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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Treasury

Banks: EU Action

Mr Binley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the current activities of the high level expert group on the structure of the EU banking sector; and if he will make a statement. [166974]

Sajid Javid: The high level expert group published its report on structural reform of the European Banking Sector in October 2012. The Government welcomed the structural reform recommendations of the group, which would require European banks to establish a ring-fence around its trading activities to separate it from its deposit bank. These proposals are compatible with the ring-fencing reforms which the Government are implementing through the Banking Reform Bill. The Government continue to engage with the European Commission in this important area. The European Commission issued its own consultation based on the group’s findings earlier this year and will issue a summary of responses in due course.

Credit

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to ensure greater transparency in credit scoring procedures. [191704]

Sajid Javid: The Government believe effective credit scoring is vital to responsible lending decisions in consumer credit and business lending markets.

All credit reference agencies (CRAs) will be regulated by the FCA from 1 April 2014. CRAs will be subject to the FCA's high-level standards and a number of rules regarding credit reference business which are being carried over from existing legislation and OFT guidance.

The Government have also recently consulted on proposals to require banks to share information on their SME customers with other lenders through CRAs and will provide an update shortly. The proposals are intended to improve the ability of challenger banks and alternative finance providers to conduct accurate SME credit scoring and, by levelling the playing field between providers, make it easier for SMEs to seek a loan from a lender other than their bank.

Financial Markets

Steve Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the remarks made by the president of German regulator Bafin on 17 January 2014 on manipulation of currency rates and prices, if he will direct the Financial Conduct Authority to investigate currency and precious metals markets. [192001]

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Sajid Javid: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is an independent non-governmental body that operates within the statutory framework agreed by Parliament. The Treasury has no general power of direction over the FCA and cannot intervene in its day-to-day operations.

The FCA has, however, confirmed that, along with various authorities around the globe, it is investigating allegations of misconduct and manipulation in foreign exchange markets.

Housing: Prices

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Autumn Statement of 5 December 2013, Official Report, column 1130, what his definition is of stable house prices; and what steps he is taking to achieve such stability. [191150]

Nicky Morgan: Although the Government do not have an explicit target for house prices, it has been clear historically that periods of rapid growth followed by decline have been damaging to the UK's economic and financial stability. That is why the Government have established the independent Financial Policy Committee (FPC) in the Bank of England to ensure that emerging risks and vulnerabilities in the housing market are identified and effectively addressed.

In addition, the Government are making the vital reforms needed to address the long-term structural issues in the housing market in reforming the planning system and increasing the supply of homes. The Government have already committed to invest over £11 billion in housing during this spending review period. Moreover, the number of housing starts increased by 23% between 2012 and 2013.

Non-domestic Rates: Manufacturing Industries

Julie Hilling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what estimate he has made of the number of manufacturing businesses that are currently liable for business rates; [191660]

(2) if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of introducing a business rates holiday for investment in new plant and machinery in 2015-16; [191657]

(3) if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of extending £1,000 retail sector business rates relief to manufacturers. [191661]

Mr Gauke: No estimate has been made by the Treasury of:

the number of manufacturing businesses that are liable for business rates;

the cost of extending the £1,000 retail sector business rates relief to manufacturers; or

introducing a business rates holiday for investment in new plant and machinery in 2015-16.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Consumers: Protection

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department has issued to retailers on the Sale of

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Goods Act 1979 as amended by the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 in respect of decisions on offering a full or partial refund after six months for a faulty good. [192378]

Jenny Willott: The Department published “A Trader's Guide: The Law Relating to the Supply of Goods and Services” in April 2005.

Intelligence Services

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his assessment is of the potential financial and commercial implications for the UK information techology industry of the release of classified material relating to the operation of the intelligence and security services by Edward Snowden; and if he will make a statement. [191824]

Michael Fallon: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear on 16 October 2013, speculation prompted by Edward Snowden's actions has been very damaging to national security.

Mass Media: Competition

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to facilitate the interoperability of electronic media and music between different operating systems to prevent closed markets in this area. [190697]

Jenny Willott: There are no plans to take such steps as consumers have the choice when buying digital media to purchase a tied format or one which can be used on other systems, and there is already increasing interoperability between systems. The market for electronic music and media is a global one and the Government are not able to take unilateral action that would facilitate greater interoperability of systems in the UK.

Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year. [191800]

Jenny Willott: The Department does not own any properties.

Since May 2010 the central Government estate was far larger than required and taxpayers were paying to maintain, run and rent properties which were under-occupied while other parts of the freehold estate remained vacant.

The Government Property Unit has been supporting Departments to rationalise rapidly the Government's estate including by taking a whole of Government view of property. Since May 2010 over £1.25 billion has been raised by selling surplus freehold properties. Through the exiting of property across the central civil estate, we have also delivered cumulative, gross run rate savings of over £454 million per annum.

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Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end, the Government look to explore all disposal options, including commercially sub-letting all or part of the space. Surplus property is listed on gov.uk.

Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end but cannot yet be sold or sub-let commercially, the Space for Growth scheme, run by the Government Property Unit, invites small and medium-sized businesses, charities and social enterprises to utilise this space for free, boosting economic growth. Over 1,500 workstation spaces are now available in 57 different locations around England.

I have approached the chief executives of the Department's executive agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to the right hon. Gentleman directly.

Information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Letter from John Alty, dated 13 March 2014:

I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 12th March 2014 , to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year. (191800)

The Intellectual Property Office an Executive Agency and Trading Fund of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has no vacant property. As such no business rates are being paid for vacant properties.

Letter from Ann Lewis, dated 13 March 2014:

I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 13 March 2014, UIN 191800 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Companies House does not have any empty properties and, therefore, has not needed to make an estimate of this kind.

Letter from Ed Lester, 13 March 2014:

I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12 March 2014 which asked the following:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

Please see the table for the requested information.

I hope that you find this helpful.

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Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 13 March 2014:

As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

Ordnance Survey has had no vacant properties recorded on e-PIMS for the current financial year.

Should you have any further questions, please let me know.

I hope this information is helpful.

Letter from Richard Judge, dated 14 March 2014:

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2013/3169); asking what estimate has been made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by the Department and any executive agencies in the current financial year.

The information supplied relates only to the Insolvency Service.

The Insolvency Service has no vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database.

Letter from John Hirst, dated 14 March 2014:

I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12 March 2014, UIN 191800 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The Met Office owns no vacant properties. There is one vacant property leased by the Met Office recorded on the e-PIMS database. Business rates payable on the premises in 2013-14 are £21,666. The lease on this property expires at the end of 2014 and the premises will be handed back to the landlord at that point.

I hope this helps.

Letter from Peter Mason, dated 14 March 2014:

I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO), an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 12 March 2014, asking for estimated the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS

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database owned by the Department and any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of the Department in the current financial year.

The National Measurement Office (NMO) has no vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database and accordingly the estimate of empty property business rates for NMO is nil for the current financial year.

Letter from Barbara Spicer, dated 17 March 2014:

Thank you for your question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year (191800).

Please be advised that the vacant properties for Skills Funding Agency, recorded on e-PIMS, are the following:

Birmingham (NTI Building), Brighton, Ipswich, Fareham, Coventry (Cheylesmore House North 2 floors).

The business rates paid for these empty premises in 2013/14 were the following:

Birmingham = £178,980

Brighton =£44,745

Ipswich = £60,378

Fareham = £89,019

Coventry = £180,412

I hope this satisfactorily addresses your question. If you have any follow up queries, please let me know.

Letter from David Parker:

Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, to ask what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

The UK Space Agency is an Executive Agency of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and it does not own any properties.

Offshore Wind Investment Organisation

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the chief executive of the Offshore Wind Investment Organisation to be appointed. [192004]

Michael Fallon: The Offshore Wind Investment Organisation already has a strong leadership team in place from industry with a senior industrial expert in post since January 2014 to lead the organisation's strategy, and a chief operating officer in post since September 2013. Discussions are ongoing on the appointment of a permanent industry leader.

Postal Services

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of the potential effect of end-to-end competition in the postal sector on postal workers' pay and terms and conditions of employment; [192236]

(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of other postal operators extending end-to-end services on postal services in rural areas; [192237]

(3) what assessment he has made of the effect on the sustainability of the universal postal service of the plans of other postal operators to extend end-to-end postal services. [192238]

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Jenny Willott: It is Ofcom's responsibility as the independent regulator for postal services in the UK to monitor any impacts of market competition on the provision of the universal service in the UK. Parliament has given Ofcom the powers to intervene if the provision of the universal service is ever at serious risk from the effects of postal competition.

Ofcom has an effective and ongoing monitoring regime to track the financial sustainability of the universal postal service. In March 2013 Ofcom published guidance on its approach to assessing the impact of end-to-end competition in the postal sector. In its November 2013 annual monitoring report Ofcom considered

“it is not necessary to impose any additional regulatory conditions on end-to-end operators to secure the ongoing provision of a universal postal service at this point in time”.

If Ofcom's ongoing monitoring regime does not prompt the need for any earlier assessment, it will carry out a full review of the impact of market competition towards the end of 2015 as a matter of course. This will ensure that the regulator has made a detailed assessment of the actual and potential impact of emerging end-to-end competition based on a better understanding of how the postal market is developing. More information about Ofcom's regulatory regime can be found on its website

www.ofcom.org.uk

Any questions or concerns relating to postal workers' pay and terms and conditions of employment are the operational responsibility of Royal Mail and should therefore be raised direct with Royal Mail's management.

Public Sector: Food

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2014, Official Report, columns 170-1W, on public sector: food, how much funding is provided by his Department to strengthen supply chains. [191715]

Michael Fallon: BIS is responsible for two main streams of dedicated funding for strengthening supply chains: the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) and the Manufacturing Advisory Service.

AMSCI is a £245 million Government supply chain fund with four active national rounds and a regional scheme. For the latest round, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), announced on 4 March 2014 that nine projects will receive £129 million of support: £53 million of Government funding is leveraging in more than £75 million of private money. The projects will directly create 1,369 jobs and safeguard a further 2,525. At least 57 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are involved in the successful consortiums. A wide range of key sectors from the Government's industrial strategy are represented, including automotive, construction, information economy and life sciences.

This latest round also includes a project in the food and drink manufacturing sector; Crown Packaging Limited, based in Didcot and Wantage (Oxfordshire), will be receiving a grant of £1.9 million as part of a £3.8 million project it is leading with partners in West Yorkshire and Carlisle. This project will develop a new and innovative metal can manufacturing process, creating up to 32 permanent jobs and safeguarding 267 jobs.

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The Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) contract is worth £59.3 million from January 2012 to March 2015, with £7 million earmarked for supply chain initiatives. Since January 2012, MAS has helped around 1,200 food and drink manufacturing firms in England.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, what the date and location of each Share Fair event that has taken place to date were; and how many companies attended each such event. [192015]

Michael Fallon: The trade association RenewableUK has organised two offshore wind Share Fair events. The first was held on 13 June 2013 at the RenewableUK offshore wind conference in Manchester, where ScottishPower Renewables, Statoil and Dong Energy made presentations. The second was held on 5 November 2013 at the RenewableUK annual conference in Birmingham, where Siemens, RWE and E.ON made presentations. Over the two events, there were over 400 attendees, representing over 200 organisations.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made in providing an assessment of future markets for individual elements of an offshore wind farm. [192016]

Michael Fallon: The trade association RenewableUK, as one of the partners in the Manufacturing Advisory Service GROW: Offshore Wind programme, has put in place a database which holds information on the potential future market for individual elements of an offshore wind farm. The information on the database is being used by GROW: Offshore Wind programme advisers in order to provide relevant information and advice to the companies being supported by the programme. In addition, a report for The Crown Estate, “Offshore Wind: A 2013 supply chain health check”, published in November 2013, provides information on the capacity of the industry to meet market demand across Europe for each sub-element of the supply chain.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on the engagement plan for the communication of benefits of offshore renewable energy across Europe and globally through Norstec and promotion of local benefits through the Cities for Offshore Renewable Engineering. [192017]

Michael Fallon: Norstec is leading on the development of an engagement strategy for offshore wind across Europe and globally. It will be launching a public-facing campaign in the first half of this year using industry ambassadors to communicate the benefits of offshore wind prior to Global Wind Day in June 2014. A representative from the Centres for Offshore Renewable Engineering (CORE) will join Norstec meetings to support the development of the engagement strategy and Global

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Wind Day. This partnership between Norstec and the CORE will encourage a local perspective on the benefits that can be derived from offshore renewable energy.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, how much of the £19.9 million from the Regional Growth Fund to deliver the MAS Offshore Wind Supply Chain has been used to date; and if he will make a statement. [192018]

Michael Fallon: The Regional Growth Fund grant for the Manufacturing Advisory Service GROW: Offshore Wind programme totals £19.9 million. The scheme launched in August 2013 and will run until May 2015, aiming to work directly with the supply chain in England and offer funding and advice to improve its competitiveness. Between the scheme launch and end December 2013, it spent approximately £2 million on interventions and support for small businesses looking to work in the offshore wind sector.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy (OWIS), what progress he has made on ensuring the Offshore Wind Investment Organisation is operational; if he will list activities of the organisation since its launch in the OWIS; and if he will make a statement. [192019]

Michael Fallon: The Offshore Wind Investment Organisation (OWIO) has been operational since September 2013 and has recruited eight employees including four senior specialists from industry. OWIO has developed a strategy focusing on priority opportunities for building the UK's offshore wind supply chain, and is working with companies to support their delivery. The organisation works closely with this department, the Department of Energy and Climate Change and UK Trade & Investment's network of overseas posts.

The team has engaged with around 100 companies in the offshore wind sector and had detailed discussions on the supply chain with around 20 developers and suppliers. The team organised an oversubscribed side event at the November 2013 European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) conference in Frankfurt and participated in key events for the industry including the Franco-British Offshore Wind Energy event, Wind Energy Asia in Korea, and the EWEA conference in Barcelona.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on a supply chain analysis in the offshore wind industry. [192020]

Michael Fallon: As per the commitment in the UK's Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, an analysis of the UK supply chain for offshore wind has been undertaken and was published on 6 February 2014 in a report entitled “UK Offshore Wind Supply Chain: Capabilities and Opportunities”. The analysis, produced by BVG Associates, assessed the extent of industrial capability in the UK offshore wind supply chain and estimated the size of the UK opportunity in each major component of the offshore wind supply chain.

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Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, what export opportunities have (a) been identified and (b) materialised into export sales for UK-based companies operating in the offshore wind industry through the high value opportunities programme. [192021]

Michael Fallon: UK Trade & investment has identified export opportunities in China, Taiwan and Northern Europe through the high value opportunities programme. To date UK companies have achieved export sales in excess of £1.4 million.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on expanding the scope of the Offshore Wind Manufacturing Funding scheme for England. [192022]

Gregory Barker: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

As announced in the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, we expanded the Offshore Wind Manufacturing Funding scheme to allow ports/ landowners at coastal locations in assisted areas of England to apply on their own, with the strict condition that major manufacturing needed to be secured at the site. This approach was developed to enable ports/landowners that were in advanced negotiations with manufacturers to demonstrate the level of public support potentially available as part of the overall package they were presenting in respect of their site.

The scheme closed to new applicants on the 15 October 2013. Owing to the confidential nature of commercial negotiations we cannot comment on the status of potential applications to the scheme. We are in discussions with a number of companies interested in investing in the UK.

Under the Grant for Business Investment scheme, information on grant offers for sums greater than £75,000 is normally published following the payment of the first instalment of the grant, including the name and location of the recipient of the grant and the size of the grant offered.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the Offshore Wind Industrial Strategy, what projects in offshore wind have received investment from the Green Investment Bank; and what the value of that investment is for each such project. [192023]

Michael Fallon: Three offshore wind projects have received investment from the UK Green Investment Bank (GIB). The first, in December 2012, was Walney Wind Farm, which received £46 million of its total £224 million investment from the GIB. The second, in March 2013, was Rhyl Flats, which received £57 million of its £115 million funding from the GIB. Finally, the London Array wind farm received £59 million of GIB investment in October 2013.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Denton

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made towards bringing the standard of air

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quality in those parts of Denton and Reddish constituency designated as an air quality management area to within the guideline limits. [192137]

Dan Rogerson: Tameside and Stockport local authorities have designated air quality management areas within the Denton and Reddish constituency. They have introduced a range of measures, focusing particularly on transport, to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NO2). These include measures to reduce congestion and promote sustainable transport, which have helped to control NO2 levels. NO2 is the main pollutant of concern and is a challenging pollutant for the majority of local authorities. DEFRA is working with local authorities to better understand the evidence available and to improve air quality to within the guideline limits.

Nature Conservation

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department takes in ensuring that CITES-listed animals have their welfare needs met from when they are prepared and shipped for (a) import to and (b) export from the UK. [191705]

George Eustice: CITES requires that the transport of all live animals must be in compliance with the CITES guidelines for Transport and Preparation for Shipment of Live Wild Animals or, in the case of air transport, the Live Animals Regulations published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). In essence, transportation should be well planned, well prepared and effectively performed. Animals should never be transported in a way likely to cause them unnecessary fear, injury, damage to health or undue suffering. These requirements are drawn to the attention of all applicants seeking the relevant permits for the shipment of CITES- listed animals on the application forms. Signature by the applicant accepts compliance with these requirements and applies equally to imports and exports.

Live animals imported from countries outside the EU are imported into the UK through a designated Border Inspection Post. In the case of exports from the UK, where a permit is required, official veterinary surgeons (private veterinary practitioners specifically trained and appointed for the purpose) inspect and certify that the animals presented are fit to transport.

Sewers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent progress has been made between his Department, Ofwat and the water industry on appropriate risk-based standards for public sewerage systems. [189795]

Dan Rogerson: When implemented, section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 will mean new sewers from new properties in England will be owned and maintained by the appropriate water and sewerage company. The legislation also requires standards for the construction of new sewers to be published by the Minister.

Water UK and representatives of property developers are currently working through the remaining issues that must be finalised prior to implementation, and will be providing DEFRA with recommendations in April 2014.

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United Utilities Water

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the leakage rate for the United Utilities Water Company was in the latest period for which figures are available; and what change there has been in that rate in the last five years. [192140]

Dan Rogerson: Companies must publish information on their total leakage each year on their websites. Water companies should operate at the Sustainable Economic Level of Leakage, which is the level of leakage that gives consumers the best value for money. Ofwat has set annual leakage reduction targets for each company through to 2015 and will take action if companies fail to deliver.

In 2013-14 United Utilities was set a target of 464 megalitres per day. It lost an average of 457 megalitres of water per day. By comparison, in 2008-09 United Utilities lost an average 462 megalitres per day.

Communities and Local Government

Homelessness

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department has given to each (a) local authority and (b) other organisation to deliver the Gold Standard homelessness initiative. [191532]

Kris Hopkins [holding answer 17 March 2014]:We have invested £1.7 million into the Homelessness Gold Standard to help local authorities to deliver effective and cost-efficient homelessness prevention services.

The scheme is delivered by the National Practitioner Support Service, a team of local authority practitioners based in Winchester city council, with technical support and training provided by the National Homelessness Advice Service (Shelter). Funding breakdown for 2012-13 and 2013-14 is as follows:

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the National Housing Advice Service will continue to deliver the Homelessness Gold Standard in 2014-15. [192075]

Kris Hopkins: The £1.7 million Homelessness Gold Standard supports local authorities to deliver effective and cost-efficient homelessness prevention services. It is delivered by the National Practitioner Support Service,

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a team of local authority practitioners seconded to Winchester city council, with technical support and training provided by the National Homelessness Advice Service (Shelter).

A decision on further funding for the Gold Standard will be made in due course.

Housing: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the benefits of self-help housing schemes for Newcastle upon Tyne's housing stock. [191644]

Kris Hopkins [holding answer 17 March 2014]:There is growing interest in self-build housing, which has many advantages. It can be an affordable route to home ownership, providing home owners with the opportunity to own a bespoke and sustainably designed high-quality home. It also creates significant opportunities for smaller and medium-sized home builders.

The Government support individuals and communities who want to build their own homes. This includes identifying 12 sites for self-build as part of our surplus public sector land disposal programme; making £30 million available through our Custom Build Homes fund to provide short-term project finance for group (multi-unit) self-build projects and introducing an exemption for self-builders from the Community Infrastructure Levy. We will also shortly be consulting on removing small-scale housing projects from having to pay costly section 106 obligations.

The National Planning Policy Framework asks local authorities to assess the demand for people who wish to build their own homes and make provision for this in their development plans. The Government's recently published Planning Practice Guidance provides advice on this.

Planning Permission

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what help he gives to community groups to finalise their neighbourhood plans and to protect them from legal appeal by developers where there is no local plan yet in place for their area. [192049]

Nick Boles: We have put in place a £10.5 million support programme of direct support, grants and tools to help communities produce their neighbourhood plans.

Plans set the framework in which decisions on particular applications are taken locally. We have put plans at the heart of the planning system through our reforms in the Localism Act and National Planning Policy Framework. Over 960 communities have applied for a neighbourhood area to be designated, the first step in neighbourhood planning and three-quarters of councils have now published a local plan compared to only a third when this Government came to office.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clearly that plans may gain weight in planning decisions before they are formally adopted or made. We have now set out in planning guidance where circumstances may justify the refusal of planning permission on grounds that an application would be premature in relation to the emerging local or neighbourhood plan.

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Planning Permission: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of planning applications to build on sites in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) Tameside metropolitan borough and (c) Stockport metropolitan borough involved building on designated green belt land in the last period for which figures are available. [192153]

Nick Boles: Information on the proportion of planning applications which are on sites in the green belt is not centrally available.

Culture, Media and Sport

Tourism: Floods

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will estimate the cost of recent flooding to the leisure parks, piers and attractions sector. [192206]

Mrs Grant: We have not made an estimate of the costs of the recent flooding and storms to the leisure parks, piers and attractions sector, as any cost would also need to include potential impacts on business into the summer.

VisitEngland's February survey of 869 tourism businesses in affected areas included 75 responses from businesses in the attractions sector. Although 75 is a small sample, the survey showed that 59% of these attractions businesses advised that they had received fewer visitors than normal for the time of year, with 12% saying they had received fewer forward bookings than normal for the time of year and 16% advising that visitors had cancelled previously booked trips. It also suggested that 51% of attractions businesses in these areas had confirmed that flooding had caused damage to their business, with only 9% saying that their business hadn't been affected in any way.

The £2 million package of support for tourism businesses in flood-affected areas announced on 1 March will deliver practical help and advice on the ground, as well as a focused marketing campaign to help boost trade for Easter and early summer, which was launched on 17 March.

UN Commission on the Status of Women

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her objectives are for the UN Commission on the Status of Women. [192216]

Mrs Grant: Our objectives at the 58th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women are to:

(i) Achieve strong agreed conclusions on lessons learnt from the MDGs and the need to retain a standalone goal on empowering girls and women and achieving gender equality, mainstreaming gender throughout, and data disaggregation by sex and age, to guide and inform the post-2015 framework;

(ii) In the run-up to the 58th session, build a positive negotiation climate in relation to the priority theme and the post-2015 framework;

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(iii) Enhance the UK's reputation as an international leader on advancing the rights of girls and women ; and,

(iv) Promote and showcase the UK's initiatives to achieve gender equality.

Home Department

Counter-terrorism

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice on counter-terrorism issues. [191875]

James Brokenshire: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), is regularly briefed on Northern Ireland Related Terrorism and counter-terrorism issues and has meetings with officials and Ministers, including the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice, to discuss a range of related matters. Details of these meetings cannot be disclosed.

Crime: Nature Conservation

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to ensure that police forces create wildlife crime officer posts; and if she will make a statement. [192200]

Damian Green: In order for police and crime commissioners to ensure that forces’ priorities across England and Wales better reflect those of the communities they serve, it is important that individual police forces have the flexibility to deploy their resources, including those on wildlife crime, without interference from central Government.

Alongside individual police force activity, where wildlife crime is sufficiently serious, organised or complex, the National Crime Agency will ensure that partners across the law enforcement community benefit from its co-ordination, tasking and intelligence arrangements, as well as being able to access its specialist capabilities, as appropriate.

Cybercrime

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment she has made of the vulnerability of the UK to a terrorist cyber-attack; and if she will make a statement; [191819]

(2) what assessment she has made of the likelihood of a terrorist cyber-attack on the UK; and if she will make a statement. [191820]

James Brokenshire: The Government's strategy for countering terrorism, including the use of the internet by terrorists to carry out cyber-attacks against the UK, is set out in ‘CONTEST’, which was published in July 2011. The likelihood of a terrorist attack on the UK, in all of its manifestations, is kept under close review. The

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threat from international terrorism, regardless of the methodology employed, is currently assessed as ‘Substantial’, meaning that an attack is a strong possibility.

The Cyber Security Strategy, published in November 2011, sets out how the UK will support economic prosperity and protect national security by building a digital environment which is more resilient to cyber-attack, irrespective of whether the threat is posed by terrorists, criminals or state actors. To deliver the strategy, we have put in place the National Cyber Security Programme, which is backed up by £860 million of Government investment to 2016.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with which countries the EU is acting as a legal personality currently negotiating co-operation agreements in the field of justice and home affairs. [191745]

James Brokenshire [holding answer 14 March 2014]: In the areas for which the Home Office is responsible, the EU is currently negotiating cooperation agreements in the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) field as a legal personality with the following countries:

Algeria (EU Readmission Agreement),

Belarus (EU Readmission Agreement and Visa Facilitation Agreement),

Canada (Agreement on the exchange of Passenger Name Records),

China (EU Readmission Agreement),

Iceland (Agreements allowing participation in the EU's IT Agency (eu-LISA) and in the European Asylum Support Office),

Liechtenstein (Agreements allowing participation in the EU's IT Agency (eu-LISA) and in the European Asylum Support Office),

Morocco (EU Readmission Agreement and Visa Facilitation Agreement),

Norway (Agreements allowing participation in the EU's IT Agency (eu-LISA) and in the European Asylum Support Office),

Switzerland (Agreements allowing participation in the EU's IT Agency (eu-LISA) and in the European Asylum Support Office).

The UK will not be bound by the Visa Facilitation Agreements as they build on the borders and immigration aspects of the Schengen system, in which we do not participate.

Female Genital Mutilation

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if she will set out how the (a) existence and (b) risk of female genital mutilation to applicants for asylum in the UK is treated under the immigration rules; [191369]

(2) how many requests for asylum in the UK cited female genital mutilation as a factor in the asylum application in each year for which figures are available; and how many such applications were (a) accepted and (b) refused. [191370]

James Brokenshire: An individual who claims that she would, on return to her home country, suffer female genital mutilation may qualify for refugee status if she is able to demonstrate that her fear of return is well-founded. Factors that are taken into account when assessing the

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risk include evidence that female genital mutilation is knowingly tolerated by the authorities or that the authorities are unable or unwilling to offer effective protection. The UK does not seek to remove individuals who face a real risk of persecution on return.

Asylum decision-makers consider claims for international protection carefully and sensitively and ensure that all evidence relating to an individual's claim is taken into account. Each claim is considered on its own merits in the light of country-of-origin information and guidance. Specific guidance and training on gender-specific issues, including the risk of female genital mutilation, is provided to decision-makers.

Information on the basis of claim for asylum is not centrally recorded, and the information requested in the right hon. Gentleman's second question could only be obtained through a manual search of individual case files. This would exceed the cost limit.

Human Trafficking

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 481W, on human trafficking: Victim Support Scheme, how many of the (a) 270 males and (b) 62 females referred to the Salvation Army since 1 July 2011 were provided shelter and assistance during a reflection and recovery period. [185645]

Damian Green: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Further to my answer of 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 481W, 49 females and 237 males were provided with shelter and assistance during their recovery and reflection period between July 2011 and December 2012. Provision of shelter and assistance was made where the individuals were referred to the Salvation Army and where they gave their consent to receive this support.

Immigration: Fees and Charges

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will introduce a pre-consideration eligibility test for visas and immigration applications where the associated fees exceed £500. [191740]

James Brokenshire: The Home Office makes certain checks before considering an application, such as ensuring that an applicant's biometric information has been recorded and the correct fee has been paid. Eligibility checks form part of the consideration of an application. It is the responsibility of people applying to enter or remain in the UK to ensure that they meet the requirements of the immigration rules, or other relevant legislation.

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much revenue the UK Visas and Immigration Service received from application fees where the application is not processed due to reasons of eligibility in each of the last three years; [191741]

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(2) what the administrative costs associated with visa and immigration applications received by the UK Visas and Immigration Service which are not processed due to reasons of eligibility were in each of the last three years. [191742]

James Brokenshire: The information is as follows.

In-Country Applications:

No pre-eligibility assessment is made on application. An application is processed through to a determination, whether that is a rejection for incorrect/fee application form; in these instances a refund is made.

Applications are fully case worked to other conclusions, such as refusal and grant. Therefore, we can state that there is no associated income, or expenditure related to eligibility assessments.

Overseas Applications:

The immigration rules do not contain any pre-assessment eligibility criteria. The only circumstance in which an application is not processed is if no work has been done on it, before biometrics have been taken. In these circumstances the applicant will be refunded the visa fee. Therefore there is no cost or income associated with applications that have not been processed.

Intelligence Services

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change in spending there has been in the security and intelligence agencies in the last three years. [191873]

James Brokenshire: Information on Government spending can be found at:

www.gov.uk.

The Spending Round 2010 set out the planned expenditure for all Government Departments, including the security and intelligence agencies, from 2010 to 2015.

Total spending for these Departments is provided in the security and intelligence agencies financial statement 2012-13, which can be found at:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/246792/0027.pdf

This shows total spend in 2010-11 was £1,928,312,000; £1,986,652,000 in 2011-12; and £2,028,365,000 in 2012-13.

Police: Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) managerial, (b) clerical and (c) operational Metropolitan Police staff in Enfield were paid more than (i) £42,000, (ii) £69,000 and (iii) £100,000 in the last year for which figures are available. [192256]

Damian Green: The Home Office does not hold this information.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2014, Official Report, column 292W, on unmanned air vehicles, whether any policies of her Department are

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developed or monitored through use of data collected by remotely-piloted aircraft systems not directly employed by her Department. [191664]

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not use data collected from Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) to monitor or develop policies regardless of whether the RPAS is directly employed by the Department or not.

Cabinet Office

Employment: Brigg

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in Brigg and Goole constituency no longer claim unemployment benefit as a result of gaining employment in 2013. [192280]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Brigg and Goole constituency no long claim unemployment benefit as a result of gaining employment in 2013. (192280)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles data on the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), the main unemployment related benefit, from the JobcentrePlus Administrative System.

It is not possible to provide data on the number of people who have ceased claiming JSA. As an alternative we have provided data on the total number of claims that have ceased during 2013 which will include multiple instances for some individuals over the year.

The reason for moving off JSA is not known for over 40% of UK cases and in many of these cases the claimant will have moved into employment. Of the 4,830 claims in Brigg and Goole constituency that ended during 2013, 2,476 were for the reason of “found work” but this will be an underestimate of the total number of moves into employment.

National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year. [191802]

Mr Maude: At the time of the last general election the central Government estate was far larger than required and taxpayers were paying to maintain, run and rent properties which were under-occupied while other parts of the freehold estate remained vacant.

The Government Property Unit has been supporting Departments to rationalise rapidly the Government's estate including by taking a whole of Government view

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of property. Since the 2010 general election over £1.25 billion has been raised by selling surplus freehold properties. Through the exiting of property across the central civil estate, we have also delivered cumulative, gross run rate savings of over £454 million per annum.

Where surplus property is awaiting disposal or lease end, the Government look to explore all disposal options, including commercially sub-letting all or part of the space. Surplus property is listed on:

www.gov.uk

There is no liability at taxpayers' expense for business rates on any vacant Cabinet Office properties in the current financial year.

Lone Parents: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of children being cared for by a single parent in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber. [192279]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the number of children being cared for by a single parent in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber. (192279)

The number of dependent children living in lone parent families in different areas of the UK can be estimated using the Annual Population Survey. Dependent children are those living with their parent(s) and either (a) aged under 16, or (b) aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, excluding children aged 16 to 18 who have a spouse, partner or child living in the household. In 2012, an estimated 2,000 dependent children were living in a lone parent family in Brigg and Goole constituency and 265,000 in Yorkshire and The Humber.

As with any sample survey, estimates from the Annual Population Survey are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Statistics

Katy Clark: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will take steps to ensure that all statistics identified as high impact outputs with less widespread support by the Office for National Statistics in its consultation on statistical products 2013 will continue to be funded for 2014-15. [191818]

Mr Hurd: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 17 March 2014, Official Report, column 470W.

Sugar

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much sugar was purchased for No. 10 Downing Street in 2013. [192416]

Mr Maude: The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

This information is not held.

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Unemployment: Clwyd

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobseekers over the age of (a) 50 and (b) 60 years in Vale of Clwyd constituency. [192078]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobseekers over the age of (a) 50 and (b) 60 in Vale of Clwyd constituency. (192078)

For this question Jobseekers has been interpreted as those claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) which covers about half of those considered to be unemployed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles data on the number of people claiming JSA from the JobcentrePlus Administrative System.

The table shows the number of people aged 50 to 59, 60 and over and 50 and over who were claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in January 2014 resident in the requested parliamentary constituency.

National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk.

Energy and Climate Change

Environment Protection: Taxation

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the European Commission has reached a conclusion in its consideration of the state aid case for the compensation scheme for the carbon floor price. [191709]

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave on 17 March 2014, Official Report, column 419W.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what value-for-money audit procedure will apply the parent body organisation contracts planned for (a) Magnox Limited and (b) Research Sites Restoration Limited. [191939]

Michael Fallon: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will put in place a Benefits Realisation Plan to monitor the delivery of value for money. This will be subject to internal audit, and to external audit by the National Audit Office.

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Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what aspects of the proposed parent body organisation contracts planned for (a) Magnox Limited and (b) Research Sites Restoration Limited will be covered by commercial confidentiality restrictions on disclosure; and for what reasons each such aspect will be so covered. [191940]

Michael Fallon: It is the NDA's standard practice to publish redacted versions of its principal contracts, including contracts with the site licence companies (SLCs) and parent body organisations on its website, and it will do so in this case at an appropriate point after the award of the contracts. The draft contracts, used as a basis for the invitation to submit final tenders, are not commercially confidential and are available on request from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. These drafts cover the arrangements between the NDA and the contractor concerning confidentiality once the contact is placed. The contents of the winning bid will remain confidential until the contract is awarded.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total expected value is of the parent body contracts to be awarded to (a) Magnox Limited and (b) Research Sites Restoration Limited; and what the basis for valuing each contract was. [192039]

Michael Fallon: The work that is subject to the Magnox and Research Sites Restoration Ltd competition is valued at between £6 billion and £7 billion. The winning bidder will be selected on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender.

Offshore Industry

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the economic viability of oil and gas extraction from the UK continental shelf in the next decade. [191720]

Michael Fallon: Sir Ian Wood's review of the UK continental shelf identified the potential prize for properly managing the UKCS, a range of 12 to 24 billion barrel of oil equivalent that could yet be recovered from the North sea, which is consistent with DECC estimates. Government and industry need to work hard together to secure future economic benefits for the UK, which will go well beyond the next decade. The Government support Sir Ian's view, and will publish a fuller formal response later in the spring.

Full details of our current estimates relating to UK continental shelf reserves and economic recovery can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/oil-and-gas-uk-field-data

Wales

Trade Union Officials

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in those years. [190695]

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Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office is not a direct employer and all trade union services are provided through the Ministry of Justice. No staff at the Wales Office have undertaken trade union activities.

Trident

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on relocating Trident to the Cleddau in the event of Scottish independence. [191694]

Mr David Jones: I have not received any official representations from the Welsh Government regarding the basing of the nuclear deterrent fleet in Wales. The UK Government are not making plans for Scottish independence or to move the nuclear deterrent or other submarines from Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde. The UK Government's position is clear: Scotland benefits from being part of the UK and the UK benefits from having Scotland within it.

Health

Care Bill (HL)

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 11 March 2014, Official Report, column 267, on Care Bill, whether the chair of the committee looking at draft guidance on Clause 119 of the Bill will be remunerated. [191716]

Jane Ellison: The role of the right hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Paul Burstow), in chairing a committee to consider specific aspects of the statutory guidance for Trust Special Administrators will be unpaid.

Cystic Fibrosis

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of psychological support available to people with cystic fibrosis after lung transplantation. [192192]

Jane Ellison: The Department is aware that the Cystic Fibrosis Trust published a report on Monday 10 March 2014, “Hope for all: Improving lung transplantation for people with cystic fibrosis”, which sets out 13 recommendations around organ donation and transplantations for people living with cystic fibrosis. The report covered pre and-post lung transplant standards for care, including psychosocial support.

Decisions about psychosocial support are a matter for clinicians and commissioners when drawing up the provision of care services for cystic fibrosis patients. NHS Blood and Transplant is continuing to work with transplant centres to consider practical steps within the current system which could improve patient outcomes. It continues to review the current allocation process and work with international organisations to share learning to improve processes.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current arrangements for donor lung allocation for people with cystic fibrosis. [192193]

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Jane Ellison: The current lung allocation system, including those to cystic fibrosis patients, is monitored closely to ensure there is equity for patients across the United Kingdom. The most recent analysis showed no statistically significant differences in allocation across the UK lung transplant centres. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) continue to consider practical steps within the current allocation system which could improve patient outcomes.

Lung allocation policy is developed by the Cardiothoracic Organs Advisory Group. It is presently reviewing the current approach focusing on equity and better outcomes for patients. Any recommendations to change allocation policy will be considered by NHSBT, which will check to ensure that they meet the aims of the allocation system and that they have the support of transplant stakeholders before making any changes.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the report by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust entitled Hope for more: Improving access to lung transplantation and care for people with cystic fibrosis; what estimate his Department has made of the donor lung utilisation rate for transplantation; and what measures his Department has identified as having the greatest potential to increase that rate. [192234]

Jane Ellison: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), the organ donation organisation for the United Kingdom, was involved in the development of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust report and welcome all initiatives to increase organ donation and improve outcomes for patients in need of a transplant.

At present, NHSBT allocates donated deceased lungs to designated transplant centres on a zonal basis, and the centre is responsible for selecting the patient. The transplant surgeon will assess both the donor lungs and potential recipients to find the best match. Assessing donor lungs and selecting the most appropriate recipient is complex and dependent on clinical factors and requires detailed knowledge of the recipient.

Between 2008 and April 2013, donation in the UK increased by 50.3% and transplant rates by 30%. Donor rates continue to rise. A new seven-year UK-wide organ donation and transplantation strategy, “Taking organ transplantation to 2020”, was published by NHSBT on 11 July 2013. The strategy will focus on increasing consent rates and giving many more people the opportunity of receiving a transplant.

NHSBT is continuing to work with transplant centres to consider practical steps within the current system which could improve patient outcomes. It continues to review the current allocation process and work with international organisations to share learning to improve processes.

Electronic Cigarettes

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will discuss with the e-cigarette industry ways of ensuring better consumer safety through the testing of e-cigarette liquids; [192212]

(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that the supply chain of those e-cigarettes which are regulated as consumer products is being adequately monitored. [192213]

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Jane Ellison: The revised European Union Tobacco Products Directive will subject electronic cigarettes to consumer products legislation, unless they fall under the definition of a medicinal product. It further establishes new rules for the safety, quality, ingredients and presentation of consumer electronic cigarettes, as well as refill mechanisms. There will also be closer monitoring of market developments by EU member states and the European Commission.

The revised directive requires the European Commission to develop a common notification format and technical standard for electronic cigarettes. The United Kingdom Government will work with the Commission on the development of the notification and any associated testing requirements.

On publication of the revised directive, the UK Government will have two years to transpose it into domestic legislation and will consult key stakeholders, including the e-cigarette industry, during that period.

Information Centre for Health and Social Care

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) outside earnings from use of data, (b) third-party payment of staffing costs and (c) other funding sources of the operations and staffing of the Health and Social Care Information Centre are. [191540]

Dr Poulter [holding answer 17 March 2014]: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has provided the following information.

The total expected income from use of data is expected to be £991,000 in 2013-14. This figure relates only to the provision of direct “data” services, mainly Hospital Extraction Service extracts, data linkage, and research tracking services to third-party customers.

HSCIC provides a range of other services to third- party customers. The total income for this is expected to be £4,760,000, the largest element of which is the clinical audit service with expected income of £1,960,000. The remaining £2,800,000 relates to income from all other services HSCIC provides to third-party customers, which are a mixture of system developments, training and programme management. HSCIC does not hold centrally the breakdown of costs between staff and other costs for these activities.

HSCIC is commissioned by the Department, NHS England and other health bodies for a range of other services. Of HSCIC's other income totalling £7,983,000, the total income from third parties is £5,751,000 (£991,000 and £4,760,000). The remaining £2,232,000 of ‘other income' outlined in the table comes from other Government bodies including the Office for National Statistics, NHS Trusts and arm's length bodies.

The approximate total funding for 2013-14 is as follows:

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HSCIC does not profit from the sale of data but can cover only the costs of processing the request. Where HSCIC provides a service in the market it follows the Managing Public Money Guidance.

National Institute for Health Research

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what budget was allocated to the National Institute for Health Research in each of the last three years; and how much of that budget was spent in each such year. [191967]

Dr Poulter: The Department's revenue allocations for research and development are shown in the following table:

These allocations fund the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Department's Policy Research Programme (PRP). NIHR and PRP revenue expenditure is shown in the following table:

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the National Midwifery Council on its membership costs and their impact on recruitment and retention in the profession. [192073]

Dr Poulter: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is an independent body and it is therefore for the NMC Council to determine the level of the annual fee it charges for registration. On 26 March 2014, the NMC Council is due to review the level of this fee, but no decision has been made at present. Any proposed increase would be subject to consultation where the NMC's case would be scrutinised.

Ministers keep the issue of professional regulation under regular review and the Department has frequent contact with professional regulators, including the NMC. Most recently I, in my role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, met representatives of the NMC on 12 March 2014. At this meeting, the NMC informed me as to its process for considering its registration fee.

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Scarlet Fever

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Minister of Health to discuss the recent rise in the incidence of scarlet fever in England and its implications for Northern Ireland. [191885]

Jane Ellison: There are no plans at present to hold specific discussions about scarlet fever with the Northern Ireland Minister for Health. However, Public Health England will continue to keep colleagues in the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland updated on the situation in England through its weekly national tele- conference, to which all devolved Administrations are invited participants. Public Health England can also

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provide further expert advice and support through its national Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control team in Colindale if required.

Transport

Bus Services: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bus operators in Greater Manchester have been reported to the Transport Commissioner in each year since 2005; and how many bus operators lost their operational licence as a result of subsequent investigations in each such year. [192139]

Stephen Hammond: The numbers in the following table refer to public service vehicle (PSV) operators in the north-west traffic area because statistics are not collated specifically for Greater Manchester.

Driver and Vehicle Agency: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many employees of the Driver and Vehicle Agency in Northern Ireland have been employed there for (a) five years or fewer, (b) six to 10 years, (c) 11 to 15 years, (d) 16 to 20 years and (e) more than 20 years; [192125]

(2) how many employees of the Driver and Vehicle Agency in Northern Ireland are (a) under 30, (b) 31 to 40, (c) 41 to 50, (d) 51 to 60 and (e) over 60 years. [192126]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) is an agency of the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment and its employees are part of the Northern Ireland civil service.

Empty Property

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year. [191813]

Stephen Hammond: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Department for Transport aims to hold only core property (i.e. that which is needed for the delivery of its business). All non-core property (unless it is held pending transport scheme use) will be disposed or re-allocated at the earliest opportunity in a way which is both consistent with official guidance and achieves value for money.

Heathrow Airport

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many aircraft have had to land due to (a) engine problems, (b) fuel shortages and (c) other technical problems at Heathrow Airport in the last five years. [191935]

Mr Goodwill: The number of events where an aircraft landed at Heathrow for (a) engine related problems (b) instances of low fuel and (c) other technical problems, are shown in the following table. The source of these data is the Civil Aviation Authority:

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many near-miss aircraft incidents have occurred under 7,000ft with aircraft (a) arriving at and (b) taking off from Heathrow Airport in the last five years. [191936]

Mr Goodwill: The independent UK Airprox Board, which is responsible for investigating all reported near- miss incidents by pilots and controllers in UK airspace, has provided the following relevant information:

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The first three incidents listed were all assessed to be non-risk-bearing airproxes. The last two incidents have yet to be assessed.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Sleep Apnoea

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of obstructive sleep apnoea among lorry drivers. [192111]

Stephen Hammond: Advice on obstructive sleep apnoea is available on GOV.UK and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) includes an information leaflet on the risks of driving while tired with every digital tachograph card that is issued.

The DVLA has also worked with the Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Partnership group to promote an awareness campaign that was launched in October 2013. Information was published on a range of private sector websites relating to obstructive sleep apnoea.

Large Goods Vehicles

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) his counterpart in the Scottish Government, (b) the freight and haulage industry and (c) the European Commission on payment of the HGV user levy should Scotland vote to leave the UK in September 2014. [192235]

Mr Goodwill: No specific discussions have taken place on this matter at ministerial level. Officials from the Department for Transport have discussed the HGV levy with colleagues at Transport Scotland and with the major haulage and logistics trade associations such as the FTA and RHA that have their own representatives in Scotland. As part of the UK, Scottish HGVs will benefit from the offsetting reductions to vehicle excise duty when the HGV Levy is introduced. In the event of Scottish independence and irrespective of whether or not Scotland joins the EU, Scottish HGVs would be liable for the HGV Levy if they were to travel on roads in the UK. As such they would need to pay for the HGV Levy as would any other non-UK-registered vehicle.

Priority Routes

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with (a) metropolitan local authorities and (b) passenger transport executives on the introduction of red route measures to principal transport corridors in cities and conurbations. [192147]

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Mr Goodwill: Ministers and officials meet metropolitan local authorities and passenger transport executives regularly and discuss a wide range of transport issues.

The introduction of red route measures on principal transport corridors in cities and conurbations is entirely a matter for each local highway authority and passenger transport executive.

Public Transport: Tickets

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has for the roll-out of smartcard technology for travel on (a) buses, (b) trams and (c) metro systems outside London. [192148]

Stephen Hammond: Further details on the Department's smart and integrated ticketing ambitions can be found in chapter 4 of the Door-to-Door Strategy. This states that we will use smart technology to deliver seamless door-to-door journeys, making it easier to use public transport. Specific aims are:

We will work closely with existing city smartcard schemes to utilise fully the existing smart ticketing infrastructure and actively encourage interoperability between smart ticketing systems.

We will publish multi-operator ticketing guidance to support local authorities in introducing and/or improving integrated local tickets.

We will pilot a Managed Service to help smaller bus operators benefit from smart ticketing.

We will encourage the use of new technology to make buying and using tickets easier, and to future-proof operator investments.

We have made good progress encouraging the use of smartcard technology on public transport. Over 75% of England's buses outside London now have smart ticketing equipment.

A pilot programme is currently taking place in Norfolk that will help us to understand the opportunities that smart ticketing brings to those smaller operators that have not got smart ticketing yet and their passengers, and the types of delivery model that might work elsewhere.

The ‘Smart Cities Partnership', comprising DFT, the Passenger Transport Executives, major cities and bus operators, was established in October 2013. The initiative aims to build on the considerable achievements and understanding of nine cities, establish where best practice can be shared and where barriers, local and national, still need to be addressed. The outcome of this partnership approach will be greater co-ordination of efforts, concentration on resolving long-standing delivery challenges, a framework for other transport authorities to adopt and an acceleration of delivery of smart ticketing products for passengers. These cities encompass almost all of England's passenger tram and metro networks outside London. Representation of the cities in the Partnership is led by a Transport for Greater Manchester senior official.

Officials work closely with other bus policy areas of the Department and funding for smart schemes has also come from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and from the Better Bus Area Fund.

Railways: Repairs and Maintenance

Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with companies within the supply chain for railways on the wheel sets and other spare parts for trains. [192339]

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Stephen Hammond: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), regularly meets the rail industry supply chain and has had wide-ranging discussions on supporting innovation and skills but not specifically on wheel sets or other spare parts. The management of wheel sets is a matter for the rail industry.

Roads: Accidents

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of road accidents resulting in a (a) serious injury and (b) fatality involved people driving for business purposes in each of the last four quarters. [192047]

Mr Goodwill: The proportions of reported road accidents resulting in (a) serious and (b) fatal injuries involving at least one driver driving as part of work in each quarter of 2012 are given in the following tables.

Journey purpose information is available only for 46% of fatal accidents and 43% of serious accidents.

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the role of the Health and Safety Executive in reducing accidents by people who drive as part of their employment. [192113]

Mr Goodwill: The Department has had no discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions on this topic.

Trade Union Officials

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department provided for staff to carry out trade union activities in each of the last three years; and how many days staff spent on those activities in those years. [190696]

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Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport (including its executive agencies) does not currently, nor has it in the last three years, provided funding or paid time off to staff for trade union activities.

Reasonable unpaid time off may be provided to staff for trade union activities. The Department does not hold information centrally on how many unpaid days were spent on trade union activities in those years.

Attorney-General

Amicus Curiae

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Attorney-General (1) how many times the Attorney-General has appointed an amicus curiae in each month since May 2010; [192195]

(2) how much has been spent by the Attorney-General's Office on appointing amicus curiae in each month since May 2010. [192196]

The Attorney-General: The Attorney-General has appointed an amicus curiae (or advocate to the court), 28 times since May 2010. An amicus curiae is appointed at the request of the court to assist the court with guidance on the law when such assistance might not otherwise be available. A table showing, in each month, how many appointments were made and the amount spent on advocates to the court appointed since May 2010 is set out as follows. The expenditure shown is the expenditure in the month referred to. It does not necessarily relate to the advocate(s) appointed in that month.

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