Sexual Offences

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) with reference to the identification of nine areas of action by the national group to tackle sexual violence against children and vulnerable people, which of those areas are receiving urgent attention; [172683]

(2) how many times the national group to tackle sexual violence against children and vulnerable people has met; and if she will publish the minutes of each meeting of the group; [172685]

(3) what progress the national group to tackle sexual violence against children and vulnerable people has made since April 2013 in relation to online-related abuse; [172684]

(4) what areas of action have been identified by the national group to tackle sexual violence against children and vulnerable people; [172686]

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(5) what the membership and terms of reference are of the national group to tackle sexual violence against children and vulnerable people, set up by the Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice. [172687]

Norman Baker [holding answer 28 October 2013]:The National Group identified nine key areas for action and has initially prioritised action in four areas: to prevent abuse happening in the first place, to protect children online, to make sure the police can identify and deal with problems, and to ensure victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system. The Group published its first progress report and action plan (including work in relation to online-related abuse) on 24 July 2013. Both documents and other supporting information can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sexual-violence-against-children-and-vulnerable-people-national-group

I will be leading on eight of the nine strands, with my ministerial colleague, the Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims, leading on the cyber strand.

The Government's commitment to working together is reflected in the Group's membership. It is made up of key partners such as the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, government departments and very importantly, experts such as Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, Barnardo's, Rape Crisis and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. We are building links with the many other stakeholders who also have an interest and want a role. The Group meets every three - four weeks and has already met nine times since it was established. It last met on 30 October when I attended for the first time, following the recent reallocation of ministerial posts.

I am placing a copy of the list of organisations represented on the National Group and Group's terms of reference in the Library of the House.

Treasury

Energy

Jason McCartney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what steps his Department is taking to reduce its spending on (a) gas and (b) electricity; [173076]

(2) which companies supplied (a) gas and (b) electricity to his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12. [173082]

Nicky Morgan: The Treasury is committed to improving the energy efficiency of the Department's estate and reducing energy consumption year on year and continues to work with Exchequer Partnership, its PR supplier, on developing appropriate energy reducing initiatives.

In line with Government policy and to benefit from public sector buying power, HM Treasury is centralising common commodity procurements, such as energy procurement, through contracts awarded and managed by the Government Procurement Service.

The Department is also in the process of embedding its sustainability policy which includes measures on cutting emissions across its business operations and thus reducing spend on utilities. To date, real progress

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has been made in meeting Treasury Greening Government Targets through the implementation of initiatives such as:

the replacement of lighting to new energy efficient LED bulbs;

changing lighting in some parts of the building to sensor lighting;

replacing end of life equipment with more energy efficient appliances;

engagement campaigns for HM Treasury staff and other building occupiers on switching off lights, computer monitors and any other electrical equipment when not in use;

working with the PFI supplier in HGR on finding better ways to manage the use of electricity and gas in our kitchens and reprographics areas and also taking forward the recommendations from a recent air conditioning survey;

proactively monitoring the electricity supply to the building to identify areas where further investigation is called for;

ensuring that the PFI supplier provider has its own sustainability plan in place to manage the building effectively;

continuing to achieve certification under the Carbon Trust Standard.

Corona Energy supplied gas and EDF Energy supplied electricity to HM Treasury for both years.

Tax Avoidance

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what procedures are in place for HM Revenue and Customs' employees who are alerted to loopholes in tax rules. [173040]

Mr Gauke: Information is provided to HMRC either under a statutory obligation or spontaneously. In both cases the information is passed on to central teams who disseminate the information to relevant parties within HMRC. HMRC has a duty of care to protect the identity of the source for information spontaneously disclosed.

HMRC employees examine the information to determine if it is avoidance and plan a compliance strategy which may include litigation in the courts or legislation to close the scheme.

Justice

Crime: Victims

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which Minister in his Department is responsible for the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime. [172520]

Damian Green: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has appointed me as the Minister for Victims, in addition to my existing responsibilities for policing and criminal justice.

Prisoners' Release

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much advance notice is given to a victim of crime of the release from prison of the perpetrator of that crime. [173258]

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Damian Green: New guidance for Probation Trusts regarding the statutory Probation Victim Contact Scheme makes clear that eligible victims who opt in to the scheme can expect to be informed of certain key stages in an offender's sentence, including the prospective date of release. The point at which this information is provided to a victim varies on a case by case basis.

Where the offender is serving a determinate sentence, the release date is fixed. Victims will be informed of the expected month of release very early following sentence and will be updated should this date change—for example, if the offender receives added days.

Where the offender is subject to discretionary release by the Parole Board, the victim will be informed early in the sentence of the month in which the offender will become eligible for consideration for release on parole and the earliest possible date of release, and given an explanation of what this means.

As the offender's parole eligibility date approaches, the victim will be told that the offender is soon to have his case considered by the Parole Board and will be given the opportunity to submit a Victim Personal Statement (VPS) to the Parole Board panel, setting out the impact of the offence on them and what the impact of release would be. A victim can also apply to the Parole Board to read their VPS in person at the Parole Board hearing. The new Victims' Code, which was published on 29 October 2013, enshrines the entitlement for victims to make a Victim Personal Statement to the Board.

The Parole Board's decision will usually be issued no later than 14 days after its consideration of the case, and the decision will be passed on to the victim(s) as soon as possible by their designated Victim Liaison Officer (VLO).

Where the Parole Board decides not to release the offender on licence, the victim will be informed of the timing of any subsequent review.

Reparation by Offenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a right to restorative justice for victims of crime. [173190]

Damian Green: The Ministry of Justice has no plans to legislate to introduce a right to restorative justice (RJ) for victims of crime. However, the new Victims' Code, which was published on 29 October, sets out an entitlement for victims to receive information on RJ

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and how they could take part. This is led by the wishes and needs of the victim, subject to the local provision of RJ. The new code sets out strict requirements that any offer of RJ must be appropriate to the particular case. The new code also makes it clear that RJ activities must be conducted in a safe, secure environment with an appropriately trained facilitator according to recognised quality standards.

Salvation Army

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) nationality and (b) gender was of each suspected victim of human trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in August 2013; in which (i) region, (ii) county and (iii) parliamentary constituency each of the suspected victims was found; and which agency referred each case to the scheme. [172396]

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 28 October 2013, Official Report, column 359W.

Sexual Offences

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average time was between (a) offence commission and charge, (b) charge and first court appearance and (c) first court appearance to sentencing or acquittal for all sexual offence cases completed in 2012. [172359]

Mr Vara: The time taken from offence to completion at court is affected by factors such as the time taken to report the crime following the initial incident, the severity of the offence and the complexity of a possible trial. Additionally the reporting of historical sexual offence cases to the police can affect the average length of time taken from offence to completion.

However, there are concerns about the time taken for sexual offence cases to progress through the courts, and the Senior Presiding Judge is looking into what might be done to improve timeliness.

See Table 1 for the average number of days from offence to completion for all completed criminal sexual offences cases, England and Wales, 2012.

The average timeliness from offence to completion for sexual offences is relatively stable (Q2 2010 to Q2 2013), with any changes seen driven by the average duration between offence and charge which is reflective of the complexity and seriousness of sexual offence reporting and investigation.

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Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 41W, on apprentices, what proportion of the 2012-13 apprenticeship starts that were not completed in that year was as a result of drop outs (a) in total and (b) in each sector. [173121]

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Matthew Hancock: For the 2012/13 academic year based on provisional data, of the 495,100 apprenticeship starts, 12,600 (or 2.5%) achieved and 64,500 (or 13.0%) withdrew within the same academic year. The remaining 418,000 (or 84.4%) were yet to complete.

Table 1 shows the provisional number of apprenticeship starts in 2012/13. It shows of those starts: (i) the number and percentage that achieved and (ii) the number and percentage that withdrew within the same academic year, split by sector subject area.

Business: Advisory Services

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the need to encourage banks to provide better advice to their business customers who employ fewer than 10 people. [173532]

Matthew Hancock: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 30 October 2013, Official Report, column 480W.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the advice available to businesses employing fewer than 10 people from other business owners. [173552]

Matthew Hancock: Research on the use of advice by small businesses can be found here on the BIS website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/making-it-easier-to-set-up-and-grow-a-business--6/supporting-pages/enterprise-and-economic-development-analysis-eeda-research

BIS is not planning to specifically assess advice provided by other business owners.

The Government support the idea of other experienced and successful business owners providing advice and expertise to people who are starting a business or who want to grow their business. This is why we support ‘Mentorsme’, set up by the British Banker's Association, which provides access to experienced business mentors across the UK with over 115 mentoring organisations and over 27,000 registered mentors.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what UK business representation will attend the upcoming CHOGM in Colombo, Sri Lanka. [173427]

Michael Fallon: There will be no UK business representation at CHOGM.

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what UK Trade and Investment representation there will be at the upcoming CHOGM in Colombo, Sri Lanka. [173428]

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment will not be represented at CHOGM.

Complaints

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many complaints of racial discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies by (i) employees and (ii) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [173021]

(2) how many complaints of homophobic or transphobic discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies by (i) employees and (ii) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [173022]

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(3) how many complaints of sexual discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies by (i) employees and (ii) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [173023]

(4) how many complaints of discrimination related to pregnancy or maternity have been lodged against employees of (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies by (i) current employees and (ii) prospective employees in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [173025]

(5) how many complaints of age discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies by (i) employees and (ii) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action; [173028]

(6) how many complaints of disability discrimination or harassment have been lodged against employees of (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies by (i) employees and (ii) other individuals in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints resulted in disciplinary action. [173029]

Jo Swinson: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The BIS grievance procedure is a process for employees to raise complaints about a variety of issues from harassment and bullying to complaints relating to end of year appraisal markings. Employees are encouraged to try and resolve issues informally if this is possible.

The Department is currently reviewing how information on harassment and bullying is collected and is looking at ways that this could be improved in the future.

Consumers: Protection

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he (a) has taken and (b) proposes to take to seek changes to EU consumer law; and if he will make a statement. [173531]

Jo Swinson: The EU consumer law landscape is constantly evolving. The UK therefore actively engages on an ongoing basis to influence new proposals as they emerge and to ensure UK interests are reflected when opportunities arise to amend EU legislation.

In recent years we have played an active role in negotiations on significant new proposals such as the Consumer Rights Directive and the Directive on Alternative Dispute Resolution, to ensure a balance was struck between consumer and business interests. Currently we are engaged in negotiations for a Common European Sales Law and a revised Package Travel Directive.

The UK is also actively involved in the ongoing negotiation of the EU Product Safety and Market Surveillance Package. This legislation is designed to ensure that products brought onto the market are compliant with EU legislation and are safe to use and that there is a level playing field for businesses within the EU Single market.

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The European Commission has recently reviewed the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and concluded that no change is necessary at present; we ensured that the UK position was been made clear during the Commission's consideration.

There are further proposals in the pipeline, such as a review of the Directive on Timeshare, Long Term Holiday, Resale and Exchange Contracts and proposals to amend the Misleading and Comparative Advertising Directive. We will continue to work with the European Commission and other member states to ensure that the need for any change is justified and that the necessary protections for consumers are in place.

Foreign Students

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of UK students attending university (a) study overseas and (b) take a degree which allows them to study abroad for (i) one or (ii) two years. [173303]

Mr Willetts: On 25 June 2013, the Organisation for Economic, Co-operation and Development (OECD) published their latest 'Education at a Glance' report that included information on the number of students engaged in tertiary-level education abroad. Further details are provided at the link:

http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag.htm

(a) Latest figures from OECD show that in 2011 some 37,490 students from the United Kingdom were reported to be studying abroad. The figure is based on data reported by OECD member countries and estimates produced by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) for non-OECD countries.

(b) Information on students enrolled at UK higher education institutions (HEIs) is collected and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The table shows the number of UK domiciled students enrolled in tertiary-level education at a UK HEI in the 2011/12 academic year, including those studying or working on a programme abroad for all or part of the year. The majority of the these students access opportunities for study and work overseas through Erasmus, the European Union's flagship educational exchange programme for higher education students, teachers and institutions. Erasmus forms part of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) (2007-13) and will continue under the successor Erasmus+ Programme (2014-20), which will include provision for Erasmus mobility beyond Europe.

It is up to each institution to decide which of the courses they offer may involve study abroad, and for how long. It is also up to institutions whether they take part in the Erasmus scheme. 191 UK institutions have applied for the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, which will allow their students to take part in the Erasmus scheme from 2014.

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Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest multiple of five, so components may not sum to totals.

The proportion for UK students studying abroad according to the location of enrolment has not been provided as the information available is not from a singular source.

A sector-led strategy on UK outward student mobility will be launched later this year. The strategy, which is supported by Government funding, aims to increase the number of UK students taking international placements as part of their UK degree.

Land Registry

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set out the arrangements being made for wider consultation specific to proposals to change the status of the Land Registry. [173244]

Michael Fallon: If there were to be any proposal for a change in the status of Land Registry, we would embark on a full and careful consultation.

New Businesses: Lancashire

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many start up loans have been granted to businesses in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) Lancashire in the last five years. [173301]

Matthew Hancock [holding answer 31 October 2013]: The Start-Up Loans scheme volumes for (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire are as follows. The Start-Up Loans Company does not capture data at constituency level, therefore the following figures are obtained by postcode region.

(a) Ribble Valley: 10 loans with a total value of £62,791;

(b) Lancashire: 304 loans with a total value of £1,924,215.

Overseas Trade: Sri Lanka

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether a UK trade envoy will be in Sri Lanka in November 2013. [173469]

Michael Fallon: My noble Friend Lord Marland will be in Sri Lanka in November 2013 on the invitation of the Commonwealth Business Council.

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Public Houses

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect on microbreweries of offering a rent only option to tied pubs. [173419]

Jo Swinson: The Government's consultation on establishing a statutory code of practice and an independent adjudicator to govern the relationship between pub companies and their tenants closed on 14 June. The purpose of the consultation was to gather additional evidence to help us better assess the likely impact on the pubs industry of our proposals, including the mandatory free of tie option. We received over 1,130 written responses to the consultation, including from microbreweries, and over 7,000 responses to the online questionnaire. We are currently considering all the evidence submitted during the consultation and on that basis will decide how to act. We intend to publish a Government response to the consultation towards the end of the year.

Students: Finance

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2013, Official Report, columns 875-6W, on higher education: student numbers, how many four-year degree courses entitled students to (a) three and (b) four years of fee loans and maintenance support in each such year. [173468]

Mr Willetts: Eligible students who are studying on three and four-year undergraduate courses that are designated for student support are entitled to apply for fee loans and maintenance support for each year of their course.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he intends to publish a summary of responses to his Local Air Quality Monitoring consultation. [172982]

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA has had a large number of responses to the consultation on local air quality management and these are currently being considered. We expect to publish a summary of responses by the end of the year.

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he made of the (a) finding of the European Environment Agency report, Air quality in Europe—2013, that Hillingdon had the second highest levels in Europe of nitrogen dioxide and (b) other findings of that report. [173204]

Dan Rogerson: The Government note the high reading for nitrogen dioxide concentrations from the monitoring station in Hillingdon. It cannot be concluded from the report that Hillingdon has the second highest concentrations

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of nitrogen dioxide in the EU, only that it has the second highest reading of the urban and suburban monitoring stations analysed. It should be noted that the placement of monitoring stations can greatly affect the reading levels. The Hillingdon urban background station is located 30 metres from the M4 motorway and is therefore affected by traffic emissions from this very busy road.

We have noted the conclusions of the Air Quality in Europe report published by the European Environment Agency. We are committed to working towards full compliance with European Air Quality Standards and are investing significantly in transport and other measures that will contribute to reductions in local air pollution.

Energy

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; [173063]

(2) what steps his Department is taking to reduce its spending on (a) gas and (b) electricity; [173071]

(3) which companies supplied (a) gas and (b) electricity to his Department in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12. [173077]

Dan Rogerson: The energy spend by core DEFRA for the period April 2010 to March 2012 was:

During this period, all energy was purchased through the Government Procurement Service Energy Framework. All Government Departments are required to purchase energy through this framework, which delivers economies of scale benefits and best value for Government. Total Gas and Power and Corona Energy supplied Gas and EDF and British Gas supplied electricity.

Core DEFRA is taking a number of actions to reduce its energy spend:

Implementing energy reduction initiatives, such as LED lighting and a review of the heating and cooling systems at Nobel House; repairing and re-commissioning wind turbines at the Alnwick office in January 2013; installation of draught proofing and heat reflectors at Nobel House and the York office;

Introduction of a 19 degrees centigrade winter heating set point in all offices;

Rationalisation of the London estate, making more efficient use of buildings; and

Purchasing all gas and electricity through the Government Procurement Service Energy Framework.

Farms

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 55W, on farms, if he will list (a) all 195 regulations that his Department has abolished and (b) additional regulations that have been introduced since July 2010. [172803]

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George Eustice: Since July 2010 DEFRA has introduced 254 regulations, a copy of which I have placed in the Library, entitled table A. DEFRA has also abolished 188 regulations during this same period, a copy of which I have placed in the Library, entitled table B. This is a correction to the figure quoted in my previous answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 55W.

All new regulation is now monitored carefully for the purposes of One-In, One-Out and more recently One-In Two-Out. The Government's Statement of New Regulation published on 10 July 2013 reported that, since January 2011, DEFRA's regulations had resulted in an estimated reduction in annual net costs to business of £147.4 million.

Fisheries: Western Sahara

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2013, Official Report, column 451W, on fisheries: Western Sahara (1) how the protocol, as initialled, will benefit Saharawi fishermen; [173546]

(2) how he plans to ensure that the indigenous people of Western Sahara benefit from the geographical distribution of European funds for structural support and infrastructure. [173547]

George Eustice: The protocol, as initialled, requires Morocco to report on the geographical distribution of European funds for structural support and infrastructure and to include the impact on jobs and investment.

The protocol has not yet been agreed by the Council and the European Parliament. The Government still have several concerns with the protocol, as initialled, including the extent to which it ensures benefits to the people of Western Sahara.

Forests

Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the UK is covered by (a) broadleaf and (b) conifer forest. [173225]

Dan Rogerson: Forestry Statistics published by the Forestry Commission in September show that there are 1,508,000 hectares of broadleaf woodland and 1,619,000 hectares of conifer woodland in the UK. Together this covers 13% of the UK land area.

Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the forest cover in the UK is designated for (a) productive woodland and (b) amenity value. [173228]

Dan Rogerson: Woodland is not designated by its management objective in any UK forestry statistics. However, it is widely accepted that many forests are managed for multi-purpose objectives.

Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what target his Department has set for forest cover in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland; and what the proposed mix is between broadleaf and conifer in each area. [173229]

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Dan Rogerson: Forestry is a devolved matter and the decision on whether or not to set targets for forest cover and what these targets might be is a matter for the devolved Administrations. The Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement for England, published in January, estimated that 12% woodland cover could be achieved in England by 2060 with government and the sector working together towards this shared objective. The type of trees to be planted was not specified as it is primarily up to the landowners and managers to define the nature of woodland planted.

Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland is covered by forest. [173230]

Dan Rogerson: Forestry Statistics published by the Forestry Commission in September show that the area of woodland in England is 1.3 million hectares, 10% of the land area. In Wales it is 305,000 hectares, 15% of the land area. In Scotland it is 1.41 million hectares, 18% of the land area, and in Northern Ireland it is 111,000 hectares, 8% of the land area.

Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of whether current Forestry Commission guidance on planting forest promotes the type of tree planting suitable for future use in commercial forestry. [173243]

Dan Rogerson: Forestry is a devolved issue and guidance on tree planting and woodland creation is a matter for the devolved Administrations. In England, the key principle is: the right tree in the right place. The guidance given in connection with the English Woodland Grant Scheme's woodland creation grant encouraged all types of woodland planting, provided that it met the rules of the scheme and the UK Forestry Standard. The Standard sets out the UK's approach to sustainable forest management.

Fracking

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with shale gas operators on their ability to meet the costs of (i) environmental clean-up and (ii) civil claims should pollution or damage to third party interests occur. [172981]

Dan Rogerson: No recent discussions have taken place between the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the right hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), or Ministers in DEFRA, and shale gas operators on this subject.

Under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010, the Environment Agency (and in the case of Wales, the Natural Resources Body for Wales (NRBW)) is required to assess operator competence as part of its permit determination (with exceptions for stand-alone water discharge and stand-alone groundwater activities).

In all cases the operator must demonstrate that it is technically competent to operate the facility. In the case of permitting for installations covered by the industrial

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emissions directive and waste and mining waste operations, financial competence checks are made at the permitting stage and the Environment Agency will only issue a permit if it believes the operator is capable of meeting the obligations of the permit. Financial competence is considered at the compliance assessment stage for installations, waste operations, mining waste operations, and for water discharge and groundwater activities.

Financial provision is also required for certain types of facility. Under the mining waste directive there is a requirement for a financial guarantee for a Category A waste facility or hazardous waste facility. Whether the facility is either Category A or hazardous will be a factual determination based on the nature of the waste involved and the level of risk posed by the facility.

Incinerators: Worcestershire

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the financial arrangements for the proposed waste incinerator at Hartlebury, Worcestershire. [172718]

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA and HM Treasury officials are currently working with Herefordshire council and Worcestershire county council which are jointly responsible for the project to assess the proposal, including the financial arrangements currently being explored by the councils.

Timber

Mrs McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the UK's need for future sustaining domestic timber supplies; and how such need will be met. [173396]

Dan Rogerson: The Forestry Commission undertakes a continual assessment of the levels of timber stocks within Britain's woodland through the National Forest Inventory. It also estimates and publishes forecasts of projected timber removals over a 25 year period. Several such forecasts are produced, with each assuming alternative economic scenarios.

Alongside these forecasts of removals, forecasted rates of tree growth and forecasts of the remaining timber within the forests are also published. This enables sustainable practice to be assessed by comparing projected removals to projected growth.

There is an increase in the amount of domestic timber production forecast, which will peak in 2030. Forestry is a devolved issue and how future needs, beyond 2030, will be met is a matter for the devolved Administrations. In England we set out our priorities to protect, improve and expand our public and private woodland assets in our Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement which we published in January.

Education

Boarding Schools

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made of the potential damage to children as a result of attendance at boarding school from a young age; [172984]

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(2) what his policy is on establishing a lower limit on the age at which children can full board at boarding school; [172990]

(3) what assessment he has made of the risk of potential psychological damage to children as a result of attendance at boarding school from a young age; [172991]

(4) what steps he is taking to ensure that vulnerable children are not harmed as a result of boarding at a young age. [172992]

Mr Timpson: The Department has not made any such assessments, or set a minimum age for boarding, because it believes that these are matters for parents. Parents are best placed to decide the right educational setting for their children.

Boarding schools must meet the National Minimum Standards for Boarding Schools, which set the standards that boarding schools must meet in securing outcomes for boarders. These include safeguarding and promoting boarders' welfare. All boarding schools are inspected regularly against the standards.

Chequers

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he last attended Chequers; and what the purpose of that visit was. [173422]

Elizabeth Truss: It is long-standing Government practice not to provide details of such meetings.

Internet: Bullying

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what financial support his Department has given to organisations raising awareness of National Stop Cyberbullying Day on 21 June 2013. [173112]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department did not give direct financial support to organisations for the purpose of raising awareness of National Stop Cyberbullying Day on 21 June 2013.

The Department is, however, currently providing over £4 million funding over two years from April 2013 to March 2015 to four anti-bullying organisations. These are BeatBullying, the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children's Bureau. While the funding provided was not to help them support National Stop Cyberbullying Day, it is designed to support their work to tackle bullying more broadly, which can and does include cyberbullying.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department spent in 2012 on tackling (a) cyberbullying and (b) internet trolling. [173220]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department is providing £4 million of funding over two years (2013 to 2015) to four anti-bullying organisations. This includes BeatBullying, the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children's Bureau. The funding provided is to support the organisations in developing projects to tackle all forms of bullying, including cyberbullying.

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The Department also provided £152,506 to the Diana Award in the financial year 2012-13 to support its Anti-Bullying Ambassadors programme. This programme empowers young people to take responsibility for changing the attitudes and behaviour of their peers towards bullying. As part of the training the young people consider the different types of bullying, including cyberbullying.

The Government also provided funding to tackle cyberbullying in the financial year 2012-13 through the Cabinet Office Social Fund. BeatBullying received £1.3 million to run a Cybermentors programme to support young people who are bullied on and offline.

Kings Science Academy

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will consider putting Kings Science Academy into special measures; [173335]

(2) whether a free school can be put under special financial measures because of irregularities by management and governors. [173336]

Mr Timpson: Only Ofsted can put a school into special measures. Where the Education Funding Agency (EFA) has concerns about financial management and/or governance in a free school, the EFA may issue a Financial Notice to Improve.

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of whether Sajid Raza is a fit and proper person to be principal of Kings Science Academy in Bradford. [173337]

Mr Timpson: The responsibility for a principal's performance rests with the governing body of the academy. The governing body is currently carrying out an investigation, after which they may take disciplinary action.

Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how and by what mechanism his Department contacted West Yorkshire police in April 2013 regarding the Department's investigation into Kings Science Academy in Bradford; [173516]

(2) which police authority his Department contacted regarding its investigation into Kings Science Academy in Bradford; [173517]

(3) what information his Department provided to the police in April 2013 regarding its investigation into Kings Science Academy in Bradford; [173518]

(4) if he will publish the interim report of March 2013 of his Department's inquiry into Kings Science Academy in Bradford. [173519]

Mr Timpson: The Department contacted West Yorkshire police by telephone on 25 April. The West Yorkshire police directed that fraud or suspected fraud should be reported via Action Fraud, who in turn referred the report to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. The Department provided information on invoices submitted to the Department as part of a claim for the “lead-in” grant before the academy opened to the National Fraud Investigation Bureau. The Education Funding Agency does not publish interim reports as they are not complete. The final investigation report for Kings Science Academy was published on 25 October 2013.

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Pay

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to reduce pay for senior staff in his Department. [173423]

Elizabeth Truss: Levels of pay for senior staff are controlled by the annual pay award process. Base pay for the senior civil service (SCS) was frozen for three years and the latest award limited base pay awards to an average of 1%. Planned reductions in headcount at senior levels over the spending review period are also contributing to a lower paybill for senior staff. Excluding SCS from arm’s length bodies brought within the Department since 2010, the monthly SCS paybill has reduced from £1,042,725 in April 2010, to £892,966 in April 2013.

School Teachers' Review Body: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the devolution of the functions of the School Teachers’ Review Body to a Wales-based body. [173159]

Mr Laws: In May 2012, the then Welsh Government Minister for Education and Skills requested that the Secretary of State for Education, the right hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), explore options for devolving to the Welsh Government those functions of the School Teachers' Review Body that relate to the content and timing of in-service teacher training (INSET) days. He has not received any additional representations.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on devolving the functions of the School Teachers’ Review Body to a Wales-based organisation. [173160]

Mr Laws: In October 2011 the Government established the Commission on Devolution in Wales, chaired by Paul Silk. Part II of the Commission's remit includes reviewing and making subsequent recommendations on the devolvement of UK Government powers to Welsh Government in order to serve better the people of Wales.

In written evidence to the Commission on Devolution, the UK Government made clear that they would welcome the Commission's consideration of the subject of teachers' pay and conditions. The Commission is due to report its findings before spring 2014.

Schools

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of all schools inspected by Ofsted under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 have been classified as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate in their most recent inspections. [173323]

Mr Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has written to the hon. Member, and a copy of his response has been placed in the House Libraries.

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Temporary Employment

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 1018W, on temporary employment, for what purpose each temporary member of staff has been recruited to his ministerial private office; and for how long each was employed. [173386]

Elizabeth Truss: The ministerial private office provides critical support to the Secretary of State and has in the past recruited agency staff to cover vacancies where necessary, and only until permanent staff are appointed. The seven temporary staff employed since May 2010 covered varied roles at different points. There are currently no temporary members of staff appointed in his ministerial private office.

Defence

Armed Forces Covenant: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department is doing to support troops in Northern Ireland in the absence of a military covenant. [173234]

Anna Soubry: The Armed Forces Covenant applies in Northern Ireland just as it does elsewhere in the United Kingdom and I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 10 April 2013 by my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Lord Astor of Hever, to the noble Lord, Lord Empey of Shandon in the other place (Official Report, House of Lords, column WA260).

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's vehicle capitation rates; [173499]

(2) if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's aircraft capitation rates; [173500]

(3) if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's manpower capitation rates. [173501]

Anna Soubry: Our current policy is to use actual costs wherever possible, for example in calculating the charge to be levied for services the Ministry of Defence provides externally. We therefore no longer issue capitation rates centrally; their compilation and use is at local discretion. The publication of such information would be prejudicial to our commercial interests.

Iran

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the speed with which Iran could use the centrifuge capability available to it to enrich enough uranium from the 3.5% purity required for civilian nuclear use to the 90% purity required for weapons grade materials so as to manufacture a ballistically deliverable nuclear warhead. [173494]

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Dr Murrison: Iran is currently enriching uranium not only to 3.5% but also to nearly 20%. As the International Atomic Energy Agency's most recent report on the Iranian nuclear programme makes clear, Iran has a growing stockpile of uranium enriched to nearly 20%, which it is enriching in defiance of United Nations Security Council Resolutions. This brings Iran closer to the day when it will have sufficient stocks to further enrich this material to weapons grade and produce a nuclear device, should it so choose. The next round of talks on Iran's nuclear programme will take place 7-8 November 2013 in Geneva. We hope negotiations will lead soon to concrete steps to address international concerns regarding Iran's nuclear programme.

Military Bases: Northern Ireland

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many cases of self-harm by civilian staff took place in military establishments in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [173411]

(2) how many cases of self-harm by civilian staff took place in military establishments in Northern Ireland between 1 April and 30 September 2013. [173412]

Anna Soubry: I will answer shortly.

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many cases of self-harm by soldiers took place in military establishments in Northern Ireland between 1 April and 30 September 2013; [173413]

(2) how many cases of self-harm by soldiers took place in military establishments in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [173414]

Dr Murrison: Between the period 1 January 2009 and 30 September 2013 the following number of personnel received care for deliberate self-harm from a Ministry of Defence (MOD) medical centre in Northern Ireland:

Of these personnel, five cases were recorded by their units as having taken place in a military establishment in Northern Ireland.

Between 1 April 2013 and 30 September 2013 fewer than five army personnel received care for deliberate self-harm from an MOD medical centre in Northern Ireland. None of these incidences were recorded by units as having taken place in a military establishment in Northern Ireland.

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Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the welfare of (a) soldiers and (b) civilian staff at Abercorn Barracks, Ballykinler, Co Down; and if he will make a statement. [173415]

Anna Soubry: The welfare of both military and civilian personnel is a high priority at any military establishment.

Ballykinler has a range of welfare provisions in place including a Unit Welfare Officer, Unit Medical Officer and a Padre all of whom are available for all staff to talk to. In addition, a range of counselling services are available through the Army Welfare Service and Staffcare.

A variety of other support organisations including a HiVE, SANDES (a Christian led organisation), the Soldiers, Sailors Airmen and Families Association, the Royal Voluntary Service and Community Support Staff also offer support and/or activities for all personnel and their families at Ballykinler.

Ballykinler has also benefited from welfare investment including upgrading the current welfare facilities and improvements to the Junior Ranks' club and a children's play area.

The previous Minister for Defence Personnel Welfare and Veterans, and now Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), visited Ballykinler to see many of these facilities for himself in March this year.

Public Expenditure

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Annual Budget Cycle 14 Technical Instructions. [173498]

Anna Soubry: I am withholding the Annual Budget Cycle 14 Technical Instructions, as its release would be prejudicial to the commercial interests of the Ministry Defence and would be likely to compromise the formulation and development of Government policy.

Red Arrows

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what aircraft the RAF Red Arrows will be operating from 2018. [172409]

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with what aircraft he plans to replace the Red Arrows' Hawk T1. [173528]

Mr Dunne: The out of service date for the Hawk TMkl, which is flown by the RAF Aerobatic Team, is currently 2020. Future plans are kept under review and no decision has yet been taken on a replacement aircraft.

Telephone Numbers

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what geographic telephone numbers his Department advertises for use by the general public. [173042]

Anna Soubry: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

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World War II: Detention Centres

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when each of the prisons run by the Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre ceased to operate; and what took the place of each. [173448]

Anna Soubry: The Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre (CSDIC) (UK) stood down on 7 November 1945. It was not replaced, but some of its functions were transferred to Camp 074 also known as CSDIC (Western European Area). This camp, originally located at Dienst in Belgium from 1944, was moved to the German town of Bad Nenndorf in 1945. Camp 074 closed in the summer of 1947.

It was replaced with a smaller establishment known as No 10 Disposal Centre located at Haasenwinkle in Germany. Records at the National Archives indicate that this camp was closed in the early 1950's when the Federal Republic of Germany assumed responsibility for counter-intelligence on its territory.

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which organisation took over the functions previously carried out by the Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre. [173449]

Anna Soubry: Once the Combined Services Detailed Interrogation Centre ceased to exist the functions it undertook during the second world war were carried out by the services as necessary during operations, with a range of joint service bodies fulfilling training and operational aspects of these tasks at different times.

Cabinet Office

Average Earnings: North West

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average weekly gross earnings of a full-time employed (a) man and (b) woman in the North West was in cash terms in each year since 1997. [173385]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average weekly gross earnings of a full-time employed (a) man and (b) woman in the North West was in cash terms in each year since 1997. (173385)

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.

I attach a table showing estimates of median gross weekly earnings in the North West from April 1997 to April 2012, the latest period for which results are available. Figures are provided separately for full-time male employees and full-time female employees.

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Childbirth

Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many live births there were (a) in Greater Manchester and (b) nationally in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013. [173808]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question on how many live births there were (a) in Greater Manchester and (b) nationally in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013 [173808].

The table below shows the number of live births to mothers usually residing in Greater Manchester and England for 2010 to 2012. Births data for 2013 will be published in July/August 2014.

For more information, births by area data are published on the ONS website at:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/birth-summary-tables--england-and-wales/index.html

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Winter Deaths

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of excess winter deaths in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency, (b) Cumbria and (c) the North West in each of the last three years. [173550]

Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the number of excess winter deaths in (a) Barrow and Furness constituency, (b) Cumbria and (c) the North West in each of the last three years. (173550)

Estimates of excess winter deaths are based on the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July). The table provides the number of excess winter deaths, and the excess winter mortality index, for (a) Barrow and Furness parliamentary constituency, (b) Cumbria county and (c) the former North West Government Office Region in winters 2008/09 to 2010/11 (the latest figures available). Data for winter 2011/12 will be published on 26 November 2013.

Part-time Employment

Ian Lucas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many part-time workers are working less than 24 hours a week. [172879]

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Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Glen Watson, dated October 2013:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many part time workers are working less than 24 hours a week in the UK. (172879).

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of information on hours and earnings in the United Kingdom. The ASHE is used to produce estimates in respect of employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. For methodological reasons ASHE cannot be used to estimate the number of workers who work less than 24 hours per week, but can be used to estimate the corresponding proportion of employee jobs (jobs held by employees and not including the self-employed).

In April 2012, the latest period for which results are available, ASHE shows that the proportion of all employee jobs in the UK in which the employee worked less than 24 hours in total was 20.8 per cent. Given that the published ONS Statistics on ‘Workforce Jobs’ include a UK level estimate that there were 27.82m employee jobs at March 2012, we estimate that there were 5.79m employee jobs in which the employee worked less than 24 hours per week at that time.

Deputy Prime Minister

Devolution: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he has met members of the Welsh Government at which the Constitutional Convention was discussed in the last 12 months; and who attended each such meeting. [172149]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I have not had meetings specifically related to the Constitutional Convention. However, there are many high-level meetings I attend involving the UK Government and the Welsh Government. These include meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee and the British-Irish Council. A wide range of issues, including constitutional matters, have been discussed at these meetings.

Travel

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister on how many occasions and for what reasons he has used military transport for domestic travel since taking office; and if he will provide a list of all such occasions. [173488]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I travel in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible, in accordance with chapter 10 of the 'Ministerial Code'. Most recently, I travelled by military transport from Belfast with other delegates to attend the G8 Summit in Loch Erne on 18 June.