Taxation: Offshore Industry

Mr Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many internal reports, briefings or analysis papers HM Revenue and Customs has produced on the taxation arrangements for bareboat charters in the oil and gas sector since 2007; and what the findings were of each such report. [199293]

Nicky Morgan: HMRC produces reports, briefings and analysis on the tax system as a matter of course.

More information can be found in the Budget 2014 document and the accompanying publications.

Tourism: Taxation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken through taxation to encourage the tourism industry in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [199536]

Mr Gauke: This Government are committed to helping UK businesses, including those in the tourism industry, grow and create jobs.

In relation to taxation, we are taking action to reduce the employer NICs burden on small businesses and have created the new employment allowance which is simple to administer, permanent and available to all businesses and charities in the UK. This is reducing their employer NICs bill by up to £2,000 each year. As a result, 450,000 employers will pay no NICs at all in 2014-15.

At this year’s budget, the Government again took action to support the pub industry, reducing a pint by a penny for the second year in a row. Following last year’s beer duty cut, the British Beer and Pub Association reported that 89% of their members reduced or froze their prices, 76% of their members increased investment, and 51% of their members employed more staff. Also at this year’s Budget we have taken action to stop the previous Government’s alcohol duty escalator and freeze

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the duty on ordinary cider and on spirits, as well as limiting the increases on wine duty to inflation.

The Government are also taking targeted action where appropriate. For example, between 2011 and 2015 the Government are investing £50 million (with a further £50 million match-funded by the private sector) into a tactical campaign via VisitBritain, so it can work with the industry to market what the UK has to offer.

VAT

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much VAT was received in respect of domestic building works for the remediation of unsafe levels of radon gas in each of the last five years. [200005]

Mr Gauke: This information is not available.

Working Families Tax Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many self-employed people claimed working families tax credit in each of the last 10 years; [199791]

(2) how many people who were classified as self-employed and who claimed working families tax credits (WFTC) in 2010 still claimed WFTC in 2013. [200142]

Nicky Morgan: Working family tax credit was abolished in 2003 and replaced by child tax credits (CTC) and working tax credits (WTC).

Transport

Aviation

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what statistics his Department collects on the travel-to-work patterns of staff of airports and airlines; and if he will make a statement. [199538]

Mr Goodwill: The Department holds data from the ONS Labour Force Survey on the travel time from home to work, and the method of transport used to travel, for people employed in the passenger and freight air transport industries, as well as those employed in service activities incidental to air transport. These data are published annually in Transport Statistics Great Britain, in tables TSGB0108–TSGB0112, available at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-statistics-great-britain-2013

The survey does not, however, separate out those staff working specifically in airports and airlines.

Cycling

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 6W, on cycling, if he will publish the (a) membership and (b) agendas, minutes and attendees of all previous meetings of the Cycling Stakeholder Forum. [200279]

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Mr Goodwill: The Cycling Stakeholder Forum has met four times: 13 September 2011, 19 March 2012, 26 June 2012, and 30 September 2013.

Minutes were taken for the first and fourth meetings. The second and third meetings were interactive workshops, so minutes were not appropriate.

The discussions from the second meeting are summarised in a document jointly agreed by the forum, and this can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/5014/cycle-forum-vision.pdf

At the third meeting stakeholders heard about the new Cycle Safety Fund and reached agreement for a working group to organise an event in Leicester later in the year. Further details of the Cycle Safety Fund can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/15m-boost-to-improve-cycle-accident-hotspots

and for the Leicester event at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cash-boost-to-get-england-cycling--2

All agendas, minutes of the two other meetings, and membership will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Databases

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects his Department’s review of unpublished datasets to be completed. [200191]

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport completed a comprehensive review of datasets held in August 2013 and this was made available via

www.data.gov.uk

on 2 September 2013. This included details of 470 datasets including full metadata for all unpublished datasets.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the case officers allocated by HS2 Ltd to assist residents affected by High Speed 2. [199605]

Mr Goodwill: HS2 Ltd does not currently allocate case officers to residents affected by HS2 but refers their concerns to the appropriate specialist. As stated in their leaflet “HS2 Residents' Charter”, HS2 Ltd will offer a single named case officer when the charter is developed. The leaflet can be viewed on the HS2 Ltd website or is available via HS2 Public Enquiries.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the HS2 Ltd property specialists who are available for private meetings with residents who are affected by High Speed 2. [199606]

Mr Goodwill: The names of the property specialists for anyone seeking advice on compensation are published in the factsheet "Your Guide to the HS2 Express Purchase Scheme". The factsheet can be viewed on the HS2 Ltd website or is available via HS2 Public Enquiries.

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Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the properties that have been purchased to date by HS2 Ltd; what the total purchase price was in each case; whether they have been rented out or rented back to the former owners; and what the rent being paid is. [199607]

Mr Goodwill: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Rental information has been summarised in order to protect the privacy of tenants.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the public consultation will begin on the home owner payment for properties in rural areas 120 to 300 metres from High Speed 2. [199608]

Mr Goodwill: As set out in the Decision Document: Property Compensation Consultation 2013 for the London-West Midlands HS2 route, the Government will consult on the home owner payment over the summer. We will communicate the start date as soon as it is decided.

Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all personnel employed by HS2 Ltd by grade, their salary scale and their immediate previous employer. [199609]

Mr Goodwill: Information relating to personnel employed by HS2 Ltd, their grades and salary scales is shown in the following table. We are withholding information relating to previous employers as this is personal information and releasing it would contravene the first principle of the Data Protection Act 1998. Grade 23 and above have no range and individuals are effectively employed on a “spot-rate”. The individuals and their salaries are, however, already published in HS2 Ltd accounts.

London Midland

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the potential effect on gateline staffing levels at (a) Birmingham New Street,

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(b)

Coventry and

(c)

all stations on the London Midland line of London Midland’s proposals to reduce the number of revenue protection staff. [200147]

Stephen Hammond: Staffing levels and to which role staff are allocated are matters for the train operator, as long as it continues to deliver the services that meet the requirements of the franchise agreement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the potential effect on levels of passenger ticket revenue of London Midland’s proposal to reduce the number of revenue protection staff. [200148]

Stephen Hammond: London Midland is not currently in receipt of revenue support. Unless revenue was to fall to such an extent that it was to be eligible for such payments, the revenue during this franchise term is entirely its risk. London Midland has assured us that its staff restructuring plans will not prevent it fulfilling its obligations in meeting the requirements of the franchise agreement. Therefore, unless revenue was to fall to the extent that London Midland became eligible for revenue support payments, no further assessment is planned.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the potential effects on (a) industrial relations, (b) rail passenger services and (c) rail franchising policy of London Midland’s staffing proposals. [200149]

Stephen Hammond: Staffing levels are a matter for the train operator, as long as it continues to deliver services that meet the requirements of the franchise agreement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with representatives from Govia on its plan to reduce the number of revenue protection staff working on the London Midland line; what reasons he has been given by Govia for those reductions. [200150]

Stephen Hammond: Govia has made us aware of its staffing restructuring plans and the reasoning behind them. It has also provided assurances that these plans will not prevent it from fulfilling its obligations in meeting the requirements of the Franchise Agreement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the existing contractual obligations to share ticket revenue with other train operating companies through the Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services system in the current franchise agreement between his Department and Govia for passenger rail services on the London Midland line. [200151]

Stephen Hammond: The Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services (ORCATS) is owned by Rail Settlement Plan Ltd, a company administered by the Association of Train Operating Companies and wholly-owned by the train operating

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companies collectively. It is one of the means of allocating revenue. Under the Ticketing Settlement Agreement, ORCATS is the default allocation method used in respect of any ticket type and flow. However, it is not mandatory, and train operating companies are free to agree a non-ORCATS allocation in respect of particular ticket types and/or flows if they think that the ORCATS model will not produce a fair estimate of true passenger behaviour.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to monitor London Midland's (a) budgeting and (b) contractual relationship with Siemens for maintenance work on the Desiro EMU fleet. [200322]

Stephen Hammond: London Midland provides its management accounts to the Department every period. In addition, we receive an annual Business Plan and quarterly forecasts of future revenues and costs for the following 12 months. These are reviewed by qualified management accountants within the Department and challenged with the London Midland senior management team at meetings with a view to assessing the ongoing viability of the TOC.

Responsibility for monitoring the maintainer rests with the TOC which is responsible for delivering a required performance and availability benchmark through its Franchise Agreement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of London Midland's current rolling stock is within the scope of the company's fleet maintenance contract with Siemens. [200323]

Stephen Hammond: Prior to the delivery of the new class 350/3 trains ordered in 2012, 74 trains (45% of the London Midland fleet) was maintained by Siemens; upon completion of delivery, 84 trains (49% of the fleet) will be maintained by Siemens.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the value of London Midland's rolling stock contract with Angel Trains after the direct award of the franchise for the period September 2015 to June 2017. [200324]

Stephen Hammond: Negotiations for the direct award of the West Midlands franchise are yet to commence and the Department has not made any estimate at the value of London Midland’s contract with Angel Trains. It should be noted that the value of rolling stock contracts are a commercial matter between the operator and the rolling stock owner.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the value of London Midland's rolling stock maintenance contract with Siemens after the direct award of the franchise for the period September 2015 to June 2017. [200325]

Stephen Hammond: Negotiations for the direct award of the west midlands franchise are yet to commence and the Department has not made any estimate on the value of London Midland’s contract with Angel Trains. It

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should be noted that the value of rolling stock contracts are a commercial matter between the operator and the rolling stock owner.

Motor Vehicles: Glass

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles have been found to be in breach of rules about tinted windows in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire in each of the last five years. [199661]

Stephen Hammond: The Department has information broken down relating to the enforcement by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for the most recent year. The following prohibitions were found in the year to March 2014, (a) 710 in England, (b) 62 in the North West and (c) 37 in Lancashire. National totals for the previous four years were, 2013—720, 2012—663, 2011—1,617, 2010—2,364. The Department does not have the Police data for this offence at this time. Enforcement of Construction and Use regulations is a matter for both DVSA and the police.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will commission an assessment of the Australian compulsory third party Insurance system, through which premiums are paid as part of vehicle registration for its potential applicability in the UK. [200152]

Mr Goodwill: No. It is sometimes suggested that a system of centrally funded third party insurance could be introduced in this country. However, insurers have said that a change to such a system would lead to a general increase in premiums, especially for the more careful driver. This is because under such a system a vehicle would have to be insured for all possible drivers, including those considered to be in high-risk categories.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for how many vehicles registered in another country applications were made to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority to register them in the UK in each of the last five years. [199649]

Stephen Hammond: The following table shows figures for the amount of vehicles registered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) that were previously registered elsewhere between 2009 and 2012.

Since 2013 the way that certain vehicle transactions are processed has changed and the data gathered about foreign registered vehicles are no longer readily available. In 2013, the DVLA processed 99,168 applications to register new and previously registered imported vehicles.

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Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fixed penalty notices were issued to drivers of vehicles registered in another country that should have been but were not registered in the UK in each of the last five years. [199650]

Stephen Hammond: Failure to register a vehicle following the six-month exemption period is not an offence for which a fixed penalty notice can be issued. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency instead writes to keepers of these vehicles offering them an out of court settlement where it appears that an offence has been committed, so that the matter may be resolved without court proceedings. The following table shows the amount of these out of court settlement letters issued in the last five financial years.

Since April 2014, 237 out of court settlement letters have been issued.

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to improve the reliability of tracking methodologies for foreign (a) registered and (b) unregistered vehicles in the UK. [199651]

Stephen Hammond: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) receives information on foreign registered vehicles from the police and other enforcement agencies, as well as from members of the public. Other ways of obtaining this information are currently being explored.

The DVLA has been working with the police to pilot a new enforcement process. This involves the DVLA providing the police forces with registration numbers of foreign registered vehicles which may have overstayed the six-month exemption period and where the keepers have not complied with UK requirements. This information enables the four police forces involved to seize and impound vehicles that have overstayed, where appropriate. If the pilot is successful, the DVLA will explore the potential for extending it to more police forces.

The DVLA is also working with other Government agencies to establish what other data might be used to track and identify overstaying foreign registered vehicles.

Network Rail

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) on how many occasions in each of the last five years Network Rail has faced financial penalties as a consequence of poor performance disrupting services on (a) Greater Anglia routes and (b) each other route; [199730]

(2) on how many occasions in each of the last five years Network Rail has faced sanctions as a consequence of late running engineering works on (a) Greater Anglia routes and (b) each other route; [199729]

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(3) on how many occasions in each of the last five years Network Rail has faced financial sanctions as a consequence of delays and disruption to services or poor performance on (a) Greater Anglia routes and (b) each other route. [199731]

Stephen Hammond: The Track Access Contracts between Network Rail and train operators provide for Network Rail to pay compensation to an operator in the event that train services cannot operate or are delayed due to engineering works or disruption outside that operator’s control. The Department does not hold details of the timing or number of such payments, which are a commercial matter between the parties directly concerned, overseen by the Office of Rail Regulation. The Office of Rail Regulation publishes the annual totals of these payments at route level on its data portal:

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/345da3b9-b9ac-449a-aace-8298c5b39e2b

In addition, the Office of Rail Regulation is currently considering whether or not Network Rail should face a penalty in respect of its failure to meet its regulatory targets for the performance of Long Distance and London and South East services during 2013-14.

Railways: Finance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what fuding from the public purse was provided to support (a) infrastructure on each rail route and (b) each rail franchise in each of the last 10 years. [199716]

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold the information at rail route level regarding funding from the public purse provided to support infrastructure. This is a matter for Network Rail and my hon. Friend may wish to contact Network Rail’s Chief Executive at the following address for information relating to her request:

Mark Carne

Chief Executive

Network Rail

Kings Place

90 York Way

London

N1 9AG

The Office of Rail Regulation publishes statistics showing the subsidy paid to, or premia received from, each train operator since 2008-09 at:

http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/html/html/6d363642-c3a9-4a29-9477-542810798fa7

The figures for 2006-07 to 2007-08 are published by year at:

http://orr.gov.uk/statistics/published-stats/archived-data/orr-archived-national-rail-trends-publications

Figures for 2005-06 and earlier years were produced on a different basis from those from 2006-07 onwards, so are not directly comparable.

Roads: Expenditure

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what public funds were spent on

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infrastructure improvement works on each road in the strategic road network in each of the last 10 years. [199715]

Mr Goodwill: Public expenditure figures for each road on the strategic road network are not available. The Highways Agency publishes annual accounts which are laid before Parliament and are available from the Library of the House and from the Agency’s website at:

http://www.highways.gov.uk/about-us/corporate-documents/strategic-corporate-documents/annual-report-2012-2013/

Over the last 10 years, total expenditure on the maintenance, management and enhancement of the strategic road network in each year was as follows:

Table showing Highways Agency total operational DEL (departmental expenditure limits) excluding accounting items such as depreciation.

Roads: Finance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding his Department has provided to each local authority for highways in each of the last 10 years. [199714]

Mr Goodwill: I have placed a table in the Libraries of the House which sets out how much each local highway authority has been allocated for highways in the last 10 years.

This table includes funding we have provided through a number of funding streams including Highways Maintenance Integrated Transport Block, Local Major Projects, Local Pinch Point Fund and Community Infrastructure Fund projects.

Local authorities are also able to use revenue funding allocated by the Department for Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant for maintaining their local highways. Neither revenue nor capital highways maintenance block funding is ring-fenced and it is for local highway authorities to decide upon their spending priorities across the whole range of services that they provide.

The Department is also funding local highways maintenance projects in Portsmouth, Birmingham, Sheffield, Isle of Wight and the London borough of Hounslow through the private finance initiative.

Shipping

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the (a) number and (b) gross tonnage was of (i) non-UK owned and (ii) non-UK registered offshore supply vessels operating on the UK Continental Shelf in each year since 2000-01; [199455]

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(2) what the (a) number and (b) gross tonnage was of (i) UK owned and (ii) UK registered offshore supply vessels in each year since 2000-01. [199456]

Stephen Hammond: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency collates a record of vessels registered on the United Kingdom Ship Register (UKSR). It does not hold a record of shipping on the registers of other national administrations, which could include UK owned vessels.

As of 9 June there were 159 offshore vessels on the UKSR, totalling 556,975 gross tonnage. No historical record is held with the kind of breakdown requested for previous years.

Neither is a record held of where ships operate, and hence the vessels mentioned above may be operating worldwide, not just on the UK Continental Shelf.

Transport: Expenditure

Mr Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to ensure central Government funding for local authority transport projects is properly spent by those authorities. [199702]

Mr Goodwill: The Department has set out how it assures itself that the money given to local transport authorities is spent properly in its Accounting Officer System Statement. This can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/50070/dft-accountability-system-statement.pdf

Education

Two-tier School System: Bedford

20. Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on funding for the transition to a two-tier school system in Bedford borough. [904217]

Mr Laws: We are not aware of any representations made on this matter.

Special Educational Needs

22. Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to support children with special educational needs. [904219]

Mr Timpson: The Children and Families Act—to be implemented from September—introduces the most fundamental reform to the system for SEN and disability for 30 years, placing children and families at the heart of a more integrated system focused on improving outcomes for children and young people.

Families will be more involved in decision making and there will be greater clarity about local services provided in each area.

We’re providing substantial funding to local areas to deliver the reforms. Last week we announced a further £45.2 million—on top of the £70 million already provided this year—for implementing the reforms.

We are also providing £30 million over two years to provide independent supporters to families.

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School Exclusions: Children with Autism

23. Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on the number of children with autism informally excluded from school. [904221]

Mr Timpson: The Secretary of State has received several recent parliamentary questions about the informal exclusion of children with autism. Officials from the Department have also met with Ambitious about Autism in March 2014 to discuss its concerns about this issue, raised in the report, Ruled Out.

The Government’s view remains clear. No child should be unlawfully excluded. Ofsted and the Department would take seriously evidence that a school had acted unlawfully in excluding a pupil. In addition, most children on the autism spectrum would be considered disabled under the Equality Act 2010. Where disabled children are discriminated against through unlawful exclusion their parents can make a claim to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability). The Tribunal has wide-ranging powers, including the power to require the reinstatement of a pupil.

Awareness of autism and appropriate skills are essential to meeting the needs of autistic children. The reforms we are introducing through the Children and Families Act will provide for earlier and better assessment of children and young people’s needs. We’re also investing more than £3 million of funding over two years to raise awareness of autism and help schools and colleges deliver the support these children and young people need. This includes £1.5 million for the Autism Education Trust to provide tiered training to early years, school and further education college staff, as well as £440,000 to the National Autistic Society, part of which is being used to provide advice to professionals and parents on exclusion.

Arts: GCSE

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many GCSE entries there were in (a) music, (b) drama and (c) art and design in England in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2014-15. [200043]

Elizabeth Truss: Information for the 2009/10 academic year is published in the “GCSE and equivalent results in England, 2012 to 2013 (revised)”¹ statistical first release.

Provisional information for the 2013/14 academic year will be available in October 2014 and provisional information for the 2014/15 academic year will be available in October 2015.

¹ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2012-to-2013-revised (Subject time series tables)

Design: Curriculum

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what account he plans to take of (a) design and (b) technical knowledge in the review of the GCSE/GCE examination course in design and technology. [199611]

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Elizabeth Truss: The GCSE and GCE Awarding Organisations are leading on developing subject content for reformed design and technology qualifications. In carrying out this work, they are drawing closely on advice from subject organisations with design and technical expertise. The draft criteria that are developed will be formally consulted on and the evidence gathered will be used to review and finalise the content for the new design and technology qualifications.

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the status and importance of design and technology at Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and post-16; and if he will make a statement. [199615]

Elizabeth Truss: Design and Technology (D&T) is an important subject that can inspire young people to pursue careers in engineering and manufacturing. Ofsted’s 2011 report, “Meeting technological challenges” found:

“Most pupils in the primary and secondary schools visited enjoyed designing and making products and gained much satisfaction in acquiring technical skills and in seeing their ideas take shape.”

During the review of the national curriculum, the Government consulted industry representatives, such as Dyson and the Royal Academy of Engineering, teachers, subject associations and D&T specialists, to ensure the new D&T curriculum is relevant to the modern world. We have strengthened the technological aspects of the subject by including new and emerging technologies, placed greater emphasis on links with STEM subjects to provide a context for their practical application and we are also reforming D&T GCSE and A-levels to include more rigorous content and build on the changes made to the curriculum. The new qualifications will be more ambitious, with greater stretch for the most able, and prepare young people better for the demands of employment and further study.

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the review of design and technology GCSE/GCE examination specifications will bring those examinations in line with the revised national curriculum for design and technology. [199617]

Elizabeth Truss: The GCSE and GCE Awarding Organisations are leading on developing new design and technology GCSEs and A-levels. They are ensuring that the content builds on and is in line with the revised design and technology national curriculum.

Design: Education

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools have (a) merged design and technology with art and design and (b) removed design and technology from their curriculum since 2010. [199614]

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not collect nor hold the data requested.

Design: Teachers

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what continued professional development assistance is provided to design and technology teachers. [199612]

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Elizabeth Truss: The Government are committed to raising the quality of teaching in all subjects, including design and technology (D&T). Head teachers and teachers are best placed to make decisions about what professional development they require in order to meet the needs of their pupils and school. A network of teaching schools has been established to improve the capacity of schools to take the lead in the training and development of teachers and create more opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. The Teachers’ Standards set a clear benchmark for the level of practice expected of all teachers, and provide a valuable tool to help head teachers and teachers identify and address development needs through regular appraisal.

The D&T expert subject group, set up to provide support to teachers implementing the new D&T curriculum, comprises leading professionals in D&T who work to clarify the key areas on which teachers most need further support, identifying the topics that can present the greatest challenge when discussing with pupils. The group liaises with relevant specialists and providers to develop and produce new resources where necessary. DATA, in partnership with others, has developed a range of resources including an annotated programme of study, providing advice and explanatory notes on implementation.

Faith Schools

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of pupils in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK attended faith schools in the latest year for which figures are available. [200166]

Mr Laws: Education is a devolved matter and data on pupils held by the Department for Education refer to schools in England only. Information on pupils attending state-funded schools in England is collected via the school census. Information on pupils attending independent schools is collected via the school-level annual school census. The latest data are for January 2014.

In January 2014, the proportion of pupils that attended schools with a religious character declared on Edubase was (a) 50% in Ribble Valley constituency, (b) 45% in Lancashire and (c) 26% in England.

Free School Meals: North-east

Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much capacity funding for universal infant free school meals has been (a) requested by and (b) disbursed to schools in (i) Washington and Sunderland West constituency, (ii) the Sunderland local authority area and (iii) the north-east region. [199863]

Mr Laws: On 18 December 2013, the Government announced capital allocations for universal infant free school meals for the 2014-15 financial year. This included allocations of (a) £562,850 to Sunderland city council and (b) £6.1 million to all local authorities in the north- east region. We do not allocate funding at a constituency level.

In addition, academies have received capital funding through the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund. This includes allocations of (a) £162,380 to academies within the Sunderland local authority area and (b)

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£311,608 to academies within the north-east region. Across the country, £2.5 million has also been made available to multi-academy trusts.

Of the capital funding that has been allocated to Sunderland, the authority has confirmed to the Department that 75% or more has been disbursed to specific projects to support universal infant free school meals. We do not hold information on the precise amount disbursed, and nor do we hold these data at a regional level.

Local Education Authorities: Disclosure of Information

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local education authorities have proper procedures in place to protect whistleblowers. [199821]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Communities and Local Government has the overall responsibility for local authorities’ whistleblowing procedures. The Department for Education does take steps to ensure that the schools maintained by local authorities have adequate arrangements.

Maintained schools are required to submit to their local authorities a Schools Financial Value Standard return. Question 20 of the return requires schools to confirm that all staff are aware of the school’s whistleblowing arrangements and to whom they should raise concerns. The return defines whistleblowing as the confidential raising of problems or concerns within an organisation. The accompanying guidance suggests that schools' arrangements should be based on local authority policies and that staff should be made aware of the protections that are available to them.

The Department also requires that local authorities’ Schemes for Financing Schools should contain a provision requiring authorities to set out the procedure to be followed by persons working at a school or school governors who wish to complain about financial management or financial propriety at the school, and how such complaints will be dealt with.

Members: Correspondence

Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2014 Official Report, column 74W, on Members: Correspondence, when he expects to send a substantive reply to the letter of 30 April 2014 from the hon. Member for Walsall North about admissions to Walsall Academy, which was separate from the letter sent to the Chief Executive of the Education Funding Agency; and for what reason that Answer does not mention that there was separate correspondence on the subject. [200309]

Mr Timpson: My noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, responded to the hon. Member’s other letter of 30 April about admission arrangements at Walsall academy on 16 June. On behalf of the Department I would like to apologise for the delay in answering this letter.

My reply of 10 June related to the letter with the reference (2014/0036207) quoted in the question.

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Schools: Asbestos

Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assistance his Department makes available to schools to survey for and remove asbestos. [200229]

Mr Laws: The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 set out the standards and duties to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises including schools. This includes the need to assess and manage the risks through the formulation of a site-specific asbestos management plan.

On 24 January I announced the 2014-15 maintenance allocations, which are released as a non-ring-fenced capital grant. The priorities for its use are decided locally and this can include supporting schools with asbestos issues.

Schools: Extra-curricular Activities

Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what additional funding his Department makes available to schools to commission extra-curricular activities and projects. [199837]

Mr Laws: The two main grants to schools to fund their day-to-day activities are the Dedicated Schools Grant and the Education Services Grant. The Education Services Grant is given to local authorities to provide education services for pupils in maintained schools, and is given directly to academies. When a school receives either of these grants, the funding is not ring-fenced: the school can spend it as it chooses. Schools are therefore free to decide how much of this funding they want to spend on extra-curricular activities and projects.

The Department for Education also provides specific ring-fenced funding, through the primary PE and sport premium, for the improvement of PE and sport in primary schools. Headteachers are free to use this funding, an investment of over £150 million a year to 2015/16, to provide extra-curricular clubs for activity and sport, and for sport-related projects.

Schools: Inspections

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education within what time period Ofsted is required to provide feedback to a school after it has reported to his Department. [198706]

Mr Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Schools: Radicalism

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the work of local authority-based Prevent co-ordinators in tackling extremism in schools; and how many local authority-based Prevent co-ordinators submitted evaluations or other forms of evidence to his Department in the last year for which information is available; [199781]

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(2) what advice his Department provides to local authority-based Prevent co-ordinators to help identify and tackle extremism in schools; and when this guidance was last updated. [199779]

Mr Timpson: Preventing extremism in all schools is a priority for the Government. In 2010 the Department for Education set up the first preventing extremism unit in Whitehall outside the Home Office. Ofsted now trains inspectors to understand and report on extremism. The Department has published a range of guidance to support schools in raising awareness of the risks from extremism.

Schools can help protect children from extremist and violent views in the same ways that they help to safeguard children from drugs, gang violence or alcohol abuse. Schools' work on Prevent needs to be seen in this context. It is for local authorities to determine how best to support schools in their areas in the light of local circumstances.

A number of local Prevent projects, funded by the Home Office, engage schools and supplementary schools and train teachers in priority areas. The Department for Education and the Home Office are working together to secure the best practical outcome from this funding. It is the responsibility of the Home Office to evaluate the projects it funds.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to his statement of 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 269, on Birmingham schools, when Ministers of his Department were first made aware of allegations of extremism in schools in Birmingham. [199816]

Mr Timpson: The Department for Education received the Trojan Horse letter in December 2013. The Secretary of State has asked the permanent secretary to investigate how the Department dealt with warnings both since the formation of this Government in 2010 and before.

Since receiving a copy of the Trojan Horse letter, the Department has been working closely with agencies such as Birmingham city council, the police and Ofsted. Based on the Department's evidence-gathering, the Secretary of State commissioned inspections by Ofsted and appointed Peter Clarke as Education Commissioner.

Secondary Education: Standards

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effect of progress 8 performance measures since their introduction in secondary schools. [199613]

Mr Laws: Progress 8 will be the headline secondary school performance measure from 2016. This will be based on qualifications which schools will begin teaching in the autumn term of 2014. The new performance measures aim to encourage schools to offer a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils.

More schools than ever are entering pupils for the English Baccalaureate, which encourages the study of science, a language and a humanities subject alongside maths and English.

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Unemployment: Young People

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress his Department has made in reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training since May 2010. [904220]

Matthew Hancock: Latest quarterly figures published in May show that the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds NEET is 6.7%-down a third since 2010 and the lowest on record.

International Development

Bangladesh

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to the answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 600W, on Bangladesh, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to make it compulsory for all UK clothing companies which use suppliers in Bangladesh to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. [199704]

Mr Duncan: The Accord is an independent and legally binding agreement between unions and international companies that source their clothes from Bangladesh. As such it is not the Government’s place to compel companies to sign up. However as referred to in my previous response, I would very much encourage them to do so, and would encourage consumers to make their expectations clear to the retailers and brands from which they buy their clothes.

In September 2013 the UK launched its action plan on business and human rights, laying out the expectations for business in line with the UN Guiding Principles. Signing up to the Accord not only demonstrates that companies are serious about their responsibilities but will also help them to ensure that workers in their supply chains are safe and treated properly.

Burundi

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Burundi. [199597]

Lynne Featherstone: Burundi is affected by food insecurity, although harvests were above average in 2013. Burundi is also currently host to 121,560 refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) as well as 33,000 Burundian returnees who came back from Mtabila camp in Tanzania following its closure at the end of 2012. Burundi’s high population density creates a challenge for the Government of Burundi to find durable solutions for reintegration of IDPs and returnees. DFID will continue to monitor the humanitarian situation and in particular rainfall levels in the north of the country.

Central African Republic

Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the emergency response fund for the Central African Republic has so far been dispersed; and which international agencies have received such funding. [200313]

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Lynne Featherstone: DFID has contributed a total of £23 million in humanitarian aid to the crisis in the Central African Republic since mid-2013, with £700,000 remaining to be distributed according to humanitarian priorities in the coming months.

DFID allocated £5 million to support NGOs in CAR in November 2013 which was increased in February 2014 to £7 million in light of growing needs. The bulk of funding was awarded to five NGOs: Mentor, Save the Children, Solidarites, Mercy Corps and International Medical Corps. Since DFID makes quarterly payments to NGOs, not all funds have been disbursed.

In addition, DFID allocated humanitarian funds to the ICRC, Common Humanitarian Fund, UNHAS, UNHCR and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions she has had with her US counterpart on conditionality of future US development aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo on adherence to constitutional term limits in that country. [199596]

Lynne Featherstone: UK Ministers have discussions with their counterparts on a wide range of issues. The terms of US development aid is a matter for the US Government.

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with Kellogg’s about its working relationships with small-scale farmers. [199585]

Lynne Featherstone: Kellogg’s is not currently one of DFID’s partners on the issue of working relationships with small-scale farmers.

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with (a) UK-based companies and (b) companies selling products in the UK about the effect of their sourcing practices on small-scale farmers in developing countries. [199586]

Lynne Featherstone: We regularly have discussions with UK-based companies about a range of issues including supply chains and how they can improve development impacts.

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will request UK-based companies to make publicly available impact studies on how their sourcing practices affect small-scale farmers in developing countries. [199588]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK Companies Act 2006 includes reporting requirements for UK-domiciled businesses to report on the social and environmental impacts of their investments. DFID does not lead on UK company reporting, but we are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the

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Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to support improved transparency and accountability of UK businesses, in particular where they impact on development.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to build resilience and adaptive capacity to climate induced hazards in all vulnerable countries in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals. [200133]

Justine Greening: The UK supports the strengthening of early warning and disaster risk reduction systems and related capacities with the aim of building resilience and protecting the poor and those in vulnerable situations from disasters and shocks, including climate-related extreme events.

The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will, however, be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to hold the increase in global average temperature to a specified temperature to be determined in accordance with international agreements in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals. [200134]

Justine Greening: The UK supports a target to hold the increase in global average temperature below a stipulated, though but yet to be agreed, rise in accordance with international agreements. Language on this is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June 2014.

The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

Developing Countries: Diseases

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to end HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases by 2030 in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals. [200135]

Justine Greening: The UK supports a target to reduce the burden of disease from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases. Language on this is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June.

The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will however be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

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Developing Countries: Education

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to ensure that all schools and other educational institutions provide safe, healthy, non-discriminatory and inclusive learning environments for all by 2030 in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals. [200136]

Justine Greening: The UK supports a stand-alone post-2015 education goal that ensures quality education outcomes for all, and that no one is left behind.

The final targets in the post-2015 development framework will be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

Developing Countries: Employment

Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make it her policy to support the proposed target to promote formalisation of informal sector and employment in the upcoming Open Working Group negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals. [200132]

Justine Greening: The UK supports formalisation of informal sector activities and employment. Language on this is included in the most recent draft goals and targets list released by the co-chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on 2 June.

The final goals and targets in the post-2015 development framework will be subject to international negotiations in the United Nations, in which the UK will play an active role.

Developing Countries: Female Genital Mutilation

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to tackle female genital mutilation overseas; and if she will make a statement. [200039]

Lynne Featherstone: The UK is supporting efforts to end female genital mutilation worldwide by making the largest single donor commitment ever to this issue, with a flagship programme of £35 million over 5 years. We also aim to galvanise unprecedented political commitment for this neglected issue.

On 22 July, the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for International Development, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the and UNICEF will host Girl Summit 2014, an event to bring together community leaders, grassroots organisations, Governments, international organisations and the private sector to build on current efforts and rally a global movement to end FGM and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) in a generation, everywhere, forever.

Developing Countries: Females

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with (a) UK-based companies and (b) companies selling products in the UK about (i) how

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they are ensuring women in the supply chain are empowered to get their rights and (ii) whether they have signed up to the UN Women's Empowerment Principles. [199587]

Lynne Featherstone: We have regular discussions with UK-based companies about a range of issues including supply chains and women's economic empowerment.

Developing Countries: Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid funding the UK has disbursed to support the construction of prisons in each country and in each year since 2008. [199510]

Lynne Featherstone: The information necessary to provide a detailed response to your request is not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. The information is spread across DFID and other Government Departments, and the data are not sufficiently disaggregated to report purely on the amount spent on construction of prisons.

Syria

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Syria. [200038]

Justine Greening: The humanitarian crisis in Syria has reached catastrophic proportions. The UN estimates that 9.3 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid within Syria. At least 6.5 million people in Syria have been forced to flee their homes to other areas of the country and there are now over 2.8 million refugees in the region.

Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department is giving to local authorities to implement changes to apprenticeship funding. [200172]

Matthew Hancock: We are giving employers control of the funding for the training and assessment of the apprenticeships that they design. This will enable them to work directly with education and training providers to secure the most effective training for their apprentices. We will be testing a new funding model via apprenticeship starts in the 2014-15 academic year based on standards developed by our Trailblazer groups of employers. We will develop a comprehensive communication programme for employers (including local authorities) to help them understand the changes.

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with training providers on changes to apprenticeship funding. [200173]

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Matthew Hancock: Discussions have been held with a wide range of training providers as well with the Association of Training Providers and Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) about our apprenticeship funding reforms. I spoke about this issue at the AELP's National Conference earlier this month.

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reason the option of maintaining the current provider-funded model was dropped in his Department's second consultation on funding reform for apprenticeships. [200174]

Matthew Hancock: The 2013 consultation on apprenticeship funding reforms sought evidence on the feasibility and impact of three different models for reforming apprenticeship funding. Following consideration of the responses to these, the second consultation sought views on two models—a PAYE model and an apprenticeship credit—that are consistent with an employer-driven apprenticeships system. A pure provider payment model was ruled out, as evidence from the first consultation indicated that this model was the least likely to deliver the intended aim of giving employers true purchasing power.

Business: Ethics

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to publish the Government's framework for action on corporate responsibility. [200004]

Jenny Willott: The intention to publish a framework for action on corporate responsibility was set out in the call for views on corporate responsibility (CR) which ran during 2013. The response to the call for views was published on 28 March 2014 and this notes that the voluntary, evolving and diverse nature of CR means success relies on a business led approach. We received 152 views from a wide range of stakeholders and, where relevant, these will inform future Government action.

Business: Government Assistance

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which schemes have provided support for small and medium-sized from central government funds in each of the last 10 years; what the total amount of funding so provided was in each such year; and how much such funding was spent in each local authority are in each such year. [199712]

Matthew Hancock: Support for small and medium-sized businesses is an important objective for a number of Government Departments and schemes can take various forms which can include direct and indirect support, advice and information. Over the last 10 years the range of support measures has been very wide and a full answer to this question cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs. Additionally, the Department does not record how much spending or funding is given by local authority area so would not be able to provide this information.

However, since May 2010 the Department has routinely published details of all expenditure including funding

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provided through departmental schemes and programmes. Additionally, the Department’s annual report and accounts also provide summary information on a range of programmes that include direct and indirect support to all businesses-including some that directly support SMEs. The most recent annual report can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bis-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-to-2013

Directors: Pay

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of his policy on binding votes for remuneration committees. [199584]

Jenny Willott: The Government’s reforms to increase the transparency of executive pay include a requirement that quoted companies put their remuneration policy to a binding vote of the company’s shareholders, at minimum, every three years.

Shareholders also have an annual advisory vote on the annual remuneration report, covering what has been paid. Where this is rejected, the company will be required to re-submit their remuneration policy to a binding vote at the AGM the following year.

It is too soon to form firm conclusions about the impact of the Government reforms, which only came into force in October last year.

The Government are monitoring the impact of the reforms and will be taking stock of their impact after the voting season is over.

The Government are keeping this policy area under review.

Disabled Students' Allowances: East Midlands

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many recipients of disabled students' allowance there are in (a) Nottingham South, (b) Nottingham and (c) the East Midlands. [199832]

Mr Willetts: Information on students awarded and paid disabled students’ allowance is published annually by Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education England’. The latest statistics are available at the following link:

http://www.slc.co.uk/media/694170/slcsfr052013.pdf

A further breakdown for Nottingham South constituency, Nottingham LEA and the east midlands has been provided in the table for the academic year 2012/13. Equivalent figures for the academic year 2013/14 will be available from November 2014.

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European Fighter Aircraft

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) whether a Minister will be responsible for preparing the Department's response to the Belgian Government's request for information regarding the Typhoon as a successor to their F-16 fleet; [199960]

(2) when he intends next to discuss the possibility of Typhoon sales to Belgium with his counterpart in that country; [199961]

(3) when (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department last met representatives of BAE to discuss Typhoon exports; [199962]

(4) how many officials in his Department he expects to be involved in preparing the Department's response to the Belgian Government's request for information regarding the Typhoon as a successor to their F-16 fleet; [199963]

(5) whether he intends to ask the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence for assistance in pursuing export sales of Typhoon to Belgium. [199964]

Michael Fallon: The Eurofighter Typhoon programme is carried out in partnership with the Governments of Germany, Italy and Spain. This includes cooperation on exports. The Government of Belgium has expressed an interest in Typhoon as well as other competing aircraft as a potential replacement for their F-16 fleet. UK Trade and Investment have been invited, to participate in preliminary discussions at official level on Typhoon. United Kingdom Trade and Investment (UKTI) officials are working with colleagues across Government, in the partner nations and with Eurofighter GmbH to coordinate a response.

Within UK Government work on Typhoon export campaigns is led by UKTI, but HMG takes a collaborative approach to defence exports and so all campaigns are a cross departmental effort. Information on staffing numbers is not therefore available centrally.

Ministerial responsibility for UKTI rests with my noble Friend the Minister of State for Trade and Investment

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My noble Friend reports to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, as the two responsible Cabinet Ministers.

Information regarding Ministers’ meetings is published by the Department on the internet:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-business-innovation-skills&publication_type=transparency-data

The Minister of State for Trade and Investment discussed Typhoon exports during his meeting with BAES on 18 December 2013. The Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills has no immediate plans to meet his Belgian counterpart.

Higher Education: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in Warrington North constituency (a) applied for and (b) started a degree course in each year since 2010. [200049]

Mr Willetts: The latest available information on applicants is shown in Table 1. UCAS has not released any data on applications from individual constituencies for the 2014 application cycle, but the latest figures for total applicants to all UK institutions (published on 30 May) show that they have risen by 4%, compared to the same point in 2013.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The number of entrants to UK HEIs who were domiciled in Warrington North constituency prior to starting their course is shown in Table 2. HESA figures for 2013/14 will be available in January 2015. There are differences in the coverage of UCAS and HESA: the UCAS figures cover applicants to higher education institutions (HEIs), further education colleges (FECs), and alternative providers (APs) of HE in the UK; the HESA figures cover HEIs only, plus the university of Buckinghamshire. Not all applicants apply via UCAS: some apply directly to institutions. In addition, some applicants who obtain a place via UCAS opt to defer entry until the following year.

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Local Enterprise Partnerships

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the extent to which there is a gender imbalance in the composition of local enterprise partnership boards. [200232]

Michael Fallon: Local enterprise partnerships (LEP) board membership is a matter for LEPs themselves and they are best placed to ensure it meets the needs of their businesses and local people.

Minimum Wage

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 130W, on minimum wage, if he will take steps to provide (a) clear and comprehensive guidance on the national minimum wage on gov.uk and (b) sector-specific guidance and case studies on the national minimum wage for the entertainment sector. [200284]

Jenny Willott: Since May 2013, we have introduced clear and comprehensive guidance on gov.uk on the national minimum wage and more specifically on work experience and internships. This guidance can be found here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/calculating-the-minimum-wage

and

www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-work-experience-and-internships

This guidance on work experience contains case studies from a variety of sectors, including the entertainment sector.

Employers and workers with queries about the application of the national minimum wage are also able to access free and confidential advice through the Pay and Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368.

Mining

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the importance of transparency in the extractive industries. [199594]

Jenny Willott: The coalition Government believe strongly that transparency in the extractives sector is essential to ensure that citizens in resource-rich countries can benefit from the wealth generated from the extraction of their natural resources. This is why we supported the EU’s proposal to require large and listed extractive industries companies to report on the payments they make to governments; and why the UK has signed up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

The Government continue to raise awareness of the importance of transparency in the extractive industries. Over the past year key steps have been taken to raise awareness of the UK’s commitment to become EITI-compliant. This includes the launch event in July 2013 held at BIS with 130 attendees from industry, civil society and government. The Multi Stakeholder Group (MSG) has been formed which plays a key part in

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making the decisions on UK implementation. A website for the UK’s EITI has been developed, a link can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/uk-extractive-industries-transparency-initiative-multi-stakeholder-group

My hon. Friend the Member for East Dunbartonshire (Jo Swinson), published an article in the EITI Telegraph supplement on Sunday 6 October 2013, explaining the UK’s rationale for committing to EITI. Most recently, the Prime Minister in an article dated 4 June and published in The Wall Street Journal, called on Government leaders to work towards a global standard in transparency reporting.

I spoke at the EITI mining event which took place at the Institute for Materials, Minerals & Mining (IMMM) on the 12 June. This event was directed at key mining stakeholders who we need to engage in EITI.

During the consultation period of Chapter 10 of the Accounting Directive my department held familiarisation sessions with stakeholders which provided an opportunity to learn more about the reporting requirements of the Directive and explain the UK’s proposed approach to implementation. The consultation closed on Friday 16 May and officials are currently analysing the responses received.

The Government will take every opportunity to drive forward this important agenda.

National Vocational Qualifications

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many (a) women and (b) men aged 24 and above applied for financial assistance for NVQ levels 3 and 4 in the first and second academic quarters in each year since 2008. [199690]

Matthew Hancock: The information is not readily available.

New Businesses: Loans

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many approved partners of the Start Up Loans programme there are in each region. [199728]

Matthew Hancock: The number of approved partners of the Start Up Loans programme by region are as follows:

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Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Start-up loan applications have been supported by each approved provider of Start-up loan mentoring services in each region in which the new company was based or planned to be based. [199740][Official Report, 17 June 2014, Vol. 582, c. 3MC.]

Michael Fallon: All loan recipients in all regions receiving a start-up loan are offered mentoring, although take up of support services is not a mandatory condition of making the facility available. The number of loans made in each region will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Public Houses

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which organisations

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(a)

he and

(b)

other Ministers in his Department met to discuss regulation of pub companies in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014; and on what dates those meetings took place. [199739]

Jenny Willott: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has taken an even handed approach to speaking with stakeholders from all sides of the debate in developing our proposals for statutory intervention in the pubs sector.

In 2013, BIS Ministers met the following organisations:

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has taken an even handed approach to speaking with stakeholders from all sides of the debate in developing our proposals for statutory intervention in the pubs sector.

In 2013, BIS Ministers met the following organisations:

In 2014, BIS Ministers met the following organisations:

In addition to meetings with organisations, Ministers met with a number of tied tenants. Officials also met with stakeholders before, during and after the consultation process to discuss our proposals to establish a Statutory Code and an independent adjudicator.

Sector Skills Councils

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much (a) public and (b) private funding has been provided to each sector skills council (i) on average and (ii) in the East Midlands in each of the last five years. [200188]

Matthew Hancock: The information is as follows:

(a) (i) Over the five year period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2014 on average each sector skills council received £11 million of public funding from the UK Commission for Employment as follows:

(a) (ii) Public funding from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is allocated to sector skills councils by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills at a national level for sector skills councils to decide how to best use the resources available to them including any specific support at a local level.

(b) The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold information on the amount of private funding provided to each sector skills council.

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Shipbuilding: Portsmouth

Mr Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the availability of training in manufacturing and engineering skills in Hampshire subsequent to the closure of the BAE shipyard in Portsmouth. [199844]

Michael Fallon: We recognise the importance of manufacturing and engineering skills to the economy: these will be vital to building the Solent area’s strengths in marine and maritime. BIS is working closely with industry, Job Centre Plus, and Portsmouth council to support those employees impacted by BAE’s decision to close its shipyard in Portsmouth, including providing upskilling and reskilling opportunities.

In the Southampton & Portsmouth City Deal, we announced a £1 million DWP Rapid Response Service that will support those recently made redundant and that Government and local industry will invest £3 million in a Marine and Maritime Employer Ownership for skills Programme, responding to the immediate skills needs in small and medium sized enterprises in the advance manufacturing sector. Alongside the City Deal, £5 million from the ‘Solent Future’ Regional Growth Fund programme is available to support the up-skilling and re-skilling of BAE staff facing redundancy.

The Skills Funding Agency is also working with colleges and training providers in the Solent area to ensure that support is available to any employees at risk of redundancy to update/reskill—supported by £2.5 million of Skills Support for Redundancy European Social Fund money. Additionally the existing UK wide talent retention solution is available to help match skilled workers to engineering jobs in the local area (currently advertising 692 vacancies in the south of England on its website¹) and the National Careers Service is available to offer free impartial careers advice to those impacted on updating skills or retraining for alternative employment.

The Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership are involved in detailed negotiations with Government for Growth Deals that will see powers and funding devolved from Whitehall to local partners to drive growth in their area—which covers Hampshire. Solent and EM3 have both put forward proposals to grow the skills—particularly STEM and engineering skills—in their areas. We expect to make announcements on growth deals shortly.

¹ Active TRS vacancies listed on 11 June 2014.

Students: Loans

Mr Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the current eligibility criteria for higher education maintenance loans. [199673]

Mr Willetts: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will continue to require students seeking maintenance loans to meet criteria including residency, type of course and place of study.

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of student loans that have been issued in the last five years that are expected to be repaid in full. [200167]

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Mr Willetts: Our modelling indicates that, under the pre-2012 system, around 60% of students will fully repay their loans. For the post-2012 system this figure is around 40%. These figures relate to the proportion of students with loans. The RAB charge is a different calculation, which estimates the proportion of the entire student loan book that will not be repaid.

Cabinet Office

Average Earnings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of average household earnings in 2014-15. [199795]

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 June 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of average household earnings in 2014-15 (199795)

In 2011/12, the most recent year for which figures are available, the mean original household income was £31,477 per year. These estimates are produced from the UK’s Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income data series, which is based on the Living Costs and Food Survey, an annual survey of approximately 5,500 private households.

The analysis for 2012/13 is due to be published on the National Statistics website on 26 June 2014.

Original income (market income) is the annualised income in cash of all members of the household before the deduction of taxes or the addition of any state benefits. It includes income from employment (including benefits in kind such as company cars), self-employment, investment income, private pensions and annuities which include all workplace pensions, individual personal pensions and annuities.

The latest data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings for 2012 were published 12 December 2013; these data are at an individual level and are not directly comparable with figures on household income.

These estimates, as with any involving sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what adjusted change there has been in average gross weekly earnings of (a) full-time workers, (b) men working full-time and (c) women working full-time since January 2010. [200227]

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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:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what adjusted change there has been in average gross weekly earnings of (a) full-time workers, (b) men working full-time and (c) women working full-time since January 2010. (200227)

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence. Figures relate to employee jobs, which are defined as those held by employees and not the self-employed.

I attach a table showing median gross weekly earnings for male, female and all full-time employees between April 2010 and April 2013, in current and constant (2013) prices. Results are provided for April because the survey collects data for the pay period that includes a particular date in April.