Ruth Smeeth

A search of Departmental records has confirmed there have been no discussions with North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) on its decision to restrict the provision of National Health Service hearing aids from 1 October 2015.

The provision of hearing aids is a matter for local commissioners and is based on the needs of the local population.

As such it would be for NHS England, within its routine assurance processes, to assess whether North Staffordshire CCG was in breach of its duties, or was considered likely to breach its duties in this matter.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that the clinical guideline on hearing loss is currently scheduled for development from spring 2016 and anticipates that this will be published in autumn 2018. A quality standard on hearing loss based on the clinical guideline will follow.

The Defence Fire and Rescue Project aims to identify whether an industry service provider will provide increased value for money in the delivery of a worldwide Defence Fire and Rescue Service. A decision on the outcome of this project will be announced in due course.

The subcontractor who supplies HM Treasury with its tableware is Baxter Story Plc.

HM Treasury does not have this information as tableware is provided by a subcontractor.

HM Treasury does not have this information as tableware is provided by a subcontractor.

HM Treasury does not have this information as tableware is provided by a subcontractor.

The cost of overseas official journeys taken by the Chancellor using RAF aircraft and helicopters is published on a quarterly basis. It can be found within the Treasury’s transparency data on ministerial meetings, hospitality, gifts and overseas travel on www.gov.uk.

The Treasury makes payments to suppliers, including other government departments, in line with published policies. The Treasury’s performance against these policies is also published on www.gov.uk.

Rather than prosecute Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) for operating incorrectly, any club that does not meet the new regulations, introduced in April 2015, will be de-registered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and assessed for potential Capital Gains Tax charges on the deemed disposal and acquisition of assets.

Statistics are not kept on former CASCs that set up a charity that they subsequently register with HMRC. These new charities are required to simply register the charity with HMRC in the normal way.

Rather than prosecute Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASCs) for operating incorrectly, any club that does not meet the new regulations, introduced in April 2015, will be de-registered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and assessed for potential Capital Gains Tax charges on the deemed disposal and acquisition of assets.

Statistics are not kept on former CASCs that set up a charity that they subsequently register with HMRC. These new charities are required to simply register the charity with HMRC in the normal way.

The National Infrastructure Commission has been established to provide expert impartial analysis of the UK’s long-term infrastructure needs. To do this the commission will conduct an infrastructure needs assessment every five years, with its findings articulated in the National Infrastructure Assessment. As part of the infrastructure needs assessment the commission will review areas of Northern Irish infrastructure that are the responsibility of the UK government, and its findings will be made public once the report is completed.

The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Our estates partners were commissioned to identify an alternative site for reporting functions in Stoke that provided adequate access to the public, security and accommodation that would enable us to provide a good level of service to the reporting population. Our partners were unable to locate any such suitable premises in the local area.

Prevent funding is prioritised based on threat and risk across the country where we assess the risk of radicalisation to be highest.

A number of factors, including local and national intelligence / information, the number of TACT arrests and disrupted plots, as well as Channel referral data, are used to help determine the locations where the threat from terrorism and radicalisation is greatest.

Each priority area receives funding for a dedicated Prevent Coordinator and for civil society organisations to deliver campaigns and activity that counter terrorist narratives and build resilience in communities against radicalisation. We do not provide detailed information about the funding allocation of local Prevent projects by area.

The Home Office have been unable to find a suitable location in Stoke for staff and the reporting population so utilised police stations. Staffordshire Police have subsequently rationalised their estate and could not provide the Home Office with accommodation to conduct the full range of functions required.

In the absence of any suitable accommodation in the area, which also took into account security, safety of signers and staff, the reporting function was moved to Manchester reporting centre.

The Home Office assessed the needs of all types of reportees, not only asylum seekers.

The assessment looked at travel times and reporting frequencies of individuals as well as those with special needs, such as pregnant subjects or those recovering from surgery and how we could reimburse eligible individuals for travel.

Individuals subject to reporting can be required to attend the nearest reporting centre or other specified location, including police stations, to their home address.

There is no upper limit to the distance which an individual may be required to travel in order to attend their nearest reporting centre. When deciding reporting conditions the Home Office will give due consideration to the young, elderly and those with medical issues and the potential impact of frequent travel over long distances which is considered to involve in excess of 2 hours’ journey time each way.

The information available relating to visitor entry clearance visas for Turkish nationals is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/662518/entry-visas1-jul-sep-2017-tables.ods

The figures below show the number of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) assigned in support of visa applications for Pharmacists in each of the last three years. A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is required to support all visa applications and a sponsor is required to enter a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code on their CoS. There is a SoC code for Pharmacists.

Assigning a CoS does not guarantee a visa will be issued.

2013 380

2014 380

2015 400

We routinely monitor all licensed sponsors to ensure they are meeting their duties and responsibilities. This includes undertaking visits to sponsors to inspect their compliance with the sponsor guidance. All visits to sponsors are undertaken according to published guidance which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/points-based-system-sponsor-management

We are, however, unable to comment on specific cases.

In 2015 227 compliance visits were undertaken to Tier 2 sponsors who have the ability to sponsor individuals under the Tier 2 ICT route.

The Government works closely with all carriers, not just British registered carriers, to connect their systems to the Government’s border systems to ensure those connections are operating properly and to ensure that any IT problems are identified and resolved. Should any circumstance arise where a carrier should have refused authority to carry an individual to the UK, that individual will be met on arrival. Border Force also conducts 100% checks at passport control on all passengers arriving in the UK by commercial air, rail or maritime services at passport controls. This includes screening against watch lists.

The Government works closely with all carriers, not just British registered carriers, to connect their systems to the Government’s border systems to ensure those connections are operating properly and to ensure that any IT problems are identified and resolved. Should any circumstance arise where a carrier should have refused authority to carry an individual to the UK, that individual will be met on arrival. Border Force also conducts 100% checks at passport control on all passengers arriving in the UK by commercial air, rail or maritime services at passport controls. This includes screening against watch lists.

The Government works closely with all carriers, not just British registered carriers, to connect their systems to the Government’s border systems to ensure those connections are operating properly and to ensure that any IT problems are identified and resolved. Should any circumstance arise where a carrier should have refused authority to carry an individual to the UK, that individual will be met on arrival. Border Force also conducts 100% checks at passport control on all passengers arriving in the UK by commercial air, rail or maritime services at passport controls. This includes screening against watch lists.

The National Crime Agency CEOP Command assists UK police forces to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse in a number of ways. This includes providing training and advice on specialist capabilities, specialist operational support, and expert child protection advice. For example, the Command assists local police forces with advice and guidance on interview and search strategies, categorisation of indecent images of children, victim identification and victim strategies. The wider NCA, including CEOP Command, also provides support to forces as set out in The NCA Commitment to Working in Partnership with UK Operational Powers, which is available on the NCA website.

The non-recent child sexual abuse investigations being conducted by the National Crime Agency are in response to requests from the Chief Officer of the local police forces. As such, the funding for these investigations is from the local police forces.

The Home Office does not hold this information in the format requested.

The Home Office does not hold this information in the format requested.

A variety of checks are undertaken on sponsor licence holders and the migrants they assign certificates of sponsorship to. Compliance visits are undertaken during the licensing process and post-licensing audits are undertaken to verify the duties performed by the sponsored workers adhere to those set out by the sponsor in the certificate of sponsorship. Officers can request payslips, work contracts and evidence of duties performed by the sponsored worker during compliance visits. In some cases, other regulatory requirements are verified with other government departments or regulatory bodies during investigations of possible non-compliance. Officers can interview both sponsors and sponsored workers during compliance visits to seek assurances and gather information and evidence of compliance with the duties of sponsorship. Overseas we can undertake checks in to the credibility of the international presence of an ICT sponsor licence holder where there is concern to do so.

All roles are assessed to confirm the duties and salary meet the requirements set out in the standard occupation classification codes. The sponsored worker may also be called for interview during the visa consideration process to check their credibility and test the individual meets the requirements of sponsorship under Tier 2 (ICT).

Guidance for sponsors specifies that UKVI will revoke the licence of a sponsor who has issued a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) but has not adhered to the specified job description and/or salary. However, prior to the consideration of revocation action, UKVI will suspend the licence and allow the sponsor the opportunity to make representations against the matter(s) identified. UKVI does have residual discretion to apply a lesser sanctions depending on the severity of the matter(s) and the mitigating circumstances presented by the sponsor; these sanctions include downgrading the licence rating and issuing a time limited action plan or reducing the sponsor’s CoS allocation or setting the allocation to zero.

A Tier 2 (Intra company transfer) certificate of sponsorship (CoS) issued by a Tier 2 (ICT) licensed company is required for a migrant worker to be granted a Tier 2 (ICT) visa. There is no limit to the number of Tier 2 (ICT) CoS that a company can apply for each year. When applying for a sponsor licence the company must tell UKVI how many CoS they may need to the end of the financial year and justify why they need them.

Licensed companies with a proven history of compliance are automatically allocated the same number of CoS they used in the previous financial year. All other sponsors must request CoS each financial year and justify why they are needed. Additional CoS can be requested at any time by all licensed sponsors.

Each application for a Tier 2 (ICT) visa must be accompanied by a certificate of sponsorship (COS) issued by the applicant’s sponsor. The COS will set out the job description and the job role the applicant is required to perform, as well as the salary they will be paid and the hours of work they will undertake. The Secretary of State will examine the information on the COS against the codes of practice for skilled workers to ensure the criteria under the Tier 2 (ICT) arrangements are met. The codes of practice set out the relevant skill level and minimum rates of pay that apply to any job.

The Secretary of State may also consider whether the application meets the genuine vacancy requirements set out in the Immigration Rules. This assessment is to satisfy that the information in the certificate of sponsorship has not been tailored specifically to meet the requirements of the Tier 2 criteria.

Entry Clearance Officers within visa sections overseas also have the discretion to conduct additional assessments should they have concerns about specific sponsors. Further compliance checks are carried out after the visa has been issued during compliance visits to ensure roles are genuine and meet the appropriate skill level for sponsorship. Compliance officers routinely assess the credibility of the job roles and collect evidence that the duties of sponsored migrants are in accordance with those stated by the sponsor in the certificates of sponsorship.

A list of the sponsors that have assigned more than 50 Tier 2 (ICT) Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) in a calendar year for each of the last five years, which also provides the figures of how many of those CoS were used in support of an individual Tier 2 (ICT) application, are to be placed in the House Library.

To break these figures down further into in and out of country applications, and whether the application was successful would require manual intervention and would exceed cost limits.

Although NCA officers can be designated with the Powers of a Constable (and other powers), NCA officers are not police officers, nor were the SOCA officers that formed the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. When the NCA was launched on 7 October 2013, 99 posts were transferred into the NCA from the SOCA-affiliated Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. The NCA CEOP Command currently has 129 core posts.

At the WePROTECT Children Online Global Summit in December 2014, the Prime Minister announced an additional £10m would be provided in 2015/16 to create further specialist teams in the National Crime Agency to focus on the worst online child sexual exploitation and abuse offenders. This funding is enabling the National Crime Agency to target more offenders, strengthen victim identification and create additional intelligence and child protection advisor capabilities. This has included 174 additional posts (an increase on the 168 new posts envisaged when the NCA Annual Report and accounts were published last year). These 174 posts, are in addition to the NCA’s core posts and are all dedicated to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse, within the CEOP Command and supporting functions.

Specific funding for NCA investigations into non-recent child sexual abuse is provided through alternative arrangements. All of the National Crime Agency commands contribute to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse. NCA commands work collaboratively and are supported by specialist capabilities drawn from across the Agency.

Although NCA officers can be designated with the Powers of a Constable (and other powers), NCA officers are not police officers, nor were the SOCA officers that formed the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. When the NCA was launched on 7 October 2013, 99 posts were transferred into the NCA from the SOCA-affiliated Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. The NCA CEOP Command currently has 129 core posts.

At the WePROTECT Children Online Global Summit in December 2014, the Prime Minister announced an additional £10m would be provided in 2015/16 to create further specialist teams in the National Crime Agency to focus on the worst online child sexual exploitation and abuse offenders. This funding is enabling the National Crime Agency to target more offenders, strengthen victim identification and create additional intelligence and child protection advisor capabilities. This has included 174 additional posts (an increase on the 168 new posts envisaged when the NCA Annual Report and accounts were published last year). These 174 posts, are in addition to the NCA’s core posts and are all dedicated to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse, within the CEOP Command and supporting functions.

Specific funding for NCA investigations into non-recent child sexual abuse is provided through alternative arrangements. All of the National Crime Agency commands contribute to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse. NCA commands work collaboratively and are supported by specialist capabilities drawn from across the Agency.

Although NCA officers can be designated with the Powers of a Constable (and other powers), NCA officers are not police officers, nor were the SOCA officers that formed the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. When the NCA was launched on 7 October 2013, 99 posts were transferred into the NCA from the SOCA-affiliated Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. The NCA CEOP Command currently has 129 core posts.

At the WePROTECT Children Online Global Summit in December 2014, the Prime Minister announced an additional £10m would be provided in 2015/16 to create further specialist teams in the National Crime Agency to focus on the worst online child sexual exploitation and abuse offenders. This funding is enabling the National Crime Agency to target more offenders, strengthen victim identification and create additional intelligence and child protection advisor capabilities. This has included 174 additional posts (an increase on the 168 new posts envisaged when the NCA Annual Report and accounts were published last year). These 174 posts, are in addition to the NCA’s core posts and are all dedicated to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse, within the CEOP Command and supporting functions.

Specific funding for NCA investigations into non-recent child sexual abuse is provided through alternative arrangements. All of the National Crime Agency commands contribute to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse. NCA commands work collaboratively and are supported by specialist capabilities drawn from across the Agency.

As a national law enforcement agency, the National Crime Agency (NCA) works closely with and in support of all police forces in the UK in tackling serious and organised crime. Since its inception in October 2013 the NCA has provided investigative assistance to all police forces in England across a range of law enforcement activities and capabilities.

Although NCA officers can be designated with the Powers of a Constable (and other powers), NCA officers are not police officers, nor were the SOCA officers that formed the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. When the NCA was launched on 7 October 2013, 99 posts were transferred into the NCA from the SOCA-affiliated Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. The NCA CEOP Command currently has 129 core posts.

At the WePROTECT Children Online Global Summit in December 2014, the Prime Minister announced an additional £10m would be provided in 2015/16 to create further specialist teams in the National Crime Agency to focus on the worst online child sexual exploitation and abuse offenders. This funding is enabling the National Crime Agency to target more offenders, strengthen victim identification and create additional intelligence and child protection advisor capabilities. This has included 174 additional posts (an increase on the 168 new posts envisaged when the NCA Annual Report and accounts were published last year). These 174 posts, are in addition to the NCA’s core posts and are all dedicated to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse, within the CEOP Command and supporting functions.

Specific funding for NCA investigations into non-recent child sexual abuse is provided through alternative arrangements. All of the National Crime Agency commands contribute to tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse. NCA commands work collaboratively and are supported by specialist capabilities drawn from across the Agency.

The Government is carefully considering the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations and has not yet made its final decisions. We will announce our response in due course.

Acquiring this information would involve examining each individual case record held by UKVI for the category. To do so would incur a disproportionate cost.

The information requested is published within the annual National Statistics on awards under the War Pension Scheme. The latest information, as at 31 March 2019, can be found on the Gov.uk website at this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/war-pension-recipients-index

Information on the total number of veterans medically diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is not held.

However, between 1 January 2010 and 31 March 2019 an estimated 6,730 veterans have claimed compensation for PTSD under the War Pension Scheme, of which 1,320 (19.5%) were unsuccessful.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a responsibility to procure the right capability for our Armed Forces and to ensure value for money for the taxpayer in the goods and services that we buy, regardless of the company's size.

We are clear that international competition is at the heart of our approach. This allows our Armed Forces to secure the best equipment from an open, global marketplace to meet evolving threats. We also recognise, however, that defence procurement needs to protect UK freedom of action and operational advantage. These strategic considerations shape our procurement strategies. Our refreshed Industrial Policy sets out the basis on which we will develop specific sector approaches to protect national security.

There is no single MOD procurement scorecard. Once we have launched a commercial competition, the MOD considers a wide range of factors when awarding our contracts to obtain the best value for money outcome for defence and the taxpayer.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD), including Defence Equipment and Support, has a responsibility to get the right capability for our Armed Forces and to ensure value for money for the taxpayer in the goods and services that we buy.

The MOD is committed to making it easier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to do business with defence. In March 2019, we published our SME Action Plan which explains how we will increase our spend with SMEs, and addresses behavioural, policy and process change.

I also chair SME Forums around the UK to understand the issues facing SMEs, the most recent of which was held on 9 May 2019 in Broughton.

A project is under way to procure and support a range of ballistic and training plates to fit the VIRTUS body armour and load carriage system. It is currently in the assessment phase with tender returns due over the next three months. I am withholding the company names as their disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

The E-7 is based on the proven and widely used 737 NG aircraft generation of which nearly 7,000 have been produced since it was first introduced in 1996. The two recent tragic incidents involved the different 737 MAX aircraft generation. It would not be appropriate to speculate on these accidents until the competent regulatory bodies have issued their formal reports.

The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment Regulations) 2014 will apply to members of the Defence Fire and Rescue Service under any future contractual arrangements, including existing pay structures.

As part of the Defence Fire and Rescue Project the Ministry of Defence developed an 'in-house' value for money Benchmark. This was developed by an independent team made up of Civil Service personnel and fire officers who had access to independent consultancy support; this team was separate from the Defence Fire and Rescue Project Team. This work was conducted with the same project requirement as the outsourcing bids and with access to the same information.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 June 2018 to Question 155899 to the hon. Member for Stoke on Trent (Central) (Mr Snell).

The contract award has been suspended until a legal challenge to the procurement is resolved.

Any proposal to change the approach to fire risk management at a site following contract award will be conducted through an Integrated Fire Risk Management Plan conducted in collaboration with the Head of Establishment. Changes will not be implemented until they have been agreed at the appropriate level.

Fire Extinguisher testing and maintenance is not within scope of the Defence Fire and Rescue Project contract, it is already done outside of it.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to provide funding for the 2019 military adaptive sporting event for Service personnel and veterans or the 2020 Invictus Games. Both events will be delivered by a three-way partnership between the Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes and the MOD. The partners recognise the impact on Invictus of the cessation of LIBOR money and have decided, therefore, to increase efforts to generate improved levels of sponsorship and donations. To facilitate this effort, the MOD has recently appointed a senior (one star) military officer to support the Partnership Board. This is in addition to the manpower which MOD already provides in support of the partnership.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to provide funding for the 2019 military adaptive sporting event for Service personnel and veterans or the 2020 Invictus Games. Both events will be delivered by a three-way partnership between the Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes and the MOD. The partners recognise the impact on Invictus of the cessation of LIBOR money and have decided, therefore, to increase efforts to generate improved levels of sponsorship and donations. To facilitate this effort, the MOD has recently appointed a senior (one star) military officer to support the Partnership Board. This is in addition to the manpower which MOD already provides in support of the partnership.

No decision has been reached on the Defence Fire and Rescue Project but the ability to provide internationally deployable fire and rescue services will be part of any outcome from the project.

An announcement about the outcome of the project will be made in due course.

The service requirements are part of an ongoing commercial process and cannot be published at this time. Releasable elements of the requirements are published in the contract documentation which Government procurement transparency rules require to be published following a contract award. These rules would apply to any future contract award in relation to the Defence Fire and Rescue Project.

The requested information is provided in the attached tables.

Information on Ministerial travel is published on a quarterly transparency return on ww.gov.uk.

The information is not held in the format requested.

'Cannibalisation' is the routine maintenance practice of removing and recycling spare parts that are taken from one aircraft to be used on another, to ensure the maximum number of aircraft are available to meet the Typhoon flying requirement.

The information is not held in the format requested.

Cannibalisation or the use of fit parts for repairable equipment, is a recognised Defence practice for satisfying a material demand with a required delivery date and has been in place for decades in the Armed Forces. It is only used when all other sources of supply have been explored and is essential to protecting the operational programmes of the Armed Forces..

For the Army, cannibalisation, is an extreme option that may only be authorised by the operational Equipment Support Commander in order to support priority missions.

The RAF last reviewed the Hawk T1 out of service date as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 and concluded that by reducing the amount of overall activity, the lifetime of the aircraft across the Hawk T1 fleet could be extended to 2030.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement (Harriett Baldwin) gave her on 1 November 2017 to Question 109555.

The RAF rotates individual aircraft from the wider Hawk T1 fleet through the Red Arrows as part of routine fleet management. Aircraft do not therefore spend their entire service life with the team.

Although the maintenance and service life of individual aircraft will differ, it is expected the current aircraft will each serve an average of some 1,400 flying hours with the Red Arrows before they are returned to the wider Hawk T1 fleet for maintenance, transfer to another unit, storage or disposal. Some aircraft may also be transferred back to the Red Arrows in due course.

The Hawk T1 fleet has undergone various upgrade and life extension programmes since delivery. The out-of-service date has been calculated with regards to the usual fleet management processes in place on the large remaining fleet of Hawk T1.

The cost of spare parts for Typhoon for each financial year (FY) since 2010-11 is shown below:

Since August 2016, the RAF Typhoon fleet has been supported through the Typhoon Total Availability eNterprise contract (TyTAN). This is based on contracting for availability and provides sufficient spare parts to support the current forward available fleet and operational plan.

Typhoon EJ200 engines continue to be supported by the Partnered Support Operational Phase 3 (PSOP3) availability contract.

The current level of spare parts for the Typhoon fleet remains at a sufficient level to support the TyTAN and PSOP3 contracts and is shown below. The spares inventory will fluctuate over time as availability is proactively managed.

Since August 2016, the RAF Typhoon fleet has been supported through the Typhoon Total Availability eNterprise contract (TyTAN). This is based on contracting for availability and provides sufficient spare parts to support the current forward available fleet and operational plan.

Typhoon EJ200 engines continue to be supported by the Partnered Support Operational Phase 3 (PSOP3) availability contract.

The current level of spare parts for the Typhoon fleet remains at a sufficient level to support the TyTAN and PSOP3 contracts and is shown below. The spares inventory will fluctuate over time as availability is proactively managed.