London Metropolitan University
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 September 2012, Official Report, column 507W, on London Metropolitan University, what the required criteria are to acquire a tier 4 sponsor licence. [122690]
Mr Harper: London Metropolitan University will be eligible to apply for a new sponsor licence from 1 March 2013. The tier 4 sponsor licence criteria are lengthy and are published in separate guidance and annexes. The link to the published guidance on the UK Border Agency website is as follows:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pbsguidance
Overseas Students: Registration
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) for what reasons overseas students are required to register with the Overseas Visitor Registration Office on arrival in the UK; [123632]
(2) on how many occasions between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2011, and for what reasons, the UK Border Agency accessed data submitted by international students to the Overseas Visitor Registration Office; [123633]
(3) what use is made of the information provided by international students to the Overseas Visitor Registration Office; [123639]
(4) whether the UK Border Agency already holds the details submitted to the Overseas Visitor Registration Office by international students at the time that such students register on arrival in the UK; [123640]
(5) on what date the list of countries whose residents must register with the Overseas Visitor Registration Office when they arrive in the UK as international students was last updated. [123641]
Mr Harper [holding answer 18 October 2012]: The Police (Foreign Nationals) Registration Scheme was set out in regulations made in 1972. This scheme sets out a requirement for immigrants of specified nationalities, who are granted at least six months' leave to remain, to register with the police within seven days of their arrival in the UK. The scheme is not specific to students. The list of nationalities required to register is set out in appendix 2 to the Immigration Rules. This list was last amended in May 1998. In view of the passage of time since the scheme was last reviewed, my officials have been conducting a review of the scheme and I have asked them to report to me by April 2013.
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) does not record the number of occasions that the information collected by the police is accessed. The review of the scheme is considering how this information is used and whether it could be better obtained by other means.
Much of the information collected under the scheme is now available to UKBA.
An example of information that is not collected by UKBA is the addresses of students. On arrival in the UK, students often have not yet been allocated an address by their educational institution so provide UKBA with the address at which they will be spending only their first night.
Procurement
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to monitor the payment (a) of its main contractors within 14 days and (b) by main contractors to sub-contractors within 30 days. [122712]
Mr Harper: Prompt payment for the Home Office's main contractors is measured and reported monthly against the prompt payment target of 80% set by Government for all Departments. The Home Office's performance for financial year 2012-13 is currently 85% of all valid invoices paid within the target of five days.
The Home Office does not keep regular performance figures on payment by main contractors to sub-contractors within 30-days.
Home Office standard terms and conditions include a term requesting contractors to pay their sub-contractors within 30-days of receipt of a valid invoice.
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As part of the Department's annual Corporate Assessment of Environmental, Social and Economic Regeneration (CAESER) questionnaire confirmation is sought from major strategic suppliers that they have a policy in place to ensure that suppliers are paid within 30-days.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to prepare for the introduction of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. [122266]
Mr Harper: The Home Office has in place a Commercial Policies and Procedures manual that is applicable to the Home Office and its agencies. The manual includes mandatory guidance on building Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into procurement procedures and the resulting contracts in line with government procurement policy.
In support, the Department's Service Terms and Conditions reflect CSR requirements and these are kept under review to reflect the latest thinking. The Home Office also invites its top suppliers to complete a self-assessment tool on their CSR practices. The response rate to the latest questionnaire was 80%.
Research
Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what external policy research her Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; from which organisation each such piece of research was commissioned; and what the cost of each such piece of research was. [123191]
Mr Harper: The available information requested that is held centrally is shown in the following tables, which identify the title, supplier and cost for each piece of research commissioned by the department during each of the last six financial years.
| Table 1: Policy research commissioned by the Home Office, 2007-08 to 2012-13 | |||
| External policy commissioned | Supplier | Cost excl VAT (£) | |
|
Public perceptions of the crime and police mapping trailblazers | |||
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| n/a = Not available Notes: 1. Excluding the Government Equalities Office which was part of the Home Office from 2010 to 2012. These contracts will be included in the return for the Minister for Women and Equalities. 2. Excludes some sensitive contracts on security grounds. | |||
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Reserve Forces
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reservists are employed by her Department. [122384]
Mr Harper: The Home Office does not keep a central record of the number of reservists employed. However, 42 Home Department employees had special leave for reservist activity in the financial year 2011-12.
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Northern Ireland
Anti-slavery Day
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has to mark Anti-slavery Day on 18 October. [122648]
Mrs Villiers: This is a matter for which I have no ministerial responsibility, but the Government observed the day with a ministerial visit to a school in Coulsdon to examine the issues faced by young people and the role of schools in tackling human trafficking.
Research
Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what external policy research her Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; from which organisation each such piece of research was commissioned; and what the cost of each such piece of research was. [123188]
Mike Penning: No external policy research has been commissioned by my Department in the last six years.
Prime Minister
Leveson Inquiry
Chris Bryant: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what the cost to the public purse has been of assessing whether (a) texts, (b) emails and (c) other forms of communication between himself and (i) Rebekah Brooks, (ii) Andy Coulson and (iii) News International since May 2010 should be provided to the Leveson Inquiry and made public; [124027]
(2) what criteria were used to determine whether (a) texts, (b) emails and (c) other forms of communication between himself and (i) Rebekah Brooks, (ii) Andy Coulson and (iii) News International should be (A) provided to the Leveson Inquiry and (B) made public; [124028]
(3) how many (a) texts, (b) emails and (c) other forms of communication between himself and (i) Rebekah Brooks, (ii) Andy Coulson, (iii) Rupert Murdoch and (iv) James Murdoch since May 2010 have not been provided to the Leveson Inquiry or put in the public domain; [124029]
(4) if he will publish all (a) texts, (b) emails and (c) other forms of communication between himself and Andy Coulson between 23 January 2011 and today; [124030]
(5) if he will publish all (a) texts, (b) emails and (c) details of any form of communication between himself and Rebekah Brooks since May 2010. [124031]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to my letter to the right hon. and learned Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman), of 18 October 2012. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
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Members: Correspondence
Derek Twigg: To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Halton (Derek Twigg) of 14 September 2012 in respect of the Hillsborough Independent Panel Report. [123853]
The Prime Minister: A reply was sent by the Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashford (Damian Green), on 15 October 2012.
Communities and Local Government
Recycling
Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what information he holds on how many local authorities generate income from the recycling of plastics and cardboard; [123798]
(2) what information he holds on how many local authorities receive no income from the recycling of plastics and cardboard; [123799]
(3) what information he holds on how much income each local authority receives from the recycling of plastics and cardboard. [123800]
Brandon Lewis: This information is not held centrally.
Apprentices
Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many apprentices working in his Department are (a) paid and (b) completing a qualification as part of the apprenticeship; [123071]
(2) how many (a) paid apprentices and (b) paid interns are employed in his Department. [123072]
Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not currently have any apprentices working in the Department, but we are in the process of recruiting up to 10 apprentices who will be in post by mid-January 2013.
The Department for Communities and Local Government currently has six paid interns working in the Department. All internship opportunities offered by the Department are advertised.
Bellwin Scheme
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have reported incidents to his Department under the Bellwin scheme in 2012; which such authorities have applied for financial assistance; which such authorities have exceeded the Bellwin threshold; and what funding is each such local authority entitled to receive. [124043]
Brandon Lewis:
To date, in 2012, 20 local authorities have reported incidents to the Department for Bellwin scheme purposes. Of these, eight authorities have so far applied for financial assistance, with three reporting eligible costs above their Bellwin threshold. These claims
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have only recently been submitted and are currently being considered. Eligible costs below threshold may be taken into account for a future Bellwin scheme falling in the same financial year.
| Bellwin scheme 2012 | ||
| Reported incidents | Claims submitted | Claims submitted exceeding threshold |
Electric Cables
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the volume of counterfeit or falsely marked electrical cabling installed in Government buildings. [122655]
Mr Foster: This information is not held by DCLG.
Housing
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the need to change the law relating to payments demanded as a result of covenanted properties that are (a) leasehold and (b) freehold. [122716]
Mrs Grant: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
Where a landowner (A) in England and Wales is subject to an obligation to obtain the consent of another person (B) before altering A's property, the terms of the covenant will be set out in the land register, title deeds or lease. It is quite usual for the covenant to provide for B's consent not to be unreasonably withheld and for A to be obliged to reimburse costs reasonably incurred by B in the course of considering the application. These payments are separate from any obligation on A to pay a service charge. Subject to the terms of any relevant statute, the extent of A's obligations and B's rights will be defined by the express terms of the covenant. Disputes regarding the covenants can, if necessary, be resolved by the court.
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Examples of relevant statutes include: Schedule 11 to the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, which enables residential tenants (leaseholders) to challenge the reasonableness of administration charges in the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal and section 19(2) of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1927, which gives landlords the right to recover legal or other expenses property incurred in connection with an application for licence or consent to carry out improvements to the tenanted property.
The Government consider that the present law generally works satisfactorily and does not have any plans to change it. We will, however, keep the situation under review.
Local Democracy Economic Development and Construction Act 2009
Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to commence section 34 of the Local Democracy Economic Development and Construction Act 2009; and if he will make a statement. [122398]
Brandon Lewis: The Department has no current plans to commence section 34 of the Local Democracy Economic Development and Construction Act 2009.
It has been superceded for eligible authorities by the general power of competence in the Localism Act 2011.
Local Government Finance
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the council tax freeze grant for 2013-14 will be additional to the currently allocated spending totals for local government or an allocation within the existing control total. [124048]
Brandon Lewis: As the Government's press notice of 8 October said, the Government will set aside an extra £450 million to help freeze council tax bills in England:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_89_12.htm
This will be funded as part of the autumn statement package.
Non-domestic Rates
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on reimbursing councils for successful business rate appeals from 2012-13 when a decision on the appeal is made after the financial year 2013-14. [124047]
Brandon Lewis: The Government's proposals for business rates retention were set out in the publication “Business Rates Retention—technical consultation” in July 2012
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/businessratestechnical
Planning Permission
Bill Esterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to protect existing buildings adjacent to proposed developments through the introduction of
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risk assessments and obligatory structural surveys of surrounding buildings as a condition of local planning approval. [122613]
Nick Boles: The Department has no plans to introduce risk assessments or obligatory structural surveys as a condition of planning approval.
Notwithstanding, the Party Wall etc Act 1996 provides for consultation and regulation of works which affect an immediately adjoining building or structure. More information can be found online at:
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/partywall
Reserve Forces
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many reservists are employed by his Department. [122383]
Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government is committed to supporting the Civil Service in becoming an exemplar employer of reservists. As a first step toward this the Department increased special leave provisions for reservist training from eight days to 10 with effect from 1 October 2012.
The Department does not currently keep a central record of the number of reservists serving in the Department.
Sleeping Rough: Veterans
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people with an armed forces background were sleeping rough in (a) Denton and Reddish constituency and (b) Greater Manchester in each year since 2000; and what proportion of the total number of rough sleepers that figure represents in each such year. [122984]
Mr Prisk: The latest figures (2011-12) from CHAIN (Combined Homeless and Information Network), which covers London and contains detailed information on London's rough sleepers over the year, highlights that only 4% of rough sleepers from the UK have experience of serving in the armed forces.
The Department publishes an annual headline figure on the number of people sleeping rough on a single night across England. This does not provide more detailed information such as whether they have served in the armed forces.
We secured an additional £70 million last year to help local agencies prevent and tackle homelessness. This includes the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund to support the national roll out of No Second Night Out, tackle rough sleeping and protect vital front line services and the £20 million Single Homelessness Prevention Fund to help ensure single homeless people get access to good housing advice.
This is on top of the existing £10.8 million to help single people access private rented sector accommodation and the £400 million we are investing for homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15).
The Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness published its second report Making Every Contact Count in August which focuses on preventing homelessness
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and includes people leaving the armed forces. A copy of the report can be obtained at:
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/makingeverycontactcount
We are determined to ensure that current and former members of the armed forces gain the housing they deserve, recognising the sacrifices they have made for the country. We have, therefore, introduced measures to place members of the armed forces at the top of the priority list for home ownership schemes, including FirstBuy.
We published the final new statutory social allocations guidance on 29 June following consultation, setting out how councils' allocation schemes can give priority to all service personnel, including through the use of local preference criteria and local lettings policies.
We are also changing the law by regulation so that former personnel with urgent housing needs are always given ‘additional preference' (high priority) for social housing; and councils are prevented from applying local connection requirements to disqualify members of the armed forces and those within five years of leaving the services. Following consultation, we are also extending these regulations to bereaved spouses and seriously injured reservists. The qualification regulations came into force on 24 August; the additional preference regulations were laid before Parliament on 18 October.
Social Rented Housing
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the potential savings to the Exchequer of removing access to social housing for households earning over (a) £30,000, (b) £40,000 and (c) £60,000 in each of the next three years; and how many people would be affected in each case. [124054]
Mr Prisk: We have no plans to remove access to social housing for existing social tenants, hence we will not be estimating the savings from such a policy.
We have been consulting on whether high income tenants in social housing should continue to receive a taxpayer-subsidised rent. A copy of the consultation paper on high income social tenants can be found at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/paytostayconsultation
A response to the consultation paper will be published in due course, and any policy proposal down the line would be accompanied by an Impact Assessment. It would be premature to pre-empt the response to the consultation.
Defence
Armed Forces: Housing
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to his Department's written evidence to the Defence Select Committee's inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant in Action? Part 2: Accommodation, what progress the working group with the Department for Energy and Climate Change has made on the energy efficiency of service family accommodation. [121746]
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Mr Francois: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has held a number of Working Group meetings with the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), and although the Working Group has now concluded its business, both Departments will continue to liaise as and when required.
The MOD has obtained funding under the carbon emissions reduction target (CERT) initiative to carry out an extensive programme of loft and cavity insulation works across the Service Family Accommodation (SFA) estate, providing new or improved insulation to 10,000 properties. Further work to improve insulation to the remaining properties will be carried out as part of the MOD's UK SFA improvement programme.
The MOD is also taking forward works which falls within the scope of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) of the Green Deal. This will provide energy efficiency measures to hard-to-treat properties, and will be delivered as part of the UK SFA improvement programme.
Armed Forces: Religion
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of members of each (a) faith and (b) denomination in the (i) service and (ii) civilian branches of the armed forces. [121360]
Mr Francois: The following table contains the UK Regular armed forces strength by religion as at 1 July 2012:
| Religion | Denomination | Naval service | Army | RAF | All services |
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| ‘—’ Denotes zero or figures rounded to zero. | |||||
This table does not include Gurkhas who have their own religious support, provided by Hindu and Buddhist religious teachers. All figures have been rounded where appropriate and may not exactly equal the sum of the parts.
The faith of civilian personnel within the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is not recorded in an equivalent way to armed forces personnel and is only offered on a voluntary basis. The following table provides the strength of the MOD civilian work force by religion as at 1 July 2012:
| Religion or belief | Strength |
Totals include all industrial and non-industrial personnel but exclude all trading funds, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and locally engaged civilians for whom declaration data are not available.
Defence
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the UK's ability to adequately defend itself and take part in international deployments. [122278]
Dr Murrison:
Ensuring that the armed forces are structured, equipped and trained effectively in order to safeguard the UK's national security was at the heart of the National Security Strategy and the strategic defence and security review (SDSR) in 2010. The decisions taken in the SDSR are now being implemented, including a significant uplift in cyber and special forces support capabilities, the building of new Queen Elizabeth class
19 Oct 2012 : Column 458W
aircraft carriers, the acquisition of fifth generation Joint Strike Fighters, the introduction into service of new Type-45 Destroyers and Astute-class submarines, an upgraded air transport fleet and a restructured Army. This affordable future force structure will enable the UK's armed forces to deploy highly capable assets rapidly across a wide range of environments, to operate effectively alongside partners and to deliver the military tasks set out in the SDSR 2010. The UK's ability to participate in international deployments was demonstrated during Libya operations in 2011 and continues to be proved in Afghanistan, where some 9,500 UK military personnel are currently contributing to coalition operations.
Libya: Military Intervention
Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which NATO participating states participated in the campaign over Libya in response to UN Security Council Resolution 1973; and how many such states contributed an air component. [123586]
Mr Robathan: Fourteen NATO Allies actively participated in the NATO-led operation in Libya—Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the USA. All of these, except Bulgaria and Romania, contributed to the air component.
Pay
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the highest paid position is in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's agencies. [121624]
Mr Francois: The details of senior salaries were released into the public domain under the Government's transparency agenda on 20 September 2012 and can be accessed at:
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/senior-civil-servants-high-earners-salaries
Prisoners of War: Medals
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to issue medals to all former prisoners of war. [122763]
Mr Francois [holding answer 17 October 2012]:There are no plans to introduce a specific medal for former prisoners of war. However, detainees may be eligible to receive the campaign medal for the operation or service they were undertaking prior to capture.
Training
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what media or public speaking training Ministers in his Department have received since May 2010. [122072]
Mr Francois: Training is available to Ministers on a range of issues, including handling the media, as part of their induction and continuing development in order to carry out their duties effectively under the Ministerial Code.
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The Ministry of Defence's internal media and communications training organisation has provided the following training sessions to Ministers since May 2010:
24 June 2010—Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology Mr Peter Luff
24 May 2011—Under-Secretary of State Lord Astor of Hever
Woodvale Aerodrome
John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a comprehensive risk assessment relating to base property and asbestos has been undertaken at Woodvale Aerodrome, Southport; and if he will make it available to hon. Members. [122389]
Mr Francois: A comprehensive risk assessment for asbestos has been undertaken at Woodvale. Copies of the Asbestos Management Plan, the current Asbestos Action Plan (Risk Assessment) and the Asbestos Register for Woodvale will be placed in the Library of the House.
Deputy Prime Minister
Constituencies
Mr Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost has been of the review of constituency boundaries to date; what costs have been incurred under each category of costs; and what further costs are anticipated before the process is complete. [122034]
Miss Chloe Smith: The four Boundary Commissions have spent approximately £5.8 million up to the end of August 2012 on the boundary review and related purposes. They expect to spend around £3.8 million from September 2012 to the end of the review. A significant portion of that sum has already been committed.
I can provide the following breakdown of costs for each commission (all four Boundary Commissions incurred some expenditure on preparatory work prior to the formal commencement of the review on 4 March 2011, and expenditure up to the end of August 2012 includes some work not directly attributable to the Parliamentary Boundary Review):
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| Boundary Commission for Scotland | ||
| £ | ||
| Category of expenditure | Expenditure up to the end of August 2012 | Projected expenditure from September to the end of the review |
| (1) This figure is the total projected cost of the review for the period from September to the end of the review. | ||
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| Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland | ||
| £ | ||
| Category of expenditure | Expenditure (rounded) up to the end of August 2012 | Projected expenditure (rounded) from September to the end of the review |
Social Mobility
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent progress he has made on the Government's social mobility strategy; and if he will make a statement. [122899]
The Deputy Prime Minister: “Opening Doors. Breaking Barriers: A Strategy for Social Mobility—Update on Progress since April 2011” provided a comprehensive report on the progress the Government are making. This includes action on childcare, the pupil premium, summer schools, the Youth Contract and establishing a new Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission. Further details can be found at:
http://www.dpm.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/opening-doors-breaking-barriers-strategy-social-mobility
Wales
Broadband: Planning Permission
Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the relaxation of planning permission for broadband infrastructure. [122387]
Mr David Jones: The relaxation of planning permission for broadband infrastructure in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government. I have recently written to the First Minister asking him to consider similar measures in Wales.
Broadcasting
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on the broadcasting industry in Wales. [122296]
Mr David Jones: I met with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), on 17 October 2012 to discuss a range of issues, including the broadcasting industry in Wales.
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Research
Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what external policy research his Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; which organisation was commissioned to provide each such piece of research; and what the cost of each such piece of research was. [122371]
Wylfa Power Station
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which countries have expressed an interest in financing Wylfa B nuclear power station. [121468]
Stephen Crabb: The Sale of Horizon Nuclear Power is a commercial matter for RWE npower and E.ON UK. The Government are therefore unable to provide this information.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Air Pollution
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the control of air pollution throughout the UK. [123359]
Richard Benyon: The Government have made a commitment to work towards full compliance with EU air quality standards. Air quality has improved significantly in recent decades; the UK now meets most EU air quality standards thanks to action taken by the Government over many years to reduce emissions, including from industrial, energy and transport sources. However, there are still more improvements to be made and we will continue to investigate new measures to improve air quality, working with external stakeholders in transport and other sectors. We work closely with local authorities and the Greater London Authority, which have responsibility for local air quality. We also support actions to reduce pollution through tackling congestion, promoting cycling and walking, and improving vehicle fleets.
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial penalties the EU has imposed on the UK for breaches of air quality standards; and if he will make a statement. [123571]
Richard Benyon: The UK has never been fined in relation to any infraction proceedings. We would always seek to work with the European Commission and relevant authorities to meet EU obligations and avoid infraction.
Animal Welfare
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what resources his Department has allocated to support efforts to prevent (a) badger-baiting and (b) cock-fighting. [123851]
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Richard Benyon: Badger baiting and cockfighting are illegal activities. It is an offence under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 to cruelly ill-treat a badger and it is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause or attempt to cause animal fighting. Enforcing these controls, and allocating the necessary resources, is a matter for the relevant authorities.
DEFRA is committed to tackling wildlife crime and works hard to support law enforcement agencies in their work through the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime. The Partnership seeks to reduce wildlife crime through effective and targeted enforcement, better regulation and improved awareness.
DEFRA also part funds the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which provides advice for law enforcers on wildlife crime matters and coordinates activity to tackle the current UK wildlife crime priorities.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of how many bovine tuberculosis tests have resulted in (a) false positives and (b) false negatives in each of the last three years. [124042]
Mr Heath: All TB reactors are regarded as infected and European and national legislation require all such animals to be slaughtered in order to eliminate risk of infection to other animals. There are no figures for false positive and false negative TB tests detected in each of the last three years. However, it is known that the TB skin test detects 80% of infected cattle giving a 20% false negative probability. When the skin test is applied to non-infected cattle, it has a specificity of 99.9% giving a 0.1% false positive probability.
Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
Mr Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that as few badgers as possible are shot on top of, or near their setts. [123411]
Mr Heath: Culling will be conducted by trained and proficient operators who are already experienced in shooting for wildlife control. All operators will be required to attend a specific Government approved training course. Badgers must not be shot within 30 metres of a sett to prevent wounded badgers seeking refuge before a follow up shot is taken. All operators will adhere to Best Practice Guidance issued by DEFRA and Natural England.
Mr Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what monitoring arrangements his Department is putting in place to ensure that badgers killed during the cull are killed humanely. [123412]
Mr Heath: To ensure an acceptable level of humaneness, operators will be required to follow Best Practice Guidelines, and undertake training and competence testing. Independent monitoring will be undertaken to assess the humaneness of controlled shooting during the pilots. The development of the monitoring protocols has been overseen by the panel of independent experts. The monitoring will include field observations and post mortems.
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Carbon Emissions: Business
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the extent of business support for mandatory carbon reporting for (a) companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market and (b) all bodies subject to the Companies Act 2006. [122934]
Richard Benyon: Last year's consultation assessed the level of business support for mandatory carbon reporting and was a key consideration when deciding on its introduction. An evaluation of the policy will be undertaken in 2015, as explained in the previous Secretary of State's written statement to Parliament on 20 June, Official Report, columns 59-60, before a decision is taken on whether to extend the reporting requirement to all large companies in 2016. Large companies are defined in the Companies Act 2006 using measures of employment, gross assets and turnover, and this applies to both public and private companies.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who his Department (a) has and (b) plans to consult on its supplementary guidance for mandatory greenhouse gas reporting. [122932]
Mr Heath: Officials are currently engaging with a number of companies and trade associations to understand where supplementary guidance would be useful. We will consult informally on guidance with companies affected by the proposed regulation.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he plans to specify which methodologies will be permitted in measuring greenhouse gas emissions. [122933]
Mr Heath: I plan to specify a number of established methodologies for measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions in supplementary guidance.
Natural Resources
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress the Circular Economy Task Force has made on resource security. [123627]
Mr Heath: The Resource Security Action Plan was published by DEFRA and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in March this year. It sets out actions by the Government, businesses and non-governmental organisations to make the most of valuable resources, save money and address resource risks through improved resource efficiency, reuse, remanufacturing and recycling to help transition to a more circular economy.
A key part of the action plan was the convening of a business task force, supported by the Government, and the Circular Economy Task Force was formally launched on 4 July. Co-ordinated by the Green Alliance, it seeks to understand how circular business models can be
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developed in a way that keeps companies profitable, and how the policy landscape can help foster a circular, resource-secure economy.
The task force is currently working with the Green Alliance to develop the analytical underpinning for a report to be launched in summer 2013. Latest developments are posted on the Green Alliance's website.
Organic Food: Meat
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason butchers are required to register with organic control bodies in order to sell organic meat; which bodies they are required to register with to sell non-organic meat; and if he will make a statement. [124057]
Mr Heath: Organic food within the European Union is regulated by European legislation that includes rules member states must follow in relation to its production, labelling and control. This requires that organic operators, including butchers, are certified and inspected at least once a year. In the UK, certification is carried out by DEFRA-approved organic control bodies. A list of these is available at:
http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/growing/organic/documents/organic-control-bodies-list.pdf
All food businesses, including butchers, are required to register with the relevant local authority under food hygiene regulations before they start to operate. Registration under these regulations does not differentiate between organic or inorganic food or meat.
Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to prepare for the introduction of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. [122343]
Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA is currently doing a thorough review of all its templates and processes to ensure they comply with the full range of legislative and policy requirements.
The Cabinet Office will be issuing advice soon to procurers and commissioners to advise them of the duties the Public Services (Social Value) Act will place upon them. We will review our own arrangements again in the light of that guidance.
Research
Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what external policy research his Department has commissioned in each of the last six years; from which organisation each such piece of research was commissioned; and what the cost of each such piece of research was. [123194]
Richard Benyon: Details of all of core DEFRA's research contracts can be found on the “Science Search” website at:
http://randd.defra.gov.uk/
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The website's database holds details on project costs, description, objectives and contractor information for over 12,000 completed and active projects. It also includes links to published reports.
Schmallenberg Virus
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on the development and deployment of a vaccination for Schmallenberg virus; and if he will make a statement. [124217]
Mr Heath: DEFRA officials are aware of the development of commercial vaccines against Schmallenberg virus and that a submission has been made to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for approval. Deployment of the vaccine will be a decision for the farmer and livestock keeper to take in consultation with his/her private veterinarian, considering the management of that flock/herd.
Given the widespread prevalence of the Schmallenberg virus, the apparent acquired immunity and the low impact of the disease, it is possible there will be little cost benefit to vaccinating flocks and herds every year.
Seagulls
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the size of the seagull population in the UK; and what estimate has been made of the cost to local authorities of its population growth. [122557]
Richard Benyon: The species of gull we have in the UK are: Mediterranean gull, black-headed gull, common gull, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, greater black-backed gull and yellow legged gull.
The last full gull census was “Seabird 2000” in 1998-2002, which covered coastal and inland colonies of both rural and urban environments. The population estimates (coastal and inland population combined) were as follows:
| Number | |
Yellow-legged gulls are very rare in the UK and were not included in the Seabird 2000 census. The Rare Breeding Birds Panel 2010 report estimates UK breeding population as 1-2 pairs.
Seabird 2000 was the third national census to be carried out, each at around 15 year intervals (Operation Seafarer in 1969-70 and Seabird Colony Register in 1985-88) with the next seabird census planned for 2014-15.
We have made no estimate of the cost to local authorities of gulls.
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Shrimps
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment his Department has made of how the invasive shrimp, Dikerogammarus villosus, was imported into the UK; [123177]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the effect on the environment of the spread within the UK of the invasive shrimp Dikerogammarus villosus; [123171]
(3) what steps his Department is taking to control the spread within the UK of the invasive shrimp, Dikerogammarus villosus. [123178]
Richard Benyon: The four locations in which Dikerogammarus villosus has been recorded are all used for various types of water sports (including angling) so it is possible that the shrimp was introduced among wet equipment (e.g. boats, wet-suits, nets) that had been used previously in mainland Europe where the shrimp occurs.
A risk assessment for Dikerogammarus villosus commissioned by DEFRA, concluded that the risk from this species is very high. This is based on the fact that the ecological impacts experienced in areas of Europe that the shrimp has colonised have been very large and dramatic; the species has already established large viable populations here; that Britain is climatically similar to many of the places in Europe that the shrimp has invaded; and that the interconnectivity of the water network will facilitate rapid spread.
At the four locations where Dikerogammarus villosus has been recorded, the routes by which the shrimp might escape from the sites have been assessed and a range of control measures have been put in place. Additionally, in partnership with a number of interested organisations, DEFRA is trying to slow the spread of Dikerogammarus villosus by ensuring that all equipment and clothing that is used in water sports is checked, cleaned and dried before it is used elsewhere. Information on the “Check, Clean, Dry” campaign and associated guidance is published on the Non-native Species Secretariat website.