Mike Hancock

All countries are expected to come forward with their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) well ahead of the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) in December 2015. Countries are in most cases already taking action to reduce emissions. A credible assessment of the additional export potential related to INDCs is not possible, as INDCs that are yet to be determined.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has discussed the negotiations for a new global climate deal, including countries’ Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), with a large number of his international counterparts.

The Department has not commissioned or conducted research into this issue.

The Government is examining the application of the legislation to seafarers, in particular those seafarers working on ferry services.

Officials have been working closely with the Department for Transport, unions and stakeholders to fully understand pay practices in the maritime industry.

Seafarers who ordinarily work in the UK are entitled to the National Minimum Wages (NMW). Seafarers who believe they are entitled to the NMW and have not received it should contact the free and confidential Pay and Work Rights helpline on 0800 917 2368.

The Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 extend certain equality rights, including pay, to all seafarers serving on UK or EEA registered vessels operating wholly or partly in Great Britain and its territorial waters. Seafarers from the EEA or designated States, whose legal relationship in regard to their employment is located within Great Britain, are also covered to the same extent. Outside our territorial waters the same level of protection is afforded to the same category of seafarers on UK registered vessels.

The Department for Transport is currently reviewing the application of the Equality Act Regulations with the social partners, this Department and other Departments.

However, the UK must give due consideration to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that states that a vessel is entitled to the right of innocent passage when in the territorial waters of another State. The majority of ferries operating out of Great Britain are not flagged with the UK register and the Channel Islands and Cherbourg are beyond our territorial waters.

DECC does not hold information on how much energy was generated from renewable sources by nation. The table below shows how much electricity was generated, by nation, for each of the last ten years.

Source: DECC Regional Renewable Statistics, Generation, 2003-2013, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/regional-renewable-statistics

Note: Figures may not add up to the totals presented in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics for the UK as a whole, as a result of a small amount of generation from sites for which there are no location details.

My Right Hon Friend the Secretary of State has had no regular discussions of this kind. The BBC is operationally independent of Government and it is a duty of the BBC Trust to exercise rigorous stewardship of public money and keep the BBC’s financial needs under review.

Ofcom monitors the availability of broadband in the UK, including superfast broadband availability, and publishes comparative data on its web site, which can be found at http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/broadband/ . Ofcom's 2013 report provides the following comparative data on the availability of superfast broadband in Hampshire compared with the UK average.

The full Ofcom data table can be found at http://d2a9983j4okwzn.cloudfront.net/downloads/ofcom-uk-broadband-speed-data-2013.csv

The Department for Education currently collects information on children looked after by local authorities in England who went missing from their agreed placement for a period of 24 hours or more.

The table attached shows the number of children who went missing from their agreed placement whilst looked after by Hampshire, Portsmouth or Southampton local authority, during the years ending 31 March 2012 to 2014. Children who went missing on more than one occasion during the year have been recorded only once for that year. The table also shows the number of these children who were still missing at 31 March 2014, the latest date for which data are available. In addition to these, there will also be some children who have turned 18, and therefore ceased to be looked after whilst missing. In such cases, information is not collected on whether these young people are still missing.

Comparisons with other data sources, including numbers of missing children reported to the police, indicate that the number of children missing from their agreed placement may be an undercount of the true figure and should be treated with caution. Extensive work on improving the quality of this data has been undertaken during the past two years’ data collections. An increase in the number of children missing from their agreed placement over recent years may therefore be due to improved recording rather than a true increase. From 2015, the information will be collected differently to improve the quality.

The Department for Education currently collects information on children looked after by local authorities in England who went missing from their agreed placement for a period of 24 hours or more.

The table attached shows the number of children who went missing from their agreed placement whilst looked after by Hampshire, Portsmouth or Southampton local authority, during the years ending 31 March 2012 to 2014. Children who went missing on more than one occasion during the year have been recorded only once for that year. The table also shows the number of these children who were still missing at 31 March 2014, the latest date for which data are available. In addition to these, there will also be some children who have turned 18, and therefore ceased to be looked after whilst missing. In such cases, information is not collected on whether these young people are still missing.

Comparisons with other data sources, including numbers of missing children reported to the police, indicate that the number of children missing from their agreed placement may be an undercount of the true figure and should be treated with caution. Extensive work on improving the quality of this data has been undertaken during the past two years’ data collections. An increase in the number of children missing from their agreed placement over recent years may therefore be due to improved recording rather than a true increase. From 2015, the information will be collected differently to improve the quality.

The Department for Education currently collects information on children looked after by local authorities in England who went missing from their agreed placement for a period of 24 hours or more.

The table attached shows the number of children who went missing from their agreed placement whilst looked after by Hampshire, Portsmouth or Southampton local authority, during the years ending 31 March 2012 to 2014. Children who went missing on more than one occasion during the year have been recorded only once for that year. The table also shows the number of these children who were still missing at 31 March 2014, the latest date for which data are available. In addition to these, there will also be some children who have turned 18, and therefore ceased to be looked after whilst missing. In such cases, information is not collected on whether these young people are still missing.

Comparisons with other data sources, including numbers of missing children reported to the police, indicate that the number of children missing from their agreed placement may be an undercount of the true figure and should be treated with caution. Extensive work on improving the quality of this data has been undertaken during the past two years’ data collections. An increase in the number of children missing from their agreed placement over recent years may therefore be due to improved recording rather than a true increase. From 2015, the information will be collected differently to improve the quality.

While we have not made a formal assessment of the link between financial education and sustainable and responsible investment practices, our decision that personal financial education should be included in the citizenship national curriculum for key stage 3 and 4 is designed to help pupils manage their money. OECD research concluded that the new national curriculum meets all of the building blocks they recommend for a sound financial education in schools. Through this aspect of the curriculum pupils should develop their knowledge and skills so they can make sound financial decisions and take their place in society as responsible citizens.

At key stage 3, pupils should be taught about the functions and uses of money, the importance and practice of budgeting, and managing risk. At key stage 4, pupils should be taught about income and expenditure, credit and debt, insurance, savings and pensions, financial products and services, and how public money is raised and spent.

Defra provides guidance on buying a puppy which is available on the GOV.UK website. The advice includes encouraging people to read the Puppy Information Pack provided by the Animal Welfare Foundation and RSPCA and to also use the Puppy Contract to get as much information about the puppy as possible.

We are aware of the offer made by the Kennel Club to inspect and train local authority inspectors. Local authorities may choose to take up this offer or those made by other organisations.

Defra fully supports the principles of the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeder Scheme but considers it goes beyond the minimum standards set by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and so could not be used as the basis for regulations under the 2006 Act.

I have made no formal assessment of this kind. However, the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership has secured £124.8M for the first phase of its Strategic Economic Plan, and this will bring benefits through reducing journey times to Portsmouth which stand to benefit ferry users there generally, in parallel with the specific improvements benefiting Southampton services to the Isle of Wight.

Condor Ferries Limited attended attended a workshop organised by officials on ro-ro vessels and their stability in 2011. The Department for Transport’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch also met Condor Ferries Limited in relation to two accident investigations involving the ro-ro ferry Commodore Clipper; a fire on 16 June 2010 and a grounding on 14 July 2014. There have been no other meetings between officials and Condor Ferries Limited.

Officials at the Department for Transport have had correspondence with Condor Ferries Limited on maritime security and accident investigation since 1 May 2010.

Some of the correspondence was with Marine Accident Investigation Branch on two accident investigations involving the ro-ro ferry Commodore Clipper: a fire on 16 June 2010 and a grounding on 14 July 2014. There was also correspondence on minor accidents involving vessels operated by Condor Ferries. The other correspondence related to pre-arrival security exemption and the impact of offshore renewable energy installation on the company.

The Secretary of State for Transport has, to date, met neither officials nor trades union representatives from Portsmouth International Port. I am, however, keen to meet union representatives and arrangements are currently being made to bring such a meeting about, if the unions wish to have a meeting.

The Department for Transport is responsible for the strategic road network which is managed by the Highways Agency on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport. The remaining roads are the responsibility of local highway authorities under the Higways Act 1980.

Highways Agency spending on improving road infrastructure (including smaller schemes and technology improvements) on the strategic road over the last four financial years in Hampshire is as follows:

The strategic road network does not extend into Portsmouth South.

The Department for Transport also provides funding to local highway authorities through Integrated Transport and Highways Maintenance Block grants. This funding can be used to improve local roads that the authorities manage if they so wish. The following tables provide this information.

Highways Maintenance Block & Top-Up Funding

The Department for Transport is also supporting the Portsmouth highways maintenance project and a street lighting project in Hampshire which are both being funded through the private finance initiative. The total Department for Transport funding being provided for the scheme over a twenty five period is as follows:

Integrated Transport Block & Top-Up Funding

Local authorities are also able to use revenue funding allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant for maintaining their local highways.

Neither capital nor revenue highways maintenance funding is ring-fenced and it is for local highway authorities to decide upon their spending priorities across the whole range of services they provide.

In addition, the Department for Transport also provides capital funding for local major schemes, costing over £5 million. The Department for Transport has agreed to provide a funding contribution to two schemes being promoted by Portsmouth City Council.

The information requested is not available.

This data is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The information requested is shown in the table below.

Number of individuals who had their Jobseeker's Allowance sanctioned for failure to attend, from April 2000 to September 2013.

Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database.

Notes:

1. Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) figures have been randomly adjusted to avoid the release of confidential data.

2. A table produced with no breakdowns, only containing a total, will be a measure of the total number of individual people who have had a (JSA) sanction decision made i.e. an individual person will be counted once, irrespective of their characteristics, sanction decision outcome, reason for referral etc.

3. New sanctions rules came into force for JSA from 22 October 2012. The number of JSA sanctions applied for the new regime is the number of low, intermediate, and high level referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/jobseekers-allowance-overview-of-sanctions-rules

4. Information on the old JSA regime is available from April 2000 to 21 October 2012. The number of JSA sanctions applied was the number of fixed length, varied length and entitlement decisions where the decision was found against the claimant.

5. The figure for Hampshire includes the following local authorities: Basingstoke and Deane, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Hart, Havant, New Forest, Rushmoor, Test Valley and Winchester.

6. Failure to attend includes: Failure to attend a place on a training scheme or employment programme, Failure to attend or failure to participate in an Adviser interview and Failure to attend Back to Work Session, without good reason.

7. This information is published and available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

According to the ASH Smokefree GB survey, around two million adults in Great Britain currently use e-cigarettes. A third are ex-smokers who have given up completely, and a further third are using them as part of a quit attempt.

While e-cigarettes are not completely without risk, they carry a far lower risk to health than smoking tobacco. A recent Cochrane Review found that e-cigarettes can help smokers to quit or reduce their smoking and the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT) advice to local stop smoking services is that they should be open to helping smokers who want to quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes, especially in those that have tried, but not succeeded, in stopping smoking with the use of licenced stop smoking medicines.

Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for reviewing the evidence on e-cigarettes and providing evidence-based recommendations to inform the Government’s future thinking. In May 2014 PHE published an expert report from Professor John Britton, one of the UK’s leading respiratory physicians and tobacco researchers (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311887/Ecigarettes_report.pdf).

No such assessment has been made.

This is a matter for NHS Property Services (NHS PS).

NHS PS has advised that there is no operational rationale for a covenant to restrict the future use and development of surplus land and buildings at the site.

We understand there are local proposals, under the St Mary’s and St James’ Estate Project in Portsmouth, aiming:

- to make St Mary’s Community Health Campus the focus of community care services in Portsmouth;

- to retain mental health facilities at St James’ Hospital;

- to reduce substantial areas of unused space at both sites;

- to dispose of surplus land and buildings at St James’ and invest in St Mary’s and other NHS facilities in the city, and

- to generate savings of circa £3 million in the ongoing cost of running the NHS-owned and occupied estate.

As part of the rationalisation plans, we are advised surplus land and buildings at St James’ Hospital will be released for redevelopment and this will take place over two phases.

This information is not collected centrally.

Estimates of the fraction of mortality in English local authority areas and regions in 2010 and 2011 attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution arising from human activities are published by Public Health England (PHE) as one of the indicators in the Department of Health's Public Health Outcomes Framework. For Portsmouth Unitary Authority this figure was 5.9% in both 2010 and 2011; for Hampshire County Council this figure was 5.3% in 2010 and 5.4% in 2011; and for the South East this figure was 5.5% in both 2010 and 2011.

PHE has also published mortality estimates for 2010 as attributable deaths[1] and associated years of life lost. The estimated mortality burdens attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution arising from human activities were: 95 attributable deaths and 1059 associated years of life lost in Portsmouth Unitary Authority; 601 attributable deaths and 6211 associated years of life lost in Hampshire County Council; and 4,034 attributable deaths and 41,729 associated years of life lost in the South East.

[1] The ‘number of deaths' attributable to a risk factor is a metric which is widely used in communicating about public health risks. Nonetheless, a calculated figure of ‘attributable deaths' does not represent the number of individuals whose length of life has been shortened by air pollution. Long-term exposure to air pollution is understood to be a contributory factor to deaths from respiratory and, particularly, cardiovascular disease, ie unlikely to be the sole cause of deaths of individuals. This means that it is likely that air pollution contributes a smaller amount to the deaths of a larger number of exposed individuals rather than being solely responsible for a number of deaths equivalent to the calculated figure of ‘attributable deaths'. The distribution of the mortality effect within the population is unknown.