail, Highways England and High Speed Two Ltd.

Assessments of a company’s ability to deliver its obligations is performed during each

procurement exercise by those bodies.

Electric Vehicles


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rapid electric charging points have

been funded by the Government and installed in England in the (a) last six months and

(b) last year.


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many rapid electric charging points have

been funded by the Government and installed in the (a) the last six months and (b) last

year in each constituency.

Jesse Norman:

The Government has directly funded the installation of 81 rapid electric charge points

within the last 12 months through its Go Ultra Low Cities and Ultra Low Emission Taxi

Infrastructure schemes. Work is continuing and by 2020 these schemes together aim

to deliver around 600 rapid chargepoints across the UK. This is in addition to the 900

rapid chargepoints which are already installed - one of the biggest networks in

Europe.





The Go Ultra Low and Taxi infrastructure cities awarded funding by the Department

for Transport are London, Milton Keynes, Bristol, Nottingham, the North East

Combined Authority, Dundee, Oxford, York, Coventry, Wolverhampton, West

Yorkshire Combined Authority, Slough, Cambridge and Birmingham.

Of the 81 rapid chargepoints installed in the last 12 months, two have been installed

in Dundee and 79 in London. Many more rapids will be installed across the other

cities over the next year.

As of 23 January 2018, records on the Transport for London website showed the

following rapid chargepoint installation information in the table below:

CONSTITUENCY TYPE POST CODE

Kingston and Surbiton Public and taxi use. In

operation.

KT9 1DS

Enfield, Southgate Taxi only. In operation. N11 1AN

Battersea Taxi only. In operation. SW11 4LU

Finchley and Golders Green Taxi only. In operation. NW11 9UA

Finchley and Golders Green Taxi only. In operation. N2 0NW

Holborn and St Pancras Taxi only. In operation. NW1 3AD

Ilford North Taxi only. In operation. IG6 3HD

Tottenham Taxi only. In operation. N17 7BU

Bermondsey and Old

Southwark

Taxi only. In operation. SE1 4YF

Ealing North Taxi only. Awaiting installation. UB6 8PX

Ilford North Taxi only. In operation. IG6 3BD

Harrow West Taxi only. In operation. HA1 1BB

Hornsey and Wood Green Taxi only. Awaiting installation. London N6

Feltham and Heston Taxi only. In operation. TW3 3DH

Leyton and Wanstead Taxi only. In operation. E11 1HE

Hayes and Harlington Public and taxi use. In

operation.

UB4 0SD

Holborn and St Pancras Taxi only. In operation. NW1 2 JU


Croydon North Taxi only. In operation. CR7 6XJ

Hendon Taxi only. In operation. NW7 1BS

Ilford North Taxi only. In operation. IG2 7RN

Enfield, Southgate Taxi only. In operation. N14 4UT

Eltham Public and taxi use. In

operation.

SE3 8SY

Brentford and Isleworth Taxi only. In operation. TW7 4PU

Ealing North Taxi only. In operation. UB6 7NP

Cities of London and

Westminster

1 x Public and taxi use. In

operation 1 x Taxi only. In

operation

WC2H 7PR


Westminster

Public and taxi use. In

operation.

W1G 9HF


Westminster



operation

SW1X 8EA


Westminster



operation

W1G 0PG


Westminster

Public and taxi use. In

operation.

SW1V 4LR

Westminster North Public and taxi use. In

operation.

NW8 6AA

Croydon Central Public and taxi use. In

operation

CR0 1TR

Bermondsey and Old

Southwark



operation

SE1 2NE

Brent North Public and taxi use. In

operation

HA8 5NP

Uxbridge and South Ruislip Taxi only. In operation HA4 6NF

Bermondsey and Old Taxi only. In operation SE1 1UN


Southwark

Runnymede and Weybridge Public and taxi use. In

operation

KT15 2ED

Old Bexley and Sidcup Public and taxi use. In

operation

DA15 9NT

Reigate Public and taxi use. In

operation

KT20 6SU

Islington North Public and taxi use. In

operation

N7 8JE

Chipping Barnet Public and taxi use. In

operation

EN5 3JG

Hayes and Harlington Public and taxi use. In

operation

UB7 0AE

East Surrey Public and taxi use. In

operation

CR3 0BB

Bermondsey and Old

Southwark

Taxi only. In operation SE1 0JQ

Harrow West Taxi only. In operation HA2 8HN

Uxbridge and South Ruislip Taxi only. In operation HA4 6TP

Bermondsey and Old

Southwark

Taxi only. In operation SE1 1UN

Bermondsey and Old

Southwark

Taxi only. In operation SE1 0PN

Ilford North Taxi only. In operation E18 1JJ

Hammersmith Taxi only. In operation W14 9ES

Epping Forest Taxi only. In operation CM16 7EU

Chipping Barnet Taxi only. In operation N20 9QP

Bermondsey and Old

Southwark

Taxi only. In operation SE1 4TP

Richmond Park Public and taxi use. In

operation.

SW14 7JU


Richmond Park Public and taxi use. In

operation.

SW14 7PJ

Leyton and Wanstead Taxi only. In operation E11 2NT

Watford Taxi only. In operation WD18 7LE

Brent North Taxi only. In operation HA9 9AA

Chipping Barnet Taxi only. In operation N12 8SE

Electric Vehicles: Taxis


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make further resources available to

support people working in the taxi and private hire sector move to electric vehicles, in

addition to the Plug-In Grant Scheme.

Jesse Norman:

We have set aside £50 million to support the Plug-in Taxi Grant (PiTG) programme.

This PiTG will give licensed taxi drivers up to £7,500 off the price of a new vehicle.

We are also investing £14 million to deliver new dedicated chargepoints for electric

taxis in 10 council areas. Additionally, the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme

(EVHS) is available for eligible taxi drivers who are able to charge at home overnight.

Gatwick Airport


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made

of the surface access requirements required for Gatwick Airport expansion; and if he will

make a statement.

Jesse Norman:

An assessment of the surface access requirements for Gatwick Airport was carried

out by the Airports Commission and published in their final report (July 2015) which is

available on-line.

Since that assessment was carried out plans have progressed significantly for

improvements to the station at Gatwick Airport and proposed improvements to the

Brighton Main Line are being taken forward by Network Rail.



Heathrow Airport


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had

with Transport for London on the surface access requirements required for Heathrow

Airport expansion; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman:

Officials from my Department meet regularly with Transport for London to discuss

airport expansion related surface access issues.

Railways: Fares


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to roll-out the 26-

30 railcard nationwide.

Joseph Johnson:

As announced at the Autumn Budget 2017, the Government will work with industry to

extend the benefits of discounted rail travel to ensure those aged 16 to 30 can access

appropriate concessions. This will include the introduction of a new railcard for ages

26 to 30, which the government anticipates will increase the number of journeys

taken. Further details will be announced in agreement with industry and will be

implemented from Spring 2018.

Schools: Transport

Mike Amesbury: [126218]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of

effectiveness of safeguarding regulations and requirements relating to the licensing of

private hire drivers employed by private hire companies as assigned by local authorities

to provide school transport services.

Ms Nusrat Ghani:

Taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers are eligible for an enhanced DBS

certificate with check of both barred lists for licensing purposes. This is the highest

level of check available and will also include details of convictions and cautions

recorded on the Police National Computer and any locally held police intelligence

information that may be relevant to the role. It is for licensing authorities to make a

decision, taking into account any information available including that disclosed by the

DBS, as to whether an individual is suitable to hold a licence.

There are also certain circumstances, such as undertaking specific contracted work

driving children, which fall into regulated activity (with children). A taxi or PHV driver

who is in regulated activity may be barred from this work if they pose a risk or harm or

have caused harm to a child or vulnerable adult. A barred person is prevented by law

from working with children or vulnerable groups.




The Government will shortly consult on statutory guidance to be issued to licensing

authorities, this will propose a range of standards and measures that it considers

appropriate to the ‘fit and proper’ assessment and minimises any potential risk to taxi

and PHV passengers.

Severn River Crossing


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the outstanding level of public debt is in

relation to the Severn bridges; and what the estimated operating and maintenance costs

for those bridges are for each year between 2018 and 2022.

Jesse Norman:

The accumulated deficit at 31st March 2017, as defined in the Severn Bridges Act

1992 Accounts is £93.3m. The 2017 accounts are currently being audited and

therefore still subject to change.

The estimated operating and maintenance costs are:

FINANCIAL YEAR 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22

Estimate £18m £10m £25m £16m

The above figures are based on the concessionaires previous operating and

maintenance costs, as Highways England only became responsible for the crossings

on 8 th January 2018. Highways England is currently reviewing these costs and

developing long term asset management plans.

Severn River Crossing: Tolls


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of

the revenue that will accrue to the public purse from Severn Bridge tolls between 8

January and 31 December 2018.

Jesse Norman:

The revenue from the Severn Bridge toll charges between 8 January and 31

December 2018 is estimated as £108m. This is based on the 2017 revenue with an

assumption of 3% traffic growth.


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the abolition of tolls

on the Severn bridges.

Jesse Norman:

The Government will abolish charging on the Severn bridges by the end of 2018.




Transport: Forests


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to

ensure that ancient woodlands and trees are protected during the construction of new

transport infrastructure.

Jesse Norman:

When considering all new transport infrastructure plans the Government assesses

the impact on the environment to ensure the right balance is struck between the

expected social and economic benefits and the impact on the natural environment.

The National Policy Statement for National Networks sets out the Government’s

policy on development of nationally significant infrastructure projects on the national

road and rail networks in England. The NPS is the primary basis for making decisions

on development consent applications and the guidance it provides recognizes that

ancient woodland is a valuable resource both for its diversity of species and for its

longevity as woodland.

Transport: Weather

Damien Moore: [125666]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to

ensure that (a) rail and (b) road infrastructure is able to be used during adverse and

severe weather conditions.

Joseph Johnson:

Network Rail is improving the weather resilience of its railway infrastructure, both now

and for the future. This includes significant work to ensure seasonal preparedness,

with specialists on each route delivering plans for summer, autumn and winter which

are reviewed and monitored by a National Weather Specialist. Network Rail is also

improving infrastructure and investigating new ways to make it more resilient, for

example drainage and track circuit infrastructure that can better cope with heat.

Highways England works to a severe weather plan, which outlines the actions that

should be taken. It also uses detailed road weather forecasts and monitor weather

conditions and carries out pre-emptive activities when severe weather is imminent.

These include providing information on road conditions and protecting and clearing

roads using a fleet of salt spreaders and snow blowers. Highways England also

undertakes preventative work, encouraging drivers to take precautionary measures

and travel safely through various media outlets.

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to

maintain the highways network in their area. It is for local highway authorities to

determine the priority they give to winter services and ensuring that plans are in place

to deal with any extreme weather events that we may encounter including snow/ice

and storms.



Every winter, the Department reminds local highway authorities of their

responsibilities. We ask them to ensure they take all necessary steps to mitigate

against any severe weather incidents by; reviewing and updating winter service and

other contingency plans, and taking into account any lessons learnt from previous

winters. The Department also reminds local highway authorities of the importance of

working closely with their Local Resilience Forum and other key organisations and

responders within their area.

Wales and Borders Rail Franchise

Jonathan Edwards: [126102]

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what arrangements are in place for the

collapse of the procurement of the Wales and Borders rail franchise should the franchise

not be awarded within the allocated time frame.

Joseph Johnson:

It is the responsibility of the Welsh Government to procure the Wales and Borders rail

franchise. However, should these circumstances arise, an extension of the existing

Franchise Agreement could be called for seven railway periods (i.e. 28 weeks). There

is also the potential to negotiate an extension of up to 65 railway periods with the

existing franchisee, as well as the Department having the standard Railways Act

Operator of Last Resort powers.


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the transfer of

functions order relating to the Wales and Borders rail franchise to be laid before

Parliament.

Joseph Johnson:

This draft Transfer of Functions Order is due to be laid before Parliament imminently.

Subject to its approval, it is expected that the Order will come into force prior to the

commencement of the replacement Wales and Borders franchise in October 2018.


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons are for the time taken to

transfer functions over the Wales and Borders rail franchise to the National Assembly for

Wales.

Joseph Johnson:

The Silk Commission report highlighted the need for co-operation on the future of the

English parts of the Wales and Borders rail franchise. Since reaching agreement in

principle to devolve the franchise in November 2014, both Governments have been

working collaboratively to give effect to the formal transfer of powers, which has

required resolution of a number of detailed policy and practical considerations around

cross-border and English services.





To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body is responsible for any costs

incurred to the public purse as a result of (a) delays in procuring or (b) a failure to procure

the next Wales and Borders rail franchise.

Joseph Johnson:

Agency Agreement No.2 (Schedule 1, paragraphs 6 to 8) between the Secretary of

State and Welsh Ministers signed on 28th September 2017 makes clear that any

such costs would usually be the responsibility of Welsh Ministers, and the exceptional

circumstances when this would not be the case.


/wales-and-borders-agency-agreement-2.pdf


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse has been of

the procurement of the Wales and Border rail franchise.

Joseph Johnson:

The Wales & Borders rail franchise procurement is the responsibility of the Welsh

Government. The Department does not hold any information on how much it has cost

them.


To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who is responsible for appointing an operator

of last resort for the Wales and Borders rail franchise.

Joseph Johnson:

The responsibility for appointing an operator of last resort for the Wales and Borders

rail franchise currently rests with the Secretary of State for Transport.

WALES

Nuclear Power Stations: Wales


To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether responsibility for granting development

consent for nuclear energy projects generating up to and including 350 megawatts is

devolved to the National Assembly for Wales.

Alun Cairns:

Through the Wales Act 2017, development consents for nuclear energy projects up to

and including 350 megawatts will be devolved to the Welsh Government and the

National Assembly for Wales from 1 April 2019. However, other aspects of the

development of nuclear energy projects, such as site licencing from the Office of

Nuclear Regulation, are reserved.


https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662188/wales-and-borders-agency-agreement-2.pdf






WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Access to Elected Office for Disabled People Fund

Vicky Foxcroft: [125982]

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when her Department plans to publish the

evaluation report on the pilot Access to Elected Office Fund.

Victoria Atkins:

The evaluation of the Access to Elected Office Fund will be published in due course.

Harassment

Layla Moran: [125693]

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has made an assessment of

the potential merits of re-enacting s40 of the Equality Act 2010.

Victoria Atkins:

The Government does not believe it is necessary to re-enact S.40. The provisions at

S.40(2) of the Equality Act 2010 (the Act), which dealt with third party harassment,

were repealed in 2013, as part of the Coalition Government’s ‘Red Tape Challenge’,

because they were unnecessary, confusing and little used. Anyone wishing to bring a

claim of harassment at work, including by a third party, should be able to do so using

the provisions under S.26 of the Act together with the specific prohibitions on

harassment in the Act, such as those in Part 5, which cover employment. The

Government condemns all forms of harassment and this is why the Prime Minister

has committed to reviewing non-disclosure agreements, and any evidence

suggesting they are being used improperly.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Department for Work and Pensions: Capita

Chris Ruane: [126118]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what contingency plans she has

made in the event of Capita being unable to fulfil any of its contractual obligations with

her Department.

Kit Malthouse:

The Department regularly reviews contingencies for all of its contracts including those

relating to Capita.

Members: Correspondence


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to reply to the letter

of 18 December 2017 from the hon. Member for Sefton Central on the personal

independence payment award to Mrs Sheila Ellis.





Kit Malthouse:

The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, my hon. Friend the member for

Truro and Falmouth (Sarah Newton), replied on 30 January 2018.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Paul Masterton: [125298]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the state pension will be

included in the pensions dashboard when it launches in 2019.

Guy Opperman:

As announced on 19th October 2017, DWP is leading a feasibility study, working with

industry, consumer-facing organisations and the regulators to explore the key issues

and determine a path towards implementation for the Pensions Dashboard. The

results of this feasibility study will be published shortly.

Government remains committed to ensuring that State Pension forms part of the

Pensions Dashboard. Until State Pension information is available on a dashboard,

people can access the online ‘Check your State Pension’ service through GOV.UK to

get a forecast of their State Pension, where they can get information about how they

may be able to improve it, and view their National Insurance contribution record.

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Health

Jess Phillips: [126124]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral

contribution of the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, of 30 January 2018,

Official Report, column 703 on PIP back payments, whether there will be a new form

setting out descriptors.

Sarah Newton:

We will undertake all the necessary steps to implement the Upper Tribunal judgment

in MH in full.

Personal Independence Payment: Wales


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has

made of the number of personal independence payment claimants in (a) Wales and (b)

Newport East constituency whose claims will have to be reassessed as part of the

Government's review of all personal independence payment claims.

Sarah Newton:

I refer the Hon. Member to the statement made by myself, Official Report, 30 January

2018, Column 703.




Poverty: Children


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department has

made towards meeting the 2020 poverty reduction targets set out in the Child Poverty Act

2010; and if she will make a statement.

Kit Malthouse:

Tackling child poverty and disadvantage is a priority for this government. To do this

requires an approach that goes beyond the safety net of the welfare state to tackle

the root causes of poverty and disadvantage. This is why the income-related targets

and the requirement to publish a child poverty strategy set out in the Child Poverty

Act 2010 have been repealed. In their place, we introduced statutory measures to

drive action on parental worklessness and children’s educational attainment – the two

areas that we know can make the biggest difference to disadvantaged children. The

Government has a statutory duty to report annually to Parliament on these indicators

and will do so again in March 2018.

The links to the latest report and available data are below:

Statutory report

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workless-households-and-educational-

attainment-statutory-indicators

Children in workless households

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentande

mployeetypes/bulletins/workingandworklesshouseholds/julytoseptember2017

Children in long-term workless households

https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/childrenlivinginlongtermworklesshouseholdsuk2016

Children’s educational attainment at key stage 4 for all pupils and disadvantaged

pupils

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-

england-2016-to-2017

Skilled Workers

Justin Tomlinson: [125460]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with

the Secretary of State for Education and Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy on (a)

identifying and (b) filling skills gaps in the labour market.

Alok Sharma:

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions talks regularly with the Secretary of

State for Education, and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial

Strategy, but has not yet had any formal discussions about identifying and filling the

skills gaps in the labour market.


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workless-households-and-educational-attainment-statutory-indicators



https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/workingandworklesshouseholds/julytoseptember2017





https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2016-to-2017




Social Security Benefits: Cancer


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting from

application to a decision being made was for people with cancer who applied for (a)

employment support allowance and (b) personal independence payments in the most

recent year for which figures are available.

Sarah Newton:

(a)

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur

disproportionate cost.

(b)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants assessed under normal rules

waited an average of 12 weeks from the point of registration to a decision being

made for new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reassessments

respectively.

For claimants assessed under Special Rules, the average was 6 and 5 working days

for new claims and DLA reassessment claims respectively.

This data includes cases on which a decision was made between 1 st November 2016

and 31 st October 2017, the latest full year for which data is available.

Information on clearance times split by normal rules and special rules claims and new

claim or DLA reassessment claims can be found in the data tables, “Personal

Independence Payment: Official Statistics to October 2017” within tables 5A-B here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-

2013-to-october-2017.

Source: PIP Computer System claimant records.

Notes to (b):

1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number of weeks.

2. Data includes normal rules and special rules as recorded at the point of the DWP

decision, in accordance with the measure. It is possible for claims to transition

between normal/special rules and new claims/reassessments during the course of

the claimant journey.

3. The figures are the average (median) clearance time of claims cleared between 1 st

November 2016 and 31 st October 2017.

4. The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the

distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented here instead

of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases (e.g. cases

were the person has been hard to reach due to being in prison, hospital, failed to

attend the assessment on numerous occasions etc.)


https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-october-2017



5. The 'Registration to DWP decision (end to end)' clearance time is measured as the

average time between the date of registration of the claim and the date of the DWP

decision to either award or disallow the claim. It does not include claims that were

withdrawn by the claimant or claims that were disallowed by DWP pre-referral to the

Assessment Providers (e.g. for failure to meet basic eligibility criteria or failure to

return the Part 2 form within the time limit).

6. A claimant may have multiple disabling conditions but only the primary condition is

recorded on PIP systems.

7. Cancer defined here is any condition falling under “Neoplasms (C00 - D48)” in the

International Classification of Diseases (ICD) summary codes, as recorded on the

PIP Computer System.

8. This is unpublished data and it should be used with caution and it may be subject

to future revision.

9. ICD summary codes are based on the International Classification of Diseases,

10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. For reporting purposes,

the disability conditions as recorded on the PIP IT system have been mapped to

reflect as closely as possible the appropriate ICD10 code

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Ged Killen: [126069]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of

(a) personal independence payments and (b) employment support allowance cases

subject to a mandatory reconsideration decision were subsequently taken forward to

tribunal in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton:

The number of Personal Independent Payment (PIP) Mandatory Reconsiderations

(MRs) cleared can be found in the official published statistics: “Data tables: Personal

Independence Payment: Official Statistics to October 2017”. The relevant data can be

found in Tavle 7b. This data shows the number of mandatory reconsiderations for

New Claims and Reassessments broken down by month since PIP was introduced:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-

2013-to-october-2017

The number of mandatory reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals from Employment

Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessments can be found in the official

published statistics: “ESA: outcomes of Work Capability Assessments including

mandatory reconsiderations and appeals: December 2017”. The relevant data can be

found in Table 17.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-

assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-december-2017

The number of appeals registered for both benefits can be found in the official

published statistics: “Tribunals and gender recognition certificate statistics quarterly –





https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-including-mandatory-reconsiderations-and-appeals-december-2017



July to September 2017”. The relevant data can be found in table SSCS.1 in the

“Main Tables (July to September 2017)” document.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-

statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2017

Social Security Benefits: English Language


To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants for (a)

jobseekers’ allowance and (b) universal credit have been (i) referred for an assessment

of their English language skills and (ii) mandated to undertake English learning in each of

the last three years.

Alok Sharma:

The number of referrals for assessment of a claimant’s English language skills is as

follows:

JOBSEEKER’S ALLOWANCE

CLAIMANTS

UNIVERSAL CREDIT LIVE SERVICE

CLAIMANTS

2014/15 10,559 28

2015/16 4,659 207

2016/17 2,773 312

The number of referrals for claimants to undertake English learning are as follows:

JOBSEEKER’S ALLOWANCE

CLAIMANTS

UNIVERSAL CREDIT LIVE SERVICE

CLAIMANTS

2014/15 5,187 13

2015/16 2,577 73

2016/17 1,222 95

We are unable to indicate how many of the referrals for English learning were the

result of mandating. Such information is not collated centrally and could only be

provided at disproportionate cost.

Source:

Jobseeker’s Allowance - Department for Work and Pensions Labour Market System

(LMS).

Universal Credit Live Service - Department for Work and Pensions Work Services

Platform (WSP).

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2017




Notes:

1. Information is not currently available to indicate the volume of referrals for English

Language assessments or learning for Universal Credit Full Service claimants

2. The Management Information (MI) contained within this document does not form

part of any official statistics and is intended for Department for Work and Pensions

internal use only and not published externally.

Social Security Benefits: Haringey

Mr David Lammy: [125303]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit sanctions were

imposed on benefit claimants in the (a) London Borough of Haringey and (b) Tottenham

constituency for a period of (i) one month, (ii) three months and (iii) any other length of

time in each year since 2013.

Alok Sharma:

The information requested by local authority and parliamentary constituency is not

currently available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. The

Department will be making changes to the geographical information available for the

next release of the sanctions statistics on 21 February 2018.

The available information on sanction durations for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA),

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit (UC) can be found

in the official experimental statistics as part of the published official statistics on

sanctions. These statistics can be found on pages 11-13 of the pdf document and

tables 2.7 and 3.1 available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-sanctions-statistics-2017

Universal Credit

Dr Philippa Whitford: [126077]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29

January to Question 124104, on Universal Credit, and with reference to the note below

paragraph B1026 of her Department's Advice for decision making: staff guide, whether

the operational guidance on the splitting of universal credit payments between the couple

contains further advice to decision makers.

Alok Sharma:

The operational guidance does not give Decision Makers any additional guidance on

split payments in Universal Credit that is not contained within the Decision Makers’

guidance.





Universal Credit and Welfare Tax Credits: Children

Lucy Powell: [125593]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department plans to

allocate from the public purse to the childcare element of (a)tax credits and (b) universal

credit in each of the next five years.

Alok Sharma:

HMRC currently estimate spending around £1.2bn per annum on the childcare

element of Working Tax Credit. This figure will decrease as tax credits claimants

gradually move across to Universal Credit, and spending on childcare under

Universal Credit will increase accordingly.

The profile of spending on childcare in Universal Credit is as follows:

ANN. COST 17/18 ANN. COST 18/19 ANN. COST 19/20 ANN. COST 20/21 ANN. COST 21/22

£100m £300m £800m £1200m £1500m

Notes:

The figures in the table above are derived from internal DWP models, and costs have

been rounded to the nearest £100 million.

Further information on spending on childcare on Universal Credit can be found at

paragraph 5.10 and table 5.4 of the Welfare Trends Report which can be accessed

at:

http://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/WelfareTrends2018cm9562.pdf

Universal Credit: Appeals

David Hanson: [125534]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Answer of 29 January

2018 to Question 124093, on Social Security Benefits: Appeals, how many people waited

(a) less than one month, (b) less than two months, (c) less than three months, (d) less

than four months, (e) less than five months, (f) less than six months and (g) six months or

more for mandatory reconsideration for universal credit in each year since its introduction.





Alok Sharma:

The information requested is shown in the table below:

UNIVERSAL CREDIT (UC)

Mandatory Reconsiderations (MR) cleared within each time period

- 1 month 2 months 3 months 4 months 5 months 6 months 6 months

+

Total

Apr 2014

– Mar

2015

1,890 30 # # # # # 1,920

Apr 2015

– Mar

2016

16,370 150 10 10 # # # 16,550

Apr 2016

– Mar

2017

18,000 3,910 3,890 1,320 60 30 30 27,260

Apr 2017

– Dec

2017

24,480 7,190 870 240 130 40 40 32,990

Notes:

Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.

‘#’ means fewer than 5 in this category.

Universal Credit: Wolverhampton North East

Emma Reynolds: [126072]

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made on

the roll out of universal credit in Wolverhampton North East.

Alok Sharma:

The Department rolled out Universal Credit for Wolverhampton Jobcentre Plus in

December 2017. To ensure safe and secure delivery of Universal Credit to larger

Jobcentre Plus offices, the Department rolls out to 50% of the postcodes at the

announced go live date, with the remaining postcodes rolled out approximately three

months later. In Wolverhampton’s case this will happen later this month.


MINISTERIAL CORRECTIONS


Broadband: Universal Service Obligation

Sir Oliver Heald: [125397]

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the 10Mbps

minimum speed for broadband under the universal service obligation will be the minimum

speed consumers receive in their homes at peak times; and if he will make a statement.

An error has been identified in the written answer given on 1 February 2018. The

correct answer should have been:

Margot James:

The Department is currently undertaking evaluation of the Superfast Broadband

Programme’s role in improving broadband connectivity and reaching areas that would

otherwise not have been reached through commercial plans. The evaluation is

focusing on the economic and social impacts of the programme, including the impact

of the superfast programme on business performance and growth, employment, on

quality of life and the reduction in benefits claimants in areas that would have lost out

to higher connectivity areas, if it were not for the programme.

The Department released The UK Broadband Impact Study in 2013 which made an

assessment of the impacts of faster broadband including the economic impacts. The

study can be accessed on the Department's website

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-broadband-impact-study--2). The

Department will be producing results from the current evaluation in 2018.

There is a difference between what we define as the download speed, or sync

speed, and the actual speed end users experience. The sync speed is the

maximum speed that is achievable on the connection between the network and

the premises. In reality, the actual speed that is provided to an end user is

typically lower than the sync speed and this will vary depending on the number

of other people using the network at that point in time. The specification that

we consulted on was for a sync speed of at least 10Mbps. Ofcom says that a

10Mbps sync speed meets the needs of a typical household.


WRITTEN STATEMENTS

CABINET OFFICE

Committee on Standards in Public Life

Minister for the Constitution (Chloe Smith): [HCWS452]

In July 2017, the Prime Minister asked the independent Committee on Standards in

Public Life to undertake a review into the issue of abuse and intimidation experienced by

Parliamentary candidates, including those who stood in the 2017 General Election

campaign. Concerns were highlighted by those across the political spectrum. The

Committee published a comprehensive report in December.

The Government would like to thank the Committee of Standards in Public Life again for

their considered and thorough report. The Prime Minister has today announced some

initial measures based on the Committee’s findings and the Government will be

publishing a substantive response in due course.

As the Prime Minister notes today, in public life, and increasingly in private conversations

too, it is becoming harder and harder to conduct any political discussion, on any issue,

without it descending into tribalism and rancour. Social media and digital communication

– which in themselves can and should be forces for good in our democracy – are being

exploited and abused, often anonymously. British democracy has always been robust

and oppositional. But a line is crossed when disagreement descends into intimidation.

Individuals standing for elected office

It cannot be right that people looking to participate in our democracy are subject to abuse

and intimidation for doing so. The Government will therefore consult in due course on the

introduction of a new offence in electoral law on intimidating candidates and

campaigners. We also propose to remove the requirement for candidates for local

government to include their home addresses on ballot papers, if they do not wish to do

so. This extends the protection already offered to parliamentary candidates.

Online content

We want users to be better informed about how reported social media content is dealt

with. We will establish a new Annual Internet Safety Transparency Report, to improve our

understanding of the offensive content being reported, how social media companies are

responding to complaints, and what content is being removed.

The Prime Minister has today called on social media companies to set out how they will

respond to the recommendations in the report, and we have been encouraged by the

positive response we have seen thus far. It is welcome that social media companies have

agreed to take forward the recommendation for a ‘pop up’ social media reporting team for

election campaigns and they will actively provide advice and support to Parliamentary

candidates.

Political parties

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-02-06/HCWS452/

The report has a number of recommendations for political parties, which they will wish to

consider carefully. The Prime Minister has noted that the Conservative Party is putting in

place a new code of conduct for members and supporters that puts respect and decency

at its core. The Prime Minister is encouraging the leaders of other parties to follow this

example.

Law, police and prosecutors

The Committee made a number of recommendations for national police leadership

bodies, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing, on

devolved operational policing matters. Both the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the

College will be responding to the Committee’s report separately, but we are pleased to

confirm that they will implement each of the recommendations in the report that refer to

them.

Some of these issues touch on devolved matters, and the UK Government will liaise with

our colleagues in the Devolved Administrations accordingly.

A more detailed response will be published by the Government in due course. Ministers

would welcome further feedback from Parliamentary colleagues, and the House may wish

to debate and consider these matters further.

I have placed in the Library a copy of the Prime Minister’s speech from today.


Sustainability of the press

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Matt Hancock):

[HCWS454]

The Prime Minister is today announcing that the Government will be establishing an

external review, looking into the sustainability of high quality journalism, including the

national, regional and local press.

Robust high quality journalism is important for public debate, scrutiny, and ultimately for

democratic political discourse. Yet the press currently faces an uncertain future. Print

circulations have declined, with readerships moving online, and the shift from print to

digital advertising has led to a loss of revenue for the press. The Government is

determined to ensure that the UK has a vibrant, independent and plural free press, which

is able to provide high quality journalism as one of the cornerstones of our public debate.

As per our manifesto, we are committed to making sure content creators are

appropriately rewarded for the content they make available online, and ensure there is a

sustainable business model for high quality media online. The review will help us deliver

on these commitments.

We have already commissioned research to look into the current state of the local and

national press markets. The review will bring together experts who will be able to assess

the many factors affecting the health of the UK’s news sector. These factors include the



impact of the digital advertising supply chain, the role of content and data in the market,

click-bait and the role played by the online platforms.

The review will publish a report and a range of recommendations for the industry and

Government to consider. The report is expected to be published later this year.

I have published a summary of the scope of this review on GOV.UK. The Terms of

Reference, chair and panel will all be announced in the coming months.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE

Provision of Border Assistance to Lebanon

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Boris Johnson):

[HCWS450]

The United Kingdom is strongly committed to supporting Lebanon’s peace, stability and

prosperity. Through a long-standing Conflict Stability and Security Fund project worth

£22.6m over three years, the UK is helping the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) secure the

Lebanon-Syria border. Our ambition is for Lebanon to have complete authority over its

border with Syria.

In order to reach this objective, our Embassy in Beirut wish to place an order worth

£319,916.61 for communications equipment to support the LAF. On 7 September 2017, I

made a Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS118) in respect of our Embassy in Beirut

placing an order of £1.8m for additional defensive barriers/towers as part of this project.

This communications equipment will be used in the new towers to allow secure

communications between troops and the headquarters of both the Land Border Regiment

and the LAF.

The provision of this assistance is fully in-line with the Government’s security and stability

objectives in the Middle East. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials carry out

regular reviews of our programmes in Lebanon to ensure funding is not directed to non-

state actors.

HOUSING, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Local Government Finance

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Sajid Javid):

[HCWS451]

Local Government Finance

Yesterday, I laid before the House, the ‘Report on Local Government Finance (England)

2018–19’, which represents the annual local government finance settlement for local

authorities in England.




I would like to thank all colleagues in the House, council leaders and officers, who

contributed to the consultation after the provisional settlement was published before

Christmas.

My Ministers and I have engaged extensively with the sector, including offering a

teleconference to all local authorities, and holding meetings with representative groups

including the Local Government Association and with councils and MPs. Representations

from almost 160 organisations or individuals have been carefully considered before

finalising the settlement.

This settlement is the third year of a four year offer which was accepted by 97% of

councils in return for publishing efficiency plans. This settlement sees two years of real

terms increases in available resources to local government: £44.3 billion in 2017-18 to

£45.6 billion in 2019-20.

The current business rates retention scheme is yielding strong results. Local authorities

estimate that in 2017-18 they will keep around £1.3 billion in business rates growth, which

we expect will be maintained into 2018-19 and 2019-20. This is on top of the core

settlement funding I am announcing today.

I commend local authorities for their work in securing efficiency savings supported by the

long term certainty of the multi-year settlement. Councils continue to seek to maximise

public value for every pound invested in public services. Of course, there is further for all

councils to go. To help this, I am extending the capital receipts flexibility programme for a

further 3 years. This scheme gives local authorities the freedom to use capital receipts

from the sale of their own assets to support transformation and unlock efficiency savings.

We will also continue to work with the sector to help them increase transparency and

share best practice supporting greater progress in delivering increased efficiency over the

coming year. I expect this to have a tangible impact on the steps councils take to promote

efficiency by 2019-20.

Social Care

I recognise the need to prioritise spending on social care services that councils provide to

our elderly and vulnerable citizens. This is why we announced an additional £2 billion at

Spring Budget 2017 for adult social care over the three years from 2017-18. This year we

have seen how this money has enabled councils to increase provider fees, provide for

more care packages and reduce delayed transfer of care.

And, having listening to representations since the provisional settlement, I am today

announcing a further £150 million in 2018-19 for an Adult Social Care Support Grant. This

will be taken from anticipated underspend in existing departmental budgets, and will not

affect existing revenue commitments made to local government. This will be allocated

according to relative needs and we will expect to see councils use it to build on their

progress so far in supporting sustainable local care markets.

With this, and other measures, the Government has given councils access to £9.4 billion

dedicated funding for adult social care over three years.

This is a long-term challenge that requires a sustainable settlement for the future. The

publication of a Green Paper this summer setting out our proposals for reform sets us on

the path to securing a resilient and sustainable system.

In Children’s Social Care too, it is important to understand cost drivers as well as service

quality and efficiency in a highly complex and critical service area. The Government has

invested £200 million since 2014 in the Innovation Programme and Partners in Practice

Programme, as well as £920 million in the Troubled Families Programme, to help the

children’s social care sector innovate and re-design service delivery to achieve higher

quality, improve family outcomes and secure better value for money.

I also recognise the good work that local authorities do in caring for unaccompanied

asylum seeking children. I have therefore made £19m available to local authorities in

2017/18 from within existing budgets, including the Controlling Migration Fund, to develop

the skills and capacity to be able to support these very vulnerable children.

Protecting residents from excessive council tax rises

Under the Localism Act 2011 and as re-affirmed in the Government’s 2017 manifesto,

councils can set whatever council tax rates they wish, but they need the direct consent of

local people if they wish to impose an excessive rise. This year, that referendum

threshold is set in line with inflation at 3%. In addition, local authorities with responsibility

for social care may levy a precept to spend exclusively on adult social care. As

announced last year, this precept equates to up to 6% over three years, from 2017-18 to

2019-20, with a maximum increase of 3% in the first two years and 2% in the final year.

This settlement strikes a balance on council tax between the need to relieve pressure on

local services, including social care, while also recognising that many households face

their own pressures.

New Homes Bonus

Local authorities are instrumental in ensuring the building of homes this country needs.

By the end of 2018-19, we will have allocated £7 billion in New Homes Bonus payments

to reward the building of 1,400,000 homes since the scheme was introduced in 2011. We

recognise the need for continuity and certainty on New Homes Bonus, and therefore for

the year ahead there will be no new changes to the way New Homes Bonus works. The

New Homes Bonus baseline will be maintained at 0.4 per cent and £947.5 million in New

Homes Bonus payments will be paid in 2018-19.

Rural Funding

I am committed to ensuring the needs of rural areas are met and recognise the particular

costs of providing services in sparse rural areas. So in 2018-19, in response to

representations made since the provisional settlement, I will increase the Rural Services

Delivery Grant by £31 million - £16 million more than proposed in the provisional

settlement. This will take the total to £81 million, a little over the 2016-17 level and the

highest it has ever been.

2019-20 and later years

To meet the challenges of the future we need an updated and more responsive

distribution methodology. We have published a formal consultation on a review of relative

needs and resources and aim to implement its findings in 2020-21. There have been

widespread calls for a thorough, evidence-based review, and we will deliver this. The

review will examine the cost of delivering services across the country, including rural

areas, and will consider which factors should be taken into account when considering a

local authority’s relative resources.

Following the delay to the implementation of 100% business rates retention and reforms

to the local government finance system, I acknowledge concerns around ‘negative RSG’.

We will be looking at fair and affordable options that will address the problem of negative

RSG that occurs in 2019-20, and will formally consult on proposals ahead of next year’s

settlement.

We will also work towards implementing the next phase of our business rates retention

reforms in 2020-21 to support the long held objective for local authorities of greater self-

sufficiency and financial sustainability. This will give local councils the levers and

incentives they need to grow their local economies. Local authorities will be able to keep

more business rates, to the value of the Revenue Support Grant, the Greater London

Authority Transport Grant, the Rural Services Delivery Grant and the Public Health Grant.

Overall, this is equivalent to 75% retention at 2019-20 levels. Local authorities will then

be able to keep the equivalent share of business rates growth on their baseline levels

from 2020-21, when the system is reset. The Government intends to use the intervening

period to develop a set of measures that support a smooth transition of funding for public

health services from a grant to retained business rates.

Ahead of this, we will continue to test out aspects of the future business rates retention

system in a broad range of authorities right across the country. And, to help us take

forward our continued long-term plan to let local government keep 100% of its business

rates, in 2018-19 we will continue to pilot 100% business rates retention in Greater

Manchester, Liverpool City Region, the West Midlands, West of England and Cornwall,

introduce a London pilot, and will take forward ten further 100% business rates retention

pilots. These are Berkshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Kent and Medway,

Leeds City Region, Lincolnshire, Solent Authorities, Suffolk and Surrey. The ten pilot

areas will cover 89 local authorities in total.

I recognise that there is disappointment among those areas that were unsuccessful in

their pilot applications this year and I am pleased to confirm that I intend to open a further

bidding round for pilots in 2019/20. Further information on this will be published in due

course.

Conclusion

Local government delivers vital services at the heart of the communities they serve. This

settlement strikes a balance between relieving growing pressure on local government

whilst ensuring that hard-pressed taxpayers do not face excessive bills. We have listened

to representations made and delivered on these requests: two years of real terms

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-funding-review-a-review-of-relative-needs-and-resources

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/fair-funding-review-a-review-of-relative-needs-and-resources

increases in resources, more freedom and fairness, and greater certainty to plan and

secure value for money.

PRIME MINISTER

Clarification

Prime Minister (Mrs Theresa May): [HCWS453]

During Prime Minister’s Questions on 24 January I understand that the monthly 12 hour

figures I used, while accurate and drawn directly from data published by the relevant NHS

authorities in England and Wales, are not directly comparable (Official report column

256).

I should have used the latest annual data which shows that 3.4% patients waited over 12

hours in Wales last year, compared to 1.3% in England, and the latest monthly data on

A&E performance which shows that 85.1% of patients in England were seen within 4

hours in December 2017 compared to 78.9% in Wales.


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