International Development

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to her Burmese counterpart on minimising threats to humanitarian staff and aid operations in Rakhine state. [183725]

Mr Duncan: I raised the issue of safe humanitarian access in Rakhine state during my visit in June 2013. In December 2013, a delegation including DFID staff and led by the UK ambassador, raised concerns over threats to humanitarian staff with the Rakhine state Chief Minister directly, and with the township administrator in Myebon—which has been the scene of tensions between local communities and an international non-governmental organisation.

DFID funds the secondment of an expert into the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Rakhine state who focuses on building relations between local communities and international organisations in order to facilitate safe access for humanitarian agencies. UK officials regularly raise the issue of access in Rakhine state with Government officials and UN partners.

Developing Countries: Genetically Modified Organisms

Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2013, Official Report, column 366W, on developing countries: genetically modified organisms, when she expects to be able to assess the results of those independent studies. [183887]

Lynne Featherstone: Golden Rice is still under development and is subject to rigorous evaluation processes. DFID will not be in a position to assess the results of the independent evaluation studies expected towards the end of 2016.

EU Law

Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many EU directives her Department and non-departmental public body has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in her Department's area of responsibility in the same period. [183869]

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Lynne Featherstone: There have been no EU directives falling under DFID's remit since 2010 which require transposition into UK law, and similarly no directly acting EU regulations.

Military Aid

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much official development assistance funding, adjusted participation was allocated to the Ministry of Defence in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13. [183757]

Mr Duncan: Official development assistance (ODA) is reported on a calendar year basis. DFID holds records for ODA expenditure by the MOD for 2011 and 2012. In 2011, the MOD spent £4.9 million, and in 2012, £5 million on ODA.

Rwanda

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's work in Rwanda. [184018]

Lynne Featherstone: The Department undertook assessments of the impact of the DFID programme in Rwanda at the time of the decisions on general budget support disbursements in 2012 and 2013, when we paid close attention to the effectiveness of our interventions and the impact of our decisions. the Secretary of State for International Development, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), also visited Rwanda in June 2013 and assessed the impact of our programme at first hand.

Education

Academies: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which academy schools in Bassetlaw constituency have been referred to his Department for investigation in the last 12 months; and what the (a) reasons for and (b) outcomes of such investigations were. [183843]

Mr Timpson: There have been two parental complaints about academies in Bassetlaw in the last 12 months. The Minister for Schools, the right hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr Laws), wrote to you about one of these on 16 August 2013. We are currently reviewing the second.

Education: Finance

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) national and (b) local revenue expenditure on (i) primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) special school pupils is in (A) Coventry local authority area and (B) England. [184034]

Mr Timpson: Latest figures on both the income and expenditure of local authority maintained schools in England and the income and expenditure of local authorities on their education, children’s and young people’s services for the financial year April 2012 to March 2013 were published on 12 December at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/la-and-school-expenditure-financial-year-2012-to-2013

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Pupils: Disadvantaged

Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of the pupil premium on the educational attainment of eligible children in Coventry. [184036]

Mr Laws: It is still early in the implementation of the pupil premium to consider the full impact of those pupils currently eligible for free school meals (FSM) who have attracted pupil premium funding since April 2011 and the wider group of disadvantaged pupils funded from April 2012, defined by whether they have been eligible of free school meals at any point in the last six years or if they are looked after for six months or more.

Key Stage 4:

Nationally, attainment of both FSM pupils and their non-FSM peers has improved between 2008 and 2013, with the gap narrowing between 2008 and 2012. In Coventry, attainment for FSM eligible pupils improved significantly between 2008 and 2013; in 2013 attainment for other pupils fell slightly, leading to a decrease in the gap to 24.6 percentage points (versus 27.0 in 2011).

Key Stage 2:

Between 2012 and 2013 attainment of both FSM pupils and their non-FSM peers has improved both nationally and in Coventry, with the gap narrowing. An assessment cannot be made over a longer time period due to changes in the assessment measures.

Key Stage 2

At Key Stage 2, due to discontinuities in the time series for the headline measure (percentage achieving the expected level in reading, writing and maths), I have provided figures for achievement of the expected level in mathematics, which has been consistent over a longer time period.

Both nationally and in Coventry, attainment for both FSM eligible and all other pupils increased in 2013, and the gap decreased slightly.

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As the reading, writing and maths time series only goes back to 2012 due to the change in the headline measure (from English and mathematics) a longer time series for mathematics alone is shown as follows.

Schools: Nurses

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many qualified school nurses there were in (a) Portsmouth South constituency and (b) Hampshire in each of the last three years. [183754]

Mr Laws: The following table shows the number of nurses employed in schools in Portsmouth South constituency and in schools in the former Hampshire local authority area including Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton local authority areas in each year since November 2010.

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The Department is unable to confirm which nursing qualifications these schools/LA employees hold.

Defence

Armed Forces: Food

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average daily cost of feeding a member of the armed forces on deployment is. [184156]

Mr Dunne: The current daily budget allowance for feeding armed forces personnel on operations, known as the Operational Daily Messing Rate, is £3.36 per person. This does not include the cost of transporting, preparing, cooking or serving meals. This is an approximate figure based upon 90 raw ingredients assessed as necessary to provide the calories and nutrition on a daily basis. Clearly wholesale procurement and lower costs of food in some locations ensures the daily allowance can be kept low.

Army

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) established and (b) actual strength was of the (i) regular and (ii) reserve personnel in the (A) Royal Armoured Corps, (B) Household Cavalry Regiment, (C) 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, (D) Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, (E) Royal Dragoon Guards, (F) merged unit of the Queen's Own Hussars and the Royal Irish Hussars, (G) merged unit of the 9/12th Royal Lancers and the Queen's Royal Lancers, (H) The King's Royal Hussars, (I) Light Dragoons, (J) Queen's Royal Lancers, (K) 1st Royal Tank Regiment and (L) 2nd Royal Tank Regiment on 1 January 2014. [182904]

Anna Soubry: Under Army 2020 the size of the Regular Army is reducing from 102,000 to 82,500 by 2018. Changes to both establishments and unit strengths are being implemented in stages. As a result, there will be a disparity between some unit establishments and strengths over the next few years until the new Army 2020 structure is fully in place.

The establishment and strength for the relevant units, as at 1 December 2013, the latest date at which strength information is available, is provided in the following table:

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The establishment and strength figures comprise only those officers and soldiers from that unit's specific arm or corps, i.e. Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps, and thus exclude any supporting personnel from other corps.

Of the units listed, only the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards have any reserve personnel serving with them. These personnel are held against the regular unit establishment.

No figures have been included for the merged unit of the Queen's Own Hussars and the Royal Irish Hussars, as this merger occurred on 1 September 1993. The figures for the resulting unit, Queen's Royal Hussars, have been included.

No figure has been included for the merged unit of the 9/12th Royal Lancers and the Queen's Royal Lancers, as this merger does not occur until May 2015. The figures for the two individual units have been included.

It should be noted that, while the overall trend is for A2020 establishment figures to decrease, some units will increase in size under A2020 due to their change in role.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) established and (b) actual strength was of the (i) regular and (ii) reserve personnel in the (A) 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards, (B) 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards, (C) 1st Battalion, Scots Guards, (D) 1st Battalion, Irish Guards, (E) 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards, (F) 1st Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, (G) 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, (H) 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, (I) 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, (J) 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, (K) 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, (L) 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and (M) 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment on 1 January 2014. [182912]

Anna Soubry: Under Army 2020 the size of the Regular Army is reducing from 102,000 to 82,500 by 2018. Changes to both establishments and unit strengths are being implemented in stages. As a result, there will be a disparity between some unit establishments and strengths over the next few years until the new Army 2020 structure is fully in place.

The establishment and strength for the relevant units, as at 1 December 2013, the latest date at which strength information is available, is provided in the following table:

The establishment and strength figures comprise only those officers and soldiers from that unit's specific arm or corps, i.e. infantry, and thus exclude any supporting personnel from other corps.

None of the units listed currently have any reserve personnel serving with them.

It should be noted that, while the overall trend is for A2020 establishment figures to decrease, some units will increase in size under A2020 due to their change in role.

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) established and (b) actual strength was of the (i) regular and (ii) reserve personnel in the (A) 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, (B) 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, (C) 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, (D) 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, (E) 2nd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment, (F) 1st Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, (G) 2nd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, (H) 3rd Battalion, Yorkshire Regiment, (I) 1st Battalion, Royal Welsh, (J) 2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh, (K) 1st Battalion, Mercian Regiment, (L) 2nd Battalion, Mercian Regiment, (M) 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment, (N) 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, (O) 2nd Battalion, Parachute

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Regiment, (P) 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, (Q) 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, (R) 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, (S) 1st Battalion, The Rifles, (T) 2nd Battalion, The Rifles, (U) 3rd Battalion, The Rifles, (V) 4th Battalion, The Rifles and (W) 5th Battalion, The Rifles on 1 January 2014. [182916]

Anna Soubry: Under Army 2020 the size of the Regular Army is reducing from 102,000 to 82,500 by

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2018. Changes to both establishments and unit strengths are being implemented in stages. As a result, there will be a disparity between some unit establishments and strengths over the next few years until the new Army 2020 structure is fully in place.

The establishment and strength for the relevant units, as at 1 December 2013, the latest date at which strength information is available, is provided in the following table:

The establishment and strength figures, comprise only those officers and soldiers from that unit's specific Arm or Corps, ie Infantry, and thus exclude any supporting personnel from other Corps.

Of the units listed, only 3rd Battalion, Mercian Regiment and 1st Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment have any Reserve personnel serving with them. These personnel are held against the Regular unit establishment.

It should be noted that, while the overall trend is for A2020 establishment figures to decrease, some units will increase in size under A2020 due to their change in role.

Army: Recruitment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Minister in his Department gave authority for the decision for the Recruiting Partnering Project for Army recruitment in 2011. [183325]

Anna Soubry: The Initial Gate Business Case was approved in July 2008 under the previous Government.

The Main Gate Business Case for the Recruiting Partnering Project was approved in November 2011 by the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan).

Army: South East

Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many regular force army redundancies he plans to make in the south-east. [183591]

Anna Soubry: There has been no announcement made in regard to any future plans for regular army redundancies beyond those, already announced under Tranches 1, 2 and 3 of the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme.

However, it should be noted that the selection of personnel for redundancy is not made on the basis of geographical location. Service personnel move between posts and locations regularly, and the location at which they will be serving on their final day of service may be different from that at which they were notified.

Burma

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the training of the Burmese army provided by his Department was (a) requested by the government of Burma or (b) initiated by the UK Government. [183720]

Dr Murrison: Military Engagement with the Burmese armed forces (the Tatmadaw) is an important part of HMG's wider policy on supporting democratic change in Burma. The educational course that was recently

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delivered in Burma was recommended by HMG after a consultative process. We held regular discussions about military engagement from mid-2012 onwards with members of Government, Parliament, ethnic leaders from political parties and armed groups, and religious and civil society organisations, both inside Burma and in Thailand. The discussions during 2013 made specific mention of this course.

The course has been delivered around the world over a 14-year period to 101 nationalities. It is exported annually to 12 prioritised nations or regions across the world from Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and to South America. The delivery of this course in Burma has been broadly welcomed by groups on all sides.

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what monitoring his Department plans to undertake to ensure that Burmese army soldiers trained by the UK are not subsequently involved in human rights abuses. [183721]

Dr Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 November 2013, Official Report, column 210W, by the Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois).

Chemical Weapons: Cheshire

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the nature is of the contract between the Government and Veolia Environmental Services in respect of the destruction of chemical weapons at Ellesmere Port; [184023]

(2) with reference to the Government's contract with Veolia Environmental Services in respect of the destruction of chemical weapons at Ellesmere Port, what the nature is of the material to be destroyed; whether it is all in solid or liquid phase; and whether any ordnance will come to Ellesmere Port; [184024]

(3) with reference to the Government's contract with Veolia Environmental Services in respect of the destruction of chemical weapons at Ellesmere Port, what steps he is taking to ensure the safe transit of the chemical weapons within the UK; and which other sites are being utilised for this purpose; [184025]

(4) with reference to the Government's contract with Veolia Environmental Services in respect of the destruction of chemical weapons at Ellesmere Port, whether the process involves any (a) discharge to local water courses and (b) risk of any of the material venting to the atmosphere in a toxic state; [184026]

(5) with reference to the Government's contract with Veolia Environmental Services in respect of the destruction of chemical weapons at Ellesmere Port, whether the Government will require any oversight of the process other than that previously applied to the site. [184027]

Mr Dunne: No chemical weapon agents will be brought to the UK for destruction, no ordnance or munitions, and no explosives. As part of the international effort to destroy Syria's chemical weapons programme, in support of UN Security Council Resolution 2118, the UK has agreed to destroy 150 tonnes of two industrial grade chemicals from Syria. Both these chemicals are

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chloroamines, with very similar chemical properties, and are referred to as "B" precursors. These chemicals are no more toxic than many other chemicals that are routinely manufactured, processed and destroyed in the UK under standard regulatory and security measures. One of the two chemicals is used as an intermediate for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, and identical chemicals were imported into the UK in 2012 for this purpose. The “B” chemicals would become highly toxic only if mixed with an “A” precursor to make V-type nerve agents. (A separate tender process, managed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, will determine how other chemicals from Syria, including the "A" chemicals, will be destroyed.)

The "B" chemicals will be sealed in containers under the supervision of international inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and transported in ISO containers which comply with the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. Some of the "B" chemicals are in solid and some in liquid form. The volume of liquid "B" chemicals is equivalent to some five standard road tankers; the volume of solid "B" chemicals is about half of this.

Veolia Environmental Services Ltd was selected by MOD in 2011, following competition, as its contractor for the management of both hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. This contract with the MOD's Disposal Services Authority is being used by the Government to facilitate the speedy destruction of the B Precursors. Veolia will destroy all these chemicals and associated packaging in its high temperature incinerator at Ellesmere Port. The operation of the incinerator at Ellesmere Port will be in accordance with the environmental permit granted by the Environment Agency, which controls the types and quantities of waste that may be handled, and includes strict limits on all emissions from the incinerator. The chemicals themselves will be destroyed in the incineration process, and the gases resulting from combustion will be treated prior to release into the atmosphere. Emissions will be monitored to ensure that releases are within the permit limits and pose no risk to safety. Veolia confirm that the process does not involve any discharge to local water courses, and that the chemicals will be passed directly into the incinerator. The operation will be subject to the routine inspection regime of the Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive. International inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons will verify that the chemicals have been completely destroyed.

All the relevant Government Departments and agencies are working closely together and with Veolia to ensure that all appropriate safety and security measures are taken throughout the process, including arrival of the chemicals in a UK port, transport within the UK, temporary storage and final destruction, to the same standards as apply to the routine handling of such chemical waste and hazardous materials. The whole operation is expected to last a few weeks.

EU Law

Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period. [183862]

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Dr Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has transposed two EU directives into UK law since 2010: The EU Defence and Security Procurement Directive (2009/81/EC), and the EU Directive on the Right to Interpretation and Translation in Criminal Proceedings (2010/64/EU).

Information on how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect since 2010 that impact upon the MOD's area of responsibility could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

European Fighter Aircraft

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 290W, on European Fighter Aircraft, if he will take steps to ascertain the precise reasons for which the United Arab Emirates chose not to pursue the acquisition of Typhoon. [184020]

Dr Murrison: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr Dunne), gave on 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 290W, the UAE's decision to halt negotiations with BAE Systems regarding the potential purchase of Typhoon was made for purely commercial reasons. The precise circumstances that led to this conclusion are therefore a matter for BAE Systems and the Government of the UAE alone.

ICT

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions his Department's IT system used for e-mails has failed in the East of Scotland in each of the last three years. [183895]

Mr Dunne: There are a number of e-mail systems used by the Ministry of Defence and there is no business requirement to centrally hold details of individual failure reports for any of these independently managed systems. This information could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Piracy

Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 444W, on piracy, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in partner nations on extending the mandates of the anti-piracy operations beyond 2014. [183888]

Mr Francois: The Secretary of State for Defence has regular discussions with his counterparts in both NATO and the EU on a wide range of issues, including counter-piracy operations. Within NATO there are regular working level discussions on the future of Operation Ocean Shield, whose mandate expires on 31 December 2014. There are a number of options under consideration for the continuation of counter-piracy activity in NATO, and a conclusion should be reached later this year.

The Minister for International Security Strategy, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison), discussed the extension of the mandate of Operation Atalanta with counterparts from EU member

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states at the 19 November EU Foreign Affairs Council (Defence). He advocated an extension of the mandate from December 2014 until December 2016 and we expect the Council to make a decision later this year.

Reserve Forces: National Insurance Contributions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will pay the national insurance contributions of reservists employed by small and medium-sized enterprises who are mobilised for operational commitments. [184155]

Anna Soubry: While mobilised, reservists are employed and paid by the Ministry of Defence, who also make the relevant employer's national insurance contributions.

The Defence Reform Bill includes provision to make additional payments to the employers of reservists beyond those currently permitted. As set out in the White Paper “Reserves in the Future Force 2020: Valuable and Valued” (CM 8655) published in July 2013, the intention is to make payments of £500 per month for each employee of a small or medium-sized enterprise who is mobilised.

Type 23 Frigates

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what order the Surface Common Combat System Version 1 will be installed on the Type 23 fleet. [183894]

Dr Murrison: The first fit for the Surface Common Combat System Version 1 to a Type 23 Frigate is planned for spring 2015, which will take place during a planned, routine docking period. Fits to the remainder of the Type 23 Class are scheduled to be completed in the order that the remaining ships undertake similar maintenance periods. Details of the Type 23 maintenance programme is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Common Agricultural Policy

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in other Government Departments regarding the use of Common Agricultural Policy Pillar 2 funding. [183927]

George Eustice: The Secretary of State has discussed the use of Common Agricultural Policy Pillar 2 funding with a number of ministerial colleagues. The decisions that we announced on 19 December 2013 were taken by Government collectively.

Disease Control

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department is currently conducting into potential diseases affecting wildlife which may arrive in the UK from overseas. [183967]

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George Eustice: DEFRA supports an extensive programme of research on animal health and welfare (currently £25 million per year). Included in this programme is research on some diseases that infect wildlife, such as rabies, bluetongue virus and avian influenza. Further information on DEFRA-funded research can be found at:

http://randd.defra.gov.uk/

The research programme furthers the development of improved disease control tools and increases our understanding of these pathogens to support the development of departmental disease control policies.

The Department also funds an extensive programme of surveillance activity to highlight possible threats to human and farmed animal health in the UK.

Floods

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to protect Sites of Special Scientific Interest which have been affected by recent floods. [184146]

Dan Rogerson: Natural England and the Environment Agency issued a joint statement before Christmas, which outlined how they intended to respond to the coastal flooding. It emphasised the urgent need to ensure people and their property were safe; recognising that for many wildlife sites, because of their natural resilience to flooding, there was time to reflect on the best long term and most sustainable solutions. DEFRA officials recently met Natural England and the Environment Agency to discuss next steps for coastal wildlife sites affected. As a result of those discussions Natural England will be carrying out an assessment of the implications for wildlife.

The Environment Agency and Natural England will work hard with local communities, landowners and environmental NGOs to determine the appropriate solutions on a case by case basis; while taking account of the overall picture regionally and nationally. In the meantime, remedial works have already been completed on a few sites (eg Cley Marshes in North Norfolk) where these were urgent and affordable.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Government will conduct an impact assessment of the recent flooding on Britain's wildlife. [184148]

Dan Rogerson: Natural England has been assessing the environmental impact of the storms and flooding events since the first tidal surge on 5 and 6 December 2013. It has provided regular updates to DEFRA and the Environment Agency; starting with an interim report on 7 December. Natural England's most recent report was issued on 10 January and summarises the known impacts on wildlife and conservation sites. Natural England intends to provide a further report in mid-February, which should provide a more complete picture. I will send the hon. Member a copy of the most recent report.

Fracking

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what environmental assessment he has made of the potential effects of fracking on (a) disposal of waste water at the end of the process, (b) local geology and (c) local landscapes. [182833]

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Dan Rogerson: There are strict controls governing the management and disposal of waste water. Flow-back fluid can either be treated and re-used on site or taken to a permitted waste-water treatment works. Any treated water leaving the waste-water treatment works will have to comply with that works' environmental permits, which ensure protection of local people and the environment.

An assessment of the local geology, including assessment of the location of any relevant faults, is made prior to approval of any fracking application. Operators are required to monitor seismic activity during fracking operations which must stop if tremors above normal range are detected to allow investigation. Similarly as part of any application for all environmental permissions contractors need to be able to demonstrate to the Environment Agency that they have the appropriate level of expertise for the particular site or sites in question and an understanding of the geology. A hydrological risk assessment will need to be carried out by the operator or its contractors and submitted to the Environment Agency to ensure that risks to the local geology have been identified and mitigated.

Consideration of impact on the local landscape takes place at the planning application stage, which includes consultation with local communities.

Hill Farming

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2013, Official Report, column 292, on maintaining the current appearance of uplands, if he will amend his policy so as to support farmers to reforest upland areas across the UK; and if he will make a statement. [183722]

George Eustice: We will be publishing shortly a second phase response to the CAP implementation consultation, which will set out further detail on the rural development programme, including the new environmental land management scheme to replace environmental stewardship in 2015. The new scheme will build on the recognised successes of environmental stewardship, will be better targeted and deliver better environmental value for money across the farmed landscape, including the uplands.

Treasury

Banks: Pay

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what criteria have been set by each bank in receipt of public money for qualification for senior staff bonuses; whether the Prudential Regulation Authority plays a role in the ratification of such criteria; and whether his Department has provided any guidance to the remuneration committees of such banks on bonus payments; [183487]

(2) what recent representations he has received opposing the payment of bonuses to employees of banks in receipt of funds from the public purse; [183488]

(3) what guidelines (a) UK Financial Investments and (b) the Prudential Regulation Authority have established to govern bonuses paid to senior bank executives. [183489]

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Sajid Javid: The Government have not received a specific proposal from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) or Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) for this year’s remuneration round so it is not yet possible to evaluate fully the merits and implications for shareholders. It is important for taxpayers that such proposals are considered fully and properly.

The Government work closely with UK Financial Investments (UKFI) to ensure that the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group follow best practice in setting pay levels. UKFI engages as a shareholder to ensure incentives are based on long-term, sustainable performance which rebuilds the businesses of the banks and protects value for the taxpayer as shareholder. UKFI will seek to ensure that neither bank pays any more than the minimum necessary.

The rules governing remuneration, including bonuses paid to senior bank executives are set out in the Prudential Regulation Authority’s and Financial Conduct Authority’s Remuneration Code:

http://fshandbook.info/FS/html/handbook/SYSC/19A

Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what information he has received from the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to the misselling of embedded swaps in fixed rate business loans by (a) Clydesdale bank and (b) Yorkshire bank; [183782]

(2) what assessment he has made of job losses arising through the alleged misselling of embedded swaps to businesses by the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks; [183783]

(3) how many fixed rate business loans which have embedded swaps sold along with the loan have been made by Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks in the last five years. [183784]

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with, and receive representations from, a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the usual policy making process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Treasury’s practice to provide details of all such representations.

The Treasury has not made any assessment of the job losses arising through the alleged mis-selling of embedded swaps to businesses by the Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks.

The Treasury does not know the number of embedded fixed rate business loans sold by Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks in the last five years.

Debts: Advisory Services

Mr Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps his Department has taken to (a) publicise and (b) support debt advice services. [183759]

Sajid Javid: The Treasury has given the Money Advice Service (MAS) responsibility for co-ordinating and providing debt advice services. This came into effect in April 2012. In 2012-13, MAS supported the delivery of 158,000 debt advice sessions; it is on track to deliver a similar number of sessions in 2013-14. MAS works

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closely with its debt advice providers to determine the level of funding needed to meet the demand for debt advice.

MAS also works closely with relevant stakeholders to increase consumer awareness of how to access free debt advice: for example, MAS has worked with the Financial Conduct Authority to develop a new requirement on all payday lenders to signpost borrowers to free debt advice services via MAS.

Mr Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent meetings his Department has held with civil society organisations on personal debt advice; and if he will make a statement. [183760]

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Excise Duties: Beer

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of introducing a reduced level of duty on hand pumped ales. [183485]

Nicky Morgan: EU law does not make it possible for a reduced level of duty on hand pumped ales.

EU law only allows beer duty rates to vary according to alcohol strength by volume and the annual production of breweries. As such, it is not possible to vary duties based on how the product is sold.

However, at Budget 2013, by taking tough choices elsewhere, the Government was able to cut beer duty and abolished the previous Government’s beer duty escalator.

Pay

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the median gross pay of (a) men and (b) women is in each pay band in his Department; [178200]

(2) what the median gross pay is of staff in his Department and its executive agencies in each pay band who are identified as (a) white British and (b) of black, Asian and other minority ethnic groups. [178182]

Nicky Morgan: The following table shows median pay for gender and ethnicity for HM Treasury which is based on the median data supplied in the 2012-13 Annual Report of Accounts:

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Data have not been supplied for the Debt Management Office, HMT's executive agency, because they do not use pay bands or similar salary groups within their pay system.

Procurement

Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what weighting his Department's procurement procedures give to (a) the location of a company and its workforce, (b) the extent to which a company has a strong environmental record, (c) whether the company is a social enterprise and (d) other company history prior performance. [182645]

Nicky Morgan: In July 2013 HM Treasury's procurement functions transferred to the Crown Commercial Service (CCS—formally the Government Procurement Service, GPS). HM Treasury decides selection criteria and weightings for procurements based on advice from CCS.

The selection criteria and weightings in the procurement procedures used by CCS are not fixed, UK public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector procurers are required to assess value for money from the perspective of the contracting authority using criteria linked to the subject matter of the contract, including compliance with the published specification. Such criteria cannot include supplier type or location.

Wider social-economic criteria can be taken into account at tender evaluation stage if they relate directly to the subject matter of a contract from the point of view of the contracting authority.

Treasury's procurements are evaluated against response guidance provided to bidders as part of Invitations to Tender (ITT) or Requests for Quotes (RFQ). Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the tenders issued and contracts they award with a value over £10,000 (excluding VAT):

https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Selection criteria and weightings applied in procurements form part of the information published.

Tax Avoidance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much HM Revenue and Customs raised by tackling tax avoidance partnerships in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; [181578]

(2) how many people are employed by HM Revenue and Customs to investigate tax avoidance partnerships. [181579]

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Mr Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs' compliance activity covers all aspects of compliance behaviour from error through to avoidance, evasion and organised criminal attack.

HMRC takes a risk based approach to compliance activity and so a breakdown of the number of officers specifically working on partnerships tax avoidance is available only at a disproportionate cost.

The information on partnerships is not separated out in HM Revenue and Customs' data on tax compliance yield and resources.

The vast majority of people in this country pay the right tax at the right time. The Government has made clear that all tax avoidance is unacceptable, and has been relentless in taking action against it to protect the Exchequer, and to ensure fairness for the vast majority who don't try to avoid.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the news release by HM Revenue and Customs on 23 December 2013, on the ruling of the Upper Tax Tribunal on Eclipse 35, if he will list the remaining 30 avoidance partnerships; and what amount of tax was lost to the Exchequer as a result of the operations of each such partnership. [184080]

Mr Gauke: As explained in my answer of 9 January 2014, Official Report, column 295W, under their statutory duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is unable to provide details of individual cases which have not already been published by the courts.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the security of online submission of tax returns; and what estimate he has made of the costs to those who have submitted returns to copycat sites in the last five years. [181436]

Mr Gauke: HMRC takes the security of online tax returns very seriously. The Department is aware of phishing attacks that invite customers to submit their personal returns via websites purporting to be HMRC websites and, once reported, HMRC works with the hosting providers of such websites to remove the sites.

The security of the HMRC online tax return systems are accredited by HMRC security specialists. Accreditation is achieved through a detailed assessment of the security risks (including any risks to customer personal details) and an acceptable mitigation of those risks.

HMRC does not collect information about the private use of third party websites nor on the costs charged by the owners of these websites.

HMRC responds to such websites on a case-by-case basis. Where an offence has been committed, we work with law enforcement partners using the full extent of our powers.

A cross-Government initiative is being led by the Cabinet Office to ensure that the public is adequately protected from the risks posed by imitation websites. HMRC is actively engaging with a number of HM Government Departments through the project.

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Trade Missions: China

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many representatives of Scottish business accompanied the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his recent trip to China. [181052]

Nicky Morgan: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) visited China for five days in October, including for the 5^th UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue. This visit, and the Prime Minister's visit which followed, demonstrate the UK's commitment to building a long-term relationship with China.

The visits, and preceding discussions, delivered commercial benefits for the UK.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer was accompanied for part of the trip by a delegation of high-tech companies to showcase their cutting edge work to major Chinese companies. They visited Tencent, the world's third largest internet company, and Huawei, the world's second largest telecoms company. Huawei already employs around 900 staff in its UK subsidiary, and during the visit Huawei confirmed details of more than 200 new R&D jobs and the establishment of a research centre in the UK.

In addition, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Sajid Javid) led an asset management focused delegation.

UK Asset Resolution

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many buy to let mortgages held by UKAR—UK Asset Resolution Limited—(a) are currently in arrears and (b) have had proceedings taken to protect assured shorthold tenancy arrangements. [182198]

Sajid Javid: NRAM—Northern Rock Asset Management—and Bradford and Bingley are managed by UK Asset Resolution Limited (UKAR) which was established in 2010 to manage the disposal and rundown of outstanding assets at Bradford and Bingley and Northern Rock Asset Management in an integrated way, with a view to creating value for the taxpayer. UKAR is managed at arm's length from Government, on commercial principles.

Information on arrears is published in UKAR's accounts. The latest report is available under the following link:

http://www.ukar.co.uk/~/media/Files/U/Ukar-V2/Attachments/press-releases/UKAR-interim-report-141113.pdf

It is not clear what is being asked for by the request for the short hold tenancy arrangements.

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties where mortgages are held by UKAR have been (a) sold voluntarily by customers who were in difficulty meeting payments and (b) re-possessed as a result of customers having difficulty in meeting payments in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland. [182199]

Sajid Javid: UK Asset Resolution (UKAR) does not track customers who have voluntarily sold their property.

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Information on possessions is published in UKAR's accounts. The latest report is available under the following link:

http://www.ukar.co.uk/~/media/Files/U/Ukar-V2/Attachments/press-releases/UKAR-interim-report-141113.pdf

A breakdown by country is not readily available.

Attorney-General

Lord Rennard

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Metropolitan police approached the Crown Prosecution Service for early consultation or a pre-charge decision in relation to allegations of sexual touching made against Lord Rennard. [184079]

The Solicitor-General: There was early investigative consultation between Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in relation to the allegations made against Lord Rennard. In accordance with the Director of Public Prosecutions’ guidance on charging, the MPS did not refer the case to the CPS for a charging decision.

Prosecutions

John Mann: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions have been initiated by each Crown Prosecution Service area in the last 12 months. [183826]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of defendants prosecuted and the outcome of proceedings, where the CPS made a decision to charge or initiate criminal proceedings against a suspect.

The following table represents the number of defendants prosecuted by each CPS area, and the number and proportion where the CPS was responsible for the charging decision in 2012-13, which is the latest available data.

The remaining 569,294 defendants were charged by the police or in a small number of cases, other investigatory authorities.

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John Mann: To ask the Attorney-General how many bankers have been prosecuted by the (a) Serious Fraud Office and (b) Crown Prosecution Service for financial crimes in each of the last six years. [183831]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office do not maintain central records on the occupation of defendants. Such information could be obtained only through a manual search of records which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Sentencing: Appeals

Karen Lumley: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions in 2013 he referred a criminal sentence to the Court of Appeal for review because it was felt to be unduly lenient. [183916]

The Solicitor-General: Of the sentences which were brought to the attention of the Law Officers in 2013, 70¹ have been referred to the Court of Appeal. 60 of these have already been heard and 10 are scheduled to be heard in the Court over the next few months.

Of these 60 sentences already heard at the Court of Appeal, 52 sentences were increased, seven stayed the same and one had a reserved judgment.

Complete data on unduly lenient sentences reviewed by the Law Officers in 2013 will be published online later in the year once all of the cases have been finalised.

¹ This figure differs from the one of 67 given by the Attorney-General on 7 January 2014, Official Report, column 164, as three additional sentences from 2013 have been referred since that date.

Cabinet Office

Electronic Government

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what estimate he has made of the number of websites charging for access to Government online services in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement; [184122]

(2) if he will take steps to enable the Competition and Markets Authority to be able to take enforcement action on websites found to be charging for access to online Government services irrespective of whether a disclaimer statement is deployed; [184123]

(3) what cross-departmental Ministerial meetings he has held since October 2013 relating to websites charging for access to Government online services; if he will report on the progress of the review being led by the Government Digital Service; and how many complaints were received by his Department in each month since October 2013. [184124]

Mr Hurd: I have regular meetings with my ministerial colleagues but it has been the practice of successive Administrations that details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Officials in the Government Digital Service (GDS) are leading a cross-Government exercise to gather information about the operation of third-party websites offering services associated with official Government services. This research will guide our work to address the issue and the Government's engagement with the internet search, engine providers that carry advertisements for the services of these unofficial providers.

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Where Government have become aware of websites that make misleading claims in their advertising it has brought these complaints to the attention of the Advertising Standards Authority. Government have and continues to take direct action to prevent the misuse of Government logos or any suggestion of affiliation with Government by these websites.

From 2014, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will be taking over many of the functions and responsibilities of the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading. The CMA is an independent body.

Museums and Galleries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the financial contribution required from each institution in the museums and galleries sector is as a result of the transfer of pension liabilities from the Cabinet Office. [184054]

Mr Maude: There are no current plans to transfer any pension liabilities from the Cabinet Office.

Solar Events

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what contingency plans the Government have in the event of large solar flares. [184150]

Mr Maude: The Government's broad approach to resilience is to ensure that effective cross cutting capabilities and business continuity arrangements are in place to underpin the response to a disruptive challenge, irrespective of its cause.

In the case of severe space weather, which includes solar flares, the Government are working with industry and the science and engineering communities to better understand the potential impacts of this complex risk and ensure that wherever possible infrastructure is robust enough to minimise the risk to critical systems.

In addition, the UK is collaborating with international partners to improve our ability to predict and assess space weather events, and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills recently announced a £4.6 million investment for the Met Office space weather forecasting and prediction centre.

Church Commissioners

Bishop of Bath and Wells

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what heirlooms of the see there are in relation to the Bishop's Palace at Wells. [183920]

Sir Tony Baldry: The Palace at Wells contains many heirlooms of the Bishop of Bath and Wells including the Coronation cope worn traditionally during the Coronation ceremony by the Bishop. These and other heirlooms of the Bishops of Bath and Wells will remain in the palace for the foreseeable future.

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Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what repairs or maintenance to the living accommodation of the Bishop of Bath and Wells in the Bishop's Palace in Wells were identified in the Church Commissioners' most recent quinquennial review; what the date was of that review; and what the anticipated costs were of any such repairs or maintenance. [183921]

Sir Tony Baldry: The living accommodation for the Bishop of Bath and Wells and his family form an integral part of the palace at Wells. The latest quinquennial review took place in 2013. Due to the location of the accommodation for the Bishop within the palace the review did not separate out the various specific costs of work required within the Bishop’s flat from that of the rest of the palace complex.

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, with reference to the future of the Bishop's Palace in Wells, what consultation has taken place between the Church Commissioners and (a) English Heritage and (b) any other individual or body qualified to advise the Commissioners under section 4 of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943. [183934]

Sir Tony Baldry: Section 4 of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943 does not apply in this case, as the Commissioners have not exercised a power conferred by that Measure to transfer, sell, convert or demolish the palace. The Bishops of Bath and Wells and Taunton will continue to use the office accommodation and the chapel in the palace for their work and ministry, and the public will continue to have access to the palace and its gardens through the work of the Palace Trust.

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners what consultation has taken place between the Church Commissioners and the Diocesan Advisory Committee in accordance with the terms of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure 1943 section 3(1) over the proposed new residence of the Bishop of Bath and Wells and the proposed change of use of the Bishop's Palace at Wells. [183937]

Sir Tony Baldry: No consultation has taken place with the diocesan advisory committee under section 3 of the Episcopal Endowments and Stipends Measure, because the Commissioners are not taking a decision to which section 3(1) applies. The Bishops of Bath and Wells and Taunton will continue to use the office accommodation and the chapel in the Palace for their work and ministry, and the public will continue to have access to the Palace and its gardens through the work of the Palace Trust.

Tessa Munt: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 1502W, on Bishop of Bath and Wells, what estimated (a) stamp duty and (b) other associated costs will be paid by the Church Commissioners for their purchase or proposed purchase of property to accommodate the new Bishop of Bath and Wells. [183938]

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Sir Tony Baldry: The Church Commissioners are a registered charity and therefore are not required to pay stamp duty; they have also used their own in house legal advisors. The other associated costs therefore are estimated currently at £3,000.

Transport

Aviation: Accidents

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the Government asked for the removal of article 6(e) from the EU Commission’s proposal for a revision of Regulation 2027/97/EC; and what his Department’s policy is on article 6(e) of that proposal. [183765]

Mr Goodwill: The Department is of the opinion that hand luggage allowances are a commercial decision for airlines to manage and justify.

EU Law

Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many EU directives his Department has transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department’s area of responsibility in the same period. [183871]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport has transposed 50 EU directives into UK law since 2010. This number only includes fully transposed directives. The Department for Transport has been tracking all EU regulations since 8 July 2010. Since that date, 145 EU regulations in the Department for Transport’s area of responsibility have come into effect. Details of all EU legislation, including full details of all EU regulations that have come into force before 8 July 2010, can be found on the Commission’s website at:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_legislation.do

Fuel Cells: Hydrogen

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what steps he is taking to enable the hydrogen fuel industry to compete effectively and secure a position for itself as a viable part of the transport mix; [183786]

(2) what steps he is taking to support the hydrogen fuelling market; and what the Government's proposed timeline for implementing these measures is. [183808]

Mr Goodwill: Three Government Departments (BIS, DECC and DFT through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles) have been participating in UKH2Mobility, a joint industry-Government project. The aims of the project are to evaluate the potential for hydrogen as a fuel for transport in the UK and to identify what it will take to position the UK as an early market for the commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles from 2015.

Following the completion of the evaluation phase and publication of the report in February 2013, UKH2Mobility has been working in Phase 2 to develop a potential business plan for the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and the associated refuelling

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infrastructure in the UK. Key areas of work have included improving the understanding of the early customer proposition, developing options for securing the initial investment in hydrogen refuelling stations, and identifying mechanisms to ensure a pathway to production of green hydrogen.

The UKH2Mobility project has developed an outline business plan, as targeted by end 2013. This includes some potential options and choices for both Government and industry stakeholders and these will be considered by participants over the next few months.

In addition, the Government are now analysing responses received following the call for evidence to inform the design of the £500 million package of Government support for ultra low emission vehicles between 2015-20. Any interventions from Government for the roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles and the associated refuelling infrastructure will be determined in the context of that wider package of support.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the power required for High Speed 2 will be generated; and whether any new power stations will be needed to ensure there is sufficient capacity in the energy network for High Speed 2. [184158]

Mr Goodwill: HS2 Ltd is currently discussing power requirements with National Grid who are responsible for managing the supply of energy within the National Grid system. Electric railways consume around one per cent of the electricity used in this country, and HS2 would add marginally to that.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to record details of foreign registered vehicles as they (a) enter and (b) exit the UK. [184181]

Stephen Hammond: Details of foreign registered vehicles entering and leaving the UK are gathered by the UK Border Force. The Department for Transport has no plans to change this.

However, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is currently working with the UK Border Force and the police to understand how the data gathered at UK ports can be used to identify vehicle keepers who do not comply with the registration and licensing rules.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many previously foreign registered vehicles were re-registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each of the last five years. [184184]

Stephen Hammond: Between 2009 and 2012 the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has re-registered 243,722 previously foreign registered vehicles. The following table provides the breakdown.

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Since 2013 the way that certain vehicle transactions are processed has changed and the data gathered about foreign registered vehicles is no longer readily available. In 2013, the DVLA processed 99,168 applications to register imported vehicles. Based on the average of previous years, around 60,000 of these applications were likely to have been previously foreign registered vehicles.

Railway Stations: Disability

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which railway stations do not have step free access; and what the annual footfall at each such station is. [184114]

Stephen Hammond: Information on the accessibility of individual railway stations is collected by the Rail Delivery Group and published as part of the Stations Made Easy facility on the National Rail Enquiries website. The Office of Rail Regulation is responsible for recording and collating station footfall figures for stations and publishes these on its website.

Railways: Tickets

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times since May 2010 he has used his statutory powers to require train operators to comply with the terms of their franchise agreements to use reasonable endeavours to ensure that passengers do not have to queue at a ticket office for more than five minutes during periods of peak demand or for more than three minutes at any other time. [183761]

Stephen Hammond: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), expects operators to comply with these requirements and will take appropriate action, including enforcement action, where it is necessary to do so. Enforcement powers have not been used since May 2010 because it has not been necessary to do so.

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he intends to take against train operators who do not decrease the time taken to buy a ticket. [183762]

Stephen Hammond: The Fares and Ticketing Review Next Steps published in October 2013 set out the Government’s vision for a modern, customer-focused fares and ticketing system that supports our objectives of allowing even more people to travel by rail and ensure they have a better experience. The actions we are taking forward from this review will improve ticketing through a number of measures, from the roll-out of smart ticketing, better information to passengers and a market review by the Office of Rail Regulation to consider whether the current market for selling train tickets is operating as efficiently as possible. We will work with train operators to deliver these actions to the benefit of passengers and as such do not envisage any steps being necessary against operators.

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Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the rail industry on the maintenance of electronic ticket machines at stations. [183763]

Stephen Hammond: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has had no recent discussions with the rail industry on this area.

Rescue Services: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what financial support the UK provides to mountain rescue teams. [184152]

Stephen Hammond: Grants to the three UK mountain rescue organisations totalling £200,000 per annum have been provided for the four financial years from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Taxis

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public use of the Law Commission review of taxis and private hire vehicles over the life of the review. [184044]

Stephen Hammond: The quantifiable cost of the project to the Law Commission between July 2011 and 15 January 2014 is £345,800. This includes staff costs, travel costs and other expense and the cost of publications. The staff costs are those of the lawyers and research assistants working on the project. The figure does not include salary costs of other staff, nor of the Commissioner responsible, which are not separately recorded.

In addition, four officials within the Department for Transport have been involved in the review to varying degrees, resulting in a cost to the public purse of around £15,000.

Train Operating Companies

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many train operating companies (TOCs) have (a) applied for and (b) been awarded funding from the Access for All programme; to which TOCs such funding has been awarded; and for what purposes such funding has been allocated. [184113]

Stephen Hammond: The £370 million Access for All programme, launched in 2006, will deliver an accessible route to each platform at around 150 selected stations by March 2015. In addition, more than 1,100 stations have received funding for a large variety of smaller scale access improvements such as accessible ticket counters, toilets, customer information systems on platforms and tactile warning paving. Stations managed by every franchised train operator have benefitted from this funding.

To build on this success we have made £100 million available to extend the programme until 2019 and the industry has nominated 277 stations for this funding. These business cases are currently being assessed and we hope to be able to announce successful projects in April this year. All franchised train operators have nominated at least one station.

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Transport

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the benefits of open access for (a) the consumer and (b) the public purse. [184046]

Stephen Hammond: Open access operators have helped to provide innovative services for passengers and have helped to grow new rail markets—often with excellent passenger satisfaction scores. The additional competitive pressure in the market provided by open access can also improve the experience of passengers of franchised services.

These beneficial impacts must be balanced against the potential to abstract passenger revenue from franchised operators. This abstraction primarily manifests itself as a cost to Government in the form of diminished value of the franchises when they are tendered.

In an attempt to mitigate this problem, the Office of Rail Regulation (“ORR”) applies the “not primarily abstractive test”, which aims to ensure that applicants for open access routes will generate at least 30p of new revenue for every £1 of existing revenue which is abstracted from franchised operators. The ORR has concluded that if the open access operator generates any less new revenue, the benefits of their operation would not outweigh the costs. Our policy is to support the not primarily abstractive test in its current form.

All freight rail operations currently run on an open access basis. Our assessment is that for this very different part of the rail market the open access system works well for both customers and the public purse.

Travel: Sustainable Development

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to support local economic partnerships in the application process for the local sustainable transport and walking schemes 2015-16. [184037]

Mr Goodwill: On 23 December we launched guidance for transport authorities to bid for £78.5 million revenue set aside for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund 2015-16. We have encouraged transport authorities to work with their Local Enterprise Partnerships to ensure ongoing support for sustainable transport schemes.

£100 million capital is available within the Local Growth Fund for local sustainable transport projects. We are supporting Local Enterprise Partnerships with the development of their Strategic Economic Plans by providing feedback on the sustainable travel elements of their plans.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Reshoring

18. Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the potential for reshoring and import substitution in the UK economy. [902151]

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Vince Cable: An initial Manufacturing Advisory Service assessment found that 11% of SMEs surveyed had reshored some production to the UK in the last 12 months. The automotive council has also identified £3 billion of additional sourcing opportunities; offshore wind could support 30,000 supply chain jobs by 2020; and the new nuclear build programme could add £11 billion GVA if 44% of contracts go to UK suppliers. Together these suggest considerable potential for rebuilding UK supply chains.

Business: Higher Education

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to help build partnerships between businesses and universities. [902138]

Mr Willetts: The Government encourage businesses and universities to collaborate through a variety of funding mechanisms, tax incentives and other means. Most recently the Prime Minister announced £15 million of funding for a pilot of University Enterprise Zones.

Other ways in which Government support collaboration between businesses and universities include through the Technology Strategy Board and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

EU External Trade

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent progress has been made on establishing EU free trade agreements. [R] [183425]

Michael Fallon: The EU has agreements in place with some 50 partner countries and has finished negotiating 10 trade agreements that have yet to enter into force. It also has 12 free trade agreement negotiations under way.

Ongoing negotiations include those with major trading partners such as the USA and Japan. Negotiations with the Commonwealth countries of Canada and Singapore reached political conclusion last year.

A full list of the EU free trade agreements in place and currently under negotiation is available on the DG Trade website:

http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2012/november/tradoc_150129.pdf