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Jobseeker's Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many jobseeker's allowance claimants aged 18 to 24 years have home addresses in each region of the UK; and what proportion of all young people in each such region that figure represents. [202506]

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 (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many jobseeker's allowance claimants aged 18 to 24 years have home addresses in each region of the UK; and what proportion of all young people in each such region that figure represents. (202506)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus Administrative system.

Table 1 shows the number and proportion of people aged 18 to 24 years claiming Jobseeker's Allowance, living in each region of the UK for May 2014, the latest period available.

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

http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Ministers: Codes of Practice

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what rules and guidance there are on Cabinet Members discussing matters related to their ministerial portfolio with members of the public who are not their constituents at a constituency surgery or other constituency event. [202443]

Mr Maude: The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of conduct expected of Ministers.

Respiratory System: Diseases

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths related to respiratory disease there were in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) the UK in each year since 2001. [202516]

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

Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2014:

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths related to respiratory disease there were in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) the UK in each year since 2001. (202516)

Table 1 provides the number of deaths where the underlying cause of death was respiratory disease in (a) Peterborough parliamentary constituency and (b) the United Kingdom, registered in each year from 2001 to 2012 (the latest year available).

Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are published by National Records of Scotland and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency respectively.

The number of deaths registered in England and Wales each year by sex, age and underlying cause, are published annually on the ONS website at:

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html? definition=tcm%3A77-27475

Voluntary Organisations

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the (a) total value of public service contracts that have been awarded to voluntary sector organisations in each year since 2008-09 and (b) proportion of overall public expenditure which was spent on public service contracts with voluntary sector organisations in the last year for which figures are available. [202407]

Mr Maude: Since January 2011 Government Departments have published information on the contracts they award on Contracts Finder:

www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/

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Central Government Departments publish their expenditure with Voluntary and Community Sector organisations as part of their Quarterly Data Summaries (QDS):

http://www.gist.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/oscar/

Energy and Climate Change

Billing

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many creditors remained unpaid by his Department on 1 June 2014 for (a) 45 days, (b) 60 days, (c) 75 days and (d) 76 days and over. [201594]

Gregory Barker: The Department's current accounting system recognises invoices when they are submitted if they are made out to the Department of Energy and Climate Change and a valid purchase order number is provided.

As at 1 June 2014, the following number of invoices remain unpaid:

Educational Testing Service

Mr Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 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. [202168]

Gregory Barker: Neither (a) the Department of Energy and Climate Change nor (b) its non-departmental public bodies hold any contracts with the Educational Testing Service or its subsidiaries.

Electricity

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 593W, on electricity, what recent discussions he has had with the Independent Renewables Generators Group on the timing of the introduction of auctioning; what assessment he has made of independent generators' ability to raise project finance against the Offtaker of Last Resort before October 2014; and if he will make a statement. [202094]

Michael Fallon: I met with the Independent Renewable Generators Group on 24 February 2014 and discussed the introduction of auctioning for Contracts for Difference (CfDs).

The Offtaker of Last Resort will support independent renewable generators by providing for the worst-case route-to-market, allowing generators to raise project

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finance without necessarily having to enter long-term PPAs. As a result, such generators are likely only to need short-term PPAs in order to maximise their secured revenue and level of gearing. We are on track to deliver the final policy and introduce enabling regulations ahead of first allocation of CfDs. CfD applicants will, therefore, have a high degree of clarity about the arrangements for OLR in advance of the first auctions.

Electricity Generation

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the total amount of available coal-fired electricity generation capacity in the UK in each year up to 2030. [202029]

Michael Fallon: The Electricity Market Reform (EMR) Delivery Plan published in December 2013 included an estimate for the total amount of available coal-fired electricity generation capacity in Great Britain in each year to 2030. It is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/268221/181213_2013_EMR_Delivery_ Plan_FINAL.pdf

Energy: Meters

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to which geographical areas the roll-out programme for smart meters will extend; and when their programme will happen in each area. [202159]

Gregory Barker: In Great Britain, we are adopting a supplier-led approach to the roll-out of smart meters. Energy suppliers are required to take ‘all reasonable steps' to install smart meters to all of their domestic and smaller non-domestic customers in Wales, England and Scotland by 2020.

There is no centralised roll-out strategy and suppliers are free to plan the roll-out in a way that suits their business and the needs of their customers, subject to the

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requirement to complete the roll-out by 2020. They are considering a range of factors in developing their strategies for this, such as the geographical location of their customers, the age of the current meter stock, and the extent to which they wish to respond to customer demand.

Fracking

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to simplify regulations applying to the UK's shale gas industry. [202356]

Michael Fallon: The Department works closely with the relevant regulators and industry to ensure that the regulatory system is as streamlined as possible, while remaining robust enough to safeguard public safety and the environment.

In order to help companies navigate our regulatory system, the Department published in December a Regulatory Roadmap setting out all the regulations that applies to shale at the exploration stage.

We have already reduced unnecessary duplication in the regulatory system for shale gas, clarifying and streamlining the regulation of exploration activity through the Environment Agency, including developing a single application form for permits. The average waiting time for environmental permits for onshore oil and gas is eight to nine weeks. We will introduce standard rules environmental permits later this year cutting permitting times for low risk activities to two to four weeks.

The Department of Communities and Local Government published planning guidance for onshore oil and gas projects last July, which makes clear that planning authorities when assessing applications should assume that the environmental and health and safety regulatory regimes operate effectively rather than duplicating effort.

We are also consulting on proposals designed to simplify current procedures for obtaining access to underground land. This consultation is open until 15 August 2014 and, subject to the outcome of the consultation, could lead to legislative proposals.

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many hydraulic fracturing licences are pending approval in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Hyndburn constituency. [202358]

Michael Fallon: There is no hydraulic fracturing licence. DECC issues petroleum exploration and development licences (PEDLs). However, PEDLs are not specific to shale gas and do not give permission for operations, but grant exclusivity to licensees in relation to hydrocarbons (including shale gas but also other forms) within a particular area. All operations, such as drilling, hydraulic fracturing or production, however require planning permission, and applications are subject to public consultation. They also require access agreement with relevant landowner(s), Environment Agency permits, HSE scrutiny, and DECC consent before operations can commence. DECC is not currently considering any applications for hydraulic fracturing in the UK.

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Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that the risk of flooding is taken into account in any potential shale gas sites. [202369]

Michael Fallon: Any development (including a shale gas site) that is planned near a main river or a flood defence (including a sea defence) will require a flood defence consent from the Environment Agency. The Environment Agency is a statutory consultee in the planning process and can object to any development that they consider to be at high risk of flooding. The Environment Agency will continue to assess each site on a case by case basis and work with operators and local planning to ensure sites are protected from flood risk.

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that the views of homeowners are taken into account before any change in existing trespass legislation to allow for horizontal shale gas drilling. [202450]

Michael Fallon: We are currently running a 12-week consultation on proposals for underground drilling access for shale gas, oil and geothermal energy. Home owners are invited to take part in this consultation, and can respond by post, e-mail or by using our online portal. The Government will not make a decision on this issue until we have analysed the consultation responses. This feedback may help to refine the existing proposal, develop an alternative proposal or convince the Government that the existing system is fit for purpose.

In addition to the consultation, we have engaged with groups or organisations that represent home owners. We held workshops in February and March this year, which were attended by representative groups such as the Country Landowner’s Association, the National Farmers Union and a number of local authorities and elected representatives.

Natural Resources: South East

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to publish the British Geological Survey’s assessment of the hydrocarbon resources in the Weald area of the south of England. [202357]

Michael Fallon: The British Geological Survey Weald Basin Report has been published and can be viewed at the following link:

http://www.bgs.ac.uk/shalegas/

Nuclear Power Stations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14, published on 23 June 2014, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on the evaluation of proposals for funded radioactive waste and decommissioning plans presented to him by private nuclear operators of the recent increase in the cost of dealing with legacy radioactive waste and decommissioning announced in that report. [202280]

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Michael Fallon: Recent changes in the estimated costs of dealing with legacy radioactive waste and decommissioning announced in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14 are due in their entirety to the decommissioning programme at Sellafield. These costs should not be used as a guide to costs of decommissioning modern nuclear reactor sites. The vast majority of the liability at Sellafield is a result of the cold war military programme on that site, dating back to the 1940s, and the very early days of the civil nuclear industry, dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. These historic facilities were built extremely rapidly to very different quality and safety standards compared with nuclear plants constructed today and without plans for how they would be ultimately decommissioned, These facilities present a unique decommissioning challenge requiring a complex suite of engineering projects in order to first gain access to their waste inventory before retrieving and then treating this material ready for long-term disposal. The activity required to decommission these facilities at Sellafield bears no relation to the work required to decommission modern nuclear facilities. Operators of nuclear power stations being constructed under the Government’s new build programme are required to publish plans detailing how these facilities will be decommissioned and the operators themselves are liable for the costs associated with this decommissioning work.

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14, published on 23 June 2014, what estimate he has made of the additional cost to the public purse arising from the increased cost on an undiscounted basis of legacy radioactive waste and nuclear plant commissioning announced in that report. [202282]

Michael Fallon: As reported in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14, the Nuclear Provision (the estimated cost to complete the decommissioning of all 17 sites in the authority’s estate) is now calculated as £65 billion on a discounted basis (£110 billion undiscounted). These costs will be borne in their entirety by the public purse.

Performance Appraisal

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2013-14. [202054]

Gregory Barker: In DECC, the staff declaration rate for disability is:

5.7% have declared they have a disability;

70.6% have declared they do not have a disability;

23.7% have not declared their disability status.

The 2013-14 performance ratings breakdown for these groups is shown in the following table.

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Sellafield

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis was for the statement made by his Department's Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in her foreword to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Annual Report and Accounts for 2013-14, issued on 23 June 2014, that the continuation of Nuclear Management Partner's contract to manage the Sellafield site offers the potential of stability and focus on the priorities during a vital five-year period in the history of Sellafield as it transitions from an operational plant into a fully-fledged decommissioning site. [202281]

Michael Fallon: The decision on contract extension was for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in line with its duties and responsibilities under the Energy Act 2004. The Department has oversight of all NDA activity and, given the particular importance of Sellafield, officials were closely involved throughout the contract review. From this we were assured that the NDA reached its decision based on a thorough and independent review of performance in the first period of the contract and consideration of all the options available to it. Ministers endorsed the NDA Board's decision to extend the contract for a second term on the basis that rolling the contract forward represented the best way forward, giving the opportunity for NMP to build on progress made to date, address weaker areas of performance and make further real progress in this next five year term.

Work and Pensions

Access to Work Programme

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints his Department has received on the Access to Work scheme in each of the last five years. [202349]

Mike Penning: Access to Work complaints are handled in accordance with the DWP two-tier complaints process. The figures that are available since the introduction of that process are shown in the following table.

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Children: Maintenance

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Preston are in arrears to the Child Support Agency. [202490]

Steve Webb: Information on the number of people in Preston in arrears could not be provided without exceeding the disproportionate cost limit. This is because we would need to check individual cases as a parent can have more than one case.

As of March 2014, there were 3,190¹ Child Support Agency cases in arrears in the local authority of Preston.

¹ Figure rounded to the nearest 10.

Crisis Loans

Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average loan award made for the purpose of paying rent in advance was in the last year of operation of crisis loans. [201696]

Steve Webb: Crisis loans may have been awarded for more than one purpose (for example rent in advance and living expenses). The Department does not hold the data to accurately calculate the average award made solely for the purpose of rent in advance.

Disability Living Allowance

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with chronic conditions have been reassessed as eligible for higher-rate disability living allowance in each of the last five years. [202040]

Mike Penning: We do not hold the information requested.

EU Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions officials from his Department had with the Northern Ireland devolved administration ahead of the informal Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 29-30 April 2014. [201722]

Esther McVey: The devolved Administrations are always consulted on any European dossier deposited with the Cabinet Office that is subject to parliamentary scrutiny. While social security is devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, International Relations are an excepted matter under the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Influenza

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, columns 703-04W, on influenza, whether the same experiment would be allowed to take place in the UK. [201666]

Mike Penning: The information is not available.

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Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2014, Official Report, column 247W, on Jobcentre Plus, whether Jobcentre Plus is required to obtain the consent of a voluntary employment support project which receives no statutory funding before issuing a jobseeker's direction requiring a jobseeker's allowance claimant's engagement with that project. [202540]

Esther McVey: In return for receiving benefits we expect jobseekers to do everything they can to find work. This could include engaging with an employment support project. We expect districts to work in partnership with organisations that offer opportunities which will help improve a claimant’s employment prospects, but they are not legally obliged to gain their consent before issuing a Jobseeker’s Direction.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the skills level of jobseeker's allowance claimants aged between (a) 18 and 21 and (b) 22 and 24 years. [202507]

Esther McVey: All jobseekers are assessed at the beginning of their claim to jobseeker's allowance for potential skills needs that are a barrier to them finding work. Where a skills need is identified, claimants are referred to courses.

This Government are committed to ensuring jobseekers have the skills they need to get into work. In 2012-13 171,100 young people aged 19 to 24 and claiming benefit started a learning course, an increase of 30% over 2011-12.

National Insurance Contributions Office: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions where the boundaries lie of the geographical area served by national insurance services at Newcastle's Jobcentre Plus. [201754]

Esther McVey: The boundaries are defined by postcodes and geographical areas served by national insurance services at Newcastle's Jobcentre Plus are:

TS1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29

DL1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

DH1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

SR1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

NE1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37

NE38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69.

Personal Independence Payment

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average length of time taken to settle a personal independence payment claim is. [202222]

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Mike Penning: The information you have requested is not currently available. Statistics on clearance times are intended for future publication but releasing them at this stage would give an incorrect representation of the process since the system has not yet reached maturity, and further quality assurance of the data is required.

Separated People: Advisory Services

Mr Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department has spent on developing the Sorting out Separation web app; how many people are actively using that app; what the cost is per user of the app; what assessment he has made of the value for money of the app; and what steps he plans to take to ensure that future online development in this area represents good value for money. [201856]

Steve Webb: The costs of the Sorting out Separation web app are £417,500 to date. This includes initial build, maintenance and development, hosting, videos and promotion.

Contracts and services for Sorting out Separation have been procured using the online ‘Contracts Finder’ and CloudStore (‘G Cloud’ framework). Both of these are flexible, low-cost methods of commissioning, which has enabled the Department to maintain a strong focus on value for money from initial development to live running.

As of 31 May 2014 there were 180,000 visitors to Sorting out Separation, which equates to an approximate cost per user of £2.30. We have commissioned work on search engine optimisation to maximise awareness and usage and we anticipate that this will sharply reduce the cost per user in due course.

Social Security Benefits

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of changes in the cost to the public purse of benefits payments as a result of changes in employment levels since May 2010. [201904]

Esther McVey: Since 2010-11 expenditure on benefits and tax credits paid to people not in work has fallen in real terms from £43.2 billion to £42.2 billion in 2013-14, and is forecast to fall further, to £40.6 billion this year. This is due to a combination of factors including welfare reform, changes to benefits and significant employment growth. The number of people in work has risen by 1.7 million since 2010, and the number of people claiming the main out of work benefits has fallen by over 700,000.

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the reasons for regional variations in the number of sanctions issued to benefit claimants by job centres. [201924]

Esther McVey: Local and district management are responsible for ensuring Jobcentre Plus staff apply labour market conditionality fairly and consistently and to make sure referrals to decision makers are appropriate and of consistently good quality.

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Decisions are subject to a quality assurance process to ensure that decision makers continuously apply the law fairly and consistency.

Unemployment: Brighton

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to tackle (a) unemployment and (b) youth unemployment in the Brighton, Kemptown constituency; and if he will make a statement. [201618]

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Work Coaches offer all claimants tailored support from day one of their claim, which includes skills provision, job search support and work experience opportunities.

Those at risk of long-term unemployment are given personalised support through the Work programme. Jobseekers returning from the Work programme will get extra support through our new Help to Work scheme

Work experience and Sector Based Work Academies participants also get additional help with internet access, help with job search in the form of mock interviews, CV construction and job and apprenticeship applications.

Also, the work coaches have an information event on 2 July 2014 arranged in conjunction with Brighton and Hove city council and the Youth Employability Service to bring together local employers, apprenticeship providers and young people.

Over the last year we have seen the total number of people claiming JSA fall by over 600 in Brighton, Kemptown and the 18-24 claimant count has fallen by 165 over the same period. This is a sign that the Government's long-term economic plan is working.

Universal Credit

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in which (a) areas and (b) jobcentre plus offices universal credit will be available to couples in (i) June, (ii) July and (iii) August 2014. [202153]

Esther McVey: Universal credit will accept claims from couples from 30 June in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Rugby, Harrogate, Bath, and the Highland Council of Scotland. Claims will be received via Jobcentre Plus offices in Hammersmith, Rugby, Harrogate, Bath and Inverness. Claims from couples will be gradually rolled out in the north-west of England from summer 2014 onwards.

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of cases of a local authority paying a landlord directly because a tenant who receives universal credit was more than eight weeks behind on rent payments; and what steps his Department has taken to (a) encourage tenants in receipt of universal credit to pay rent on time and (b) tackle repeated non-payment of rent by universal credit claimants. [202218]

Steve Webb: Housing payments are not administered by local authorities under universal credit. All claimants in universal credit are offered practical help and advice on budgeting and money management early on in their claim alongside being advised of their responsibility to

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pay rent to their landlords. We make an initial judgment on each claim as to whether the claimant is at risk of default. If so we can put them on managed payments immediately. Any representations received from the landlord will be taken into account when reaching this judgment.

If it is decided to pay the rent direct to the claimant then we have two safeguards in place. First, we will review our initial decision if we are advised that arrears have reached the equivalent of one month's rent. Second, if direct payments have continued, we will move to payment to the landlord if we are advised that arrears have reached the equivalent of two months' rent.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) when the IT system being developed by his Department for universal credit will be fully operating; [202350]

(2) when the IT system developed by his Department for universal credit will be fully operating; and when this system will start to be decommissioned to make way for the digital solution developed by the Cabinet Office. [202458]

Esther McVey: As part of the wider transformation in the development of digital services, the Department will further develop the work completed jointly with the Government Digital Service to test and implement an enhanced digital service. This enhanced digital service will integrate work and benefits activity allowing us to deliver the full scope of universal credit for all claimant types.

Our single target operating model sets out how we will transform our approach and ways of working to ultimately make the universal credit service fully available online. Where it is both practical and operationally sensible to do so, we will integrate together the enhanced digital service with the existing universal credit service.

We expect an early version of the digital service to be introduced to a limited number of claimants and staff by the end of 2014.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2014, Official Report, column 174W, on universal credit, whether he has approved the Department for Work and Pensions' business case for the implementation of universal credit. [202461]

Esther McVey: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has approved the UC Strategic Outline Business Case plans for the remainder of this Parliament (2014-15) as per the ministerial announcement (5 December 2013, Official Report, column 65WS)—link to WMS:

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

Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: North West

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which arts organisations and events in the North West he has visited since his appointment. [202151]

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Mr Vaizey: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has visited the following organisations and attended following events in the North West since his appointment:

Mellor Mill, Stockport

Lady Lever Art Gallery, the Wirral

Tate Liverpool

Merseyside Maritime Museum

International Festival of Business, Liverpool

Broadband: South East

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress he has made on improving the availability of superfast broadband in (a) the Thames Valley and (b) Windsor constituency. [201678]

Mr Vaizey: I can confirm that the Berkshire broadband project was allocated £2.03 million, which was matched by the Berkshire councils, the project signed its supplier contract on 4 October 2013 and is proposing to make available superfast broadband to over 17,000 premises that would not otherwise have got it.

Ofcom monitors and reports on broadband and the table is of Next Generation Access availability across Berkshire between 2012 and 2013:

Film

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the total value to the economy of the sale of UK film productions to foreign distributors in each year since 2005. [202160]

Mr Vaizey: The sale of UK film productions to foreign distributors is captured by the ONS International Trade in Services Survey within “royalties” in aggregate film industry estimates. The BFI Statistical Yearbook presents data broken down as royalties shown in the following table. However, royalties also include items beyond the sale of international film distribution rights, and cover all income obtained from the use of UK talent such as rights to use franchises, copyrights, licenses, patents and trademarks.

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Public Libraries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what proportion of library users reported success in obtaining a specific book in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14; [201600]

(2) what proportion of requests for books were met within (a) seven, (b) 15 and (c) 30 days in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14; [201601]

(3) what the aggregate opening hours per 1,000 population were for all public libraries in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14. [201602]

Mr Vaizey: The detail requested is not held centrally by this Department, nor is it collected by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy as part of the annual public library statistics provided by individual library authorities.

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps he has taken to provide more business resources in libraries. [201676]

Mr Vaizey: The Enterprising Libraries programme, a £1.2 million partnership between Arts Council England, the British Library and the Department for Communities and Local Government, is supporting local economic growth by turning libraries into spaces for the development of business ideas, providing coaching, advice, meeting spaces and IT support for local businesses and entrepreneurs. Currently 16 public libraries in England are actively engaged in the programme and receiving financial support.

Other specific initiatives being delivered through public libraries includes the Access to Research service. This two year pilot commenced in January 2014 and provides a free service enabling local libraries to provide users with access to a wealth of research, including business information. In addition, library authorities are developing business resources to meet local needs. Staffordshire for example has introduced Start2, a service that is available in all public libraries across the county and has trained staff offering information and signposting on all aspects of looking for and finding work, including providing a starting point for entrepreneurs who want to start their own business and small enterprises looking to expand by signposting them to relevant sources of information or specialist organisations.

Tourism: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of (a) Yorkshire and the Humber, (b) North Yorkshire and (c) Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency to the UK's tourism economy. [201903]

Mrs Grant: The latest regional breakdown estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published on 20 February 2014, show that in 2011 tourism in Yorkshire and the Humber directly contributed a gross value-added (GVA) of around £2.6 billion to the economy. This is 5.3% of the UK's tourism economy, which is valued in this study at £48.7 billion. The same estimates

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show that North Yorkshire contributed a GVA of £0.89 billion, which represents 1.8% of the UK's tourism economy. We do not have an estimate of the contribution of the Harrogate and Knaresborough constituency to the UK's tourism economy.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agricultural Products: Exports

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress he is making in increasing exports of UK agricultural produce; and if he will make a statement. [201943]

George Eustice: The Government and industry first launched the joint Food and Drink International Action plan in 2012 and a refreshed plan last October. The plan commits us to deliver £500 million of value to the UK economy by supporting 1,000 companies by October 2015. In 2013, exports of UK food and drink reached £18.9 billion from £18.2 billion in 2012. In 2013, we opened 112 markets for animals and animal products, helping increase exports to non-EU markets by £179 million to £1.35 billion. This year, we have opened 54 new markets for animals and animal products.

The Government have been successful in breaking down restrictions relating to BSE to provide greater opportunities to increase beef and lamb exports. Following lifting of the BSE ban by the US earlier this year, enabling export of beef once technical negotiations have been concluded, a memorandum of understanding on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies has been agreed with China providing a framework for negotiations. Once opened, these markets could be worth up to £181 million per annum. The Government and industry continue to work together to increase food and drink exports.

Agriculture: Bureaucracy

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to reduce regulation in the agricultural industry; and if he will make a statement. [201927]

George Eustice: DEFRA has taken a number of steps to reduce regulation in the agricultural industry. In January 2014, DEFRA announced proposals under the red tape challenge agriculture theme to scrap or improve 56% of the 516 regulations reviewed.

DEFRA is carrying out a thorough review of the visits made by DEFRA and its regulators with the aim of significantly reducing the burden on generally compliant farmers and concentrating enforcement action on those with a history of non-compliance. We expect to achieve this through improved targeting of visits, stopping unnecessary checks or visits and sharing data between regulators.

The agricultural industry will also benefit from our review of guidance and data. Our target is to make all DEFRA and its regulators’ guidance simple, quick and clear, with an ambition to reduce the volume by over 80% by March 2015. For data reporting we are aiming to reduce the time that businesses spend on reporting data by 20% by March 2016.

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As published in April 2014 in the Independent Farming Regulation Task Force report, incorporating earned recognition into dairy hygiene inspections has reduced the number of FSA inspections taking place on dairy farms by over 8,000 per year. 14 out of 31 on-farm inspection regimes incorporate an element of earned recognition and, overall, we are removing £13 of compliance costs for every pound added.

We know that we have to continue to build on this good work and have further to go.

Agriculture: Finance

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on business support to farmers, excluding common agricultural policy payments in each financial year since 2010-11. [201946]

George Eustice: The Department spent £14.8 million in 2013-14 on support to farmers through specific grants. This excludes common agricultural policy payments. Figures relating to the three previous financial years would be available only at disproportionate cost.

Agriculture: Research

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on agricultural research in each financial year since 2010-11. [201937]

George Eustice: The agricultural science research and development budget for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was £53 million in 2010-11, £55 million in 2011-12, £55 million in 2012-13 and £47 million in 2013-14.

Agriculture: Somerset

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on UK food production of the recent flooding in Somerset; and if he will make a statement. [201929]

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA officials have commissioned an analysis of the economic impact of the recent floods on English farm businesses. The report is being finalised and will be published in due course. I shall place a copy in the Library of the House.

Air Pollution

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the introduction of further low emission zones outside London to reduce the levels of nitrogen dioxide air pollution in ambient air. [201995]

Dan Rogerson: The Government have funded a number of local authorities outside London to investigate the feasibility of low emission zones (LEZs) within their areas, through the annual Air Quality Grant Scheme targeted at reducing levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and accelerating compliance with EU limit values.

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This ongoing support is focused on addressing barriers and looking for practical options for putting in place NO2-related LEZs and similar measures.

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities have been sent letters indicating that they may have to pay part or all of the fines arising from infraction proceedings following the European Court of Justice's finding against the UK for breach of nitrogen dioxide limit values under the EU Air Quality Directive. [201997]

Dan Rogerson: In March this year, DEFRA sent letters to all local authorities in England to inform them of the Commission's decision to commence infraction procedures against the UK for non-compliance with NO2 limit values, what it means and the next steps that should be taken by the Government in response. As part of this, local authorities were reminded of the discretionary power in Part 2 of the Localism Act under which the Government could require responsible authorities to pay all or part of an infraction fine.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many herd owners have (a) failed to complete TB surveillance tests on time and (b) received reductions in their Single Payment Scheme payments since the introduction of a revised TB testing regime in January 2014. [202181]

George Eustice: Owners of cattle herds are given a two or three month window to complete their TB surveillance tests, depending on whether they are subject to annual or four yearly surveillance testing. The enhanced cross compliance rule for overdue surveillance tests applies to cattle keepers with a testing window that started on or after 1 January 2014. In April 2014 (the most recent date for which we have data) 264 herd owners had failed to complete their TB tests on time, which compares to 689 overdue tests in April 2013. All of these herd owners who are Common Agricultural Policy scheme recipients will be liable to reductions in their payments once these become due, unless they can show that the late testing was beyond their control.

Flood Control: Lake District

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will assess the viability of limiting the extraction of water from Windermere and Ullswater only when flow levels are high to reduce the risk of over-extraction and flood control. [202031]

Dan Rogerson: The Environment Agency limits United Utilities to abstracting water from Windermere and Ullswater to periods when there is adequate flow in the downstream rivers. Recent studies of Windermere and Ullswater have concluded that both abstraction licences are sustainable. Current abstraction levels would not have a material impact on flood risk as the total daily abstraction would only equate to approximately 1% of the flow during a flood.

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Flood Control: Thames Gateway

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on flood defences in the Thames Gateway in each of the last 15 years for which figures are available. [201973]

Dan Rogerson: The annual totals fluctuate depending on local need for investment in particular projects and the level of funding available. The table below shows capital expenditure on flood and coastal erosion risk management within the Thames Gateway area between 2008-09 and 2013-14. Figures for earlier years are not available.

The figures in the table include Government flood defence grant in aid, local levy (raised by regional flood and coastal committees from councils) and contributions from other public and private sources spent on projects carried out by the Environment Agency and by local authorities in the area.

The figures in the table do not include revenue costs, such as staff salaries and the routine river maintenance programmes or region-wide projects and programmes, such as flood and coastal erosion risk management strategies and reservoir inspection programmes.

The Thames Gateway area in this table includes expenditure on tidal defences in Barking and Dagenham, the outer Thames estuary in Essex, the Thames and Southern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee’s area, including Kent, the Environment Agency’s Thames Barrier team areas.

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 extra resource his Department will provide to deal with extended eligibility for claims made under the (a) Farming Recovery Fund and (b) support for fishermen schemes. [201507]

George Eustice: The Prime Minister in his comments mentioned looking at the eligibility for grants for those who had suffered from the winter flooding to earlier flooding incidents, and we are doing so. The Government have provided a number of funding support mechanisms for those affected by the winter floods. Because of their origin as EU grant schemes, neither of the two grants which are referred to here, the Farming Recovery Fund and the European Fisheries Fund, are open to extending eligibility.

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Food Supply

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many weeks supply of food stocks are routinely stored within the UK. [201926]

George Eustice: The Government do not hold stocks of food. The UK Food Security Assessment, published in 2010 and subsequently reviewed biennially, is an evidence based analysis of our food security looking ahead ten years. The assessment considers the global context to UK food security as well as the resilience of UK food supply chains, and concludes that the UK has good levels of resilience based on diverse sources of supply as well as strong domestic production. The holding of stockpiles of food is not considered to be a valid indicator of food security.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the role of British agriculture in supporting national food security; and if he will make a statement. [201928]

George Eustice: The UK currently has a high degree of food security in terms of access, availability, resilience and variety of food supply. The evidence for this is in the UK Food Security Assessment, published in 2010, which analysed the different factors impacting on UK food supply. UK food security is built on a strong food production base in the UK and access to a wide variety of markets through the EU and an open, rules-based world trading system.

Secure food supplies are derived from being fully integrated into a well-functioning and transparent global market, not just relying on UK production. Reduced access to global markets would heighten supply vulnerability in the event of emergencies such as poor weather, which negatively affect domestic production.

Improvements in productivity which lead to the UK increasing its domestic production will benefit the food chain and the UK economy more generally and are welcome, but are not alone sufficient to guarantee food security.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to improve the UK's food production to supply ratio; and if he will make a statement. [201947]

George Eustice: We are working with farmers, food and drink manufacturers and retailers to ensure the UK has the right climate to attract increased inward investment and to enable UK producers to grow and compete on global and domestic markets.

To support the agricultural industry to improve productivity and competitiveness, the Government are investing £160 million in an industry-led UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies. Other activities in support of the food and drink sector include: enabling consumers to select British products through country of origin labelling; working with individual sectors, such as dairy and livestock, to increase their competitiveness; and supporting industry activities to develop a skilled workforce and increase innovation.

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We are also improving public procurement of food and catering services so that it contributes to a competitive UK food and farming sector.

To help UK producers grasp opportunities on the global market, DEFRA and UKTI launched the ‘International Export Action Plan’ and ‘Food is GREAT’ campaign. The Export Action Plan outlines an ambitious target, jointly agreed by Government and industry, to help 1,000 UK food and drink companies with their international growth by October 2015, adding a further £500 million to the economy. DEFRA Ministers are working hard to personally visit priority overseas markets, champion the best of British food and break down barriers to trade.

Forests: Huntingdon

Mr Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which areas of forestry and woodland in Huntingdon constituency are classed by his Department as ancient woodland. [201987]

Dan Rogerson: Of the 1,721.9 hectares of woodland identified within the Huntingdon constituency, 540.5 hectares (1.6% of land within the constituency or 31.4% of woodland within the constituency) is classed as ancient woodland.

There are 45 discrete areas of ancient woodland in the Huntingdon constituency. 29 are located in the western arm of the constituency to the west of the A1, mainly around Grafham Water. The others are mostly in two pockets: in the southern arm of the constituency to the west of Great Gransden; and in the far north side of the constituency north of Alconbury.

A map showing the location of the ancient woodland has been placed in the House Library.

Kielder Dam

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will assess the viability of using Kielder Water as a water source and linking it to the national water grid. [202032]

Dan Rogerson: We have been working closely with Ofwat and the Environment Agency to consider how we can promote connectivity in our water supply system of which the establishment of a national water grid is only one option. The infrastructure investment needed for a grid is considerable. Water is also heavy, difficult and costly to move. Relatively local connections are likely to be the best options, incrementally building a wider and more integrated network.

Water companies are already joining up sources of supply to build resilience and are strongly encouraged to consider options for interconnections in their Water Resources Management Plans (WRMP), alongside other options, such as demand management. All water companies have statutory WRMPs, which look ahead at least 25 years. The Water Act 2014 includes provisions that will make it easier for water companies to make bulk supply arrangements between their networks.

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Kielder Water has a very large capacity and offers security of supply to customers in the Northumbrian Water Limited operating area. Other water companies outside the area have investigated ways of using Kielder as part of their 2014 WRMPs. The water companies found that local solutions offered better value for both customers and the environment.

Meat Products: China

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what his Department's priorities are in the negotiations with China concerning the export of meat products other than pork; [201774]

(2) what progress the Government has made in its negotiations with China on the export of meat products other than pork. [201773]

George Eustice: Securing access to Chinese markets for a range of UK products is a key priority in the Government and industry’s Export Action Plan. In addition to our interests on pork, we are working closely with industry and the Chinese authorities to advance negotiations on the export conditions for poultry meat. This trade could be worth up to £70 million a year.

Over the longer term, we are working to secure market access for beef and lamb exports to China estimated to be worth up to £120 million a year. We have recently agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese authorities and this formally initiates the detailed technical negotiations. This development has been widely welcomed by industry, and while the negotiations are likely to take some time we will seek to conclude them as quickly as we can.

We are also pressing for early agreement on exports of UK poultry meat and have invited the Chinese authorities to conduct an inward inspection visit as soon as possible. I would encourage any plant interested in exporting to China to ensure it complies fully with Chinese requirements before any inspection visit.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs intends to visit China again this year to advance these and other UK market access interests.

Performance Appraisal

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2013-14. [202055]

Dan Rogerson: Core DEFRA outcomes for the performance assessment period 2013-14 are currently being analysed.

The information, which forms part of a wider Performance Management diversity analysis, will be published, no later than January 2015, as part of the annual Workforce Monitoring Report under the Public Sector Equality Duty.

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Rain Forests: Conservation

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness about steps to protect and preserve rainforests worldwide. [202454]

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA is the UK competent authority for the European Timber Regulation (EUTR) and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Regulation, which are designed to counter illegal logging and help protect rainforests. Information on both is published on DEFRA’s Central Point of Expertise for Timber Procurement (CPET). Information on EUTR is also published on gov.uk. The National Measurement Office, which enforces EUTR and FLEGT on DEFRA’s behalf, speaks at numerous events at which it raises awareness of the legislation.

DEFRA is responsible for £140 million of the International Climate Fund (ICF) dedicated to international forestry projects. Our ICF spending so far has targeted rainforest deforestation in Brazil and contributed towards the World Bank’s Biocarbon Fund. Case studies of ICF projects are described on gov.uk, and details of ICF spending are made available through the International Aid Transparency Initiative.

Sharks

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what statistics his Department collects on shark populations in and near UK waters. [202455]

George Eustice: DEFRA continues to fund the collection of biological, distribution, and abundance data on sharks through dedicated fisheries surveys. We also work very closely with non-governmental organisations, such as the Shark Trust, which also keep valuable records.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the chance of a possible increase in shark numbers in and near UK waters as a result of climate change. [202456]

George Eustice: DEFRA continues to collect data on the distribution and abundance of sharks through dedicated fisheries surveys. This and all other relevant information will contribute to future assessments of the state of UK seas and our progress towards achieving Good Environmental Status as required under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Such assessments will take into account climate change.

Timber: Trade

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will meet environmental groups and specialists in the field to discuss the trade of legal hardwood timber and associated environmental concerns. [202453]

Dan Rogerson: DEFRA recently hosted a stakeholder event on the European Timber Regulation and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Regulations, at which Lord de Mauley met interested

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parties, including several NGOs. Next month he will be speaking at a launch event for WWF’s major upcoming timber campaign, which will be another chance to engage directly with a range of interested parties.

As responsible Minister, Lord de Mauley would be happy to consider any invitations to meetings on this subject.

Vacant Land

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how his Department

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defines surplus land; and what land held by his Department's non-departmental public bodies can be so described. [202508]

Dan Rogerson: The Department defines surplus land as land surplus to its business requirements.

The following table sets out land held by the Department's Non-departmental public bodies that is surplus as at 23 June 2014.

Treasury

Children: Day Care

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the tax-free childcare scheme on childcare prices; and if he will make a statement. [202013]

Nicky Morgan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 March 2014, Official Report, column 152W.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to paragraph 3.22 of Delivering Tax-free childcare: the Government’s response to the consultation on design and operation, when the decision to make National Savings and Investments HM Revenue and Customs’ delivery partner for tax-free childcare was made. [202161]

Nicky Morgan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18 June 2014, Official Report, column 625W.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 674W, on children: day care, what the cost to the public purse was of the report prepared by Economic Insight for his Department. [202162]

Nicky Morgan: The cost of the Economic Insight report can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/295442/transparency_spend_over _25k_february_2014.csv/preview

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to paragraph 6.10 of Delivering Tax-free childcare: the Government's response to the consultation on design and operation published in March 2014, what clear guidance and communications tools

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his Department plans to provide to help parents make informed decisions on which scheme is best for their circumstances. [202254]

Nicky Morgan: The Government's response to the consultation on design and operation of tax-free childcare set out in paragraph 6.11 that the Government will provide detailed online information and consider other communications channels that can be used to raise awareness and understanding of tax-free childcare.

The Government will work with stakeholders, including parents, to develop guidance to help parents understand the scheme, including the interactions between tax-free childcare and other Government support.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the proportion of families currently paying for childcare that will be eligible for the proposed tax-free childcare scheme. [202294]

Nicky Morgan: The information requested is not available.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the take-up of tax-free childcare by parents in each income (a) decile and (b) percentile. [202296]

Nicky Morgan: This information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) median and (b) mean value of top-up that the Government will contribute to each child under the tax-free childcare scheme. [202459]

Nicky Morgan: The Government have published an Impact Assessment on Tax-Free Childcare here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-free-childcare-impact-assessment

Corporation Tax: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid in corporation tax by businesses registered in Ashfield constituency in each of the last five years; and what proportion of such taxation was paid by small and medium-sized enterprises. [201870]

Mr Gauke: Since 2010, the Government have cut the main rate of corporation tax from 28% to 21%. It will fall further to 20% in April 2015. The small profits rate was cut to 20% in April 2011. These corporation tax cuts will be worth around £9.5 billion per year to businesses by 2016-17.

The table below sets out the amount of corporation tax liable for payment by businesses with a registered address in the Ashfield parliamentary constituency for accounting periods ending in the past five years. The latest year for which figures are available is 2011-12.

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Figures on the amount of tax paid, broken down by company size, are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Diesel Fuel: Excise Duties

Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much in tax accrued to the Exchequer in fuel duty on diesel in 2013; and what quantity of diesel this figure represents. [201996]

Nicky Morgan: This information can be found at the UK Trade Info website at:

https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx

Dover Priory Station

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 395W, on Revenue and Customs, when discussions between HM Revenue and Customs, Mapeley and Network Rail regarding the sale of land on the western perimeter of the Priory Court site and the construction of new parking facilities for Dover Priory Railway station have taken place. [201915]

Mr Gauke: 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 395W does not relate to discussions between HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Mapeley and Network Rail.

Previous replies have explained that HMRC does not own the Priory Court Site but occupies it as part of the STEPS PFI agreement with Mapeley. HM Revenue and Customs have held formal discussions with Mapeley and Network Rail which commenced in February 2014. Further discussions of future proposals have been between Mapeley, as the freehold owner of Priory Court, and Network Rail.

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 395W, on Revenue and Customs, which personnel attended discussions between HM Revenue and Customs, Mapeley and Network Rail regarding the sale of land on the western perimeter of the Priory Court site. [202196]

Mr Gauke: 16 June 2014, Official Report, column 395W does not relate to discussions between HM Revenue and Customs, Mapeley and Network Rail. Representatives from HMRC Estates and Support Services Team and from local HMRC business attended initial discussions with Mapeley and Network Rail on proposals for the construction of a multi storey car park on land adjacent to Priory Court Dover. Previous replies have explained that further discussions, on the sale of land on the western perimeter of the Priory Court site, have been between Mapeley as the freehold owner of Priory Court and Network Rail.

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Lloyds Bank: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will hold discussions with Lloyds Bank on the effect of the proposed closure of its contact centre in Warrington on women workers who cannot re-locate because of (a) childcare or other caring responsibilities and (b) a lack of adequate public transport provision; [202352]

(2) if he will hold discussions with Lloyds Bank on (a) the proposed closure of its contact centre in Warrington and (b) the possibility of other jobs being based there. [202353]

Andrea Leadsom: Lloyds Banking Group is run on a commercial basis. The bank retains its own independent board and management team with responsibility for determining its own strategies and commercial policies including those which may relate to the location of business functions.

The Government’s shareholding in Lloyds is managed on an arm's length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI). As an engaged shareholder, UKFI works closely with the bank’s management to hold management rigorously to account for performance. UKFI’s role is to manage the investment and ensure that the bank’s strategy maximises value for money for the taxpayer. The Government do not get involved in any of the day to day decisions of Lloyds Bank.

Mapeley

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when assessments have been made of the value for money of the private finance initiative contract between HM Revenue and Customs and Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited; and when the first such assessment was made. [202079]

Mr Gauke: The National Audit Office (NAO) have conducted two value for money assessments on the private finance initiative contract between HM Revenue and Customs and Mapeley STEPS Contractor Limited. The first of these, PFI: The STEPS Deal, was published by the NAO on 7 May 2004. The second NAO value for money assessment, HM Revenue and Customs’ Estate Private Finance Deal Eight Years On, was published on 3 December 2009.

Minimum Wage: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2014, Official Report, column 36W, on minimum wage: Northern Ireland, (1) whether HM Revenue and Customs' national minimum wage enforcement team have any staff located in Northern Ireland outside the city of Belfast; [202044]

(2) how many people are employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time in the HM Revenue and Customs national minimum wage enforcement team based in Belfast. [202256]

Mr Gauke: The Government take the enforcement of national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously and HMRC enforces the NMW legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

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It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition, carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW across the whole of the UK.

The national minimum wage team in Northern Ireland contains six full-time and two-part-time staff with all using Belfast as a base location.

However, as I explained in my previous response, HMRC deploys resources to risk, so work relating to a specific geographical area may not always be undertaken by the NMW team based in that area. In addition, the NMW Dynamic Response Team (DRT) provides a multi-agency response to emerging risks, high profile casework and compliance initiatives across the UK.

Revenue and Customs

Mr Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make an assessment of the effect on public perception of the efficacy of HM Revenue and Customs of including levels of revenue protection together with levels of additional revenue collected when publicising the effect of compliance activities by HM Revenue and Customs. [201674]

Mr Gauke: It is important that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC’s) methodology for assessing the effects of its compliance activities reflects the full range of impacts of its activities on customer compliance, both to provide accountability for its overall performance and to manage its business and the performance of its compliance teams on a day-to-day basis.

Revenue protected sets out tax receipts that are protected through HMRC activity. It includes the effects of seizing smuggled goods and the direct cash effects from activity such as preventing repayments, as well as an assessment of the impacts of HMRC activity on future taxpayer behavior. Ensuring that customers are put on the right track for the future, rather than waiting for non-compliance to occur before stepping in, is better for customer, better for the Exchequer, and more efficient for HMRC.

The concept of revenue protected is also not a new one, it has always been a feature of HMRC’s compliance performance although this component was not separately identified before 2011-12 in external reporting.

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has accrued to the Exchequer in VAT receipts from the sale of sanitary products in each of the last five years; and if he will review the applicability of such a tax with existing equality legislation. [202135]

Mr Gauke: VAT receipts from the sale of sanitary products, subject to the reduced rate of VAT, are estimated to have been approximately £15 million in each of the last five years.

VAT rules apply the standard rate of 20% to most goods and services. While there are exceptions to this standard rate, these are strictly limited under EU VAT law.

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One such exception is that female sanitary products can be subject to a reduced rate of VAT. Since 2001, the UK has therefore applied a 5% reduced rate of VAT, the lowest permissible under EU law, to the supply of sanitary products.

The application of VAT in the EU, including rates and flexibilities afforded to member states in this regard, is governed by EU law. It means, for example that the Government cannot apply a zero rate to female sanitary products. That would require a change to EU VAT legislation, which would require a proposal from the European Commission and the unanimous agreement of all 28 member states.