Photographs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on official photographs of its Ministers since May 2010. [187987]

Mike Penning: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East (Sheila Gilmore), on 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 839W.

Information is not recorded in a format to provide further costs on official photographs. However, wherever possible the Department uses in-house facilities for photography.

Secondment

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what procedures his Department uses to ensure equal opportunities in relation to staff secondments to the Department. [187984]

Mike Penning: The Department complies with the requirement of appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as laid down by the Civil Service Commission in its Recruitment Principles.

Social Security Benefits

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applicants in the last year for which figures are available were assigned to the Support Group under Regulations 29 and 35 of the Welfare Reform Act 2007. [187837]

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Mike Penning: The information requested is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

However, the latest data available on employment and support allowance new claims, placed in the Support Group or Work Related Activity Group at functional assessment, initially or after appeal, split into reasons for assignment by month of claim start, Great Britain, can be found in table 5 and 6 respectively at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessments-january-2014

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the efficiency of Atos in undertaking face-to-face assessments on the Isle of Wight. [188485]

Mike Penning: Officials meet regularly with Atos Healthcare to discuss performance in line with their contractual commitments, including timeliness and quality. Recently, Atos Healthcare has undertaken a process to re-accredit its entire health care professional work force who conduct work capability assessments, with the aim of improving quality and effectiveness.

Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background. [188085]

Mike Penning: The following table shows the percentage of employees recruited to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) from 5 May 2010 to 31 December 2013 who have identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background.

Electoral Commission Committee

Absent Voting

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 411W, on absent voting, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the role political parties have played in increasing the proportion of postal votes from 4% to 15%. [188015]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has made no formal assessment of this.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 411W, on

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absent voting, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the reasons for the high levels of satisfaction with postal voting revealed by its 2010 post-election research; and whether that research was taken into account when it arrived at its decision to propose limiting the handling of postal ballot application forms. [188016]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that its 2010 post-election public opinion survey found that the most popular reason postal voters gave for choosing to vote by post related to convenience: 58% said it was more convenient for them than voting in person, and 12% that they would otherwise have had difficulty getting to their polling station on polling day.

The same survey also found that 95% of postal voters found voting by post to be either very or fairly convenient and 97% said they found it easy to complete and return their postal vote.

The Electoral Commission's recommendation to restrict the involvement of campaigners in the absent vote administration process was based on a range of evidence, including qualitative public opinion research into perceptions of electoral fraud.

This research with the public found that restricting the handling of completed postal vote application forms and postal ballot packs by political parties, candidates, canvassers and campaigners was felt to be a worthwhile policy change that would bring the system into line with their expectations. It also found that people felt this move would increase the overall security of elections without having a negative impact on voter participation (either for themselves or vulnerable electors).

Findings from this research are available on the Commission's website at:

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/electoral-fraud/electoral-fraud-vulnerabilities-review

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the (a) role of postal ballots in increasing voter participation and engagement and (b) the potential effects of its restrictions on the handling of postal ballots on voter participation and engagement. [188017]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it conducts regular public opinion research following elections and has asked some specific questions on the impact of postal voting on voter participation. Following the English and Welsh local elections in 2008, the Commission's post-election research found that nearly six in 10 (58%) of those that voted by post (or 7% of all people) said that the availability of postal voting encouraged them to vote. Four in 10 (42%) said it had little effect.

Postal voters, in the survey, who said that the availability of postal voting encouraged them to vote, were also asked if they would have still voted if postal voting was not available. Just over half (56%) said they would not otherwise have voted.

The Electoral Commission’s recommendation to restrict the involvement of campaigners in the absent vote administration process was based on a range of evidence, including public opinion research. The Commission

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believes that campaigners play a vital role in encouraging participation in elections, including helping to publicise and explain different voting methods to electors who might not be able to vote in person at a polling station. They can also play an important role in encouraging people to register to vote. It does not believe it is appropriate, however, for campaigners to be directly involved in the voting process, including completing absent vote applications and handling postal ballot packs.

The Commission carried out qualitative research with the public into perceptions of electoral fraud. This research found that the proposal to restrict the involvement of campaigners in the completion or return of postal vote application forms or postal ballot packs was considered to be a positive change. This was because participants felt it would increase the overall security of elections without having a negative impact on voter participation.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what number and proportion of (a) allegations of postal ballot fraud and (b) successful prosecutions for postal ballot fraud were for (i) distributing and collecting postal ballot application forms and (ii) collecting postal ballot forms for the purpose of voting in the latest period for which figures are available. [188018]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission has been working with the UK's Association of Chief Police Officers since 2007 to collect and publish data on cases of alleged electoral fraud under the Representation of the People Act 1983. These data are available on the Commission's website at:

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/electoral-fraud/electoral-fraud-responsibilities

The data do not show the proportion of cases of alleged electoral fraud which relate to distributing or collecting completed postal vote application forms or collecting completed postal ballot packs. It is not currently an offence for anyone to distribute or collect postal vote application forms or to collect postal ballot packs from electors; therefore no prosecutions have been recorded.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if the Electoral Commission will delay changes to restrictions on the handling of postal ballots until after the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee has completed its inquiry into improving voter turnout. [188019]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission will consult on proposed changes to the Code of Conduct for Campaigners after May 2014, with a view to implementing any agreed changes by November 2014. On the basis of our current understanding of the timetable for the PCRC's inquiry, we therefore expect that the Committee's views will influence that consultation before it closes. The Commission also looks forward to engaging with this important inquiry as invited.

If, following our consultations with interested parties, it is possible to agree changes to the Code of Conduct for Campaigners, the Commission will encourage

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campaigners to commit to following a revised code for elections after 2014, including the May 2015 UK parliamentary general election.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission has taken to improve security of voting by post; how much those steps have cost to implement; and how effective they have been in reducing postal ballot fraud. [188021]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that since 2003 it has made a number of recommendations to improve the security of postal voting in Great Britain. In 2003 the Commission first recommended the introduction of individual electoral registration in Great Britain in order to help secure the entry point to the electoral process.

Individual electoral registration (IER) will be implemented in Great Britain from June 2014. The UK Government have indicated that they will fully fund the transition to individual electoral registration. In 2012 the Government estimated the initial costs of introducing IER to be £85 million in 2014-15, plus subsequent additional costs of £13 million per year.

In 2005 the Commission recommended the introduction of a system of verifiable personal identifiers for postal voting in Great Britain. Since 2006 returning officers have been required to verify the date of birth and signature on a minimum 20% sample of returned postal voting statements against the details provided at the time of application. The Commission continued to recommend that returning officers should verify the personal identifiers on all returned postal voting statements, and legislation passed in 2013 will make this a requirement for elections from May 2014 onwards. The UK Government provided funding to meet the costs of the introduction of this change in 2007.

The Commission published an evaluation of the introduction of absent vote identifiers in England and Wales in July 2007 but this did not include any analysis of the costs of the policy. It did, however, note that the 2007 elections, conducted under the new rules requiring verifiable personal identifiers, resulted in far fewer allegations of postal voting fraud when compared to the previous period, 2004 to 2006. The evaluation can be found on the Commission's website here:

http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/electoral_commission_pdf_file/0008/13202/AVI-Final-For-Web_26954-19967__E__N__S__W__.pdf

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if the Electoral Commission will publish all correspondence it holds on postal ballot fraud. [188022]

Mr Streeter: The Commission informs me that it is unable to fulfil this request on the grounds of the significant costs of searching for and extracting the comprehensive volume of relevant correspondence and published materials required. Much of this correspondence also includes confidential or personal data that would have to be withheld.

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The Commission's final report, “Electoral Fraud in the UK—final report and recommendations”, includes respondents' views on postal vote fraud. This report is available on the Commission's website here:

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/_data/assets/pdf_file/0008/164609/Electoral-fraud-review-final-report.pdf

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what research the Electoral Commission has conducted into the effect of an all-postal ballot election on turnout and voter engagement; and what assessment it has made of the results of that research. [188023]

Mr Streeter: The Commission informs me that it evaluated a number of all-postal voting pilot schemes conducted by English local authorities at local elections between 2002 and 2004, and in four European electoral regions at the June 2004 European parliamentary elections.

The Commission's evaluations noted that all-postal pilots had demonstrated some success in improving voter turnout. For example, at the 2004 European parliamentary elections, turnout in the four UK pilot regions was 42.42%, just over five percentage points higher than the 37.11% in non-pilot regions.

The Commission's evaluations also noted that people valued the convenience and ease of use of postal voting.

The Commission also highlighted the administrative challenges associated with all-postal voting; concerns expressed at the time about the need for improved security in the electoral registration and postal voting processes; and the fact that people valued having a choice about which voting method to use.

The Commission recommended in 2004 that, while postal voting should remain part of the UK voting system, all-postal voting should not be pursued for use at UK statutory elections.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, on what date the Electoral Commission decided to consider restrictions to the handling of postal ballot forms by political parties. [188024]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission's research and submissions from interested groups and individuals raised concerns about the handling of postal vote application forms and postal ballot packs by campaigners. In response, these concerns were reflected in a Commission evidence and issues paper issued in May 2013. The Commission sought views on proposals to restrict the handling of postal vote application forms and postal ballot packs by campaigners during further public consultation between May and August 2013.

The Electoral Commission board approved the final recommendations for the review of electoral fraud vulnerabilities at its meeting on 18 September 2013. Minutes of all Electoral Commission board meetings are published on the Commission's website at:

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/our-work/who-we-are/the-commissioners/commissioner-meetings

The Electoral Commission's proposed changes to its Code of Conduct for Campaigners will be the subject of

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further discussions with hon. Members, as well as political parties, campaigners, Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers in advance of any proposals being introduced. Members of Parliament will be invited and encouraged to respond to a consultation on proposed changes to the Code after the May 2014 elections.

If it is possible to successfully agree changes to the Code of Conduct for Campaigners, the Commission will encourage campaigners to commit to following a revised Code of Conduct for Campaigners for elections after 2014, including the May 2015 UK parliamentary general election.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the consultations with hon. Members concerning restrictions on the handling of postal ballots will start before or after those restrictions have been introduced. [188025]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission intends to discuss its proposed changes to its Code of Conduct for Campaigners with hon. Members, as well as political parties, campaigners, returning officers and electoral registration officers in advance of any proposals being introduced. Members of Parliament will be invited and encouraged to respond to consultation on proposed changes to the code after the May 2014 elections.

If it is possible to successfully agree changes to the Code of Conduct for Campaigners, the Commission will encourage campaigners to commit to following a revised Code of Conduct for Campaigners for elections after 2014, including the May 2015 UK parliamentary general election. It will make public details of which parties and campaigners have agreed to follow the code.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the introduction of individual electoral registration on voter registration in each (a) 10-year cohort from 18 onwards, (b) socio-economic grouping and (c) ethnic grouping. [188020]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that its analysis of the results of the nationwide test of the confirmation process, to be used during transition to individual electoral registration, showed that young people are less likely to be matched with the Department for Work and Pensions database. However, it was not possible to conduct a detailed analysis by 10-year age band as an elector's age is not held on the registers.

There was no evidence that the matching process is less successful for different socio-economic groups or for different ethnic groups.

This dry run of confirmation also means electoral registration officers (EROs) will know where in their area will have lower match rates and where they therefore need to target their efforts in encouraging people to register individually under the new system.

Funding provided by Cabinet Office to EROs as part of the implementation of IER also varies depending on the likely match rates that different areas can expect.

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The Electoral Commission's planning for the introduction of IER has taken account of the Cabinet Office-funded research study: ‘Under-registered Groups and Individual Electoral Registration (June 2012)’ available here:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/62636/URG_Research_Report_25_07_12.pdf

Electoral Register: Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recent discussions the Electoral Commission has had with the Electoral Registration Officer for Denbighshire on what lessons can be drawn from his success in increasing registration in the Vale of Clwyd. [187543]

Mr Streeter: The Commission informs me that it has not had any recent discussions with the Electoral Registration Officer in Denbighshire specifically about increases in registration in the Vale of Clwyd but has received information from the ERO's team about their plans for the transition to individual electoral registration.

This has included the approach taken in Denbighshire to maximising local data matching which has been shared with other EROs in Wales by the Cabinet Office Regional Delivery Manager, and within the Commission so that good practice examples can be shared as part of their targeted work with individual EROs and, where applicable, more widely through their weekly bulletin to electoral administrators.

The Commission sets and monitors performance standards for EROs, which covers the completeness and accuracy of electoral registers. For the last five years, the ERO for Denbighshire has met or exceeded all the relevant performance standards for EROs.

Electoral Register: Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to correct misconceptions held by the public about levels of electoral registration fraud. [187541]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it collects and analyses data from police forces about cases of alleged electoral fraud in the UK each year and ensures that these details are publically available on its website here:

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/electoral-fraud/electoral-fraud-responsibilities

This information, which has consistently shown that allegations or actual incidents of fraud are not widespread, is also proactively shared with the media to encourage accurate reporting. The Commission also monitors the media, and issues statements to rebut incorrect or misleading coverage.

The Commission expects to publish its next report on cases of alleged electoral fraud in 2013 within the next two months.

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the

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Electoral Commission has made of the accuracy and fairness of media coverage of electoral registration fraud. [187542]

Mr Streeter: The Commission informs me that it has made no formal assessment of the accuracy and fairness of media coverage of electoral registration fraud.

The Commission does believe that the media can play an important role in drawing attention to potential incidences of electoral fraud. It has, however, noted in its recent electoral fraud vulnerabilities review that

“poorly-founded media reporting can present a distorted image and, through the sensationalisation of cases, may simply heighten public concern.”

The Commission informs me that its qualitative research undertaken as part of its electoral fraud vulnerabilities review found that the media and second hand information passed on by word of mouth (often based on media stories) were key sources of information for people about electoral fraud. People who thought fraud was a very big or fairly big problem were more likely to have seen stories in the media than those that didn't think it was a problem (49% compared with 32%).

Electoral Register: Northern Ireland

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, columns 391-2W, on electoral register, what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the effectiveness of door-to-door canvassing in improving registration rates in Northern Ireland. [188026]

Mr Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland has advised the Commission that he believed the door-to-door canvassing exercise was effective in registering people to vote and was complemented by data matching.

Altogether, the Chief Electoral Officer reported that 1,241,079 entries were included on the new register published on 2 December 2013. This represents approximately 88.3% of the eligible electorate.

The Electoral Commission supported the door-to-door canvass by conducting a public awareness campaign during the canvass period.

The Commission will be producing a report on the canvass in Northern Ireland in March.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Research

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the creation of new research institutions; and if he will make a statement. [188498]

Mr Willetts [holding answer 24 February 2014]: The Government support a dynamic research environment in the UK, including the creation, where appropriate, of new research institutions. Funding provided through the £300 million UK Research Partnership Investment Fund has supported the establishment of new research institutes, including the ‘National Structural Integrity Research Centre’ at Granta Park and the ‘Energy Safety

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Research Institute’ at Swansea University, as well as other major strategic research partnerships between universities and businesses and charities. The establishment of a new Postgraduate Institute is part of BIS's ambition for strengthening the role of the National Physical Laboratory through its links with academic partners. In addition, BIS has provided strategic support towards the establishment of new research centres and institutes, and campus developments, where these have been prioritised by the Research Councils and address critical areas of new challenges or build on existing areas of strength for the UK, such as the ‘Higgs Institute for Innovation’ at Edinburgh University.

Following the announcement last year of a long-term science capital budget to 2020-21, the Government will shortly publish a science capital consultation. This will inform the content of a Science Capital Roadmap, which is central to the Science and Innovation Strategy to be launched at the autumn statement 2014.

Students: Finance

Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding is allocated to (a) the Student Opportunity Fund and (b) the Access to Learning Fund in 2014-15. [188643]

Mr Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has set out our plans in the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Grant Letter, published on 10 February.

The Student Opportunity Fund is part of the overall Teaching Grant allocated to higher education institutions by HEFCE. It is HEFCE's responsibility to take decisions on precisely how its budgets are allocated.

The Access to Learning Fund is transferring to HEFCE in 2014-15, ensuring money is still available to students facing hardship. HEFCE will provide more details in due course.

Transport

Cycling: Finance

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 525W, on cycling, if he will publish a breakdown of the source of funding for cycling by (a) central Government, (b) local authority and (c) other sources in each of the last eight years; [188062]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 525W, on cycling, how much was spent on cycling by (a) scheme and (b) source of funding by (i) central Government, (ii) local authority and (iii) other sources in each of the last eight years. [188063]

Mr Goodwill [holding answer 24 February 2014]: The breakdown of funding by scheme for this Administration, which all came from central Government sources, is as follows:

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The previous Administration provided Cycling England with £140 million from 2008 to 2011.

In addition, 94 out of 96 Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) projects include cycling as an element in their delivery programmes; these 94 projects receive a total of £535 million of funding. The LSTF has been boosted by a further £178.5 million of funding for 2015-16.

Local authorities in England (outside of London) are also provided with Integrated Transport Block funding for small transport improvement schemes. This includes: road safety schemes, bus priority schemes, and walking and cycling schemes. This funding is not ring-fenced and local authorities are free to spend it as they see fit, according to their own priorities. In line with the policy of localism, we do not require local authorities to detail how this money is distributed across modes.

Similarly, we provide funding to Transport for London (TfL) via the Greater London Authority Transport Grant. This supports TfL's infrastructure investment programme, including the delivery of the Mayor's Vision for Cycling in London. However, we do not record the detail of its specific expenditure on cycling.

Throughout this Administration, some central Government-funded schemes have been supported by local match funding, but we do not collect the detail of the precise sources for this match funding. For those schemes that have received match funding, the total match funding over the lifetime of these projects is:

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Driving: Licences

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the feasibility of issuing non-gender specific driving licences to people who do not identify as a particular gender. [188101]

Stephen Hammond: No assessment has been made as a person's gender is not shown on driving licences.

Driving: Licensing

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average time for processing a driving licence application by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency was in each of the years from 2010. [188396]

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is shown in the following table:

The average time refers to the time taken from the application being received at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to the customer receiving the driving licence. Three days are included in the processing time shown to allow for Royal Mail to deliver the driving licence to the customer.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average time was for issuing vehicle registration marks by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each year from 2010. [188412]

Stephen Hammond: Information about the average time to issue a vehicle registration mark on first registration is unavailable. Registration marks are issued in advance to dealers who use the digital first registration system. Customers are allocated a registration mark when the vehicle is registered.

Customers who purchase a vehicle from a dealer outside the scheme, or register it independently, receive the registration mark when they receive the vehicle registration certificate.

The following table shows the amount of personalised registration applications processed within the published target:

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The lower performance in 2013-14 is due to changes in the way applications are processed and increased transaction volumes. The average time to process these between April and September 2013 was 9.8 days. This has reduced to an average of seven days between September 2013 and January 2014.

In 2013, the DVLA closed its 39 local offices and performance deteriorated between April and September. This is reflected in the performance for 2013-14 shown in the table. Steps have been taken to improve performance and turnaround times are now being reduced.

Parking: Hospitals

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of applications made to the appeals service for parking on private land have related to parking charge notices in hospital car parks; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the issues raised in such applications. [188122]

Mr Goodwill: Information on numbers of parking charge notices issued in hospital car parks is not held centrally. The independent appeals service, Parking on Private Land Appeals (PoPLA), issues an annual report which contains information on overall numbers of parking charge notices issued, and which is available at:

https://www.popla.org.uk/AnnualReport.htm

The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has not had any discussions with the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on issues raised in appeals to PoPLA related to parking in hospital car parks.

Railways: Franchises

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will require new replacement 313 rolling stock for the current Great Northern route as a condition of the new Greater Thameslink franchise; [187853]

(2) what representations he has received on updating 313 rolling stock on the current Great Northern route, including the Hertford Loop; and if he will make a statement. [187868]

Stephen Hammond: The Department held a consultation exercise on the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) franchise in 2012 and published its response to the consultation on 26 September 2013 (Stakeholder Briefing Document and Consultation response). Updating the Class 313 rolling stock on the Great Northern route including the Hertford Loop does not appear in the document as an issue that was raised during the consultation process.

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The Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the TSGN franchise, published on 26 September 2013, does not mandate the introduction of new rolling stock to replace the Class 313 trains on the Great Northern Route. However, Section 5.4.3 of the ITT makes it clear that additional credit would be available to bidders in the evaluation process for bids that

"improve the quality of rolling stock used by the Franchisee... in ways that address identified passenger priorities for improvement".

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from First Capital Connect on compensation from Network Rail in the event of delay as a result of Network Rail infrastructure failings (a) over the Great Northern route and (b) the Hertford Loop; and if he will make a statement. [188028]

Stephen Hammond: First Capital Connect provides its management accounts to the Department on a four-weekly basis, which includes commercial and performance information, although the information provided is not disaggregated to the level requested.

Railways: South West

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funds for rail resilience work in the South West will come from (a) his Department’s existing budget and (b) other sources. [188302]

Stephen Hammond: On 11 February, the Prime Minister confirmed a package of £31 million of funding for resilience works on the Great Western route. £26 million will be paid from Department for Transport funds and £5 million will come from Network Rail's budget.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the timetable is for his Department's review of all rail infrastructure west of Exeter. [188409]

Stephen Hammond: The Department is working with Network Rail and others in the rail industry to assess options to ensure that rail services to the west of England are sustained. A timetable of work will be published in due course.

Recruitment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new posts have been created in his Department since May 2010; and what the cost of recruitment to those posts was. [188189]

Stephen Hammond: The Department's systems do not hold data at a level that allows us to identify which of the posts we have recruited into were new. Additionally the Department does not capture the overall cost of recruitment, only advertising costs (where this applies). Therefore this information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Re-employment

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2014, Official Report, column 2MC, on re-employment, what the job title and salary is of each of the 10 posts filled by individuals re-hired by his Department. [188331]

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Stephen Hammond: On grounds of confidentiality in line with the Data Protection Act we are unable to provide the information requested.

Roads: Litter

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Highways Agency takes to minimise litter on the highways. [188574]

Mr Goodwill: The Highways Agency has launched its first litter strategy, setting out how, with the support of road users, it will reduce litter on England's motorway and trunk road network.

The Agency's aim is to reduce the need to collect litter in the first place, while ensuring it delivers an effective and safe litter picking service.

The new strategy sets out four areas the Agency will work on to reduce the amount of litter on its roads:

encouraging road users and the wider public to not drop litter in the first place;

improving the way it collects litter safely and causing as little disruption as possible;

welcoming and responding to customer feedback about litter; and

working more closely with key partners and stakeholders, including local authorities, motorway service areas, Keep Britain Tidy and the freight and haulage industry.

The document includes case studies of some of the work already done in these areas, such as campaigns using variable message signs, closer working with local authorities and working with traffic commissioners to reduce litter from commercial vehicles.

Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of staff recruited to his Department since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background. [188082]

Stephen Hammond: The following information is for the Department for Transport and its agencies.

The figure shown at (a) is for individuals who have declared themselves to be white. We do not offer a specific white British category.

(a) 26.9%

The figure shown at (b) are for individuals who have declared themselves to be of minority ethnic background.

(b) 2.6%

The figure shown at (c) are for individuals who chose not to disclose this information.

(c) 70.5%.

Tachographs

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average time was for registering and issuing tachograph cards by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each year from 2010. [188413]

Stephen Hammond: The information requested is shown in the following table:

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The average time refers to the time taken from the application being received at the DVLA to the customer receiving the tachograph card. Three days are included in the processing time shown to allow for Royal Mail to deliver the tachograph card to the customer.

Women and Equalities

Females: Public Appointments

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what targets she has set for the representation of women on Government departmental boards. [187508]

Mr Maude: I have been asked to reply on behalf of Cabinet Office.

Appointments to Government departmental boards are guided by the principles set out in the joint HM Treasury and Cabinet Office document ‘Corporate governance in central Government Departments: Code of good practice’, which was published in July 2011, and requires Departments to pay due attention to diversity.

Staff

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what proportion of staff recruited to the Government Equalities Office since 5 May 2010 identified their ethnicity as (a) white British and (b) from a minority ethnic background. [188075]

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Mrs Grant: The information is not held. GEO employees joined the DCMS payroll on 1 June 2013. They were encouraged to declare their status from that date. Under the machinery of government change project, the project board agreed that no diversity and ethnicity data will be transferred from the Home Office to DCMS.

Church Commissioners

Floods

Miss McIntosh: To ask the right hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what work the Church Commissioners are undertaking to support flooded communities and farmers. [188650]

Sir Tony Baldry: Following my comments to the House on 13 February 2014, Official Report, column 1010, the Church Urban Fund has launched a ‘Flood Appeal Fund’. This follows highly successful funds set up in 2000 and the year 2007 where the Church Urban Fund and the Church of England co-ordinated the collection of money to help support flood victims and businesses.

By working alongside the Church of England’s infrastructures the Church Urban Fund is already present in a large number of communities and aims to strengthen existing resource and capacity, to be more effective and sustainable for the long term.

The money raised in this fund will be available to victims of the floods across the country in both urban and rural areas. It is hoped the Church Urban Fund will be able to support those in most need as it did when the last major floods hit the country in 2000 and 2007. The Church Commissioners are also aware that the Dioceses in the south-west of England are supporting locally focused funds which have been set up to provide assistance to the flood-affected families and businesses in the south-west.