Probation: Females

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what requirement bidders for probation work will need to meet in respect of the supervision of female offenders. [171384]

Jeremy Wright: The Offender Rehabilitation Bill, currently before Parliament, proposes that the supervision requirement and also the current activity requirement are both replaced with a single rehabilitation activity requirement. The effect of this is to allow the probation provider, rather than the court, to decide the exact details of what appointments or activities the offender should take part in.

At the House of Lords Third Reading of the Offender Rehabilitation Bill, the Government moved an amendment to the Bill in relation to female offenders. This will require the Secretary of State to ensure that arrangements for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders state that he has, in making those arrangements, complied with the public sector duty under section 149 of the

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Equality Act 2010 as it relates to female offenders. The arrangements must also identify any provision that is intended to meet the particular needs of female offenders. The amendment applies both to contracts with Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) and services provided by the National Probation Service.

Providers will need to meet national standards set by the Secretary of State for the management of offenders and will have to evidence in their bids how they would deliver gender-specific rehabilitation support specific to the needs of female offenders. Successful bidders will be held to account to deliver these services in their contracts.

Victims’ Commissioner

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times he has met the Victims' Commissioner. [171631]

Mr Vara: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, has held meetings with Baroness Newlove on the following occasions: Wednesday 30 January 2013, Tuesday 23 July 2013 and Wednesday 25 September 2013. The Victims Minister also meets Baroness Newlove regularly.

The Department publishes quarterly meetings between Ministers and all external organisations. Quarters from October 2013 will be published in due course. This can be found at:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports

Young Offenders: Reoffenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to decrease the level of re-offending amongst young offenders. [171831]

Jeremy Wright: Reducing reoffending and better rehabilitation of young offenders are key priorities for the Government.

Earlier this year we consulted on our vision to transform youth custody to place education at the heart of youth custody. In this way young offenders in custody can be equipped with the skills, qualifications and self-discipline they need to re-engage with education, training or employment on release and stop offending. We intend shortly to publish our response to the consultation setting out our plans for transforming youth custody.

For those leaving custody, successful resettlement is key to achieving long-term sustainable outcomes for young people. We are considering options to improve resettlement outcomes for young people leaving custody, including ensuring that the resources already in place within Youth Offending Teams, local authorities and wider partners are being used effectively.

Latest statistics on reoffending are available here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/proven-re-offending-statistics-october-2010-to-september-2011

Youth Custody

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many children have been in secure children’s homes in each local authority area in each year since 2007-08; [171438]

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(2) how many children have been in young offender institutions in each local authority area in each year since 2007-08; [171439]

(3) how many children have been in secure training centres in each local authority area in each year since 2007-08. [171440]

Jeremy Wright: The Youth Justice Board is responsible for the placement of young people in custody. Young people are placed in establishments that can most effectively manage their individual needs and risks. The number of crimes committed by young people has fallen and there has been a significant reduction in the overall number of young people in custody in the last five years. For the small minority of young people for whom custody is the most appropriate option we are committed to improving their welfare, safety, and chances of rehabilitation.

The spreadsheets provide data on the number of children in secure children’s homes, under-18 young offender institutions and secure training centres, in each of the local authorities in each year since 2007-08.

It is not possible to provide data at a local authority level. However, the YJB does hold data by Youth Offending Team area, some of which cover more than one local authority area.

Tables 1 to 3, which I am depositing in the Library, show the average number of young people aged under 18 years old by which YOT they were attached to and who have been in 1) secure children’s homes 2) young offender institutions 3) secure training centres for the period 2007-08 to 2012-13.

This is based upon monthly snapshot data within the year, which have been averaged. Data for 2012-13 is provisional. This data will be finalised upon the publication of the 2012-13 Annual Youth Justice Statistics in January 2014.

This data has been provided by the Youth Justice Board (YJB). These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

Youth Offending Teams

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent posts there were in each youth offending team in each year between 2009-10 and 2012-13. [166023]

Jeremy Wright: Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) are the statutory multi-agency bodies who deliver youth justice on the ground. There are 158 YOTs in England and Wales, which sit within, and are accountable to, local authorities. YOTs work with a range of different services from prevention to enforcement.

Figures on the number of people recorded as working for Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) in some capacity are collected centrally for the month of July for 2009-10 and for June each year thereafter. The table at Annex A shows a yearly snapshot of the number of people recorded as working for YOTs, in some capacity, as at 30 July for 2009-10 and as at 30 June thereafter. The snapshot is indicative of the staffing levels for each financial year. These figures include full-time staff, part-time staff,

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sessional staff, trainees, and volunteers. The table shows the headcount figures for staff rather than the full-time equivalents. Data for full-time equivalent staff was not collected prior to 2011-12. Headcount data for 2011-12 onwards cannot be broken down by contract type, as per previous years, because of changes to data collection. Headcount numbers are now taken from YOTs at summary level and not case level. A copy of the table has been placed in the Library of the House.

YOTs reported working with 66,430 young people in 2011-12, a 48% reduction since 2008-09 and a reduction of 22% since 2010-11. The average youth custodial population has also fallen: from 2,040 in 2010-11 to 1,963 in 2011-12 and 1,561 in 2012-13 (a 23% reduction from 2010-11, figures for 2012-13 are provisional). In the last decade the number of young people entering the youth justice system for the first time has more than halved. Youth Offending Teams play a key role in diverting young people away from crime. Through the Troubled Families Programme, the Government have also made available £448 million to local authorities—a key aim of which is to reduce reoffending.

The data from 2011-12 onwards is self-provided by YOTs and has not been quality assured so is not currently of sufficient quality to report on and is subject to change. This data will be quality assured and published in January 2014 in the annual Youth Justice statistics for 2012-13.

Total YOT workforce figures for the 30 June 2013 snapshot will be available in the 2012-13 Youth Justice statistics which will be published in January 2014.

Attorney-General

Child Abuse

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions a local authority has refused to disclose information requested by the Crown Prosecution Service to support a child abuse-flagged prosecution in each of the last three years. [171486]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not keep central records as to the refusal by local, authorities to disclose information in support of child abuse flagged prosecutions. To obtain this information would require a manual file review exercise which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Convictions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General (1) what the Crown Prosecution Service conviction rate has been (a) overall and (b) in contested cases for (i) rape, (ii) domestic violence and (iii) child abuse in each of the last seven years; [171491]

(2) what the conviction rate has been in each Crown Prosecution Service business area (a) overall and (b) in contested cases for (i) rape, (ii) domestic violence and (iii) child abuse in each of the last seven years. [171492]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the numbers of rape, domestic violence and child abuse prosecutions on its case management system and associated management information system by way of database monitoring flags.

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A table showing the overall conviction rate for flagged offences and a breakdown for each of the 13 CPS business areas over the last seven financial years has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Contested cases have been defined as all cases where one or more charges have been contested at either summary or Crown court trial. The definition also includes mixed plea cases where the CPS have accepted a guilty plea to one or more charges before proceeding to trial on one or more other charges.

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many reports of the parliamentary ombudsman which were critical of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have been published in each of the last three years; how many such reports were referred to in the annual reports of the CPS in the relevant year; and if he will place a copy of each such report in the Library. [171488]

The Solicitor-General: The parliamentary ombudsman has upheld two complaints that were critical of the CPS during the last three years, both of these complaints were upheld in 2012 but related to events in 2010. The CPS annual report for 2012-13 omitted to refer to any of the complaints that were upheld during this period. A disclosure will be written in the CPS annual report for 2013-14 concerning this omission. A copy of the annual report for 2013-14 will be placed in the Library when it is published.

Human Trafficking

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many human trafficking-flagged cases in each offence category were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision in each of the last five years; how many such cases were prosecuted; and how many resulted in convictions. [171489]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the numbers of cases flagged as involving human trafficking by way of a monitoring flag applied to the case record in its Case Management System, and reported via the associated Management Information System, Collection of this information commenced from 1 April 2010.

The CPS also collects a central record of the outcome of prosecutions with reference to 12 principal offence categories. The principal offence category indicates the most serious offence with which a defendant is charged at the time of finalisation.

The following table indicates, in each of the last three years the number of human trafficking flagged pre-charge cases referred to the CPS for a charging decision and the number of suspects where a decision to charge was made. Principal offence categories are not assigned to pre-charge decision proceedings.

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The following table represents the number of defendants prosecuted, by principal offence category

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and outcome, where the human trafficking flag has been applied to a case.

The volume of prosecution outcomes for a period differs from the volume of pre-charge decisions for the same period. Where the decision is to bring charges, many cases will only reach a conclusion in a later period. This will vary according to the outcome type: for example, the legal process is longer where a case is contested, or committed to the Crown court and tried by a jury.

Mobile Phones

Mr Hoban: To ask the Attorney-General how many smartphone apps the Law Officers’ Departments have launched. [171586]

The Solicitor-General: No smartphone apps have been launched by any of the Law Officers' Departments.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases of (a) rape, (b) domestic violence and (c) child abuse have been prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last seven years. [171490]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the numbers of rape, domestic violence and child abuse prosecutions on its Case Management System and associated Management Information System by way of database monitoring flags.

The number of completed domestic violence flagged prosecutions for the last seven complete financial years are as follows:

The CPS defines domestic violence as any threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between those who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. Family members include mother, father, son, daughter, sister, and grandparents, whether directly related, in laws or step family.

The number of completed rape flagged prosecutions for the last seven complete financial years are as follows:

The monitoring flag is applied to a prosecution involving one or more of the following offences:

Section 1 Sexual Offences Act 1956;

Section 5 Sexual Offences Act 1956;

Section 1 Sexual Offences Act 2003;

Section 5 Sexual Offences Act 2003;

Section 30(3) Sexual Offences Act 2003;

An attempt to commit any of the above offences under the Criminal Attempts Act 1981;

Incitement or conspiracy to commit any of the above offences.

A child abuse monitoring flag is applied in all cases involving abuse or neglect where the victim is under 18 years of age. The number of completed child abuse flagged prosecutions for the last seven complete financial years are as follows:

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Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases the Crown Prosecution Service prosecuted in magistrates' courts in 2012; and how many such cases concerned regulatory offences. [171496]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold the information requested centrally and providing such data would incur a disproportionate cost.

CPS do hold figures on the number of charged offences which reach a first hearing in a magistrates court in a CPS prosecution and these records indicate that in 2012 a total of 1,410,666 charged offences reached a first hearing in magistrates courts.

These figures identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted, as defendants may be charged with more than one offence.

Andy Sawford: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to his contribution of 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 592, if he will publish the six point action plan to increase referrals of rape and domestic violence cases by the police to the Crown Prosecution Service. [171982]

The Solicitor-General: On 26 September, the Director of Public Prosecutions met with the Home Office, National Policing leads for rape and domestic violence and other interested parties to consider the reduction in the number of cases referred by the police to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a charging decision. The following six actions were agreed at the meeting:

1. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary to share the Terms of Reference of its inspection into the effectiveness of the police response to domestic violence and abuse across England and Wales, and to ensure close liaison with the CPS and the Attorney-General's Office (AGO).

2. Home Office, CPS and AGO to liaise closely with the Ministry of Justice on its work to review the use of out of court disposals, carefully considering their use in the context of violence against women and girls cases. In addition, the Home Office and the National Policing lead for domestic violence to build an evidence base on any police use of out of court disposals and community resolutions for violence against women and girls.

3. CPS to further investigate the proportion of violence against women and girls cases being charged across police force areas.

4. Home Office to provide information about the provision of Independent Domestic Violence Advisers and their contribution to successful criminal justice outcomes.

5. CPS and the National Policing lead for rape to convene a joint-National Scrutiny Panel to further investigate the fall in the number of rape cases referred.

6. CPS and Home Office to work, with National Policing leads and Police and Crime Commissioners to continue to raise awareness about violence against women and girls including on providing enhanced guidance on domestic violence cases where the victim has indicated that they are not willing to support the prosecution.

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Rape: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many rape-flagged cases were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision in each police force area in each of the last five years. [171485]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the numbers of cases flagged as rape in its Case Management System and associated Management Information System.

The CPS defines rape as any offence from the following list:

Section 1 Sexual Offences Act 1956;

Section 5 Sexual Offences Act 1956;

Section 1 Sexual Offences Act 2003;

Section 5 Sexual Offences Act 2003;

Section 30(3) Sexual Offences Act 2003;

An attempt to commit any of the above offences under the Criminal Attempts Act 1981;

Incitement or conspiracy to commit any of the above offences.

It is not possible to disaggregate figures to show separately the volume and outcome of proceedings for each individual offence on this list. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence. The data is accurate only to the extent that the flag has been correctly applied.

The following table shows, in each of the last five years for each police force area, the number of rape flagged cases referred to the CPS for a pre-charge decision:

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Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General when the Director of Public Prosecutions plans to publish the results of his inquiry into falling numbers of rape prosecutions. [171487]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service is working with the police to further investigate the fall in the number of rape prosecutions and set up a joint-National Scrutiny Panel led by the Director of Public Prosecutions and the National Policing Lead for Rape. The findings will be published at the earliest opportunity.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 440W, on Serious Fraud Office, what the Serious Fraud Office's Tactical Tasking and Co-ordination Group is; and who sits on that group. [171495]

The Solicitor-General: The Tactical Tasking and Co-ordination Group (TT&CG) was a group of officials in the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) whose role, as set out in the SFO's annual report for 2011-12, was to review:

“as delegated by the Director, the intelligence gathering and casework carried out by the Intelligence team in line with the Strategic Assessment and Control Strategy. It prioritises issues highlighted in the tactical intelligent assessment provided by the Head of Intelligence. A key function of the TT&CG meeting is to determine and develop a tactical resolution to a referral, including resource, technical requirements and an operational plan. The Board reports to the Director, via the Executive Board.”

The group was initially chaired by the Head of Intelligence, and later by the Chief Capability Officer. Its membership changed over time, but included the Chief Capability Officer, the Head of Technology and Specialist Services, Head of Knowledge Management and Communication, Business Lead for Fraud, Business Lead for Bribery and Corruption.

This group no longer exists.

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Television: Licensing

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many offences prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service in magistrates' courts in 2012 concerned non-payment of the television licence fee. [171497]

The Solicitor-General: The TV Licensing Authority is responsible for the prosecution of offences concerning the non-payment of the television licensing fee. The Crown Prosecution Service did not conduct any prosecutions for this offence in 2012.

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Attorney-General how much the Law Officers' Departments spent on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c)The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [171550]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service has not spent money directly with The Guardian newspaper, The Guardian website or The Guardian Media Group between 2009-10 and 2012-13 on advertising. However, adverts for job vacancies have been placed in The Guardian newspaper on behalf of the CPS via recruitment agencies. The cost of these adverts is summarised in the following table. In all cases payments were made to the relevant agency rather than The Guardian Media Group or its subsidiaries.

No money has been spent by the remaining Law Officers Departments on advertising with The Guardian newspaper, The Guardian website or The Guardian Media Group.

Trials: Vulnerable Adults

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what training do (a) Crown Prosecution Service in-house prosecutors and (b) counsel briefed by them receive before they are allowed to cross-examine vulnerable defendants. [171484]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not provide specific training in relation to the cross-examination of vulnerable defendants, other than those advocates who prosecute in the Youth court who will be trained youth specialists.

Many in-house and self-employed prosecution advocates are however trained in how to treat vulnerable witnesses appropriately and such training will inform their treatment of vulnerable defendants.

Energy and Climate Change

Carbon Emissions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the carbon budgets as set out in the Climate Change Act 2008, what steps his Department is taking to help UK industries reduce their carbon emissions. [171534]

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Gregory Barker: As part of our transition to a low-carbon economy, we are taking a number of steps to help UK industries reduce their carbon emissions while ensuring that they remain competitive. These steps are informed by the Carbon Plan—our strategy for achieving the emissions reductions committed to in the first four carbon budgets, on a pathway consistent with meeting our 2050 target of reducing emissions by 80% relative to 1990 levels.

Over the next decade, we expect industry to focus on cost-effective measures such as energy, process and material efficiency. We have a wide range of targeted policies to increase uptake of energy efficiency measures including the EU Emissions Trading System, Climate Change Agreements, the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme and the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme. Action in this decade will also help industry prepare for the future, to support the innovation needed for more technically challenging or costly measures. During the 2020s and beyond, we expect reductions will also be driven by switching to low carbon fuels and carbon capture and storage technology. We have specifically launched a 2050 industrial sector roadmaps project to work with key industries on developing their low carbon strategies for the eight most heat intensive industrial sectors (iron and steel; chemicals; oil; refining; paper and pulp; ceramics; glass; cement; food and drink). The project will explore the technical emissions abatement potential of the individual industrial sectors, the relative costs of alternative abatement options and the related business environment including investment decisions, barriers and issues of competitiveness.

The Carbon Plan sets out in further detail our strategy for making the transition to low carbon industry in line with our carbon budgets:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-carbon-plan-reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions--2

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the monetary cost to UK businesses of steps to use water, energy and natural materials more efficiently and to reduce carbon emissions in the last 10 years. [171536]

Gregory Barker: The costs to business resulting from resource efficiency measures are assessed on a policy specific basis. The general process for calculating the monetary cost to businesses of policies to improve efficiency usually requires the calculation of the annual net cost to business within an impact assessment. The Government publish their impact assessments on the GOV.UK website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?publication_filter_option=impact-assessments

Electric Cables: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what cost-benefit analysis his Department has made of a North-South interconnector in Wales; and if he will publish any such analysis. [171651]

Michael Fallon: The planning and development of the transmission network in England and Wales is a matter for National Grid, and this includes the relevant analysis of specific projects.

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Energy: Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of (a) the level of interconnection between the UK's energy control network and the internet and (b) the cyber security implications arising from such interconnectedness. [172060]

Michael Fallon: Cyber-security is one of the Government's top four security priorities. We are working closely with the energy sector to ensure there is a good understanding of interconnection and that best practice in cyber-security is shared across the industry.

Energy: Prices

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he last met the chief executive of Ofgem to discuss energy prices; and if he will make a statement. [171926]

Michael Fallon: DECC Ministers and officials have had a number of discussions with Ofgem about a range of energy issues.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost to the UK of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme since its implementation in 2005. [171524]

Gregory Barker: The Government have not made such an estimate. The EU Emissions Trading Scheme puts a price on carbon by placing a cap on total EU greenhouse gas emissions from the power and energy intensive industrial sectors. By enabling trading of allowances, emission reductions can take place where the cost of the reduction is lowest. More abatement will be undertaken by organisations with lower abatement costs and those with high abatement costs can instead purchase allowances.

Over the course of Phase II of the EU ETS (2008-12), UK industrial sectors received around 136 million more free allowances than they needed to cover their emissions over this period. At the same time UK large electricity producers received a shortfall (around 218 million fewer than their total emissions).¹

In addition over the same period, UK participants used around 77 million international project credits for compliance; these trade at a lower price to EU ETS allowances, reducing costs.²

¹https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181586/2012_eu_ets_results_april_2013.pdf

² European Commission published EU ETS cumulative compliance data 2008 to 2012:

http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/ets/registry/documentation_en.htm

EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Aviation

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the extent to which the inclusion of aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme has led to a decrease in carbon emissions. [171527]

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Gregory Barker: Aviation was included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) from 1 January 2012. Verified emissions data for 2012, released by the European Commission in April 2013¹, showed that aircraft operators emitted 54.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) for the whole of the EU, including 15.8 MtCO2e for operators regulated by the UK. As emissions data for the second year of operation of the aviation EU ETS will not be available until April 2014, an assessment of the decrease in carbon emissions cannot yet be made.

¹Note:

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-437_en.htm

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the amount paid by UK airlines for emissions under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme since 2012. [171532]

Gregory Barker: The Department has made no such estimate. The amount paid by UK airlines under the EU Emissions Trading System is subject to a number of variables, including the balance between free allocation of allowances to each airline and its actual emissions (85% of allowances were allocated for free to airlines in 2012), the use of international project credits and the price paid in the market for any allowances purchased.

EU Energy Policy

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what comparative assessment he has made of (a) how much the UK has spent on implementing the EU Energy Efficiency Directive and (b) how much the UK has reduced its energy consumption since the coming into force of that directive. [171525]

Gregory Barker: It is too early to assess the costs and benefits of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive, as the UK has until June 2014 to transpose its requirements into domestic law. Any significant costs and benefits will be set out in published impact assessments, relating to the separate articles of the directive.

Green Deal Scheme

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the appropriate length of time within which a Green Deal package can be agreed and fully financed. [171863]

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal is a market led initiative. The length of time taken to agree a Green Deal package is dependent on a number of market factors and consumer choices. The Department continues to work with industry to ensure the customer journey for a Green Deal Plan meets the customer's needs and enables them to benefit from the opportunities the Green Deal offers.

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects the initial assessment of all homes that could be eligible for the Green Deal to be completed. [171864]

Gregory Barker: DECC has not carried out an assessment of all homes that could be eligible for the Green Deal. The Green Deal is a market-led scheme, not centrally

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run. As such, it is for market participants to assess their potential market. We are also encouraging customers to consider the Green Deal through our £3 million advertising and awareness campaign.

INEOS

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received from INEOS concerning the restructuring of their UK operations at (a) Grangemouth refinery and (b) elsewhere in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [172004]

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State and I have maintained contact with INEOS in relation to the threatened industrial action at Grangemouth. As Minister of State for Business and Energy, I have regular contact with INEOS as part of my role as the contact Minister for Government's strategic relationship management with the company.

Natural Gas: Aldbrough

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what date (a) planning was granted for and (b) works on site commenced on the Aldbrough gas storage facility. [171829]

Michael Fallon: Planning consent for the Aldbrough gas storage facility was granted in 2004, with works commencing the same year.

Natural Gas: Cheshire

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what date (a) planning was granted for and (b) works on site commenced on the Holford gas storage facility. [171830]

Michael Fallon: Planning Consent for the Holford gas storage facility was granted in 2004. Works commenced on site in 2005.

Offshore Industry

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish figures for 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 for exploration, development and operating activities on the UK Continental Shelf, including oil sales, natural gas sales, natural gas liquids sales and other UKCS aggregate incomes including revenues from pipelines and terminals as well as other revenues from operators and production licences. [171761]

Michael Fallon: All of these figures are now available in the table published at:

https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-uk-field-data#ukcs-income-and-expenditure

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reason the tables for income from and expenditure on the UK Continental Shelf have not been updated since 2008. [171762]

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Michael Fallon: The table of income from and expenditure on the UK Continental Shelf, currently at

https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-uk-field-data#ukcs-income-and-expenditure

was last updated on 21 October 2013, adding figures for the years 2009-12. The previous update was in August 2009.

Snow and Ice

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what contingency plans his Department is making to prepare for a prolonged cold spell this winter. [171865]

Michael Fallon: Preparing for winter forms part of the normal cycle of activities which the energy supply industry undertakes each year.

Each gas and electricity supplier undertakes a number of actions in advance of the onset of winter. These include, for example:

Ensuring Asset Health and Availability: Checks that key maintenance and construction has been completed are undertaken and that outstanding key defects are monitored and resolved.

Strategic Spares: Stocks are reviewed and mobile plant such as generators and compressors are maintained. Diesel stocks are reviewed.

Contingency Plans and Resourcing: Plans are reviewed and updated as are resource deployment/work pattern options.

Staff Mobility: Availability of four-wheeled drive resources, snow chains etc. are confirmed and located strategically across the networks to ensure adequate geographic cover.

Electricity margins are tighter for this winter than previous years; that reflects a move from unusually large margins back to levels typical of the last decade. The Government have a range of policies to ensure that margins do not become unacceptably tight in future years.

National Grid's 2013 winter outlook likewise concludes that the UK gas market should continue to provide secure supplies. The UK market is strengthened by import infrastructure which has increased five fold over the past decade and which allows us to access diverse supply sources (North sea producers, pipelines from Norway and the rest of Europe, and shipments of liquefied natural gas).

In the downstream oil sector, my officials are working with suppliers to ensure they have robust contingency plans in place, and with other Government Departments to ensure that local contingency plans are ready to keep the roads open and provide help to vulnerable communities.

This year's Buy Oil Early campaign was launched on 11 September to encourage consumers to stock up early on heating oil and join oil buying groups where cost savings and delivery efficiencies can be found.

DECC is a member of the cross-HMG Winter Resilience Network, that meets on a weekly basis over the winter months to monitor forecasting and resilience issues across critical sectors. This provides early warning of potential incidents, and is a means of escalating issues between Departments, for example, if access roads to critical energy sites are not being kept clear.

Solar Power

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of his Department's policies on the expansion of solar energy on the level of carbon emissions. [171537]

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Gregory Barker: Solar PV can make an important contribution to meeting the UK's targets for renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions.

Further work is needed to fully quantify the full life-cycle emissions associated with solar. The Department is carrying out a detailed analysis of this issue and will publish the outcomes of this work in our Solar PV strategy next spring.

International Development

Afghanistan

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 296W, on Afghanistan, when her Department reached a decision to discontinue its involvement in the Bost Agricultural Business Park programme; and which Minister in her Department took that decision. [171325]

Justine Greening: I decided to discontinue further investment in the Bost Agricultural Business Park following my visit to Afghanistan in December 2012.

Developing Countries: Digital Technology

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to promote digital technology for democratic processes around the world. [172061]

Lynne Featherstone: The Government support the promotion of digital technology where it strengthens democratic processes. Recent examples funded by this Department include the use of mobile phones to help educate voters in Kenya and to track vote counting in Nigeria. UK support also helped create, in 2008, a photographic voter roll for 81 million Bangladeshis.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) how much of the funding committed by the UK at the Nutrition for Growth event in June 2013 has been allocated to (a) the promotion of breast feeding, (b) complementary feeding, (c) management of severe acute malnutrition, (d) vitamin A supplementation and (e) salt iodisation; and in which geographical areas the funding will be spent in each case; [171435]

(2) whether her Department plans to release a business plan or funding commitment plan at the same time as the accountability framework for the Nutrition for Growth financial commitments. [171570]

Mr Duncan: The Nutrition for Growth accountability framework was announced by the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), at the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Global Gathering in September in the margins of the UN General Assembly.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided to him on 12 September 2013, Official Report, column 814W.

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International Assistance

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans her Department has to engage parliamentarians in the post-2015 development framework; and if the Prime Minister will agree to meet hon. Members to discuss their role in this process. [172007]

Mr Duncan: The Government welcome the interest and engagement shown by parliamentarians on the post-2015 agenda. Ministers and senior officials have already had significant engagement with parliamentarians on this issue and will continue to do so.

Syria

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid has been delivered directly (a) in Syria and (b) to Syrian refugees since January 2012. [172067]

Justine Greening: The UK has allocated £141 million for humanitarian assistance inside Syria. This is providing food for up to 180,000 people a month, water for up to 900,000 people a month, over 300,000 relief packages and over 240,000 medical consultations.

The UK has already allocated £98 million and is in the final stages of allocating £67 million for support to refugees and host countries in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq. This is providing food for up to 130,000 people a month, water for up to 27,000 a month, over 84,000 relief packages and over 70,000 medical consultations. A further £194 million of funding is currently being allocated to provide further support in Syria and the region.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Burmese counterpart on the unconditional release of (a) Naw Ohn Hla and (b) other political prisoners. [171879]

Mr Swire: British officials in Rangoon are in close contact with those offering support to political prisoners detained in Burma. There have not been specific discussions with the authorities concerning Naw Ohn Hla's case although officials at the British embassy are in touch with her lawyer. We continue to call for and actively monitor the Burmese Government's progress against the President's commitment made in London in July 2013 to free all political prisoners by the end of the year.

We will also continue to call, as I did during a debate in the House on 8 October 2013, Official Report, columns 138-40, for the repeal of repressive laws which lead to the arrest of political activists.

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of changes in incidences of the practice of torture and ill treatment towards political prisoners in Burma following the report of the UN Special Rapporteur in March 2013. [171880]

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Mr Swire: We continue to monitor reports of torture in Burma. The UK believes that torture is abhorrent; we call on the Burmese authorities to introduce preventive and monitoring mechanisms to end such practices. We also continue to raise our concerns more generally. Last week in Naypyitaw, officials discussed Burma signing up to the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, which prohibits explicitly the use of torture. The Minister of State, Department for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr Duncan), raised concerns over reports of torture in prisons in Rakhine during his visit there in June.

We also note the remarks of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana, following his visit at the end of August. We echo his concerns about the continued arrest, detention and sentencing of political activists in Burma. Such actions are not in line with Burma's wider positive reforms.

Egypt

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation of Christians in Egypt. [171884]

Hugh Robertson: We are concerned about the treatment of religious minorities, including Christians, in Egypt and the recent sectarian attacks against churches, schools and businesses, including the attack on a wedding party outside a Coptic church in Cairo on 20 October in which three people died. We continue to encourage the Egyptian authorities to tackle this issue. In his statement to Parliament on 3 September 2013, Official Report, column 161, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), stated:

“It is important that we urge everyone in Egypt towards inclusive political dialogue, but condemn all acts of violence, including those against Copts”.

The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on advertising with (a) The Guardian newspaper, (b) The Guardian website and (c) The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [171554][Official Report, 11 November 2013, Vol. 570, c. 3MC.]

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has spent the following amounts on advertising with (a) The Guardian newspaper, (b) The Guardian website and (c) The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.

All the Guardian Newspaper and Guardian website expenditure for financial years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 arose in the UK and relates to job advertisements.

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All the Guardian News and Media Group expenditure for financial year 2012-13 arose in Trinidad and Tobago and relates to job advertisements, an advert promoting World Day Against the Death Penalty and adverts for public auctions of HMG assets in the Trinidad Guardian.

Records for expenditure in financial year 2009-10 are insufficiently detailed to provide accurate information.

Iran

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what recent assessment he has made of activity in the Parchin military facility in Iran; [171353]

(2) what assessment he has made of the ability of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to access the Parchin military facility in Iran. [171354]

Hugh Robertson: In 2012 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) identified the site of an explosives chamber at Parchin where it had reason to believe work relevant to the development of nuclear weapons may have been undertaken by Iran. Iran denied the IAEA's request for access and has since undertaken extensive sanitisation activities at the site. The IAEA assessed that this will have “seriously undermined” its efforts to verify what Iran had been doing there.

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when his Department expects to re-open the UK Embassy in Tehran; and what progress has been made on re-opening the Iranian Embassy in London. [172012]

Hugh Robertson: We are open to more direct contact and further improvements to bilateral relations with Iran on a step-by-step and reciprocal basis. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and Foreign Minister Zarif have agreed to appoint non-resident chargés d’affaires tasked with implementing the building of relations—including interim steps on the way towards eventual reopening of both our embassies, as well as dialogue on other issues of mutual concern. We will not have a diplomatic presence in Tehran until we are confident that our staff will be safe and able to carry out their duties.

Mobile Phones

Mr Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many smartphone apps his Department has launched. [171594]

Mr Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) launched a consular 'Plan Pack Explore' app in September 2012, targeting 16 to 24-year-olds taking gap years. The app offers information for travellers on how to prepare for such trips and explains what the FCO can and cannot do.

The Forced Marriage Unit (FMU)—jointly funded by the FCO and Home Office—also contributed to a smartphone app designed by Freedom Charity through its domestic programme fund. This launched in December 2012. The app provides information about forced marriage and sources of support for victims as well as direct links to the FMU public helpline and 999.

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Sri Lanka

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions human rights concerns have been raised with the Government of Sri Lanka since May 2010; and on how many occasions officials in his Department have (a) visited the north and east of that country and (b) inspected Sri Lankan refugee camps in that time. [172065]

Mr Swire: Human rights have been central to the Government's dialogue with the Government of Sri Lanka well before May 2010. We have consistently raised this issue at all levels with Sri Lanka.

There have been 21 visits to the north and east since May 2010, including at ministerial level.

We focus on internally displaced persons (IDPs) in every visit to the north and Trincomalee (in the east). Itineraries include visits to IDP camps at Menik Farm in Vavuniya, Kiliveddi in Trincomalee, and Mullikulam in Mannar. We also visit welfare centres housing protracted IDPs, transit shelters and IDP resettlement sites. Additionally, officials undertake briefing meetings with local and international non-government organisations and UN agencies on IDP issues including resettlement and protection concerns.

United Arab Emirates

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of the United Arab Emirates on extending the amnesty for Emirati citizens from prosecution over bounced cheques to expatriate UK citizens. [171730]

Hugh Robertson: This issue was raised at ministerial level during the UK-United Arab Emirates (UAE) task force meetings in January and May 2013. The UAE decriminalised bounced cheques for Emirati nationals earlier this year. The new provisions do not apply to non-Emirati nationals, for whom bounced cheques remain a crime. We will continue to raise this issue with the UAE.

US-UK Joint Strategy Board

Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) when the Government plan to publish the findings of their review of UK-US Joint Strategy Board; [171516]

(2) how many times the UK-US Joint Strategy Board met in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 to date; [171521]

(3) whether his Department has reviewed the work carried out by the UK-US Joint Strategy Board since its inception in 2011. [171523]

Hugh Robertson: The Government have no plans to review the work of the UK-US Joint Strategy Board which is only in its second year. The Government have had a number of discussions with US partners on a range of matters of mutual interest. Details of those discussions are not routinely disclosed so as to protect the nature of open and honest policy development.

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Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Pay

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 135W, on civil servants: pay, when he next plans to meet representatives of the PCS union to discuss pay and conditions for civil servants. [171522]

Mr Maude: Civil service officials, on my behalf, meet with representatives of the National Trade Union Committee, of which the Public and Commercial Services Union is a member, on a regular basis under the auspices of the Civil Service Forum to discuss employment matters affecting civil servants, including pay and conditions. Officials are currently discussing with the NTUC Convenor the date of the next meeting of the Civil Service Forum.

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many businesses have used the CESG cyber incident response scheme to date. [172053]

Mr Maude: The cyber incident response scheme was launched two months ago by CESG, the information assurance arm of GCHQ, and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) in collaboration with the Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers (CREST). We will update on the scheme in due course.

Mobile Phones

Mr Hoban: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many smartphone apps his Department has launched. [171587]

Mr Hurd: The Cabinet Office has not created any smartphone apps since May 2010.

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent on advertising with (a) The Guardian newspaper, (b) The Guardian website and (c) The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [171551]

Mr Hurd: The information requested is not held centrally.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in (a) Crawley constituency, (b) the south-east and (c) England started an apprenticeship in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013. [171707]

Matthew Hancock: Information on the number of apprenticeship starts by geography is published in a supplementary table to a quarterly statistical first release (SFR):

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/3DA49EDD-EC1F-4F37-8D7A-AC7A0F20E3E8/0/Oct2013_Apprenticeship_Starts.xls

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Business: Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to promote (a) invoice financing agreements and (b) other steps to encourage banks to fund small businesses more fairly. [171902]

Matthew Hancock: The Government seek to promote a broad range of funding for businesses, and are taking steps to increase competition in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) finance markets and to diversify the sources of finance available to business. We have asked the Office of Fair Trading to bring forward its market study of SME banking services and we are working with the accountancy bodies and the British Bankers Association to increase SME financial awareness through mentoring and advice. The Government will also help to diversify the sources of finance through the new British Business Bank which is currently seeking partners for its £300 million co-investment programme to help diversify and grow sources of debt finance. The business finance partnership small business tranche is additionally providing £87 million worth of funds to alternative finance providers, which is expected to increase lending to SMEs by c.£240 million over the life of the programme. This includes making commitments to supply chain finance providers such as MarketInvoice, an online invoice finance platform.

We are determined to see banks treat their customers fairly and we are fully supportive of the banks' independently audited appeals process which is overturning over 40% of originally declined lending decisions.

Business: Training

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what average contribution was made by (a) employers and (b) the Higher Education Funding Council for England to each student place created under the workforce development programme in each year of its operation. [171376]

Mr Willetts: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 October 2013, Official Report, column 873-4W.

Copyright

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to exclude audio-visual content from draft regulations introducing a copyright exception for private copying. [171433]

Jo Swinson: As announced in ‘Modernising Copyright’, published December 2012, Government policy is that the private copying exception will be technology neutral. It will apply to all types of copyright work, allowing people to watch, read or listen to purchased content across different technologies and devices without breaking the law. However it will not prevent rights holders from using technological measures to restrict copying of material, such as the restrictions which currently exist on DVDs and other audio-visual content.

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Council for Science and Technology

Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that reports commissioned by the Council for Science and Technology are not authored by those currently seeking Government support for other projects. [171904]

Mr Willetts: The Council for Science and Technology (CST) is an independent advisory NDPB co-chaired by the Government chief scientific adviser, and supported by a secretariat based in the Government Office for Science. It advises the Prime Minister on science and technology policy issues which cut across the responsibilities of Government Departments. CST members are drawn from across the knowledge economy but the council may supplement its own expertise with advice from individual experts and groups in support of specific projects.

CST does not exclude those who are currently seeking Government support from other projects from providing advice. Any advice provided by CST itself will be subject to internal agreement by all members of the council. Members are required to declare any personal, political or business interests that could, or could be seen to, influence their judgment. Where CST commissions advice from other expert bodies including the national academies (whose presidents serve ex officio as members of CST) it relies upon their internal control mechanisms to ensure objectivity.

Credit: Interest Rates

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the expansion of the high-cost credit sector since 2010. [171513]

Jo Swinson: Data from the DebtTrack surveys suggest that overall the use of high-cost credit (as defined by the Office of Fair Trading to include home credit, pawn broking and payday lending) has remained broadly stable over recent years.

The latest YouGov report estimates that between 2008 and 2012, the use of high-cost credit by households has fluctuated at around 2% or 3%. The figure in 2010 was 2% and for 2012 it was 3%.

The report does indicate that certain types of high cost credit have experienced significant growth over this period. The payday lending market has doubled in size in four years from a total amount of lending of £900 million in 2008-09 to between £2 and £2.2 billion in 2011-12.

The Government have significant concerns about the ill effects of payday loans and have been working closely with regulators to address these problems.

Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on incorporating the EU cyber-security directive into UK law. [172054]

Mr Willetts: The proposal for an EU directive on network and information security is still being negotiated. Until the final text has been agreed and the directive has been passed into EU law, no progress can be made on incorporating the directive into UK law.

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Higher Education

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the report by Sir Andrew Witty on universities will be published. [171431]

Mr Willetts: ‘Encouraging a British Invention Revolution: Sir Andrew Witty's Review of Universities and Growth’ was published on 15 October 2013 on gov.uk:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/249720/bis-13-1241-encouraging-a-british-invention-revolution-andrew-witty-review-R1.pdf

Land Registry

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reason his Department believes that the Land Registry business strategy cannot be delivered effectively under the trading fund status; and if he will make a statement. [171827]

Michael Fallon: I have asked the Land Registry to consider alternative commercial models that would enable it to better deliver on its new business strategy, but no decision has yet been made.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether Land Registry cash reserves have been considered for the delivery of the business strategy under its current trading fund status. [171828]

Michael Fallon: At this stage I understand that Land Registry is working through the detailed business strategy implementation plan. No decision has been made on how it will be funded.

Marketing: Internet

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of internet search marketing costs on the profitability of UK businesses. [171324]

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not made any assessment of the effect of internet search and marketing costs on the profitability of UK businesses.

Minimum Wage

Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what resources his Department (a) allocated to enforcement of the minimum wage in each of the last three financial years and (b) plans to allocate in the next two financial years. [171531]

Jo Swinson: HM Revenue and Customs enforces the national minimum wage on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable). The following budget was allocated to carry out enforcement activity:

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Overseas Students: Entry Clearances

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of new student visa regulations on UK universities. [171845]

Mr Willetts: The Government have overhauled the student visa route with a package of measures designed to tackle abuse of the route while continuing to attract students to our world-class universities. We consult frequently with the sector through the Joint Education Taskforce and umbrella bodies such as Universities UK.

The reforms have protected the universities, offering additional flexibility in relation to work rights and language testing. All genuine students with the right qualifications, sufficient funds to cover their fees and maintenance costs and a good level of English are welcome, with no annual limit on numbers.

Personal Care Services

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the introduction of compulsory qualifications for hairdressers. [171434]

Matthew Hancock: Shirley Davis-Fox, the managing director of ISA Training in Bridgend, wrote to her MP, the hon. Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies), about regulation in the hairdressing industry in July this year. The hon. Member for Ogmore passed her correspondence to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.

Regional Assistance: North West

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to promote regional growth in (a) the north-west and (b) Rossendale and Darwen constituency. [171334]

Michael Fallon: The spending round (SR) underlines Government's commitment to devolve economic powers to local areas. It recognises the role local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) have to play in promoting local growth, by giving LEPs control of at least £2 billion a year through the Local Growth Fund (LGF) for the life of the next Parliament, and over £5 billion of European structural and investment funds to allocate for the period 2014-20. In addition to this, the SR announced further funding for the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Up to £300 million funding is available now through round 5 of the RGF to private sector bidders to create sustainable economic growth and jobs. Round 6 will launch in summer 2014.

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Through the RGF programme, the following has been awarded to the north-west and Rossendale and Darwen parliamentary constituency:

North West

Awards in rounds 1 to 4: 83

Value of awards in rounds 1 to 4 (£ million): 430

Private sector investment in rounds 1 to 4 (£billion): 2.4

Jobs to be created and safeguarded in rounds 1 to 4: 92,000

Rossendale and Darwen parliamentary constituency

There has been one specific RGF award in the constituency: £2.2 million to Lucite International in Round 2.

The constituency is also covered by the Regenerate Pennine Lancashire programme which received £7.5 million in round 2 to help small and medium-sized enterprises create manufacturing supply chain jobs. The programme was selected for additional support in round 4 on 11 July 2013 and has a conditional offer that is subject to due diligence.

Retail Trade: Training

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase training and skills for small independent retailers. [171849]

Matthew Hancock: We are taking three steps to increase training and skills for small independent retailers:

1. We are encouraging smaller employers to take on young people by offering an incentive payment of £1,500 (per apprentice) to take on an apprentice aged 16 to 24. There were 108,000 apprentice starts in the retail sector in 2011/12.

2. We have launched a targeted programmed aimed at 1.6 SMEs that has the objective of providing them with the skills to trade online.

3. Through the National Skills Academy for Retail (NSA), The UK Commission for Employment and Skills and People 1^st (the Sector Skills Council responsible for the retail sector) we are doing much to improve skills in retail such as establishing new National Occupational Standards and apprenticeships frameworks to help retailers address their skills needs for multi channel retailing and providing key services to assist small and independent retailers.

In addition, through the Employer Ownership pilot, a consortium led by a Midlands co-operative has secured funding to support activity delivered by the NSA to engage SME and independent retailers who have not previously engaged with the skills agenda and help them analyse their needs and progress their learning and development.

Vocational Training

Mr Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what new apprenticeship frameworks or qualifications have been created as a direct result of employer demand through the Employer Ownership of Skills project. [171924]

Matthew Hancock: To date there have been some good examples of new training modules being developed with strong input from employers and representative bodies, including projects led by Jacobs UK Ltd and Humber Chemical Focus Ltd. Doosan Power Systems, as part of its project has developed two new qualifications:

ECITB Level 4 Diploma in High Integrity Welding in Engineering Construction (QCF)

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ECITB Level 4 Diploma in Managing Welding Operations (QCF)

We will continue to monitor the outputs from the projects as they progress.

Mr Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the employer investment in (a) each of the successful bids for round one of the Employer Ownership of Skills pilot and (b) in total, has been given (i) as a cash contribution and (ii) in kind; and if he will make a statement. [171925]

Matthew Hancock: In round 1 of the Employer Ownership pilot, 36 projects were agreed a total funding of £102 million. The total employer contribution so far is £115 million. This is broken down by project as follows:

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