Independent Living Fund

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that adequate support exists for those affected by the abolition of the Independent Living Fund beyond the year of guaranteed funding made available to local authorities. [201841]

Mike Penning: Last year’s spending review determined budgets for 2015-16 only. This applies to all aspects of Government expenditure not just ex-ILF funding. Budgets for later years will be determined in a later spending review; the timing of this is not known but it is likely to be after the next general election.

Following the closure of the ILF it will be the responsibility of the Department of Health and the devolved Administrations to ensure that they reflect the needs of ILF users in future funding bids.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance he has issued to jobcentre staff on information to provide to jobseeker's allowance claimants whose claim has been stopped on the other support options available. [201736]

Esther McVey: All advisers have access to comprehensive and clear procedures, guidance and extensive learning which equips them to advise claimants who may have their entitlement to benefit ended, including alternative sources of financial assistance.

Where a benefit doubt is identified and the case is being referred to a decision maker, claimants are given information (verbally and in writing) about the doubt in question, what happens next, what they can do if their claim ends and the availability of jobseeker's allowance under the hardship provision.

Once a decision is made and entitlement ends, a formal notification is issued to the claimant, which includes information about the availability of jobseeker's allowance under the hardship provision.

Where the Department for Work and Pensions is unable to help claimants they will be signposted to other types of support in their areas, including local authorities.

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what penalties are incurred by jobcentre staff who fail to inform jobseeker's allowance claimants whose claim has been stopped of the other support options available to them. [201738]

Esther McVey: We aim to ensure those who are eligible are fully aware of hardship provision, know how to make an application and have the right support from Jobcentre staff throughout the process so that they can receive payments. In the event that Jobcentre staff do not comply with any guidance, local Jobcentre managers may take appropriate steps in accordance with DWP's policies and procedures.

National Insurance Contributions Office: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure that the centralisation in Newcastle of national insurance services for the North East does not have a negative effect on service for users. [200846]

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Esther McVey: Measures taken ensure that dedicated centralised teams are able to offer both earlier and increased numbers of appointments to individuals of the north-east. Measures are also in place to ensure mobile visits to employer sites are completed when necessary.

Personal Independence Payment

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on offering interim payments to claimants of the personal independence payment while the backlog of applications is cleared. [201878]

Mike Penning: We are committed to ensuring personal independence payment claimants receive high quality, objective, fair and accurate assessments. Any delays experienced by new claimants will not affect the date from which they are awarded PIP, as successful claims will be backdated. There is no policy or legislative basis on which to provide interim payments.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current waiting time for an Atos Healthcare-provided assessment for a personal independence payment claim is in (a) Hull and (b) nationwide. [201879]

Mike Penning: The information requested is not available.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent evaluation he has undertaken of the performance of the firms undertaking personal independence payment evaluations on behalf of his Department. [201880]

Mike Penning: The Department’s contracts with Capita and Atos Healthcare for the delivery of assessments for personal independence payment include a full set of service level agreements setting out the Department's expectations for service delivery. We are closely monitoring their progress against these and are taking action to drive up performance where this does not meet the required standards.

We are aware that, in many cases, it is taking longer than we would like for claimants to have their assessments with Capita and Atos Healthcare. To ensure they deliver we are working closely with our suppliers to speed up the process for claimants.

Universal Credit

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of universal credit on landlords who have claimants as tenants; what the results were of the direct payment demonstration projects on the effect of paying housing benefit direct to tenants; and if he will reduce the two calendar month rent arrears trigger point before a landlord can go directly to his Department for direct payment. [201714]

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Steve Webb: Interim evaluation from the first six months of the Direct Payment Demonstration Projects was published in December 2013 and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/265257/direct-payment-demo-figures-dec-2013.pdf

DWP has developed three levels of safeguards for tenants and landlords based on findings from the Direct Payment Demonstration Projects and continuous improvements through our test and learn approach in live service.

We make an initial judgment on each claim as to whether the claimant is at risk of default and if so, we can put them on managed payments immediately. In the majority of cases Direct Payments will apply and we have two safeguards in place:

(1) We will review the initial decision if we are advised that arrears have reached the equivalent of one months rent.

(2) We will move to payment to the landlord if we are advised that arrears have reached the equivalent of two months rent.

Universal Credit: South East

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when universal credit will be rolled out to (a) Brighton, Kemptown constituency and (b) the South East; and if he will make a statement. [201619]

Esther McVey: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement made by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on 5 December 2013, Official Report, column 65WS—link to WMS:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm131205/wmstext/131205m0001.htm#column_65ws

The statement sets out our plans for UC Delivery. We are progressing well against the plan and from 23 June 2014 expansion of the UC live service across the whole of the North West of England began.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/north-west-universal-credit-expansion

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parliamentary questions tabled to his Department in the last parliamentary Session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 Prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled. [201548]

Esther McVey: The Department provided substantive answers to all parliamentary questions in the 2013-14 parliamentary Session.

Deputy Prime Minister

Official Hospitality

Ian Austin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the recent reception at Admiralty House to celebrate the Tour de France cost; how this cost was met; and who provided the staff for this event. [201745]

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The Deputy Prime Minister: Information on the costs of receptions I host is published under the Government's transparency rules. The costs of the reception at Admiralty House to celebrate the Tour de France will be published under these rules at:

www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications

The Cabinet Office provides staff for all regular receptions.

Ian Austin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which parliamentarians were invited to the reception held to celebrate the Tour de France at Admiralty House on 18 June 2014; and on what basis they were selected. [201746]

The Deputy Prime Minister: All members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Tour de France were invited to the reception held to celebrate the Tour de France at Admiralty House on 18 June 2014.

Ian Austin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the invitation list for the reception held to celebrate the Tour de France at Admiralty House on 18 June 2014; and on what basis each such organisation was selected. [201747]

The Deputy Prime Minister: The invitation list was compiled based on advice from the Tour de France hub, Welcome to Yorkshire and from the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Tour de France. We do not routinely publish the full invitation lists for receptions. Details of the cost of receptions and number of attendees are published on a quarterly basis.

Voting Behaviour

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the proportion of people that voted in the most recent nationwide elections; and what steps he is taking to encourage more people to vote at future elections. [201720]

Greg Clark: Turnout across the UK at the European Parliamentary Elections 2014 was 35.4%, slightly higher than 34.5% at the previous election in 2009.

The Government are committed to maximising electoral registration to help support the highest possible turnout in elections.

Education

Chemistry: Teachers

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many chemistry teachers undertook a chemistry subject knowledge enhancement course in each of the last five years. [201219]

Mr Laws: There are two types of subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) courses:

pre initial teacher training (ITT) SKE, to support recruitment of trainee teachers in shortage subjects; and

post ITT SKE, to support work force challenges in schools.

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We have surpassed our target for trainees entering chemistry teacher training in each of the last three years, recruiting 121% of the target in 2011/12, 108% in 2012/13, and 127% in 2013/14.

In addition, the latest annual School Workforce Census (2013)¹ shows that 80.4% of chemistry teachers who teach pupils from years 7 to 13 have a relevant post A-level qualification, up from 72.7% in the 2010 census.²

Data for the number of chemistry SKE courses for 2009-13 is in the table. Post ITT SKE courses were available only from the academic year 2011/12. SKE course data for 2013/14 is not yet available.

¹ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2013

² https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-workforce-in-england-november-2010-provisional

Colleges of Education: Greater London

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many years the longest serving head teacher on the panel which assessed the Institute of Education proposal to establish a university training school in Holborn and St Pancras had been a school head. [201869]

Mr Timpson: The panel that considered the Holborn University Training School proposal and conducted the interview with the Institute of Education possessed a collective experience in school headship of over 32 years, covering secondary and primary phases.

Music: Education

Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria underlay his Department's decision that the Arts Council will in future be responsible for the funding of music in schools; and what criteria will be used to evaluate the outcome for schools of that decision. [201859]

Matthew Hancock: Schools are responsible for providing music education to their pupils, using the funding they receive for curricula and extra-curricula provision. It is for schools to decide how to spend this, including on music.

In addition, we are providing £171 million to 123 new music education hubs across 2012-15 to provide core roles, such as ensuring that every child aged five to 18 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument through whole-class ensemble teaching, and to progress from that, to sing, to play in ensembles, and to perform.

The hubs have been overseen by Arts Council England (ACE) on our behalf since they were set up in August 2012, and we have confirmed that ACE will continue to carry out this role until at least March 2016. Arrangements beyond this point will be subject to review.

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The Department for Education is monitoring the performance of the hubs on an ongoing basis, through annually collected data and a new Hubs Advisory Group. In the first year of the music education hubs, nearly half a million children were given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument for the first time and hubs provided or supported 15,000 choirs, orchestras and bands. More than a third of those children who learned a musical instrument for the first time have continued learning to play.

Pupil Numbers

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schoolchildren graduated from (a) a comprehensive, (b) a grammar, (c) a secondary and (d) an independent school in the last academic year. [201675]

Mr Laws: The Department for Education publishes pupil results at the end of key stage 4, which signals the end of compulsory education. Information on the key stage 4 results of pupils by admission basis and school type is published in the "GCSE and equivalent results in England, 2012 to 2013 (revised)"¹ Statistical First Release. The relevant tables have been placed in the House Library:

¹ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-and-equivalent -results-in-england-2012-to-2013-revised

(National tables: SFR01/2014 document, Table 3a and b).

Pupils: Safety

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that primary school children are safe inside the school building and in the surrounding area. [201537]

Mr Laws: All schools have a legal responsibility to provide a safe and secure environment. Under health and safety legislation, schools are required to conduct a health and safety risk assessment and put in place an appropriate policy to ensure that staff and pupils are not exposed to risks. This applies to activities on or off the school premises.

Schools are also required to undertake a range of employment and criminal record checks when making appointments and supervise visitors to the school building. Guidance is made available to schools to help them meet these legal requirements.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on the use of wild animals in circuses. [201835]

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 June 2014, Official Report, column 113W.

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Beavers: Devon

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to control the population of wild beavers in Devon; and whether such plans include an option for culling. [201514]

George Eustice: We intend to recapture and rehome the wild beavers in Devon and are currently working out plans for the best way to do so. All decisions will be made with the welfare of the beavers in mind. There are no plans to cull beavers.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with Natural England on the control of the population of wild beavers in Devon. [201515]

George Eustice: DEFRA, Natural England and the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency have discussed the need to recapture and rehome the population of wild beavers in Devon and also the process for doing so.

Common Agricultural Policy

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the regulatory impact of the changes to the CAP on farmers. [202110]

George Eustice: I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer of 23 June 2014, Official Report, column 63W.

Educational Testing Service

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what current contracts (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department's executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies hold with the Educational Testing Service or any of that organisation's subsidiaries. [202169]

Dan Rogerson: Neither core DEFRA, nor its Executive Agencies or non-departmental public bodies hold any contracts with the Educational Testing Service or any of its subsidiaries.

Flood Control: Thames Gateway

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of flood protection in the Thames Gateway. [201972]

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 Plan, which covers the area known as the "Thames Gateway", sets out the current levels of risk to the area and the plans to protect areas at risk from tidal flooding until the end of the century.

Following the winter storms, the Environment Agency reassessed the condition of all flood defences on the Thames and the level of flood protection they offer.

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Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the contribution by the Prime Minister of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 1116W, what assessment he has made of the cost of flooding damage to (a) farmers and (b) small businesses from the beginning of the financial year 2013 which will become eligible for support from his Department's (i) Farming Recovery Fund and (ii) support for fishermen schemes; and what estimate he has made of the number of additional claims made under each such scheme as a result of this extended eligibility. [201508]

Dan Rogerson: There are no plans to extend eligibility for either of these two schemes. Both of these schemes build on existing EU schemes where the EU rules prevent any changes in eligibility that would allow those flooded before 1 December 2013 to apply.

Horses: Animal Welfare

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department plans to take to address the problem of horse abandonment. [201775]

George Eustice: There are many underlying issues which result in horses being abandoned and neglected. In some cases it seems owners are struggling to cope with the costs involved in keeping a horse. In other cases, irresponsible breeders and horse traders are deliberately placing horses on land to secure grazing for their animals at no cost to themselves.

In the Government’s view the way to address these problems is to tackle the perpetrators directly. Antisocial behaviour orders have been successfully used in Wales and in Bristol to address fly-grazing, and there is likely to be an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 where a horse is abandoned. The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 brings forward new streamlined measures to tackle antisocial behaviour, of which the practice of fly-grazing of horses is a prime example. Where fly grazing is a particular problem, we encourage the local authorities and police to work together with landowners, farmers and welfare charities to identify the culprits and address their behaviour directly using these powers. In a number of cases and to encourage joined up working, protocols have been drawn up by some local authorities to summarise the action that can be taken under existing legislation. DEFRA is supplementing that guidance with advice on the new measures in the 2014 Act which comes into force later this year.

Members: Correspondence

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter of 3 June 2014 from the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland. [201784]

George Eustice: I replied to the hon. Member on 24 June 2014.

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Culture, Media and Sport

Battle of Waterloo: Anniversaries

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans the Government have to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. [201741]

Mrs Grant: Planning for the commemoration, in 2015, of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo is being carried out by Waterloo 200, an umbrella organisation which is overseeing the anniversary. More information can be found on its website at the following link:

www.waterloo200.org

In the June 2013 Budget, the Chancellor announced funding circa £1 million will be allocated to restore the site of the battle.

The previous Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), was also pleased to announce in October 2013 that at least £10 million will be made available by the Heritage Lottery Fund over the next four years to fund projects marking some of the UK’s most important anniversaries and commemorative events, including the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo.

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many creditors had remained unpaid by his Department on 1 June 2014 for (a) 45, (b) 60, (c) 75 and (d) 76 days and over. [201614]

Mrs Grant [holding answer 25 June 2014]: The number of creditors that remained unpaid by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at 1 June were:

Civil Partnerships

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Government plans to publish its report on its consultation on the future of civil partnership in England and Wales. [201825]

Mrs Grant: The report on the conclusions of the review of civil partnership in England and Wales is published today and is available on the Culture, Media and Sport website at

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-future-of-civil-partnership-in-england-and-wales

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Direct Selling

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many companies were fined more than once for making nuisance calls by (a) the Information Commissioner's Office and (b) Ofcom in each of the last three years. [201463]

Mr Vaizey: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and the Office of Communications (Ofcom) have issued monetary penalties totalling more than £1.9 million since January 2012 for nuisance calls, however no company has been issued with a monetary penalty more than once by either ICO or Ofcom for making nuisance calls.

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many companies were fined for making nuisance calls by (a) the Information Commissioner's Office and (b) Ofcom in each of the last three years. [201464]

Mr Vaizey: The number of monetary penalties issued for making nuisance calls by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Office of Communications (Ofcom) in each of the last three years is set out in the table. Also, both the ICO and Ofcom take informal enforcement action to ensure that companies about whom they have concerns are brought into compliance more quickly. From January 2013 - June 2014, ICO engaged with over 20 organisations, which were responsible for making nuisance calls and as a result recorded substantial reductions in complaints for five of these organisations. Ofcom’s informal action against 25 organisations making silent and abandoned phone calls has resulted in complaints linked to the telephone numbers used by 22 of those organisations stopping or reducing significantly, while three cases are ongoing. The power to issue monetary penalties of £500,000 for ICO came into force in January 2012, while Ofcom’s power to issue a monetary penalty of £2 million became effective in October 2010.

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department has taken to tackle unsolicited marketing telephone calls originating from outside the UK. [201555]

Mr Vaizey: Unsolicited marketing calls originating from outside the United Kingdom (UK) made by or on behalf of UK companies are legally required not to call a number that is registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS), which is provided under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) 2003. Protection is also provided under the PECR if consumers have previously notified the caller that they do not wish to receive such calls and for automated recorded messages calls, which require prior consent. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) considers complaints and can issue a monetary penalty of up to £500,000. Calls made from abroad by overseas companies fall outside the jurisdiction of the UK.

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Also, there are various steps that consumers can take to block nuisance calls from getting through to them. Most telecom service providers offer a range of services, usually for a small charge or for free, that can help to reduce the need to answer such calls. These include ‘Calling Line Identification Display’, ‘Anonymous Call Rejection’ and ‘Choose to Refuse’. BT’s ‘Choose to Refuse’ service allows consumers to block numbers by specifying numbers that they do not want to receive calls from. Also, ’Caller Display’ enables a consumer to choose to ignore calls including those that withhold their number and ‘Anonymous Call Rejection’ blocks incoming calls that withhold their number; although this may include some calls that consumers may want to receive. Additionally, telephone handsets and plug in devices are commercially available from the internet and high street shops that can help to block unwanted nuisance calls.

Film

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of investment from overseas sources in film production in the UK in each year since 2010. [201595]

Mr Vaizey [holding answer 25 June 2014]: DCMS and the BFI do not hold data on the total investment from overseas sources in film production in the UK. However, the BFI collects data on the total expenditure on core filmmaking activities by international film production companies on productions made in the UK. Expenditure on core filmmaking activities includes pre-production, principal photography and post production but excludes any expenditure incurred on development, distribution or other non-production activities. The total UK spend in each year since 2010, is set out in the table:

Floods

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the contribution by the Prime Minister of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 1116W, what assessment he has made of the cost of flooding damage to small businesses in the UK from the beginning of the financial year 2013 which will become eligible for support from the (a) support for tourism and (b) flood relief fund for sport schemes; and what estimate he has made of the number of additional claims made under each such scheme as a result of this extended eligibility. [201509]

Mrs Grant: We have not made an assessment of the cost of flooding damage to small tourism businesses or sport schemes from the beginning of the financial year 2013. This would be very difficult to ascertain.

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The Government’s tourism package on flood support, announced on 1 March 2014, was not grant based. The package included a tactical recovery marketing programme designed to encourage UK residents to take short breaks and trips leading up to Easter, and also funded business support workshops and drop in clinics for tourism and tourism related businesses. Destination Management Organisations could choose to take the opportunity to run the workshops on behalf of VisitEngland, providing the advice for those businesses affected by flooding in the winter floods. There are no plans to extend the package of flood support.

Sport England has had a number of funds in place to help clubs upgrade and improve their facilities and pitches that date back before April 2013. Clubs affected by flooding from April 2013 would be very welcome to apply to these funds to get more people playing sport. Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund has invested over £91 million to modernise over 1600 local sports clubs and its Protecting Playing Field fund has invested over £22 million into 399 projects to protect and improve over 1000 pitches.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the contribution made by the Prime Minister of 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 1116W, what extra resource his Department will provide to deal with extended eligibility for claims made under the (a) support for tourism and (b) flood relief fund for sport schemes. [201510]

Mrs Grant: The Government’s tourism package on flood support, announced on 1 March 2014, was not grant based. The package included a tactical recovery marketing programme designed to encourage UK residents to take short breaks and trips leading up to Easter, and also funded business support workshops and drop in clinics for tourism and tourism related businesses. Destination Management Organisations could choose to take the opportunity to run the workshops on behalf of VisitEngland, providing the advice for those businesses affected by flooding in the winter floods. There are no plans to extend the package of flood support.

Sport England has had a number of funds in place to help clubs upgrade and improve their facilities and pitches that date back before April 2013. Clubs affected by flooding from April 2013 would be very welcome to apply to these funds to get more people playing sport. Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund has invested over £91 million to modernise over 1600 local sports clubs and its Protecting Playing Field fund has invested over £22 million into 399 projects to protect and improve over 1,000 pitches.

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Public Libraries

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of local authority funding for the staffing of libraries. [201277]

Mr Vaizey: Public libraries are funded and run by local authorities and it is for each local authority to determine at a local level how much they spend on libraries and how to manage and deliver the service, including decisions about expenditure on staffing.

Public Libraries: Lincolnshire

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make representation to Lincolnshire county council on its decision to invite volunteers to run some local libraries in Lincolnshire. [201278]

Mr Vaizey: The Secretary of State for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has a statutory duty under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 to superintend and promote the improvement of the public library service provided by local authorities in England. The Department is aware of the proposed changes to library service provision in Lincolnshire having received a number of representations from local residents. A legal challenge to the decision taken by Lincolnshire county council to reconfigure its library services is to be considered by the High Court on 8-9 July and this Department will consider matters further in light of the outcome of the judicial review.

Women and Equalities

Written Questions

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities how many parliamentary questions tabled to the Government Equalities Office in the last parliamentary session did not receive a substantive answer by the time of the 2014 prorogation; and when each such question was first tabled. [201547]

Mrs Grant: All parliamentary questions tabled to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which includes the Government Equalities Office, in the last parliamentary Session, received a substantive answer by the time the House prorogued on 14 May 2014.