Non-domestic Rates: Public Houses

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect on the viability of public houses of the method by which business rates are currently calculated. [197572]

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Brandon Lewis: Decisions on rateable values are made independently of Ministers by the Valuation Office Agency. All rateable values are based on the rental value of the property and for public houses rates are based on actual rents paid by tenants. Ratepayers should contact the Valuation Office Agency if they are concerned about their rateable value and may appeal to the independent Valuation Tribunal if their dispute cannot be resolved.

As part of our review of business rates administration, the Government will consider options for arriving at a rental based assessment for non-domestic properties including public houses and the discussion paper, published last month, invites views on this issue.

Private Rented Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households are housed by local authorities in the private rented sector on (a) two-year long contracts, (b) three-year long contracts and (c) contracts longer than three years. [197126]

Kris Hopkins: This information is not held centrally.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) improvement notices in accordance with section 11, (b) prohibition orders in accordance with section 20, (c) hazard awareness notices in accordance with section 28 and (d) emergency remedial actions under section 40 or emergency prohibition orders under section 43 of the Housing Act 2004 have been issued by local authorities in England following the discovery of a category 1 hazard during a housing health and safety rating system inspection in the private rented sector in the last year. [197159]

Kris Hopkins: This information is not held centrally.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in the private rented sector were evicted under section 8 of the Housing Act 2004 in the last year for which figures are available. [197160]

Kris Hopkins: The Department does not hold the requested data.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many tenancy relations officers are currently employed by each local authority. [197199]

Kris Hopkins: This information in not centrally held.

Property Development: Floods

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department gives local authorities on considering the potential flooding risks to land in neighbouring local authorities when making planning decisions. [197573]

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Nick Boles: In the new planning guidance, launched on 6 March, we have made it crystal clear that councils need to consider the strict tests set out in national policy and, where these are not met new development should not be allowed. These tests, set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, include ensuring new development does not increase flood risk elsewhere. The tests are designed to protect people and property from flooding and give councils the robust ability to reject unacceptable planning applications.

We also expect Strategic Flood Risk Assessments, prepared by local councils to inform Local Plans, to consider flood risks to and from surrounding areas in the same flood catchment.

Energy and Climate Change

Climate Change: International Co-operation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 998, (1) with which other countries his Department is working on the New Climate Economy report; [197229]

(2) if he will publish the terms of reference for the New Climate Economy report; [197236]

(3) when his Department expects work to begin on the New Climate Economy report; and when he expects that report to be published. [197237]

Gregory Barker: The New Climate Economy study was launched last September and is due to be published in September 2014, ahead of the UN Climate Summit in New York that month.

Electricity: Investment

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his oral contribution of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 908, on energy price freeze, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there is a pipeline of £187 billion of investment in the electricity sector. [197224]

Michael Fallon: The latest National Infrastructure Pipeline data published by HM Treasury in December 2013, in support of the National Infrastructure Plan 2013. This shows that total combined investment for electricity generation, transmission and distribution, when aggregated from 2013-14 onwards in real terms, is £187.4 billion:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/263460/national_infrastructure_pipeline__2013.xlsx

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his oral contribution of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 908, on energy price freeze, what the evidential basis is for the statement that investment in the electricity sector has been, on average, £8 billion a year in the present Parliament. [197225]

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Michael Fallon: The data are taken from ONS data on historic investment in the electricity sector, based on their Annual Business Survey, which covers data between 2004 and 2012:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/abs/annual-business-survey/2012-provisional-results/stb-abs-2012.html

According to the latest data (provisional for 2012 in November 2013) total net capital expenditure in the electricity sector for the years 2010 to 2012 (inclusive) is estimated at £23.1 billion—ie an average of £7.7 billion per year, which can be rounded up to £8 billion per year.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his oral contribution of 2 April 2014, Official Report, column 908, on energy price freeze, how much investment there was in the electricity sector in each year between 1997 and 2013. [197227]

Michael Fallon: We are not aware of a single data series covering investment in the electricity sector from 1997 to 2013.

There are data available from ONS for investment in the electricity sector based on their quarterly business investment estimates, from 1995 up to 2010. This information was included in the latest edition of DECC’s UK Energy In Brief:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-energy-in-brief.

However, ONS are now revising their methodology for this data series, which they are in the process of finalising.

A more up-to-date source of ONS data on historic investment in the electricity sector is the Annual Business Survey data

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/abs/annual-business-survey/2012-provisional-results/stb-abs-2012.html

which cover data between 2004 and 2012.

As part of the analysis to support the DECC Investment Report, we have also made estimates of investment in the electricity sector since 2010.

The annual data from these three sources are set out in the table:

7 May 2014 : Column 188W

Energy Companies Obligation

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 990, on energy bills, how many households are forecast to receive assistance under the energy company obligation (a) in each year between 2013 and 2017 and (b) in total. [197234]

Gregory Barker: Our analysis published in the Assessment of Impacts document accompanying the ECO consultation suggested that 8900,000 households would be supported to the end of March 1015 and an additional 930,000 households would be supported to the end of March 2017. This leads to a total number of households supported of 1,820,000.

We will be publishing our projections of the number of households supported under ECO in the forthcoming impact assessment alongside the Government response to ECO.

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the oral answer of 3 April 2014, Official Report, column 990, on energy bills, what the evidential basis is for the statement that more households will receive assistance under the energy company obligation as a result of proposed changes to that scheme. [197235]

Gregory Barker: The Analytical Annex to the recent ECO consultation sets out the number of households expected to be helped over the current ECO period (to March 2015) and the next (between April 2015 and March 2017):

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/286926/The_Future_of_the_Energy_Company_ Obligation_Assessment_of_Impacts.pdf

By extending the ECO period, more households are expected to be helped compared with there being no changes and ECO ceasing at the end of March 2015.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Mike Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the future of the feed-in-tariff scheme in Scotland in the event of a Yes vote in the referendum on Scottish independence; [196843]

(2) whether households in Scotland on the feed-in-tariff scheme will continue on that scheme for the duration of their contract in the event of a Yes vote in the referendum on Scottish independence. [196842]

Gregory Barker: The UK and Scottish Governments have both said that there can be no pre-negotiations on what the terms of Scottish independence might be before the referendum takes place on 18 September.

Solar Power

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of levels of public support for solar

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photovoltaic; and if he will make it his policy that there will be no changes to the level of support available for large-scale solar under the Renewables Obligation scheme until at least April 2015. [R] [197578]

Gregory Barker: The latest results from the DECC Public Attitudes Tracking survey, published on 29 April 2014, show strong levels of public support for solar photovoltaic, with current support levels at 85%. In previous surveys solar PV has consistently scored 81% or above. However, these figures relate to support for solar PV in general, rather than any specific form of solar energy generation. In addition, the survey does not include any reference to large-scale or ground-based solar.

The Government said in the UK Solar PV Strategy Part 2, published on 4 April 2014, that we are considering the implications of current trends of deployment in solar PV on the financial incentives available in Great Britain under the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in-Tariff. We will issue a public consultation shortly

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proposing changes to financial support for solar PV. The proposals on which we will be consulting are intended to take effect from the 2015-16 financial year.

Solar Power: Wales

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total value is of renewable obligation certificates issued to generators for (a) roof- and (b) ground-mounted solar schemes that have been redeemed in (a) Llanelli constituency and (ii) each constituency in Wales. [197561]

Gregory Barker: The following table gives the total number, and notional value, of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) issued to the two RO-accredited stations in Wales between April and December 2013. The number and cost of ROCs issued to ground-mounted stations is a sub-set of the number of ROCs issued; there are currently no building-mounted stations in Wales accredited under the RO.

Information is not available below country level. No ROCs were redeemed by accredited solar PV stations in Wales prior to the 2013-14 financial year.

The value of a ROC is estimated as the buy-out price (£42.02) +10%. The total number of ROCs redeemed in 2013-14, and the final value of a ROC for that obligation period, will not be confirmed until October 2014. ROCs issued for the UK as a whole can be found in table ET 6.3, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-trends-section-6-renewables

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many acres of land are covered by solar farms in (a) Carmarthenshire, (b) Llanelli constituency, (c) each constituency in Wales and (d) each county in Wales. [197563]

Gregory Barker: DECC does not have data on the area of land covered by solar farms. There are currently two solar sites in Wales supported under the renewables obligation (totalling 12.2 MW) and two sites (totalling 5 MW) under the feed-in tariff scheme (FiTs) that are classified as 'Stand-alone' and are over 1 MW in size. Information below country level is not available for sites in the renewables obligation. The sites accredited under FiTs are located in Monmouthshire.

Deputy Prime Minister

Colombia

Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the oral answer of 6 February 2014, Official Report, column 348W, on Colombia, (1) what discussions he held with (a) business, (b) Government and (c) civil society representatives regarding the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Action Plan on Business and Human Rights during his visit to Colombia in February 2014; [197174]

(2) which representatives of Colombian trades unions he met during his visit to Colombia in February 2014. [197173]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 February 2014, Official Report, column 691. In addition to this, all members of the business delegation who accompanied me were briefed on Human Rights issues before the visit.

Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 692W, on Colombia, which representatives of non-governmental organisations accompanied him on his visit to Colombia in February 2014. [197202]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I was accompanied on my visit by Lord Livingston of Parkhead and a delegation representing British businesses. While this delegation did not include representatives of non-governmental organisations, I met a number of NGOs before the visit and during my time in Colombia.

Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2014, Official Report, column 692W, on Colombia, which individuals accompanied him in an official capacity during his visit to Colombia in February 2014. [197203]

The Deputy Prime Minister: Information about Ministers’ visits overseas is published on a quarterly basis at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications#gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations

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Sovereignty: Scotland

Mr Redwood: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who would lead on negotiations with the Scottish Government in the event of a yes vote in the Scottish referendum. [195808]

Mr Alistair Carmichael: I have been asked to reply on behalf the Scotland Office.

Both the UK Government and the Scottish Government have said that there can be no ‘pre-negotiations’ or contingency planning on what the terms of independence might be before the referendum takes place.

The UK Government believe that Scotland is better off as part of the UK and the UK is better off with Scotland in it. We are confident that people in Scotland will vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in the forthcoming referendum.

Voting Rights: British Nationals Abroad

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Government plan to increase the 15 year out-of-country voting limit for British expatriates. [197545]

Greg Clark: The Government will keep the 15 year time limit under consideration, but are not minded to change the law at the present time.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of China on the persecution of Christians in (a) Zhejiang Province and (b) elsewhere in eastern China. [197398]

Mr Swire: We have concerns about restrictions on freedom of religion and belief in China, and I raise them regularly with my Chinese counterparts. We are aware of particular recent cases, such as the demolition of Sanjiang church in Zhejiang Province and the arrest of Pastor Zhang in Henan Province, and we raise them publicly through our Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.

As the hon. Member will recall, on 1 May, in a debate on the Floor of the House on freedom of thought, conscience and religion, I also expressed my concern about violations of the right to freedom of belief in China, in particular the closure of house churches and the treatment of Falun Gong. We also plan to raise our wide range of concerns directly with Chinese officials during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.

Climate Change

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to achieve agreement at the UN climate summit in September 2014 on the amount of finance that will be pledged to assist developing countries with their climate actions. [197476]

Mark Simmonds: The UK is actively engaged in discussions on preparations for the UN Secretary-General’s climate summit in September 2014. We welcome this

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opportunity to further build international momentum to tackle climate change, and towards a new global, legally-binding climate agreement in 2015.

The UK is committed to the goal of jointly mobilising USD 100 billion of climate finance per year by 2020 from a range of public, private and alternative sources, and encourages all countries to work on strategies for scaling up climate finance. The UK is also actively supporting the development of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which we hope will be ready for initial resource mobilisation in 2014. The UK’s International Climate Fund (£3.87 billion of UK public funds provided by the Department for International Development, Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in 2011-16) already supports a range of adaptation, low carbon development and innovative finance projects to assist developing countries with their climate actions.

Egypt

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to his Egyptian counterpart about the mass trial of and death sentences on members of the Muslim brotherhood. [197567]

Hugh Robertson: In a meeting with the Egyptian Foreign Minister on 2 April, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, raised his concern over the death sentences imposed on 529 people. He asked the Egyptian Government to review these issues as a matter of urgency and to ensure that individuals' human and legal rights were properly upheld.

The Foreign Secretary also made a statement on 28 April expressing deep concerns that a further 683 people had been sentenced to death by the same court and that 37 of the original death sentences handed down on 24 March had been upheld. He expressed concern at the potential negative impact of such sentences on the Egyptian Government's ability to take forward an inclusive political process, and urged that the sentences be reviewed. We will continue to raise this issue in our conversations with the Egyptian Government.

Falkland Islands

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2014, Official Report, column 413W, on Falkland Islands, if he will discuss the correct use of the name Falkland Islands with the Secretary of State for the Home Office; and given the misuse of the name by his Department in its internal guidance if he will now issue cross-Department guidance. [197475]

Mr Swire: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials have been in contact with the Home Office to remind them of the appropriate terminology for the Falkland Islands. All Government Departments and agencies should refer to ‘the Falkland Islands’ in all instances. There is no evidence that incorrect terminology has been used other than in the isolated cases which the hon. Member highlights. Therefore no cross-departmental guidance has been issued.

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Iraq

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Iraq on its proposal to legalise the marriage of girls from nine years of age. [197397]

Hugh Robertson: We have raised our concerns about the draft Personal Status law with the Iraqi Justice Minister. The law remains in draft, and has not been approved by Iraq’s Parliament. We expect Iraq to uphold its international obligations under UN conventions to protect the rights of women and children.

Nigeria

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the current whereabouts of the children recently kidnapped from Chibok, Nigeria. [197469]

Mark Simmonds: Since the abduction of the Nigerian school girls on 14 April we have remained in close contact with the Nigerian authorities about the case. Although the whereabouts of the girls remains unclear, reports in the media and from girls who escaped suggest they are being held in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno State. Media reports also suggest the girls may have been taken into Cameroon and Chad. We continue to try and establish the facts in this case.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Nigerian counterpart on the recent kidnapping of schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria. [197470]

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, spoke to the Nigerian Foreign Minister on 18 April when he condemned the abductions and offered UK assistance in securing the release of the schoolgirls.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests for assistance the Government have received in connection with the recent kidnappings from Chibok, Nigeria. [197472]

Mark Simmonds: Since the abduction of the Nigerian schoolgirls on 14 April, our high commission in Abuja has remained in close contact with the Nigerian authorities. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, offered our assistance when he spoke to the Nigerian Foreign Minister on 18 April. So far we have not received a formal request for assistance from the Nigerian Government.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to (a) the UN and (b) any UN agency on the abduction of schoolgirls from Chibok in north-eastern Nigeria on 14 April 2014. [197520]

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Mark Simmonds: Since the abduction of the Nigerian schoolgirls on 14 April, we have focused our efforts on working with the Nigerian Government to locate and secure the release of the girls. We have discussed the issue with officials from counterpart members of the UN Security Council in New York. On 7 May, I spoke with UN Special Representatives (SR), Zainab Bangura (UN SR for Sexual Violence) and Leila Zeroughi (UN SR for Children and Armed Conflict), to discuss what more the UN can do to help.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with UN Women about the abduction of schoolgirls from Chibok in north-eastern Nigeria on 14 April 2014; and if he will make a statement. [197532]

Mark Simmonds: Since the abduction of the Nigerian school girls on 14 April, we have focused our efforts on working with the Nigerian Government to locate and secure the release of the girls. We have made no representations to UN Women about the case. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, made a statement condemning the schoolgirls abduction on 16 April.

North Korea

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation in North Korea. [197029]

Mr Swire: We remain extremely concerned by the ongoing situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) especially regarding the nuclear threat and human rights.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's 2013 annual human rights report listed the DPRK as a country of concern. Compelling reports of widespread and systematic human rights violations, including the curtailment of fundamental freedoms and the continued use of political prison camps, are especially worrying. I met the US Special Envoy for DPRK Human Rights, Robert King, on 6 May to discuss how we can maintain international pressure on this.

The security situation remains deeply troubling. Recent statements implying that the DPRK is considering a further nuclear test, coupled with the DPRK’s March decision to launch ballistic missiles in clear breach of UN Security Council Resolutions and to conduct live-fire artillery exercises, have only served to heighten tensions in the region. The UK continues to closely monitor the situation with our allies.

Sri Lanka

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights about the implementation of the UN Human Rights Council resolution on Sri Lanka of 27 March 2014; what technical advice and assistance his Department will provide to the Office of the High Commissioner for

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Human Rights for the investigation into alleged war crimes and human rights violations in Sri Lanka; and what representations he has made to the Government of Sri Lanka about the UN Human Rights Council resolution. [197543]

Mr Swire: Our officials in Geneva continue to discuss the March 2014 UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC) resolution with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). We will continue to fully support and work with the UN HRC and international partners to ensure proper implementation of this resolution. The OHCHR will lead an independent investigation into alleged violations. We continue to urge the Sri Lankan Government to co-operate with the UN resolution.

Venezuela

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Venezuela. [197196]

Mr Swire: I remain deeply concerned about the situation in Venezuela where protests have been ongoing since early February. I am saddened by the deaths that have occurred and condemn all acts of violence.

I welcome the meetings that have now been held between the Government and Opposition which are an important step towards genuine dialogue. I support the work of the commission of Foreign Ministers from the Union of South American Nations, whose role is to support and advise on dialogue, as well as the involvement of the Vatican.

In my statement of 26 March I called for all sides to take steps to avoid confrontation, reduce tensions and create the right conditions for genuine dialogue. I have written to the Venezuelan Government emphasising the importance of respecting peaceful protest and offered the UK's assistance in the reconciliation process.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on anti-democratic violence in Venezuela. [197197]

Mr Swire: I am deeply concerned about the reports of violence associated with protests in various cities in Venezuela since early February and call on all sides to refrain from violence. I receive regular reports on the situation from our embassy in Caracas.

The majority of the demonstrations, including large-scale gatherings organised by the Government or by the opposition, have been peaceful, but some disturbances have been marred by violence. The number and frequency of the incidents have decreased over the last few weeks, but there are still violent incidents. To date, at least 41 people have died and more than 650 have been injured since the start of protests. About half the victims are anti-Government protestors and the rest pro-Government supporters, security forces or bystanders. Around 2,500 people have been detained and around 200 people remain in custody, including police officers and students. The authorities are investigating around 100 cases of reported human rights abuses.

It is important that the Venezuelan Government respect the right to protest peacefully, ensures public security and due process is afforded in investigations. I welcome

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the meetings held between the Government and opposition which are an important step towards genuine dialogue. We continue to monitor the situation closely and keep travel advice for British nationals under constant review.

Western Sahara

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to press for the inclusion of language in the Resolution extending MINURSO's mandate for Western Sahara that reflects Chapter 9, article 73 of the UN Charter in supporting the principle that the interests of the inhabitants of those territories are paramount. [196543]

Hugh Robertson: There is no reference to Chapter XI, Article 73 of the UN Charter in the new MINURSO mandate, adopted on 29 April. However, we consider Morocco to be the de facto administering power of Western Sahara. We therefore consistently encourage Morocco to meet its commitments by ensuring that it acts to protect and further the interests of the people of the territory.

Treasury

Crown Estate Commissioners

Mr Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many Crown Estate houses the Crown Estate plans to sell; [196886]

(2) what discussions his Department has had with the Crown Estate on selling houses; [196908]

(3) how many houses the Crown Estate is proposing to sell in Taunton Deane. [196909]

Nicky Morgan: The Crown Estate operates commercially at arm’s length from the Treasury. The Crown Estate makes commercial decisions in line with the Crown Estate Act 1961 and does not normally discuss them in detail with the Treasury.

Income Tax

Stella Creasy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have declared income on their income tax returns from (a) rent from a residential property, (b) rent from a furnished holiday letting, (c) rent from commercial properties and (d) income under the Rent a Room Scheme in the last tax year. [196979]

Mr Gauke: Due to the structure of the Self Assessment tax return, it is not possible to provide a complete answer to this question.

Income from residential and commercial property is not separated out in either the full or the short Self Assessment return. In total, 1,984,000 individuals reported UK property income that was not from Furnished Holiday Lettings in the tax year 2011-12. This figure includes both the main and short Self Assessment returns.

It is not possible to provide a complete accounting of the number of individuals claiming the Rent a Room relief. This is because individuals claiming the relief with gross rental income of less than £4,250 do not have to fill in a Self Assessment return. Individuals who fill in the short return have no way of indicating that they are claiming the relief.

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Of those individuals who filled in the main return, 47,000 indicated that they were claiming the relief. This includes those who ticked the box to indicate that their gross rents were less than £4,250, and those who filled in the amount claimed.

Individuals with income from Furnished Holiday Lettings must complete the property pages of the main return. In all, 82,000 individuals declared income from Furnished Holiday Lettings in the tax year 2011-12. This covers Furnished Holiday Lettings in both the UK and EEA.

HMRC is currently running a compliance campaign focusing on individuals who let residential property, giving them the opportunity to bring their tax affairs up to date and to pay the tax that they owe.

Infrastructure

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff work in his Department’s Major Infrastructure Tracking Unit. [194287]

Danny Alexander: The Major Infrastructure Tracking Unit is part of Infrastructure UK, a team of 70 FTE staff.

Pay

Mr Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of (a) permanent, (b) temporary and (c) contract staff in his Department as paid the living wage or above. [186697]

Andrea Leadsom: 100% of permanent and temporary staff at HM Treasury are paid the living wage or above.

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

The Government support businesses that choose to pay the living wage however the Government’s main policy on wages is the National Minimum Wage, which has continued to protect the relative wages of the low paid. This is independently set by the Low Pay Commission at a level that maximises their wages without reducing employment prospect. It is for workers and employers to decide the level of wages above the minimum wage based on current circumstances. This includes the Government as a procurer and an employer. Over 95%, around 20 million employees earn above the minimum wage and the majority of public sector workers currently earn above the living wage.

Procurement

Chris Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion and value of his Department's contracts have been let (a) under the restricted procedure, (b) by the open procedure, (c) via framework agreements and (d) via a tendering process involving the use of a pre-qualification questionnaire in each of the last three years. [182696]

Andrea Leadsom: Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish

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on Contracts Finder information on the tenders issued and contracts they award with a value over £10,000 (excluding VAT):

www.gov.uk/contractsfinder

Public Procurement Regulations require that prescribed procurement procedures are used when procurements exceed the EU contract threshold values. This legal framework helps to ensure that public procurement is conducted in a fair and open manner both within the UK and across the EU.

Less than 2% of all contracts were let under the restricted procedure in each of the last three years.

In 2010-11 there was one contract let under the restricted procedure. This was for actuarial support to the independent commission on Equitable Life Payments that was set up by this Government to recommend how best to fairly allocate funds provided for the Equitable Life Payments Scheme (ELPS) and had a contract value of £1 million.

In 2011-12 there were two contracts let under the restricted procedure. They were (i) Corporate Financial Advice framework contract (estimated contract value of £5 million over the two years but no guaranteed spend) and (ii) a contract for actuarial support for (ELPS) in making fair and transparent payments to Equitable Life policyholders who suffered financial losses as a result of Government maladministration which occurred in the regulation of Equitable Life. The contract value was £5.4 million.

The information requested for the proportion and value of HM Treasury contracts that have been let via framework agreements and where a tendering process involving the use of a pre-qualification questionnaire in each of the last three years is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

VAT

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2014, Official Report, column 677W, on VAT, (1) how many VAT431C claims have been submitted in each of the (a) last eight years and (b) smallest time periods by which data are kept over the last eight years; [197388]

(2) how many VAT431NB claims have been submitted in each of the (a) last eight years and (b) smallest time periods by which data are kept over the last eight years. [197389]

Mr Gauke: VAT 431NB New House Build Claims and VAT431C Conversion claims forms have only been in use in their current form since September 2009.

Data on these forms are kept on an annual calendar year basis.

Welfare Tax Credits

Ian Lavery: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the business case for the outsourcing of compliance checks on tax credits claims; [197123]

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(2) what assessment he has made of the performance of the Tax Credit Error and Fraud Adding Capacity trial involving the private company Transactis in 2013; [197122]

(3) if HM Revenue and Customs will share the evaluation of the Tax Credit Error and Fraud Adding Capacity trial with recognised trade unions; [197124]

(4) how much has been spent by HM Revenue and Customs on preparatory work for the outsourcing of Tax Credit Error and Fraud Adding Capacity to date. [197125]

Nicky Morgan: From April to July 2013, HMRC carried out a trial to test whether it would be feasible to increase the number of compliance checks on tax credits claims, through the use of private sector resource. HMRC will publish the evaluation of the trial and the customer research report in due course.

It is not appropriate to place the business case in the public domain given the commercial sensitivities and the risk of prejudice to HMRC’s ability to tackle tax credits error and fraud.

In terms of the external costs of the trial, I refer the Hon Member to the Thirty-Fourth Report of the Committee of Public Accounts (2013/14) into HMRC Tax Collection: Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13, which may be found at:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmpubacc/666/66602.htm

All internal HMRC operating costs are published annually in the HMRC Annual Report and Accounts.

Culture, Media and Sport

Conditions of Employment

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials in his Department are employed on zero-hours contracts. [107180]

Mrs Grant: The Department has no employees with a zero-hours contract.

Culture: Education

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what proportion of pupils in each age group participate in the Cultural Passport scheme; and if he will make a statement. [197570]

Mr Vaizey: The Cultural Passport scheme was launched as ‘Artsbox’ in February of this year. The programme is run independently of DCMS by Trinity College London, and therefore the Department does not hold the information requested. DCMS welcomes this initiative which allows children and young people to share their creative work.

Private Rented Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints the Advertising Standards Authority has received about

7 May 2014 : Column 200W

letting agencies failing to advertise their fees since November 2013. [197128]

Mr Vaizey: The Advertising Standards Agency has received 76 complaints since 1 November 2013 about letting agents. This figure includes but is not limited to complaints about fees.

Public Expenditure

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what expenditure his Department incurred on the (a) Broadband Delivery Programme, (b) Mobile Infrastructure Project, (c) Spectrum Clearance and Awards Programme and (d) Urban Broadband Fund (Super-Connected City Initiative) in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15 to date; and what further expenditure on each of those projects it expects to incur in (A) the remainder of 2014-15, (B) 2015-16, (C) 2016-17, (D) 2017-18, (E) 2018-19 and (F) 2019-20. [197157]

Mr Vaizey: The expenditure the Department incurred on the (a) Broadband Delivery Programme, (b) Mobile Infrastructure Project, (c) Spectrum Clearance and Awards Programme and (d) Urban Broadband Fund (Super-Connected City Initiative) in the years requested is:

The figures provided relate to capital funding only. The totals for (a) and (d) include budget transfers to broadband projects in the devolved Administrations and (a) includes a budget transfer to DEFRA. The 2013-14 data are unaudited figures from the Department’s financial systems and therefore subject to change. BDUK has not yet spent any capital funding in 2014-15.

The forecasts for these DCMS programmes are subject to regular re-profiling. These are published on an annual basis by the Cabinet Office:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-major-projects-portfolio-data-for-dcms-2013

The next data set will be published in June 2014. These programmes are currently profiled to spend:

(a) £780 million on the Broadband Delivery Programme by end FY 2017-18;

(b) £150 million on the Superfast Connected Cities Programme in 2015;

(c) £131 million on the Spectrum Clearance and Awards Programme by end FY 2014-15; and

(d) £150 million on the Mobile Infrastructure Programme by end FY 2014-15.

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Justice

Approved Premises

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent estimate is of the average cost of housing an individual in (a) a probation hostel and (b) approved premises for 12 months. [197611]

Jeremy Wright: On release from custody, offenders who meet the referral criteria may be accommodated in an approved premises (AP). (APs were formerly known as probation and bail hostels.) There are 100 APs in England and Wales, providing supervised accommodation for offenders under probation supervision. They also house a small number of defendants on bail.

Most APs are managed by probation trusts and funded out of the total grant paid to the trust by the National Offender Management Service. The AP element is not separately identified. Because of this funding arrangement, it is not possible to provide the information requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Baha Mousa Inquiry

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of the Baha Mousa Inquiry Lessons Learned Paper. [196975]

Mr Francois: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

There is no single paper produced by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which captures the lessons learned as a result of the Baha Mousa Inquiry. However, as stated in my written ministerial statement of 27 March

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2014,

Official Report

, columns 29-30WS, the MOD has taken action to address all of the accepted recommendations.

Convictions

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 in each of the last four years. [196432]

Damian Green: Section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 was enacted to deal with the situation where it was clear that one of a number of members of a household was responsible for the death of a child or vulnerable adult in that household but it could not be proved which one.

This Government are committed to protecting the rights of children and vulnerable adults. Since 2010 those who commit a serious offence are more likely to go to prison and go for longer. The average custodial sentence length for indictable offences is now the highest in more than a decade.

The number of offenders found guilty at all courts for offences under section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 as it applies to causing or allowing death, in England and Wales, from 2009 to 2012 (latest data available) can be viewed in the table.

The number of people convicted in a year, does not reflect the number of cases going through the system, as this could be carried on from previous years.

The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims (Amendment) Act 2012 amended section 5 of the 2004 Act to extend it to causing or allowing serious physical harm to a child or vulnerable adult.

Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to sections 1, 2 and 6 of the Child Abduction Act 1984 in each of the last four years. [196435]

Damian Green: The number of offenders found guilty at all courts for offences under the Child Abduction Act 1984 in England and Wales from 2009 to 2012 (latest data available) can be viewed in the table.

The Ministry of Justice collects information for criminal courts in England and Wales only. Information under section 6 of the act is the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.

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Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many people have been convicted of an offence of murder, kidnapping or infanticide contrary to the common law of England and Wales in each of the last four years; [196437]

(2) how many people have been convicted of an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Infanticide Act 1938 in each of the last four years. [196451]

Damian Green: Murder, infanticide and kidnapping are all indictable only offences. A life sentence is mandatory for murder and the maximum penalty for infanticide and kidnapping.

The number of offenders found guilty at all courts of murder, infanticide and kidnapping in England and Wales from 2009 to 2012 (latest data available) can be viewed in the table.

Court proceedings data for 2013 is planned for publication in May 2014.

Coroners

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many coroner's inquests (a) with and (b) without a jury were held in the last five years for which figures are available. [196974]

Simon Hughes: The number of coroner’s inquests held with and without a jury can be found in the statistical tables accompanying the ‘Coroners Statistics 2012’ publication, which is accessible via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coroners-statistics

Table 10 provides data from 1995 to 2012. Data for 2013 will be published on 15 May 2014 in the ‘Coroners Statistics 2013’ publication, which will be available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coroners-and-burials-statistics

Driving Offences: Speed Limits

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many motorists were prosecuted for speeding offences in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) Ashfield constituency in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [197306]

Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants proceeded against at Magistrates courts for speeding offences in the Nottinghamshire police force area, from 2008 to 2012 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table. Information cannot be broken down by parliamentary constituency.

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High Down Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) prisoners and (b) young adult prisoners were on suicide watch in HM Prison High Down on (i) 1 September 2013 and (ii) 1 April 2014. [197105]

Jeremy Wright: Prisoners who are identified as being at-risk of suicide or self-harm will be placed on an Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) Plan. ACCT is a prisoner focused care planning system which is used by prisons to manage and support at risk prisoners. The ACCT plan will include what level of observations are required for each prisoner which will be decided on a case by case basis.

At HMP High Down:

(i) there were 62 prisoners on an open ACCT on the 1 September 2013, of which 6 were young adult prisoners

(ii) there were 33 prisoners on an open ACCT on the 1 April 2014, of which 2 were young adult prisoners.

Police: Dogs

Mr Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if she will introduce legislative proposals to protect police dogs by recognising them as an extension of their handler as a police officer. [196315]

Simon Hughes: The Government agree that attacks of any sort on police dogs, horses or any other police animal should be dealt with severely under the criminal law. However, it is not necessary to create a new offence in order to do this.

An attack on a police dog can be treated as animal cruelty under s4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The maximum penalty is six months imprisonment, or a fine of up to £20,000, or both.

Prisoners: Pay

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the average (a) net and (b) gross earnings were of each prisoner in each month in each of the last four years; [197089]

(2) what the highest amount earned by any prisoner in jail was in 2013. [197086]

Jeremy Wright: This information is not held centrally. To obtain this information would require an examination by each prison establishment of payment transactions made on the central prisoner moneys recording system for each of the relevant periods. This would be a significant exercise and could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Employment

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many prisoners were employed in work in jails on 1 April in each of the last four years; [197084]

(2) how many prisoners were employed in work in the community on 1 April in each of the last four years. [197085]

Jeremy Wright: Work in prisons is a key priority to ensure prisoners are engaged purposefully whilst they are in custody. It also gives them the opportunity to

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learn skills and a work ethic which can increase their chances of finding employment on release, a key element to reducing reoffending.

The number of prisoners working in industrial activity in public sector prisons increased from around 8,600 in 2010-11 (the first year for which figures are available) to around 9,700 in 2012-13. This delivered an increase in the total hours worked in industrial activities from 10.6 million hours to 13.1 million hours. Private sector prisons have also been supporting this agenda and have reported that they delivered over 1½ million prisoner working hours in commercial and industrial workshops in 2012-13 which provided work for over 1,200 prisoners.

In addition there are substantial numbers of prisoners who work to keep prisons running on tasks such as cooking, serving meals, maintenance and cleaning.

Figures for public sector prisons are published in the NOMS Annual Report Management Information Addendum:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225225/mi-addendum.pdf

Figures for the number of prisoners working in the community are not held centrally and could be obtained only from local records at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Health Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have requested chemical castration in each of the last five years. [196828]

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and NHS England do not provide for chemical castration of prisoners.

Probation

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether (a) his Department and (b) the Probation Service has experienced problems in accessing the Risk of Serious Recidivism Predictor Tool to date. [197568]

Jeremy Wright: We are carrying out extensive local testing of the key elements of the new Transforming Rehabilitation systems across a number of Probation Trusts. Findings are helping us to refine the associated tools and guidance. We have now completed testing of the new Risk of Serious Recidivism (RSR) tool, which will be used to inform the allocation of cases to new Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) or the National Probation Service (NPS). Our testing with operational staff in Trusts indicates that the tool is straightforward to use, in line with our commitment to minimising bureaucracy for frontline staff.

We have begun the roll out of the current version of the tool to all Trusts.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of the 50 initial preferred bidders for probation services remain in the competition. [197569]

Jeremy Wright: We have a robust and diverse market. In mid December 2013, the bidders who passed the first stage of the competition to win the regional rehabilitation contracts were announced. That list included a mix of

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private and voluntary sector partnerships with more than 50 organisations represented. A list of the bidders who have been successful at this stage can be found at:

https://www.justice.gov.uk/transforming-rehabilitation/competition

The process to award Community Rehabilitation Company contracts is ongoing and the details of which bidders remain in the competition is commercially sensitive information. The contract winners for each Community Rehabilitation Company will be announced by the end of 2014.

Taxis: Licensing

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many legal proceedings involving the licensing of taxi and private hire vehicles, operators and drivers have been dealt with in the court system in each year since 2000. [196817]

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database hold information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. However, not all offences are individually reported within the centrally held data. Offences involving the licensing of taxi and private hire vehicles, operators and drivers under the Private Hire (London) Act 1998 are reported as part of a miscellaneous group of offences, and it is not possible to separately identify proceedings for these specific offences from others offences relating to motor vehicles. This detailed information is not reported to Justice Statistics Analytical Services due to their size and complexity.

Court proceedings data for 2013 are planned for publication in May 2014.

International Development

Developing Countries: Older People

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department gives full consideration to the increasing impact and challenges that ageing populations will place on national Governments, civil society and relevant stakeholders (a) between 2015 and 2030 and (b) after 2030. [197518]

Justine Greening: The UK Government welcome the fact that life expectancy is increasing in developing countries and wants to see this positive trend continue. However, DFID also recognises that this brings new challenges, which the post-2015 framework should address. The High Level Panel, co-chaired by the Prime Minister, acknowledged this in its report to the UN Secretary General through its call to ‘leave no one behind.’

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress the Global Fund has made in reducing instances of AIDS, malaria and TB in the last two years. [197565]

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Lynne Featherstone: The Global Fund to fights AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria (GFATM) is critical to the delivery of DFID’s ambition on HIV, TB and malaria and is a very significant channel for our funding. Results from GFATM supported programmes have increased significantly:

(1) 6.1 million people are currently receiving antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to treat HIV, an increase from two million five years ago (2008); an additional 900,000 people received ARV therapy in 2012 and 1.9 million people in 2013;

(2) 11 million new TB cases have been detected and treated, an increase from 4.1 million five years ago (2008) ; about 1.1 million TB cases were detected and treated in 2012 and 1.5 million cases in 2013;

(3) 360 million insecticide treated nets have been distributed to protect families from malaria, an increase from 70 million five years ago (2008); 80 million insecticide treated nets were distributed in 2012; an additional 50 million in 2013.

Since 2002 the Fund has supported over 1,000 programmes in 151 countries, and approved grants totalling $12.4 billion for HIV, $3.6 billion for TB, and $6.5 billion for malaria. It accounts for 21% of all international funding for HIV/AIDS, 82% of international TB funding, and 50% of global malaria spend.

Green Climate Fund

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what international progress has been made towards establishing the Green Climate Fund ahead of the UN's climate summit in Lima; and when she expects this fund to be ready for capitalisation. [197478]

Lynne Featherstone: The Green Climate Fund Board has agreed a list of eight operational policies needed to complete the design of the fund, with a view to taking decisions at the next Board meeting in May. The Board will also decide the next steps towards a contributions process, with a view to enabling pledges by the meeting in Lima.

International Assistance

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that there is a renewed focus on the millennium development goals which have not yet been attained. [197494]

Justine Greening: Despite remarkable progress, some countries are off-track to meet MDG targets. In response, the Government have increased development assistance to fragile states, driven forward work to help unlock the potential of girls and women and focused more resources on creating the jobs, investment and growth that emerging and frontier markets need to escape poverty.

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that the millennium development goals and sustainable development goals are coherent with and integrated into the development agendas of all Government Departments. [197519]

Justine Greening: Ensuring that the millennium development goals and sustainable development goals are coherent with and are integrated into the development

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agendas of all UK Government Departments is a priority for this Government. DFID Ministers and officials work closely with other Government Departments and through the National Security Council, Cabinet and Cabinet sub-Committees to ensure development coherence across HMG.

Syria

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of UK aid to Syria has been written off as nugatory expenditure. [197489]

Justine Greening: No UK aid to Syria has been written off as nugatory expenditure.

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of teaching provision available to Syrian refugee children in Lebanon and Jordan; and what assessment she has made of the effects of language barriers on the effectiveness of such provision. [197490]

Justine Greening: According to the UN, there are over 320,000 school-age Syrian refugee children in Lebanon and over 200,000 in Jordan. We continue to be concerned about barriers to education for refugees from Syria, which is why I have set up the £50 million ‘No Lost Generation initiative’ which is providing desperately needed help, including trauma counselling and education.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Subsidies

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will discuss with the devolved legislatures how to ensure best practice is adopted in implementing single farm payments across the UK. [197566]

George Eustice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs negotiated successfully in the European Council of Agriculture Ministers to secure powers to implement CAP reform in the UK at a territorial level. The responsibility for delivery of direct payments under CAP reform therefore rests with each territorial administration. However, DEFRA Ministers regularly discuss the implementation of CAP reform with their devolved Administration counterparts and officials from all four territorial Administrations meet frequently to discuss implementation, share best practice and address UK-level and cross-border issues.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to publish in full all monitoring data collected on the second year of the pilot badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset. [197283]

George Eustice: The outcome of the monitoring of the second year of the pilot culls will be published after culling has concluded and the analysis is completed.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to ensure that he receives independent

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scientific advice on the safety, effectiveness and humaneness of the second year of the badger cull pilots in Gloucestershire and Somerset. [197284]

George Eustice: Natural England, as the independent licensing authority, is the most appropriate organisation to continue carrying out the field monitoring of cage trapping and shooting to ensure that licence conditions and best practice guidance requirements are complied with. The outcome of this monitoring, together with the outcome of post-mortem examinations carried out by trained vets will be made publically available after the culls are completed, and will inform the decisions made about next steps.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements he plans to put in place to ensure that monitoring data collected on the second year of the pilot badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset are made available for independent scientific evaluation and analysis; and if he will make it his policy to receive and consider the conclusions of that analysis prior to deciding whether the culls should be extended to other areas subsequently. [197285]

George Eustice: The outcome of the monitoring of the second year of culling will be made publically available when the culls have concluded and the analyses completed. This information will be taken into account in making decisions on rolling out culling in further areas.

Churngold Recycling

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Environment Agency expects to conclude its investigation into Churngold Recycling Ltd. [197571]

Dan Rogerson: This is a complex investigation that the Environment Agency is working hard to complete. Legal challenges to the investigation in the civil courts have caused delays. Once the investigation is complete and the matter has been legally reviewed, the Environment Agency will decide on any appropriate enforcement.

Dangerous Dogs

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will review the effectiveness of current legislation on banned breeds of dog. [197473]

George Eustice: The Government have introduced new legislation to tackle irresponsible dog ownership, including extending the criminal offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control to all places, increasing the maximum penalties for allowing a dog to become dangerously out of control and ensuring that the new measures to deal with antisocial behaviour will include such instances when they involve a dog. As announced on 6 February 2013, DEFRA is looking at making changes to the arrangements for seizure and kennelling of suspected dangerous dogs but there are no plans to review the effectiveness of the restrictions on keeping certain types of dog which are specifically bred for fighting.

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Floods

Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the Government Departments and public authorities to which borough councils for areas where there is no unitary authority can apply for funding towards (a) their own costs in dealing with flooding and (b) the cost of flood protection schemes in their area, stating in each case the name of the funding scheme and the government department or public authority to which the application should be made. [196928]

Dan Rogerson: The information is as follows:

(a) There are a number of schemes where borough councils can apply for funding towards their own costs in dealing with flooding and these are listed as follows:

The Bellwin scheme of emergency financial assistance (funding to help local authorities in the emergency phase of the flooding to protect lives or property)—through the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Funding for repair of damages to roads (hit by weather damage)—through the Department for Transport

The business support scheme (hardship funding for SME businesses in areas affected by the floods)—through the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

(b) Borough councils can also apply for funding towards the cost of flood protection schemes from Flood Defence Grant in Aid through the Environment Agency. Second tier local authorities including borough councils can apply for capital grants towards flood and coastal erosion risk management projects. Where there are two tiers of local government, local authorities should work together to decide which authority is best placed to lead in different circumstances.

Fly-grazing

Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of current legislation against fly-grazing; [197577]

(2) if he will assess the potential benefits of more stringent equine passport controls; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to reverse the burden of proof and increase data-gathering on horse ownership in relation to fly-grazing; [197576]

(3) what assessment he has made of changes in levels of fly-grazing in England following changes to relevant legislation in Wales; [197603]

(4) pursuant to the contribution of 26 November 2013 of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Official Report, columns 56-9WH, what recent assessment he has made of the prevalence of fly-grazing in Wales. [197607]

George Eustice: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Natural Environment and Science has met a number of interested bodies to discuss what action can be taken to address fly-grazing in England. There is a range of legislation that can be used depending on the individual circumstances of each case. Most of the problems associated with fly-grazing are linked to difficulties in tracing owners of unidentified horses. In such cases we would encourage a joined-up approach by enforcers and interested parties at a local level to help tackle the

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problem. It is already an offence under the Horse Passport Regulations for horses not to be identified. These regulations are enforced by local authorities. Fly-grazing in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.

Gulls

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to reduce the number of black-backed gulls. [197396]

George Eustice: DEFRA is not taking action to reduce the number of lesser or great black-backed gulls. Like all wild birds, gulls are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Under this Act it is an offence to kill or injure any wild bird; to take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built; and take or destroy an egg of any wild bird.

However, Natural England has issued general licences for gulls which allow users to kill or take lesser black-backed gulls, to take, damage or destroy their nests or take or destroy their eggs, for a range of purposes. These include protection against damage to livestock or crops, or where the gulls are posing a risk to public health and safety. General licences need not be applied for by users, as long as they meet the conditions of the licence.

Hill Farming

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether any restrictions exist in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland on upland farms contaminated by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident in April 1986. [196981]

Jane Ellison: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.

There are no longer any restrictions in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland on upland farms contaminated by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) previously restricted the movement of sheep in certain upland areas to prevent sheep with higher levels of contamination entering the food chain. Over time, controls were removed where the evidence showed they were no longer necessary. All remaining controls were lifted in Northern Ireland in 2000, in Scotland in 2010 and in Wales in 2012. Similarly, the final controls in England were lifted in 2012.

Information on the historic controls and the decision to remove restrictions can be found on the FSA website:

www.food.gov.uk/science/research/radiologicalresearch/radiosurv/chernobyl/

Medical Equipment: Waste Disposal

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who is responsible for the collection and disposal of clinical waste from patients' homes. [197597]

Dan Rogerson: Local authorities have duties to arrange for the collection and disposal of household waste. Clinical waste produced at domestic property is treated as household waste.

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Rural Areas: Broadband

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 37W, on rural areas: broadband, what the latest figures are for how much funding is for projects (a) granted, (b) under pre-contract approval and (c) still under consideration for funding. [197295]

Dan Rogerson: The current breakdown of funding to date that has arisen from the Rural Community Broadband Fund is as follows:

(a) Projects granted (contracted and in delivery) total—£0.459 million;

(b) Projects with pre-contract approval total—£0.634 million; and

(c) Projects under consideration total—£14.0 million.

Until contracted, all costs are estimated and subject to revision.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list, by

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individual site of special scientific interest (SSSI), all the cases of permanent loss of land within SSSIs to development since the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 came in to force in England; and for each SSSI what the

(a)

area of permanent loss was,

(b)

cause of that loss was and

(c)

year that loss was permitted. [196935]

George Eustice: This information is not readily available in the form requested. However, the latest summary of SSSI condition, published in April 2014, shows that 139 hectares of SSSI in England were recorded as fully or partially lost due to planning-related activity between 2007 and 2013. This is 0.01% of the current total area of English SSSIs, reflecting the very strong presumption against developing SSSIs in both primary legislation, the National Planning Policy Framework and previous guidance.

The table sets out the area of each SSSI that has been destroyed or partially destroyed and when the loss was recorded.