Police: Firearms

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make it her policy that when police officers are involved in the shooting of civilians, the officers involved are immediately interviewed separately about the incident. [183724]

Damian Green: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) will be consulting on potential changes to their statutory guidance under section 22 of the Police Reform Act 2002 so as to include this issue. As the body responsible for setting standards for police practice, it is right that the College of Policing should consider whether its existing authorised professional practice (APP) on armed policing should be amended in light of forthcoming IPCC guidance. Any change in statutory guidance by either the college or the IPCC will be for the Secretary of State for the Home Department to approve.

Prisons: Emergency Services

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much it costs on average to call out the (a) police and (b) ambulance service to a prison. [185022]

Damian Green: Information on the average cost to call out the police to a prison is not collected centrally by the Home Office or Ministry of Justice.

Information on the average cost of an ambulance service call out to a prison is not collected centrally by the Department of Health or NHS England.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 549W

Wales

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent contact his Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts his Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is. [185007]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has had no contact with Curzon Education or the Curzon Institute and holds no contracts with those bodies.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department and (ii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. [184455]

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has no direct employees or contracted workers. Staff at the Wales Office are subject to Ministry of Justice (MOJ) policies for pay purposes. No Wales Office staff are paid less than the living wage.

Northern Ireland

Curzon Institute

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent contact her Department has had with (a) Curzon Education and (b) the Curzon Institute; what contracts her Department holds with those bodies; and what the value of those contracts is. [185004]

Mrs Villiers: My Department has not had any contact with (a) Curzon Education or (b) the Curzon Institute. My Department does not hold any contracts with these bodies.

House of Commons Commission

Occupational Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 477W, on occupational health, what budgets were available for services provided to staff of the House to enhance their health and well-being by outside providers including occupational therapists, counselling, classes and other activities. [183758]

John Thurso: The House of Commons budget allocated for health and wellbeing services provided by external providers during 2013-14 is approximately £100,000. Of this, £87,000 is for the provision of a consultant occupational health physician service; the costs for this service cover both Members and staff, and cannot be split between the two.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 550W

Specific to staff of the House, approximately £11,000 is spent on a physiotherapy service and some £2,000 has been allocated for counselling services. Counselling is also provided in-house by the welfare officers. There is also a parliamentary gym, which is funded by user subscriptions. In addition, just over £20,000 is expected to be spent on training courses relating to Health and Safety, a number of which are related to health and wellbeing issues.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Floods: Berkshire

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reports he has received from the Environment Agency on the potential contribution of the management of the Jubilee river to flood levels in Wraysbury, Datchet, Hythe End and the surrounding areas. [184592]

Dan Rogerson: Following the construction of the Jubilee river and the January 2003 floods, a number of independent reports have been carried out to investigate the impact on the properties downstream of the Jubilee river. The independent reports, which included modelling, found that there would be no increased flood risk to properties downstream of the Jubilee river. The Environment Agency can provide these reports.

Floods: Thames Valley

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reasons the Environment Agency has given for the length of time it took them to warn local councils and residents about potential flooding in the Thames Valley region during the recent severe weather. [184591]

Dan Rogerson: On 20 December 2013, the Environment Agency advised the Thames Valley and Surrey Local Resilience partners of the potential for flooding. The Environment Agency based this on the weather forecast for that day. The Local Resilience Forum partners include emergency planning staff from local authorities and the emergency services.

The Environment Agency held daily telephone conference calls with both Thames Valley and Surrey Local Resilience partners from 23 December until 14 January. As the flooding escalated in Surrey, the conference calls were replaced with face to face meetings to respond to the event on a tactical level. The Environment Agency sent representatives to these meetings, which were held on a daily basis between 6 January and 12 January.

Between 20 December and 14 January 2014, the Environment Agency issued 55 flood warnings for the River Thames. These warnings went to 25,096 properties registered to receive the flood warning service. The Local Resilience Forum partners (Thames Valley and Surrey) are also registered to receive these warnings.

The Environment Agency endeavours to give a minimum of two hours’ notice before any property floods. The Environment Agency is currently investigating the notice given for each of the flood warnings issued. This is standard practice following a flood and the Environment Agency will publish the findings in its flood report.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 551W

Floods: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on flood defences under the Humber Floods Strategy in each of the last five years. [184499]

29 Jan 2014 : Column 552W

Dan Rogerson: Since the beginning of the 2008-09 financial year, and up until December 2013 in the current financial year, approximately £60 million of DEFRA flood and coastal erosion risk management grant in aid has been spent on flood defence activities within the Humber Strategy area, and as shown in the following table:

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on flood defences in the area covered by the Lower Aire Flood Risk Management Strategy in each of the last five years. [184687]

Dan Rogerson: Over the last five years (2008-09 to 2012-13), approximately £3.2 million of DEFRA flood and coastal erosion risk management grant in aid has been spent on flood defence activities in the Lower Aire Flood Risk Management Strategy area.

Forests

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which projects funded by his Department use afforestation as a means to reduce flooding. [184834]

Dan Rogerson: The allocation of DEFRA grant in aid for flood and coastal erosion risk management projects is undertaken by the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency does not hold central records identifying all the projects that it has funded which use afforestation as a means to reduce flooding.

However, afforestation is funded where there is sufficient evidence that it will reduce flood risk or for experimental purposes. The “Slowing the Flow” project in North Yorkshire is an example. There are also a number of studies led by the Forestry Commission in the catchments of the River Parrett in Somerset, River Irthing in Northumberland and River Usk in Wales designed to provide evidence of the impacts that forests and forest management could have on reducing flooding.

Forests: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons the England Woodland Grants Scheme was closed. [184833]

Dan Rogerson: The English Woodland Grant Scheme is not closed. It continues to operate as a part of the Rural Development Programme for England during the transition phase in 2014. Certain elements have been closed to new applications:

(a) Woodland Management Grant (five year annual payments). This has been closed to new applications because it is not permissible to enter into new commitments for these ‘multi-annual payments' during the transition period.

(b) Woodland Creation Grant. This has been closed to new applications because (subject to a planned stocktake in April 2014 of any deferrals from the current planting season) the budget is fully allocated for this measure for the 2014-15 season. It is intended to take new applications when the programme is approved in early 2015 for the 2015-16 planting season.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many England Woodland Grants have been given out in each year since that scheme's inception. [184836]

Dan Rogerson: The English Woodland Grant Scheme was introduced in 2005 and a total of 16,485 grant agreements have been approved by the Forestry Commission. The figures for each year are given in the following table.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many England Woodland Grant applications were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful; and what the location of each such application was. [184839]

Dan Rogerson: The following table gives a breakdown of successful and unsuccessful England Woodland Grant Scheme applications by region.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 553W

Livestock: Wales

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much livestock originating in Wales has been slaughtered in England in each of the last 10 years; how much levy has not been paid in Wales as a result; and if he will revise how this levy is distributed to reflect this matter. [185042]

George Eustice: DEFRA does not have statistics on the number of livestock originating in Wales and slaughtered in England.

The red meat levy is a devolved matter. The levy is collected at the point of slaughter or export by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) (England), Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) (Wales), Quality Meat Scotland (Scotland) and Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland. Red meat levy collection in Wales is a matter for HCC.

We will be undertaking a consultation later this year on the regulations governing the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. The consultation will seek views on the red meat levy collection and distribution system. In the meantime, the red meat levy-collecting bodies in the UK have established a forum so that there is better co-ordination of decisions about how the red meat levy is spent across all parts of the UK. This forum is also looking at other options for red meat levy collection and distribution.

River Lymington

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to recover costs against the Lymington River Association in the event that their application for an oral hearing is successful but the hearing rules against them. [184483]

George Eustice [holding answer 27 January 2014]: DEFRA is not involved in the current case, which we understand is being pursued against the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost to the public purse is to date of processing applications made by the Lymington River Association in relation to Wightlink Ferries operations in the Lymington River. [184484]

29 Jan 2014 : Column 554W

George Eustice [holding answer 27 January 2014]: The legal costs to DEFRA and Natural England in the December 2009 Judicial Review hearing against DEFRA and Wightlink amounted to £23,230. This is the amount paid for legal counsel and does not include the Department's staff time, which officials have been unable to ascertain. DEFRA was also ordered to pay a contribution of £30,000 to the successful claimant's costs. A further fee of £4,260 was paid in relation to additional advice from Counsel concerning subsequent correspondence from the claimants. Interested parties in this case included Natural England, Lymington Harbour Commissioners and New Forest District Council. The latter two bodies may have also incurred legal costs, having been represented at the hearings, but DEFRA does not hold records of such costs. Natural England was not represented at the hearing but is likely to have incurred costs in relation to its own staff time supporting the Department in the case. However, again, the Department has no record of these.

We understand that the Department for Communities and Local Government's total costs from pre-action stage to the application to the Court of Appeal amounted to £13,954.

Attorney-General

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Attorney-General (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) the Law Officers' Departments, (ii) agencies of the Law Officers' Departments and (iii) contractors of the Law Officers' Departments are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. [184438]

The Solicitor-General: The CPS currently employs three staff whose salary is below the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation. This equates to less than 0.01% of the workforce. As a result of planned changes to rates of pay, all three employees will be paid salaries in excess of the living wage by 31 March 2014.

No direct employees or temporary workers employed by the remaining Law Officers' Departments are paid less than the living wage.

A complete record on the pay arrangements for staff employed by companies contracted to provide services to the Law Officers' Departments is not held and could not be provided without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were commenced by the Crown Prosecution Service for each offence category in (a) the Crown Court and (b) the magistrates' court in each year from 2007-08 to 2012-13. [184715]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the outcome of prosecution proceedings divided into twelve principal offence categories. The Principal Offence Category is assigned at the end of a prosecution case to indicate the

29 Jan 2014 : Column 555W

most serious offence with which the defendant is charged at the time of finalisation. It is not possible to disaggregate the number of prosecutions for individual offences recorded in each category.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 556W

In each of the last six years the number of completed prosecutions in the Crown court and in magistrates courts, for each principal offence category, was as follows:

The principal offence category data represented in these tables are understated. Prosecutions which resulted in an administrative finalisation or where a principal offence category is not allocated have been excluded.

Culture, Media and Sport

Bookmakers

Mr Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with HM Treasury on the potential effect of the Fourth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive on the bookmaking industry; and if she will make a statement. [184469]

Mr Vaizey: Officials in DCMS are in regular contact with officials at HM Treasury regarding the Fourth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive. The Government consider that extension of the Directive to gambling services should be based on an assessment of risk.

Marriage

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether couples who registered for a civil partnership before the date of commencement of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 was known but whose ceremonies are due to take place after commencement of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 will be able to change their ceremony from a civil partnership to marriage without further registration. [184905]

Mr Vaizey [holding answer 28 January 2014]: Civil partnership and marriage are registered under separate pieces of legislation, so a notice given for one cannot be used for the other. If a couple now wish to marry

29 Jan 2014 : Column 557W

instead of form a civil partnership, they will need to give notice of marriage. This must be done at least 16 days before the date of the ceremony.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) her Department, (ii) agencies of her Department and (iii) contractors of her Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. [184441]

Mr Vaizey: DCMS does not have any direct employees who are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.

DCMS is not responsible for setting pay levels for contracted workers. This is a matter for the organisations who employ them. However, we actively encourage employers to ensure that the living wage is paid and we would monitor these when contracts are being negotiated.

We do not hold central records for our arm’s length bodies.

Public Libraries: Greater London

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many libraries were closed in London in each of the last five years; [184654]

(2) how many libraries there were in each London borough in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [184660]

Mr Vaizey: The detail requested is not held centrally by this Department. The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) collect, annually, figures relating to library service provision in the United Kingdom. Copies of CIPFA statistics are available in the House Library.

TV Licensing

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy to instruct TV Licensing to publish the name and contact details of the Head of TV Licensing on their website. [184424]

Mr Vaizey: The contact details for the Head of Revenue Management are on the TV Licensing website at present. They are available at the following link:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/search?q=head+of+TV+licensing

Treasury

Autumn Statement

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what day and time he released the text of his autumn statement to (a) the BBC, (b) other broadcasters, (c) other media and (d) hon. Members. [178848]

Nicky Morgan: In line with the practice followed by successive Administrations, the autumn statement was released to Parliament and the media at the conclusion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s speech.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 558W

Bank Services

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of how many adults in the UK are not able to open a fully functioning bank account. [183990]

Sajid Javid: The Government have made no such estimate.

The Government are committed to improving access to financial services. To this end the major UK banks voluntarily offer basic bank accounts alongside their other retail current accounts.

As recommended by the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, the Government are currently taking forward discussions with the banking sector to seek a voluntary agreement on renewed minimum standards for basic bank accounts.

Business: Loans

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the level of bank lending to businesses since May 2010. [184748]

Mr George Osborne: The Government are committed to supporting British businesses and recognise the importance that businesses play in the economy. Since 2010, the Government have introduced several measures aimed at improving lending to businesses, notably the Business Bank and the Funding for Lending Scheme.

The Funding for Lending Scheme was extended in April 2013. Subsequently, in November 2013, the Government announced that the scheme will be focused on business lending, and on SMEs in particular. Recent evidence from external commentators shows that credit conditions have improved significantly for businesses, including small businesses.

Charitable Donations

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to encourage its employees to make tax-free donations direct from their salaries. [179647]

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury publishes information on payroll giving on the intranet. A group of departmental volunteers has been set up to raise awareness of payroll giving in the department. In addition representatives from payroll giving in action visit HM Treasury on an annual basis to promote payroll giving.

In 2013 HM Treasury received a silver award which demonstrates that at least 5% of staff donate to charity through the payroll.

Child Benefit

Mr Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were in receipt of child benefit in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in the latest period for which figures are available. [185146]

29 Jan 2014 : Column 559W

Nicky Morgan: The latest information on the number of families receiving child benefit, by each parliamentary constituency, local authority and region is available in the HMRC snapshot publication ‘Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis. August 2012’. This can be found at:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/child-geog-stats/chb-geog-aug12.xls

Table 5 has this information by local authority. Table 6 has this information by Westminster parliamentary constituency.

Corporation Tax: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid in corporation tax by businesses registered in Barrow and Furness constituency in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of such taxation was paid by small and medium-sized enterprises. [183706]

Mr Gauke: Since 2010 the Government have cut the main rate of corporation tax from 28% to 23%. It will fall further to 20% by April 2015. The small profits rate has also been cut to 20%. These corporation tax cuts will be worth around £7.8 billion per year to business by 2016-17.

The amount of corporation tax liable for payment by businesses with a registered address in the Barrow and Furness constituency for accounting periods ending in financial year 2011-12 was £16 million. This is the latest year for which figures are available. We are unable to disclose the proportion of the total that relates to small and medium-sized companies as this would be a breach to HMRC's statistical disclosure control policy to protect taxpayer confidentiality.

EU Grants and Loans

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the efficacy of EU macro-assistance programmes. [184525]

Nicky Morgan: The European Union provides financial assistance to non-euro area member states via the EU Balance of Payments (EUBoP) facility and to countries that are not part of the EU but which are considered economically, politically or geographically important to the EU through Macro Financial Assistance (MFA).

These facilities are provided alongside support from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and are disbursed in tranches following reviews of compliance with strict conditionality. The Government closely monitor the use of these facilities and support EU efforts to provide assistance under exceptional circumstances and as a temporary measure.

The EU has also previously committed to providing assistance under the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM) which was established following the ECOFIN meeting of 9 May 2010, before the formation of the coalition Government. The Prime Minister secured assurance at the June 2012 European Council that the EFSM would make no further commitments. The UK is not a participant in the new, permanent European Stability Mechanism (ESM).

The decision to provide assistance under the mechanisms mentioned is subject to UK parliamentary scrutiny.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 560W

Excise Duties: Fuels

Mr Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what recent assessment he has made of the operation of the Rural Fuel Rebate Scheme; [184827]

(2) what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on the level of petrol and diesel prices in Northern Ireland; and what assessment he has made of the applicability of the Rural Fuel Rebate Scheme to Northern Ireland; [184828]

(3) what assessment he has made of the effect of Government policies on differences in fuel prices in different regions of the UK; [184830]

(4) if he will review the criteria for inclusion of areas in the Rural Fuel Rebate Scheme. [184831]

Danny Alexander: The current rural fuel rebate scheme came into effect in March 2012 and allows retailers of road fuel within the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, the Islands of the Clyde and the Isles of Scilly to register with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to claim back a five pence per litre relief on unleaded petrol and diesel.

HMRC's evaluation finds the scheme to be effectively meeting the policy objective by reducing the pump prices faced by motorists in the scheme, link to evaluation report:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/rural-fuel-duty-relief.pdf

The Government routinely meet representatives from devolved Administrations on a range of issues. The Government have submitted an application to the European Commission (EC) to request an extension of the rural fuel rebate scheme to 17 of the most rural areas in mainland UK. The areas have been identified in accordance with a number of strict criteria which the Government consider will be critical to their assessment. No areas in Northern Ireland were found to meet these criteria.

The Government are committed to supporting remote rural areas of the UK faced with high pump prices. The Government have submitted an application to the European Commission to request an extension of the scheme.

Floods: Oxford

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Department will estimate the cost to the economy of the recent flooding in the Oxford area. [182834]

Dan Rogerson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

It is too soon to evaluate the economic impact of the recent floods. Any economic assessment would be at a national scale rather than by location. The Department will consider any evidence provided to it relating to local impacts as part of that evaluation.

Fuels: Northern Ireland

Mr Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many meetings he has had with representatives of petrol and diesel retailers in Northern Ireland on (a)

29 Jan 2014 : Column 561W

levels of fuel laundering and fraud and

(b)

the effect of fuel duty and VAT on the levels of prices for petrol and diesel in the last six months. [184829]

Nicky Morgan: Treasury Ministers and officials routinely meet with a wide range of stakeholders as part of the process of policy development.

Details of ministerial and Permanent Secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many HM Revenue and Customs officers in Northern Ireland are assigned to tackling fuel fraud. [183464]

Nicky Morgan: It is not possible to answer this question definitively, as teams within HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are structured in a multifunctional way to respond flexibly to resource demands.

In addition to front line operational staff, officers working in other areas of HMRC including criminal investigation, excise duties/direct tax and VAT are all involved in work which supports the oils strategy. HMRC also continues to work with other law enforcement agencies and Government Departments both at home and abroad to tackle fuel fraud and respond to new threats.

Garages and Petrol Stations

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the findings of the Barlow Powell report into vapour recovery, submitted to HM Revenue and Customs by the Petrol Retailers' Association in May 2011; and if he will make a statement. [183470]

Nicky Morgan: The Chancellor of the Exchequer routinely receives a range of representations from stakeholders on issues relating to fuel duty. HMRC officials are aware of the concerns raised in this report and have met with the PRA to discuss this and other matters affecting their members.

Government Banking Service

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the net gain accruing to the Exchequer through reduced costs of borrowing if (a) local authorities and (b) Department of Health trusts and foundation trusts were brought into the scope of the Government Banking Service. [185139]

Danny Alexander: All Government Departments and most public bodies bank with the Government Banking Service (GBS). The balances held at the GBS are utilised to reduce the Government's daily borrowing requirement which reduces its financing costs.

(a) The Treasury and GBS do not offer local authorities the ability to bank with the GBS. This is because they are not Exchequer bodies and once funded the Exchequer has no control over when funds are spent.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 562W

The local authority capital financing and investment frameworks are operated under the principle that local authorities, as democratically elected and autonomous bodies, are responsible and accountable for managing their own borrowing and cash investment decisions. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) provides high level guidance on local cash investment policy, in particular outlining the importance of security and liquidity over yield.

DCLG decides when local authorities should be funded and the timing of that funding is what impacts on the daily borrowing costs of the Exchequer. We therefore have not calculated possible savings to the Exchequer.

(b) Department of Health trusts and foundation trusts already have accounts at the Government Banking Service. NHS trusts are public bodies, required under legal direction issued jointly by the Department of Health and the Treasury, to ensure that average cleared balances held outside of the Exchequer pyramid do not exceed £50,000. In the foundation trust sector, the Department of Health is not prescriptive on banking issues and does not have the legal powers to direct on such matters. Foundation trusts have the freedom to decide locally how to deliver best value from their income and this may include the use of commercial accounts. But the Department of Health funds foundation trusts via their GBS accounts.

The Department of Health has changed the policy by which the dividend on the investment in NHS Providers is calculated. From 2013-14 the average balance over the financial year held in commercial accounts, rather than the year-end balance, will contribute towards the calculation of the dividend charge. This provides an extra incentive for Providers to hold cash balances at GBS, rather than commercial accounts, throughout the year and prevent unnecessary movements between GBS and commercial accounts at year-end.

The Treasury provides an annual update to the public accounts committee on cash held outside the Exchequer/Government Banking Service. The most recent update published on 13 January 2014 showed that foundation trusts at June 2013 had £222 million outside the GBS. If this £222 million was held in the GBS a further saving of at least £1.1 million could be made each year.

ICT

Mrs Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed within centralised IT departments or teams in his Department; and if he will make a statement. [179174]

Nicky Morgan: The total number of people employed within HM Treasury centralised IT departments or teams is 48. These staff provided IT services to both Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. This compares to 57 in 2008 for HM Treasury.

Infrastructure

Mr Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of GDP was spent on infrastructure projects in the most recent year for which data are available. [184518]

29 Jan 2014 : Column 563W

Danny Alexander: The Government do not publish outturn or forecast data for expenditure on infrastructure projects as a proportion of GDP.

Table 4.15 of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility's December 2013 Economic and Fiscal Outlook sets out public sector gross investment (PSGI) as a percentage of GDP—and shows that in 2012-13 PSGI was 2.8% of GDP.

Further information on infrastructure investment can be found in the National Infrastructure Plan 2013, which is available on the Infrastructure UK website.

Money Laundering: EU Action

Mr Sutcliffe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions have taken place between officials representing his Department and their counterparts in EU member states on amendments tabled to the Fourth EU Anti Money Laundering Directive; and if he will make a statement. [184463]

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury is leading negotiations for the UK on the Fourth Money Laundering Directive, proposals for which were published on 5 February 2013. Treasury officials have engaged with counterparts in other member states since then, through bilateral discussions and participation in EU Council Working Group meetings.

I anticipate issuing a further statement following Council agreement of a general approach to proposals for the directive.

New Towns

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what work his Department has contributed to the drafting of a report or prospectus on garden cities since May 2010. [184972]

Danny Alexander: Since May 2010, the Treasury has worked with DCLG on a range of policies to support housing supply, including the Government's Affordable Housing Programme, the Get Britain Building and Build to Rent schemes, and the locally-led large sites programme, which was extended at autumn statement 2013.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff employed by (i) his Department, (ii) agencies of his Department and (iii) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. [184454]

Nicky Morgan: No direct employees of HM Treasury, Office of Budget Responsibility and Debt Management Office are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage.

HM Treasury fully complies with EU procurement directives and awards contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer. Nevertheless, the Department has encouraged contractors to commit to paying a living wage and expects all employers to pay at least the national minimum wage.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 564W

The Government have encouraged contractors by publicly expressing support to paying the London living wage where it is possible to do so.

Public Expenditure

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to ensure that all Government expenditure allocation through local authorities, health organisations, schools, police, fire and other authorities reflects current local population growth as well as historic census data. [184563]

Danny Alexander: Departmental forecasts for demand for public services are reflected in departmental budgets agreed at spending reviews. Departments are responsible for managing their allocations to public service delivery bodies within these overall budgets. Allocation methodologies are kept under review to ensure they are based on the most appropriate data available.

Public Finance

Mr Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the Government deficit was, expressed as a proportion of gross domestic product and including forecast projections into future years, in each year since 1990; [184799]

(2) what the Government budget deficit was, expressed as a proportion of gross domestic product, in each year since May 2010; [184802]

(3) what total Government spending was, expressed as a proportion of gross domestic product, in each year since 1990. [184801]

Nicky Morgan: According to the latest public sector finances statistical bulletin:

Public sector net borrowing (PSNB) excluding the impact of large one-off transfers for Royal Mail pension assets and the Asset Purchase Facility, was 1.0% of GDP in 1990-91 but rose to 10.9% of GDP in 2009-10. As a result of action by this Government net borrowing as a percentage of GDP has fallen in each year since May 2010 and stood at 7.3% of GDP in 2012-13, the last full year for which information is available. The full time series is as follows.

The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing the official economic and fiscal forecasts in the UK on which fiscal policy is based. According to the OBR's December 2013 Economic and fiscal outlook, PSNB is forecast to fall in each year of the forecast period reaching -0.1 % (surplus) by 2018-19. Full time series of forecasts for 2013-14 to 2018-19 have been appended to out-turn estimates as follows.

Total managed expenditure (TME) was 39.2% of GDP in 1990-91 and rose to 47.0% by 2009-10. It has since fallen to 42.8% of GDP in 2012-13, the last full year for which information is available. The full time series is as follows.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 565W

Public Sector Relocation Independent Review

Mr Streeter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2013, Official Report, column 586W, on public sector relocation independent review, whether the payment made to Sir Michael Lyons included a sum to cover VAT liability; whether his overall remuneration was paid to him personally or through a personal service company; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract. [177663]

Nicky Morgan: In line with the practice followed by successive Administrations, it would not be proper to discuss individuals' tax affairs. Individuals' terms of employment, including their contractual arrangements, are commercially confidential.

Recruitment

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 were (a) men and (b) women. [178164]

Nicky Morgan: The Treasury have recruited the following number of men and women since 5 May 2010:

29 Jan 2014 : Column 566W

Secondment

Julie Elliott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many individuals employed by (a) major UK utility companies, (b) Energy UK and (c) any related energy utility organisation were seconded to his Department in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013. [182542]

Nicky Morgan: Since January 2010 there has been (a) one secondment from a major utility company, (b) none from Energy UK and (c) none from other related energy utility organisations.

Tax Allowances: Agriculture

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal incentives he has put in place to encourage share farming. [184267]

Mr Gauke: Many of the features of the tax system which are aimed at encouraging business investment and supporting growth apply to share farming as they do to other forms of farming and to businesses generally. For example, in 2011 the Government increased the lifetime limit for Entrepreneurs' Relief, which provides a reduced rate of capital gains tax for many sales of businesses, business assets and shares, from £5 million to £10 million. Also, in 2013 the annual investment allowance, providing an immediate tax deduction for expenditure on plant or machinery, was increased from £25,000 to £250,000 for two years from 1 January 2013.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases. [168761]

Nicky Morgan: I can confirm that in the last 24 months, HM Treasury purchased 10 flat screen televisions at a total cost of £4,202.80.

These were purchased for use by the Government Olympic Communication Team to help deliver a successful Games for the country.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people his Department employed directly from the Work programme in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 to date. [180854]

Nicky Morgan: HM Treasury has not employed anybody directly from the Work programme.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 567W

The Work programme is a major new payment-for-results welfare-to-work programme that launched throughout Great Britain in June 2011. Along with the universal credit benefit reforms, it is central to the coalition Government's ambitious programme of welfare reform.

The Work programme is being delivered by a range of private, public and voluntary sector organisations which are supporting people who are at risk of becoming long-term unemployed to find work. It replaces previous programmes such as the new deals, employment zones and flexible new deal and represents a long-term investment by Government and their partners in seeking to help more people into lasting work.

Transport

A595

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce traffic congestion on the A595. [185052]

Mr Goodwill: The Highways Agency is responsible for a relatively short section of the A595, classed as a trunk road, between Workington and Calder Bridge. The rest of the A595 is the responsibility of Cumbria county council. There are significant peak-hour traffic flows and delays along the trunk road section, that are largely associated with commuter traffic heading to and from the Sellafield complex.

The Highways Agency has completed a number of small projects in recent years to ease congestion along the route. Currently, the Highways Agency is working with Cumbria county council, local district councils, the operators of the Sellafield complex, and other bodies, to identify the current and future needs of the route. Following this consultation, a clear action plan will be developed, incorporating additional mitigations to further alleviate the levels of congestion.

Aviation: Lasers

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the number of pilots operating in the UK who have sought assistance from an optometrist or ophthalmologist after a laser pen attack which occurred in the course of their work. [184703]

Mr Goodwill: The Civil Aviation Authority receives Mandatory Occurrence Reports following incidents where a laser has been directed at an aircraft cockpit. These reports do not usually record whether or not the pilot has sought medical assistance. In 2013 only one report stated that medical assistance was sought. This involved hospital treatment for non-permanent corneal abrasion.

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the number of UK pilots who have been stood down after a laser pen attack which occurred in the course of their work. [184705]

Mr Goodwill: No Mandatory Occurrence Reports received by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in 2013 indicate a pilot has been “stood down”—either during

29 Jan 2014 : Column 568W

or after flight. The CAA has not suspended any medical certificates due to an eye injury resulting from a laser pen attack.

Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects Deutsche Bahn to start operating services on High Speed One. [185023]

Stephen Hammond: The decision when to start operating services on High Speed One is a commercial decision for the operator. Deutsche Bahn have stated that they do not intend starting services until 2016 at the earliest.

Cycling: Accidents

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proportion of serious injuries to cyclists in Greater London involved cyclists hit by HGVs in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; [184641]

(2) what proportion of cyclist fatalities in Greater London involved cyclists hit by HGVs in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [184642]

Mr Goodwill: The proportion of cyclist fatalities and serious injuries in reported road traffic accidents in Greater London, which involved a cyclist hit by an HGV in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012, were as follows:

Data for the year 2013 will be available in June 2014.

Driving: Licensing

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual cost to the DVLA is of the retention of paper driving licence counterparts. [184470]

Stephen Hammond: The annual cost to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to issue driving licence counterparts is £471, 000.

Motorway Service Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect on road safety on the granting of the licensing of public houses at motorway service stations. [184472]

Mr Goodwill: The Licensing Act 2003 bans the sale of alcohol at certain motorway service areas (MSAs) but does not extend to all of them. At MSAs which are not covered by this Act, the granting of premise licenses for the sale and consumption of alcohol is a matter for the

29 Jan 2014 : Column 569W

local licensing authority. The Government are not consulted on the decisions made by these authorities and any advice on road safety matters is provided by the police.

Pay

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of staff employed by (a) his Department, (b) agencies of his Department and (c) contractors of his Department are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage. [184453]

Stephen Hammond: In the central Department for Transport there are no direct employees who are paid less than the living wage rates as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. Across Department's executive agencies there are 493 (this is 2.86% of the Department) direct employees who are paid less than the living wage rates as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

The Department for Transport does not hold information on the earnings of contracted employees.

Pedestrians: Accidents

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proportion of serious injuries to pedestrians in Greater London involved pedestrians hit by vehicles while on a footpath in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; [184643]

(2) what proportion of pedestrian fatalities in Greater London involved pedestrians hit by a vehicle while on a footpath in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [184644]

Mr Goodwill: The proportion of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries in reported road traffic accidents in Greater London, which involved a pedestrian on a footway or verge, in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012, were as follows:

Data for the year 2013 will be available in June 2014.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proportion of serious injuries to pedestrians in Greater London involved pedestrians hit by motorcycles in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; [184645]

(2) what proportion of pedestrian fatalities in Greater London involved pedestrians hit by motorcycles in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; [184646]

(3) what proportion of serious injuries to pedestrians in Greater London involved pedestrians hit by buses or coaches in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; [184649]

29 Jan 2014 : Column 570W

(4) what proportion of pedestrian fatalities in Greater London involved pedestrians hit by buses or coaches in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; [184650]

(5) what proportion of serious injuries to pedestrians in Greater London involved pedestrians hit by HGVs in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; [184652]

(6) what proportion of pedestrian fatalities in Greater London involved pedestrians hit by HGVs in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [184653]

Mr Goodwill: The proportion of fatalities or serious injuries to pedestrians in reported road traffic accidents in Greater London, which involved a motorcycle, bus/coach or HGV are given in the following table:

Data for the year 2013 will be available in June 2014.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what proportion of serious injuries to pedestrians in Greater London involved pedestrians hit by speeding vehicles in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013; [184647]

(2) what proportion of pedestrian fatalities in Greater London involved pedestrians hit by speeding vehicles in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [184648]

Mr Goodwill: The Department holds information regarding contributory factors attributed to a vehicle in reported road traffic accidents. The proportion of pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries in Greater London, which involved a vehicle recorded as ‘exceeding speed limit’ in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012, were as follows:

Data for the year 2013 will be available in June 2014.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 571W

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of serous injuries to pedestrians in Greater London involved pedestrians on a pedestrian crossing in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [184651]

Mr Goodwill: The proportion of serious injuries to pedestrians in reported road traffic accidents in Greater London, which involved pedestrians on a pedestrian crossing in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012, were as follows:

Data for the year 2013 will be available in June 2014.

Procurement

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials of each grade in his Department have the authority to execute a purchase; what proportion of these officials have professional procurement qualifications; and what key indicators are used by his Department to assess procurement officers' performance. [184901]

Stephen Hammond: The number of officials of each grade in my Department who have the authority to execute a purchase, and the proportion of those officials having professional procurement qualifications is as follows:

The above figures are for the central Department only and exclude: officials in procurement leadership and management positions who do not hold contractual authority; those entitled to execute low value purchases; and those entitled to amend or extend existing contracts.

The key indicators used to assess procurement officers' performance are those set by the Cabinet Office for Departments' procurement functions, eg the percentage of procurement spend awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises, and the completion of all but the most complex procurements within 120 days. Performance is also assessed against the Government competency framework for procurement professionals.

Public Expenditure

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department's supplementary estimates for 2013-14 will be published. [185085]

29 Jan 2014 : Column 572W

Stephen Hammond: Government Departments have been informed by HM Treasury that the week commencing 10 February is the provisional window for presentation/publication of supplementary estimates 2013-14.

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the major components of his Department's costs within the accounting category, K - Aviation, Maritime, Security and Safety in terms of (a) Resource DEL and (b) Capital DEL are above a threshold of £1 million; [185086]

(2) what the major components of his Department's revenues within the accounting category, K - Aviation, Maritime, Security and Safety in terms of (a) Resource DEL and (b) Capital DEL are above a threshold of £1 million. [185087]

Stephen Hammond: The information is given in the following table and provides an analysis of the total of section K in the Department for Transport's Main estimate 2013-14.

Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the major components of his Department's costs within the accounting category, H - Bus Subsidies and Concessionary Fares in terms of (a) Resource DEL and (b) Capital DEL are above a threshold of £1 million; [185088]

(2) what the major components of his Department's revenues within the accounting category, H - Bus Subsidies and Concessionary Fares in terms of (a) Resource DEL and (b) Capital DEL are above a threshold of £1 million. [185089]

Stephen Hammond: The information is given in the following table and is taken from the Department for Transport's Main Estimate 2013-14.

29 Jan 2014 : Column 573W

Railways: Sellafield

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to provide additional services and longer trains on the lines serving Sellafield during the morning and afternoon peak periods. [185051]

Stephen Hammond: Within the terms of the Franchise Agreement Northern Rail is required to use its entire fleet (allowing for normal maintenance) during each peak period including the Cumbrian Coast line to meet demand. It would be for Northern and other stakeholders to assess the business case for additional train services (should there be additional trains available) on this route.

Rescue Services: Belfast

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons 85 per cent of shifts at the Belfast Maritime Rescue and Co-ordination Centre were understaffed in June 2013 and 17 per cent of shifts in December 2013; and what steps he is taking to address those reasons. [184436]

Stephen Hammond: The reasons for watch levels being under risk assessed levels during 2013 was the then uncertainty around the new Coastguard Jobs in respect of pay, terms and conditions and training requirements for new recruits.

The uncertainty in respect of the new Coastguard jobs has now been removed with new pay, terms and conditions now agreed; recruitment for the new Coastguard jobs started in November 2013.

To address staffing levels at MRCC Belfast the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has undertaken recruitment throughout 2013 to reinforce watchkeeper numbers. As at the end of 2013 this programme of recruitment has seen a net increase of staff in post over the calendar year. As a result MRCC Belfast is now staffed above complement.

New watchkeeping recruits require training before becoming operationally effective; as a result the majority of recruits to MRCC Belfast have become effective towards the end of 2013.

A further cadre of recruits who are currently undergoing training will progressively become fully operational from April 2014. The MCA anticipates that they will assist Belfast in meeting its risk assessed levels.