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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 25 March 2014

Scotland

Nuclear Power Stations

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his policy is on the cost of decommissioning the nuclear power stations at Torness and Hunterston if Scotland votes for independence. [192544]

David Mundell: The UK Government’s position is clear: Scotland benefits from being part of the UK and the UK benefits from having Scotland within it. We do not have a separate policy for decommissioning nuclear power stations in Scotland.

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his policy is on the cost of decommissioning and clean up of the site at Dounreay if Scotland votes for independence. [192545]

David Mundell: The UK Government’s position is clear: Scotland benefits from being part of the UK and the UK benefits from having Scotland within it. We do not have a separate policy for decommissioning our civil nuclear facilities in Scotland.

Attorney-General

Female Genital Mutilation

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Attorney-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service is taking to better prosecute cases involving female genital mutilation. [192572]

The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is taking a leading role in tackling female genital mutilation (FGM). The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) announced the first ever prosecution under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 on 21 March 2014. The first defendant is charged with carrying out FGM and the second defendant is charged with intentionally encouraging an offence of FGM and aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring an offence of FGM.

The CPS has worked closely with the police, other Government Departments and third sector organisations to put a robust framework in place to support reporting and the effective investigation and prosecution of FGM. The CPS has published action plans in 2012 and 2013 which have led to much closer joint working between the police and CPS. Lead prosecutors have been appointed for each CPS area and they have led on agreeing protocols with every local police force setting out the arrangements for investigating and prosecuting FGM locally. A joint CPS/police national training event has been held recently. The DPP and I have written to Ministers in the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Department of Health with a paper identifying possible ways in which the criminal law could be strengthened.

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The DPP and I attended a Ministers’ meeting recently to consider cross-Government action against FGM.

RSPCA

Karl McCartney: To ask the Attorney-General if he will place in the Library a copy of evidence submitted by the Law Officers’ departments to the independent review of the RSCPA’s prosecutions activity being carried out by Mr Stephen Wooler. [193040]

The Attorney-General: Officials from the Crown Prosecution Service and my Office have met Mr Wooler to discuss his review, but have not made any submissions of evidence.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General when he plans to reply to Question 184962 on Crown Prosecution Service tabled by the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury on 20 January 2014. [192921]

The Solicitor-General: I have done so.

Northern Ireland

IRA

Dr McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reports she has received on whether the Provisional IRA is still involved in criminal and illegal activity. [191861]

Mrs Villiers: Investigation of criminal activity is a matter for the PSNI.

Public Expenditure

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of the Northern Ireland Office budget for each year since 2010 has been spent on (a) non-governmental organisations and (b) private companies. [192944]

Mrs Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office budget includes a core Department and a number of arm's length bodies. Details of the Department's expenditure is held on the Department's accounting system, however to extract the information required to answer this question would incur costs disproportionate to that of answering a standard PQ. Details of the Department's expenditure can be found within the Annual Report and Accounts, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/search?q=NIO+accounts

Terrorism

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether information obtained from a case review undertaken by the Police Service of Northern Ireland Historic Enquiries Team which could lead to prosecution would be considered new evidence under the terms of the letters of comfort issued to so-called on-the-runs and therefore permitting prosecutions rather than as evidence already in existence at the time of the issue of the letter and therefore preventing prosecutions proceeding. [189728]

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Mrs Villiers: Information obtained from case reviews undertaken by the Historical Inquiries Team and any subsequent assessment of that information as an evidential basis for prosecution is a matter for the PSNI and the prosecuting authorities.

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions she has had with the Public Prosecution Service about terrorist-related cases within the last 12 months. [192818]

Mrs Villiers: The prosecution of such cases is entirely a matter for the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service which acts independently of Government.

Business, Innovation and Skills

British Business Bank

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications have been received for proposals for co-investment alongside private sector investment in the first phase of the Business Bank programme. [192984]

Matthew Hancock: The British Business Bank's £300 million Investment Programme has now received 103 Expressions of Interest, requesting Government investment totalling £2.9 billion.

So far, £85 million has been committed through the Investment Programme to three finance providers. Alongside private sector investment, this will help to support over £550 million of lending capacity to smaller businesses. The £87 million allocated under the Business Finance Partnership forerunner of the Investment Programme has already supported over £225 million of lending to smaller businesses. A total of nine alternative lenders have so far been supported through these programmes.

Business: Young People

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure the availability of direct business experience for young people at school and university. [192355]

Matthew Hancock: The Government are encouraging an entrepreneurial culture in the UK by supporting a range of enterprising activities. These include a number of student challenges led by schools, colleges and universities, but also engagement with inspirational entrepreneurs who speak directly with students, sharing what it means to run a business and the skills they will need in order to be successful in the future.

This engagement, including programmes such as the Premier League Enterprise Academy and Inspiring the Future, forms part of the Government's drive to provide young people with hands-on enterprise experience. The Government are also encouraging employers and schools to work together to inspire young people, introducing them to the world of work, careers and the skills and attitudes that employers are looking for in their future work force.

In August 2013 the Government reformed post-16 funding to incentivise providers to offer high quality work experience and work-related learning as part of

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the non-qualification element of 16-19 study programmes, enabling young people to develop their employability skills.

Exports: Government Assistance

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has submitted an application for approval under EU state aid rules in relation to the Export Refinancing Facility. [192982]

Michael Fallon: Confirmation has been received on 19 March 2014 from the European Commission that the Export Refinancing Facility can move forward without a formal notification, as the Commission considers it does not entail state aid.

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses have received support through the Export Refinancing Facility to date; and what the value of such support is. [192983]

Michael Fallon: As outlined in the 2014 Budget, ECGD's Export Refinancing Facility (ERF) will be formally launched in April 2014. Confirmation was received on 19 March 2014 from the European Commission that the facility can move forward without a formal notification as the Commission considers that it does not entail state aid.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Competition Commission will make the datasets held as part of the investigation into the private motor insurance market available to the parties affected by the decisions made from them. [192562]

Jenny Willott: The Competition Commission is an independent body which conducts its investigations in accordance with the process and procedures set out in the Enterprise Act 2002 and its published guidance. Where necessary, the CC is able to give access to confidential data whilst ensuring that commercially sensitive material is protected. This allows parties to understand the gist of the CC's reasoning and how it was reached.

The Competition Commission held a data room to enable parties affected by the private motor insurance market investigation to understand the data used in the investigation. Parties were given access to the data via a confidentiality room which enabled their advisers to have free access to all data. The reason why the parties themselves were unable to see the data was that the data consisted of commercially confidential information provided by all industry participants, i.e. each other's competitors. This was made clear to the parties at the outset.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Competition Commission will take as part of its investigation into the private motor insurance market to ensure that all quantitative data that are (a) collected and (b) commissioned are done so on a like-for-like basis. [192580]

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Jenny Willott: The Competition Commission (CC) is an independent body which conducts its investigations in accordance with the process and procedures set out in the Enterprise Act 2002 and its published guidance. It provides for interested parties to make submissions at various stages of an investigation. The CC is subject to and required by general public law principles to have regard to these submissions and take into account any relevant submission in making its decisions.

Submissions to the private motor insurance market investigation have been received and taken into account. Provisional findings were published on 19 December 2013, and the CC is now analysing the responses it has received in submissions and via multilateral and bilateral hearings held with parties. As a result of that process, additional information has been submitted to the CC, and the CC has also requested additional information from parties. The CC's ongoing process has been and is being explained to parties as the investigation proceeds.

New Businesses: Government Assistance

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many start-up loans of what total value have been awarded to individuals before a cash flow forecast was provided to a delivery partner; [192937]

(2) how many start up loans of what total value have been awarded to individuals before a business plan was provided to a delivery partner. [192938]

Matthew Hancock: These data are not available.

New Businesses: Unemployed People

Mr Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote small business entrepreneurial skills for unemployed people in Chelmsford constituency. [193007]

Matthew Hancock: Small businesses are vital to the economy and this Government are supporting people to start their own business in many ways including those who are currently unemployed.

The New Enterprise Allowance can provide money and support to help unemployed people start their own business if they are getting certain benefits. This scheme can provide a loan to help with start up costs and a weekly allowance paid over 26 weeks. It can also provide a mentor to help develop business ideas and to write a business plan. Mentor support is ongoing in the early months of trading.

The gov.uk website provides a finance and support finder at:

www.gov.uk/business-finance-support-finder

which can provide details of grant schemes. And the British Bankers Association’s mentoring website at:

www.mentorsme.co.uk/

provides access to free business mentors.

Older People: Crime Prevention

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what new steps he plans to take to protect the elderly against scams. [192515]

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Jenny Willott: To increase consumer protection we are introducing new legislation to give consumers private rights to seek redress and, where appropriate, compensation when they have been the victims of misleading or aggressive commercial practices.

Alongside this the Government are committed to working with its partners to protect vulnerable consumers, such as the elderly, from scams through targeted education campaigns and robust enforcement action. Mass marketing scams have been identified as a priority for coordinated action by the Consumer Protection Partnership.

We are also working with Citizens Advice and Trading Standards on their annual Scam Awareness campaign in May 2014 which aims to empower consumers by raising awareness of the Citizens Advice Consumer Service and encouraging people to report scams so that appropriate action can be taken.

The National Trading Standards Board coordinates and funds the specialist teams to tackle scams:

The National Trading Standards Scambuster Teams are working to catch scammers and bring them to justice to give consumers peace of mind. Since April 2012, the team has prevented rogues from scamming consumers out of around £90 million;

The specialist National Trading Standards Scams Team is working with partners to provide access and support for victims and to disrupt UK based companies from aiding, abetting and committing fraud or other offences; and

The National Trading Standards eCrime Team provides additional resource to support Trading Standards in tackling the increasing threat to businesses and consumers in relation to fraud and scams. Since April 2012, the Team have uncovered fraud of around £10 million.

Treasury

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effect of his tax-free child-care scheme on child-care price inflation. [192682]

Nicky Morgan: Information on how future child care costs have been estimated can be found in the Budget 2014 policy costings document:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/293740/PU1638_policy_costings_budget_2014.pdf

Children: Poverty

Julie Hilling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the effects of changes to tax and benefits on the number of children living in relative income poverty in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15. [191659]

Nicky Morgan: The Government publish the impact of its decisions at each fiscal event, in a distributional analysis document. The latest document is available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/293738/budget_2014_distributional_analysis.pdf

The Government remains committed to eradicating child poverty. However, the Government believe looking at relative income in isolation is not a helpful measure to track progress towards the target of ending child poverty.

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The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy 2014-17 sets out the plan to improve the life chances of children by: raising the incomes of poor children’s families by helping them get into work and making work pay; supporting the living standards of low-income families; and raising educational outcomes of poor children.

Alongside the strategy, the Government have published an in-depth evidence review which identifies what leads families to be stuck in poverty and what leads poor children to become poor adults. By identifying and understanding the root causes of child poverty, now and across generations, the Government can target action effectively.

Environmental Audit

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the environmental impact audit conducted ahead of his 2014 Financial Statement. [192578]

Nicky Morgan: The Treasury does not intend to publish an environmental impact audit of the 2014 Financial Statement. HM Revenue and Customs has published Tax Impact Information Notes for tax policy decisions announced at the Budget and these discuss significant environmental impacts where relevant.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the Equitable Life payment scheme to policyholders who suffered financial losses as a result of Government maladministration which occurred (a) before 1 September 1992 and (b) after 31 December 2000; and if he will make a statement. [192638]

Sajid Javid: The Government have no plans to change the eligibility criteria for the Equitable Life payment scheme. Any financial losses resulting from investment decisions taken outside of the qualifying period are not a result of Government maladministration, and are therefore outside the remit of the scheme.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what evaluation he has made of the increase in greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the measures announced in paragraph 1.107 of the Budget 2014 to tackle the energy costs faced by the most energy intensive industries. [193065]

Nicky Morgan: Paragraph 1.107 of the Budget 2014 announces compensation for energy intensive industries for Government policies which increase the cost of electricity they consume. Any increased electricity use by these companies will have no impact on the maximum allowable greenhouse gas emissions at a European level. The EU Emissions Trading Scheme specifies a hard limit on carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation across the EU. Any increased electricity use by energy intensive industries will be caught within this cap.

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High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mr O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the interest incurred on the debt needed to finance High Speed 2. [193261]

Danny Alexander: Government spending is paid for by general taxation, and when that is not sufficient, through borrowing. The Government do not hypothecate its different sources of financing, i.e. through borrowing or taxation, to different elements of spending.

Parking

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the change of use measures in paragraph 1.147 of the Budget 2014 will include a requirement on businesses extending parking areas to introduce sustainable urban drainage systems and permeable paving. [193066]

Nicky Morgan: The proposed change and relevant conditions will be subject to a consultation by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Revenue and Customs

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are currently employed by HM Revenue and Customs in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) each Scottish parliamentary constituency. [193010]

Mr Gauke: The number of people currently employed by HM Revenue and Customs as at 28 February 2014 in (a) the UK is 69,985 and (b) Scotland 9,090. For each constituency, as follows:

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Taxation: Bingo

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has sought representations from interested parties on a reduction in the bingo duty rate from 20 per cent to 15 per cent in the 2014 Budget. [192457]

Mr Gauke: At Budget 2014, we announced the reduction in bingo duty to 10% to support bingo clubs.

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Taxation: Pensioners

Ian Lavery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many pensioners’ tax affairs have been subject to PAYE reconciliation by HM Revenue and Customs in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; and what the aggregated outcome was of those reconciliation processes in terms of (i) tax due, (ii) tax refunds due, (iii) tax refunds paid, (iv) further enquiries made, (v) tax returns requested and (vi) adjustments to notices of coding made; [192771]

(2) what proportion of those people of retirement age who were due tax refunds received such refunds in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; and what the average such refund was in each such year. [192784]

Mr Gauke: HMRC reports figures for all PAYE reconciliation and tax refunds to National Audit Office for the Department’s annual report by the Comptroller and Auditor General. The reports are published at:

www.hmrc.gov.uk

HMRC does not hold the data requested in the format required and the information requested could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

Ian Lavery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people of pensionable age (a) visited an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) enquiry centre and (b) used HMRC telephone enquiry service for help with their tax affairs in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13; and what proportion of all visits such figures represent. [192791]

Mr Gauke: HMRC does not hold the data requested in the format required. The information could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

VAT: Tourism

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the tourism industry in (a) Northern Ireland, (b)

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Scotland and

(c)

England and Wales of the decision by the government of Ireland to retain a reduced rate of VAT on tourism; and if he will make a statement. [192754]

Mr Gauke: No specific assessment has been made of the potential effect for the tourism industry in Northern Ireland, Scotland and England and Wales of the decision by the Government of Ireland to retain a reduced rate of VAT on tourism.

Working Tax Credit: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid in working tax credits to recipients in (a) Scotland and (b) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency in each of the last three years. [192481]

Nicky Morgan: The following table details the total working tax credit entitlement for claimants in the respective areas for the three most recent years that data is available.

This table only contains the total amount of entitlement to working tax credits. Some of these claimants will also be entitled to child tax credits.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings his Department has had with external bodies about the use of wild animals in circuses since the publication of the Government's response to the Fourth Report of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee of Session 2013-14. [193081]

George Eustice: Since the Government responded to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's Report on Wild Animals in Circuses in October 2013, Lord de Mauley has met representatives of Animal Defenders International and separately met the Classical Circus Association to discuss the use of wild animals in circuses.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will set up an independent committee to review the effect of the pilot badger culls on bovine TB ahead of any wider roll-out of the cull. [192315]

George Eustice: It is too soon to determine the impact of the two pilot culls on cattle breakdowns. The randomised badger control trials overseen by the Independent Scientific

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Group have already established the positive contribution that culling can make in reducing TB breakdowns. The results of these trials were reviewed by a meeting of scientific experts held at DEFRA in April 2011. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), is currently considering the report of the Independent Expert Panel before making a decision on wider rollout of the badger control policy.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the costs to the farming industry arising from cattle condemned after slaughter because of lesions caused by bovine TB in each of the last five years. [192835]

George Eustice [holding answer 24 March 2014]: DEFRA has made no estimate of the costs to the farming industry arising from cattle condemned after slaughter because of lesions caused by bovine TB. However, DEFRA pays full compensation for all TB reactors it requires to be slaughtered for disease control reasons.

Dogs: Quarantine

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2014, Official Report, column 269W, on dogs: imports, how many quarantine kennels there are in England to handle illegally imported dogs into the UK; and how many illegally imported dogs have been detained in these facilities in each of the last four years. [192573]

George Eustice: There are currently eight licensed quarantine facilities in England.

The following table details the number of dogs licensed into quarantine in Great Britain over the last four years.

Floods: Property Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the operation and effectiveness of Planning Policy Statement 25 and the Environment Agency's consequent powers to challenge development. [189796]

Nick Boles: The policies in Planning Policy Statement 25 have been carried through to the National Planning Policy Framework and associated planning practice guidance.

In that context, I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 10 February 2014, Official Report, column 418W and of 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 560W, and my written statement of 6 March 2014, Official Report, column 49WS, on the planning protections against flooding.

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I can confirm that the Pitt Review's recommendation number 8 was implemented, and in that light, we are currently further reviewing what lessons can be learnt from recent flooding events.

Nature Conservation: British Overseas Territories

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if his Department will establish a biosecurity review in the British Overseas Territories; [192768]

(2) if his Department will conduct a review of bio-control of invasive species in the Overseas Territories; [192792]

(3) if his Department will conduct a review of the rate, spread and risks posed by invasive plant species in the Overseas Territories. [192794]

George Eustice: The Government attach a high priority to addressing biosecurity, bio-control and invasive species issues in the UK Overseas Territories (OTs). We welcome the attention drawn to this issue by the Environmental Audit Committee in its recent report on Sustainability in the UK Overseas Territories and the recent session of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Biodiversity on Biosecurity in the Overseas Territories.

Overseas Territories' Governments are constitutionally responsible for the protection and conservation of their natural environments and we work in partnership with them to identify where our support can be most effective. Overseas Territories naturally have different priorities and our approach has been to target resources in support of these rather than undertake any comprehensive review.

As a result, DEFRA has provided funding for projects on biosecurity, bio-control and non-native species spread, following consultation with Overseas Territories’ Governments, where this has helped to meet their identified priorities.

Dr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria were used in his Department's decision on which projects relating to the conservation of endangered species in St Helena, Tristan de Cunha, Ascension and Anguilla it would fund. [192783]

George Eustice: UK Government funding for species-related biodiversity projects in our UK Overseas Territories is provided through a variety of schemes including the Darwin Initiative (and more recently "Darwin Plus"—the Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund), the Flagship Species Fund and DEFRA research programmes. Each of these has its own guidance, application process and selection criteria.

Under Darwin Plus, for example, each project application is reviewed thoroughly by at least three members of the Darwin Plus Advisory Group and discussed at a meeting, following which the highest-ranked projects are referred to Ministers for funding approval. DEFRA-funded research in the South Atlantic and Caribbean was evaluated using a set of criteria set out on the advertised specifications, covering quality, experience and expertise, cost and likely impact. Research proposals were also peer reviewed by independent experts prior to funding.

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Pet Travel Scheme

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) EU Ministers and (b) the EU Commission on improving compliance with PETS. [192575]

George Eustice: No recent discussions have taken place with either EU Ministers or the European Commission on this issue.

RSPCA

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the evidence submitted by his Department to the independent review of the RSCPA's prosecutions activity being carried out by Mr Stephen Wooler. [193041]

George Eustice: DEFRA officials met Stephen Wooler CBE on 20 March 2014 and answered his questions about the arrangements in England for enforcement of animal welfare offences. No written evidence was submitted. He was given a copy of DEFRA's publicly available ‘Enforcement Policy Statement’ (2010) and a copy of the High Court judgment in Barco de Vapeur and others v. Thanet District Council (2014) (a successful claim for damages against Thanet DC for preventing live exports of sheep).

Energy and Climate Change

Green Deal Scheme

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to the customer experience if Green Deal providers were able to access the supporting data for Green Deal reports held by Government. [192766]

Gregory Barker: Green Deal customers receive a Green Deal Advice Report which provides energy savings estimates for the package of improvements recommended by a Green Deal adviser. These savings are calculated by approved Green Deal software. The Green Deal Advice Report can subsequently be tailored by Green Deal providers using the Green Deal Improvement Package Tool and following discussions with customers of the improvements they want to take up. Providers will also discuss the detail of any financing arrangement that the customer wants. Providing customers with access to supporting data held on the Green Deal Register is unnecessary as part of the Green Deal process and would not change the savings that accrue to customers.

A list of approved Green Deal software can be found at:

http://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/SAP/2009/GD_OA_software.pdf

The Green Deal Improvement Package Tool can be found at:

https://www.gdsap.org.uk

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Renewable Energy: Heating

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what basis the assumed outputs from certified heat pumps installed in domestic premises will be used in calculations of progress towards achieving EU renewable energy targets. [193151]

Gregory Barker: The contribution of heat pumps installed in both domestic and non-domestic premises to progress towards achieving EU renewable energy directive targets is accounted for using the methods outlined in European Commission Decision C(2013)1082. This was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 6 March 2013, and can be found on the following link:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:062:0027:0035:EN:PDF

The calculations utilise the numbers of compliant heat pumps installed, their capacity and location (used to define the climatic zone), together with default values proposed in the Decision for the number of hours operated and the seasonal performance factor for each type of heat pump.

Resignations

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his Department’s (a) officials and (b) senior officials working on the development of the Energy Act 2013 left the Department in (i) 2012, (ii) 2013 and (iii) since 18 December 2013. [192552]

Gregory Barker: The number of civil servants who were leading on the development of the Energy Act 2013 for the Department of Energy and Climate Change and who have subsequently left the Department permanently are shown in the following table.

There were other civil servants who contributed to various aspects of the development but were not part of the core team. We do not hold central records of these people and to contact line managers for this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his Department’s officials left the Department in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013; and how many have left since 1 January 2014. [192553]

Gregory Barker: The number of civil servants and senior civil servants, who have permanently left the Department of Energy and Climate Change in each of the years specified, are shown in the following table.

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Wind Power

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the health effects of infrasound from wind turbine generators. [192989]

Gregory Barker: A number of independent peer reviewed research studies have concluded that there is no evidence of health effects arising from infrasound or low frequency noise, generated by wind farms that are built according to Government guidelines.

For example, a comprehensive study undertaken in the UK in 1997 by ETSU for the Department of Trade and Industry (ETSU W/13/00392/REP) found no evidence that ground transmitted low frequency noise from wind turbines is at a sufficient level to be harmful to human health. These findings were confirmed by a study published in 2005 by the Applied and Environmental Geophysics Group of the School of Physical and Geographical Sciences at Keele university titled “Microseismic and Infrasound Monitoring of Low Frequency Noise and Vibrations from Wind Farms”, available at:

http://www.keele.ac.uk/geophysics/appliedseismology/wind/Final_Report.pdf

In 2003, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published a report entitled “A Review of Published Research on Low Frequency Noise and its Effects”, available at:

http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/4141/1/Benton_2003.pdf

and in 2004, BERR commissioned Hayes McKenzie to conduct an independent study to investigate the levels and effects of low frequency noise from wind farms, available at:

http://Webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/explained/wind/onshore-offshore/page31267.html

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much onshore wind capacity (a) received planning approval and (b) was rejected in each month in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013; and how many planning applications for onshore wind farms were (i) approved and (ii) rejected in each of those months. [193072]

Gregory Barker: This information is available in the Renewable Energy Planning Database (REPD), which tracks the progress of all renewable energy projects 0.01 MW and over from submission of a planning application through to determination and generation:

https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract

Cabinet Office

Business

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the forms which businesses in the UK are required to complete in order to provide returns to Eurostat. [192489]

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

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Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated March 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the forms which businesses in the UK are required to complete in order to provide returns to Eurostat (192489).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) runs a wide range of business surveys whose outputs are essential in order to meet UK policy needs and monitor the UK economy, for example measuring Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the UK National Accounts. The majority of the surveys are designed to also enable the UK to meet EU regulations.

Table 1 shows a complete list of ONS business surveys which contribute to statutory returns to Eurostat.

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Cancer

Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the mortality rate for deaths caused by cancer has been in (a) Harlow constituency, (b) Essex and (c) England in the last 15 years. [193024]

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

Letter from Caron Walker, dated March 2014:

On behalf of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the mortality rate for deaths caused by cancer has been in (a) Harlow constituency, (b) Essex and (c) England in the last 15 years. [193024].

The most recent figures available are for 2012. Table 1 shows age-standardised mortality rate where cancer was the underlying cause for England, the county of Essex and the Harlow parliamentary constituency from 1998 to 2012 (where available). Rates are not presented for Harlow and Essex before 2001 because the corresponding population estimates are not available.

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause, marital status, and place of death are published annually on the National Statistics website at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/mortality-statistics--deaths-registered-in-england-and-wales--series-dr-/index.html

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Civil Servants

Chris Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were employed as civil servants in (a) the most recent period for which figures are available, (b) 2004 and (c) 1994. [192478]

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

Letter from Caron Walker, dated March 2014:

On behalf of the 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 how many people were employed as civil servants in (a) the most recent period for which figures are available, (b) 2004 and (c) 1994. (192478)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles quarterly estimates of civil service employment from the Quarterly Public Sector Employment Survey (QPSES) and annual estimates from the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES).

The table shows the number of people who were employed as civil servants in (a) the most recent period for which figures are available, (b) 2004 and (c) 1994.

Data for 1994 and 2004 refer to June (Quarter 2) data, as this relates to the annual reference period in those years. The most recent data refers to the latest quarterly data available.

Conditions of Employment: North West

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West who have jobs which primarily require working (i) during the day and (ii) at night. [192413]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated March 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office for the estimate of the number of people in (a) Pendle constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West who have jobs which primarily require working (i) during the day and (ii) at night. (192413)

Estimates of employment are derived the Labour Force Survey (LFS). During the survey, people who are identified as being in employment are asked about their regular pattern of work and whether it is usual for them to work (i) during the day, (ii) during the evening and (iii) at night. Respondents can say “yes” to any categories that apply. For those working 'during the evening' these hours are commonly between 15:00 and 24:00 and ‘at night’ they are commonly between 18:00 and 06:00. Therefore in some instances respondents may work both evenings and nights.

Estimates derived from this question are available for the North West and Lancashire. However, estimates for the Pendle parliamentary constituency is not available because the limited size of the LFS sample means that they are not of sufficient quality. The available estimates are given in the table along with the employment total to provide context.

Public Sector

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) co-operatives, (b) mutuals and (c) social enterprises which provide public services. [R] [192488]

Mr Hurd: The Government support the growth of the social economy. Across England, there are now more than 85 public service mutuals, up from just nine in 2010. Collectively they deliver well over £1 billion in public services.

Cabinet Office analysis from 2013 based on the BIS Small Business Survey estimated that 28% (c. 50,000) of SME social enterprises provide goods or services in the public sector.

Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of funding given by her Department was used to support creative industries in (a) London and (b) Greater Manchester in each of the last three years. [192709]

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Mr Vaizey: The creative industries are a huge success story for the whole of the UK. However, the Department recognises the economic impact of creative and digital clusters in town and cities across the UK, including in London and Manchester, and is committed to nurturing these clusters. DCMS funding for the creative industries is given via its public agencies, including the BFI, ACE and Creative England among others; who make their funding decisions independent of Government.

Arts: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much arts funding (a) in total and (b) per head of population was allocated in (i) Lancashire and (ii) Pendle constituency in each of the last five years. [192432]

Mr Vaizey: Public funding for the arts is administered by Arts Council England (ACE) and local authorities. ACE makes its funding decisions independently of Government. Nearly £3 billion will be invested in the arts by ACE over the lifetime of this parliament. DCMS does not hold information on levels of arts funding made by individual local authorities.

ACE has provided the following information:

Betting Shops: Licensing

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) how many betting shops have (a) been closed and (b) had a licence review on the grounds that they did not meet the Gambling Commission requirement that betting be the primary gambling activity of betting shops: [192637]

(2) what recent discussions she has had with the Gambling Commission on the primary gambling activity rules. [192636]

Mrs Grant: I regularly discuss a range of matters with the Gambling Commission. The Commission works with local authorities to ensure the requirements surrounding primary gambling activity are complied with. This work includes direct interaction with licensed

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operators in cases where the provision of betting facilities has appeared to be non-compliant; businesses have often responded to concerns raised by the Commission by quickly making changes to their business or closing premise. A formal operating licence review has formed part of the Commission's approach in 18 cases.

Broadband

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Government has invested in delivering super fast broadband for (a) Greater Manchester and (b) London in each year since 2010. [192586]

Mr Vaizey: The Government have allocated Greater Manchester £3.45 million to support superfast broadband and up to £17.85 million under the Super Connected Cities programme. London has been allocated up to £25 million from the Super Connected Cities Programme and does not currently have an allocation of funding to support superfast broadband.

Copyright

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the letter of 10 March 2014 from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries to the hon. Member for Bristol East, in which he said that 'an exception to copyright for private copying is not expected to cause any additional harm to rights holders', what the evidential basis is for the statement that rights holders are already experiencing harm as a result of this practice. [192945]

Mr Vaizey: The Government do not believe that rights holders are already experiencing harm as a result of this practice, and has received no evidence that demonstrates any such harm. The new exception is not expected to change this situation. An impact assessment on the exception is available at:

http://www.ipo.gov.uk/consult-ia-bis1055.pdf

Direct Selling

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to increase the number of successful prosecutions of individuals or companies involved in unsolicited marketing by phone or text message about accident claims. [903263]

Mr Vaizey: Tackling unsolicited marketing calls and texts is priority for the Department and we will shortly publish our Action Plan for nuisance calls, which will set out our achievements to date, work that is under way and our plans for the future. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) considers complaints and can take action for a breach the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003. The ICO can issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000 and since January 2012, they have issued six substantive monetary penalties totalling £975,000 and action against other organisations is also under their current consideration:

http://ico.org.uk/enforcement/action/calls

http://ico.org.uk/enforcement/action/texts

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Also, the Claims Management Regulation (CMR) Unit (in the Ministry of Justice) regulates Claims Management Companies (CMC's), including accident claims for personal injury. The CMR Unit has consulted from 21 November to 9 January 2014, on proposals to strengthen their conduct rules to ensure that any data or leads received through telemarketing is legally obtained and that claims are properly substantiated. This is in addition to continuing to enforce the ban on payment and receipt of referral fees. Subject to parliamentary approval, CMCs will for the first time face financial penalties for poor conduct, such as gathering data without due diligence and the CMR unit is also working more closely with the ICO and Ofcom, to detect and punish malpractice and raise standards, which includes proactively sharing information and intelligence.

Elgin Marbles

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what (a) communications, (b) meetings and (c) discussions she has had with (i) her ministerial colleagues, (ii) representatives of the British Museum, (iii) Greek Government representatives and (iv) others on the request from the Director General of UNESCO to participate in a UNESCO mediation process to settle the dispute over the Parthenon sculptures; [192925]

(2) what steps she plans to take in response to UNESCO's request that the Government participate in a UNESCO mediation process with the Greek authorities regarding the disputed Parthenon sculptures; and if she will make a statement; [192928]

(3) if she will publish her Department's plans in respect of the handling of UNESCO's request that the UK participate in mediation regarding the disputed Parthenon sculptures; [192926]

(4) what (a) representations have been made and (b) discussions instigated by Greek government representatives regarding the Parthenon sculptures at UNESCO meetings in the last 10 years. [192927]

Mr Vaizey: The Parthenon Sculptures are the legal property of the British Museum. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport routinely discusses matters relating to the Parthenon Sculptures with interested parties including colleagues within government, the British Museum, Greek officials and UNESCO. The Government will respond to the letter from UNESCO in due course.

Females: Equality

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will lobby for a stand-alone goal on gender equality in the post Millennium Development Goals framework during her visit to the Commission on the Status of Women; and if she will make a statement. [192516]

Mrs Grant: The UK has been clear in its call for a standalone goal on gender equality and girls and women's empowerment, as well as ensuring that these issues are addressed throughout the goals and targets in the framework to be agreed by members of the United Nations. The UK's statement at the Commission on

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the Status of Women clearly set out the need for a standalone goal on gender equality, and the empowerment of girls and women in the post-2015 framework.

We are working with others across the international community, including civil society, to ensure that this is achieved.

Gaming Machines

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will bring forward proposals to introduce a mandatory code of practice for bookmakers on fixed odds betting terminals. [192688]

Mrs Grant: The Government have already made clear that player protection measures on fixed odds betting terminals introduced by the betting industry from 1 March 2014 must be toughened and made mandatory. The Gambling Commission is reviewing its licence conditions and codes of practice, and its guidance to licensing authorities. As part of that review, the Commission plans to determine what measures will be mandated for all licensed betting operators.

Hadrian’s Wall

Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the contribution of the Hadrian's Wall region to the UK's tourism economy. [192691]

Mrs Grant: I have not made an assessment of the contribution of tourism in the Hadrian's Wall region economy. However the latest regional estimates from the Office for National Statistics, published on 20 February 2014, show that in 2011 tourism directly contributed a gross value-added (GVA) of around £5.1 billion to the North West economy and £1.1 billion in the North East.

Sports: Injuries

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information her Department holds on the comparative risks of (a) death, (b) concussion and (c) other medical problems and injuries resulting from taking part in major sports. [193006]

Mrs Grant: DCMS does not hold information or data on the comparative health risks resulting from taking part in major sports. My Department takes player safety seriously in all sports. I expect national governing bodies, as the designated authorities with responsibility to regulate their sport, to make player safety their highest priority. The Sport England NGB Whole Sport Plan Standard Terms and Conditions in respect of statutory compliance include all relevant health and safety laws.

Touting: Northern Ireland

Mr Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on ticket touting. [192843]

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Mrs Grant: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), has not had any recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on ticket touting.

UN Commission on the Status of Women

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with (a) civil society and (b) the CSW Alliance in advance of the Commission on the Status of Women; and if she will make a statement. [192517]

Mrs Grant: Active engagement with civil society has been a key element of our preparations and plans for the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. A robust programme of consultation and engagement with a wide range of civil society organisations has been put in place by my officials in the Government Equalities Office. This includes:

i. Hosted a well-attended ministerial-led national consultation event with UK non-governmental organisations.

ii. Worked closely with the UK NGO CSW Alliance and in particular a liaison group that they have established and met with key international development organisations to draw on their expertise on the millennium development goals.

iii. Convened a meeting with a smaller drafting group drawn from the CSW NGO Alliance and the Gender and Development Network to examine the first draft of the text of the Agreed Conclusions.

iv. Co-hosted a reception for UK NGOs at CSW with the UK Mission.

v. Organised daily evening briefing meetings at the UK Mission during CSW to update UK NGOs on the progress of the negotiations of the Agreed Conclusions. This was supplemented by daily CSW e-bulletins to those NGOs in New York and in the UK.

vi. Ahead of CSW, issued monthly dedicated CSW e-newsletters that provided UK NGOs with regular information on the UK's CSW plans.

Justice

Prisoners: Radicalism

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many instances there were of radicalised prisoners being prevented from using the internet in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013. [193204]

Jeremy Wright: Prisoners are not allowed to have unrestricted access to the internet.

Prisoners are only permitted access to the internet once strict risk assessment criteria are satisfied and then only to pre-approved websites in a managed classroom environment for rehabilitative purposes.

Central records are not held on the number of prisoners that have access or those who are denied access to the internet. Figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost by collating the relevant information from records held locally by individual prisons, where available.

Youth Custody

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many places are currently occupied in each (a) youth offenders' institution and (b) secure training centre; and what the total capacity is of each such institution. [191386]

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Jeremy Wright: Overall crime and proven offending by young people has fallen in recent years. Fewer young people have entered the criminal justice system, and as a result fewer young people have ended up in custody. This has allowed excess capacity in the youth secure estate to be decommissioned.

Tables 1 and 2 show the current capacity and population in under-18 young offender institutions (YOIs) and secure training centres (STCs) at 31 of January for 2014, which is the latest available published data.

The “capacity” figure relates to the number of beds available.

The table shows only the population and capacity related to under-18s.

These data are provisional and will be finalised in 2013-14 in the Youth Justice Statistics in January 2015.

This information comes from the eAsset database, the booking system used by the Youth Justice Board to place young people into custody.

These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

Communities and Local Government

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government at what level of income households in receipt of universal credit will be eligible for council tax reduction support. [192834]

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 24 March 2014]: The income levels at which pensioner claimants in England are eligible for council tax support will depend on the composition and characteristics of those individual households and any premiums or allowances that apply to them. The council tax support scheme which applies to pensioners in England is set nationally, and the applicable premiums and allowances are set out in The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2012 (SI2012 No. 2885), as amended.

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The income levels at which working-age claimants are eligible for council tax support are set out in the council tax support schemes of individual billing authorities in England.

Floods

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress has been made by local authorities in discharging their responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 to (a) promote business continuity, (b) encourage the take-up of property flood resistance and (c) increase resilience by businesses. [189801]

Brandon Lewis: Local authorities have a statutory duty under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) to provide advice and assistance to businesses and voluntary organisations about business continuity management. The responses to the 2012 National Capability Survey indicate that the majority of local authorities in England and Wales are providing advice and promoting business continuity through a range of local level initiatives. Government Departments including Cabinet Office, DCLG and BIS facilitate the dissemination of good practice such as the establishment of local business continuity forums, through the National Community Preparedness Stakeholder group which includes representatives from the local government sector.

Government supports the take-up of property flood resistance by providing advice and funding to local authorities to encourage local communities to take up initiatives to increase the take-up of property flood resistance for houses and business premises. Between 2007 and 2012, over 1,600 properties nationally received these measures through a range of local projects funded by DEFRA and the Environment Agency. In addition, DEFRA launched the Repair and Renew grant which provides up to £5,000 per flood affected home or business for additional flood resilience or resistance measures for homes and businesses that have been flooded since December 2013.

Other Government-backed schemes introduced to enhance business resilience include; the Business Rate Relief available to affected businesses, which provides 100% rate relief for three months for those businesses which have been wholly or partly flooded and the Business Support Scheme, a £10 million scheme to provide hardship funding for small and medium enterprises that have sustained hardship and significant loss of trade since December last year.

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when guidance will be published on how local authorities can apply to the £130 million additional flood relief fund. [191009]

Brandon Lewis: An additional £130 million funding package was announced 6 February, for emergency repairs to flood defences and maintenance: £30 million in the current year and £100 million next year. This funding is being allocated by the Environment Agency. The initial phase for applications closed on 10 March. The Environment Agency is working with local authorities and the Department for Communities and Local Government to ensure it has all relevant information

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required. A number of schemes have been announced to help businesses, farmers, homeowners affected. Information on the funding available can be found at the following link.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/289077/Flood_Support_Schemes_-_Summary_of_Support_Guide.pdf

Floods: Ebbsfleet

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what evaluation his Department has made of the threat of flooding to the proposed site of a new garden city at Ebbsfleet; and if he will publish on his Department's website any studies conducted or commissioned by his Department on that matter. [192650]

Kris Hopkins: The Government take the risk of flooding very seriously. The new Urban Development Corporation, working with local authorities, will pay particular attention to flood risk at Ebbsfleet, taking account of the most up to date evidence.

In considering new applications, we have made it crystal clear that local planning authorities need to consider the strict tests set out in national policy, and where these are not met, new development on flood risk sites should not be allowed. The National Planning Policy Framework states that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided. Local planning authorities should direct development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains, but where development is necessary, it must be demonstrated that it is safe and will not increase flood risk elsewhere. This gives councils a robust ability to reject unacceptable planning applications. Councils’ local plans should also shape where development should and should not go, and address the need for associated infrastructure to accompany new development.

Flood prevention measures, like robust flood and coastal defence, can make development acceptable where it would otherwise not be.

Moreover, national planning policy is clear that any new buildings that are needed in flood risk areas are appropriately flood resistant and resilient. Mitigation measures such as land raising, landscaping, raised thresholds and re-arranging the internal uses of buildings, can sometimes also make development acceptable in such areas. Such measures can be made a requirement of any planning consent by the local authority.

The strict tests set out in the framework to protect people and property from flooding are underpinned by our new planning guidance, which can be found at:

http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk

Housing: Fires

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) how many (a) fatalities and (b) injuries there were in England as a result of fire in (i) privately rented, (ii) social and (iii) owner-occupied homes in each of the last three years; [192523]

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of people aged (a) 0 to 10, (b) 11 to 20, (c) 21 to 30, (d) 31 to 40, (e) 41 to 50, (f) 51 to 60, (g) 61 to 70, (h) 71

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to 80,

(i)

81 to 90 and

(j)

more than 91 years who (i) died and (ii) were injured as a result of fire in private rented sector housing in each of the last three years. [192525]

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 24 March 2014]: This information is not held centrally.

Local Development Frameworks

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local planning authorities do not have an (a) adopted local development framework or (b) extant development plan in place. [192155]

Nick Boles: This Government have put local plans at the heart of planning. Our policy strongly encourages areas to get plans in place and ensure that they are kept up-to-date. This is the best way of managing development locally and of ensuring that communities are thoroughly involved in how their areas will develop.

76% of councils have a published Local Plan and 53% of councils have an adopted Local Plan.

To place this in context, six years after the Labour Government's 2004 Planning Act, by May 2010, only one in six local planning authorities had an adopted core strategy.

Local Government: Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) managerial and (b) clerical local authority 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. [192257]

Brandon Lewis: My Department does not collate detailed pay data from local authorities. We believe that there should be greater transparency on senior local government pay and have taken steps to achieve this. Under the Localism Act, councils must now publish an annual pay policy statement which sets out their approach to pay and reward in their organisations, particularly senior pay.

Under the Transparency Code, councils are expected to publish on-line a range of workforce information including details of senior salaries for employees earning £50,000 or more and detailed organisational charts. We are making this a legal requirement. Councils must also publish information on expenditure on senior remuneration in their annual statement of accounts, a copy of which must be published on-line.

Nurseries

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of workplace nurseries available to staff in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies in (i) 2010, (ii) 2013-14 and (iii) 2014-15. [192439]

Brandon Lewis: There have been no workplace nurseries operated by the Department, its Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies during any of the years in question, including under the last Administration.

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The Government's child care offer will provide flexible support for all eligible working families while maintaining a free, universal early education support. Alongside this, the Government is also taking action to drive up the supply of high quality child care provision and to open up more choice for parents.

Private Rented Housing: Fires

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of domestic fires in the private rented sector in England that have occurred as a result of (a) smoking and (b) electrical fires since 2010. [192094]

Brandon Lewis [holding answer 20 March 2014]: This information is not held centrally.

Roads: Lighting

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to switch to low-energy street lighting. [192392]

Brandon Lewis: Switching to low-energy street lighting could save taxpayers' money and reduce carbon emissions. This is primarily a decision for individual local authorities, reflecting on local circumstances as I outlined in my answer of 10 February 2014, Official Report, columns 419-20W.

However, my officials are in contact with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Green Investment Bank about how we can help raise awareness of the Green Investment Bank's Green Loan facility as a means of financing such energy efficiency measures.

Sheltered Housing

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of the use of sheltered housing to house families in temporary accommodation; and if he will make a statement. [193143]

Kris Hopkins: Local authorities are responsible for the sourcing and provision of temporary accommodation within their district. The law requires that authorities must be satisfied that the accommodation is suitable for homeless households. In considering suitability authorities must, by law, consider whether the accommodation is affordable for the applicant, its size, its condition, its accessibility and also its location.

In our drive to tackle the unlawful use of bed and breakfast accommodation we have provided almost £2 million to seven local authorities to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to this problem. Between them the seven local authorities have reduced the numbers of families with children in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than six weeks by 96%.

In developing solutions to this problem a number of local authorities looked at innovative ways to increase the supply of temporary accommodation, for example using modular accommodation constructed off-site, converting office space to residential and using decommissioned sheltered accommodation.

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This Government have invested £470 million to prevent and tackle all forms of homelessness over the spending review period. The homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.

The Government have also made common sense changes to the law to allow local authorities to end the main homelessness duty with offers of accommodation in good-quality private sector accommodation. This helps homeless households move to settled accommodation more quickly and means they spend less time in temporary accommodation.

We have reduced the average stay in temporary accommodation from 20 months at the beginning of 2010 to 14 months now.